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View Full Version : Gibson introduces Limited Edition Don Felder guitar!



sodascouts
08-11-2010, 11:21 PM
It's a Don Felder “Hotel California” SG Double Neck guitar. Check it out here: http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-Custom/Don-Felder-Hotel-California-EDS-1275.aspx

Koala
08-12-2010, 01:30 AM
Here a interview:
The Gibson Interview: Don Felder
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/don-felder-0811/

MikeA
08-12-2010, 08:18 AM
That thang IS a Monster isn't it?

TimothyBFan
08-12-2010, 08:39 AM
If only I had an extra $9K laying around and knew how to play!! Very cool!!

Brooke
08-12-2010, 10:12 AM
Great interview! I didn't know they actually cloned guitars like that including nicks, scratches, and so forth.

MikeA
08-12-2010, 11:34 AM
I think they call it "relicing". I've seen several Fender guitars (mostly Strats and Tele's) that they "create old". Or at least looking old. I think it is a fad that will pass eventually. But for now, it is bringing in a higher price than "new looking" guitars.

Here's a pic of one of the Strats found on Musician's Friend followed by a Tele with the same treatment

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/1/8/575618.jpg

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/5/0/2/663502.jpg

The above guitars are of the "Roadworn" series by Fender. They are in the $900 range at Musician's Friend. Below is one offered by Sweetwater that is HEAVILY relic'd. It's your's for a tidy $4,000.00

http://www.sweetwater.com/images/items/1800/StratCSSWAM-xlarge.jpg

chaim
08-13-2010, 05:19 PM
Here a interview:
The Gibson Interview: Don Felder
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/don-felder-0811/

A nice interview. But somebody should tell Don at some point that "Hotel California" isn't as unique as he thinks in terms of chords. :nod: Even on the same album, the first five chords in the "You never thought you'd be alone" bit in "Wasted time" are basically the same as in the HC verses. Different voicings, different inversions (when we count what the bass guitar is doing in HC), but basically the same. Exactly the same chromatic descension that Don celebrates in his book as a "weird chromatic" thing in HC. If you listen to "Second coming" by Alice Cooper ('71) or "We used to know" by Jethro Tull ('69), they have pretty much the same chords; just slightly different chord voicings. Ian Anderson has even pointed out the similarity between his song and HC; not in a mean way, but just pointed it out.
In his book Don also implies that it's a weird modulation when it goes to the chorus. IT IS NOT!!! :enraged:

:grin: "Hotel California" is a phenomenal song, but its chord progressions are not unique. If he wants to listen to unique chord progressions in pop music, I'd suggest some early Genesis, or even some Nirvana stuff.

sodascouts
08-13-2010, 09:32 PM
Hmm, interesting that Felder doesn't seem to be aware of these things, not even with regard to "Wasted Time"!

HC is a great song on its face; it doesn't need to be pumped up with false claims of uniqueness.

chaim
08-14-2010, 01:57 AM
Hmm, interesting that Felder doesn't seem to be aware of these things, not even with regard to "Wasted Time"!

HC is a great song on its face; it doesn't need to be pumped up with false claims of uniqueness.

I agree that the song doesn't need that "pumping up". :) And I'm not saying that the song isn't unique, just that the chords certainly aren't. They are not used every day, but it's not like Don invented them.
I have noticed that pop/rock musicians sometimes think of two chord progressions as entirely different progressions, although the essence might be exactly the same, if there are tiny differences on the surface. There may not be other songs that have EXACTLY the same fingerings as "HC", although the Tull one is darn close, so maybe Don's thinking is based on that. The fourth chord in "HC" is basically E7th, but Don's fingering makes it a E9th. The "E" doesn't come from his guitar, but from the bass. Things like that may sometimes make pop/rock musicians think that it's a "weird chord", although it may be a very basic thing with just one or two extra notes.
So if we take the first five chords from the "HC" progression and that bit in "Wasted time", the essence is the same, but the surface is different.

sodascouts
09-11-2010, 08:28 PM
A related interview:

Don Felder on the Les Paul That Built "Hotel California" (http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/don-felder-les-paul-0902/)

pueblo47
10-12-2010, 04:42 PM
In addition, the Gibson Company recently honored Don as the namesake
for two of their newest Custom Shop guitar models, the "Don Felder
Hotel California EDS-1275" and the "Don Felder Hotel California 1959
Les Paul." These exact replicas of Don's own instruments hit showroom
floors in September. They have been reproduced in very limited
quantities, with only fifty of each model signed by Don. More
information about the signature Don Felder guitars as well as an
interview with Don can be found at the official Gibson site.

