Reader: Daniel Creeron
Hometown: Charlton, Massachusetts
Guitar: Big Mamie
Built with wood from a World War II battleship, this reader’s guitar holds a lot of history.
I love it when guitars and history come together.
My newest guitar, “Big Mamie,” was built with original teak from the deck of the USS Massachusetts (BB-59). This wood saw action in World War II, during multiple campaigns in the 1940s.
I was checking Facebook one day and I saw a post from Battleship Cove (located in Fall River, Massachusetts) where they were auctioning off this Telecaster-style body crafted by Rhode Island luthier Vincent Goulart. The proceeds of the auction would go to helping restore the battleship.
I knew I had to have it. Not only was this a piece of United States and Massachusetts history, but it held a special place in my memories. When I was a kid, my grandparents would take us to Battleship Cove where we’d explore the ships, the submarine, and the historical displays. Later, when I had my own kids, we’d visit and do overnight sleepovers with Scouts. We slept on “Big Mamie” and walked the decks from where this wood was taken.
Daniel had Big Mamie’s neckplate custom laser-engraved with a silhouette of the USS Massachusetts (BB-59), and the dates that can be seen on the battleship’s plaque.
After winning the auction, I was connected to Vincent and he told me the story of how he came to build this body for the restoration fundraiser. He’s a talented luthier, but each of his guitars has to have a unique history/story. This was right up his alley!
We spoke a few times, discussing what I liked to play, and how I’d like the finished guitar to look and sound. In the end, I decided on some standard Fender chrome components for tuners, neck plate, ferrules, etc. For the pickups, I went with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials. The controls are also from Fralin; I decided on the flipped-control orientation with the push-pull mods for the volume engage/disengage and tone caps (.02 MFD and 0.047 MFD, film and oil, respectively).
The vintage/modern roasted-flame-maple neck, with an ebony fretboard, was custom ordered from Warmoth. The neck had an adventure all of its own after initially being lost in shipment. It finally showed up about a week or two after being written off as lost (and after a new order was placed).
“Now I have a piece of history here in my room that I can pass down to my family.”
For the neck plate, I had it custom laser-engraved with a silhouette of the battleship and dates from an onboard plaque. The strap, from Well-Hung Guitar Straps in Canada, fits the patriotic theme. I’m also using oversized strap buttons from Well-Hung.
Over a couple visits to Vincent’s place, he helped me put together all the components and bring “Big Mamie” to life. Now I have a piece of history here in my room that I can pass down to my family. It also gives me a reason to work on my admittedly novice guitar skills.
- 1996 Epiphone T-Style ›
- Reader Guitar of the Month: Cinder ›
- Reader Guitar of the Month: Tel-Xploder ›
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.