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Texsunburst59
Active member
notCardio said:You ought to think about getting a Fender amp. I hear they're nice.
Fenders, NAH, why would I want Fenders, they're just old ratty junk and need alot of work, and they sound BAD.
Fenders, NAH, why would I want Fenders, they're just old ratty junk and need alot of work, and they sound BAD.
stetto
Left Unattended
I made the mistake of selling a '76 reissue Explorer back in the early '80s at Strings West in Tulsa...I went back two weeks later to try and buy it back and the owner showed me a picture of my ex-guitar with it's new owner--Billy Gibbons...I was too sad to be impressed...
Eric
Eric
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Texsunburst59
Active member
stetto said:
Sorry to hear that, but I did buy a 76' Cream Gibson Explorer new and I still have it. Great guitar, I know that doesn't help.
Here's a pic of my Explorer.
https://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/Texsunburst59/guitars2.jpg
stetto
Left Unattended
Pretty guitars, Texsun...The one I "lost" (my word for it) was one of those gorgeous mahogany 50's reissues, played like butter. Nice guitars are always great to look at, but you're right, after 25 years if I haven't got over it, I doubt it's gonna happen... 
Eric
Eric
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Texsunburst59
Active member
That's why I've never gotten rid of any of my guitars. I don't know if I could handle the grief,remorse or what ever you wan't to call it.Hopefully I'll never have to.stetto said:Pretty guitars, Texsun...The one I "lost" (my word for it) was one of those gorgeous mahogany 50's reissues, played like butter. Nice guitars are always great to look at, but you're right, after 25 years if I haven't got over it, I doubt it's gonna happen...
Eric
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Gonny
Member
One of my friends had an Acoustic Black Widow years ago (1975-ish, I'm guessing). I especially liked the interesting pad thing that covered the control cavity in the back - reddish/brownish/purple, as I recall.
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travelin travis
New member
That's a pretty sweet looking guitar Harvey. The frets look huge though.
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SilverCarvin
New member
Harvey Gerst said:
What was he like? It's cool that you were exposed to and got to interact with all these musicians I've only read about and listened to, I missed them all.
beezelbubba
Shitty Buddhist
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Harvey Gerst
New member
I've been so fortunate in my life to have met so many incredible and legendary people, that I can't really talk about one with out bringing up many others. I first met Merle Travis at Jimmy Wakely's house, where he was sitting around talking to me, Johnny Bond, and Tex Ritter. I later ran sound at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles, where Merle perfomed sometimes.SilverCarvin said:
As the Ash Grove soundman, I got to meet and hang out with some of the legendary blues people; Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, Fred McDowell, Mississippi John Hurt, Brownie McGee and Sonny Terry, Albert King, Jesse Fuller, Odetta, Flatt & Scruggs, Doc and Merle Watson, and newer acts like the Firesign Theater, the Chambers Brothers, New Lost City Ramblers, Seals and Croft, Richie Havens, the Kentucky Colonels, and dozens of other great (and well known) names.
It wasn't that I was anybody great; it was just my dumb luck of being in a lot of right places at all the right times.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
When I was designing the Black Widow, I tried to take the things I liked about other guitars and incorporate them into one design, while still trying to make it completely original. The frets were similar to the Les Paul "Fretless Wonder", which had wide, low frets. If it was going to intonate correctly at the highest frets, I needed a fret design that didn't need a lot of pressure behind it, and those low wide frets worked perfectly.TravisinFlorida said:
The Black Widow had a lot of very unique features that still aren't realized by some of the people that have put up websites about my babies. One of these days, I'll get around to explaining the problems (and weird-ass solutions) you encounter when you design something from scratch.
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32-20-Blues
New member
Can't really compete with any of this, but I met Kris Kristofferson, and Dick Dale signed my brother's e-bow.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
See, that's what I mean. I don't want anybody to think of my dumb luck as a competition in big names. Here's exactly how I met Merle Travis:32-20-Blues said:
I was around 18 or 20 years old and I worked for JBL, putting speakers in their cabinets and doing final testing. JBL was like a big family and sometimes, I would go to people's houses and help with their installations, for our sales department.
That's how I wound up at Jimmy Wakely's house, installing some JBL speakers for the company. His daughter liked me and Jimmy asked me back, since I played guitar and knew some country music. One night, I walked in and there, sitting on the couch, was Johnny Bond, Tex Ritter, and Merle Travis. I knew them all from "Town Hall Party" - the big 4 hour TV show every Friday night, and of course, from the movies.
