just know there’s gotta be something wrong
hits and misses? That is something that you
in the mid-60s, what would be prevalent even
because somebody decided to get rid of it. It
grapple with every time you sit down and try
to this day. The way that a modern guitar player
goes against logic as to why you’re interested
to design a guitar to minimize that and focus
would use an amplifier on stage, would totally
in buying it. The attitude of how you want to
more on the hits part of it. But that’s what I think
blow their minds. If you told Leo Fender, “This is
use a tool is just about everything. When you’re
modern designers keep trying to do, which is
how people are going to use your guitar. You’re
selling gear, you have to remember you just
so cool, and thank God we have people who
gonna have Keith Urban, Prince, John 5, and
can’t keep everything. If you’re not using it –
really want to pioneer that.
Bruce Springsteen, they’re all gonna be playing
if it’s not a tool that resonates with you then
your Telecaster by the way”.
you should just move it on cause someone else
We love the designs from the late 40s through
could really enjoy it.
the 50s. Those designs were absolutely
The things you learn are the obvious ones. You
amazing. They had no idea what was coming
learn about wood, the different tones you get
CG My friend also owns a Blackface Vibrolux
Reverb you sold. After trying a couple of vintage
Strats, the guitar that sounded best through it
was a JS1200. How much have the various
刀䔀䄀䐀夀 吀伀 唀倀䜀刀䄀䐀䔀㼀
vintage instruments you’ve played and owned
influenced the JS line?
JS A lot. I remember owning several 50’s Strats
and always coming face to face with the fact
that they have serious road blocks in them for
performing songs in my catalog, that stop me
from using them on stage. But they have these
other qualities - all guitars should be this simple
and have such a big, ambient sound to them.
That’s always been the cool thing about Strat’s
and Teles - they pass on this ambience that
translates into excitement for the audience. We
know the pickups are weak and they’re almost
always single coil so there’s noise involved,
there’s issues right? At the same time there’s
an intrinsic excitement, the voodoo part of the
simple design of those guitars. They can be
screwed together and unscrewed in less than
伀瘀攀爀 㘀㔀 礀攀愀爀猀 漀昀 匀吀刀伀䈀䔀 琀甀渀椀渀最 琀攀挀栀渀漀氀漀最礀 倀䄀䌀䬀䔀䐀 䤀一吀伀 䄀 䌀䰀䤀倀ⴀ伀一
twenty minutes and sound perfect every time
吀唀一䔀刀 倀䰀䄀䌀䔀匀 吀䠀䔀 匀吀爀漀戀漀䌀氀椀瀀 䤀一 䤀吀匀 伀圀一 䌀䰀䄀匀匀⸀
you put them back together. That’s a hallmark
of brilliant design; you just can’t get around it.
眀䔀 䤀一嘀䤀吀䔀 夀伀唀 吀伀 䘀䤀一䐀 伀唀吀 圀䠀夀⸀
Thinking about it that way and then looking at
the JS guitars and you go, “Well OK, the scale
length is the same and yes it is a bolt-on neck”
∠ ⼀ 琀栀 漀昀 愀 䘀爀攀琀 䄀挀挀甀爀愀琀攀 吀甀渀椀渀最
∠ ㈀㠀 匀圀䔀䔀吀䔀一䔀䐀 吀唀一䤀一䜀∡ 倀刀䔀匀䔀吀匀
∠ 䌀愀爀戀漀渀 䘀椀戀攀爀 䌀氀椀瀀 搀攀猀椀最渀
∠ 匀琀愀椀渀氀攀猀猀 猀琀攀攀氀 䠀漀甀猀椀渀最
∠ 猀甀猀琀愀椀渀 洀漀搀攀 漀瀀攀爀愀琀椀漀渀
∠ 䈀甀稀稀 昀攀椀琀攀渀 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀
so there are things about the guitars that are
pretty similar. I’ve learned about the things that
can happen with a classic design. If you’ve
⼀瀀攀琀攀爀猀漀渀琀甀渀攀爀猀
owned a hundred Strats, you’ve owned a
hundred Strats that sound totally different from
each other and you’ve scratched your head
吀栀攀 匀漀甀渀搀 漀昀 倀爀攀挀椀猀椀漀渀
like, “How’s that even possible?” If that first
statement I said, where this design is so classic
꤀㈀ 㔀 倀攀琀攀爀猀漀渀 吀甀渀攀爀猀⸀ 吀栀攀 琀攀爀洀猀 匀眀攀攀琀攀渀攀搀 吀甀渀椀渀最 愀渀搀 匀琀爀漀戀漀䌀氀椀瀀 愀爀攀 琀爀愀搀攀洀愀爀欀猀 漀昀 倀攀琀攀爀猀漀渀 䔀氀攀挀琀爀漀ⴀ䴀甀猀椀挀愀氀 倀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀Ⰰ 䤀渀挀⸀
䈀甀稀稀 䘀攀椀琀攀渀 吀甀渀椀渀最 匀礀猀琀攀洀 椀猀 愀 爀攀最椀猀琀攀爀攀搀 琀爀愀搀攀洀愀爀欀 漀昀 䈀甀稀稀 䘀攀椀琀攀渀 䐀攀猀椀最渀 䌀漀⸀Ⰰ 䤀渀挀⸀
is true, why does it provide such a variety of
May June 2016
CollectibleGuitar.com
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