Music dreams & basses

As  a rather average guitarplayer with the background in Beatles, I natuarly hoped that one day I would become a great player. How many of us have shared the same dream. to be as good as, or even better then our idolds, like George Harrison, Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, HB Marvin and all the other great players.

 

I was soon to realise that among 1000 good  guitarplayers there was less then one, that was actually something special. Anyway I kept on playing, and met other guitarplayers as good as, and natuaarly much better then I was-am.

starting a rock band in the 60-ies was often a couple of freinds starting the band. Often the one with less experiance of bassplaying was the one to fulfill this as we thought not so important part of the band. today I know much better, a band need a good drummer, an even better bassplayer and the rest is no problems.

After a struggle in search for bassplayer to my band PBP in the beguinning of 1990 We did meet with a brilliant bassplayer. A bit shye he was, but God how he could make his own made basses sound. The hole band was amazed by his skills and natuarly we offered him a part of the band. A part that He ssaid, alright Ill do one gig with you, youre not good enough.

The gig went okey and everybody was happy. Unfortinutly the band fell apart and went in to a state of coma for a couple of years. While Peter the great bassplayer possibly started to play with other bands.

In his sparetime he also buildt a couple of really nice bass-guitars. Exellent guitars that may be worth a fortune at this very moment. I dont know if He ever sold any of them, but for sure they was as his skill in playing em. Exelllent!!

Unfortinutly Peters life turned to a different direction, by now the Swedish Courts are to decide if Peter is to be found guilty of a couple of murders. Anyway, He might be found in a jail somewhere building new, and playing on His great basses.

all guitars & pictures (C) Peter Mangs

more music dreams

Then it´s the question in regards of the very very beguinning. In the year of 1965 my schoolday´s came to an ending and I started me first job in a music shop called "Pianomagasinet" in the rather small town of Trollhättan. 

NOHAB locomotive made by Trolls in Trollhättan

Jeteninge / Volvo Flygmotor

Know mainly for the production of Locomotives, Aeroengines and 2-stroke cars named SAAB.

SAAB made by Trolls in Trollhättan, her the desing o 

Bo Zolland

The area know as "Trestad" Three towns (not the beer) was also know for the extreme amount of pop-rockbands in the area. More then 350 different groups was in action hoping for a career in music. 

The Shop I worked in was one out of two similar shops in the area, one of them still exist called Rämjes Musik. Anyway among the popular items sold to the bands was natuarly the VOX amps. The AC30 and 50 was expensive but popular. Kind of top of the line - top of the dreams among the bands.

"Swede singers" during rehersal

Among the bands was a  group called the Swede Singers. A vocal group in the style of american Four Freshman. They didnt only sing, they was extremly talanted musicians. Maybe caused by their talent they soon was into building their own studio and why not build a realy nice amplifier.

So how did they do it? After a short discussion possibly they went to our musicshop and asked my boss and shopowner to borrow two amplifiers. Two Vox´s, AC30 and 50 left the shop and was brought back a week later.

As a result of this arrangement, together with some Tecnician´s from Förstärkartjänst-Trollhättan the New GROPE guitar amplifier was developed. A VOX-clone no doubt about it. In all main details the amp was copied. Even the cabinet styling was the same but excvlusivly made in Teak.

The GROPE guitaramplifier had two channels, and was fitted with two 12" FANE 16ohm speaker. There was no tremolo or reverb in the unit. App 35 units was produced and sold mainly in the Three Town area.

Ream weiv of the amp

A couple of weeks later the first amps was delivered to our musicshop. Among the bands buying this new amplifier was "Strömkarlarna" (backing band to the female singer Laila Westersund). As often as I could I fired up the amp and enjoy´d it. Natuarly I was one of those musicians hoping to buy this low priced VOX-clone. the fact still tells that ever since then I hav´nt even seen one of those amps. I contacted members from the Swede Singers but none of them did have one of the old amp´s. In my dreams i hoped there was a GROPE amp hidden in their closet.

At least one of those first amps broke down and was sent to the recyclingbuisness some years ago. SHIT!

