this is one of my favorites..

a clear view of the middle of a riff.

You can see Duane's damping technique perfectly here. He DID NOT use muting behind the slide, rather his thumb(on his picking hand) on the bass strings, his middle and third fingers muting the leftover open strings...quite a trick, hard as hell, sweet to the ear.

Warmed up and playing some Whipping Post...

I can add nothing to csason's mini-guitar lesson. Well done, wail on indeed.

Great pic, again, Donnah! =)
Yea, very nice view of the slide action.

And who is he playing here? Is it the Plain Top? I cant see enough flame top so I dont think its Hot 'Lanta.

Thanks again Donnah!

Woops just remembered... he'd be playing slide on the SG if he had Hot 'Lanta so this is definitely the Plain Top. Bet that sounds reeeeaaaal good right there. B)

Nobody does it better than Duane Allman Folks!
NOBODY! "Rock on and have a good time."
And Wail On Skydog!

Thanks Donnah!
I like that shirt -- reminds me of one I got in Hawaii in 1975.

Fred

Ben, your comment kind of went past me for a sec, but that *is* Hot Lanta. You can see the flame a bit..it's just a bad angle...but above the tone controls you can see it.

The plaintop he had was a cherryburst, which would probably be a little lighter in this B&W pic. Seems like also the plaintop had a bit more edge on the finish..smaller area of wood showing..but I just looked a little closer and I can see flame, and the plaintop didn't even have a smidgen.

btw Elderly instruments has two or three nice SG's
for less than 3thou, all of them are Kalamazoo made Gibbys, a couple of them are like 70-71.

csason: thanks for that...

floridacracker: thanks for this photo, too.

Made my latest desktop background, primo!

So I see it, Csason. Nice
So he's probably playing Dreams.

Oh and for an update on guitars, dont think I'll be able to get my dream guitar... they wont hardly budge on the price for me, so I may have to resort to Epiphone, or to modding an Epiphone or something.

Whatever it is, I just hope Im happy in the end.

Csason, the pickups from the Gold Top that he put in the Plain Top (if I am remembering right) weren't they open coils, not nickel plated? Correct me if I'm wrong, it will help with identifying pictures like this one, heh.

There are a few pics where DA had the covers off the pickups (open coil)..presumably testing the sound quality, I suppose. Duane did some weird things with his axes...not many would trade guitars but swap the pups out like he did, he also started a fad many years after his death..
I never noticed any sound quality difference in wrapping the tailpiece with the strings, but apparantly Duane did, so now everybody and their brother-in-law wraps the tailpiece. Interestingly, the strings on 'Lanta in this pic appear to be straight thru the tailpiece (as Gibson designed it)

The wrap technique was used on student models that didn't have a bridge, like the melody makers and juniors...if Gibson had thought it sounded better, it seems they would have left the ABR off the lesters - so here I am arguing with Skydog oops

Ben I bought a 57 Gibson ES 125 TD for 800 and change on Ebay. Epiphone makes a great product, but you can find some really nice instruments, maybe not a 59 Burst, but something you would be thrilled with nonetheless.. here and there for pretty cheap money.

Another tip..Ask any old people you know, like retirees about guitars, it sounds funny, but just about half the old codgers I run into either have a guitar, or know someone who has a guitar that is collecting dust. They love to help out, usually...and I have found some really cool old guitars that way. I am waiting right now on a retired preacher to get up off of a 56 Junior he bought new for 49 bucks. It has the amp, case, strap, book...and he also has a Lifton LP case that goes with it.

On Elderly those SG's I saw are actually in the 1900 dollar range, and you cannot buy a brand new Lester for that, and a 69 SG or 70, 71 SG is way better to me than a newer Lester..but way cheeper..
The way I got my first one was to hang out at the music stores (the small private owned ones) and play some of the guitars and talk to the shop people, they will work with you.

Love this site, LOVE the photos and comments, and of course, I LOVE Duane- even though Rolling Stone did indeed rate hime #2, he is still the most underrated guitarist of all time- never gets enough credit and you really wonder where his music would have lead had he lived longer.
CSASON- love yor knowledge (thought I knew a lot about Duane and his guitars!!) As for buying that dream Les Paul, I had to settle for an EPI and am very happy with my beautiful honeyburst- just have to ignore the headstock!

Yea I'd like to open a LP case and have a beautiful Gibson Les Paul dazzle my friends eyes, but that price tag is just too much. Guys at the store wouldnt come down far enough off the online order price and I have no guarantee.. if it plays like crap or sounds bad, Im sunk. Wont have money to ship it out if I manage to sell on ebay or something, and certainly wont have cash to buy a cheaper guitar to satisfy.

Im leaning on Epiphone as an alternate though... The Elitist looks like a nice guitar. Only thing is, I dont see any of them at the guitar store, but I need to look over the Epis closer and pray that one of them is an Elitist so I can hear its sound.

May get an Elitist and bide my time and money.. May get a cheaper Epi and mod it out with the pickups I like so much, $130 each. May even do BOTH but I just dont see the Gibson happening for me. I cant degrade to a lesser sounding Gibson from the perfect sounding Standard with those Burstbucker 5s with the Alnico 5 Mags.

And about the open coils, they do sound better. They make my cheap Turser sound real good vs using the nickel plate covers I got for it. The Gibson Classic LPs have open coils, so thats prob why they sound better than the rest of the regulars.

Well anyways.. my search goes on.
Help me, Skydog! =P

I also need to remember to bring my slide to try them out heh.

Mr. Cracker has a '57 Gibson of some sort that he's had since the mid-70's. The prior owner took off the original pick-up and Mr. C was trying to replace it. He went through a long rigamarole with a humbucker seller who apparently didn't want one of his pick-ups to go out into the world unless it was a perfect match. Mr. C finally canceled the order.

Update:
I double-checked. He's got a pretty bad model, the ES 225t.
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/gibson4.html
It works out OK for a pianist though.

82 les paul standard cherryburst used atlanta 1400 bucks.

why buy new?

Well, I know not to buy unless I've played... And cherry burst is too plain to me. But anyways, it would cost too much for me to go down to try it hah.
(Maine ^_^ )

I'll come up with something.

Donnah there are no bad 57 Gibbys..none.

They are like...confederate silver dollars.

I would rather have one beat up, maligned, refinished old Gibby or Fender, etc.. than any of the new ones..
Ben, I got ta tell you I bought an old no name brand
(Silvertone) that was found in an attic. I paid 70 bucks shipping an all. plugged the old beast in and it hummed. I put a couple of drywall screws in the neck heel (it had separated from the body) to firm it up for slide.

listen to this old dog-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJUiR_U3oM

I just love messing around with old stuff like this, but just be aware that they are marketing the Burst buckers and newer stuff as *competition* for the older stuff available off of Ebay. Speaking of which, Ebay changed the musical instrument (guitar) business forever...NOBODY even knew who had the 59 bursts, or the 56 Juniors until the Bay. Now, thanks to them and The Les Paul Registry over at the Les Paul Forums, there are not to many unaccounted for.

I still see stuff like a 57 125 TDC like Bad to the BOne boy play(s) for sale in the paper the other day for 800. So cheap, the guy obviously doesn't know Al invented the internet, or he would know it is a 2 g guitar.

I am just saying slow down, because I have a really nice Les Paul..it is a 'pre-historic' no volute, all gold, pristine Hall of Fame edition made in 91. I paid 2000 too much for it. Actual price was near 3, after tariffs and impact fees..

AT the same time, I could have purchased a Junior from the sixties for the same money, or perhaps a 60's SG, etc.. They WERE that cheap...now the bay has changed that. The buyers and sellers now have a place to jack the prices.

There is an old Martin on the Bay right now, the BIN is 1.375 million.

Those SG's I was talking about are worth saving and waiting for. You should try one old guitar for every new one you try.

The hot money it seems is on pre 74 Gibby's (Kalamazzo made) since they are bringing almost doubloe from this time last year. But their are many 'notches' that are being overlooked.

