[ Phil ] It’ s worth over $ 300,000 today, at least more now, because in‘ 94 it was quoted to be worth that then. Thing is I had no idea that I was holding onto a goldmine. I traded it in 1971 for a Les Paul Deluxe, the one I still have today. You’ ll see on the Ph’ lip Side album cover or when I was in Glass Harp, Synergy, I had that same guitar.
[ WM ] What about the Master and the Musician? On the cover of the album artwork there is a Les Paul laying on the wood table …
[ Phil ] That was the‘ 71 Les Paul Deluxe. The Deluxe that had Humbuckers put in it, the mini- Humbuckers were taken out. And Virgil Lay, he worked on that guitar and put the PAFs in it. No, the regular humbuckers. But then I don’ t know which ones are in there now, but they sound great. So that’ s my Les Paul story. I still love that old 1971 Deluxe, even though it weighs more every year. It gets heavier every year. So, my favorite electric guitar really is my old white Zion.
[ WM ] Because you played a Zion is why I became a Zion dealer when I managed a music store back in the 80’ s. Tell me about meeting Ken Hoover and when you finally switched to playing the Zion?
[ Phil ] Well, they put a few different guitars in my hands back in the 84, 85, 86. And Kenny Marshall was working for him at the time. I loved Ken Hoover. What a wonderful guy. He was a beautiful brother in the Lord. And so I was going on tour with Bryan Duncan or Russ Taff, and they would put a new guitar in my hand. One was called The Glider or something like that. But then one time Kenny Marshall came to a gig I was doing with a band and he said,“ Hey, Phil, check this guitar out.” It’ s the white Zion that you see on the cover of The Wind and the Wheat. I used it on the that record and I’ ve been using it ever since. It’ s probably the guitar I play 80 % of the time on all my sessions.
I had a new neck put on it just about three years ago. A man named Shannon Godio replaced
34 July 2026 Subscribe for Free...