Epiphone and Johnny Smith

[Max405]

I can't even begin to image what it would be like to be at a garage sale at Les Paul's house!! I have the "Chasing Sound" documentary - he seems like such a nice, down to earth character. He had a great sense of humour that really showed in his playing.

I do admit feeling a little bit giddy every time I look at my Les Paul Recording; knowing that's the electric guitar as Les Paul envisioned it. I'm sure you feel a similar way when you pick up the Johnny Smith.

Entresz,
It was cool seeing Les Paul.
I wish I would have kept the reverb unit. It was a rectanglular box. I set it next to my Father's Vibrolux and it was about the same height. If memory serves me correctly, I don't think it worked. I think I paid like $5 for it.
I am lucky to have a room in my house that is known as the Guitar room. I have hanging wall display cases on the wall right in front of where I sit. Sometimes I stare at the guitars in the cases. They are art to me. The GJS sits in the case where the D'Angelico use to hang. Its just as beautiful to me.

I read a great book on him many, many years ago. Les was larger than life and some of it was his hype. But he was a real visionary and ground breaker... But at the same he was a bit of a schlub... Not very good to Mary and a lot of other human things. But ya can't take away his vision...
Did you know he'd been in a car wreck and got all broken up in it, they had to set his right arm sorta L shaped so he could eventually play ??
He's a real legend...
Big

I didn't know any of that. Gotta be good to your lady. Then your own life will be happy. Im sure she wasn't too happy with the way he kept the garage. There was stuff all over the place. Everything in there except a car..
JD
JD

[citizenk74]

I read a great book on him many, many years ago. Les was larger than life and some of it was his hype. But he was a real visionary and ground breaker... But at the same he was a bit of a schlub... Not very good to Mary and a lot of other human things. But ya can't take away his vision...

Did you know he'd been in a car wreck and got all broken up in it, they had to set his right arm sorta L shaped so he could eventually play ??

He's a real legend...


Big

IIRC, Les said in an interview that his arm was busted up so badly the docs wanted to amputate it. Les talked them into setting the pieces together in playing position. That Les was a talker!

[entresz]

Les sure knew how to spin a story!

One thing I found hilarious was that on the "Chasing Sound" documentary, in his driveway there is an old Lincoln Town Car (I think it was anyway) - that looked like it was parked there 25 years ago and just left there to rot away!

[Greentone]

Les was a character. I was commissioned by a magazine years back to do a piece on the Capitol box set that came out on his career. I got to interview Les. It was great. I still have the tapes. Lots of stories.