Ry Cooder/new customized Strat (?)

nick allen · Post by **nick allen** » 23 Oct 2002 12:12 am

Cooder fans, and 6-string guitar fans, may be interested to see this photo of Cooder and Warren Zevon (who are apparently working together) - never seen this guitar before... maybe some of the Californians know something about it?
Nick
http://www.warrenzevon.com/photos/np2.htm

Michael Holland · Post by **Michael Holland** » 23 Oct 2002 6:33 am

Nick,

The one thing I can identify exactly is the bridge pickup. It's a Gibson lap steel pickup just like the one on the '40 EH-125 I just picked up from a fellow Forumite (enjoyed the visit, John!). And of course, it has a Bigsby tailpiece. The neck pickup kind of looks like a Steinberger pickup, but that's just going by the size and shape. I can't identify the bridge exactly, either, but its shape is like some of the old, crude adjustables that came on Teiscos and other low end guitars. It has a large headstock (like Fender went to in '66), but the fact that it has a Fender decal means nothing. It could be a heavily modified original or a custom made parts guitar. You can buy as many Fender decals as you want these days.

And did you notice the name of the recording project? "My Ride's Here"! You're the coolest, Warren. If anyone's not familiar with Warren's condition, you can read about it HERE.

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Fessenden SD10 - Mesa/Boogie amps

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 23 Oct 2002 9:34 am

<SMALL>The one thing I can identify exactly is the bridge pickup. It's a Gibson lap steel pickup just like the one on the '40 EH-125 I</SMALL>

Michael, I think the pickup on the Gibson EH-150 would have been a "Charlie Christian", the pickup on Ry's guitar in the photo appears to be a Bigsby. He had a line on an original one and didn't want to pay what he felt was an exorbitant fee. So either he got Paul Warnik to wind a copy or he sprung for the orig. It's not like he couldn't afford it.

Michael Holland · Post by **Michael Holland** » 23 Oct 2002 5:22 pm

Thanks for the info, Chas. Click on the link below to see the lap steel with the pickup I mentioned. Can you or anyone else tell me any more about this pickup? I don't recall seeing another one on a vintage lap, but I'm no expert by any means. I did once own an EH-150 that did indeed have a Charlie Christian pickup. I sold the guitar to George Gruhn and it went into his collection; it's the very guitar pictured in his "History of Gibson Guitars" book.

CLICK HERE

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Fessenden SD10 - Mesa/Boogie amps

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 23 Oct 2002 10:34 pm

Michael, I've never seen a pickup or knobs like that on a Gibson. Also, the cover plate design doesn't look like a Gibson design either, I would bet that they're not original. Then again, maybe it was a one-off, I honestly don't know.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 24 Oct 2002 12:45 pm

As you Cooderites know, Ry is constantly seeking "THE" tone. I remember years ago, an article in Guitar Player showed a Strat he'd put an Oahu pickup in. Ol' Ry, boy, he'll tear a Strat all to pieces, to make it sound like he wants it to. And you know what? Good for him! I bet this ax sounds wicked through a little Champ, or even something smaller.

Kerry Wood · Post by **Kerry Wood** » 24 Oct 2002 3:35 pm

I'm by far very uneducated when it comes to classic steels, but if you look at the Ry photo again, the pickup is mounted to the pickguard with 4 screws. Now look at the Bigsby on this page: http://herbsteinermusic.bigstep.com/generic.html?pid=7
The pickup mounting screws on Herb's triple look about the same. The picture of the Gibson that Michael posted looks to have one screw on each side of the pickup? I guess what I'm saying is my vote goes for the Bigsby.

Kerry

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 24 Oct 2002 4:27 pm

Kerry, I have 4 Bigsbys, and that's a Bigsby pickup. Ry has a PA Reissue T-8 and a new Standel as well as just about everything else.