Eric Clapton MADE himself with a 335, yet they were overlooked for a long time. They still are every bit as sweet as a burst, but way way less money.

Donnah, if Mr. C. ever wants to get rid of that old dust collector, you just give me a holler, and I'll be right over and help you clean up.
I've got a couple hard workin girls and a good mower, too ;)

hey if you wanna see a really cool vid..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZwHn-T6rQg&mode=related&search

Heck yes, those old Sears catalog guitars are sweet n dirty thangs. I have one that must have had a Fender replacement neck (headstock shaped just like it) and its shaped a lot like a jazzmaster and has a lipstick pickup, volume and tone knobs. Its a 2 piece sandwich body, cheap wood but the lipstick pickup sounds alright with minor static buzzing. Not quite as much as that Silvertone video hah.

I've found a neat looking, good sounding Epi Standard Honeyburst flametop coupled with a Fender Blues Deville.
By the way, if anyone could tell me... We all know what guitars they played, but what amplifiers did they play on? What did Duane play through?
And he does play with some overdrive/gain to dirty the guitar up, more often on the slide.. is that just amp effect? Because thats what I do now with my 70s Yamaha G100 II, I play through its gain channel and it sounds good enough to me like vintage sound. I dont lean on distortion and effects, just like Duane didnt. B)

Well its the weekend, but I still cant wait for the next one, Donnah! Never see these pics you find before, so I usually save em and might replace my background with a real good one when it comes. =)

he used a 50 watt marshall and a 4 12 or maybe 4 10 cab. Dickey used a 100w Marshall with a similar cabinet hence the cleaner sound.

Duane also had a special tone/pickup setting on the bass side for slide.

Good then. I made the right choice.
I got a sweet looking Epiphone Standard Plus in Honeyburst (darkest honeyburst I've EVER SEEN) and its got a niiiice maple flame top, better than some Gibsons I've seen and it sounds good.

I got with it a Solid State Marshall 100-something or other and a 4x12 cab under it (I'll post their model numbers and things tomorrow when I take and link pics). Sounds great to me and costs quite a bit less than the tube... basically tubes (like the Fender combos) were too clean, no growl in the sound and this short stack cost less than a large tube gig combo amp and only lacks warm tube tone in clean channel (but comon, I dont use clean too much haha)

Im excited and I cant wait to explore all the settings on this thing. Im very happy already with my choice. Didnt need to go for the absolute top, heck I cant afford it. But I got an enjoyable setup that I bet I could even do shows with... If I were good enough to play shows haha.
And I can even buy a tube head down the road if I want, and even another cab. But this is just right for now. =)

Well I'll post up pics tomorrow and stuff.

Thanks for all your insight everyone! B)

Ben, why dont you get a made in USA Gibson melody maker ? They are only $349.00 at musicians friend right now. Got rave reviews too. And yes, its the real deal. If they had em in lefty I would buy one! :> Its a single cut les paul typle guitar. Primo retro and the reviews say as good or better than the original Melody maker! They were originally made in the 60s and have a history as a great guitar. The pickup config is different but hey Duane first guitar was a low end Gibson too. Made is usa has a lot to say here. And its a Gibson not a Epiphone. Its hard to get a good playing epi. By the time you upgrade the electronics pots, wiring etc you might as well get a faded Paul which is a good buy too. Buy American if you can! There is a difference! And it might be worth something one day too. A lot of bang for the buck.

sounds like you got a nice rig there, Ben..

Those maple Epi's are pretty and they sound great.

I am glad you got something to twang on now ;)
:thumbs up:

Well I have taken a few pictures of the guitar that I'll post. Might take more of it and the amp later but Im too lazy to move that big head and cab =P

I LOVE this guitar!

http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s40/duanesslide/My%20Equipement/

An Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Honeyburst and I got a Marshall MG100HDFX 100watt Guitar Head w/footswitch and a Marshall MG412B 4x12 120watt Straight Guitar Cab with Celestions.

