Gretsch Guitars – George Harrison Duo Jet Contest

I thought this was a cool thing to post since many people would be interested; well, at least I hope a few.  As many would agree, Gretsch guitar’s are probably one of the most well-known and respected instruments in the World.  Nearly every musician I know has always mentioned that owning one would be the sole “prized possesion” of their collection.  Whether you play Rockabilly, Punk, or Jazz, Gretsch guitars are the “holy-grail” of the hollow-body guitar World and the sound they create many would say is impossible to replicate.  Regardless of how well they sound they are also visually striking curves and colors, not to mention that they use top end materials and the attention to detail truly make a Gretsch guitars highly collectible. As result hey are also priced accordingly; often a base models selling for around $2,000 or more.

Cool artists like Chet Atkins, Brian Setzer (ex-Stray Cats), Jim Heath (Reverend Horton Heat), Eddie Cochran, and even Tim Armstrong  (Rancid) all play Gretsch guitars (and even have their own personal models, how cool!); it would be fair to say that many of them owe their sound and ability to play with ease thanks  the Gretsch instruments.  This month Gretsch has decided to pay dubious homage to Beatle great George Harrison and create a model in his memory, for a mere $20,000!   Doesn’t leave you much left to afford lessons, eh?  Perhaps the price is due to you getting one of George’s personal guitar picks with the guitar, hmmmm, still seems like a rip of a thrown in for $20,000.  Perhaps, say, it included one of his personal guitar cases it might be somewhat better, but a guitar pick?

 

Oh, and you also get an original 1987  7-inch pressing of his hit “I Got My Mind Set On You”, uh, I think I can get this at a used record store for about $1.00???????????????  C’mon Gretsch, you can do sooooo much better than that, no?

Perhaps the real reason is the amount of time and attention that was put into re-creating the model he actually played to exact specifications, and I guess it would be important to add that on 60 are being made.

Well, for most of us average blue collar, tight budgeted folks, the best we can hope to demo a Gretsch in our lifetime would be at Guitar Center under the watchful eye of management giving us about 10 seconds.    Luckily, the company has created an open contest to win one of these incredible Harrison creations.  Regardless whether you know how to play or not doesn’t matter, the thought of owning this righteous guitar more than makes up for my ability to play a note.

If you are interested in entering the contest click here, and hey, if you win you’ve got let us know!

Ringo Starr or Ringo “Space Cadet”?

I was talking to a friend the other day and he asked me if I was going to make the trip to see Ringo Starr on tour this summer at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and the answer would be a flat “no”!  

But, this question lead me to pay some thought to Ringo and his solo work…did I like it or not?  Honestly, when I think of Ringo the first thing that comes to mind these days is the movie Caveman; certainly not the highlight of his career but there isn’t much that Ringo has done that has really made me really pay homage to this ex-Beatle.

Yes, Ringo did contribute It Don’t Come Easy, With a Little Help From My Friends and Octopus’ Garden, and they are timeless classics in their own right, but what has he released in the last 10 albums?  For the past decade or so Ringo has toured with his “All-Star band”, which honestly are more “all-has-been’s” rather than “All-Stars”.  For instance, when was the last time you heard Rick Derringer (his big hit -  1974′s Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo) or Edgar Winter (his hits -  1975′s Frankenstein and Free Ride)?  Neither have rocked the charts for nearly 40 years, so “All-Stars” I think not.  Perhaps Ringo Starr and the 70′s One Hit Wonders might be a more appropriate  don’t you think?

I know that this entry will receive a plethora of hate mail and well, that is the risk that I am taking trouncing a former Beatle.  But in retrospect there is not much you can really say that Ringo has contributed past those few songs.  I like Ringo, I really do, but there is a part of me that just rolls my eyes that people consider him worthy of spending $85 – $110 to see,him and his band, yikes!  Unlike George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and of course, John Lennon Ringo’s contributions to music fare in comparision.

Perhaps it’s the simple fact that he was a Beatle with a cool name that appeals to people to spend the money; I really don’t know.  As a drummer Ringo was mediocre at best, even Lennon was asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world he replied jokingly ”he’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles”.  It must be mentioned that Lennon later did point out that Ringo’s ability was far underated as was Paul’s bass playing. So , clearly whether you consider him the luckiest drummer in the world or a virtuoso in percussion one thing remains…he was a Beatle and there’s no point in arguing that fact.

I still wrestle with the fact that Ringo has been able to survive all these years, touring and making albums that really no one buys and no one really seems to take the time to listen in earnest.  Clearly Ringo is also  the luckiest musician in the world and perhaps just being a former Beatle is justification enough to keep going and milking the legacy. With the performers that Ringo surrounds himself they are clearly a draw for a much older generation of listeners; and listeners who are eager to see Winter and Derringer believe it or not, ugh. 

If you see a Ringo show please let us know what you think and whether it was the price of the ticket, here at HiFi Central we are very curious.

Happy 70th Birthday Ringo!