Willie G. Moseley

Couple of tunes from a San Diego club on 7 MAY 26

Maybe I oughta blow it away with a shotgun, on camera like Ted Nugent done to that Casio keyboard back in the '90s (somebody ought to post the link to that episode). Seriously. This thing feels "tainted" and I can rationalize the $ amount as "lesson learned."

Maybe I could send it to Gibson and let them run a steamroller over it. Hasn't that been a publicized event for the company in times past?

I think maybe I'll grab a Sharpie, write "COPY" on the back of the headstock, and donate it to a thrift store. Would that be acceptable?

In my neck of the woods "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" was a mandatory song for bar bands. It was a "learn it or get your ass klcked by the patrons

No, the title wasn't inspired by my first marriage. Per a March 6th thread here called "Pawn Shop Revenge" I jumped on what appeared to be a Gibson Dave Grohl DG-335. Turns out it's a "Chibson" but it's fine instrument---plays well, sounds good, is well made, balance nicely.And it's in mint condition. I acted quickly because I simply didn't it to let it get away. The Gibson authority I contacted afterwards (and sent jpegs to) cited the following "telltale signs": (1) The bridge has large-diameter height adjustment posts with a slotted screwdriver head, (2) the frets are over the binding (without nibs), (3) the tuners don't say "Grover" on them, and they look like Grover copies. I suppose it could hang onto it for personal use but this episode feels "tainted" for lack of a better term. Donate it to a charity? It would be hard to establish the tax write-off amount. Any other suggestions? Anybody else ever been thru a situation like this?

At least it's got the handrest. Contemporary version of the 4003 doesn't. If I was still gigging thart piece of hardware would be mandatory.

I just checked out that video and it's very informative. There aren't any historical photos of personnel, the plant or of famous players gigging with the instrument; just pictures of assorted models that don't coordinate with the narration. Still, it appears did an appropriate job researching the brand's history.

^^^One of the hype facets was that the trem was supposed to maintain the integrity of an entire chord, not just a couple of strings, when the vibrato was used. Wonder how it compares to later vibratos like Steinberger's Trans=Trem

As noted in a thread about a Peavey Dyna Bass I acquired a while back, I'll still poke my head into pawn shops on occasion if I'm out of town and ahead of schedule for some kind of business or medical appointment. There are certain sections of larger towns that have turned into combat zones, and I no longer look into shops in such areas. Made that (easy) decision after hearing nearby gunfire when I left such a store a few years back. So this '72 Micro-Frets Stage II came from an alternate location, and once again, I just stumbled into it. It's in Near-Mint condition and I paid too much for it but should be able to make it back if and when I flip it ...And it may be a while before I flip it on accounta this Maryland-made oddity has all sort of cool attributes and innovations: A "Calibrato" vibrato (feels like a Mosrite), a tuneable nut, and a reportedly-Bill-Lawrence-designed "Hi-Fi" circuit that suppresses 20% of the coil windings to offer a switchable tone shift. Neck profile feels like a Mosrite as well (YMMV), Instrument is fully original. Moreover, It's got the original plush-line hard case, instructions, and a November 1972 newsletter...checking out case candy is always a cool experience. Pickups are P-90ish (IMO) and it plays like butter. Micro-Frets only made about 3000 instruments during its initial existence. Finding one this nice from that era is probably a rare experience. HFC members from the Old Line State can probably relate.

One of the more prominent examples of forging a successful solo career after being in an acclaimed band. Maybe the psychedelic pressing of Alone Together was a gimmick, but it worked. always liked his melodious guitar style which fit his songs perfectly. He had a good perspective about being an aging rocker: "I tell the promoter: 'You're not paying me to perform. You're paying me to show up.'"

RE: 50 years "..and we're about to change that.", I got yer "change" right here: As inspired by the legendary house brand model for the largest national retailer back in the '60s, howzabout an amp-in-the-case with the output of a Marshall stack?

^^^This. Also true in journalism when some chain purchases small town paper(s) or smaller chain(s). The readership/consumers and longtime employees of a recently absorbed newspaper seem to be treated with indifference and/or condescension by the new owners. Been there done that Instead of asking the old guard "What can we do to keep the subscriber base growing or at least steady?", new owner says "Here's how we're gonna do it." Oftentimes it's a fatal mistake.

Look closely---that Les Paul has the Peter Green/Gary Moore configuration

I'll go with the Dictators' cover of "Search and Destroy" on Manifest Destiny. Methinks it had canned crowd noise and the guitar solo ain't long but 50 years ago it burned into my brain like a laser.

"Meh" RE "God Gave Rock & Roll to You", then and now. I've always thought that song relied too much on musical and lyrical cliches. Heard Argent do it live in 1973 and wasn't moved. Ballard's Swiss cheese Strat was cool, though. But "Hold Your Head Up" was almost everything that "GGR&RTY" wasn't---the earlier song had a nice introductory hook (crescendo organ and a thumping, insistent bass line). The riffs were decent but not overblown, and the song had a sing-along sensibility. The instrumental break was, perhaps as expected, Rod Argent's keyboard which purveyed a slight allusion to Keith Emerson, IMO. Really liked how chorus line creeped in after the organ solo, then Ballard's power chords came smashing back into the mix via the left speaker. The whole tune had an anthemic vibe, and while there were plenty of those types of songs around 50 years ago, this one was, at least for me, one of the more memorable. 3/29 EDITED TO ADD: "Hold Your Head Up" has cowbell!

They're no Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

This show has become one of my favorites, and one of the main reasons is convenience. The Williamson County Ag Expo Park is the right size and it's conveniently located right by I-65 in south Franklin. Always cool to note how the dirt floor gets completely covered with canvas. This year my health issues are stabilized somewhat, so I'm planning on working the Vintage Guitar Magazine space. This will also be another book signing event for THUNDER OUT OF TEXAS: The Illustrated History of Robin Guitars. And this sojourn is also gonna include a family first: My daughter is coming with me. She's never been to a guitar show before, so now she's gonna find out what Dad's been doing all those weekends he's been gone over the last 36 years. Should be interesting. Watch for us; we'll probably be wearing day-glo "gimme caps"...

I experimented a few times, including once with a new instrument that I got for a particular writing project. Call it the home version of N.O.S. When I opened up the case about a year later, my jaw hit the floor---the translucent finish had rotted, for lack of a better description. Discolored and krinkled. There was a silica packet in the case. The guitar had to go back to the factory for a refin. Maybe, with some brands, it pays to open the case every few months and let it air out.

Given the plethora of sub-genres of "heavy metal" rock music, it's probably difficult for guitarists to build their own (sonic) identity--tone, riffs, etc. Campbell played guitar in Motorhead longer than anyone else. 'Nuff said. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/motorhead-guitarist-phil-campbell-dead-64

Willie Nelson and Keith Richards assisting in the construction of the pyramids in Egypt

Thanks, I sort of suspect such but don't feel like disassembling it on accounta an instrument almost always feels different to my hands when I put it back together

Since some of youse have a more­-than-average interest in guitar construction and restoration, I thought you might know about the body of this instrument: The serial number says it’s a 2001 Standard Tele hecho en Mexico, but that's an upgrade replacement body—bookmatched flame maple top, figured alder body, belly cut, binding on top edge of body, and a std. humbucking pickup mounted in a plate instead of an angled Fender single-coil. And none of those attributes were seen on a Standard Telecaster back then. Would the body have been something you could get from an aftermarket source? If someone cobbled this together he/she did a bang-up job. The fit and finish are nice (with the exception of some residual glue smears around the string anchor grommets, which could probably be cleaned off), it hangs right (for me), and it sounds good. Any information appreciated.

R.E.O./T.W.O. is the one for me, and it was a Richrath favorite as well. It wasn't an "epic" but was just no-frills, straight-forward, high energy rock. And if "Music Man" or "Let Me Ride" didn't hook an aspiring guitarist, he/she should have had his/her pulse checked. "We had such a great time making that record." Richrath told me in early 1993. "We went to Nashville; we were kids who didn't know about royalties, etc. R.E.O./T.W.O. has a tremendous 'live' feel to it."

This post will take a while but the details need to be imparted. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Back in the mid-‘80s, when I was still playing in a bar band and my initial interest in vintage instruments was just beginning to germinate, there was a nearby pawn shop with which I did beaucoup business—guitars, amps, new jewelry, stereo components. I even ordered a new diamond from them in ’85 for my wife’s engagement ring. If they got something in, I’d let ‘em know what they had but would not appraise since I’m not a dealer. They’d give me a decent price on anything I wanted. It seemed to be a courteous and respectful business relationship. Then one time they called me about three archtop electric guitars that had all come out for retail at the same time. I went over to the store and dutifully examined them—a Gibson ES-175, a highly modified ES-335, and a Conn-era Epiphone guitar. While checking them out, the owner’s wife, who also worked there, told me she thought archtop electrics were no longer being made; she thought solidbody electric had completely replaced models like these (!). I told the owner what he had in my usual straightforward/no hype manner, and tried to make an offer on the 175 and Epi, but told myself I’d buy the modded 335 if necessary; maybe my bar band’s guitarist would like to try it as a utility instrument. Then the owner said, “Well, we’re gonna take them to (a retail guitar store in another state). We’re gonna see how much we can get for them up there.” To say I was seething when I huffed out of the store is an understatement. You could’ve fried an egg on my head. That was almost 40 years ago. I got involved with the magazine that became Vintage Guitar not long afterwards, and eventually asked the owner of the retail store in another state if he remembered the instruments, and he recalled that he had declined to purchase them (he didn’t say why, and I didn’t ask). The owner has several stores, and ever since then I’ve infrequently shopped at all of them except the HQ store where this incident occurred. I continue to buy from the satellite stores for the express purpose of flipping what I purchase quickly for more than I paid for it. And I always wave cash at the employees; no credit cards or debit cards. Cash has always talked at this particular pawn shop chain. The employees at the satellite stores don’t know about my guitar-collecting jones, and I don’t wear a guitar-brand t-shirt when I go into the ancillary stores, either—that’s a dead giveaway to the proprietor. I’ve usually done okay in such transactions (both the purchase of the instrument and the subsequent sale of it) and I don’t mind cleaning up such instruments. While I no longer collect, there are occasionally times when I’ll still poke my head into area pawn shops to kill time if I’m ahead of schedule for a meeting or get-together, and that was the scenario yesterday in the nearby big city for a weekly informal Thursday lunch meeting of retired media guys, mostly my age (and mostly photographers). Just up the street was one of the satellite stores (still in business), and I had about ten minutes to burn, so I popped in. And there was a US-made Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe five-string in very nice condition. Four knobs, active electronics. Methinks its Oxblood finish is a rare color. I examined it closely and told myself how much I’d pay (didn’t talk with an employee). Willie don’t play five-string basses. I figured I’d flip it at the upcoming Nashville show later this month to help pay for travel expenses; gotta do a book signing there. The restaurant down the street beckoned, however, and I was there for almost an hour. A trip to a nearby bank a few miles away to withdraw the maximum I was willing to pay took around 45 minutes so I was back at the pawn shop in less than two hours after I walked in the first time. And the bass had been sold during that time frame. The stand on which the bass had been sitting was as empty as a kosher deli in downtown Teheran. I couldn’t help but chuckle. There were times when I would have pouted, but no more. I proud that I can now maintain an even strain in these so-called golden years regarding guitars. But there’s a “what if” notion flitting around in my mind like an malevolent moth that speculates about what would have happened if I had the cash on me the first time I walked into that satellite store….