Colbert and the December 1sts
Stephen Colbert had his guitar-solo challenge with the guitarist from the December 1sts tonight. He played a Rick Nielsen five-necked guitar.
But this was not the five-necked guitar I am familiar with. The one I knew of was a Hamer, with a 12-string on top, two normal fixed-bridge necks with dual humbuckers in second and fourth, one with a tremolo in the middle, and a fretless on the bottom.
This one also had a 12-string on top, and a normal neck with humbucker second, and one with a tremolo third (but the tremolo on the other guitar was a Fender-style, and this one looked like a Bigsby-style). Instead of fretless on the bottom, it was a normal fretted neck with what appeared to be a different pickup configuration.
Most intriguing, however, was that the fourth neck appeared to be an 8-string bass. Seriously. The neck was longer than the others and it appeared to have eight tuners.
The headstocks looked Hamer-like, but it didn't appear to be the large "HAMER" mark I am used to seeing.
Update My former guitarist and Hamer buff (he has owned a few himself, I think he has two now) sends me this and this. The first link is a picture of a second version of the original, made more than 10 years after the original.
But the second link is the guitar I saw last night. I got many of the details right (including smaller typeface on headstock), though I forgot to mention the f-hole, and I wasn't sure if it was merely decorative (it wasn't!). And the 8-string neck is not a bass, it's a "mandocello." Neat!
But this was not the five-necked guitar I am familiar with. The one I knew of was a Hamer, with a 12-string on top, two normal fixed-bridge necks with dual humbuckers in second and fourth, one with a tremolo in the middle, and a fretless on the bottom.
This one also had a 12-string on top, and a normal neck with humbucker second, and one with a tremolo third (but the tremolo on the other guitar was a Fender-style, and this one looked like a Bigsby-style). Instead of fretless on the bottom, it was a normal fretted neck with what appeared to be a different pickup configuration.
Most intriguing, however, was that the fourth neck appeared to be an 8-string bass. Seriously. The neck was longer than the others and it appeared to have eight tuners.
The headstocks looked Hamer-like, but it didn't appear to be the large "HAMER" mark I am used to seeing.
Update My former guitarist and Hamer buff (he has owned a few himself, I think he has two now) sends me this and this. The first link is a picture of a second version of the original, made more than 10 years after the original.
But the second link is the guitar I saw last night. I got many of the details right (including smaller typeface on headstock), though I forgot to mention the f-hole, and I wasn't sure if it was merely decorative (it wasn't!). And the 8-string neck is not a bass, it's a "mandocello." Neat!
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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