BruceM

There's a guy in Tomah, Wisconsin, Barry Clark, who claims to be the biggest Hofner dealer in the USA. I bought a cheapo Club from a guy in my neighborhood about 6 years ago. I liked it well enough for what it was, but ended up selling it to my brother's neighbor, a 13 year old boy. The guitar fit his hands well as he was learning. I then began to see Barry Clark's instruments on Reverb, he's got a large Reverb store with lots of instruments listed. Fast forward to 2 years ago, and I decided to stop in to his store, which was a converted house-turned-music-store on the main drag of Tomah. I used to hang out in Tomah occasionally because I'd ride the nearby Elroy-Sparta bike trail twice a year throughout the 80s and 90s, and there was a good supper club there. It was a weird stop because I was road weary after a 5 hour drive from my parents place in central IL. Barry is in his 80s now, and it took him awhile to figure out why I was there. I ended up buying a Club 500/2 bass, which is the mid-line single cut. I still have the bass, and I like it quite a bit. Barry did not have adequate time to set up the guitar, and I didn't check it well before I left. The bridge was messed up and needed a replacement part, so I stopped in on my next trip. He did the work in the week I was traveling, and restrung the guitar with round wound strings, which he insisted were required for rock music. I like the round wound sound better. He was right. Weird things about his shop and the trip: His wife suffers dementia and wanders around the store. She was confused by me. I had just spent time with my Dad, who suffered dementia as well, so I told them their apologies for her behavior were not necessary. He's got a large garage type warehouse where he houses inventory, and was bragging about a shipment of 300 Hofners he was about to receive from Germany. He's got some really nice instruments there. Look up Barry Clark guitars on reverb. He's from England, and he recorded his first album at Abby Road Studios somewhere around 1969. He was quite proud of that, and pulled out his photo album to show me pics. I had been there a half hour by then and was ready to leave, so I didn't stay long Barry was the lead guitarist. What's the name of his band, you might ask? None other than the legendary Pussy. Yup, you heard that right. Pussy. Enough said. Here's some classic Pussy music:

Well that was fun watching Billy Corgan interview himself. RIP, JD. you were responsible for much of the soundtrack of my youth, and hence my life.

If I didn't already have a red one, this one would be mine! GLWTS

Yeah, I know, but if you don't ask... Any other Hamer baritone model would also suffice. Or, how about some nice pics of Hamer baritone guitars.

First pic is from 2007. The second is from 2023.

Love this bass! I have the yellow version of this, and it's become my go-to bass. So light, and it sounds fantastic!

This is going to be a great precursor to my 70th birthday bash in October. There are 6 bands playing short sets at the 4-3-2-1 Club on Saturday night, and I'm playing in 5 of them! Uff da, as we say in Minnesota. Luckily, Sir Dan will be manning the grill for me to make sure the wieners don't burn, and the temperature is supposed to be above 70 tomorrow. It's shaping up to be an epic jam. And yes, you heard that right. Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 24. I've got the Zen Lounge and Mission Room reserved at the Hook and Ladder, right here in the neighborhood. It's going to be a fundraiser event this year for local businesses that have been affected by the recent unrest. Oh, did I mention that I'm boiling up a batch of chicken gumbo using Jeff Richard's famous recipe? Yup. Music starts at 6:00pm with The Chunckles, followed in rapid fire succession by Play Prettys, Mike & the Homos, Dear Carcass, Famous Volcanoes and the 4321 All-Stars. If the xxx-agenarians aren't exhausted after all that, there will be a jam session as well. Do drop in.

You must be shopping for me! Thanks for looking out for me.

You'll want to show up to see what kind of fun this crew is going to get into this time! And wow, hard to believe this pic is 15 years old.

Bump. This one is coming right up. It's looking like a gumbo & wiener weekend, and after recent snowfall (LOTS of it), it's supposed to hit 70 degrees on Saturday. Woo hoo! Party starts at 4:00pm, music starts at 6:00pm and there are 6 bands on the bill, each playing a 5 song set, with the jam to follow.

Oh my goodness.

Got any pink ones? Kidding, I'm kidding!

Bump... Musically, preparations are underway. Since I haven't had one of these of these parties in awhile, all my local musician friends are coming out of the woodwork, practicing for their turn at the 4-3-2-1 Club. Lots of good sounds emanating from the basement! It's time for more of this:

I'll be driving by at the end of the month. Awhile back I managed to convince a guy in Norfolk, VA to hold a pink 80s cruisebass for a month until I made a road trip out there. If only I needed another T-51.

Thanks for this. I watched We Want The Funk last night. It's well worth it, and Carlos is entertaining, for sure.

I own a pair of these, and I concur. They work quite well for their intended purpose. They're portable and plenty loud as a stereo and as a PA for performance with relatively low-volume instruments.

Yup, I was about to post about this too. Yes, I received a similar email in response to my baritone guitar post.

My first concert experience was BOC in December 1973. I approve of this video. Their first 3 albums are among my all-time favorite albums.

Hijack: Yesterday, and I don't even remember why, I was reading up on Carlos Alomar. According to his Wikipedia page, he was responsible for bringing Luther and the other backup singers into the recording session for Bowie's Young Americans album. I would really like to read Alomar's memoirs. I hope he publishes something. Also, I saw a documentary on Luther Vandross last year, on HBO, I think? And yes, he was phenomenal in his own right. And as long as we're discussing Bowie, I highly recommend Woody Woodmansy's book, Spider From Mars: My Life With Bowie. He was the drummer during that time period in Bowie's career. It's a highly entertaining book.

That's right, it's time for another Celebrity Jam, this time featuring our own Cheap Chick (you old-timers will remember Pam), Madame Pamita. What: PAMJAM 2026! When: Saturday, March 21, 4:00 PM Where: Why, right here at the 4-3-2-1 Club, of course Why: Because I miss you! Who: As many of you 4-3-2-1 Club Pilgrims as possible! It's time for more of THIS:

I play out a few times a year with Famous Volcanoes. I'm the bass player in that group, and my rig now consists of an Eden Traveler bass amp, which fits nicely into a soft-sided briefcase and weighs about 15 lbs, along with a Phil Jones Bass C5 cabinet which is roughly a cubic foot and weighs 25 lbs. I'm also now playing short scale basses, most often my Reverend Wattplower. Although I could load in with a single trip, there's no need at most venues. The amp setup is pictured below. It was a game-changer for me, and it sounds fantastic on stage. I'm old now, though. This fall, I'll be 70, and I have a history of big music parties on my decade birthdays. Hmmmm, let the planning commence.

Wow, thank you! So much Z goodness. But, looks like he needs to turn the heat up in there. It's winter!

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. For now, I'm searching for a Baritone electric. I've seen many of the other suggestions during my search.

Harvey Mandel was another who used to tour the college circuit in the mid-70s. He was in the conversation as the new Rolling Stones guitarist in the mid-70s, and he was featured on Hot Stuff and Memory Motel from the Stones' Black and Blue album. He had a number of good solo albums out at that time, and he was jaw-dropingly good in the small nightclubs he performed in at that time.

The very first band I saw in concert setting was The Flock, in December 1973 at The Decatur Armory in Decatur, IL (my hometown). They opened for Blue Oyster Cult. The Flock would be characterized as a jazz-rock band, mainly because they featured a violinist. They were quite good. This concert also coincided with my first foray into hallucinogenics, so as a 17 year old, I was quite impressionable. I don't ever remember The Flock getting much radio airplay, but they were somewhat similar to Jean-Luc Ponty, who did get some FM radio play. This is what they sounded like: