Tag Archive for "fender" tag

Ah, this year’s releases, as the typically uncomplicated title already said. Now, I realise that we’re barely three months into the year, but I think it’s started with abundant promise. Have you heard anything that particularly caught your ear?

Two albums released (in the UK) this week – yesterday, in fact – which I’m enjoying are Man Up by The Blue Van and Beat the Devil’s Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I do think I should have saved more than £1-a-time by downloading and forgoing all that awful plastic, but that’s another matter entirely.

Marcus Bonfanti’s What Good Am I To You?, released last month, is also one to look out for. He’s touring at the moment, with tickets extremely reasonably-priced.

The above- and below-mentioned artist names, you’ve probably already realised and maybe even clicked out of curiosity, double as links to respective MySpace pages, should you care to give their tunes a few moments of your time.

Free downloads provide a good way of adding new material to your music collection. Here’s one from MGMT, and here’s another – it’s from Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back. Produced by Bob Ezrin, it’s a collection of orchestral covers of songs such as David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ and Elbow’s ‘Mirrorball’, to perhaps give two of the more enticing examples.

If you know of any other goodies, and they must be legal downloads, don’t forget, please don’t keep them to yourself.

Which as-yet unreleased albums are you most looking forward to? New releases are expected from Arcade Fire, The National, Radiohead, R.E.M. and U2 this year. The one I most eagerly anticipate, though, is a fresh offering from Fleet Foxes.

Black Rock by Joe Bonamassa comes out later this month, too…

And speaking (or blogging, rather) of guitarists, there’s also a ‘new’ Jimi Hendrix album out; called Valleys of Neptune, it’s made up of previously unreleased songs, and you could win a copy here, courtesy of the nice people at Fender. Good luck.

Your thoughts on any of these, plus recommendations for others, are, as usual, appreciated; as were the birthday messages for David, thank you all for those.

You never know, 2010 could turn out to be as good a year for music as… 2006?

Just to make you aware, if you’re not already, that Guy Pratt is touring Australia at the moment with his new comedy show, ‘Breakfast of Idiots’.

It’s a great gig, so do go along if you’re able to.

For details of venues, dates and ticket sales, please click here.

There’s currently an extremely generous two-for-the-price-of-one ticket deal at some theatres, so now you’ve got no excuse to miss out as well as a little left in your pocket to buy Guy a drink or three after the show, which I believe is a compulsory requirement as printed on the reverse of the tickets alongside the token blurb about cameras and recording equipment being unwelcome.

In other news, Fender would like to hear of your “first, best, worst or just overall most memorable ever” concert recollections, the best of which will be featured on their website as part of their Fender Concert Series.

Simply e-mail your memories, including your name and whereabouts, to share@fender.com. If you care to repeat them here for our benefit, please do.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

It’s the 25th anniversary of David’s second solo album, ‘About Face’ – released on this day in 1984 by Harvest and Columbia – so I’d like to know… whatever you feel like saying about it, really.

Some interesting facts about those that helped contribute to it would be nice.

Highlights for me: that unmistakeable guitar tone on ‘Murder’, the delicate pace and effective delivery of those touching ‘Near the End’ lyrics, and the late Michael Kamen working his magic yet again with the National Philharmonic, on ‘Let’s Get Metaphysical’.

It’s also the last day of bidding for the signed Strat. Current price: $2,600. You’ll need $3,100 to top that and have approximately eight-and-a-half hours to do so.

A very Happy Birthday to Susan and Thomas, as well.

On this day in 1958, which I find staggering, the first Gibson Flying V was shipped from a factory in the wonderfully-named Kalamazoo, Michigan.

A recognisable design, often copied, it’s been favoured mostly by shredders – such as Kirk Hammett and Michael Schenker – and was the guitar of choice for many a thrash metal act in the Eighties.

That said, Jimi played one at the Isle of Wight festival, and blues legend Albert King, perhaps its most famous player, even has a Flying V on his gravestone.

Here he is, playing ‘The Grass Ain’t No Greener’.

Although obviously a fan of Gibsons, having used a 1956 Les Paul Goldtop for much of the ‘On an Island’ project, I’m told that David doesn’t have a Flying V in his collection.

I wonder which are your favourite, and least favourite, guitars; the best and worst, if you will, both to play and look at. Which is most sought-after? If money were no object, and you wouldn’t get arrested for trying to steal anyone else’s prized possession, which would you choose?

If you’ve got snaps of your guitar online, include a link so that we can have a look.