Today for the first time in years I check´d the adverts on internet, and there it was. 

The great VOX-clone from Trollhättan. The GROPE guitar amplifier on sale at 11000,oo skr.

Who will buy this Amplifier, a true part of Swedens musical history. I dont have the money, only the dream.

Life could be a dream

So what´s gonna be written this time. As a Burns-fanatic one of me interest´s is to search the internet for old Burns equipment for sale. 

this is the Burns Orbit Six from 1964-66. An amplifier that even for most Burns fanatics didnt exist at all. a huge 75 watt combo with three channels and 3 x 12" speakers. Still its the real thing and extremly rare, on sale at ebay.usa.

It was a rainy day in Gothenburg the year of 1968, when a young me took his place behind the stering wheel of a light blue Volvo Amazon Sports. After a three hour drive to Malmoe he parked the car outside Hagström Music Store. It was ten minutes to Six and soon closing time. He entered the shop running and  the staff didnt seam at all pleased to show him one out of two brand new Gibson Barney Kessel guitars. One of the guitars was already sold to a wellknown Swedish guitarplayer. Mr Berndt Öst of the Family Four band.

Ten minutes later the young man left the shop with a huge guitarcase in his hand. He opened the door to his old Volvo and placed the new guitar in the backseat. A guitar that had cost him more then 8000.oo swedish crowns. the same as the price for 4-5 Strats!!!

a year later the guitar was stolen and no insurance to cater for its cost´s!!!!

The memory of that guitar have not left me and when different guitarfactories in Japan started to make the famous Lawsuit copies the possibility to buy such a guitar appered. Well not for me cause of my extremly bad economy.

Well my dream was still in mind and suddenly those copies was on sale as second hand guitars. A lot of them was tested but the economy was still bad. Then suddenly the other day an Ibanez Barney Kessel Lawsuit guitar was up for sale at a swedish marketplace, at only 4500,oo!!!

Nothing in the world could stop me from calling the owner who told the guitar was sold, but also regret the sale when he realised that I would have offered him two of my guitars in exchange for the guitar. pofff   no deal...

Being a Burns fanatic make me look for Burns guitars every now and then, the white Baldwin Burns Double Six was a rare find in White. Very rare on sale as a true collectors item and not for me. I have to dream about purchase of one of the new models made in Korea.

Heres yet another finding. An Ampeg-Burns Jazz Splitsound made in 1963 when Burns factory made guitars to be sold under the Ampeg-Burns badge. This red one is one out of five guitars in this special order colour.

end of dreams

more about

Time once again to write a few words and hopefully post some pictures,

back to basic´s

As the "pbp-band" is in progress. You´ll find more about it at another blog-site. 

park bench petting

During me last weeks I´ve been at the Westcoast paradise. Trying hard to repair our car and make the yacht ready for the 2012 season. But some days it´s been raining cats n dogs so I´ll been inside playing music, and trying hard to find the perfect version of those songs Ive written. 

Already when the last word and note is placed on paper, in my ears i could hear the finished product, song. I know exactly how it should sound, what style, rhytm. Its then up to me and my different recording gadgets to make it come true. Something that seldom happens, possibly cause I dont have the right skills with all the electronic studio gadgets, or even the fact that I´m not that good as a musician!

One thing I know for sure is that my skill´s in playing lead-guitar could make anyone cry. Already as a youngster I forced me fingers to produce the most delicat chord´s on the guitar. Maybe it all started when I was learning to play  the chords to "If I fell" by the Beatles. An endless row of difficult chords put together in a perfect harmony.

So I became a Rhytm-guitar player no doubt about that, and if it was a qusetion of playing melodic lead-tunes there was no problem, maybe cause I knew how to read music.

I do still envy all those fantastic guitar-players that can listen to the harmonies of a tune, and then in a second play the perfect lead-riff.

So why  the hell do I write and complain about this?

During a late night hour a few days ago i wrote a new song, its kind of rock n roll with a rather simple harmony structure. An hour or so later - or earlier cause by now it was a new day the backing to the song was recorded! With no lead-guitar riffs!!!

