Famous Guitarists Caught Playing Guitars Other than their Usual Part 002

Jimmy Page was most often seen playing a late 1950’s Les Paul or a EDS-1275. But when Jeff Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Page chose to play a Vintage Fender Electric XII, the short lived 12-string contribution from Fender in the 1960’s. he is no stranger to Vintage Fender Guitars, having played Vintage Fender Telecasters in his Yardbird days.

Famous Guitarists Caught Playing Guitars Other than their Usual Part 001

Warren Haynes has long been a supporter of Vintage Gibson Guitars, favoring 1958 Les Paul’s, Dot Neck ES-335s and Non-Reverse Firebirds with p-90s when he is seeking single-coil punch. Halloween 2008 in Boston forced Haynes to put down his Gibson favorites and pick up  another model, in order to play an entire set of Pink Floyd tunes, Haynes had no choice but to recreate it the way it was originally played — on a Vintage Fender Stratocaster. 

GUITARS & CLIMATE CHANGE

Our shop, recently, received several (many) acoustic guitars with changed action and neck misalignment(s) even though owners made efforts to ensure their guitar is in a controlled climate, or in a case, or breathing open air (A/C) kept in house. Despite owner care and handling these guitars changed.

Some guitars we received had high action, under set necks, and dehydrated bodies while other guitars had signs of over set necks, fret buzz, and bloated bodies. These are symptoms of: CLIMATE CHANGE to a guitar.

Procedural, when a neck is under set with high string action the remedy is a neck reset followed by a full fret dressing. Conversely, the same procedure is the remedy for an overset neck.

We've changed our analysis when now we see these conditions. That is, prior to looking at mechanical dysfunctions we are now examining a guitar's hydration to see whether an instrument is over-hydrated or under-hydrated.

Read More Here: http://bit.ly/1cODQqW

For Information on Climate Control Please See HVAC Company MA

Top Ten Classic Rock Guitars

Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Fender SRV Stratocaster

10. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Fender SRV Stratocaster

The Stevie Ray Vaughn Stratocaster signature model was based on Vaughn’s favorite guitar, “Number One”, also called his “First Wife”. The SRV Stratocaster was in the works in the late ‘80’s with a planned release date in 1989. Stevie’s touring and recording schedule, however, delayed its release. Finally, in 1990, Stevie was presented with 3 prototypes, right before his Tonight Show performance. That night, his notable SRV stickers on the pickguard were missing, so the Tonight Show art staff got creative and applied temporary white Letraset stickers. Vaughn liked the script-style lettering so much that he suggested that the lettering be engraved into the pickguard – as it appears today. Vaughn died about 10 weeks after his Tonight Show appearance, and the SRV was put on hold until 1991. At that time, at the direction of Stevie’s brother Jimmi, plans for the Limited Edition were scrapped. Jimmi’s goal became making sure the SRV guitar was affordable so that “every kid that wanted one could afford one.”

9. Jerry Garcia’s Tiger

Where did Garcia’s rich, deep tones come from? From his appropriately named “Tiger”. Jerry’s custom-made guitar was named Tiger because of the inlay on the battery/preamp compartment. Tiger was built in the so-called Alembic “Hippie Sandwich” tradition described as several different layers of wood sandwiched together to create beautiful layers. Tiger’s top layer was cocobolo, followed by a stripe of Maple, then a layer of Vermillion and a Flame Maple core. The binding across the body and front of the guitar is brass, with a gorgeous inlay on the back side of the body. The neck, made of Western Maple, has a hardwood section of padauk inlayed in the back. The ebony fret-board is enhanced with a brass binding. One writer states that Tiger is “12 ½ pounds of muscle and beauty” — the power behind the sound that defined the Grateful Dead.

8. Bob Dylan’s 1964 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster

When Bob Dylan plugged in his 1964 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster at the Newport Folk Festival, he literally electrified rock history. But there was controversy surrounding his first live “plug-in”. Dylan was booed by his fans. The reason for the crowd’s hostile reaction was either that Dylan appeared to be “abandoning” the folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night of his performance – or a combination of the two. Either way, Dylan’s actions had huge implications for both rock and folk music. His ’64 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster was front and center in the event that shifted Dylan’s career.

