Hammett buys Greeny.

chris77

Read about this last night, and it was news to me.... :-[

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?s=efb519f1628ab5301989e64f9cd71b30&t=189674

I previously read that Joe Bo played her at a few shows and was going to buy her from the Gary Moore estate, but it turns out Kirk Hammett wanted her more. ? (A few posts by Joe Bo confirms it....)
Not really the type of guitar one would expect him to be that interested in, but at least she is now owned by another player. I don't think we'll see her banging out the riff from Enter Sandman on a stage, but I think he'll still play her in private.

How many other '59's are there out there still making music? I know of Billy Gibbon's Pearly Gates and James Marsden's The Beast, but I don't think either are still gigging them.... Any others?

el-guapo

I am delighted to say that you're wrong about it not being played live! I can't find the other thread on LPF where they posted pics of him already playing Greeny somewhere in Europe (Stockholm, IIRC). Here's a pic from a different source: http://guitarism-tr.blogspot.fr/2014/07/kirk-hammett-owns-greeny.html

And as much as it seems odd, Kirk is a guitar NUT, loves vintage gear and as far as I remember has had and used Bursts (and a goldtop?) since the 90s. General rule for stage seems to be that only black will do, but I know he gets the urge every now and then ?

Basically, for all the unpleasant "Kirk is crap and shouldn't be allowed to breathe on a burst" stuff that came out on the threads I read, the guitar is being played, will be heard (live a bit and probably more on record) and won't be locked in a vault never to see the light of day again (amazing how it seems to be the people who complain about vintage guitars being owned by stockbrokers, lawyers etc who can't play are usually the same ones who bitch loudly when they're being played by big name players they don't like and therefore consider unworthy of the honour).

warrenpridgeon

el guapo wrote: I am delighted to say that you're wrong about it not being played live! I can't find the other thread on LPF where they posted pics of him already playing Greeny somewhere in Europe (Stockholm, IIRC). Here's a pic from a different source: http://guitarism-tr.blogspot.fr/2014/07/kirk-hammett-owns-greeny.html

And as much as it seems odd, Kirk is a guitar NUT, loves vintage gear and as far as I remember has had and used Bursts (and a goldtop?) since the 90s. General rule for stage seems to be that only black will do, but I know he gets the urge every now and then ?

Basically, for all the unpleasant "Kirk is crap and shouldn't be allowed to breathe on a burst" stuff that came out on the threads I read, the guitar is being played, will be heard (live a bit and probably more on record) and won't be locked in a vault never to see the light of day again (amazing how it seems to be the people who complain about vintage guitars being owned by stockbrokers, lawyers etc who can't play are usually the same ones who bitch loudly when they're being played by big name players they don't like and therefore consider unworthy of the honour).

I don't get why people "hate" on musicians that have "made it" in the biz... Maybe they think they are better... Maybe they even are... who knows...I just find it pointless... I even *gasp* look up to the biebs cos he has done something I have not.

I noticed something while looking through the pics... There is a lot of "wear" under the bridge pickup... I then thought "hey...I seem to be resting my fingers there also lately", I then scrolled up to where they had photos of Kirk playing and lo and behold, he also has his hand anchored close to the pickup.

Are there advantages/disadvantages to doing this?

studmissile

He can afford it and he can play it. Enjoy Kirk, you lucky bastard! ... and he gets given custom ESP's on top of that... you Lucky, lucky bastard! Wonder what he paid?

chris77

@El guapo - Aah, schweet, thanks for the link! I haven't read any of the other threads yet, but I can just imagine .... ? I'm just chuffed that she's owned by another player who loves guitars and will be cherished as an instrument and not only an investment.

AlanRatcliffe

warrenpridgeon wrote: I don't get why people "hate" on musicians that have "made it" in the biz...

Jealousy maybe. There's an element of "I could do that!" or "what's he/she got that I can't do as well/better?". Which is mostly true - there's no secret formula for success, some achieve it and some don't and it's not directly related to how good you are or how hard you work.

[img]http://lo and behold, he also has his hand anchored close to the pickup.
Are there advantages/disadvantages to doing this?[/img]
Yes to both. Makes your hand more stable for faster/more consistent runs/fingerpicking, but locks you in that position. That's fine with anchoring on a humbucking bridge pickup, but on those guitars where you have to anchor on the bridge (like a Strat), it affects picking angle and means you end up picking pretty close to the bridge where the icepick lives. ?

I anchor a lot, even on the sides of the neck for some things. I've tried to break myself of it, but always go back because I just can't get the same results without the anchoring.

lapdawg

Amazing. Nice to see JB having his 5c worth on the thread.
For me, this is THE holy grail of rock.

Bob-Dubery

One thing we forget is that our heroes have heroes too. They're fans. Sometimes the hero worship may not be what you expect. I was surprised to find out that Eddie van Halen is a Clapton fan. It's not obvious in his playing but it came out in interviews. Even the rich and famous can get star struck. Some years ago when I was involved in the Cricket Society of SA we invited Nicky Oppenheimer to address the society. He was delighted and quite awe struck to be introduced to Tiger Lance (one of Ali Bacher's famous 1970 Springbok team).

All the guys we look up to were once kids with cheap guitars hoping to get a gig in some crummy club and hoping to one day get to the same level as their heroes

StefStoep

chris77 wrote:

How many other '59's are there out there still making music? I know of Billy Gibbon's Pearly Gates and James Marsden's The Beast, but I don't think either are still gigging them.... Any others?

Joe Bonamassa owns more than one 59, he also has a couple dating from '56 to '60. I once heard Billy Gibbons owns about 700 guitars and I would guess there should be another couple right there with him. Joe Perry from Aerosmith also has a '59 and Slash also has. I think if you really start search for people using them, you would be surprized how many of these axes are being used, probably more in recordings than live.

ezietsman

Billt Gibbons doean't play Pearly live anymore I think. Too heavy for the old guy. He plays those super lightweight hollowed out guitars now. They're all custom modified things, you can see how light they are in that Premier Guitar rig rundown (I think that was the one).