By now I spent at least 10 hours in hope to learn how to perform some kind of lead-guitar riff suitible for that song. with almost no luck at all. So the work on me new song continues in hope that i will learn to play a lead-riff that suit´s the song. Over and over again i try different versions...

A couple of weeks ago a Facebook friend of mine Mr Rob Taylor living in Canada with a new forum-site for musicians. NuMuBu. A great way to get new contacts all over the globe, contacts who share your interest for music. Try it out!!!! By the way, Rob seams to know all great musicians in the world and natuarly He also do  own a couple of nice Burns guitars.

NuMuBu

 Already in the 60-ies Burns made one of the best electric 12-string guitars in the world. Used by world renown artist like the Searchers, Mark Knofler, Elvis Presley...

Burns Double Six and Elvis Presley

the New Burns Double Six Apache

As this model isnt in my Burns collection I set up this pic in hope to make my very own 

"BURNS DOUBLE SIX"

 my Double Six´s

And so back to my thought´s and findings of nice guitar´s and amp´s.

A quick trip to the nearest town Uddevalla gave me the opportunity to not only see but also try a realy nice guitar.

Jim Burns

Once upon a time Jim Burns in London wanted to produce a guitar to compete with the Gibson ES serie´s. The result was a hybrid between an electric guitar and a C&W styled guitar, baptised the Virginian. I dont know how many that actually was produced, and I have only seen a couple of those guitar in real life.

the Fender Jaguar 1962 and the Gibson ES 335

The lead singer of a very popular pop-dance group "Sven Ingvars" use to play one in the early 60-ies. 

Sven Ingvars witha Burns Virginian

Trio me Bumba, popular band in the 60-ies that play´d as one of 

the bands at the Beatles first tour in Sweden.

What strike´s Me is that caused by importproblems from the US lots of Scandinavian bands used different Burns guitars, instead of the Fender and Gibson models.  So did the gentleman in Uddevalla who bought this Burns Virginian new in 1966, and kept it ever since. So I got the opportunity to meet with a 46 year old guitar.

Burns Virginian 1965

Have to admit, even if it was in need of new strings and a set up, it was still a great guitar. The neck was strait, the guitar only show some dents in it topfinish caused by age. Just before my arrival the owner Tom Nordblom lifted the guitar and heard a noice inside of it. Just to realise that inside the guitar was still the original tool-kit!!!

Tom Nordblom Orchestra in the 60-ies. 

To me a fairly new band called the Bejing Beatles show up playing all Burns guitars on the YouTube video. 20 minutes of nostalgia in Asian style.

the Bejing Beatles

Playing heavy metal rock on Burns guitars is to be found at this to me unknown Russian Rockband.

are you lucky

Are you lucky some might ask You, and somewhere down the line I´m told it can actually happen. My search for a COOL Bassplayer to the band ended up at a Bassplayers forum where I did place an ad! As a result of this ad several answers was to be found in me mailbox. 

F-ing brilliant musicians that seamed eager to be a part of our band. aged 21 - 52 years educated over their head´s! I was up for some real problems for sure. Witch one of em would have the qualifications that we hoped to find.  Not only a great bassplayer but also someone who was keen on the idea´s with this very special band. The last question to be answered, someone ready for the challange of the "kinky-scene!?"

In those  mail´s there was questions in regards of musicstyle, gigs and everything. Questions that somehow was real hard to answer.  Among those mail´s was a polite mail coming from a young bassplayer, in my direct oppinion He was far to young to push into the Fetish-BDSM scene. Still He was the only one that gave his phone-number. 


So I started off with sending a couple of answering mail´s to those a bit older bloke´s. While i was building up me confindance to make the call to this youngster!


My intention was to scare Him off right away, and that bugger made a fool out of Me! After a long conversation I was confident that this 21 year old bassplayer would be perfect for our band! further calls and a couple of mail´s told Me I was bloody f-ing Right!







Still we dont know what to call him, but maybe the perfet name for this Bassplaying Monster would be "Friar Tuck"

music gang