But the famous guitar has stayed in the limelight. Dylan’s history-making Strat went missing for 47 years, and controversy over its whereabouts still simmers. In a Rolling Stone Music article, PBS Detectives are quoted as saying that the missing guitar has been found in the home of a New Jersey native, Dawn Peterson, and has been authenticated. The story goes that Peterson’s father was a private pilot who worked for Dylan’s manager in the mid ‘60’s. After a flight, Peterson claims to have found 3 guitars that were left on the plane, with 17 pages of hand-written lyrics in the cases. Peterson claimed that when he tried to return the guitars, no one got back to him. Dylan, on the other hand, claims to have the guitar. But experts make a strong case that the guitar in Dawn Peterson’s possession is the same Sunburst Fender Stratocaster that Dylan played at the festival in 1965. Vintage-instrument specialist Andy Babiuk was convinced after PBS asked him to compare it to close-up color photos from Newport. “The more I looked, the more they matched,” Babiuk says. “The rosewood fingerboard has distinct lighter strips. Wood grain is like a fingerprint. I’m 99.9 percent sure it’s the guitar – my credibility is on the line here.” PBS History Detectives also called in Dylan memorabilia collector Jeff Gold, who often helps auction houses authenticate items for sale. “A vast percentage of the stuff I get shown isn’t real,” he says. “By nature, I’m a defeatist. But this was obviously real.” The mystery surrounding this iconic, history-shaping guitar only adds to its mystic.

7. Jimi Hendrix’s Gibson Flying V

Along with his hand-painted Fender Stratocaster, Jimi also owned 3 Gibson Flying Vs. His first Flying V was the famous hand-painted psychedelic one that was designed especially for Jimmy in 1969. His performance at the Isle of Whyte Festival put this iconic model center stage. The routings and pick guard are left handed; all the hardware is gold. The vibrato is a typical flat mount base (no difference left or right). This was the first time Gibson inlayed a pearl logo on a Flying V. And perhaps in honor of Jimi’s native American (Cherokee) background (from his father’s side), Jimi requested the split diamond inlays be made to represent Indian arrow heads. The Kluson-built tuners are very unusual. They are Gibson Deluxe double line tuners with single line tulip buttons that were unusual for that period. At that time, through 1971, the perloid buttons had 2 strings.

6. Derek Trucks Gibson SG Standard

One of the most accomplished and respected guitarists working today, Derek Trucks’ “weapon of choice” is a Gibson SG Standard. A departure from the original 1961 SG, the hardware complement of Derek’s SG is quite unique. His Signature SG is also modified with a decorative Lyre vibrato cover with the vibrato mechanism itself removed and replaced by a stopbar tailpiece. Derek also customized the guitar with the early style “no wire” ABR-1 Tune-o-matic tailpiece, without a pickguard. His rise from child prodigy to one of the most talented guitar players of our time, has put him in the company of many top-notch musicians. Truck is currently the co-leader of the acclaimed new Tedeschi Trucks Band and longtime bandleader of The Derek Trucks Band. He also continues to play with the Allman Brothers Band and has performed with legends like Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton. Who ever he’s playing with, his “sublime tone and unique playing style—both of which benefit from liberal slide playing” are unparalleled. His Gibson SG is the guitar that makes it happen.

5. Eddie Van Halen’s Hand-Painted Frankenstrat

In 1979, Eddie’s original guitar was repainted red, with stripes left unpainted to reveal the original black and white underneath. Eddie changed the neck, removed part of the pick guard, and eventually installed a Floyd Rose vibrato unit. The guitar is known both as “Frankenstrat” and as the “Frankenstein”. Fender issued a replica of the guitar in relic form at a retail price in 2007. A “new” (non-relic) Frankenstrat was available through the Charvel company for significantly less, but it was eventually discontinued. This Fender/Charvel series was the first time Van Halen had consented to the commercial release of a guitar with his signature graphics on it. Allmusic described Eddie Van Halen as “Second to only Jimi Hendrix… undoubtedly one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century”. His use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking, combined with his rhythmic sensibility and melodic approach, have influenced an entire generation of guitarists. The solo in “Eruption” was voted #2 on Guitar World magazine’s readers’ poll of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. The trademark red Frankenstrat played a huge role in shaping the sound of this epic guitarist who ranked 8th in Rolling Stone’s 201l list of the Top 100 guitarists.

