Tag Archives: freddie king

Here are some really great bargains for all of you out there with the cash-money to burn that you saved on your guitar education through the JAMORAMA LEAD GUITAR course.  Head to ebay and type in Gibson – it’s a fresh month for big name celebrities! Lets put our collective money where are mouths are and lay some  greenbacks down!

1. dR. O`s White House performance Gibson guitar  – $1,000,000 U.S.

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dR. O played this 1954 Gibson ES175 at the White House on 09 11 07 in Lafayette Park.

dR. O is successfully using his ebay auction to drive traffic to his myspace page – clever.

An absolute steal at the low, low price of one million bucks.

Doctor Who?

2. Michael Jackson Signed 1952 Gibson Les Paul  – $185,000 U.S.

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Tito Jackson played on this Gibson at the 1994 Jackson Family Awards and the guitar is signed by This guitar was signed by, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Randy Jackson and also Michael Jackson!

Unfortunately it`s not possible to wear a spangly glove whilst playing this baby.

3. Gibson Les Paul Standard Premium Plus guitar personally owned by Les Paul – $75,000 U.S.

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The vendor acquired it through a fund raising event for the Uniformed Firefighters’ Association Widows and Children Fund after the tragic NYC attacks of 9/11.  It was given to Peter Ortel, a retired New York City fireman from Rescue 3.  He painted the poignant September 11 scenes on the guitar and it was returned to Les Paul to be signed.  With his signature intact the guitar was then sent to be displayed in the lobby of Madison Square Garden in New York City for roughly eight months.  In December of 2002 the guitar was auctioned on eBay to raise funds for the families of our fallen heroes. It has been played…but…sparingly and with kid gloves. Mint / Near Mint + Condition.  Serial number 02441***.  Having it displayed has brought me, my family, and our friends a great since of pride in our Country, and our Citizens.

4. Oliver Leibers 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom Guitar -$65,000 U.S.

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Producer and songwriter Oliver Leiber’s produced Paula Abdul’s first album, “Forever Your Girl.”

Selling between ten and twelve million copies worldwide, Leiber’s songwriting prowess, demonstrated by writing the hit singles “Opposites Attract”,  “It’s Just The Way That You Love Me” and “Forever Your Girl”  factored highly into that album’s mainstream popular appeal.

Leiber’s also collaborated with Irish singing multi-platinum group, the Corrs.

Leiber’s next went on the road with veteran rocker Rod Stewart.

5. Tronical Powertune Stratocaster with Gibson Robot Machines – $50,ooo U.S.

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This custom made guitar features one of the few Tronical Powertune Systems ever made for a Strat before Tronical signed an exclusive agreement with Gibson and stopped making them. This is destined to become a rare piece of guitar history that you won’t find for sale anywhere else (but of course I can’t guarantee that).strat 300x225 6 Affordable Gibson guitars

Maple neck with ebony fretboard and standard (med-jumbo) frets. Poplar body with hand rubbed dove white tinted finish creates a smooth natural wood feel. Seymour Duncan JB model humbucker.

Comes with Fender hardshell case and Tronical Powertune box and manuals. AMAZINGLY good looking and unique stratocaster.

If anyone would like to buy me this baby…please go right ahead!

5. 1967 Gibson ES 355 owned by Freddie King -$47,500 U.S.

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This is one of several ES 355s that Freddie owned as well as a ES 345 and several Les Pauls. The guitar was built in 1967. The Serial # 580445 is from a time when Gibson often duplicated serial numbers, sometimes up to 4 times. The date of 1967 is probably within a year.

Freddie had disabled the Gibson tremolo and added a tail stop.

The guitar has been inspected under black light and there has been no repairs. As you can see by the photos, it has seen many road miles. I have an appraisal done in August of 2000 in Nashville by James Jaworowicz of Memphis Memorabilia. At that time the appraisal value in 2000 was between $35,000 and $37,500.00.

Included with the paperwork, is rather humorous letter written by a tech that was traveling with one of Freddie’s opening bands. It tells of how he was stenciling the bands new equipment and Freddie asked to borrow the stencils. Together the two of them stenciled the guitar case” Freddie King-Texas Cannonball – Fragle”, misspelling the word “Fragile”.

6.1992 Gibson Explorer ZZ Top Billy Gibbons Signed Art -$20,000 U.S.

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Up for auction is this 1992 Gibson Explorer in white finish Signed by all of the members of ZZ top….Dusty, Billy and Frank. With one of a kind artwork by the Reverend Billy Gibbons! All original. MADE IN THE USA!!

This is a fine example of ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTWORK by Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame artist Billy Gibbons.

Get this great piece for your house or office.  Will include Oak or Cherrywood Display Case absolutely free!!  A $500 value.

You have to grow your own beard though people.

