1069 Culled from the GDH digest... From: pharrer Subject: Jerry's Gear Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 01:28:18 -0800 Here's and attempt to condense a vast, yet very interesting subject. According to Steve Parish, his longtime guitar tech, Jerry had about 25 guitars, but 70% of his time in the spotlight he played just 3, all custom built by the same luthier. His first was a Danelectro (age 15). His acoustic in the days with Robert Hunter prior to his switch to the banjo is uncertain. With the Warlocks in '65 he used a red Guild Starfire, also used on the 1st Dead albumn. After a series of Gibsons SGs, Les Pauls, and a couple of Teles (+ a Strat the "Alligator" from Graham Nash) he declared: "I don't like any guitars that are available. I'm trying to have a guitar built." Hence, the Travis Bean. He laughed upon first seeing it, but quickly changed his mind when he tried the custom aluminum-neck guitar made in San Francisco. In '72 he received the his first custom Doug Irwin (Sonoma, CA)--the "Wolf". Description: 25.5 in maple neck, 24 fret ebony fingerboard, blonde Western "quilted" maple body with at purpleheart (amaranth) core. Guts like a Strat, but with a clever effects bypass circuit Jerry designed himself. He used the Alligator, Bean, and Wolf exclusively up to '78. In the late 80's Jerry mounted a GK-7 synth interface on the Wolf. Mated to the GK-50 controller, this allowed him to sound like a trumpet player and bass flautist. San Francisco repair expert Gary Brawer later retrofitted it internally. But still not completely satisfied, Irwin delivered him the "Tiger" (pearl coverplate) Description: Seven years to make, ebony fingerboard on maple neck, an arched cocobola top and back, vermilion neck and body striping, and W. flamed-maple body core. Meticulous scrolled inlay finger position markers and hand-crafted brass hardware; Strat approach, but with one DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil and two DiMarzio Super 2 humbuckers that were easily removed 'cause Jerry thought their ouput weakened after a year or two. Also had Jerry's effects bypass loop (he knew his electronics!), as well as an op-amp buffer/amp to maintain the high end during effects "on". Result: Garcia's favorite guitar for the next ll years & most played. In 1990 Garcia changed guitars when Irwin completed "Rosebud" named for the inlaid dancing skeleton on the ebony coverplate. Lighter than the Tiger, it became his fulltime Dead guitar, but he used the Tiger in the JGB for a another year. Then in '93 came the coup de gras: Deadhead woodworker Stephen Cripe from Florida custom built the "Lighting Bolt" using photos of the Tiger and a well worn "Dead Ahead" video. He fashioned the body out of a peice of E. Indian rosewood recycled from a small 19th-cent. Asian bed for opium smokers. Built "totally by feel", the cocobola through-body neck has a recycled Brazilian rosewood fingerboard (note: Jerry's interest in the rain forest) with an unusual accuracy in the higher end allowing him to play where he usually avoided. Predictably, Garcia made a few intonation changes and installed a Roland MIDI system. In April of '95 Jerry ordered the backup "Top Hat". Others: Guitar Year Played On Martin D-18 "American Beauty", "Wokingman's Dead" ZB pedal steel 70-74 Takamine acoustics 1980 acoustic shows & benefits Alvarez-Yairi "Garcia/Grisman" + live shows Jerry used "Rosebud" at the last Grateful Dead show in Chicago. On Aug 4, 1995 Jerry recorded "Blue Yodel # 9" using a mint condition 1939 Gibson Super 400N acoustic that seen in the video for the movie "Smoke". Its likely the last guitar Jerry ever graced... (Source: Guitar Player, Dec. '95 Footnote: At the '94 Seattle show I witnessed near the stage, I noticed Garcia was using Boss footpetals (distortion, delay, etc) mounted vertically behind him. Also, a quoteable source informed me that the Dead members each used a specific PA system on their instruments and the loudspeakers were very much customized. Nice. . 0