4. Eric Clapton’s Blackie

Jim Hendrix and Blind Faith band mate, Steve Winwood, greatly influenced Clapton’s choice of guitars. Impressed by their instruments, Eric Clapton switched from Gibson guitars to Vintage Fender Guitars. His first Stratocaster was nicknamed “Brownie” because of its sunburst brown finish. Brownie was used on his albums “Eric Clapton” and “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”. In 1970, Clapton discovered the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee. He bought six 1950’s Stratocasters for $200-$300 US dollars each. He gave one to George Harrison, Pete Townshend and Stevie Winwood, then took the best parts of the remaining three and assembled “Blackie”, his favorite Fender Stratocaster – affectionately named by Clapton for its black finish. Clapton played Blackie for many years, but finally retired his Fender favorite in 1985 due to problems with the neck. A 1990 TV commercial for Honda brought Blackie out of retirement at the specific request of the company. Clapton’s guitar solo on “Bad Love” was filmed for the commercial. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the Royal Albert Hall shows in 1991.

3. George Harrison’s Rosewood TelecasterGeorge Harrison’s Rosewood Telecaster

“There are instruments, and there are legendary instruments which have become mythical in proportion.” Harrison’s Rosewood Telecaster is one of the later. Mythical! In 1969, the Beatles were at the end of their long and winding road together. Time had taken its toll on their creativity and relationships within the group. They had stopped performing concerts by then, and decided that as their parting collaboration, they could come together for the “Let it Be” album and film – followed by a final live performance on the rooftop of Apple’s London headquarters. During the filming and recording, Harrison received a new instrument custom-made for him by Fender. To generate market excitement over the new Fender design, a prototype of the Fender Rosewood Telecaster , a vintage fender telecaster, was presented to Harrison. The new solid body was made with a thin layer of maple, sandwiched between a solid rosewood top and back. Harrison’s guitar was flown to England in its own seat, accompanied by a courier and delivered to the Apple offices. The now famous guitar was used in the “Get Back” recording sessions and in the final rooftop performance. The day after their rooftop show, with cameras rolling in the Apple basement studio, the Fab Four performed and recorded “The Long and Winding Road” and “Let it Be”, with Harrison using his now legendary Rosewood Telecaster. Not long after, the band went their separate ways. In 1969, Harrison attended Delaney and Bonnie’s London show. Eric Clapton was on the bill. Following the performance, Clapton asked Harrison to join the group for shows through Great Britain and Denmark. The next day, Harrison joined the tour and as an unforgettable gesture of appreciation for the invitation, presented Delaney with his much-loved Rosewood Telecaster with these words, “This is what you did for me last night”.

2. Jimmy Page’s Gibson Double Neck

The epic double neck Gibson played by Led Zepplin’s Jimmy Page has been called “The Hammer of the Gods”. The sound of Page on the Double Neck for Stairway to Heaven is considered unequalled in rock history. One Zepplin fan is quoted as saying that while other artists have played this model, “It wasn’t until Jimmy picked up the double neck that it became the instrument that screamed “Rock God” and became an icon.” Another source names Jimmy Page’s Gibson EDS 1275 Double Neck as “the coolest guitar in rock”. It allowed Page to perform “Stairway to Heaven” without an awkward mid-song guitar change. Page would alternate from the bottom 6-string for the delicate finger picking in Stairway’s intro and verses and the spiraling guitar solo, to the 12-string for the song’s bridge and final chorus. Page also used his famous Gibson Double Neck for classics like “The Song Remains the Same” and “Rain Song”. The Jimmy Page Signature Double Neck, no longer in production, was a painstaking recreation of Jimmy’s original 1971 model with mahogany 6-and 12-string necks outfitted with rosewood fingerboards. A dark cherry finish, chrome hardware and strap locks, a period-correct 5-ply pick guard, 4 Page pickups and 2 volume and tone control knobs.

