109 Reply by jim m

  • jim m
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  • From: Okie City, OK
  • Registered: 2006-04-24
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Jane H. wrote:

I think perhaps Nic and probably Jim are maybe remembering the copy a fan made, went by the name Mandrake. He copied Joe's and we here helped him acquire one of the stickers for the back and where to get the pin-up girl for the front.

the picture that joe himself commented on in this forum did not have the more yellow and cracked gold paint. this is that thread if its not already referenced here
http://www.jbonamassa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1565

not sure if there was another one that Jim is talking about? i don't read this section completely so apologies if so...


here's the thread about Mandrake's personal copy but the links to the pics don't work anymore http://www.jbonamassa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=110

Your the best Jane. That first link that Joe commented on is it. I knew there was one that showed the back of the neck.

jim m's Website

  • Registered: 2007-11-04
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

I read this entire thread.  It took quite awile.  Honestly I dont think Fender has to pay Joe for anything when designing a guitar. First off he doesnt have the right to copyright a strat as fender already owns that.  He can alter it any way he wants and wear it down to the bone.  Fender can then make an exact copy of his guitar down to the pick scratches and thats their right. 

Not really friendly or good for buisness but their right. 

Second I read someone said that for Joe's gold top it good they are making it in the Custom shop cause they can do a perfect replication.  What are they replicating. From what I read this guitar is a 57 reissue with black pickup rings and different tone volume covers.   
Would someone please tell me what the difference is going to be between a stock 57 reissue and Joes signature.  Other than probably a 2000 dollar price jump. Also I wonder what Dickey Betts thinks about this Goldtop.  I would really like to know what makes this one special. 

Third  I think its sad people dont just listen to the music and stop whining about SRV.  He was not the first great blues guitar player and he surely wasnt the last.  He is not the first to use a strat into a fender. Nor will he be the last. If he inspired someone to pick up the guitar then thats his legacy. 
We need to stop comparing everyone to everyone. It shouldnt be a club of 12 guitarists who are truely original.  That list of clapton, allman, hendrix, srv, bonamassa is ridiculous.
If stats get you off play them.  If SRV's tone is what makes you smile then copy it. If Joe Bonamassa is the best guitar player you have ever seen or heard ( this is me )  then go spen 3000 dollars on a 58 Les Paul reissue and work hard to get it sounding sweet and thick thru a Vox/ Fender combination.   I am not ashamed of trying to sound like Joe.  God I hope I sound something like him. 

I hope Joe is around for a long time to continue to inspire me with regard to playing.  I've seen him 4 times and plan on seeing him about 500 more before I die.

111 Reply by Rick

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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

jgalvan8804 wrote:

I read this entire thread.  It took quite awile.  Honestly I dont think Fender has to pay Joe for anything when designing a guitar. First off he doesnt have the right to copyright a strat as fender already owns that.  He can alter it any way he wants and wear it down to the bone.  Fender can then make an exact copy of his guitar down to the pick scratches and thats their right. 

Not really friendly or good for buisness but their right. 

Second I read someone said that for Joe's gold top it good they are making it in the Custom shop cause they can do a perfect replication.  What are they replicating. From what I read this guitar is a 57 reissue with black pickup rings and different tone volume covers.   
Would someone please tell me what the difference is going to be between a stock 57 reissue and Joes signature.  Other than probably a 2000 dollar price jump. Also I wonder what Dickey Betts thinks about this Goldtop.  I would really like to know what makes this one special. 

Third  I think its sad people dont just listen to the music and stop whining about SRV.  He was not the first great blues guitar player and he surely wasnt the last.  He is not the first to use a strat into a fender. Nor will he be the last. If he inspired someone to pick up the guitar then thats his legacy. 
We need to stop comparing everyone to everyone. It shouldnt be a club of 12 guitarists who are truely original.  That list of clapton, allman, hendrix, srv, bonamassa is ridiculous.
If stats get you off play them.  If SRV's tone is what makes you smile then copy it. If Joe Bonamassa is the best guitar player you have ever seen or heard ( this is me )  then go spen 3000 dollars on a 58 Les Paul reissue and work hard to get it sounding sweet and thick thru a Vox/ Fender combination.   I am not ashamed of trying to sound like Joe.  God I hope I sound something like him. 

