Happy Valentine's Day Donnah, et al!

Now excuse me while I run up to the local Publix to buy my bride her card (before she wakes up and I find myself back in the doghouse)....

Happy Valentines Day Donnah, oh great keeper of the Duane flame! Heading down for the 500 tomorrow. Got plenty of that great music to keep me company. Thank you for another great pic! Wail on, Mighty Skydog!

PS Carl...snuck up on ya did it? HA HA

yes he loved the best bikes also.

What a magical time this was...Duane on his plaintop, Dickey on that SG..the one he wanted to try but wound up giving it to Duane on Valentines Day. he hee

Happy Valentines all, specially you, Donnah !!

Eat a Peach !

Donnah, once again you've outdone yourself. In the couple months since I became addicted to "Duane Wednesdays", this is the first photo I recall that captures on Duane's face what was flowing from his heart through his hands to a Gibson and on to his audience: the pure ecstatic, soaring high that his mystical guitar playing created. Wail on, indeed.

happy Valentine's Day, Donnah

Happy Valentines to everyone! Especially Donnah who spends so much love and time findings us these pictures and replying to our posts!

(I wish I would get a couple of Les Pauls for V day! ha ha no chance!)

Does anyone know who that hairy guy is sitting in the arm chair behind Duane? It doesnt look like anyone I recognize?

Hope everyone has a heart-filled full of kindness big and small!

This is a perfect Duane day, as all us Duaneheads know; Duane always played from his heart through his fingers. That what made him so very special!

Oops! Need to pay attention to my preview!
Again let me correct the above: May everyone have a HEART-FILLED DAY, FULL OF KINDNESS, BOTH BIG AND AND SMALL!

It's really funny, but now that I think about it...

I have seen a lot of pictures of Duane, thanks especially to you Donnah...but as I have mentioned before, the one of him with the two lesters is probably my fav.

Duane has been captured on film many times, but only a few times that I can think of, does he *address* the camera. Most of the time, he is cutting up when he does...making a face or something of that nature.

In the one where he knows the pic of the plaintop and Hot Lanta is being taken, he stares right at you (us)... obviously, he is saying all he can without mumbling a word.

What a treasure those two guitars must have been to him...congrats Skydog ! Wish you would have hung around and played us a Valentine's song..but I guess Liz Reed will suffice.

That Triumph 650 was one badass bike.

Hoo-ah! Two-fer two-fer! thank you, Donnah! my fave pic of his git-fiddles. Happy Valentines day to my blogmother proper and the rest of the populace. oh, i name-checked duane in monday's column. Wail on!

Poor Duane, he looks like he wishes he had 4 arms so he could play them both at the same time. Are there many pictures of Duane on motorcycles? Too bad he didn't indulge in a hobby like cross stitching. He might still be playing those guitars today. Thanks Donna for your Wednesday treats. I always wondered if there were 'Skydog' fans still carrying the torch and you truly changed my world when I found you.

I've never seen a pic of Duane on a motorcycle -- just him in the motorcycle t, and of course, the pic of the wrecked bike.

Re the guy in the background: either he's wearing a panel shirt or he's making some hippie fashion statement with a vest. I don't miss vests.

Thanks Donnah ...One pic I have never seen and one pic that is always worth seeing again ...in this months Guitar World magazine there is a whole long story about Dickey Betts memories of DA and someone drew a nice pic of duane on the cover ...cant wait to read it ...Sheila and Donnah will yall two girls be my valentines??? lol ....nah it would probably be like getting married it would spoil the relationship!!! lol ...Happy Valentines Day You'uns!!!!

I know I have seen a pic of Duane and some other people on their bikes..I'm pretty sure.

have to think about that..maybe it was a dreams.

Happy Valentines Day, all!

