Found a Cheap Gibson Johnny Smith

**steve burchfield** · 12-21-2020, 12:52 AM

When I lived in Nashville I played bass with country singer Freddie Hart. He had a hit record with the song Easy Lovin. I looked at old country tv videos a while back and saw that one of Freddies early back-up groups had a guitorgan player. He had an original made in Japan version. It sounded kind of like a Farfisa combo organ. What I remember most about playing with Freddie was that after a gig we stopped at Cracker Barrell to eat and the waitress recognized Freddie and comped him his meal ,while us poor old backing pickers had to pay for ours! I guess life is not always fair in the old music biz!

**Sam Sherry** · 12-21-2020, 12:08 PM

New pic .
Deep sigh, y'know?

**citizenk74** · 12-21-2020, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by steve burchfield

When I lived in Nashville I played bass with country singer Freddie Hart. He had a hit record with the song Easy Lovin. I looked at old country tv videos a while back and saw that one of Freddies early back-up groups had a guitorgan player. He had an original made in Japan version. It sounded kind of like a Farfisa combo organ. What I remember most about playing with Freddie was that after a gig we stopped at Cracker Barrell to eat and the waitress recognized Freddie and comped him his meal ,while us poor old backing pickers had to pay for ours! I guess life is not always fair in the old music biz!

W-a-a-a-a-ay back when. I had an actual Farfisa organ, or Cheese-o-Matic, as they are sometimes referred to (maybe it was just my untutored and unorthodox and unpredictable* playing). I actually bought it to have someone else play it. But it was a lot of fun.

* and unconscionable, and unbearable, etc, etc....

**citizenk74** · 12-21-2020, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

New pic .
Deep sigh, y'know?

That is physically painful.

**floatingpickup** · 12-21-2020, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

New pic .
Deep sigh, y'know?

The good news is... it doesn’t have a strap button.
Keith

**jazzkritter** · 12-21-2020, 01:58 PM

Look on the bright side.....
Mmmm good ol single layer PC board. No surface mount stuff either. Bunch of discrete chips not humongous multipurpose chips you can’t troubleshoot.
The old technician side of me is happy!

**raal** · 12-21-2020, 03:40 PM

Better tracking than any midi controller guitar available today.

**Doctor Jeff** · 12-21-2020, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by steve burchfield

When I lived in Nashville I played bass with country singer Freddie Hart. He had a hit record with the song Easy Lovin. I looked at old country tv videos a while back and saw that one of Freddies early back-up groups had a guitorgan player. He had an original made in Japan version. It sounded kind of like a Farfisa combo organ. What I remember most about playing with Freddie was that after a gig we stopped at Cracker Barrell to eat and the waitress recognized Freddie and comped him his meal ,while us poor old backing pickers had to pay for ours! I guess life is not always fair in the old music biz!

Boy that was a great song. I think he passed away recently, didn't he?

I am very sentimental about the late 50's/60's/early 70's Country, before Nashville went all Urban Cowboy. Sure there was some dross, but what a lot of great musicians and great music.

Re' Cracker Barrel--say what you will, but their biscuits are the closest thing to my mom's. An order of the biscuits with country sausage and hashbrowns is a little bit of heaven, as far as I'm concerned. As for my mom, it is the only restaurant she will let us take her to (non-COVID times) for her birthday.

**icr** · 12-21-2020, 05:51 PM

If not for the third COVID surge and just finding out I'm getting limited vacation at work, I'd consider it. I did buy this:
Found a Cheap Gibson Johnny Smith-out-box-jpg

Found a Cheap Gibson Johnny Smith-out-box-jpg

...and turned it into this:

Found a Cheap Gibson Johnny Smith-finished4-jpg

**WilliamScott** · 12-21-2020, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by raal

Better tracking than any midi controller guitar available today.

True, but multiple notes would play on the same string. You had to develop a different technique. The notes play when the string makes contact with the fret, not when plucked.

**Hammertone** · 12-21-2020, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by floatingpickup

The good news is... it doesn’t have a strap button.
Keith

Ha! You win the internet today!

**steve burchfield** · 12-21-2020, 10:11 PM

I used to play bass for country singer Freddie Hart. He had a hit record with the song Easy Lovin. I was looking at some old country tv shows and noticed one of Freddies earlier back-up groups had a Guitorgan player. The instrument from Japan. It sounded kind of like a Farfisa combo organ. I remember coming home from a concert with Freddie and we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrell. The waitress recognized Freddie Hart and comped him his meal for an autograph. I thought why should the star get a free meal instead of us poor pickers?Well because thats life. Lately Ive really been enjoying the playing of Red Volkhart on his new show from Virginia on YT. He replaced Clint Strong for his job as Merle Haggards lead guitarist. These two have a great deal of jazz in their playing and play many steel licks. Red is teaching Skype now if anybody is interested. The way he plays fills while singing lead is amazing to me!

**steve burchfield** · 12-21-2020, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

Boy that was a great song. I think he passed away recently, didn't he?

I am very sentimental about the late 50's/60's/early 70's Country, before Nashville went all Urban Cowboy. Sure there was some dross, but what a lot of great musicians and great music.

Re' Cracker Barrel--say what you will, but their biscuits are the closest thing to my mom's. An order of the biscuits with country sausage and hashbrowns is a little bit of heaven, as far as I'm concerned. As for my mom, it is the only restaurant she will let us take her to (non-COVID times) for her birthday.

I also love Cracker Barrels food I think they have the best breakfast for franchise place. I also caught ole Possum George Jones eatin vittles there in Nashville. Chet Atkins was an early investor in the chain. I bought my Thanksgiving meal there this year. Freddie was fun to work with.Its always nice to play hit songs with the original artist after being in many cover groups as well.

**steve burchfield** · 12-21-2020, 10:45 PM

Getting to work with Charlie Rich and Pig Robbins and Charlie M Coy ,Michael Rhodes, Sonny Garrish and Tanya Tucker was a pleasure! Lynn Anderson not so much because I thought I could just improvise my solos ,but she wanted them note for note off the record. Good thing I could read, by the second show I did have charts with some of the solos written out. My last jazz group has Yvette Preyer on drums who also plays with The Michael McDonald Group. She is also a fine jazz drummer. You can see her on YT with MM and Friend09 and some other things.

**citizenk74** · 12-22-2020, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

Boy that was a great song. I think he passed away recently, didn't he?

I am very sentimental about the late 50's/60's/early 70's Country, before Nashville went all Urban Cowboy. Sure there was some dross, but what a lot of great musicians and great music.

Re' Cracker Barrel--say what you will, but their biscuits are the closest thing to my mom's. An order of the biscuits with country sausage and hashbrowns is a little bit of heaven, as far as I'm concerned. As for my mom, it is the only restaurant she will let us take her to (non-COVID times) for her birthday.

Where else am I gonna get some nice fried catfish and a half-decent hushpuppy? Pancakes, aren't bad, either, though not a patch on mine.*

*The secret ingredient is Blueberries, and plenty of them. Oh, and real, local Maple syrup. Yum!

**Doctor Jeff** · 12-23-2020, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by steve burchfield

Getting to work with Charlie Rich and Pig Robbins and Charlie M Coy ,Michael Rhodes, Sonny Garrish and Tanya Tucker was a pleasure! Lynn Anderson not so much because I thought I could just improvise my solos ,but she wanted them note for note off the record. Good thing I could read, by the second show I did have charts with some of the solos written out. My last jazz group has Yvette Preyer on drums who also plays with The Michael McDonald Group. She is also a fine jazz drummer. You can see her on YT with MM and Friend09 and some other things.

Great experiences! I love really old Charlie Rich, when he was recorded on Sun Records...Lonesome Weekend...one of the all-time country/rockabilly great songs. Plus that tic-tac bass!

I also love Tanya Tucker...she was gonna headline a festival I was supposed to go to this summer--Hinterland Festival in St. Charles, IA, but it got cancelled because of--you guessed it--COVID. Hopefully we can all make it in 2021.

**teleman3726** · 12-24-2020, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by Esport

I hope whoever did this got their medication sorted out. 1965 Gibson Johnny Smith D - Guitorgan Guitar Synth Project | Reverb

If it's sitting in Orlando, anything is possible.

**FredH** · 12-26-2020, 05:59 PM

I was on Reverb and it appears this mutilated Johnny Smith has been sold.  Don't know if anyone here pulled the trigger on it, but good luck to the person who did.  I just can't imagine doing that to a guitar, especially one like this.  But to each his/her own I guess.

**s2sherwin** · 12-26-2020, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Esport

I hope whoever did this got their medication sorted out. 1965 Gibson Johnny Smith D - Guitorgan Guitar Synth Project | Reverb

Looks like the illicit offspring of an erotic encounter between a JSD and a Gibson Firebird X.

Someone put it out of it's misery, please.

**Jimmy blue note** · 12-26-2020, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by FredH

I was on Reverb and it appears this mutilated Johnny Smith has been sold.  Don't know if anyone here pulled the trigger on it, but good luck to the person who did.  I just can't imagine doing that to a guitar, especially one like this.  But to each his/her own I guess.

If I'd had the extra money, I would've gotten it myself and re-topped it. Seriously, there was still a lot to that guitar and with the appropriate know how and TLC it'd could be an extraordinary beast.
Best luck to the buyer. Somebody put a lot of time and love into that assemblage of wood, steel and music. One chapter only in what surely is an interesting story. It could get better.