Julian Lage

[Dom Minasi]

Does anyone know what acoustic arch top he uses on the CD Gladwell?

http://www.julianlage.com/

The guitar sounds great.

[Bill Williams]

Could be his Manzer.

Excerpt from a Russ Hanchin interview:

Russ Hanchin: I know you play a Manzer archtop and I’ve seen pictures of you with a Martin D-18. But it looks like the Manzer is your main axe?

Julian Lage: It is, yeah, for most of my life.

Russ Hanchin: Of all the guitars out there you could have gotten, how did you arrive at the Manzer?

Julian Lage: Actually, again I’m very lucky. I found her at a guitar show when I was eleven. The Healdsburg Guitar Festival, it’s a pretty renowned one actually. Linda [Manzer] comes and [Bob] Benedetto and all these builders. So I had known about her through Pat [Metheny] and she had this archtop there at the show and, oh my God, it was amazing, I fell in love with it. And she said, "yeah, it would be great if you played one". And at the end of the show, she went back to Canada, and a few weeks went by. So I thought, well let me just ask her what she would charge and how long is the waiting list, ’cause it was like four or five years at the time. So to my pleasant surprise, she said, "Oh, well the one you played, the Blue Note model, that one was actually used and I’m selling it right now!" The story is the woman who formerly owned was getting tendinitis and Linda was going to build her a whole new instrument. So we worked out a deal and I’ve had that guitar for the last ten years and it’s just incredible how it’s broken in. It has a five ply laminate top, maple-mahogany-maple-mahogany-maple, carved by Borys.

Julian Lage: Actually Linda built me another guitar as a backup and I used it and loved it, but I recently sold it to a friend who I think is putting it to good use. I mean it was an amazing instrument and a great backup, but I had become so used to my main Manzer that it was hard to play anything else.

Russ Hanchin: That’s amazing. And I don’t know about the Manzer, but with my Borys which also has a laminated top, it has a very good acoustic sound. So do you use flatwound strings?

Julian Lage: Actually I use roundwound for the electrics. I use Sadowsky roundwound super alloy.

[Bill Williams]

Common Ground, the recent Gary Burton Quartet album, features Julian Lage quite a bit:
http://www.amazon.com/Common-Ground-Gary-Burton-Quartet/dp/B004WOXLBU

[Dom Minasi]

On Sunday, February 10, 2013 6:14:31 AM UTC-5, Bill Williams wrote:
> Common Ground, the recent Gary Burton Quartet album, features Julian Lage quite a bit:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Common-Ground-Gary-Burton-Quartet/dp/B004WOXLBU

No it's not Manzer. He has 2 acoustic electrics rust color. This one is a non cutaway sunburst ..like an old Gretch

[David J. Littleboy]

"Dom Minasi" wrote in message
news:f4413c18-a4e1-404f...@googlegroups.com...

The one on the cover of the Gladstone album is a 1930s 16" L5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfqop_kmvQ0

-- David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

[Dom Minasi]

whomever posted said it was a 1932 Gibson L 5..but I found an interview with Julian it's a custom shop reissue 1934 L5 ..sounds great.

[Carl]

Well David, it is possible that you're right, but I do know that Lage owns
and uses an original 1932 L5 (sans pickguard). I know because I actually
made a study of this very topic for awhile. Watching him play that thing at
the Woodstock Invitational 2 years ago sent me on a long odessey in search
of a 1928-34 L5.

Ironically to your post, I ended up with a '34 Reissue myself (hard enough
to find) to try to quell the GAS, which I eventually sold as the search for
a "real" one continued. I don't know the album in question, but until I read
this post, I was going to suggest it might be his '32 L5. If he uses it in a
live show, he wouldn't hesitate to use it in a recording.

Frankly, I wouldn't normally doubt you, but I don't think it's the '34
Reissue.

[David J. Littleboy]

"Dom Minasi" wrote:
On Sunday, February 10, 2013 4:15:12 PM UTC-5, David J. Littleboy wrote:
> "Dom Minasi" wrote in message
>

> No it's not Manzer. He has 2 acoustic electrics rust color. This one is a
> non cutaway sunburst ..like an old Gretch

>> The one on the cover of the Gladstone album is a 1930s 16" L5.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfqop_kmvQ0

whomever posted said it was a 1932 Gibson L 5..but I found an interview with
Julian it's a custom shop reissue 1934 L5 ..sounds great.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

He may also own a custom shop '34 reissue.

But Lage's bio on his website claims that one of his guitars is a 1932 L5:

"Whether he's playing his Linda Manzer electric archtop guitar, writing with
his rare 1934 R.A. Mango, which he used to compose "233 Butler" (Lage
recorded the track on his Manzer), or the 1932 Gibson L-5 heard on the
tension-filled "Telegram" (inspired by Garry Harrison's "Red Prairie Dawn"),
Lage brings a purity of tone and consistency of attack to everything in his
repertoire."

FWIW, the custom shop '34 reissues I've seen have a much lighter finish.

http://www.walkin.co.jp/guitars/124967.htm

(Ouch, that's pricey. Even at this months exchange rate, which is 15% more
favorable for folks (such as myself) whose savings are in US$ that it was
through all of last year.)

[David J. Littleboy]

"Carl" wrote:

> Well David, it is possible that you're right, but I do know that Lage owns
> and uses an original 1932 L5 (sans pickguard).

Hey, guy. Get your attributions right. I'm not the one who's arguing with
me. (It's Dom who claims he's seen a discussion of Lage owning a '34
reissue.)

[Dom Minasi]

I'm not arguing..I saw it in an interview...but he could have an older model too

[David J. Littleboy]

"Dom Minasi" wrote:

> I'm not arguing..I saw it in an interview...but he could have an older
> model too

But I am. Everything I've seen about his L5 indicates that it's an old one.
So I'd like to see a link to that interview.

For example, wiki:

"Lage primarily plays a Linda Manzer Blue Note Archtop, which he has owned
since he was 11.[9] He also plays a 1932 Gibson L-5 and a D'Ambrosio
Allegro. Lage uses a Carr Rambler guitar amplifier."

Of course, that doesn't mention the multiple Martins he's been seen with...

[Dom Minasi]

From his Bio "Whether he's playing his Linda Manzer electric archtop guitar, writing with his rare 1934 R.A."...I looked it up and found this:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Archtop/Gibson-Custom/1934-L5.aspx

I also emailed Julian and waiting for a response..

[Carl]

I owe you an apology. I read this thread last night after a long, long day.
But I did say "I wouldn't normally doubt you". Now I have more reason to
never doubt you! :-)

Anyway, my facts are correct to the best of my knowledge even if my
attributions are sometimes wrong...

By the way, after searching for that L5 for quite awhile, I came across
something I thought might be even more interesting to own: a 1935 D'Angelico
Snakehead, John D's "copies" of the very L5 we're talking about. I acquired
it. Ironically of course, a few weeks later Eric Schoenberg emailed me that
he had just gotten in a beautiful 1928 L5. I'm proud to have the D'A though
and satisfied with the trade-off.

Again, apologies,

[Jonathan]

How much is that in dollars

[David J. Littleboy]

"Jonathan" wrote:
On Sunday, February 10, 2013 9:50:11 PM UTC-5, David J. Littleboy wrote:

> FWIW, the custom shop '34 reissues I've seen have a much lighter finish.
> http://www.walkin.co.jp/guitars/124967.htm

> (Ouch, that's pricey.)

How much is that in dollars?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The exchange rate has been in rapid flux, so it changes every day, but it's
around US$5,000 or so.

[Carl]

That makes the installed pickup worth about $1500 by my math. ;-)