The Twang! Guitar Story (Pt 3)
Steely Dan guitarist and session legend elliot randall fills in the gaps and brings us up to date in the concluding part of his epic saga that is his life in guitars
It’s fairly common knowledge that Strat #1 has accompanied me on the majority of my musical ventures – both in the studio and on stage. But there are other guitars that play an ever-more important part of my musical sounds and moods.
On the acoustic front, I’ve been fortunate to have two Martins – a 1947 D-18, and an early 70s D-28. Both magnificent and I would never taint either with a pickup – microphones only! In this past year, I experienced Gordon Giltrap’s ‘Vintage Signature Deluxe’ Electro Acoustic. Replete with Fishman Rare Earth Blend electronics, and sound characteristics vastly different from my Martin, it is another important part of my acoustic paintbrush.
I also dabbled further into ’63 Strats; I bought two more in the 70s. One I still use a lot today, and the other, while only a few serial numbers away from Strat #1, was a horror show – it had no resonant qualities in the body whatsoever. It quickly found itself a new home…
I am also the proud owner of two Fret-King instruments. One is the original Elise, and the other is a CS Semitone Special (kinda like a fine Telecaster). Both came out of the box, ready to play. Intonation was perfect, necks and pickups ditto. Such pleasure. And, of course, you know that each style of guitar encourages the player to play differently. The Elise had me playing jazzy riffs and chords, and the CS Semitone Special had me chicken-pickin’ in seconds!
BJ & Byrne (London) custom-built an ‘Apollo’ for me. When someone wants a Les Paul sound from me, that’s the instrument. A lovely axe.
A couple of years ago, Music Man presented me with its Albert Lee model. There are two choices: one with three single coils, the other with two humbuckers. I chose the latter. Made of mahogany, it is without doubt the most resonant electric I own. It rings forever!
Other notable additions are my two mini ‘travel guitars’, the brainchild of Russ Strobel, a colleague of mine from my good old hi-tech days at Motorola. One has a pair of humbuckers, and the other is a miniStrat. I’m loving them both.
Back even further, in about 1974, I bought a Vulcan New Yorker – the body of a Tele and neck of a Gibson – made for me by Giuliano Balestra. It has a humbucker at the neck position and a screamin’ Tele pickup at the bridge. I also have a gorgeous 1990 PRS; it’s as close to perfection as one can imagine. I love and use them all. A fine family.
The chosen ones
The main point here is that as my mind opens up to different approaches, I consider all of these guitars and what they can bring to the music I’m about to make. If it’s for an overdub, I can quickly make a decision as to which of the above would be appropriate. Then there’s working an alternative way. When composing or writing on my own, I will choose an instrument based on the mood I’d like to convey. The chosen guitar will always help me. It’s a ‘win-win’.
A few important optional extras to discuss here, too. In addition to the pickups fitted to the instrument you buy, there are myriad choices for differing tones and intensities available. Several names spring to mind, based on my outstanding experiences with them. Kudos to lifelong friend Seymour Duncan for imagineering an incredibly diverse range of alternative sound colours, and to my new buddy Scott Lawing, whose company, Zexcoil, puts out a compelling range of noise-cancelling pickups loaded with personality. Then there’s the most special Trev Wilkinson. Lastly, a vibrato handle that is virtually flawless, sensitive and extremely dependable. Thank you to Eric Stets, father of The Stetsbar. I’ve fitted them on some of my favourites.
Finally, I’m often asked for advice by people looking to buy a new guitar. I quote Andrés Segovia: “Lean your body forward slightly to support the guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart”. And at the end of the day, if I had only one guitar to play, that would be cool, too.