Just got this from Felder's newsletter.

WalshFan88
10-12-2010, 08:39 PM
I would LOVE to have either one. But I would really love to have the Les Paul. I'm a huge Gibson Les Paul fan (I have three of them) and unfortunately Gibson is not making a regular USA non-customshop one and I can't afford the 10k they want. :(

MikeA
10-13-2010, 07:34 AM
If you like Gibson but don't want to spend a ton of cash on the name, then you could look at the "Faded Studio" series LPs. I have the "Brown" version and have been really pleased with it Austin.

It is a Studio model so doesn't have any of the glitz and glitter that the high gloss trimmed models have, but with the Burstbucker Pro pups and the chambered body, it is different than most LPs that have been offered. Plus, you can get one of these new for under a grand.

chaim
10-13-2010, 01:46 PM
I was talking about the Hotel California/Jethro Tull connection before in this thread. Eagles toured with Jethro Tull in the early 70's and Ian Anderson says that Tull used to play this song of theirs, "We used to know", every night. His theory is that the chord sequence for Hotel California came later subconsciously to the Eagles guys, after hearing Tull's song many times during that tour. What Ian doesn't seem to know is that the chord sequence came from Don Felder, who wasn't in Eagles at the time! Also, Ian never mentions that one chord in the HC sequence is not the same (the one before the last chord). :mrgreen:
Anyway, here's something I just came across on YouTube. Tull plays the song (originally released in 1969) in 1996 and Ian talks about "Hotel California":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_T6yL1gYE&feature=related

MikeA
10-13-2010, 02:07 PM
LOL If you could claim a copyright infringement based upon chord sequence then I'm afraid that our vast catalog of music (all genre's of music) would be severely limited.

Think of all the songs that use the D,A,G sequence, or C,F,G7 or A, D, E. But I do admit that the Bm, F#m, A, E, G, D, Em may be unique to Jethro Tull and the Eagles....but I kinda doubt it *G*.

I did like your observation that Felder was not in the Eagles at the time of the common tour and that it has been clearly acknowledged that it WAS Felder who came up with that chord progression and the Reggae beat...Felder and Walsh codeveloped the solos and Henley came up with the lyrics with inspirational input by Frey.

Originally though, Hotel California was written in a completely different key. It was changed to the familiar key at the last minute by Henley so it would better fit his vocal range. I'm not sure what the original key was..."E" I think.

chaim
10-13-2010, 02:13 PM
LOL If you could claim a copyright infringement based upon chord sequence then I'm afraid that our vast catalog of music (all genre's of music) would be severely limited.

Think of all the songs that use the D,A,G sequence, or C,F,G7 or A, D, E. But I do admit that the Bm, F#m, A, E, G, D, Em may be unique to Jethro Tull and the Eagles....but I kinda doubt it *G*.

I did like your observation that Felder was not in the Eagles at the time of the common tour and that it has been clearly acknowledged that it WAS Felder who came up with that chord progression and the Reggae beat...Felder and Walsh codeveloped the solos and Henley came up with the lyrics with inspirational input by Frey.

Originally though, Hotel California was written in a completely different key. It was changed to the familiar key at the last minute by Henley so it would better fit his vocal range. I'm not sure what the original key was..."E" I think.

Yeah, HC was originally in E minor, the same key the Tull song is in. Pretty much the same chord sequence can be heard on Alice Cooper's "Second coming" ('71), but in A minor. It's funny how Felder keeps saying that the HC progression is unique, though. I don't think that Ian Anderson was the first musician on this planet to discover it either!

WalshFan88
10-13-2010, 02:19 PM
If you like Gibson but don't want to spend a ton of cash on the name, then you could look at the "Faded Studio" series LPs. I have the "Brown" version and have been really pleased with it Austin.

It is a Studio model so doesn't have any of the glitz and glitter that the high gloss trimmed models have, but with the Burstbucker Pro pups and the chambered body, it is different than most LPs that have been offered. Plus, you can get one of these new for under a grand.

