We love everything guitars. Check back here from time to time as we feature guitars and those who played them.
Cream Go To Yale
When my father got his first stereo component system, instead of tossing the console unit to the curb, he and I dragged it into my bedroom, down the end of the hall. It was on this unit late one night on the Yale FM station WYBC I first heard The Cream’s first LP...
Advice For Beginners
Most people want to play the guitar, but they make these three main mistakes. One: They buy a cheap guitar. Two: They’re overconfident. Three: They try to learn on YouTube. I’m sort of ok with this. The less people that play guitar, the cooler it is that I play...
Frank Zappa’s Martin D-18S 12-Fret
When we think of Frank Zappa’s guitars, we think about the Gibson SG (most likely the Roxy SG with the white headstock and crazy electronics). Or we think about the refurbished burnt Jimi Stratocaster, which Hendrix gave Zappa. We rarely think about Zappa with an...
Seeing Jimi Hendrix Live
I saw Jimi Hendrix play Woolsey Hall on the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 17th, 1968. It was an early show. I was there with a blonde girl whose name has been lost to time. It was cold and she wore an itchy wool sweater. Our seats were close to...
On The Road To Nick Drake
It was a long time ago and therefore a bit murky. As best I remember, the first time I became aware of Nick Drake was seeing a copy of his album Bryter Layter in the import section of Rhymes Records in New Haven, Connecticut. I wondered why anyone would choose to pose...
My First 12-String Rickenbacker
I remember the compressed guitar sound coming out of our black and white Motorola TV set like it was yesterday. That moment in time has become part of my sonic DNA. It was like nothing I had ever heard before. There on the TV was this skinny guitar player with strange...
Jr Saw It Happening
Sometimes a picture will stay with you forever. I had already owned one of the first Les Paul Goldtops to arrive in Connecticut in 1968 and sold it due to its weight -- I was a pretty skinny kid and it killed my shoulder. I was not a stranger to Gibson Les Pauls. I...
Hey Kid Rock & Roll
There’s a thing that happens when you hear a band for the first time and you know they have forever changed the way you relate to a type of music. I would liken it to a zen satori, like getting to the essence of something you didn't know you were missing until you...
Iconic Guitars: The Gibson J-45
There are few acoustic guitars that are as recognizable and influential in the world of music as Gibson’s J-45 model. It is regarded as Gibson’s most famous and widely used acoustic guitar, and countless guitarists throughout the second half of the 20th century relied...
Duane Allman’s Les Paul
The 1957 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top was owned by Duane Allman and used on the first two Allman Brothers Band albums: Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South. It was also the guitar used by Allman for the Derek & the Dominos recording sessions with Eric Clapton. It...