Blues Legends and the tools of their trade
It is common for guitar lovers of all abilities to have certain masters of guitar that they look up to and try to emulate.
Of course it is not possible to play like any of the greatest guitarists as there are so many combinations possible when creating sound and tone.
What exactly contributes to the sound and tone of a guitarist is a multitude of elements such as the style of guitar being used, the type of pickups, the settings of the pickups, the guage of guitar strings being played, and of course the amplifier and how it is setup – and this is even before considering the actual player and how they manipulate the strings.
Two masters of guitar I immediately think of mind when one thinks of the Blues genre of music and those players are John Lee Hooker and BB King.
A particularly fantastic guitar that is uniquely connected to BB King is the Epiphone BB King Lucille electric guitar designed initially by Gibson. As well as being absolutely gorgeous to look at, it also has some very cool features such as stereo and Varitone .
BB King is a giant of a performer playing to audiences nearly, 5 nights a week, and the man is well into his 70’s.
An inspiration to all us youngsters who continue to plug away at the guitar. Follow BB’s lead and you can keep performing for audiences at your rest home!
Another great guitar I want to throw in the mix is the Epiphone Sheraton II guitar – a favorite of John Lee Hooker in the middle of the 60’s .
John Lee’s life is the story of blues legends – having been raised by poor farmers in the South he survived through some of the toughest periods in US history – the Depression followed by WWII before settling in postwar Chicago where he worked at Ford in the daytime and played in clubs at night. His real fame came in the late 70’s with his hit album ‘The Healer’ and he performed in the cult movie “The Blues Brothers”. The great John Lee died in 2001 and he left behind a rich legacy of his particular music style.
In the early part of his career John Lee predominantly played acoustic guitar but he moved to electric in the late 1940’s and began playing the Epiphone Sheraton guitar in the mid 6o’s.
Reissue guitars, being those that are copies of ones used by past guitar masters are generally of superior quality given they carry the name of a great player.
Owning such guitars gives a guitar player an opportunity to get a feel for the guitar equipment that the blues legends used.