(almost looks like Duanes singing,
"Haaaaaappy Vaaaaalentines Daaaay!" Heehe)

I just got my DVD in.. its basically most of the videos you can find on youtube of the Allmans, mainly I got it for the 1970 Fillmore Concert. Qualities just as poor as over the internet... sadly. But its still good enough for me. =)

(and Csason.. looks like a les paul to me, SG points curve more.)
Oh and on the DVD I got Dickey was playing THAT LES PAUL that Duane is holding in a late 70s one.
And just look at that guitar... all the wear on the front side... He got some gooooood use outta that sweet guitar. For mellow sounds I think I liked that Plaintop, and for raw awesome vintage notes screaming out, I loved Hot 'Lanta in the Fillmore East '71 recordings.

Hey, wasn't Hot 'Lanta a true '59? And what was the Plaintop? Or correct me if Im wrong please.
Oh and I remember that his Goldtop from the Layla sessions was a '57, wasnt it? I like that look of a Goldtop the most, open black humbuckers with the bright gold sparkle.

I could only hope the guitar I get will sound like any of those and look good too.

Thanks again Donnah! Happy Valentines! =)

> Does anyone know who that hairy guy is sitting in the arm chair behind Duane? It doesnt look like anyone I recognize?

Mr. Gregg Allman seated at the keys, I do believe.

Great site Donnah. I dig the Duane pics. Thank you so much! Happy V-Day!

LOL@Lonny.

hey Ben, where you from ??

You raise a interesting question.. THAT treble horn
on Dickey's guitar does look a little weird. How can we explain the darkness of that back ?? and the cutaway should be thicker..Grover's..hmm. good observation.

Duane never owned a late 70's guitar. He died in Oct. 71, the day after my Grandaddy's birthday.

The Plaintop cherryburst is a 58. Hot Lanta is a 59. His Goldtop was a 54 if I remember correctly...and he traded it off for the cherryburst in 69 (or maybe 68) AFTER he did the little pickup/trade/hotel room/ thingy.

Dickey Betts owns a 1957 Goldtop. In some of the early pics of them, there is a 54 conversion (trapeze replaced with a S/B, but not refinned) that was Duane's. Dickey's guitar was refinned red, hung in the HOF, re-acquired by Dickey, then refinned as a *red-burst* ??? (help Richard...!!!) arrgggggggg!!!! CRS CRS CRS

It is my understanding Duane had acquired Hot Lanta from Chris Cross and the Rev, just in time for the
Layla sessions.. so the 59 is the slide on Layla.

speaking of the Layla sessions, personally..I am glad that Duane was invited to 'colaberate' with Eric 'God Almighty' Clapton, else many folks would have never listened to some skinny red-haired Cracker...however, I KNOW why Eric wanted Duane.

Clapton knew *who* Duane was before the rest of the world did...Duane must have been quite surprised to have an invite from the world's most reknowned guitarist for the upcoming album.

I would have been happy for Duane to go back to Macon and sit with Berry and Butch..and come up with another Whipping Post, or Standback...One
Way Out.

Not to offend any Clapton devotees...but 'Layla', in my opinion doesn't even rank with any of those songs...and One Way Out was a cover...and that's just three off the top of my head. I guess it pissed me off that EC let the world think it was him pulling those notes..and it took years before many people (still do) realized that Slow Hand
used a proxy- Duane Allman.

What if...AT the peak of their popularity, Eddie Van Halen had snuck some picker in for the lead parts to 'Running with the Devil'. That's how it was with 'Derek and the Dominos'. I remember.

To this day, Eric fans will argue as to who plays what...

All in all...I guess I should be glad that EC coveted a bug's wife, and he used a bonafide prodigy to express that lust.

Ben...I hope you find a guitar that sounds like that also... last night on Ebay, somebody paid 10.5 K for just the wiring harness and pickups from a similar model as Duane's guitar. The original Gold Top that Duane had sold in Orlando a couple years ago for 750... thousand. Probably more than Duane ever had.

