Take your Meds

I did a 75 minute outdoor set at Medina Ballroom on Saturday which turned out to be a good show once the storm blew over. Jake Scherer did an smoking opening set with his hip band New Medicine. Jake played this cool bound Fender Telecaster, & it proved to be a worthy companion that sounded great with a smooth overdrive. 

Forte 4

These Spectors are among the most practical basses out there from the standpoint of sound & playability. The price range is reasonable considering the quality & longevity of the instrument, & they're just beautiful & sexy to look at. The Spector Forte 4s are known for their straight necks & ultra smooth body contours, & a crisp, clear output tone that can make a worthy player into a contender. The perfect combination of art & functionality come together in this beautiful new guitar owned by Chris Morehouse, currently performing with the popular twin city touring group Common Ground. This assembly of seasoned musical veterans has got the science of performing classic rock favorites down to an art.

The Midas Touch

Mancini's lounge in St Paul is host of the hip house band "Midas Touch". TC's Bob Scoggin is the talented axe wielder of this popular combo, & he's happy to pose for the camera. I captured this shot with my iphone under the velvety red ambient rope light stage. The vintage Fender guitar is a rare 1975 hollow telecaster with factory humbuckers, & clear bell tone output. Bob is a smooth player, & a worthy owner of such a cool axe. Everything about this guitar & this gig portrays an authentic retro flashback vibe. You can find better pics of this rare guitar on Bob's Facebook page.

White Elephant

This beautiful hollow-body Teleblaster is proudly shown off by regional entertainer Chad Higgins. The beautiful ivory white finish is contrasted by a glitzty gold hardware package, including gold Floyd Rose trem system & matching locking nut. You can get a good look at this rare hollow body electric guitar when you catch a show featuring the popular Minneapolis group POP ROCKS. The guitar is a class act by itself, & so is their show. Here's a link featuring their upcoming show dates.

Ménage à Trois

This weeks submission by a local player who really has a keen eye for grade A flamed maple tops.
When these three beauties make an appearance no man can resist the temptation of their allure.
These RG7-CT / RG7-CST Ibanez guitars are no less than amazing. These were supposedly a first run of the J-custom 7 string to gauge interest. This is why (so I am told) they do not say "J-custom" on the headstock but rather are just tagged with the "Prestige" badge.  Supposedly 24 (or so) produced. Rosewood fb CT has Dimarzio Crunch Lab/ Liquifire pickups. Maple fb CT has Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell/ Cold sweat pickups. Ebony fb, lo-pro double edge bridge with piezo, stock custom 7 Ibanez pickups. Mahogany body with a flamed maple top in vintage violin finish. 1 of 18 world wide.
Discriminating collector & Ibanez aficionado Tim Matteson courteously submitted this & many other great pics of his extensive collection last week; & for this kindness we extend him our gratitude as we'll continue to feature more of his cool guitars here on the site in the future.

Vertigo

This one of a kind guitar submitted today by Tim Krueger. He's currently teaching guitar at Buffalo Guitar Studio in Buffalo, MN. His custom fretless Fernandes Vertigo is quite the fine axe that you won't see anywhere else. The mirrored glass fingerboard was installed by Ned Evett's shop in Idaho.
For more info on this guitar or Tim's studio follow the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buffalo-Guitar-Studio/200046503458755

Fudge Factory

Ibanez JEM Custom. unbound neck with dot inlay, factory Floyd Rose, & cool modified paint scheme. Steve Pritchard collection, Rogers MN. If you hurry, you can see a good chunk of his collection with the short lived rock camp "Fun Factory" based here in the twin cities

Crime Doesn't Pay

No it's not a mirror image, it's Dillon Jones, front man for the up and coming young twin Cities POP rock band LOVE OUT LOUD, showing off his uber-rare lefty 2005 copper Gibson Xplorer. These are truly sweet guitars as anyone who's ever owned one knows. Dillon was lucky enough to recover this sharp axe after a recent theft followed by a lengthy recovery process. Follow the LOVE OUT LOUD tour on FACEBOOK, or listen to their tunes on YOUTUBE. Best of luck on the summer tour gentlemen, the music can't lead you astray. See you Wednesday July 11th for your main stage performance at the Sonshine Fest in Wilmar, Minnesota.