I hope Joe is around for a long time to continue to inspire me with regard to playing.  I've seen him 4 times and plan on seeing him about 500 more before I die.

I don't think anyone is inferring Fender "has" to pay, but they could have easily done so.
Especially with the price they are charging. Would have been very easy to call it a
Joe Bonamassa "inspired", or "signature" strat.

My beef is Fender does  So Many sig strats, why not honor Joe
that Gold strat was way more associated with Joe than many of the other sigs

Can't think of anyone else I could more associate that Gold Sparkle strat with.

I know Dick Dale had one close with an upside headstock, but Fender
called that  a Dick Dale strat.

Fender is obviously aware of the power of artist replicas, 20k for Blackie, Lenny, SRV #1

It had to cross their minds when they were makin it.
I'm sure the Master Builder who "designed" it, knows who Joe is

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Rick wrote:

My beef is Fender does  So Many sig strats, why not honor Joe
that Gold strat was way more associated with Joe than many of the other sigs

Can't think of anyone else I could more associate that Gold Sparkle strat with.

exactly.  well stated. cool

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

113 Reply by Ges

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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

jgalvan wrote:

I think its sad people dont just listen to the music and stop whining about SRV.  He was not the first great blues guitar player and he surely wasnt the last.  He is not the first to use a strat into a fender. Nor will he be the last. If he inspired someone to pick up the guitar then thats his legacy. 

Ges says:

Hear hear to that.
Joes music makes my hair stand up and my neck tingle. It doesn't happen when I listen to SRV.
Don't know what that says about me and the Blues.
I know it means Joe is something really special for me.

I have both LP and Strat so don't have any bias in that way, but I do prefer the Les Paul in sound and playability.

The gold one Joe played on his recent UK tour had a fantastic tone which was different to the other LP. Was it down to the guitar or the amp/pedals ??

  • From: Coral Springs, FL
  • Registered: 2008-04-26
  • Posts: 180

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Ges wrote:

jgalvan wrote:

I think its sad people dont just listen to the music and stop whining about SRV.  He was not the first great blues guitar player and he surely wasnt the last.  He is not the first to use a strat into a fender. Nor will he be the last. If he inspired someone to pick up the guitar then thats his legacy. 

Ges says:

Hear hear to that.
Joes music makes my hair stand up and my neck tingle. It doesn't happen when I listen to SRV.
Don't know what that says about me and the Blues.
I know it means Joe is something really special for me.

I have both LP and Strat so don't have any bias in that way, but I do prefer the Les Paul in sound and playability.

The gold one Joe played on his recent UK tour had a fantastic tone which was different to the other LP. Was it down to the guitar or the amp/pedals ??

Sir,
Have you ever seen this video? Guitar playing at it's finest.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5D-xoRqU8Dk

  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Love the ACL version of Voodoo Chile...frickin' ridiculous. Now THAT gives me goose bumps. Especially since at that point in Stevie's career a lot of times he wouldn't open his eyes for the entire duration of the show because of the gram of coke in his whiskey.

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 3,155

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

I do love though when he got clean, his singing got better, his playing in my mind got better (as if that was even possible), and it seemed like a different type of intensity he was playing with. A lot of people will say that they thought his tone wasn't as good, but I guess that's different strokes for different folks. But he just became a better artist, in my opinion.

Stevie does cast a huge shadow, and will for a while. From what I've heard, it happened with Hendrix when he died. That just shows how huge an artist SRV was.

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  • Registered: 2008-03-27
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Deezer wrote:

I do love though when he got clean, his singing got better, his playing in my mind got better (as if that was even possible), and it seemed like a different type of intensity he was playing with. A lot of people will say that they thought his tone wasn't as good, but I guess that's different strokes for different folks. But he just became a better artist, in my opinion.

