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Post by jono1uk on Feb 25, 2022 21:01:23 GMT
even this forum gets mentioned.!
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Post by Michael Messer on Feb 25, 2022 23:58:53 GMT
Ramon has made a great video about Coodercasters. As well as seeing Ramon’s lovely playing, it’s good to see Henry Kaiser playing and talking. I first heard Henry’s playing back in the early 1980s, some solo stuff and also with the great player, Fred Frith.
Ramon made his first Coodercaster after seeing my Dave King Telecaster version of the Coodercaster and spending time reading about them on this forum. I have never called my instrument a Coodercaster, because while it does have the Supro lap-steel pickup, that is its only similarity to Ry’s guitar. Mine was as much inspired by the Supro Ozark guitar as Ry’s guitar. I was never trying to copy Ry’s sound, I was more interested in creating my own sound, which is what I did. Ry Cooder is one of my favourite slide players, but I have never tried to copy his or anybody’s sound.
Watch Ramon’s film, it’s excellent.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by leeophonic on Feb 26, 2022 9:21:05 GMT
I call mine my Kingcaster.....  |
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Post by thebluesbear( al) on Feb 26, 2022 9:38:52 GMT
Hi everyone
What a great film this , its great that this wonderful forum is acknowledged , and the whole sound of the Coodercaster type instruments is of great interest ...
great stuff..
al
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Post by Michael Messer on Feb 26, 2022 10:38:14 GMT
To my knowledge there are four, maybe five of these. Mine was the first that was already a half built guitar that Dave was never going to finish. So with my Oahu lap steel, some parts from my Danelectro and a piece of old scratch plate provided by Lee (leeophonic), the first King guitar, or Kingcaster was born. They were called King guitars because they coincided with the release of my album, King Guitar, and it seemed like a good idea for PR purposes. Then Dave built the koa one for a friend of mine and three, maybe four maple/mahogany ones, Lee’s and two others. Lee’s is the only one with the Horseshoe type pickup and I have a feeling that it may have been the one that set Rick Turner off on his path of building them. Shine On Michael |
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Post by leeophonic on Feb 26, 2022 13:24:46 GMT
Rick Turner had already made his Formica toped model T by the late 90s, where as mine did not come to be until 2001, it then did a little tour of guitar exhibitions (Linley Art of the Luthier) a couple of pictures in Guitarist and as part of the opening display of guitars at the LRC when the official Ribbon was cut and drinks stronger than tea where offered to all in attendance. It is a really comfortable guitar, I saw michaels which had hung on Dave,s kitchen wall for a while and fancied a tele for slide, at this time I had a ratty 52 model SD Rickenbacker and asked Dave if the pickup transplant could work, initially Dave was concerned there was not enough depth in the body until we put the rickenbacker and a telebody (Michaels) side by side and realised they were roughly the same, ebay provided the soapbar and the tuners were a set that Michael didn't want on his tele. Great Guitar I have others of a similar nature but none where it has so much of everyones DNA/story in the mix. Incidentally Dave did not have a workshop at the bottom of his garden at that time as it had not been built, so it was Daves Garage/workshop where it was built, mostly by hand with maybe a bandsaw. Lee As you will see I did end up getting a Rick Turner, I still have a Valco strings through pickup awaiting a guitar body (firebird offset style) but that is a slow burn  |
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Post by Michael Messer on Feb 26, 2022 14:46:33 GMT
Lee,
I didn't know that Rick was making them so far back in time, I also didn't know you have one. My King guitar was made in 2000 and had its first proper public appearance at BBC Maida Vale Studios for a session on the Paul Jones Blues Show. I say first proper public appearance because I played it at the Dove a few times while we honed down the setup and the wiring, which had some phasing and earth-noise issues. I have played that as my main electric guitar on the road and for studio work for 22 years. We have done a lot of miles, flights, gigs and recordings together and it's a beautiful thing!
Shine On
Michael
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Post by biscuit on Mar 31, 2022 9:21:08 GMT
Great video, I came across Ramon when conducting research for my Coodermaster build.
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