by almano » Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:51 pm
Talking about remembering the sixties – I was a teenager at that time. Aah, long hair and thinking you were a creative guitarist in the up and coming “underground†movement - was it all that long ago?
A big impression on me in those earlier days was the Shad’s appearance on that tiny stage in Expresso Bongo. That, I think was what got me in to the sound of a Strat played in the unique Hank style. Unfortunately from the mid sixties to less than a year ago, I’d ‘lost my way’ and diverted into other interests and guitar styles – but since the beginning of this year I’ve been weaned back into the Shad’s music that I’d forgotten I’d missed so much!
Fashions come and fashions go, but Hank and the Shads seem to be a constant over the last fifty years – and who can say that’s wrong? The Shads got it right then, and they still do even today. But, in all that time – I’ve never seen Hank or Bruce use a ‘road worn’, stressed or beat up guitar themselves.
Surely, if the ‘road worn’ style was the way to go for Shad’s music, one of those masters would surely have adopted such instruments – wouldn’t they?
My own ‘70’s Les Paul Standard has loads of genuine ‘road worn’ belt buckle wear on the back of it – but my ‘80’s Strat and Precision Bass have no noticeable wear at all – could this be because I changed from wearing heavily buckled belts in the 60’s and 70’s to wearing braces in the ‘80’s to hold up ‘me strides’ in ‘me advancing old age’?
Cheers,
Alan.