1. Jimi Hendrix’s Hand Painted Fender Stratocaster

Jimi Hendrix

Hard to believe that with only 4 years of mainstream exposure before his death, Jimi Hendrix is still widely considered “the greatest electric guitarist in music history”. His fame in the US skyrocketed after his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival using what we consider to be the #1 classic rock guitar of all time, his hand-painted Fender Stratocaster. At Monterey, Jimi smashed the guitar during his performance of “Wild Thing” and then did what he often did to his beloved guitars – he lit it on fire! Throughout his career, Hendrix used many guitars, but his guitar of choice was always the Fender Stratocaster.

The Foo Fighters and Their Four Signature Guitar

For an artist, it must be quite an honor to have your own Fender or Gibson signature guitar model. Most of the great guitar gods have had signature models created for them. JoePass, Tal Farlow, The Everly Brothers, Johnny Smith, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, The Ventures and Trini Lopez were among the first. In the 70’s and 80’s, it was George Benson, Paul Stanley and Bob Weir models by Ibanez.  In the 90’s, there were Eddie Van Halen models, along with a flock of other metal notables. The turn of the century brought a signature model for super players Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page. Even some greats no longer with us like Jimi Hendrix, Paul Kossof and Randy Rhodes received the honor of having their own signature models. One band with the unique distinction of having 4 signature models created for them is still very much alive and rocking.  In fact, in 2013 they’re still packing arenas and recording relevant music.  That band is the Foo Fighters.

The Foo Fighters have had four meaningful signature models developed in the past few years. First and foremost was a limited edition no longer available called the “inspired by Dave Grohl” Gibson DG-335.  In 2007, another classic was released. This one, created by the the artisans of the Gibson Custom Shop, was actually a re-release of the Vintage Gibson Guitar, the“Trini Lopez” signature model that was popular from 1964-71. Grohl has always been a fan of the Trini Lopez model, which is a hybrid between a solid body and a hollow body. The limited model was produced in a rare Pelham Blue color.

The DG-335 has the same classic Firebird-style headstock with six-on-a-side tuners. The body has stylish diamond f-holes. The inlays on the fretboard are acrylic split diamond. This unique feature was inspired by the original Trini Lopez model. The pickups are original Patent Applied for humbuckers, designed to deliver the amazing tones that Grohl has become famous for with the Foo Fighters.

Grohl is not the only Foo Fighter with a signature edition, Fender has recently released the Chris Shiflett Signature Telecaster Deluxe and the Nate Mendel P Bass. The Tele is based on Shiflett’s favorite vintage fender guitar, his 1972 Fender Telecaster Deluxe. It has an Arctic White Finish, a four-ply white pearl pickguard, two custom designed humbucker pickups, a custom stenciled case and Shiflett’s signature on the headstock.

The original Telecaster Deluxe was produced by Fender from 1972. It was designed to produce the thick sound of late 1960’s heavy rock created by humbucker pickups. To do this right, Fender hired Seth Lover in 1967. Formerly from Gibson. Seth was the inventor of the humbucker pickup. Lover created the Fender “WideRange” humbucker, which was featured on the Telecaster Deluxe, Custom and Thinline Models.

The Fender Nate Mendel Signature Bass is modeled after his 1971 Fender Precision Bass. It features a slightly road-worn candy apple finish, an extra slim neck, a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder Split Coil Pickup, a Leo Quan Badass II bridge and an extra neck plate with a hybrid “Fender/Foo Fighters” logo. Mendel has expressed his affection for his 71 P-Bass and the features that make it unique and Fender has gone to great lengths to duplicate the specifics.

Long time touring guitarist, Pat Smear, formerly of The Germs and Nirvana, has a signature model built for him by Hagstrom. The Pat Smear signature model is a double cutaway mahogany body, set neck, capped with a maple top. Each guitar is said to be built by the same standards as Pat’s guitars. The design is a custom hybrid of a 1970’s Hagstrom model “H-IIN-OT” and the modern day “F-200.”

