PETE
TOWNSHEND
Funky & Cheap
WILLIAM “GRIT” LASKIN
GEAR REVIE WS
LAURENCEJUBER
Vintage Within
Your Reach
Breaking Down a
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From Wings to Wooden Horses
LETTERS
TWO
NECKS
Are Better Than One
ACE FREHLEY
THE CULTOF TONE
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WhatYou ShouldKnow
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Inlay Artist and Innovator
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ROBBY KRIEGER
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Pictured:AfragmentofaTelecastersmashedby PeteTownshendinAsburyPark,NJ,onAugust12,1967.
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may be “reasonable” (relatively speaking)
they are still plywood, Masonite, and Res-o-Glass trash. A good use for all of these is
firewood. I would much rather have my PRS
SE than any piece of junk from the ’60s. I
thought these things were absolute junk when
I was 16, and all the nostalgia in the world
Getting Picky
I read the three articles on tone [Feb., Mar.,
and Apr. ’ 10] and it was a million words on
a subject when it could be said that tone
comes from the mind (creativity) and the
heart (soul). I also noticed that there was a
lot mentioned about the amps, guitars, and
pickups…did the writers stop to consider
that they failed to mention the guitar pick
and the strings? Strings are a no-brainer.
I used to use Fender thin picks for a long
time until recently. A friend of mine gave me
Fender medium and Fender heavy picks to
try out. The difference in sound these picks
produced! I switched over to the Fender
heavy pick and started using them. Then I
discovered the Dunlop Ultex Sharp 1.14mm
and I’m currently using these. Maybe the
missing link is the perfect pick!
Fred Centrella
Prospect, Connecticut
Clearly, the kitsch charm doesn’t work on
everybody! We respect your position of leaving the past in the past, but send that Belmont
our way before you throw it on the fire.
I’ve been around and at this music junk for a
long time, including a seven-year stint behind
the counter at my brother’s music store in
Tallahassee, Florida, other music stores, and
many bands. I got to know a lot of musicians
and enjoy the 25 or so break-ins at the store.
I would like to be able to say that musicians
are a great class of people, but my experience
tells me otherwise. Nice to see that, on
occasion, the good guys pop up...probably
because they have been in a similar experience
and they have been at it long enough to
know that what you send around comes back
around. Good to know that The Headhunters
are the good guys. My thanks to them for their
kindness and I hope that because of John’s
column, it becomes contagious.
Kenny Lee Norton
Jacksonville, Florida
Loran Won
Oxford, North Carolina
Loran, we agree picks have a great effect on
tone—see this month’s Signal Chain column
[pg. 82] and log on to premierguitar.com to
check out our in-depth feature “The Spectrum
of Plectrum” from our December 2008 issue.
I thoroughly enjoyed John Bohlinger’s
Last Call column “Is the Album Extinct?”
[Apr. ’ 10] and agree that there are buried
treasures between the radio-played tracks.
I insist when a CD is played that it is from
first song to last. From his raving review of
Megan Mullins’ new CD, I had to check her
out on Rhapsody. Unfortunately, they only
had one of her songs, “Long Past Gone,”
but what a great track! I agree with his
review of her work—I have a new favorite
new female artist. And IMHO, John is a very
lucky guy to have such a talented spouse.
Robb Roell
Allenton, Wisconsin
Funky, Cheap Junk?
Having played guitar since the early ’60s, I
feel qualified and inclined to comment on the
various Harmonys, Stellas, Teiscos, Supros,
Kays, and Danelectros in “Funky, Cheap
Electrics” [Mar. ’ 10]. I’ve played them all and
owned a Supro Belmont one-pickup junker.
These were then, and remain, junk—trashy,
poor imitations of quality instruments. Let’s
be real. The only reason people bought
these abortions is because they could not
afford a Gibson or Fender. They seem to
be reasonably priced alternatives to other
vintage guitars of this era, but while the price
Thanks for keeping the bass in the magazine.
– Roger Carroll, Springfield, Tennessee
Thank you for the cool Ernest Tubb postcard!
We appreciate all the support that continues
to pour in for our bass articles.
Encore for Last Call
I am just now getting to your January
edition. As I read, I felt the need to write
to cover John Bohlinger’s column [“Saved
by Headhunters”].
We’re happy to see that Mr. Bohlinger’s take
on the music biz is connecting with you guys.
Don’t miss this month’s column, where he pulls
back the curtain on the Nashville Number
System, as always, on the last page of the mag.
Correction
In the April issue’s Opening Notes, we published
a photo of The Knack’s Doug Fieger [pg. 24]
with the caption saying the photo was taken on
December 4, 1981, at the Savoy in New York
City. The photo was actually taken by Bob Leafe
on October 10, 1979, at the Capitol Theatre in
Passaic, New Jersey. We regret the error.
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, Three Research Center, Marion, IA 52302.
