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  1. #1
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    Barney Kessells guitar, any other musicians guitars being used

    I came across this. Bruce Foreman has released a new CD and took a photo opportunity with Barneys ES 350.

    Here's the article Bruce Forman Playing Barney Kessel’s Guitar + A New CD!! : Jazz Guitar Lives at Jazz Guitar Life


    Look at that cheesy smile. Lucky bleeder!
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    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

    Here's the famed selmer belonging to Stocholo Rosenberg, I think its production number was very close to that of Djangos #504 selmer on show at "Cité De La Musique" in Paris.
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  2. #2
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    Wow!! How did Foreman get so dang lucky to play that horn? I wonder how high the action is.

  3. #3
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    I'm convinced that Barney alternated two of these ES 350's.

    If you look at footage in chronological order you might notice that a third hole where a tone or volume control might have once been, appears then disappears then appears again. The finish also changes from time to time.

    DG
    daveg

  4. #4
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    he only had the one ES-350.
    but he had it refinished 4 or 5 times over the years....

  5. #5
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    Holes don't normally appear then disappear..........

    Take a look at the pictures on pages 110 and 111 of the "Just Jazz Guitar" Barney Kessel Collectors Edition?

    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 07-31-2012 at 08:06 AM.
    daveg

  6. #6
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    don't have it Dave, but it's possible that the hole was filled when it was refinished

  7. #7
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    PLEASE take a closer look at the picture in the link above which is current?

    Give me a little while to scan the pictures.

    DG
    daveg

  8. #8
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    Here you go, 4 pictures:








    These are in chronological order.

    I have a "Club Date" video of Barney with Herb from the 90's on which he is playing the one with the "hole" - it seems to be plugged with something. The last picture was taken by Just Jazz Guitar editor Ed Benson in the late 90's.

    In one of the articles in the special edition Barney is quoted as saying that he "thinks" he bought it around 1947. That's a long time to be gigging with the same guitar as much as Barney did and it would have made sense to have one for standby "just in case". I believe that the "standby" is what we are seeing in the picture at the top of the page. Whether or not the original still exists is anyone's guess.

    Notice that the CC Pickup sits squarer in the hole in the "original es350" than in the one with the hole?

    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 07-31-2012 at 10:35 AM.
    daveg

  9. #9
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    The night of 28 to 29 May 1985 I had the memorable experience of being at "Lush Life" in Greenwich Village New York where Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis performed three consecutive shows. They had the kindness to invite me to their table during the intermission from the second to the last entrance. Even the time elapsed I find that the guitar showed in DAVEG's third photo, corresponding to the Hamburg concert, is very similar to the one Barney played at that show. We did talk about guitars also. At that time I was the proud owner of a Norlin Super 400 that had to sell in 1991.

  10. #10
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    Check the pictures and the different position markers on the fingerboard.

    I seem to remember that Barney had a new fingerboard with a different scale length to the original put on way back when he first got a es350. Can any one back that up?
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  11. #11
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    Oh, and he filed out a notch in the pickup blade under the B string in an attempt to balance the string response through an amp!
    My kinda guy! If you don't like the feel or tone of a guitar then beat it into submission with mods until it responds the way you want it to.
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  12. #12
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    I found this fingerboard dot thing really interesting.

    Check these vids

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    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

    7 dots

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    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

    10 dots

    Of course we could have a re-boarded fingerboard over time.

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    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

    An over used clip but go to .35" and you'll see the mystery third hole!

    Also... (quoted from google search)
    Barney's es 350 was modified by late Milt Owens who also worked as luthier in his Music City on Sunset Blvd in late 60s. the rosewood fingerboard was changed to ebony board, the bridge was carved from Maccasar ebony by Milt


    And that guitar may have been strummed by Django himself......
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  13. #13
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    Re: the fingerboard - you might be thinking of what Tal Farlow did?

    You can just see that guitar in the Lenny Breau / Tal Farlow clip.

    DG
    daveg

  14. #14
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    Pat Metheny

    "Oh, and he filed out a notch in the pickup blade under the B string in an attempt to balance the string response through an amp!"

    the pickup was like that originally, they were made that way for a year or so in the prewar era. there was another CC p.u. installed later.