Top 20 Basses of Famous Rock Bass Players

This is our new top list at Clickenbacker, ENJOY!

This first list is supposed to be famous instruments, not players; but there is some crossovers to my favorites.

 1. Les Claypool – Carl Thompson Bass – Talk about Bass Magic? Amazing talent Primus Bass Player Les Claypool took over where Frank Zappa left off w/ some of the greatest modern progressive music known to man! Les made the Carl Thompson Bass famous originally in the "John the Fisherman" video.

2. Steve Harris - Fender Precision Bass- This is the reason I started playing bass! Say no more, Steve Harris is the ultimate bass player in my eyes, a warrior of he 4 string!!!

3. Paul Mcartney 1965 Rickenbacker 4001  - Since the time he obtained his Bass in 1965, Paul McCartney’s original Rickenbacker 4001S bass (actually made in 1964) has “evolved” through Numerous modifications. Using the 4001C64 starting point, the 4001C64S fast forwards to incorporate these changes to replicate his Bass as it finally exists today. Most evident is the reshaped body, zero-fret Fingerboard, pickup type, and tailpiece detail. A satin sealer-only finish helps protect The natural Maple body and neck, as well as the Rosewood fingerboard. I saw the movie (Magical Mystery Tour) at the Orsen Wells Cinema, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, in 1976 w/ my parents.

4. Flea, Music Man Sting Ray - For me, no one says it more for bass guitar than Flea. In a week’s time I was exposed to the Higher Ground Video, Knock Me Down, David Letterman Appearances, then came the “Bust a Move” Video, which blew me away. Making the Music Man Sting Ray, always the main stay Flea bass!

5. John Entwistle’s Alembic Explorer Bass - This bird’s eye maple bass was featured in 1978’s “The Kids are Alright,” and remained The Ox’s main bass up until the ‘90s.  Entwistle was famous for his collection of vintage basses – any number of which were well worthy of this list.

6. Jaco Pastorius’ 1962 Fretless Fender Jazz Bass - Influential American jazz musician, Pastorius is known for his unique playing style, his intricate solos in the higher register and for the “singing” quality he achieved on his 1962 Fretless Fender Jazz bass. In 1988, Pastorius became the only electric bass guitarist ever inducted into the “Down Beat” Jazz Hall of Fame. The original 1962 Fender is now owned by one of today’s most exciting bass player, Robert Trujillo, currently of Metallica and formerly of Suicidal Tendencies.

7. Phil Lesh’s Guild Starfire with Alembic Electronics - After a few less-than-favorite instruments including a Gibson EB-O that  “had telephone poles for strings”, The Dead’s famous bassist, Phil Lesh met his match in his Guild Starfire Bass.  Dubbed the “Godfather”, the instrument had 3 Alembic pickups – a quad pickup with four outputs (one for each string) and standard bass and treble humbuckers. How did he get that amazing sound? The bottom half of the bass is loaded with electronics and the top half is full of foam rubber to eliminate feedback.

8. Dee Dee Ramone – Fender Precision Bass – 1-2-3-4-GO!

9. Geddy Lee – Fender Jazz Bass – Let’s face it, there are a lot of Rics on this list, I prefer Geddy on the 4001 vs. the Jazz Bass, but he really seems to like them, and who can forget him playing one on the video for “Vital Signs?” 


10. Gene Simmons’ Axe Bass - As if their pyrotechnics and shock-rock make-up weren’t enough, Gene Simmons’ flair for the fantastic even made its way to his instruments.  In the late 70’s, there was no bigger band in the world than KISS, and Gene Simmons wanted the most rock-n-roll bass guitar ever. He hired guitar luthier Steve Carr to design an instrument with shock value. Given that one of the big moments in a KISS live show was when Simmons spit blood all over the stage, he wanted his bass to resemble an olde English executioner’s axe. As ornate as the instrument looks, it’s actually simple and effective – just one pickup, one volume knob and one tone knob. It was originally manufactured by Kramer guitars with the aluminum neck designed to increase the sustain and improve structure and durability. Probably the most famous  kramer bass guitar ever, these guitars are extremely rare and definitely not cheap. Original run of Axe basses was intended to be 1,000  but collectors feel that the number actually produced was much lower, with only around 500 original Axe basses around today. Most have been signed by Simmons himself.

11. Mike Watt – 1963 Gibson EB-3 Bass STOLEN in 2008! Mike Watt is an American Bassist, most famous for fireHOSE, Minutemen and the reunited Stooges. An underrated genius, amazing bassist and staple in punk rock American roots was famous for playing this modified EB-3 w/ a Dimarzio neck pickup and a badass bridge.

Check out Mike Watt's Opera "Hyphenated Man"

12. Sting, Ibanez Fretless Musician Bass - As seen on Don Kirshner's Rock Cocert, this neck-through Japanese beauty was Sting's bass of choice for the Regatta de Blanc period of the Police. I can remember watching the VCR tapes my Dad recorded me and took note of his masterful playing.

13. Stanley Clarke’s Alembic Signature Standard with Bigsby Vibrato is the classic jazz bassist’s most recognizable instrument. It not only donned the Cover of “I Wanna Play for You,” but it’s vibrato adds extra flavor to the album’s track, “School Daze”. Alembic honored Stanley by offering a signature model Stanley Clarke bass, the first time in the company’s history of making only custom built instruments to do so. Whatever the instrument: acoustic bass viol, electric bass guitar, tenor bass, piccolo bass, acoustic bass guitar, electric upright, or any of the hundreds of axes in his arsenal, Stanley’s musicality and command of these instruments clearly define him as the greatest living bass virtuoso in the world, second to none, hands down, end of discussion.

14.Bootsy Collins - Space Bass - William Earl “Bootsy” Collins made his name in the 60’s with James  Brown, and in the 70’s with Parliament-Funkadelic. His trademark Space Bass was made by Larry Pless of Gus Zoppie’s music store, based on a hand drawn picture Bootsy brought into the shop. Pless made the now famous, star-shaped bass for him, and when the original was stolen, Pless was asked to make another. The first bass had a mahogany body and a maple neck. The second was made with a basswood body and a maple neck. Bootsy preferred the first bass. He lucked out when the original was found in a Cincinnati pawn shop and returned to him.  Ed Roman makes a respectable copy of the original. There is also a Warwick Bootsy signature model, but it lacks the Space Bass shape.

15. Jack Bruce Gibson EB-3 - The classic Gibson EB-3 was made famous during Cream’s live tours during the 60’s, one of the most famous Vintage Gibson Bass Guitars. By cranking up the volume on his Gibson EB-3, Bruce unwittingly produced the heavy distorted sound he made popular. Later, by installing a diode into his EB-3’s wiring, Bruce was able to produce the same effect without overdriving his amps.

16. Tom Peterson of Cheap Trick-12 String Hamer Bass - Tom Peterson of Cheap Trick played the first-ever 12 string bass guitar. It was created by The Hamer Guitar Company in the late 70’s, by combining a 4-string bass with a 12-string guitar. (Think 4 bass strings with 2/3s of a 12-string guitar, 4 + 8). It’s really just an extension of the 8-string bass invented in the ‘60’s by the Hagstrom Guitar Company. The 12-String Bass has grown in popularity and is probably best known in the intro. Of the Pearl Jam Classic, Jeremy, when played by Jeff Ament (honorable mention).

17. Mike Gordon of PHISH's Modulus 5 String Bass - Ten years ago this would have been the Paul Languedoc Dragon Bass, but Mike has been steady with the Modulus for some time now. One of the world's underrated bass players, Gordon brings 100% of the funk every show.

18. Cliff Burton’s Rickenbacker 4001 Bass – Cliff Burton, Metallica Bass Player for its glory days of its first 3 albums was a unique thrash metal bass player who uniquely played lead bass lines with signature fuzz that declared a dominant existence on some really classic tunes.