I'd bet Billy Gibbons would plop 5 mill down for Hot Lanta if she was available...I know he would

csason,

I often agree with you, but when I don't I really disagree.
So, standing up for EC: from all I've seen and heard of him, which is a lot, he is a very decent person. He had the courage to invite supermen like Duane, Stevie Ray and Derek Trucks to play alongside him. He never made any false claims and testified for Galadrielle re. Duane part in Layla.
If you have a chance, watch the One more car DVD, 2002 I believe, with Steve Gadd and the late Billy Preston in his band. Total respect; just music, no ego.
About Layla: it's a different band and different songwriting. There's no Elisabeth Reed on the album, clearly. But it has a timeless magic to it, IMHO the result of two giants inspiring each other; not one using the other as a proxy.

Apart from that, I personally find EC history's second best. (Best meaning: making music most loved by me)

I hope you and all Duanists had a wonderful Valentine's day, even if it (as I tease my American friends) doesn't really exist.

csason,

I often agree with you, but when I don't I really disagree.
So, standing up for EC: from all I've seen and heard of him, which is a lot, he is a very decent person. He had the courage to invite supermen like Duane, Stevie Ray and Derek Trucks to play alongside him. He never made any false claims and testified for Galadrielle re. Duane's part in Layla.
If you have a chance, watch the One more car DVD, 2002 I believe, with Steve Gadd and the late Billy Preston in his band. Total respect; just music, no ego.
About Layla: it's a different band and different songwriting. There's no Elisabeth Reed on the album, clearly. But it has a timeless magic to it, IMHO the result of two giants inspiring each other; not one using the other as a proxy.

Apart from that, I personally find EC history's second best. (Best meaning: making music most loved by me)

I hope you and all Duanists had a wonderful Valentine's day, even if it (as I tease my American friends) doesn't really exist.

...Great points, Peter..as always.

but, I heard you the first time..lol.

I'm not really *that* down on Eric..hell no. I drove all the way to Palm Beach looking for his house once...ha ha.

I just love sticking up for Duane !!! like he really needs it..

EC may not have done much to separate his guitar from Duane's but Duane didn't really seem to care to have the distinction made. If you listen to the radio interview he did after 'Layla' was recorded Duane wouldn't come out and say who played what parts; you had to be able to tell their guitars apart to know. And you know, it didn't really matter because it was great music. That's what he was most proud of, making great music. True fans know who did what.

How long did it take for EC to get credit for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"? He wasn't even credited on the album.

Late Happy Valentines Day to all!
Great pic as always D :)

Oh guys, siddown and brace yerselves... Im from Maine HAHHAAH! We just got a foot of snow in what we call a 'Nore-Easter'. Snowed for about 29 hours straight from grainy snow whipped by the wind to big snowflakes to slow flurries... Lots of snow at once... dang its pretty cold up here... Y'all got it nice n warm down in the south.

But anyhow... Csason, earlier I meant that Dickey plays Duanes plaintop honeyburst in a video I've seen from later years... maybe 73 or 79. It's the same one Duane plays in Fillmore 1970 videos. (could be the cherryburst I guess...?)

And yes, I look more and more and thats Greg back there (though looks bigger/older than he oughta) and Dickeys holding a Les Paul. My guess is this is later years when he had the Gold Top and this photo is taken without enough light on its backside? Im not too sure...
It looks like the mic stand casts a shadow on Greg there... so I cant tell... Its a Les Paul and probably sounds sweet, thats all that matters to me right? hah

So the equipment and things in the care of the HOF, who would they belong to? Like with Dickey with his Goldie, I guess he owned it, put it on display, and took it back because he still owned it right? So someone out there owns Duanes guitars... I gotta get him to open the case so i can hear one of Duanes notes still echoing on... Wail on!

Im not a big fan of EC, but yes I recognize he is one of the best and certainly don't dislike him. He ain't as great as Duane to me though... hehe.

Oh and Im thinking of purchasing a HUGE compilation of almost all Duanes Live performance albums and some interviews for a reasonable price... only thing is they're all MP3 and on a DVD disk and I have no DVD in my computer haha. Its got one album I found in one other place, and that one costs more than half of this entire compilation. If I get it I might be able to copy it up! ;) Gotta get DVD Burner first though... but I got an idea on that.

