GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

[Scott_F]

There's a lot of stuff about all the old vintage things he's had and sold... then he makes this paragraph after discussing fake vintage gear....

"People should take a look at new stuff, especially by Fender and Gibson. They are making some great guitars again. And Seymour Duncan is making the best pickups ever made! If you take a set of his Antiquity pickups, they are better than original Gibson PAFs. I truly believe that."

Wow. Nice props to Seymour. Is GE on the payroll? If not, he should be.

 

[FenderBoy]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

I always though GE Smith was a great player. He's seems kinda freaky but hey , he's got the skills to pay the bills!!!

That's a great endorsement for SD if it was totally off the cuff. I might have to get another guitar and put some antiquitys in 'er

 

[beandip]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

I watch those old SNL's with him, and he ALWAYS cuts though the mix. Must be those Duncans and the mojo. Hes a great player, but does he have a solo album?

 

[Curly]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

he's owned enough vintage stuff to form a pretty good opinion about pickups, IMO

 

[59paul]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

he's owned enough vintage stuff to form a pretty good opinion about pickups, IMO

That's the KEY, right there !!!!!!.........

 

[butnut]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

I have a pretty old GP with him and a ton of his vintage gear, I believe he even mentioned SD pups back then...he had just released a solo album and the atricle had every guitar and amp used on the album. He's a collector who plays what he collects. I did'nt know he was married to Gilda...before Gene. He was always wailing with the SNL band.

 

[tone4days]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

is he clean and sober? ... i always feared that his amazing collection would end up in his veins or up his nose ... but SO true that he could play .. i mean seriously, any style that was called for with the SNL band, pop/soul with hall and oates .. always killers tone, killer chops, and tasty killer licks

cheers
t4d

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

GE loves Teles too! In that article he mentions how variable the lead pickup can be in old 50's Teles and how some remind him of a P90. I've noticed that too, and I think the ones that remind him (and me) of a P90 are the ones Seymour patterned the Jerry Donahue after...you find them in some '51 or '52 Teles, but not all. The Fender Nocaster is also based on the '51 Tele lead pickup but it's not the version that sounds like a P90. The JD and the Antiquity, are my favorite SD pickups for the Tele. That is a great and informative article. Lew

 

[rhmcfarland]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

Hi Lew, is the JD more like the P90? How does that compare to the Fralin Blues Special bridge?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: GE Smith Article in Vintage Guitar

Hi Lew, is the JD more like the P90? How does that compare to the Fralin Blues Special bridge?

The JD is an alnico 2 pickup and has alot more mids and quack to the tone than the a5 Blues Special. The Blues Special seems to be slightly louder...but not alot. The JD doesn't really sound like a P90...but it reminds me of one. Especially when adjusted close to the strings. I like it as close as I can get it.

The JD, IMO, sounds best in a guitar that's naturally bright: like my alder bodied James Burton Tele.

If a player's looking for a traditional bright and super twangy Tele tone, the JD might not sound bright enough in a naturally dark sounding Tele.

I mentioned this before, but my '51 Tele (which I sold when the neck went sour about 35 years ago) had a pickup that sounded very very similar to the JD. I searched and searched for a pickup that sounded like it and found it in the Jerry Donahue. I can only conclude that the lead pickup in Jerry's '52 Tele was the same as the one in my '51...which sounds nothing like the bright twangy pickup Fender markets as the '51 NoCaster pickup.

The JB also sounds nothing like the 50 year old pickup that came stock with my '54 Tele, which is still a flat poled Broadcaster style pickup, and not the raised polepiece version that came out later in '54.

My Tele is from early '54.

Lew