19. Allen Woody of Gov't Mule's Gibson Thunderbird Bass – Woody was a gear head and a lover of Gibson Basses. He played SG’s, Hofners, even an 18-String Bass. Epiphone has a signature model that combines Gibson-esque features w/ a touch of Hofner, which is a great instrument, but his bestr work was what he did on the Gibson Thunderbird.

20. Roger Glover’s Rickenbacker 4001 Bass – Although not famous for playing a unique branded instrument, I feel Glover deserves to be on this list. I have seen him play Fenders, Ovations, Music Mans and others, but his coolest instruments by far were the 4001’s he played w/ Purple in the 1970s. Always has been a favorite, steady player, who has had the responsibility to have played on some historical rock classics.

A Breath of Fresh Dare; Jack White III

Jack White is busier than ever these days. He released his first solo album, Blunderbuss, in 2012. He reached the top of the charts in the US, UK, Switzerland, and Canada with this album. Following its release, he toured in England, Japan, Belgium, and all over the US. For his solo shows, he tours with two bands. One, The Peacocks, is all-female. The other, The Buzzards, is an all-male band. No matter who he plays with, White seems to be able to project deep emotion while he plays, which keeps fans craving more.

On with the Buzzards and the Peacocks
No dates have yet been announced for 2013, but White made it clear in an interview with Rolling Stone that he is recording more solo material. He also mentioned that he’s recording  with members of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weathers. Both bands are from live in Nashville,TN.

In 2013, White was nominated for three Grammy awards   for his Blunderbuss album. He didn’t win,  but he did give a rocking performance of two songs from the album, “Love Interruption” and “Freedom at 21”.

A Magic Number
Meanwhile, White’s record company, Third Man Records, released its first series of archival blues recordings on January 29th. The records are called Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order. The first volumes have been released on CD and vinyl for legendary blues players Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell, and the Mississippi Sheiks. Further volumes are to follow.

One out of Ten in the “D”
White grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and was the youngest child in a family of ten children. He began playing the drums at age six, and picked up the guitar at fifteen. In addition to the guitar and drums, he can play the mandolin, keyboard, bass guitar, and xylophone. He is best known for his role as vocalist and lead guitarist in The White Stripes, a band he started with Meg White in 1997.

Brother Where art Thou’

In the early phase of their careers, Jack and Meg White claimed to be brother and sister. In truth, they had been married in 1996. They divorced in 2000,  just as the band was getting big. In 2001, the secret of their marriage became public knowledge. When asked about the reason for their secrecy in a 2005 Rolling Stone interview, Jack White said “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, 'Oh, I see...' When they're brother and sister, you go, 'Oh, that's interesting.' You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they're trying to save their relationship by being in a band.” The band played for 11 years following Jack and Meg’s divorce, then broke up in 2011 for “a myriad of reasons”.

Life after Meg
Jack White started Third Man Records in 2001, and started using it to produce The White Stripes’ albums. In 2005, White started the band The Raconteurs with some friends. They have been moderately successful and have released two records via Third Man Records.  The band is still active today. In 2009, White was touring with The Raconteurs and had lost his voice. He asked Alison Mosshart of The Kills to fill in for him on vocals.

He later asked Mosshart to record with him. Together, they joined Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence to form the band, The Dead Weather. The Dead Weather released an album that same year, and another album in 2010, both through Third Man Records. Instead of guitar, White plays drums for the band. When he plays with them, he uses a custom Ludwig Classic Maple drum kit in Black Oyster Pearl.

The Hardest Button
Despite the rocky relationship, The White Stripes were very successful, and Jack White has remained a successful guitarist since the band broke up. He was ranked number 70 in Rolling Stones’ “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”, an honor which he undoubtedly earned. He has several vintage guitars that he uses live. Two of them are 1965 JB Hutto Montgomery Airlines. He has a three pickup Airline Town & Country, a 1970’s Crestwood Astral II, a 1950’s Kay Hollowbody, and a Harmony Rocket. He seems to favor his Gretsch guitars. One is a White Penguin, and the other is a custom Gretsch Ranger Falcon acoustic guitar. He occasionally plays a Gibson J-160E and a Vintage Fender Telecaster .