I'll check into it Mike. I do have Gibsons (Gibson Les Paul Classic, Gibson Les Paul Standard, and a Gibson Les Paul SmartWood Studio), I just wanted the Felder edition :hilarious: but I can't afford the 10k they want for Felder's Les Paul model but a regular USA Gibson I have already.

However I hear there is a Gibson Goldtop Les Paul at my local music store I buy from so I might check that out this weekend and trade some acoustics and old amps I don't use anymore for it.

MikeA
10-13-2010, 02:38 PM
There is a finite number of combinations of chord progressions possible on guitar. Granted, with all the variations on each chord (any combination of notes produces a chord of some sort!), that list of progressions possible seems almost infinite....BUT there are a limited number of progressions that actually harmonize and flow.

You'll hear songs that sound nothing at all alike that have the same chords and chord sequences.

It is mildly irritating that anyone would imply that a song was "stolen" even it it was done light-heartedly by Anderson. And who knows Chaim...maybe Bernie and Felder were kickin' it one night and Bernie played it remembering it from the Jethro Tull days and Felder picked it up not even realizing it...or maybe realizing it.

Whatever the case, only the basic chord progression remains of the song that Anderson and Jethro Tull came up with. It does have a vaguely familiar sound to it.

MikeA
10-13-2010, 02:40 PM
I'll check into it Mike. I do have Gibsons (Gibson Les Paul Classic, Gibson Les Paul Standard, and a Gibson Les Paul SmartWood Studio), I just wanted the Felder edition :hilarious: but I can't afford the 10k they want for Felder's Les Paul model but a regular USA Gibson I have already.

However I hear there is a Gibson Goldtop Les Paul at my local music store I buy from so I might check that out this weekend and trade some acoustics and old amps I don't use anymore for it.

Don't blame you a bit Austin! Any excuse is a good excuse to get a guitar! Money and talent are the only two factors that prevent me from having 3 or 4 dozen guitars cluttering up my house <LOL>. I can almost ignore the "talent" part. I figure that if I buy enough guitars, one of them will be the breakthrough that will turn me into a virtuoso! Hasn't happened yet, but I haven't bought all the models that are available out there....not yet anyway!

WalshFan88
10-13-2010, 02:47 PM
Don't blame you a bit Austin! Any excuse is a good excuse to get a guitar! Money and talent are the only two factors that prevent me from having 3 or 4 dozen guitars cluttering up my house <LOL>. I can almost ignore the "talent" part. I figure that if I buy enough guitars, one of them will be the breakthrough that will turn me into a virtuoso! Hasn't happened yet, but I haven't bought all the models that are available out there....not yet anyway!

Guitars are like Lays potato chips... You can't have just ONE, or two, or three, and so on!!! I'm obsessed with them. :hilarious:

chaim
10-13-2010, 02:50 PM
There is a finite number of combinations of chord progressions possible on guitar. Granted, with all the variations on each chord (any combination of notes produces a chord of some sort!), that list of progressions possible seems almost infinite....BUT there are a limited number of progressions that actually harmonize and flow.

You'll hear songs that sound nothing at all alike that have the same chords and chord sequences.

It is mildly irritating that anyone would imply that a song was "stolen" even it it was done light-heartedly by Anderson. And who knows Chaim...maybe Bernie and Felder were kickin' it one night and Bernie played it remembering it from the Jethro Tull days and Felder picked it up not even realizing it...or maybe realizing it.

Whatever the case, only the basic chord progression remains of the song that Anderson and Jethro Tull came up with. It does have a vaguely familiar sound to it.

I do absolutely agree with you. But I think that Ian and Don could both be more a bit more modest about it. Don keeps saying that it's a unique progression that he came up with, when it isn't, and Ian keeps suggesting that it came from him, although I'm sure he wasn't the first to use it.

MikeA
10-13-2010, 03:11 PM
Handshake and a High Five Chaim....I completely concur!

But, If I found myself overlooking the ocean from my beach house at sunset and and was in a state of mind expansion and then that progression came to me, I'd freakin' claim it <LOL>. Although I don't know if Felder was under any influence at that particular time other than the beauty of his environment!

WalshFan88
11-16-2010, 06:20 AM
http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/1379/Gibson-Custom-Shop-Don-Felder-Hotel-California-1959-Les-Paul-Aged-Felder-Burst/

That's a picture of one of the Les Paul Felder models. Absolutely stunning top on the guitar, but I don't have the 10k Gibson wants for one.