Stevie does cast a huge shadow, and will for a while. From what I've heard, it happened with Hendrix when he died. That just shows how huge an artist SRV was.

i agree. i think it was more of a personal intensity than a chemically induced one...his head was clear and he was hearing clearly because of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGOdbJ4sRM
  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

I mean yeah, In Step, one of his best albums (in my opinion) wouldn't have been made if Stevie hadn't sobered up, but you can't deny the sheer intensity of the performances where for instance Stevie would dress up like Hendrix and go into trance-like style of playing.

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 3,155

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

I'm not. Stevie always played with a huge amount of intensity. That's what makes his playing so awesome. It just doesn't let up in intensity. All I'm saying is that it seemed as if it was a different type of intensity once he got sober. And it brought a different kind of energy, which I think was for the better. I believe it is as vince said, it went from a chemically induced intensity to a personal intensity.

But oh yes, ACL 83 set just cooks. And he was supposed to be nervous that night! Crazy huh?

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  • Registered: 2008-03-27
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

I also think part of the change in style also just came from him growing up and maturing as a person...he was still the young buck, hot-shot guitarist from austin in the 83' set...hadn't yet seen the world and had all of those experiences like he did in the 89' set...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGOdbJ4sRM
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

And he hadn't been a singer that long either, and really wasn't concerned with writing songs at that point. It's really interesting to see how his songwriting improved over his career. Part of that was brilliantly involving Doyle Bramhall in the songwriting process. Something about those Bramhall's makes them good songwriters, because Doyle II is a brilliant writer as well.

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  • Registered: 2008-03-27
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

definitely! Stevie always said Doyle Sr. was such a huge influence on his vocal style...

I don't think Stevie ever got enough credit for his singing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGOdbJ4sRM
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Very passionate, that's for sure.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

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  • Registered: 2008-03-27
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Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

i have a copy of the board mixes from Stevie's last show at Alpine Valley, and the difference between his voice then and on the...lets say Couldn't Stand the Weather album or even the El Mocombo video are astronomical!

guitar tone too...i think it was when he switched over to using fuzz faces instead of the Tubescreamers as his main lead sound...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGOdbJ4sRM
  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Deezer wrote:

I'm not. Stevie always played with a huge amount of intensity. That's what makes his playing so awesome. It just doesn't let up in intensity. All I'm saying is that it seemed as if it was a different type of intensity once he got sober. And it brought a different kind of energy, which I think was for the better. I believe it is as vince said, it went from a chemically induced intensity to a personal intensity.

But oh yes, ACL 83 set just cooks. And he was supposed to be nervous that night! Crazy huh?

I would be interested in sitting down and comparing shows from different years...unfortunately there are very few professionally recorded and filmed shows...I mean there's a ton of videos on youtube but the quality blows! I heard that the version of the 83 ACL show being released on DVD coupled with the 89 show is incomplete...like he played Mary Had a Little Lamb and a couple others...wonder how I could get a hold of those...

Anyway, sorry for rambling, but yeah, I'd agree they were two different intensities. Going from 83 to 89 on ACL there's a HUGE difference in his playing, personality, everything. Stevie looks much healthier, and slightly more tan in 89. His even talks and laughs a bit in between songs...it's quite a change.

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • Registered: 2008-03-27
  • Posts: 297

Re: 'Tis a sad day in "Strat-land" for Strat/Joe fans!!

Musicinmysoul wrote:

I heard that the version of the 83 ACL show being released on DVD coupled with the 89 show is incomplete...like he played Mary Had a Little Lamb and a couple others...wonder how I could get a hold of those...

i like to pride myself on having a very extensive collection of bootleg SRV videos (about 50 or more) and i actually have the full performances from both of these shows...

in the full version of the 89' show, he plays Couldn't Stand the Weather and Superstition...as well as having his old friend W.C Clark come up for a tune on the bass...i think he did a couple of others that are slipping my mind at the moment...

it's also interesting to note that in the complete 83' tape I have, he actually starts and stops a few of the tunes ("Lenny" being one of them) for the taping purposes...wanted to get the best performance i'd imagine...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EGOdbJ4sRM