Not knowing the first two things about guitars, I’ll just say that red ones are best and presumptuously file this post under ‘Signature Strat/Strings’ to be blindly supportive (although Jimi Hendrix’s hand-painted ‘Psychedelic’ V is quite a sight).

It’s hard to believe that such a modern design could be over 50 years old, don’t you think? It seems well ahead of its time to me.

Happy Birthday to Pete for tomorrow, and enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Sony BMG have generously donated a Fender Stratocaster – not the acclaimed black Strat, but it’s both black and a Strat and, above all, signed by David – to support Musicians on Call; a non-profit organisation using music to assist in the healing process, not only for the actual patients, but also their families and carers.

You can see all the details here. Bidding ends in a fortnight’s time: 5 March.

If you do happen to place the winning bid, please be aware that you will be responsible for all shipping/handling/insurance costs, as well as customs fees and import duties if outside the USA.

How do you think this auction will pan out, considering the precarious balance of the current economic climate? Obviously, people are tightening their purse strings right now and luxuries are of secondary importance to many, which could turn out to be a great shame for the beneficiary.

Or could this perhaps be a comparative bargain waiting to be snapped up by someone who has hitherto delayed placing their order for a Signature model? Admittedly, there are still two weeks to go before the auction’s close, but there hasn’t been much activity in the last week, with the bidding held at $1,300.

What do you think? Will clever fanciers place their bids in the last hour or so?

You can find out more about the David Gilmour Signature Strat here, including its history and some rather fetching wallpaper to smarten up your desktop (or just make you want a guitar that looks like David’s even more).

The January edition of France’s Guitarist & Bass magazine has now been added to the archives, if you care to take a look. December’s Guitar Part is also there, also in French.

If you can’t read them, don’t worry; it’s much the same as what has appeared in similar magazines recently. These can also be found in the archives.

Press from all over the world is always gratefully received. If you happen to spot anything, and can scan it for others to read, please do.

Thanks again for all your contributions to this archive to date.

Just a reminder that the Amazon prize draw for US residents closes tomorrow – Wednesday 17 December – at 23:59 (EST).

If you want to be in with a chance of winning a David Gilmour Signature Strat, be sure to enter (US residents only, sorry).

The best of luck to you.

The deadline for the UK-only draw is 23:59 (GMT) on Sunday 21 December. Click here to put your name into the hat.

The prize is the same and, again, good luck.

The chatroom will be open for another 30 minutes or so. If you’ve nothing better to do right now, drop in.

The final (extended) chat of the year is on Thursday – from 14:00 until 18:00 (UK).

28/11: There is now a draw for US fans, too.

Some of you might like to know about a contest that the nice people at Amazon UK are holding right now.

The prize is a David Gilmour Fender Stratocaster.

The prize draw is open to entrants who are resident in the UK only, aged 18 and over. All you have to do is fill in a simple form.

You have until the end of Sunday 21 December to submit the necessary details.

If you’re not already looking at the contest page, click here to go there right away.

Duplicate entries, of course, are not permitted.

Good luck to all who enter, and thanks to eagle-eyed Lynn for letting me know about this competition.

After thinking of all those striking, thought-provoking and inspiring album covers, I couldn’t resist setting aside some space for the very worst ones. Thanks for twisting my arm, Jeremy.

But before you send in lists of your most loathed cover art (no more than ten true shockers, please), here’s Sander’s beautiful dog, Einstein.

Glad to see that he likes your backstage pass from Gdańsk, Sander. It looks really good on him.

More photos of your pets to follow this week, so, if you have one to share, please do get it online and let us know where we can find it.

Bidding on the (Mexican) Fender Stratocaster – hand-painted by Gerald Scarfe and signed by David, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright – currently stands at £16,000.

The auction closes on Friday at the new time of 17:00 (UK). Proceeds will benefit the UK charity for the homeless, Crisis.

This is Barbara’s dog, Hunter Beaudreaux, who was adopted by Barbara after his original family lost everything thanks to Hurricane Katrina.

He’s lovely, Barbara. Thanks for sending your picture in.

If your pet will pose for a photo, and doesn’t mind you sneaking in something DG-related, we’d love to see your furry, feathered or flakey friend here. Just get your picture online and include its URL with your comment.

Don’t forget that extended ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ on VH1 Classic (US-only) tomorrow, from 17:00 (EST)…

Nor your last chance in the UK – unless you’re in Wales* – to see the final part of ‘The Story of the Guitar’ (on TV, anyway): BBC4, Friday, 23:00 (UK).

* It’s on BBC2 Wales on Sunday 26 October at 23:20 (UK).

