The content of this page will change from time to time. This is just a
place where I post demo mp3's that customers have sent in, and some fun
links that I have happened upon and would like to share. I've kind of
run out of room on the home page to put all the demos there. It is starting to make the home page load slower so I thought I would move some of them here.
'65 Stratocaster Pickup set demos by John Barry
I made a custom set of stratocaster pickups for John to precise 1965 specs and some very specific Hendrix and piano like clean tones he was looking for. He really likes them and sent me lots of demos. Within a short while his brother ordered a set like them as well. I am currently getting magnets made to order so I can offer a production set like these. I picked a dozen clips for now to put up on here.
John recorded these on several different amps, he is a Houston based songwriter and the originator and moderator of a couple of tube amp facebook groups. You might want to check them out. There are some demos posted there also.
Here's a fun link on You Tube. I like to study stuff like this to help me try to better re-create the pickups that were made here. You are watching some of what are now many of the most desirable guitars on earth while they were being made.
The video says 1959, but it was later determined that the original 8mm film was shot in 1957 by Forrest White. There is a complete DVD available of this with lots of explanation of what is shown. View on You Tube and scroll down on the page for a link to the entire work on Amazon.com. There are photos of Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares at 0.21 and a very young Abigail Ybarra at 5:58 among many others at work in their prime days. It was a real sweat shop, as there was no air conditioning. There were no automatic machines either. No OSHA regulations, no facemasks, sometimes no shirts. and no pre-rehearsed shots. Just a candid film of skilled craftspeople at their daily jobs. For skill, just watch that bandsaw guy. (By the way, it has now been noted he's Fred Fullerton, George Fullerton's father) The video is well worth watching. If you do a search on youtube there are several videos like this but with more details. Here is one of the best from the Fullerton Musem. It's some of the same original material from Forrest White but with comments and a lot of stuff that was edited out of the first one. Part 2 of the video includes shots by Forrest of a lot of the old time greats at the NAMM show from other makers, not just Fender folks. He was friends with many if not most of the major players of the day like Noel Boggs, Barney Kessel, Chet Atkins, etc. Wish there was sound but still it's definitely worth watching. Video Part 1Video Part 2
Telecaster Master
Here's another great You Tube Video. At one point, Danny Gatton was my Tele hero. He was such a great player and instructor, but he's gone now. To me, overall, BB is still the king, and EC is still the strat god, but my latest choice for master of the telecaster is Big John Stannard, of Austin, USA and the UK. Actually what he's playing is a vintage Esquire. Also I have always had a fondness for pedal steel guitar since my pre-teen days when my uncle wanted to teach the pedal steel to me. David Hartley is as good a steel man as any I have heard. This video of David Hartley and John Stannard rehearsing is kind of a paparazzi's view of how some of the true guitar masters of the universe relax. Sadly, big John is gone now, but still enjoy - for an old country boy like me, this is about as good as it ever gets.
I should mention here that I put this video up strictly as a fan, and mainly because I like these two guys' talent and how they both played. I haven't made any pickups for either of them.