Never Smile at a Crocodile

This isn't the first custom manufactured guitar strap I've gotten from Painted Creek Saddlery, but it's easily the coolest. Yes, it's real crocodile; no, it doesn't bite. This is the gear that can make a worthy musician into a rock star. Custom accessories that are tailored to your needs will put you in a class above the rest, & that's exactly what it takes to succeed in the entertainment business. If you don't stand out, you'll go un-noticed, thus un-remembered. Painted Creek creates many varieties of leather fantasy rocker stage gear to help transform you into the rock star that you truly are. Gauntlets, belts, hair accessories, jewelry, guitar straps, wireless pouches, chaps, & wrist bands are all standard fare, & business as usual for this hip twin cities custom leather designer. Hit the site at PaintedCreekSaddlery.com & take the first step to fulfilling your destiny & living your dream. In a big hurry? Contact them by phone at: 763 228-2986
Stand out - Make your personal style memorable. Be all that you can be.

Want to see this & other cool leather work from Painted Creek? Stop out to a show & see many of these various leather products used live on stage.

1962 Framus Semi-Hollow with Tremolo

The 25th annual St Paul musician's trade fair Saturday yielded some great finds & some very cool guitars, but a few stood out as true rare gems. This 1962 Framus hollow body with tremelo is really a unusual axe, & just like the English Burns of the era, there are very few bench parts used in their manufacture. This rare Bavarian made guitar features an unbelievably ultra-thin laminated neck & a strange metal screw on nut! What a great find. Thanks for sharing the pictures Joe. See ya next year.

ESP-ecially fine

I love a good cocktail party, & my good fortune brought me a return invitation to the social event of the sticks last night. The annual south side musicians party was a huge success, & allowed me the opportunity visit with long time colleagues, talk shop, & view a portion of the vast collection of Cary Havlicek, current resident of New Prague. I snapped several pics, but this ESP purchased at Rhapsody Music in Mankato stood out as a particularly prime example for my site. The beautifully finished highly figured carved maple cap is the apex of this axe, but the recess mounted Floyd trem is world class, as is the fully bound neck & body! Check out more of his axes at Downtown Sound where he is the full time instructor to all the upcoming guitar heroes. Thanks for everything, Cary. I look forward to working with you again one day soon.

In Tune in Braham

Custom Davison shark fin V with classic coffin case. Owner Jake King of Braham MN. Jake runs a music store out of his house that resembles a small Music-Go Round. Bring your trade in & do some swapping if your in the neighborhood. Here's the official In Tune Music website, & here they are on on YouTube.

...Rock with me tonight at the Dog House in Maplewood.

God Save the Queen

Beautiful 2008 Red Special from Brian May Guitars (very similar to the original Burns) as used by Steve Pritchard of Rogers, MN in the great Queen tribute "Crown Jewels". Steve picked up this axe specifically for this cool show which I attended at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis on June 14th 2011. The band is now on temporary hiatus while searching for a new keyboardist for this project. Steve is also currently working with the Audio Marauders this fall. Click HERE to check their twin cities schedule. Maybe you'll get lucky, as Stevie just might be be swinging this axe for a few tunes.

Update: Just caught Mark from the Whatnots playing this same fine axe in the event center at St. Croix casino on 11/11/2011.

1963 Burns Trisonic

 

  Highly coveted Burns of London, (pre-Baldwin). The only guitar ever made where you can turn the dial all the way to the bottom & achieve the "Wild Dog" sound. Featuring it's own custom trem unit which boasted 34 moving parts. Owned by David Sanborn, & used in the band "Stonehaven", in which we performed together in the late 70's & early 80's. Haven't seen another one like it in this town since. What a great classic from across the pond.