  15. #15
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    +
    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.


    2.58 for the filed notch on the pickup which isn't apparent on all the above photos or clips!
    Looks like Barney is a modding monster!
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon View Post
    "Oh, and he filed out a notch in the pickup blade under the B string in an attempt to balance the string response through an amp!"

    the pickup was like that originally, they were made that way for a year or so in the prewar era. there was another CC p.u. installed later.

    Is it a self inflicted notch? What do you think??

    The whole pickup looks marked!
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  17. #17
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    I had not noticed before that the p/u was much closer to the end of the f/b than it ended up later.

    DG
    daveg

  18. #18
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    fun thread but I'm still going to disagree Dave.

    if you look very, very, closely in the Oct 5 pic you can faintly see the outline of where the hole was plugged in a line straight down from the knobs. in the other pics it looks like it was plugged w/ some sort of raised plug

    he didn't have two CC p.u. 350's custom made in the late 40's. the only other known one was custom ordered by Hank Garland and pictured on his Jazz Winds and Unforgettable Guitar lp covers.

    Song of the Day (July 7, 2012): Hank Garland – Call D. Law | Don Anton


    this is the only video I've ever seen of him playing something besides his 350, likely made when his guitar was in the shop


  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon View Post
    "Oh, and he filed out a notch in the pickup blade under the B string in an attempt to balance the string response through an amp!"

    the pickup was like that originally, they were made that way for a year or so in the prewar era. there was another CC p.u. installed later.
    Yup. That was the ones made in 1938. I have one of those retrofitted (before my time) in an old 1934 L37. It helps the B string volume to get in balance. On my sample, the low E string is too loud however, so this guitar and its PU is more a museum piece for me than a utility guitar. Whatever, Barney surely could make it work.
    "But if they all play like me, then who am I?" (Lester Young)

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzbow View Post

    Is it a self inflicted notch? What do you think??

    The whole pickup looks marked!
    Is it a self inflicted notch? Can anyone confirm? The picture looks from the late 60's.
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  21. #21
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    I think that what you are seeing is something which is "wrapped" over the blade under the second string.

    The picture on the front cover of the JJG Collectors issue clearly shows an UN-notched pu in the es350 with the hole. It is the same as the guitar pictured in the late 90's by Ed Benson - no notch.

    DG
    daveg

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by daveg View Post
    I think that what you are seeing is something which is "wrapped" over the blade under the second string.

    The picture on the front cover of the JJG Collectors issue clearly shows an UN-notched pu in the es350 with the hole. It is the same as the guitar pictured in the late 90's by Ed Benson - no notch.

    DG
    If there was something "wrapped" then it would have to effect the magnetic flux from the steel blade.

    Did you check the vid I posted? I think it was from a VHS tape, I've got a DVD of that gig, I'll have to search for it and get back to you.
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  23. #23
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    Dave, the b/w 1973 picture has a notched blade and what looks like white play dough under the treble side of the pickup and the sunburst spray pattern looks tear drop shaped where as the last one you show the pattern seems to follow the shape of the guitar.
    Boy, this is really cool. He seems to have had a lot done to this guitar. How much of the original guitar is left?
    He did have his own guitar shop in Hollywood in the late 60's so there could have been many different mods done to that ole' guitar!
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzbow View Post
    He did have his own guitar shop in Hollywood in the late 60's so there could have been many different mods done to that ole' guitar!
    .....or even "those old guitars"?

    Depending on the material used it would have reduced the predominance of the B string without needing surgery. An old trick.

    Another line of thought - the one without the hole always has a truss rod cover. The one with the hole never (?) has a truss rod cover.

    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 08-02-2012 at 03:33 AM.
    daveg

  25. #25
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    I have just spend a few hours browsing through all of the Kessel Video that I have looking at Barney's Guitar and can report:

    It was still a "Gibson ES350" when Barney toured with George Wein in 1969.

    In some 1973 footage (Legends of Jazz Guitar 1) it can be clearly seen that the pickup is definitely "notched" at the second string - the "Gibson" had disappeared.

