TECH TIPS > ESOTERICA ELECTRICA
CUTTING THROUGH THE MIX BY JOL DANTZIG
Duane was question- ing his own sanity. He
was a working guitarist and
against his better judgment,
he’d invited Sandy to meet him
out on the road while touring
the Southwestern part of the
country. Now he was sitting at a
roadside café having a leisurely
breakfast with her.
The couple had met at one
of Duane’s gigs a few years
before and sparks flew immediately. Sandy would sit right in
front of Duane while he played
and sang. She loved the way he
stroked his gold-colored guitar
and imagined that every note
he played was for her alone.
At first, Sandy would travel
long distances to see Duane
play with the band—sleeping
in her car or renting a motel
room with Duane. She loved
the music, but shortly after they
were married Sandy stopped
coming to Duane’s gigs. Duane
was worried that she was no
longer infatuated with the idea
of a musician husband.
Maybe it was like when
he fixated on a new piece of
musical gear—as soon as he
got it, he was thinking about
something new. His idea was
to get Sandy out on the road to
rekindle their romance in the
environment where it had started. Unknown to Duane, it was
Sandy who had actually put the
idea into his head. Secretly, she
was worried that he was seeing
other women on the road, and
wanted to check up on him.
By the time Duane got a vague
notion about her true motivation, it was too late to change
course—she was on her way.
Duane had rented a car pur-
portedly to spare Sandy the dis-
pleasure of traveling in the band
van with the guys and gear. The
rented car was a safety precau-
tion—at least he could shield her
from the band. The guys had a
way of passing the long hours of
traveling by talking trash about
each other, their significant oth-
ers, and the girls they knew in
each town. Duane had shifted
into survival mode and his band-
mates could smell it.
No worries—this Tele cuts through the mix. Photo of Brent Mason’s
well-worn axe by Andy Ellis
Maybe it was like when he fixated on a new
piece of musical gear—as soon as he got it,
he was thinking about something new.
Telecaster when they crested a
rise, only to see the band’s van at
the side of the road. The entire
band was standing outside with
their hands on their heads, sur-
rounded by cops and drug-sniff-
ing dogs. Duane slowed slightly
and saw the drummer shake
his head indicating that stop-
ping wasn’t a good idea. They
cruised on for a few minutes in
silence—then both broke out
into hysterical laughter. For a
moment it felt like the old, care-
free times. “Screw it,” Duane
shouted. “I quit.”
Sandy threw her arms
around his neck and kissed him
on the cheek. They were both
in the moment, and the whole
thing seemed like a sign. Sandy
turned and faced forward, her
eyes focused down the road
somewhere. “I’m pregnant,” she
said softly.
Back down the road the rest
of the band had lucked out. The
drummer had shoved the bag
of pot down his underwear and
several days of showerless giging
must have thrown off the drug-
sniffing dogs. They got off with
a ticket for a broken brake light,
but that was the end of the
band. They’d all had enough.
JOL DANTZIG is a
noted designer, builder, and
player who co-founded
Hamer Guitars, one of
the first boutique guitar
brands, in 1973. Today,
as the director of Dantzig
Guitar Design, he continues to help define
the art of custom guitar. To learn more, visit
guitardesigner.com.
44 PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2011
premierguitar.com
