[Dixielandjazz] Hollow Body amplified guitars.

[Steve Barbone]

Mark Weber at Zerxpress at aol.com wrote:
> 
> * regarding Kenny Davern using electric guitars:
> Are those Gibson hollow-body  ( "fatbody" ) guitars consider'd  electric?
> Kenny probably wouldnt work with a Stratocaster.   ( I was a  close
> friend of his in his last 5 years,  here in New Mexico.)  He  referred to
> the electric piano he got saddled with,  on a gig in Santa Fe  (Bumblebee
> Bob's Baja Grill )   as  "that thing," repeatedly,  and  abhorred it.
> 
> His guitarists were James Chirillo, Michael Anthony, Howard Alden,
> Jim Fox, Tony Cesarano, Marty Grosz,   and all those guys  played
> those fatbody guitars in almost an acoustic fashion when with Kenny.
> Kenny himself preferred to play in concerts sans PA if he could.

I figure if they plug in, those hollow body Gibson's are considered
electric.  Most of the guys you mention use amplified, plug in versions.
Chirillo is on that Arbors album with Kenny and Randy that I mentioned.
Kenny also worked a bit with Bucky Pizzarelli.

I'm not sure about Marty Grosz's guitar. I think he prefers an un plugged
hollow body and plays close to a stage mike most of the time.

Barbone Street's guitarist, Sonny Troy, plays an amplified, hollow body
Gibson, circa 1955 or so. Beautiful sound, beautiful player.

Interesting point about Stratocasters and other solid bodies. Is it the
solid body, or the way in which they amplify them that produces a different
sound quality? 

Once when subbing for Sonny, I got a young man who was a wiz. He had an
Ibanez hollow body and a tower of amplifiers and electronic gear hooked up
to it. It sounded very different from Sonny's Gibson, but the kid swung his
butt off and it seemed nobody complained about the sound.

Like you, I am a big Davern fan. I grew up with him in New York City. He was
a giant of a player and a very interesting personality.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone