Hamerhack Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 The kids had a couple of snow days last week, and I finally got my daughter to watch "This is Spinal Tap". (She's seen "A Mighty Wind" a bunch of times).She liked it! (Especially "These go to 11", and the untimely demise of numerous drummers.)Anyhoo, I noticed that a Rare Guitar shop was listed in the credits.Anybody know if that was an actual '59 LP?Any additional info (pedigree, etc) on other guitars in Nigel's collection?Thanks!
tomteriffic Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 Those were provided by Norm's Rare Guitars. I don't know that that's a '59, but a lot of stuff in that scene looks to be the real deal.
Jeff R Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 Listen to it...the sustain...can you hear it?
Hamerhack Posted February 23, 2007 Author Posted February 23, 2007 Listen to it...the sustain...can you hear it? She liked that, too!
serial Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 All of the guitars in that scene were rented from Norman's Rare Guitars. Some of them are pictured in Norm's book which is really well done (think the Nielsen book, but even more scary). My guess is that the LP was the real deal. He has a pic of the Seafoam Green '66 BassVI that you can't even look at in that book too.
Hamerhack Posted February 23, 2007 Author Posted February 23, 2007 All of the guitars in that scene were rented from Norman's Rare Guitars. Some of them are pictured in Norm's book which is really well done (think the Nielsen book, but even more scary). My guess is that the LP was the real deal. He has a pic of the Seafoam Green '66 BassVI that you can't even look at in that book too.Cool! What's the name of the book?I also noticed Nigel has a checkerboard strap at some point.
HamerJammer Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 Listen to it...the sustain...can you hear it? I can't hear anything? Well, you would if you had it plugged in... Man, I loved that scene!
kenjones Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 All of the guitars in that scene were rented from Norman's Rare Guitars. Some of them are pictured in Norm's book which is really well done (think the Nielsen book, but even more scary). My guess is that the LP was the real deal. He has a pic of the Seafoam Green '66 BassVI that you can't even look at in that book too.Cool! What's the name of the book?I also noticed Nigel has a checkerboard strap at some point."Normans Rare Guitars: 30 Years of Buying Selling & Collecting"It's available on Amazon.com.
serial Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 Saw the strap in the history of Metal or whatever it's called on VH-1C a few times. Usually holding a Vee or a '58 Explorer (or an 80s Historic). Ye olde Hamer straperoo.
Jeff R Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 90s Guitar World article on Nigel's gear http://www.spinaltapfan.com/articles/guitarworld3.html My favorite part of the article... Probably the most eye-catching piece in the guitarist's arsenal is the custom-made Marshall stack 6-string pictured on the cover of this issue. Also inspired by Nigel, it was designed by Marshall's Mike Doyle and executed by Jackson Guitars. It features a maple neck-through-body design with bass wood sides (and extension cabinet), ebony fretboard, 22 frets clear, and one Seymour Duncan humbucker. All other parts — cabinet corners, brass rivets, logos, control knobs, white piping, and front and back control panels — are made by Marshall. The "NT" is the only one of its kind — serial number JMOO1. As Doyle points out, "It can be played in either half-stack or full-stack configurations." What does the added extension cabinet do? "What any extension cabinet does," shrugs Nigel. "It makes it harder to pick up." This piece was in Hard Rock Cafe in Boston when I was there a few years ago.
Stike Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 When Spinal Tap was filmed (83?) most of those guitars were affordable (somewhat) and didn't quite have the status (and pricing) they do now.
Mobster Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 I thought the guitars in that scene where all actually Billy Gibbon's guitar collection?
serial Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 I thought the guitars in that scene where all actually Billy Gibbon's guitar collection?Nope-they were Norm's. He talks about it in his book. He's also rented his guitars for other movies as well-including the 355 in "Back to the Future" that MJFox does his Berry+ impression with. Something about that that model wasn't available with humbuckers or a vibrola in 1955, but the movie guys didn't care.There were two or three of the Spinal Tap Marshall/Jacksons done. They gave one away in that issue of GW with Tap on the cover ('93?). I know that BroChris almost bought one from a dealer in NJ shortly after that-extension cabinet and all. That would've been cool as hell. Who knows where the others are now?!
Steve Haynie Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 I remember reading that they had to insure the guitars for an incredible amount. In This Is Spinal Tap if it looks real, it is real.
cmatthes Posted February 23, 2007 Posted February 23, 2007 Yep - definitely Norm's stuff. I visited Norm's in '88 on a CA trip (had to buy the shirt, ya know!), and they confirmed that they rented all that stuff out and that Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer had spent time in the shop "cherry-picking" and yukking it up.The Strap is actually a Hamer strap from the early 80s, yes.As far as the Jackson "Marshall" guitars, I believe there were four total. One was indeed a giveaway, and I missed buying it by HOURS from the sweepstakes winner in '93. He was only a ferry ride across the Bay into NJ from me too, which didn't make it any less painful.He was selling it for stupid cheap, too!
intelligentpony Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 Nope-they were Norm's. He talks about it in his book. He's also rented his guitars for other movies as well-including the 355 in "Back to the Future" that MJFox does his Berry+ impression with. Something about that that model wasn't available with humbuckers or a vibrola in 1955, but the movie guys didn't care.!The ES335 was introduced in 1958 and the movie takes place in 1955. Oops.
Guest pirateflynn Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 I bought a couple of Jazzmasters back around then from Norm's. A Candy Apple Red '62 and a Trans Blonde '59 w/ anodized pickguard for $750 + $1,200.
Guest pirateflynn Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 They were only with me a short time. I loved the vibe of them and the necks, but the PUs, tiny frets and bridges were not for me. I ignorantly asked Tom Anderson to build me a modern version of a Jazzmaster, his people said ......... no. Ha!Oh, here's something I almost forgot. My wife (at the time) had a surprise waiting for me when I returned home from work one night. She had painted a jungle scene on the original case of my '62 Jazzmaster. I was not amused.I made money on them and secretly wish I had them back.
serial Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 Jazzmasters hum a good bit, but there's something about them that I find irresistable lately. Kind of like the way I get with some Hamer stuff.
Guest pirateflynn Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 I understand. I was seduced by them as well ....... still think they cool as hell. A great looking guitar!
Brooks Posted February 25, 2007 Posted February 25, 2007 Listen to it...the sustain...can you hear it? "you can go out for a bite and come back and "WHAAAAAA", ya still be 'earin' that one"....
mc2 Posted February 25, 2007 Posted February 25, 2007 Around 1993 (?) I was out at Mike Tobias' shop when he was in Hollywood in back of The Bass Centre and he had me try out a headless bass he was just finsihing for Derek Smalls of the reunited Spinal Tap. He knew I was a headless Leduc endorser and it happen to be in my favorite color too (green burst.) Mike said it was the onbly headless bass he'd ever made....weighed as much as a cinder block but played great.Saw Spinal Tap live the first performance they did after regrouping...again probaly 1992-93 on a Saturday night after a long day at NAMM in Anaheim. I'd hosted the Music & Sound Awards and didn;t even have time to change out of my tux to make it over the the show at the Disneyland Hotel. Very surreal...Spinal Tap, Disneyland Hotel and me the only guy in a tux! Dweezil Zappa opened as was also great. Met Beverly DiAngelo though...hot but damn, she's shorter than BCR Greg!!Oddly enough, Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) actually produces on occasion at the recording studio a few doors from my house in New Orleans. I've even gotten his mail in my mailbox by mistake a couple of times.
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