Maaaaan its loud and can play overdriven, but it sounds really nice and I like it a lot! =)

Ben Congrats on getting a nice rig. The standard plus is a better guitar. I had forgotten about them. Also the elites are on par with a Gibby.
Glad you are happy! And flame tops rock. Play them Duane licks all night long! :>
"Just Rock On and Have you a Good Time!" as Duane use to say!

Ben, Duane played through a 50 watt Marshall Bass amp. 50 watts is all he used. A lot of guitarist liked the bass amps better than guitar amps. Dickey used 100, but Duane got a smoother more distorted tone by overdriving the 50 watts. It his case less was more. :>

Last comment today promise! I hadnt read all the above posts. just a comment about the SGs.
I bought a 71 lefty Sg new in 71. Had to wait 6 mos to get it. Wonderful guitar, but my financial situation got bad and I had to sell her. Sold her through harmony central to a nice guy named Ben. (really) He lives near Paul MCCartney in England. Hated to see that guitar go. Was in EXCELLENT playing condition with original hardshell Gibby case. Ben had to pay $168.00 for Fed-ex international shipping charges! I sold to him for $1500.00. I paid $336 new for it in 71.They are going for over 2 grand now. My brother in laws dad has a 63 SG Gibby Special with P-90s. It was bought new for $136.00. Ebay sold one just like it a couple of mos ago. Went for over $6,000! Gibsons are investments no doubt. The SG is the only Gibson I have ever owned. Hope to get another someday. I currently play a Dillion 1500 and a one of a kind handmade Strat hybrid made by a luthier in ILL. It has Seth lovers humbucker pups in it. real sweet! Sorry about the long post, but we guitarist live to talk about guitars. :>

Duanes words to me as we flew from Az to Ca are etched forever in my heart.
He was the nicest guy I had ever met.Even though I was handcuffed to my seat he didnt seem to mind. He told me to just follow the rules and do my time in Juvenile Hall and everything would be better for my future.(Iwas 16 and a Habitual Runaway)He had Champagne his whole band was there He he promised to write to me but a few months later I found out he took another route. What an awesome Man
What a cool site
Im glad to of shared.
bye

What a great story, Cherie. Thanks for sharing.

I'd have liked to have met Duane or seen him play... But Im only 20 (21 this Wed, so make it a GREAT pic, Donnah! =P) To have jammed with him... forget about it, its like better than anything I can think of in the world of music and fun.
Yea great story about Duane. He sounds like such a humble guy in spirit, he doesnt shrug you off if you're in that awkward position on the plane next to him or anything. He seems like he's the best friend to anyone he meets and always has something good to say or something like that. His words to me come out through his fingers on down, through his guitar. He sure can say some cool, sweet things.

(And I mean it about the pic! =P I know it'll be great, they all are, always! =D)

funny thing about meeting famous people..unless you're really ready, you hardly ever do what you want.

I was parking my car at a Steppenwolf/Spirit concert
at Curtis-Hixon hall, and we looked over, and the whole band was getting out of their limo(s).

We went over and we followed them in to the arena through the entrance they were using. I was just basically kind of 17ish awestruck, as was my buddy, and at some point we were pointed toward the seating area... and then it was them on stage later (after Randy California and Spirit played) and us out in the seats..

Later, I asked my bro' "Hey did we meet John Kay and those guys..?" It was funny.

Oddly enough, Steppenwolf had a reputation of being 'badboys'..but they seemed like really ..well, *nice*. NOTHING like Glen Campbell and Kenny Rogers..those guys, in my opinion are real jerks, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Love those personal stories! He was a wonderful person as well as a hell of a guitarist!
Ya'll check out hittin the note there are 4 new pics of Duane. 3 are Jim Marshall. One is Duane hittin on the drums. Thanks again Donnah for the wonderful tribute site of Skydog!

Hope every is ok with you Donnah! No new picture today? Always needing my weds fix of Duane Pics!

It's up now Sheila. Sorry for the delay.

I too love the personal stories. I love the guitar talk too, though I only understand part of it.