Thanks again for all you do for us all Donnah! These pics really keep a lot of us going!

> LOL@Lonny

Wassofunny?

You were serious?

I didn't think he was there, until the Brothers and Sisters album, but the guy looks a lot like Les Dudek sitting in the background.

Duane's guitar's belong to his daughter, at least that is my understanding. They have been loaned to the HOF for display.

I am not an Eric Clapton hater..I am a Duane Allman devotee.

I don't know if Lonny's computer has the detail to show the gentleman in the 2 guitars photo. I'm looking at this picture at work and I can't even tell there is anyone in the room but Duane. When I went to my computer at home, I could clearly see the chair and the person.

Duane used the Goldtop on the Layla album. :) so same pickups that he put into the plain sunburst with the ivory klusons

> You were serious?

Uh, yes. Guess we're talking the 2 guitars pic? I was commenting on the Duane and Dickey on stage pic. Oh well... John Lennon maybe? Never mind...

I agree richard, I know he used his sweet Gold Top on the Layla album. Still sounded good, and personally best looking of his guitars in my opinion.

Oh and for an update on the guitar search... I have decided against the Santa Fe Sunrise
(decided the = $ '60 reissue Gold Top sounds better)
But I decided against that as well. Im no big shot, I'll never be famous. I just wanna have my fun playin on somethin that sounds juuuust right to me.

I played a Gibson Les Paul smartwood (used) with a modded seymour duncan bridge pickup installed. Thing sounded SOOO much sweeter than the Santa Fe, and it is up for only $799.00! Its just plain wood but if I really want to I can get it refinished, right? Thing is, it plays and sounds great to me, and the price is right. (includes a case) With the extra money I might buy the nice blues amp I test em out on or something of the like, and also contribute more to my college debt.
Best of all worlds right!

Sometime I'll get a serial number up or something for all you guitar junkies. I dunno how to research em right but whatever.

It ain't no '59 or anything on its level.. but I'll be darned, it's good enough for me and better than what I set my eyes on.

(Already can't wait for the next Duane pic btw, Donnah! hehe)

Donnah, What is your email address please? Thank you for all the wonderful photos! Jeff
Please put florida-cracker in the subject line so it will get to me. Thanks.

Ben, if you get the smartwood please...dont refinish it! Be proud you invested in a eco friendly guitar! They are beautiful as is! I have been lusting after a lefty smartwood for years but never have had the cash. They come in a case to match. Collectable and made out of various beautiful woods. Smartwood is in regards to the wood used. Non endangered etc. A good investment and a very playable guitar. The woodgrain knocks me out on these. I agree. Its your fingers not the guitar anyway that makes the difference in the sounds! Go for it, and pocket the difference! I am betting you wont be sorry. And your friends will be oohing and ahhhing anyway! And the guy who is buying the dvd of music. There are free programs online to convert the songs to mp3. Anyway, looking forward to Weds. already. Cheers to all!

Yah you're right I think I'm definitely getting the modded Smartwood and wont plan on altering it (except replacing the pickup which doesnt sound as nice, though its the one I hardly will use)
And all I'm waiting for is my other tax return check coming in the mail, then I march down to the store and haggle the heck out of them cuz Im buying the guitar and a Fender Blues DeVille amp to go with it, and would like say... a guitar stand in there too or something hah.

It was the better lookin of the smartwood guitars, I think. So yah, I think I definitely will keep it the same now. Will only replace the worse sounding pickup somehow. Im pretty sure it was a smartwood... but it might just be a natural finish Studio or Standard. But the other one was definitely a smartwood. they're thinner body, too.

Cant wait to try out some Duane licks on it!

Cant wait for the next Duane pic either!! =P

Oh and I'll try to remember to get pictures of it up on photobucket and link them once I do get it!

Probably oughta try my slide out on it... B)

Something interesting about the concert shot of
skydog in the triumph shirt is that it looks
like hes holding a pick. ??? i didnt think he used apick. great shots. thanks