LROOE press

[freyfantastic61]

Thanku DF Ithoughly enjoyed reading that!

[DonFan]

For all the guitar aficionados out there:
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Now on tour, coming soon: The amazing, all-star guitars!
BY BO EMERSON, COX NEWS SERVICE, Tuesday, June 10, 2008

ATLANTA — When the Eagles went on the road for the “Hell Freezes Over” tour in 1994, they brought something like 48 guitars with them, an all-star lineup of wood, fiberglass and steel that included 10 Les Pauls, six Stratocasters, a doublenecked Gibson and a smattering of Rickenbackers. This for a band with only three guitar players, plus a drummer who played a little acoustic here and there.

Every song on the set list meant another gorgeous vintage instrument would come out onstage. This parade of Gibsons and Fenders has been waggishly described as “guitar porn,” especially for the guitar players and collectors in the audience, most of whom could only smack their chops and dream.

But now 48 is not enough. Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey alone will have 50 between them. Throw in guitars for drummer Don Henley, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and the new guy, guitarist Steuart Smith, and the fellows will have 80 axes at their disposal.

Does this take it past the limit ?

“Some would say they’re excessive, but I like them; I think they’re neat,” says Victor Rodriguez, the guitar technician for Frey. Besides, Rodriguez adds, “It’s job security ! Bring them all out !” It’s enough, in fact, to keep the band’s four guitar techs busy — changing strings, tuning, setting up action, tweaking necks and re-fretting.

And, for at least some audience members, it’s a big part of the show. “The initial reaction is ‘Oh my God !’” musician-turned-software-writer Leon Chalnick says of the number, variety and quality of guitars the band members play onstage. “It’s the jaw-dropping wow factor.” A guitar collector and a regular contributor to the guitar-andgear discussion Web site called the Gear Page (www. thegear page. net ), Chalnick has 13 guitars up on the walls of the music room at his house, and he’s not that unusual among the 28, 000 members of the site.

“Changing guitars can be a nightmare for the guitar tech,” he says, “but the crowd gets off on it.” Electric guitars add another layer of complexity to the equation, offering different tones for every make and model, from Telecaster twang to Gretsch jangle.

And a certain part of the audience just wants to see those beautiful instruments. “Part of the reason I go to any concert is to see what kind of guitars they’re going to play,” says Jason Durham, co-owner of Too Many Guitars in Tucker, Ga. He remembers catching the Eagles in the 1990s: “It was a feast for the eyes.”

There are also some guitars that are closely associated with some songs. Phil Collen of Def Leppard plays a black-and-white, crackle-finish Jackson instrument on “Pour Some Sugar on Me” in concert, as he did in the video, just because “people like to see those guitars again,” says Collen’s tech, Scott Appleton.

Joe Walsh brings out his 1959 Les Paul for the Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane,” not just because of the crunchy tone, but because it’s the one he’s known for playing on that song.

But art direction plays a role as well. Derek Brooks, of guitar manufacturer Ernie Ball / Music Man, says his company is building new Eagles guitarist Smith a doublenecked electric to play on “Hotel California,” even though the blond double-neck they made for him several years ago is still fine.

“They’ve changed set cosmetics around, and they asked for black instruments,” Brooks says.

[TimothyBFan]

Thanks DF for posting that. That was interesting. I guess I take the music for granted so to speak and don't really think much about the different guitars and such being used to make it. I sometimes notice different guitars when they change them on videos or when I see a band in concert but don't really know the differences in how they sound. This was rather enlightening!

[Brooke]

Hmmmm. Interesting!

I can now imagine Glenn and Don discussing getting black guitars to go with their black suits! We MUST be coordinated!

[Mrs Frey]

That's a wonderful and unusual article, DF. Thanks for posting it!

I've often spoken to my lead guitarist band mate about the Eagles having a different guitar for every song. My band mate has several guitars, although certainly not as many as the Eagles! I have ONE guitar , so you can imagine how fascinating it all is to ME!

I still get the greatest kick out of seeing Glenn play "Old Black". I downloaded the 1982 article from "International Musician..." magazine that Soda posted recently, and was particularly thrilled to read about the equipment that Glenn favoured at the time, and amused at how he spoke of his guitars as though they were women! He spoke of "having an affair" and "playing a little on the side" with Big Red (a red 335 Chuck Berry guitar), while still being "with" "Old Black" . I thought that was really cute!

[samo]

Being a guitar lover myself, I love all of the guitar changes during the shows. There are tone differences between guitars also. For instance, you can have two acoustic guitars from the same manufacturer that look the same, but they have very subtle tone changes.

[glenneaglesfan]

Thanks for that, DF! Although I don't play the guitar myself, I am interested in all the different models they use. Apart from anything else, it helps to identify which song they are performing in photographs.That's funny about Steuart's new black double-neck. They're certainly taking the colour coordination seriously!

[Glennsallnighter]

I can play a bit. GEF, you should try! You could pick one up quite cheaply and you only need a few chords to get going.

Great article DF!

[glenneaglesfan]

We already have four guitars in the house, GA - a bass, an acoustic, a battered old Spanish guitar and older son's sunburst red Les Paul, just like this one.



I should give it a try!

[Glennsallnighter]

You should indeed GEF

You should also give its 'attachment' a try