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Celebrating The New Gretsch Golden Age at WinterNAMM'10!

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- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 20, 2010 4:00 a.m. Proteus:

The Hot Rod Trio

are no strangers to me or the GDP – and plenty of coverage can be found during Gretsch events going back two years. Buddy and Suzy too seem like friends by this point – and I always enjoy their direct, straightforward, traditional country & rockabilly.

Buddy, Suzy, and drummer Pete Bonny have been together as a band for 18 years – and it shows in the crisp arrangements which are as much about what to leave out as what to shoehorn in.

Buddy's tone just gets better and better – I really like his Dynasonic tone – and Suzy and her bass always make an elegant impression.

They delivered a bouncy morning set, and my headache eased.

http://www.thehotrodtrio.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pjbonny

Hot Rod Trio Audio
Hot Rod Trio 1
Hot Rod Trio 2
Hot Rod Trio 3
Hot Rod Trio 4
Hot Rod Trio 5
Hot Rod Trio 6

Hot Rod Trio Video
Hot Rod TV
- Rated: 44 ↑
Jan 20, 2010 9:55 a.m. Hermitt:

Fabulous Photographs Tim!!

Man... I just love those black gretsch shirts that Fred is always wearing. You gonna have a contest for one?
- Rated: 3 ↑
Jan 20, 2010 10:03 a.m. Danny:

I've just seen this thread! I always get late to those great online festivals! Great coverage Tim! I've been enjoying for hours with all the pics and audio! Is there any prize left? I've seen some cool steer (or it's a bull? ) bolos and other cool things!
- Rated: 51 ↑
Jan 20, 2010 11:39 a.m. billydlight:

I love how Buddy Gets that "Bend at the knees with a dip on the bar" old school thing goin! They Rock!! BTW great to see all you guys who were out there! Good times
- Rated: 34 ↑
Jan 20, 2010 12:08 p.m. cielski:

Tim! Great coverage. It's not work if you're having fun!
- Rated: 32 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 8:17 a.m. Geoff_Vane:

I agree Hermitt!

Even in our non cowboy society I'd take the risk and wear the shirt to work. With bolo and all!
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 9:46 a.m. Proteus:

Danny, there ARE more prizes to come. With luck, I'll have all the coverage of both NAMM and Deke's Guitar Geek Fest done sometime today.

Then we'll do a concentrated, scheduled prizefest - perhaps tomorrow - with trivia questions coming at least partially from information in the threads.
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 9:48 a.m. Proteus:

It's not Gretsch at NAMM without Hot Rod Lincoln,

and Buzz Campbell, bassist Johnny Bowler and drummer Stinky made their appearance Sunday at 1:00.

Buzz is one of those guys whose life was turned around by hearing Brian Setzer and The Stray Cats – but unlike most, he honed in on really learning to play rather than just copping the pose and attitude. And that led him not only to 15 years and five albums with his own So Cal-based Hot Rod Lincoln – and a long-running gig with Sha Na Na – but to the Lee Rocker Band and their opening slot for The Cats themselves on their farewell tour.

It's always a pleasure to hear Buzz play: he draws from deep and diverse roots, has his own ideas, and pulls it all together with style and class. It's always the Falcon and the Gretsch Executive – and his tone is, for me, an ideal blend of bite, warm, and smooth. Johnny and Stinky are among the best in the rockabilly business – tight and dynamic - and both got to stretch out in one number during their set.

And you're going to love his work in "Sleepwalk" and "Stray Cat Strut."

I don't know if the band really gets better every time I hear them, but it seems that way. Better yet, the always-gracious Mr. Campbell has a positive, friendly vibe that makes him great to hang with. You often find the best players are least afflicted by arrogance and attitude! I say it every time I get to hear Buzz again, in whatever musical context, but it's still true: you've got to check out more of his work.

http://www.hotrodlincoln.net/ http://www.myspace.com/buzzcampbell
http://www.jumpingfrom6to6.com/itv_buzz_campbell.htm

Hot Rod Lincoln Audio
Hot Rod Lincoln 1
Nosy Joe
Sleepwalk
A little Ricky Nelson
Stray Cat Strut

Buzz Does Sleepwalk: The Movie
- Rated: 32 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 9:56 a.m. Geoff_Vane:

Congratulation Proteus, with your 300 points rating!
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 10:51 a.m. Proteus:

Eddies

NAMM was an epic adventure - if it seems long here, it seemed even longer in person, and every hour packed with Big Stuff. The Custom Shop DSVs; the 6120EC Cochran tribute model and show; performances by Mad Max, Steve Hunter w/Joe Carducci, Brophy Dale; three sets from Cousin Harley; music from Gretsch friends Buddy & Suzy Dughi, Hot Rod Lincoln, Lynda Kay...

Civet rocked the house, Rancid tore it down. The Tim Armstrong Electromatic Country Club impressed everyone.

Then factor in Deke's Geek Fest - Crazy Joe, Honeyboy Edwards, steel history, Joel Paterson & the Modern Sounds, George Tomsco...

and of course, Duane Eddy.

