Hi Steve,
We met in Mill valley after a performance of the New Maihar Band (Ali Akbar College’s student ensemble) at the Sleeping Lady. I was playing Double Bass, not brilliantly. After the gig you introduced yourself, and here’s what I remember: “Hi, I’m Steve. I play guitar in the Goodman Brothers Band. I don’t know what you’d think of our music, but technically, I’m pretty excellent.”
I saw you play a couple of nights later, and you were right. Never forgot it.
After the gig I asked you about your guitar, which I see you still play. You told me who made it, but it’s slipped my mind.
What’s the story with that guitar?
John, NY
That’s the best story I’ve heard this century for sure. .
Also, I don’t think I would have said anything like that absent some humorous context, anyway, hopelessly naive. .
I loved that place tho. The park. .
The guitar was and still is a Guitar Lab NYC Explorer, built by Charles LoBue.
The guitar was acquired in a trade with Em Kay, the guitarist in our communal sister band Chumbi.
Em still lives in Fairfax as far as I know, still burning it up too. Great player, but his gig was Stratocaster, his speciality throwing them, and the Explorer was poorly balanced for the acrobatic routine as you can well imagine.
Anyway, I don’t remember the exact details of the trade 50 years ago, but it was probably 1 Explorer = 2 Strats.
The guitar has survived Chumbi and I more or less intact.
Still has the original “pre-DiMarzio” humbuckers Larry wound for it before he invented the aftermarket pickup business.
It’s been thru 2 or 3 PU selector switches and output jacks, refretted every few years Dunlop 6100, it’s on it’s second truss rod and second ebony fingerboard.
Currently has a fresher Schaller bridge and stop-tail from Explorer #3 on it, the original having dulled a bit. .
Mahogany, one piece body and neck. Stinger painted on back of headstock, I assume broken before I got it. Big air. .
24.75 scale length like a Les Paul, neck profile more like a Byrdland, thin and skinny.
I have three LoBue Explorers now and one fretless bass.
Listening to Cornell Dupree with Donny Hathaway live while I type.
Nice.