Well, That`s all folks, you know where I am, I`ll take the strat and the 355.
Cheers…

Jake Edwards

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Is the path to blues perfection one note , played underwater in a glass of lemonade with a mouth full of petrol?

elvis underwater Blues Fundamentals
freddieking Blues Fundamentals

FREDDIE KING: Freddie King (1934-1976)


After finding an online video teaching the two-fret (whole tone) string bend as a fundamental blues lick, there has been a certain degree of disagreement around the office as to whether this simple bend can constitute a blues fundamental.

GreenPetrolCanTH Blues Fundamentals

Does the simple two fret, tone long string bend qualify as a lick? Well I think it does and Dave thinks that it can`t.
So, we`ve grabbed an acoustic and tested the hypothesis.

54638494 o Blues Fundamentals

How can something as simple as this elicit so much passionate debate?

Well, it`s all about emotion, passion and technique. A simple string bend is, although fundamental to guitar playing, nothing, without emotion. This emotion comes from experience. Some people claim to move the molecules rather than the strings and at the end of the day the TRUTH about guitar playing is that it`s in your hands… in every sense.

For me the ultimate blues lick would probably have to consist of only one note and some might say that maybe no-one has played it yet. On Texas Cannonball Freddie King’s “Pack It Up”, and “Shake Your Booty Baby” King takes this simple single bend technique and pushes it to its emotional maximum. The Album Freddie King 1934-1976 proves just exactly what a master guitarist can do with timing & expression and exactly why  Eric Clapton has always considered Freddie the true master of Blues Guitar.  Both Eric and Freddie get together on this album on “Further on up the Road” and this track is worth the price of the album alone.

If you wanna hear blues playing that just really, really cooks like a blister burning on the surface of the sun this album is the real deal. If you play the guitar and you`d like to develop the kind of passion and string control that will take you somewhere then this is one of the top ten albums in your list of must haves. King squeezes each note like a lemon from start to finish on this record and the result is pure blues lemonade of the highest order.

The instrumental “Hideaway”, Clapton`s tour de force with Mayalls Bluesbreakers  Beano Album is actually Freddie King`s track and you can hear more of the three King`s and Buddy Guy’s, wonderful influence on Clapton`s phenomenal Just One Night Album.

The ultimate blues lick consists of just one note, your hands and ensuring you`re on fire every time you play.

So Drink petrol.

Cheers,

Jake Edwards

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Here`s English guitarist Robin Trower, formerly of Procul Harem, playing the title track from his 1974 classic rock album Bridge of Sighs. Robin plays his own signature stratocaster which is an EXACT version of the one you can buy through Fender, although, when playing live Robin tunes his guitar a full step down, to a DGCFAD tuning. Robin`s tone is achieved through playing into several Marshall heads at high, high volume. Hendrix comparisons have plagued Trowers work but anyone who knows their onions will notice that Hendrix` rhythmic legacy from his days playing with Curtis Knight and Little Richard for example is not present in the fluid legato and unhurried melodic content of Robin Trower`s playing.
You need to have a look at Freddie, B.B. and Albert King for that…
1990`s “In the Line of Fire” is a also a great later album.

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Hair metal poodles and spandex clad rockers beware..!

There are ways to burn on the guitar that far surpass the egocentric simplicity and slavery to technique of that whole guitar school, speed focused, sweep picking, notes for notes sake playing that occurs in a vacuum devoid of taste, subtlety and emotion. A while back I posted here about tasty solos and in a way all of these are shredders in the following sense:

The guitar as an instrument is emotive, not mechanical, slick or polished unless it needs to be as part of the expression – e.g. a Freddie King Lick, an Albert King bend, a Clapton phrase, the Leslie West tone, Hendrix` sustain etcetera…..What makes these kinds of players special is the integrity and honesty in the ability of their playing to communicate something very human and powerful – emotion, character, experience and individuality.

it`s a combination of melody or lack thereof, timing, timbre, attack, tone, technique and more; imperfection, humanity, frailty, strength, ambition, fear and glory. It`s ALL FEEL playing the guitar, nothing else, especially if you`ve a great song to do it with! J.J. Cale is a great example of a musician whose delivery, content, songwriting and even message seems to consist almost entirely of feel, and feel alone – incredible.  Then again someone like Paul Gilbert really, really cooks up  storm! Find what you like and mix it all together.

SO, it IS up to you entirely – there is an entire genre of speed/technique worthy of admiration ranging from neo-classicists such as Yngwie Malmsteen or Gary Moore (try the album After the War) – who has incidentally “reinvented” himself as a blues player – to the insane dexterity and sweep picking of Batio below….one day it`ll be so fast you can’t even hear it!! Mark Knpfler always seemed fast enough for me….

But if you feel good shredding, get down to it and have look at the video below especially between 1.40 minutes and 2.20 minutes. Michael Angelo Batio fast, very, very fast; or J.J.Cale…very, very slow…..mmmm

Cheers,

Jake Edwards

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