Here’s the first of our bloggers to own the David Gilmour Stratocaster.

Thanks, Johnnie. Your comments after the best part of a week spent getting a feel for your new guitar are very welcome.

If you’ve ordered one, we’d love to hear from you (not least to find out if your book was autographed, as it should have been). If you’ve played one in-store, how was it?

If you haven’t visited Fender’s microsite yet, it tells you everything you could possibly wish to know about this guitar, including its history in timeline form and, of course, where you can get your hands on one.

The Mexican Strat, painted by Gerald Scarfe, signed by Pink Floyd and being auctioned in aid of Crisis, by the way, is currently at £15,500. Bidding ends on 31 October at 11:00 (UK).

The chatroom is open today from 15:00 (UK). Everyone is welcome. There’s another chat on Wednesday, this time from 13:00 (UK), if that suits you better.

If you haven’t yet seen it, Fender’s microsite for the David Gilmour Stratocaster is now up, so have a butcher’s.

A break from the fine Piotr Tarasewicz GdaÅ„sk shots for today. This one’s another of Frank’s, from Leicester Square last year.

You too could be striking that very same pose with your own black Strat soon (ish). Probably not a good idea to try striking it in Leicester Square, though. You know what crowds are like.

Thanks again, Frank.

Just a reminder that there’s more from Later… with Jools Holland tomorrow night on BBC2, as well as an hour from the GdaÅ„sk gig and a 30-minute documentary (on BBC4).

That might interest a few more of you now that many poor souls are still waiting for their postie to deliver their five-disc bundle of joy. (You’ll have yours before Friday night, I’m sure.)

For those of you thinking of downloading the album from iTunes, now you’ll only get ‘Wot’s…’ if you’re in Europe. (Sorry!)

The word is that the new release date for Poland is Monday. Please take that with a pinch of salt, just in case. It does sound wildly optimistic, no offence to EMI Poland.

Saturday is still the all-important day for Australia, and Monday for France and the vinyl.

By the way, SoundStage Direct‘s price for the LPs is now $98.99 (US).

‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ is out in some parts of Europe tomorrow. Likely countries are Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland, but please check before you head out.

The release date for Australia has been pushed back to Saturday 27 September.

The vinyl set is now $99.99 from SoundStage Direct (with free domestic shipping).

Waterloo Records – of Austin, Texas – have prices of $17.97, $31.47 and $44.97. This includes the ‘Wot’s…’ CD while supplies last, although they promise to let you know before your order is processed if they do run out.

The Disc Exchange (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Euclid Records (St Louis, Missouri) ship worldwide, so contact them for a price.

‘A Great Day For Freedom’ has just been added to David’s MySpace.

Tickets are still available to see the GdaÅ„sk concert at the cinema. That’s on Monday night.

The DG Strat is still on schedule, but please don’t expect to get your hands on yours until at least October. The manufacturing process is a very slow one and demand has been great.

The ‘Flashback: Ritzy‘ post has re-opened, so, if you want to talk about that…

And finally, the chatroom will be open tomorrow, between 14:00 and 16:00 (UK).

This is the cover of the second (hardback) edition of Phil Taylor’s book, ‘The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster’.

Published by Hal Leonard, it will be available from all good retailers, and probably some rubbish ones, from 22 September.

It has a changed layout, a total of 160 pages (that’s 36 more than the first edition) and some previously unseen photographs.

Please note that this is not the one which comes included with the David Gilmour Stratocaster; that’s the first (softback) edition, which is no longer available.

Should anyone be waiting for some official comment about the price of the Signature Strat(s), please don’t, because, clearly, none is forthcoming. The prices are here, in the Fender Custom Shop’s latest catalogue. Your local music shop should be able to help you further.

The chatroom is closed today, but open tomorrow from 11:00 (UK).

Here it is: the long-awaited Gilmour Signature Strat.

It has the same maple neck, black pickguard, shortened tremolo arm and custom electronics as the original and comes presented in a black case with centre pocket, snazzy green lining and Fender Custom Shop embroidery.

First, the good news.

It will be released on 22 September. That’s September this year.

Now, the bad news.

‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ will be pushed back a week for a same-date release.

However, the three-disc version (live double CD, plus concert DVD) will be stuffed into said centre pocket.

The hardback edition of Phil Taylor’s ‘The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster’ will also be released on 22 September, a signed, softback copy of which will also be found inside the guitar case.

A set of GHS strings will also be included, as well as an Evidence Audio cable, as used by David. You even get a deluxe Fender strap and a David Gilmour plectrum thrown in.

