BETWEEN THE STRINGS | DON MCLEAN
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1 . McLean performing with his D-41 2 . McLean performing at the Albert Hall with his 1929 12-fret 000-28 herringbone with slotted headstock . McLean played this guitar exclusively from 1971 to 1975 3 . McLean in Melbourne , Australia with his 1953 D-28 . Photo courtesy of Paris Dunn .
I retired the D-41 from the road after that episode . It had served me well . I did many world tours with that guitar . It must have had ten cracks in the top , repaired with biscuit joints , and glued together in many places . But its hard knocks notwithstanding , it was a terrific stage partner . I knew exactly what that instrument could do , and it always responded to my touch .
There is a certain sense of confidence that you have in your instrument when you spend that much time together . You go through date after date after date , and it always does exactly what it ’ s supposed to do . No surprises . You set it up , you work on it , you stretch its limits , and you know what that instrument can do — what it can do for you .
And that ’ s what it comes down to , really : a man and his guitar . Roy Orbison once said that he was one of those people who got a hold of a guitar and never let it go . And when you hang on , you just can ’ t imagine where it will take you .
In those days , you could be alone in the world with your instrument , bolstered by an Emersonian sense of self-reliance . There is a purity that comes forth from that simplicity . It ’ s honest , innocent , and uncorrupted by excess or trappings of any kind . And when the two of you work out your dance in the form of a song , the result is a wonderfully deep sense of satisfaction . Every player should know it .
Visit Don McLean at www . donmclean . com
62 | FALL 2023