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.
It also suggests a highly personal relationship between player and instrument, like those enjoyed by artists and 6-strings like Neil Young and Old Black, David Gilmour and his black Strat, B.B. King and Lucille, Alvin Lee and his “Big Red” ES-335, and Elvin Bishop and the ES-345 he calls “Red Dog.”
Really, the concept of “the one” is deeply subjective. One guitarist’s perfect “baseball bat” neck is another’s pain in the fretting hand. My “one” could be your “zero.” Tastes, technique, and intentions vary. But I suspect we all have our own version of “the one”—a special guitar we relate to above all others, that we feel elevates both our playing and our sound. And if we don’t, we’re probably on the hunt for it. Maybe your “one” was just perfect from the moment it dropped into your hands: easy to play, great-sounding, versatile, and handsome, too. Or maybe it took some modifications to get there. But either way, now you can’t live without it.
I’m lucky enough to have three guitars that I consider my “ones.” (Is that cheating?) The first was made in 2015 by a boutique company in Pennsylvania called Zuzu, and it has an extremely distinctive look, like a weathered old barn door. The odd green color is a shade of Behr house paint called fishpond, and the pickups—a neck humbucker made by Zuzu’s Chris Mills that has a bit of a cocked-wah sound thanks to a .0047 μF-rated capacitor, plus a Porter Overdrive in the bridge—have coil-splitting, which gives me Les Paul-like tones in positions 1, 3, and 5, and Strat tones in 2 and 4. The neck is a nice shallow C shape—my favorite flavor. It weighs about 7.5 pounds, and sounds and plays perfectly, for me. I named it the Green Monster, in honor of my years in Boston and my shameless Godzilla fandom, and I’ve used it on every album and show since it arrived.
“My ‘one’ could be your ‘zero.’ Tastes, technique, and intentions vary.”
Next up is the “Dollycaster,” named after my late, beloved dog, Dolly. It required some reimagining to reach exalted status, having started life as a humble made-in-Japan Esquire reissue that I got used for $180. It also came with Duane Eddy’s signature on its otherwise bland blonde finish, so I decided to use it to collect the autographs of guitarists who’ve influenced me, as I’ve traveled and crossed paths with them. First, I got rid of the awful-sounding factory pickup and had the late luthier Jim Mouradian install a pair of ’60s Gibson humbuckers he’d acquired. Then, I had Jim install jumbo frets on the front of its shallow C-shaped neck. The final bit of customizing was a sticker of Dolly on the pickguard. It’s a great sounding and playing guitar that not only gets compliments for its sparkle and punch, but has ignited plenty of conversations as it’s traveled with me across the U.S. and in Europe.
And the last of my “ones” is a 1968 Les Paul Standard, acquired just before the ascent of Slash elevated prices of the model. It looks a lot like the cherry sunburst ’68 Standard played by Dick Wagner, although the original tuners were replaced with more dependable Gotoh machines. Otherwise, it’s stock and it rocks, with gorgeous tone and feel. As you might guess by now, it also has a slender-ish C neck—which Gibson first employed in the late 1960s. There’s only one drawback to this delightful guitar: It weighs 12.5 pounds. I remember playing joints where four 75-minute sets were required, and putting it on my shoulder for the last set was painful. So, unlike the Green Monster and Dollycaster, it only travels to the studio these days.
I love these guitars the best because they look and feel great, and I play with more comfort and confidence when they’re in my hands. I’m guessing you have guitars that you love just as much—guitars that, as Adrian Belew said about his signature Parker Fly in our recent Rig Rundown, make you play better.
Now it’s time to share. Drop me a line and a photo about your “ones” and why you love ’em and play ’em. And don’t be surprised if they end up in a photo gallery at premierguitar.com. After all, in the universe of guitars, there’s a lot of great “ones” out there.
This model celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock and Lee’s breakout festival performance.
Nashville, TN (November 6, 2019) -- Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand, has announced the worldwide release of the new, limited-edition Alvin Lee ES-335 ’69 Festival’. The leading guitar brand has created the exact ES-335 guitar in Aged Sixties Cherry. The striking guitar, which Lee called “Big Red” launched his performance to legendary status while showcasing his lightning-fast guitar playing at the original Woodstock festival in 1969. In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock this year and Lee’s breakout festival performance, the historically accurate guitar is officially available now at Authorized Gibson Dealers worldwide.
When Ten Years After took their heavy, manic blues-rock to the stage at Woodstock in 1969, the band unleashed a performance that came to define not just the legendary festival, but the spirit and sound of a movement. Following their set, which ended in a blistering, masterful rendition of “I’m Going Home,” Ten Years After catapulted to worldwide stardom and Alvin Lee rose to join Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards as one of the most influential guitar gods of the time. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock, Gibson is proud to present this Alvin Lee ES-335 ‘69 Festival’ guitar, built to the exact specifications of the guitar Lee used during his jaw-dropping, festival performance. The Gibson Alvin Lee ES-335 ’69 Festival’ guitar includes all of the stickers, aging, special modifications and mojo of the original. Only 50 of these limited-edition Alvin Lee ES-335 ’69 Festival’ guitars will be sold worldwide.
“Really happy to hear that Gibson guitars is doing a limited edition 335 in honour of Alvin Lee. Alvin was a brilliant guitar player that became famous all around the world with his band-Ten Years After. He was a great friend of mine and Black Sabbath, he made a major impact on thousands of guitar players globally-including me! Thank you, Gibson - Alvin well deserves it!!”
--Tony Iommi
“Alvin was one of the most exciting Rock/blues guitarists of his generation. His red customised Gibson ES 335 not only gave him his signature sound but was also a part of his iconic stage personality.”
--Leo Lyons (Ten Years After co-founder and bassist 1966–2013)
Born in Nottingham, England, Alvin Lee began playing guitar at age 13 and formed the core of what would become the band Ten Years After by age 15. Originally influenced by his parent's prolific collection of jazz and blues records, it was the advent of Rock ’n’ Roll that truly ignited Lee’s interest and creativity with guitarists like Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore providing his inspiration.
With Lee as guitarist, singer and songwriter, Ten Years After (TYA) first toured America in 1968 at the invitation of the legendary Fillmore promoter Bill Graham. American audiences were immediately captivated by the group’s innovative mix of blues, swing, jazz and rock alongside Lee's distinctive, soulful and rapid-fire guitar playing.
Alvin Lee’s groundbreaking, virtuoso guitar performance at Woodstock festival in 1969--captured live on film in the documentary of the festival--remains a gold standard of influence today for many guitarists and continues to introduce Lee to new music fans all over the world.
For more information:
Gibson
Beyond the obvious historical significance of his last gig, the music is spectacular.
Alvin Lee
The Last Show
Rainman
On March 6, 2013, the world lost one of its premier musical talents with the passing of Alvin Lee. As fate would have it, Lee’s final show—a performance in Raalte, Holland—was recorded for posterity and is now available.
Beyond the obvious historical significance of The Last Show, the music is spectacular, with Lee displaying the same mastery of his instrument that made people first take notice so many years ago. Lee covers multiple genres: rockabilly on “My Baby Left Me,” blues on “I Don’t Give a Damn,” and funk-rock with “Love Like a Man.”
Perhaps the most poignant—and adept—cuts are the two songs Lee performed with Ten Years After on that fabled Woodstock stage in 1969: “Going Home” and “I Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes.” It’s a fantastic performance nearly devoid of post-production touchups—fitting for an artist who created and played so honestly.
Must-hear track: “I Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes”