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| From | "Ray Brizzi" <fmsorigray@earthlink.net> |
| Subject | searchers guitars |
| Date | Mon, 24 Mar 2003 20:15:53 -0500 |
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The first google hit on Searchers brought up a webpage with a guitar
link.... http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/thesearchers/
THE SEARCHERS' GUITARS 1963 - 1998
From time to time we get requests from enthusiasts about the guitars The
Searchers have used over the years..
Probably the most talked-about guitar is John McNally's old late-50s Hofner
Club 60, originally in a blond finish but then resprayed black. It was used
on all of the recordings in 1963 and 1964. Mike Pender at this time used a
Burns Tri-Sonic, a three pickup cherry red model. Tony Jackson started with
a home-made Fender copy, and then moved on to a Hofner Beatle bass, the
small violin-shaped model also used by Paul McCartney. This instrument,
along with John's Club 60 in its original colour, can be seen in some early
Star Club photos.
When they could afford better instruments, Mike bought a very expensive
Gibson ES345 in a sunburst finish, and Tony purchased a Epiphone Rivoli
semi-acoustic bass guitar, a similar shape and also in sunburst. John
continued to use his Hofner.
When Frank Allen left Cliff Bennett's Rebel Rousers in August 1964 to join
The Searchers he was using a cherry red Gibson EBO bass which he had bought
new in 1961. John put his Hofner in to be re-fretted and used a Fender
Telecaster in the meantime. It was meant to be a temporary move, but he was
unhappy with the re-fretting and decided to keep the Fender, a sunburst
model that he eventually had sprayed white.
Then came the most memorable set of guitars - a matching set of white Burns
instruments, almost the first off the line. Frank's Bison bass had enormous
horns forming the cut-away and the instrument seemed to dwarf him. John's
and Mike's guitars were neater and better proportioned. Burns supplied not
only the bass and six-stringed guitars, but also the twelve-string models
which by now had become a Searchers trademark. A couple of the
twelve-strings were in a green sunburst finish. A photograph of the group
using the set of Burns guitars appeared in a paperback book on the history
of Burns instruments.
Although they persevered with them for a while, they did not find them to
their liking, and soon switched to other makes. Mike acquired a
twelve-string Rickenbacker 330 model, and John returned to his Telecaster
before buying a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, which he did not like at all. Mike's
Rickenbacker was stolen from the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton (UK) and he
then bought a Danelectro Bellzouki twelve-string, an unusually shaped guitar
which he later discovered was made out of wood and hardboard. Frank used his
EBO again for a while, and then a 1961 Fender Jazz bass, a
first-year-of-issue collector's item, although unfortunately he did not
discover this until after he had sold it to Billy Hatton of The Fourmost.
The Jazz was replaced by a Rickenbacker 4001 stereo bass in black, bought in
New York while on the "revival tour" in 1974.
John quickly exchanged the gold Les Paul for a 1967 cherry red Gibson ES335,
probably his favourite of all. On that same US tour Mike was persuaded to
get rid of the extremely cheap and tarry Bellzouki and to buy a small solid
twelve-string in a natural finish.
In the early 80s, following an approach from Frank, Aria agreed to sponsor
the band by providing guitars for all three - Mike using an Aria
twelve-string, John a PE-R60 six-string plus a twelve-string like Mike's,
and Frank had a TSB650 bass. All these were in a dark mahogany finish. Frank
also acquired an Aria TSB650 fretless bass in a exotic shade of blue.
Following Mike Pender's departure at the end of 1985, Spencer James joined
the group, and the many guitars he has used since then have included
Telecasters, Stratocasters, a Gibson 25/50 Anniversary Les Paul, an Aria
semi- acoustic (335 shape), a red twelve-string Japanese model, a Roland
guitar synth and various acoustics. His favourite for stage work was
probably the white Squier Stratocaster. Spencer loves "fiddling around" -
almost all his guitars have had their electrics and pick-ups altered.
In the late 80s John and Frank were honoured by being asked for guitars to
go into the collection of the Hard Rock Cafe group, which have guitars and
memorabilia from most of the biggest names in rock on display at their
various branches around the world. John's six-string Aria went to the Hard
Rock Cafe in London's Piccadilly, his Hofner Club 60 to Dallas and then to
Singapore, and Frank's original Gibson EBO bass went to Los Angeles and then
to Reykjavik in Iceland.
In return the Hard Rock Cafe group gave John a Les Paul custom, and Frank
was delighted to be given a very old 50s Guild X375 as he is a collector of
vintage six-string electric guitars: it is the blond version of the Guild
that he bought on an earlier US tour.
Towards the end of the 80s John and Frank took delivery of Aria Interceptor
headless guitars - John's was a black six-string, and Frank's was a white
bass. Frank's bass was later stolen from the boot of John's car in
Liverpool, so he replaced it with a red Hohner B2A headless bass, but soon
decided to change back to a more traditional shaped bass with a brown Gibson
EB3. By the start of the 90s John was using a black Fender Telecaster and a
black and white Rickenbacker twelve-string. Frank had gone back to his black
and white Rickenbacker bass, and Spencer was still using his black synth
guitar.
In 1992 ESP Guitars supplied The Searchers with special "30th Anniversary"
instruments, which they are still using today - a six-string for John and a
bass for Frank. They are black with white trim and have maple necks. The
headstock is overlaid with the legend "Searchers 62 - 92" and their names
are unlaid into a block at the 12th fret. A new matching neck was made for
Spencer's synth guitar. ESP later supplied John with a new twelve-string
model.
During the past few years the Searchers have added a short acoustic set to
some of their theatre shows, for which John uses an Ovation, Frank an Aria
PW51 and Spencer an Epiphone acoustic. These acoustic interludes are most
welcome and enjoyable, the favourite songs to be given this treatment being
Take It Or Leave It, Sea of Heartbreak and Till I Met You.
And so the story is up to date, or as up to date as it can be for three
guitarists who are all avid collectors. John continues to use his ESP
models, but sometimes for a change swops to his Telecaster and his Aria
twelve-string. Frank mainly uses his ESP bass, to which he has added active
electronics, and Spencer uses his updated synth with all its accompanying
gadgets. The black and white Rickenbackers still make the occasional
appearance.
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