    In an Oscar Peterson Trio session from Scott's Club in London 1977 (BBC) the notching is again seen as well as the "blue tack" providing some vibration resistance at the treble side of the pickup.

    The "hole" first appeared around 1979.

    After much searching there doesn't appear to be any footage which supports the re-appearance of a "non-holed" ES350. The photo above which gave me so much trouble - the one marked 1987 in the JJG Collector's Edition was most likely taken on the Great Guitars European Tour in 1976-1977 and wrongly dated.

    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 08-02-2012 at 11:54 AM.
    daveg

  26. #26
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    he only had one ES-350

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by daveg View Post
    .....or even "those old guitars"?
    DG
    I've done some video research as well! Check this out....


    'Blue Mist' pix. Legends of Jazz Guitar (LJG) vol 2.
    A notch or cut, the pickup binding facing the bridge is missing whereas the other side is stepped. Note the adjustment screw is quite shiny/new looking. The finger board has 10 dots and the sunburst is teardrop shaped and 2 toned. I can only guess this is late 60's.


    'Medley' LJG vol 3.
    A wrap of some sort going over the blade, a shadow can be seen. Note the adjustment screws are discoloured. It's the 10 dot neck and 2 tone sunburst, teardrop shape. Same backing band and hairstyle as the previous image/track so again 60's?


    'BBC Blues' LJG vol 2.
    Here we see a later CC pickup with the notch already there. The adjustment screws look clean. Now this is the 7 dot neck and the sunburst shape follows the outline of the guitar body and is 3 toned with a lot of red showing. As for the date I think it's 70's.

    +
    ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

    Yup, that old video clip but as he says....
    'This pickup was built in 1939, it has a very high quality of cobalt and copper which is unavailable in the world today!'
    Ha! That's because he's been trashing them....

    Just another thing, the pickup placement seems to move about from one clip to another, interesting!

    This has been a very interesting search, thanks for all the input.
    Any other players guitars still being used after they've moved on?
    Last edited by jazzbow; 08-02-2012 at 02:57 PM.
    Nice and sleazy does it.......

  28. #28
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    I think Grant Green's son, Grant Green Jr, is using his father's guitar - the D'Angelico that Grant used at the very end of his career. I'm not sure though.

    I would really like to know what happened to Wes' L5, Grant's ES-330, Atilla Zoller's Framus AZ10, Jim Hall's ES-175 (Fortunately, Jim's still alive and kicking, but he sold it!), Emily Remler's modified ES-330 and her Borys...

    Oh, and the ES-125 of Wim Overgauw is now being used by Martijn van Iterson!
    :: Jazz, Funk & Soul: Tracin' Tracy ::

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay View Post
    I would really like to know what happened to Wes' L5, Grant's ES-330, Atilla Zoller's Framus AZ10, Jim Hall's ES-175 (Fortunately, Jim's still alive and kicking, but he sold it!), Emily Remler's modified ES-330 and her Borys...
    As for Wes' L5 (the one with the heart on it), check this out:

    WES MONTGOMERY GUITAR

    The other custom made 1-PU L5 (the one with his name inlaid) is now on display in his home town, Indianapolis. It's my understanding that his widow had it until it was given to the museum. A photo of it behind glass in the museum can be seen in Adrian Ingrams book on wes.
    "But if they all play like me, then who am I?" (Lester Young)

  30. #30
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    A few days ago I sent an e-mail to a colleague in Australia who knew Barney well and accompanied him on some tours. He replied this morning saying that "I recall Ike Isaacs telling me years ago that Barney had two ES350's and he sold one to someone in Germany".

    It was Ike who introduced me to Barney, Herb and Charlie backstage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 1978.

    Barney Kessel Autograph

    I'll continue to think that there were two Barney Kessel ES350 guitars - the evidence points in that direction and I see no other explanation for the appearance of the hole in the post 1979 version of the ES350 that he played.

    Oldane, Thanks for linking to my old site - I no longer have any control over it and can't update or delete anything there.

    DG
    Last edited by daveg; 08-03-2012 at 06:44 AM.
    daveg

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