Besides guitars and general NAMM mania, with booth performances and Geek Fest there was enough music to populate any two or three music festivals.

Besides which, I met and got to know great people...GDP'ers, Bobby Cochran, D & D.

It all seemed BIG, and it's hard to give everything the attention it deserves without dropping pieces of the story or seeming to slight parts of it.

When I think back on it now, the week was a high pass between two peaks, both named Eddie: Cochran on one side and Duane & Deed on the other.

Which brings me back to more Eddie Cochran stuff.

More from the memorabilia cabinet...

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Dave Shriver, Eddie Cochran bassman, with Bobby Cochran.

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I had a great time with Bobby; we had numerous occasions to hang out, during which he shared with me some of what he's done during his own long and varied guitar-slingin' career.

Eddie made a powerful musical and personal impression on him – giving him not only the love and encouragement of an uncle, but a lot to live up to – and his parents both encouraged but disciplined his musical preparation. He was seemingly destined for the guitar life from the git-go.

He nails the early rock & roll style Eddie helped develop, but Bobby is far from just a "fifties" guy. He's carved out his own niche in a professional career including stints with Steppenwolf, The Flying Burrito Bros, and Bob Weir (among others). And he's simply a great player (and a fine singer); both his long career and his drive to excellence as a musician honor his uncle's legacy.

More about Bobby here:
www.bobbycochran.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bobbycochranband
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Cochran
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BobbyCochran.html
http://www.reverbnation.com/bobbycochran

Cochran Product News!

We know the 50 Custom Shop Stern-built EC models are pricey at 12k.

And there's an ongoing thread speculating about a regular pro-line Cochran model.

Here's what I have to add. The 6120-1957 model is missing from the 2010 pricelist.

And Joe tells me a replacement for it, even closer in spec to the Cochran model, is scheduled for 4th quarter. He figures sometime in October.

Will that do?
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 10:54 a.m. Proteus:

The lovely Lynda Kay Parker

is another of the family of Gretsch artists, covered on the GDP during Texas Rockabilly Revival and NAMM'09. She brought a 7-piece band for her 3:00 Sunday performance on the Kim Falcon stage.

Classy, elegant, with a heart for the kind of torch ballads that somehow both bend and heal the heart - and a rich contralto like Patsy Cline channelling Edith Piaf. I don't think anyone else on the contemporary music scene is pursuing the sound and the aesthetic Lynda is going for. She takes a classic late-50s/early-60s country approach to balladry, with rich textured arrangements: multiple acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel, dead-on harmonies, and piano;/organ and strings (on record). It's a country big band.

Lynda is the songwriter for nearly all her material, and she not only absorbs but transcends the lessons of the era she revisits. Grafted to conventional roots country are the occasional unusual key shifts, soaring melodies, and an approach to orchestration and arrangement that has as much to do with the Great American Songbook as with plain'ol country.

Last year she brought a cello and trombone in her band; this year it was pedal steel, two electric guitars, and a female singer to harmonize. By the standards of the lean Gretschy combos we're used to at NAMM (which tend to trios), it was a big band. They spread out across the stage and floor of the booth, and to stand in the circle was to be surrounded by lush tones and textures. Her band was also very careful and intentional, in the best possible way – treating the music with respect, to support her fluid voice as she negotiated the emotional terrain of the songs.

You don't so much rock to Lynda Kay as you close your eyes and sway. I may be a wimp, but I had chills more than once. Am I a fan? I am a fan.

But what makes Lynda Kay a Gretsch artist? She alternates between a Roundup and a black Rancher acoustic, and her steady playing centers her songs. She's the real thing, and we flat want the real thing as Gretsch artists, don't we?

If you ever liked a proper country ballad, you want her new album Dream My Darling. Get it now.

http://www.lyndakay.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lyndakay

The Band
Adam Daniel - guitar & harmony vocal
John McDuffie - pedal steel
Maureen Davis - harmony vocal
Steve Whalen - bass
Christopher Allis - drums
Adam Mackintosh - guitar
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:05 a.m. Proteus:

Generally the big video screens spread around the FMIC pavilion are used to show what's on the Spirit of Rock & Roll stage, or to run footage of Fender-significant concerts.

Here's what was on Saturday afternoon.

.

Was it some important game? I don't know if it's proof that musicians are well-rounded (since when?), or just depressing.

Meanwhile, back in the webcave...
- Rated: 73 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:10 a.m. J(ust an old Cowboy)D:

Prot, do us a favor a post your favorite pic of Duane and Deed from the weekend.

Much appreciated
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:26 a.m. Proteus:

It's coming soon.
- Rated: 29 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 9:31 p.m. giffenf:

I know what my favorite Duane pic is, and I'm lookin' forward to seein' it. But no pressure, Tim.
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:22 p.m. Proteus:

NAMM Snapshot Scrapbook

Funny we think Gretsch is about guitars – but that's just what brings everyone together. But ultimately it ends up being more about music in general – and the people.

