Dueling Lutists
So you know I used to make guitars, a craft called lutherie, because guitar-making descended from lute-making. Now you know that too.
In October of 1980 my friends Paul Hallowell and Jeff Hixson—the fabulous rythym section of Band X, the group I used to mix sound for—and I, drove to L.A. from Phoenix to see Yes perform on the Drama tour. I carried with me a set of plans to make a unique electric guitar for Steve Howe who I had photographed two years before at the Sportpaleis Ahoy in Rotterdam. I don't remember if we'd bought tickets, but my usual ploy to get into concerts for free was to hang around the stage door before the afternoon soundcheck and offer to help the roadies load in equipment. Paul, Jeff and I lounged around in the grass behind the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena with a good view of arriving vehicles, waiting for our moment. Soon enough Steve Howe arrived alone in the back of a limo. He recognized me (or feared our frantic waving) and had the limo driver stop to pick us up for the 90 yard ride to the stage entrance. We were escorted in and received our ACCESS ALL AREAS badges
and drank the crew's Heinekens in the hospitality room, earning scowls from road manager Jim Halley. While Steve changed strings and tuned up to a dozen or more instruments I showed him the guitar plans. Unenthusiastic, he kindly commented that he had a ton of guitars, but what he'd really like was an electric lute.
It took me almost a year to research, design and build an electric lute (I was still a full-time camera salesman at Guild Camera) and I built it entirely on spec since I didn't know if it was a viable instrument. When it was finished Marian and I flew to London with the lute in a hand made case that looked remarkably like a baby's coffin. I didn't declare it with Customs, and they didn't ask—a good policy I think, for lutes at least—not dead babies. I phoned up Steve and he came round to our hotel and sampled the lute. He wanted to spend time with it before deciding to purchase it and it meant spending a couple of evenings with Steve and his wonderful wife Jan dining out... and dining in... listening to Django Reinhardt on the groovy stereo and viewing his huge guitar collection and recording studio.
I've been in touch with Steve lately and he still has the lute. He's never played it on stage, because probably it's not a very good electric lute. But it's still the ONLY electric lute I know of.
In the dueling lute photo, Steve plays the part of Ronny Cox and I play the in-bred hillbilly.
Only with much less musical talent.
In October of 1980 my friends Paul Hallowell and Jeff Hixson—the fabulous rythym section of Band X, the group I used to mix sound for—and I, drove to L.A. from Phoenix to see Yes perform on the Drama tour. I carried with me a set of plans to make a unique electric guitar for Steve Howe who I had photographed two years before at the Sportpaleis Ahoy in Rotterdam. I don't remember if we'd bought tickets, but my usual ploy to get into concerts for free was to hang around the stage door before the afternoon soundcheck and offer to help the roadies load in equipment. Paul, Jeff and I lounged around in the grass behind the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena with a good view of arriving vehicles, waiting for our moment. Soon enough Steve Howe arrived alone in the back of a limo. He recognized me (or feared our frantic waving) and had the limo driver stop to pick us up for the 90 yard ride to the stage entrance. We were escorted in and received our ACCESS ALL AREAS badges
and drank the crew's Heinekens in the hospitality room, earning scowls from road manager Jim Halley. While Steve changed strings and tuned up to a dozen or more instruments I showed him the guitar plans. Unenthusiastic, he kindly commented that he had a ton of guitars, but what he'd really like was an electric lute.
It took me almost a year to research, design and build an electric lute (I was still a full-time camera salesman at Guild Camera) and I built it entirely on spec since I didn't know if it was a viable instrument. When it was finished Marian and I flew to London with the lute in a hand made case that looked remarkably like a baby's coffin. I didn't declare it with Customs, and they didn't ask—a good policy I think, for lutes at least—not dead babies. I phoned up Steve and he came round to our hotel and sampled the lute. He wanted to spend time with it before deciding to purchase it and it meant spending a couple of evenings with Steve and his wonderful wife Jan dining out... and dining in... listening to Django Reinhardt on the groovy stereo and viewing his huge guitar collection and recording studio.
I've been in touch with Steve lately and he still has the lute. He's never played it on stage, because probably it's not a very good electric lute. But it's still the ONLY electric lute I know of.
In the dueling lute photo, Steve plays the part of Ronny Cox and I play the in-bred hillbilly.
Only with much less musical talent.
posted by B A R T at 11:45 AM
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