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Tuning Up

Here is Ted’s road worn Dollycaster, an inexpensive Esquire reissue groomed to higher status with the addition of vintage Les Paul pickups and jumbo frets.

Players and their favorite 6-strings have a special relationship that allows them both to shine. Our editorial director shares three examples—and wants to hear about yours.

Gibson recently unveiled a new version of its Les Paul Studio model called “The One.” It’s a lighter, more versatile take on the Studio, with a chambered body and coil-splitting, among other appointments. That guitar’s audacious name got me thinking. “The One” suggests an instrument with playability and tone above others—a holy grail guitar.

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B.B. King live, 1971.

Photo by Heinrich Klaffs
Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

It’s a common misconception that Nashville, my adopted hometown, got its Music City nickname because of the country music industry. It was actually inspired by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Grammy-winning gospel-vocal powerhouse from Fisk University that was formed in 1871 and toured the U.S. and Britain over the next two years. As the story goes, Queen Victoria declared that Nashville must be a “city of music” to spawn such a glorious ensemble.

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The Railroad House, in Marietta, Pennsylvania

Courtesy of Railroad House Management

One night, after a performance at an old inn in Pennsylvania, Ted saw a ghost—maybe. Oh, and happy early Halloween!

While this is our October issue, I know it’s a little early for Halloween, but why should Walmart and Target have all the fun? So, here’s a story about a haunted night on the road.

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Ted’s to-go kits: the silver box and the Big Black Bag.

Traveling with a collection of spare essentials—from guitar and mic cables to extension cords, capos, tuners, and maybe even a mini-amp—can be the difference between a show and a night of no-go.

Anyone who’s seen a spy flick or caper movie knows about go bags—the always-packed-and-ready duffles or attachés filled with passports, a few weapons, and cash that’s ready to grab and run with when the hellhounds are on your trail. As guitar players, we also need go bags, but their contents are less dramatic, unless, maybe, you’re playing a Corleone-family wedding.

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Although John Lee Hooker lived in Los Altos, he told Ted that Eli’s, across San Francisco Bay, was a favorite haunt to play and hang out when he was at home.

Sometimes the joy performing brings can pay dividends greater than money—and fried shrimp and sausage, too.

As I’ve written, I have a passion for exploring the special spaces where great American music in its unadorned form is still made—juke joints, honky-tonks, dusty farm fields. And while I never want to impose on the authenticity of the music with my presence, sometimes I do get to show up by invitation with a guitar in hand. So, a story—about the kindness, gratitude, and community that comes with playing live music.

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