We talked about songwriting; Johnny Bond talked about writing "Hot Rod Lincoln", Tex Ritter talked about his "Deck Of Cards" and Merle talked about writing "16 Tons" on the back of a shirt cardboard, in his Buick, under a street lamp, because he needed more songs for his new album, and the record company was pressuring him.
How did I learn guitar in the first place? From my best friend's mother, Rose Knight. Rose knew people like Colleen Summers (who became Mary Ford - of Les Paul/Mary Ford) and Bob Nolan (founder of the "Sons Of The Pioneers"). I got to sit across a kitchen table from Bob Nolan, while he talked about writing "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds". Later, I took lessons from Barney Kessel at $5 an hour.
It was all dumb luck and being in the right places at the right times.
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Gnash5150
Lefty
Harvey Gerst said:
Nice! I'm a lefty as well. You probably shop at "Southpaw" in Texas too? All my guitars are black! LOL They just don't offer a whole lot of options for lefties. We're so deprived!
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Harvey Gerst
New member
I'm kinda over my G.A.S., as far as left handed instruments are concerned. I do buy guitars for the studio, but I'm pretty happy with the lefty guitars I already have. There were 3 left-handed Black Widow guitars made (2 for me), and I'd like to find one of my old ones, if possible, but it's pretty damn unlikely.Gnash5150 said:Nice! I'm a lefty as well. You probably shop at "Southpaw" in Texas too? All my guitars are black! LOL They just don't offer a whole lot of options for lefties. We're so deprived!
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ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
Harvey Gerst said:
How in the world did you let both of them get away from you? I can't get rid of guitars; they are like family to me.
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Harvey Gerst
New member
The first one, the company made me sell it to Hendrix; that's the one in the picture. Jimi ordered a second left-handed Black Widow, and Acoustic said they'd make another one for me. That third left-handed Black Widow I pawned and when I went to reclaim it, they said it was accidently sold, before the time limit. I was pissed, but there was not much I could do about it.ggunn said:
That's about the only guitar I would buy these days; that third left-handed Black Widow.
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Gnash5150
Lefty
I cant imagine someone else out there playing one of my guitars. Kinda like an ex wife I guess. Naw, it's worse!
Naw, it's worse!
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Harvey Gerst
New member
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mrface2112
Well-known member
wow harvey, that's great!
when i was working crew with the DMB in the early 90's i played all of Dave's guitars (all=both) somewhat regularly. they were Gibson Chet Atkins electrocoustics. i tried to get him to sell me one but he wouldn't. they were very run of the mill Chets, proving dave's tone is in his fingers. those guys are all great guys--wish i'd kept up with em.
a couple years ago we went to London on vacation and i got to play Jeff Beck's Esquire, BBKing's original Lucille, Duane Allman's 54 Strat (it was #19) and Jimi's Black Flying V (it's famous from his playing it at the Isle of Wight).
The guitar that stood out the most to me was duane's strat. even with the rusted out of tune strings that guitar had mad mojo and sustain for years....not to mention the neck felt like honey. i've never played a guitar that comes close to how that guitar felt and responded.
beck's esquire had amazing action and also had ridiculous sustain and volume--hammer a note and it sounded as if you'd picked it outright. beck had carved his name in the back with a penknife, too.
i'll be glad to post pics if anyone's really dying to see em.
cheers,
wade
when i was working crew with the DMB in the early 90's i played all of Dave's guitars (all=both) somewhat regularly. they were Gibson Chet Atkins electrocoustics. i tried to get him to sell me one but he wouldn't. they were very run of the mill Chets, proving dave's tone is in his fingers. those guys are all great guys--wish i'd kept up with em.
a couple years ago we went to London on vacation and i got to play Jeff Beck's Esquire, BBKing's original Lucille, Duane Allman's 54 Strat (it was #19) and Jimi's Black Flying V (it's famous from his playing it at the Isle of Wight).
The guitar that stood out the most to me was duane's strat. even with the rusted out of tune strings that guitar had mad mojo and sustain for years....not to mention the neck felt like honey. i've never played a guitar that comes close to how that guitar felt and responded.
beck's esquire had amazing action and also had ridiculous sustain and volume--hammer a note and it sounded as if you'd picked it outright. beck had carved his name in the back with a penknife, too.
i'll be glad to post pics if anyone's really dying to see em.
cheers,
wade
