John Fahey Guitars

[Steven Barney]

Does anyone know what kinds of guitars John Fahey played and recorded
with?

--Steve

[Larry Pattis]

In article <3B7EF45D...@earthlink.net>, Steven Barney
<sb4...@earthlink.net> wrote:

Martin D-28.

Why?

--
Larry Pattis
LP "at" larrypattis "dot" com

http://www.larrypattis.com

[Jeff]

"Steven Barney" <sb4...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3B7EF45D...@earthlink.net...

> Does anyone know what kinds of guitars John Fahey played and recorded
> with?

I would assume so. John, himself, must.

-jeff

[Larry Pattis]

In article <UHCf7.273$of.65...@news.randori.com>, Jeff
<dont.sp...@waysoft.dot.calm> wrote:

Well, sure, except that John is unfortunately no longer with us.....

[Steven Barney]

>
> Martin D-28.
>
> Why?

Thanks Larry. I've just always wondered. He had such a distinctive tone.
And I've never seen any mention of it anywhere. Other players have their
choices of guitars discussed endlessly. I don't know. I think I'm going
through a third Fahey fixation.

--Steve

[Bob Dorgan]

Yeah, he played Martin dreads. D28---- I think--
I never saw a picture of him with anything else.
Bob Dorgan

[Matt Hayden]

He also played old Gibsons, I think. It might have been an L-00 or some
such -- look at the cover of the reissue Blind Joe Death album. I've seen
him pictured with other guitars as well, though they're not easily
identified.

When I saw him in 1985, he was playing Laguna guitars -- apparently a small
builder in So Cal. Never saw another one but it played well (he allowed me
to play it for him after the show).

thanks

Matt Hayden

[mcdonald]

On Sat, 18 Aug 2001 21:23:52 -0700, Matt Hayden wrote:

> He also played old Gibsons, I think. It might have been an L-00 or some
> such -- look at the cover of the reissue Blind Joe Death album.

That's the one (the L-00). Fahey played a variety of guitars throughout his
career, including Martins, Gibsons, and some fairly obscure guitars as well.
There's a Stefan Grossman video with Fahey playing the L-00 on "Poor Boy".

mcd

"accessorize your rebellion"

[gearhead]

The times I saw him in the late 60's I never saw a Martin rather small
Gibsons like the L-00 mentioned.

JD
mcdonald <quetza...@mad.scientist.com> wrote in message
news:01HW.B7A4AE860...@news.gci-net.com...

[neil harpe]

I saw John playing in concert at Bill Tyding's Garage, back around 1965,
here in my home town of Annapolis, MD. At that time, John Fahey was playing
fancy looking sunburst Bacon & Day Senorita, model S7. This is a jumbo size
rosewood bodied guitar similar to a Gibson J-185. He was also using a
Weisenborn to do strictly slide pieces. The photograph on the front of
John's "Requium" album shows him holding his Bacon & Day guitar.

I have long been a fan of these rare and little known guitars. Big Bill
Broonzy also played one, back in the 1930s (model S-2). Early 30s Senorita
flat tops are wonderful instruments, extremely well made. (Later Senoritas
are not so great, being made by Gretsch, who bought the Bacon Company in
1939). I have a little web site about them if anyone's interested in
learning more.

http://www.toad.net/~harpe/bacon_and_day_senorita.htm

Legend has it that John's B&D was stolen. The truth is, Fahey sold his Bacon
& Day Senorita to Country Joe McDonald, who later sold it to someone now
living in the UK.

At the moment, one of my favorite guitars is my Brazilian rosewood B&D
Senorita, model S-5, a smaller 00-sized version of the Fahey/Broonzy guitar
line.

NH

[Kim Strickland]

I just got my Acoustic Guitar, and it has a good article about John,
and also about the Gibson Recording King guitar that he used on several
of his albums. Apparently, he got mad one day and tried to destroy it.
A friend got the parts and recently it was put together using lots of
spruce and rosewood cleats and hide glue. Peter Lang played it, and it
sounds just like he remembered it in the old days.

Kim

In article <2nQf7.120$lV1....@newsfeed.slurp.net>, "neil harpe"
<ha...@toad.net> wrote:

--
Kim

[Sean Holland]

in article 180820011718183615%Larry...@NoSpamOnRMMGA.aaa, Larry Pattis at
Larry...@NoSpamOnRMMGA.aaa wrote on 08/18/01 04:18 PM:

> In article <3B7EF45D...@earthlink.net>, Steven Barney
> <sb4...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know what kinds of guitars John Fahey played and recorded
>> with?
>>
>> --Steve
>
>
>
> Martin D-28.
>
> Why?

I saw him play in Vancouver about 30 years ago. He was the warm-up act for
Van Morrison. He had a few guitars. I didn't pick up on what they were, but
I clearly remember one was a dark colour, not like a Martin at all. He spent
about five minutes tuning, which got a bunch of bikers who were there to see
Van angry. I found his tuning quite interesting. After a while the tuning
turned into a tune which he played for a while and then he went back to
tuning. Throughout the whole gig he never said a word.

[Kerry & Deborah Brooks]

I saw John about that same time in Bellingham (WA). [Just about 60 miles
south of Vancouver, FYI]. I wonder if this was the same tour
for John? He played in the student Union of Western Washington University,
but Van was definitely not there.

I recall he didn't say much at this gig either, and he was drinking a clear
liquid
between songs. I don't recall a Martin either. But he sure played great,
changed me forever.

Kerry Brooks

"Sean Holland" <seho...@islandnet.com> wrote in message
news:B7A5B784.12121%seho...@islandnet.com...

[Steven Barney]

Many thanks to everyone who's replied. I'm really grateful for the
information.

--Steve

[j...@hustonsmith.org]

John Fahey had four main accoustic guitars:

The Bacon and Day that is seen on the cover of one of his Fantasy albums, a Ray Whitley Recording King (an off-brand built by Gibson - which he destroyed in a fight with his girlfriend), which was replaced by a Martin D-76 a bicentennial commemorative, and a no-brand Hawaiian lap guitar that he played with a steel slide.