We can listen to recorded music, at home or in our cars, alone, and of course we do. But it's better live, with other people. We can gather here and "meet" each other long distance, brought together by mutual interests – but it's better when we really meet and find out it's not just an artificial, virtual thing.

Under the pretense of gathering for business, NAMM becomes a giant people-meetin' fest. Then because of the shared enthusiasms, it's like we all knew each other already.

Somehow we end up with pics of everyone with everyone – sure, to prove we were there, and we met someone. But it's less calculating than that; it's just the instinct to preserve happy moments.

The smiles in the greet pics are all pretty genuine.

I know it can be boring looking through someone else's scrapbook – but not to the people in the pics. Indulge us!

GDPers

bonedaddy taking real pictures.
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Wiredturtle Tavo and Billy D, watching artists on the Kim Falcon stage.
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bluesgoober looking WAY too cool for school (or the Eastwood/Airline booth, ptui!)

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Posing with Paul Pigat and Tavo.
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Meeting Mr. Twang

giffenf

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Joe, Duane, & Paul

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Mr. Trouble

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Everyone poses with everyone...

Joe, Bigsbyslur, Dave Shriver, Ric12

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After a late supper: Paul, Bobby Cochran, Joe, Ric12, bonedaddy, and NitroG.
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Kim smiles for the Camera

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...and hello to Billy Zoom.

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Mr Trouble

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By now you can probably write the captions...
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:31 p.m. Proteus:

Mr Trouble gets some quality time with the Eddie Cochran display – and with Bobby.
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:41 p.m. Proteus:

Late Sunday NAMM Walkaround

There was so much going on in the Gretsch domain that I was focused completely on it during this NAMM show.

Truthfully, there's too much noise, action, light, color, and competition for the senses out on the main floors. It messes with my brainwaves.

Of course there's good stuff out there, things I'd like to see. I had a list of places to go and people to visit.

There simply wasn't time till the literal last hour, when giffenf and I made the rounds. It was a beeline for TVLand, with a quick drop-in at Reverend. Anything else was accidentally on the way...

Like these cute-as-button Artec mini-modeling amps. They're table-radio size, look to have a basic complement of modeled features. Artec told Ric12String, who discovered them, that they don't have a US distributor for them yet. Thus no prices – but the suggestion was that they'd be well under 200.00.

.

bonedaddy captured these tape echo images, which only guitar geeks could love...

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Trussarts!

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What's new in TVJonesLand?

.

No real surprises to the GDP, but his P90s and new T-Armonds were on hand, planted in rockin' slab amps. I think giffenf has already posted some pics - but just to make sure everyone knows these things are real...

I was able to play both the new pickups – through the blue Billy Zoom Little Killer amp I met after last year's NAMM, as well as the Big Kahuna tremolo/reverb. (And, as Frank says, he recorded some of the random noodlings. We'll post some of that eventually.)

I wasn't able to crank the amp (the decibel police had made frequent visits to TV's booth), but I liked what I heard from both pickups. I believe TV said that the standard set would have a bridge pickup in the 12-13k range, and a neck pickup at 8-9k. (If that's wrong, someone stop me before I confuse again.)

I've ordered a pair of T-Armonds.

And still no word on when BZ amps might be commercially available. In the meantime, I understand he'll custom-build...
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 21, 2010 11:50 p.m. Proteus:

Kim Works

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Kim Mugs

...with NitroG

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...with Bo Huff

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Practicing The Sneer with the Tim Armstrong model...
- Rated: 326 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 1:50 a.m. Proteus:

And now, won't you join me here for full coverage of Duane's set at Guitar Geek...
- Rated: 8 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 2:25 a.m. Bryced:

Mr P. Thanks for the low down on the Eddie model. October eh? That's my birthday month. Is this fate? Need to start saving.

I know its been said a millions times before but thanks also for all this great coverage.
- Rated: 96 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 5:55 a.m. Ratrod:

Nice pics again. It's nice to put some faces on the avatars.

Those little Artec amps look cool but I wasn't impressed by the soundclips on their website.

Trussart.....Lord help me....must have one......some day.

I hope my finacial position will be a little better by the end of the year. I bet that after the new EC 6120 will be launched, prices of the '57 will drop significantly. who knows I might be able to afford one.
- Rated: 44 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 8:44 a.m. Hermitt:

Fantaastic Pics!

Bonedaddy, is that one of those new p.e.n. cameras? I've been gassin for the new Olympus EP1 and now the new EP2, but my better half says that my Evolt E-300 and all my lenses are good enough
- Rated: 29 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 10:55 a.m. giffenf:

I thought Kim F. looked great smiling, but that sneer, va-va-voom! Maybe that's because it's the expression I see on most women's faces when they look at me. Just a theory, mind you.
- Rated: 90 ↑
Jan 22, 2010 11:43 a.m. Walter Broes:

Hey, is that an optical illusion, or do the TV Jones Dynasonics have shorter polepieces than vintage DeArmonds?

Those BZ Little Kahunas look very interesting - I hope they'll be available with Euro voltage power transformers...!

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