And, before you ask… No, I don’t know how much it will cost, but hope that a firm date and photo will be enough to deter the doubters.

Please click the image for a closer look and, if you think you can take it, see Latest News for more excitement.

A quick note to remind you that the first edition of Phil Taylor’s book, ‘The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster’, will no longer be available after 31 July.

That’s the softback edition, signed by Phil, available only from TheBlackStrat.com.

Expect more on the “expanded and updated” second edition, which will be a hardback, to follow shortly.

As per the last post about this book, ’15 September’ is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be available in September.

And, as I know you’re wondering, because I can feel your eyes burning into your screens and reflecting back at me through mine…

There’s still no word on when that Signature Strat will be available from Fender. Sorry about that. But, just to keep you informed, David wants it to be of a certain (high) quality and available at a fair price. Until those terms are met by all concerned parties, there can be no further updates.

I’m sure you understand that and appreciate that there will be news on this guitar, here, at the earliest possible opportunity. That said, I do apologise for the disappointment that such uncertainty can cause.

You might have noticed it mentioned here recently. Great timing by Sky Arts, because, if you’re in the UK, you can see David’s performance at the Strat Pack concert on TV tonight.

The 2004 benefit – available on DVD as ‘The Strat Pack: The 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster’ – was in aid of
Nordoff-Robbins, the UK’s largest provider of music therapy.

The concert alone raised some £175,000 for the charity and the DVD is very reasonably priced, if you’d like to help further – hint, hint.

Shot in high definition and recorded/mixed in full surround sound (in part by David), David performed ‘Marooned’, ‘Coming Back To Life’ and ‘Sorrow’. He even used his much-desired 0001 Strat.

That’s Sky Arts, channel 267, at 23:25 (UK) tonight.

It’s also available in HD on channel 268, and is repeated on both channels on Tuesday morning.

If you could organise a two-and-a-half hour celebration of Fender’s finest, who would you call, how long would you give them, and what would they play (songs and instruments, if you’re feeling really imaginative)?

Yes, it’s back to the realms of fantasy for this one.

News of another upcoming guitar auction for you, this one courtesy of the lovely ladies at Buy Once Give Twice.

And this time it will benefit Crisis, the homelessness charity that’s close to David’s heart.

Again, it’s a Fender Stratocaster, but this Fender Stratocaster – get ready for this, folks – has been individually painted by the legendary Gerald Scarfe, best known among Floyd fans for his artwork for ‘The Wall’ album, film and live shows.

It’s also been signed by David and Pink Floyd members past and present.

More details than those given here will follow in due course, but the winning bidder will also become the proud owner of the first edition of a limited edition box set containing eight ‘Wall’ prints, each of which has been signed by Gerald, as well as a signed book.

You have to register your interest in bidding, which you can do by sending an e-mail here. Serious bidders only, please. The closing date has yet to be decided, so do sign up to be kept up-to-date on developments. Of course, I’ll keep any casual observers updated here.

If the cream Strat auctioned in New York last month went for $60,000, what would you expect the winning bidder to pay for this truly unique instrument?

With David’s vintage ’57 re-issue Fender Stratocaster eventually selling for $60,000 at Julien’s ‘Icons Of Music II’ auction last month (Guitar Auction, New York, 21 May), some of us are wondering (just me, really):

If you had a spare $60,000 lying ’round, what would you spend it on?

Specifically, would you have blown it all, and some more, to get that guitar?

The chatroom is not open today, but will be open tomorrow – between 16:00 and 18:00 (UK). If you’ve nothing better to do, pop in.

Just to put a temporary dampener on things…

Phil Taylor’s book, ‘The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster’ will hopefully be available in hardback edition from 15 September, published by Hal Leonard.

The hardback copy will hopefully be an extended version with additional pages, but “144 pages” is not true, because the specifics have yet to be confirmed, so please take that figure with a pinch of salt.

In reality, the deal hasn’t yet been finalised, so all of the above is subject to change.

There will be an update from Phil as soon as details are official, including news of those extra pages.

You can pre-order the hardback edition from the usual online retailers – at your peril, of course – but do consider your local bookshop, if you can.

What’s not open to question is the fact that you can still order a copy of the first edition softback from TheBlackStrat.com. The price has been reduced to £15.95 and Phil is going to be signing the remaining stock.

Please note that books ordered since yesterday afternoon, and those that will be ordered right up until Phil’s supply has gone – from TheBlackStrat.com – will be signed. No books were signed prior to those ordered yesterday, when the price was reduced.

Don’t forget that the chatroom will be open from 13:00 (UK) today.