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Garcia-Guitars
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1998-03-30
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Culled from the GDH digest...
From: pharrer <p_harrer@bc.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Jerry's Gear
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 01:28:18 -0800
Here's and attempt to condense a vast, yet very interesting subject.
According to Steve Parish, his longtime guitar tech, Jerry had about 25
guitars, but 70% of his time in the spotlight he played just 3, all
custom built by the same luthier. His first was a Danelectro (age 15).
His acoustic in the days with Robert Hunter prior to his switch to the banjo
is uncertain. With the Warlocks in '65 he used a red Guild Starfire,
also used on the 1st Dead albumn. After a series of Gibsons SGs, Les
Pauls, and a couple of Teles (+ a Strat the "Alligator" from Graham
Nash) he declared: "I don't like any guitars that are available. I'm
trying to have a guitar built." Hence, the Travis Bean. He laughed upon
first seeing it, but quickly changed his mind when he tried the custom
aluminum-neck guitar made in San Francisco.
In '72 he received the his first custom Doug Irwin (Sonoma, CA)--the "Wolf".
Description: 25.5 in maple neck, 24 fret ebony fingerboard, blonde
Western "quilted" maple body with at purpleheart (amaranth) core. Guts
like a Strat, but with a clever effects bypass circuit Jerry designed
himself. He used the Alligator, Bean, and Wolf exclusively up to '78. In
the late 80's Jerry mounted a GK-7 synth interface on the Wolf. Mated to
the GK-50 controller, this allowed him to sound like a trumpet player
and bass flautist. San Francisco repair expert Gary Brawer later retrofitted
it internally.
But still not completely satisfied, Irwin delivered him the "Tiger"
(pearl coverplate) Description: Seven years to make, ebony fingerboard
on maple neck, an arched cocobola top and back, vermilion neck and body
striping, and W. flamed-maple body core. Meticulous scrolled inlay
finger position markers and hand-crafted brass hardware; Strat approach,
but with one DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil and two DiMarzio Super 2
humbuckers that were easily removed 'cause Jerry thought their ouput
weakened after a year or two. Also had Jerry's effects bypass loop (he
knew his electronics!), as well as an op-amp buffer/amp to maintain the
high end during effects "on". Result: Garcia's favorite guitar for the
next ll years & most played. In 1990 Garcia changed guitars when Irwin
completed "Rosebud" named for the inlaid dancing skeleton on the ebony
coverplate. Lighter than the Tiger, it became his fulltime Dead guitar,
but he used the Tiger in the JGB for a another year.
Then in '93 came the coup de gras: Deadhead woodworker Stephen Cripe
from Florida custom built the "Lighting Bolt" using photos of the Tiger and
a well worn "Dead Ahead" video. He fashioned the body out of a peice of
E. Indian rosewood recycled from a small 19th-cent. Asian bed for opium
smokers. Built "totally by feel", the cocobola through-body neck has a
recycled Brazilian rosewood fingerboard (note: Jerry's interest in the
rain forest) with an unusual accuracy in the higher end allowing him to
play where he usually avoided. Predictably, Garcia made a few intonation
changes and installed a Roland MIDI system. In April of '95 Jerry
ordered the backup "Top Hat". Others:
Guitar Year Played On
Martin D-18 "American Beauty", "Wokingman's Dead"
ZB pedal steel 70-74
Takamine acoustics 1980 acoustic shows & benefits
Alvarez-Yairi "Garcia/Grisman" + live shows
Jerry used "Rosebud" at the last Grateful Dead show in Chicago. On Aug 4, 1995
Jerry recorded "Blue Yodel # 9" using a mint condition 1939 Gibson Super
400N acoustic that seen in the video for the movie "Smoke". Its likely
the last guitar Jerry ever graced... (Source: Guitar Player, Dec. '95
Footnote: At the '94 Seattle show I witnessed near the stage, I noticed
Garcia was using Boss footpetals (distortion, delay, etc) mounted
vertically behind him. Also, a quoteable source informed me that the
Dead members each used a specific PA system on their instruments and the
loudspeakers were very much customized. Nice.