LETTERS
Hot Rod Issue
Great issue! Man
do I miss the ‘80s,
but I’m not ready
for a spandex come-
back or even Tawny
Kitaen, for that matter.
Roger Foster
Yeah, we prefer Charvels to stiletto heels
upside the head, too. Our hot rod issue
brought back special memories for many
readers. Read on…
Being a man of simple pleasures, like fast cars
and loud guitars, I couldn’t resist buying your
February issue. Here is a picture of a piece of
hot rod-inspired Guitar Art that was designed
and built by Steve Heller of Boiceville, NY.
I approached
Steve with a
junk Strat clone
and the emblem
from my long
since gone
‘ 68 Firebird.
Steve took it
from there. He
replaced the
pickups with two
working rear quarter marker lamps and powered them through the electrical cord from the
amp cable plug. Flames and paint were also
done by Steve. The detail and finishing work is
flawless, right down to the strings. Needless to
say, it is the focal piece in our living room.
Eddie Bloom
I loved the February issue. You said all kinds of
good stuff about Wayne Charvel but where was
his new line of guitars? He’s still making killer
guitars under the Wayne name.
Paul Santos
We have the utmost respect for Wayne
Charvel and planned on featuring his new
stuff in the issue but never heard from him
after calling and emailing him for a month.
We figured he was just crazy busy at that time
like everyone else in the music merchandising
industry – they get slammed with the holiday
retail crunch, family obligations and NAMM
preparations at the same time every year. As
you saw, our story on the “Return of the Hot
Rod Guitar” certainly gave credit where credit
is due. For the skinny on what Wayne is up to
now, please visit
wayneguitars.com
To Buy or Not to Buy?
You hit the nail on the head with Trent Salter’s
Tuning Up column, “To Buy or Not To Buy” in
your March issue. Yes, times are tough but if
we give in and sit by then we are part of the
economic problem. I’m not suggesting, as I’m
sure you weren’t, that everyone should go out
and foolishly spend way beyond their means
but, we shouldn’t be scared to purchase a
great axe, amp, or effect just because times
are tough. Think about it, if that had happened during the Great Depression then the
Martin and Gibson would only be memories.
Two weeks ago I saw a Fender Road Worn
Tele at a local store in New Haven, CT, and
bought it right away. Guitar players, go into
your closets—maybe you’ll find a guitar that
you haven’t played in a year and sell it (or
trade it). It may help you to buy something
new that you just can’t live without.
David Foster
Paying Forward
After reading the interview with Bill Hullett
[Bill Hullett: Music City Session Man, March
2009] I just wanted to let you know that
he is the real deal. My wife and I moved to
Nashville in 1991 to pursue our music dream
(along with 10,000 others that day!). A songwriter friend had given us a phone number
for Bill and told us to call him when we got
there. We did. Bill invited us, total strangers,
to his home, showed us his personal studio
and gave us several hours of his time as well
as many nuggets of wisdom. I was a newbie
who didn’t know who Bill was then, but have
since come know and appreciate his skill
and hope your interview gives others that
appreciation as well. I no longer call Nashville
home and I’m not on anybody’s session call
list, but I have been fortunate enough to
make a living with my guitar all these years.
Never far from my mind is the example of
humility that all around nice guy Bill Hullett
showed me all those years ago.
Tom Mulnix
Setting the Tone
I was just wondering what amp and speakers
were used in the opening on all your videos?
Thank you for any help. I just love that tone!
J. Bonham
Our opening riff is played by Keith Howland
of the band Chicago, who was roped on-the-spot into being demo boy for our video
demo of the Egnater Tourmaster at NAMM
2008, because he was hanging out at the
sound booth. At our request, he grabbed
a Suhr Strat-type single coil guitar that was
lying around and plugged into the Tourmaster
for the first time. The Tourmaster 4x12 cab is
loaded with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
We rolled tape as he was getting used to the
amp and dialing in some tones, recording him
with a Shure 57 straight to our Sony HVR-
A1U. Keep in mind that what you hear was
compressed to be internet video friendly. Our
original HD-quality recording will make you cry
for your momma. During post production we
were struck by those tones just as you were,
and with Keith’s permission adopted an edited
version of his playing to create a signature lick
for our video intros.
Corrections and Clarifications
In our on-the-scene podcast about the 50
Winters Later Commemorative Concert
[see photo essay, page 148], Editoral
Director Joe Coffey stated that Buddy
Holly, J.P. Richardson and Ritchie Valens
left Clear Lake, IA for a gig in Dubuque,
IA. That destination is also often confused
as Fargo, ND. The trio was actually headed
for Moorhead, MN, according to the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame. You can listen to the
podcast at
premierguitar.com
Due to a graphic design sliperoo, the last
sentence and a half of the print edition of
our Nils Lofgren interview [Nils Lofgren,
March 2009] was cut off. The two lines
should’ve read: “If you find yourself challenged, frustrated and pushing yourself to
learn to play, don’t forget to enjoy the gift
of music. It has to be fun, too. I find myself
consciously separating myself from all the
hard work simply to enjoy playing music,
and I do it on a regular basis.”
Keep those
comments
coming!
Keep those comments coming! Please send your suggestions, gripes, comments and
good words directly to
info@premierguitar.com. You can also send snail mail to
Premier Guitar PO Box 127, Mt. Vernon, IA 52314. Please remember
to include your full name. Selected letters may be edited for clarity.
