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Glen's time in Lindrith New Mexico (1951-1952)

Miscellaneous Guitars Glen Has Played

A look at the history behind many of the guitars Glen has used throughout his career.
Maurice
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Re: MIscellaneous Guitars Glen Has Played

Post by Maurice »

Huge fan of Glen Campbell. He played lot of great tunes. Amazing thread


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jay
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Glen Campbell with a 1930/40 Dobro Mandolin

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The Dobro company was formed when the Dopyera brothers pulled out of the National Guitar Co. This was in the early 1930's. A few years later National folded, or rather was acquired by Dobro, forming the National Dobro Co. which produced instruments of both designs. The basic resonator design of Dobro instruments (the "spider bridge") differs significantly from the resonator design of Nationals (the "biscuit bridge"). Dobro made mandolins almost from its inception.

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Glen is seen here (in this 40's photo) holding this early Dobro Mandolin and the boy on the right side of the picture is holding Glen's Montgomery Ward Plainsman


1940s Glen Campbell with a Dobro Mandolin.jpg
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jay
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Eric Clapton with Glen Campbell's Mosrite Acoustic 12 String

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Eric Clapton with Glen Campbell Mosrite.jpg
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Eric was with Cream, when they played on The Summer Brothers Smothers Show. The show was taped on Monday, May 20, 1968, and would air on July 14, 1968. I assume these pictures were snapped during the rehearsal.


Eric with Glens Mosrite 12 String.jpg
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jay
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Glen Campbell's Mosrite Acoustic 12 String

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Mosrite Acoustic 12 String.jpg
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Glen Campbell hosted the Summer Brothers Smothers Show, which was the summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. It ran in the summer of 1968 and was Glen's springboard for the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.

Glen played different Mosrites during this series of shows. To my knowledge, Mosrite never produced a 12 string acoustic guitar, but Glen showed up with one for a brief moment to sing "It's Over"





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jay
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Glen Campbell's 1950's Gibson ES-225TN

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Dick Bills and the Sandia Mountain Gang. (ca. 1957)1.jpg
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When introduced in 1955, the ES-225T was Gibson's first thinline. Although it shares the same laminated body construction and outline as an ES-175, Gibson opted for a single P-90 pickup placed centrally and a longer version of the trapeze tailpiece used on the earliest Les Pauls. The ES-225 was phased out in 1959.

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It looks like Glen personalized his 225 a little by turning the truss rod cover upside down!

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Glen Campbell Playing a Gibson J-200

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Glen used a 1956 Gibson J-200 in his "A Better Place" video. The inlays were done by Gil Chavez


Probably a coincidence...but Elvis's 1956 J-200 was his favorite guitar.

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Glen Campbell Plays a Yamaha SA 2000

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In 1977 Yamaha introduced an entirely new version of their venerable SA line of acoustic-electric guitars. These were called 'Super Axe' as seen on the headstock of some models, but what makes them really special is that these were the first Yamaha's to closely emulate the ES-335, which all SA's since have followed. Prior to this only two models were actually semi-hollow body, and while beautifully designed, you would never mistake one for an ES-335.

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On May 14, 1983, Glen played in Tuscon, AZ at the Black and White Ball.

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Glen went through a period where it appeared he preferred a Gibson ES335 as his electric guitar. The Yamaha that he played for this benefit seems to have been one Glen borrowed that was a knock off of the Gibson.

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Glen Campbell Tuscon AZ.jpg
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He plays it with Ray Stevens in this 1982 clip.



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Glen Campbell's Gretsch White Falcon Bass G6136LSB

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The Gretsch White Falcon was introduced in 1954 as a top of the line showpiece for the NAMM show, but a bass model wasn’t put into production at the time. In 2007, Gretsch introduced a bass to the White Falcon line.

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Around 2008 Julian Raymond contacted Gil Chavez to personalize a White Falcon Bass for Glen and the release of Ghost on a Canvas. Glen was seen with it during a photoshoot.

Glen Campbell Gretsch bass.jpg
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The Gretsch White Falcon G6136LSB was seen several times during the tour...once on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Just an observation...this may have been either one of the first white falcon basses or a customized version, as the tailpiece and pickguard are a rare combo on the non-bigsby model, as well as the armguard and upper bout switch medallions.



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Glen Campbell Playing a Peavey Tracer

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I have had several people ask about this guitar. Glen was only seen with it once...in a video singing "Unconditional Love".




The Peavey Tracer was produced from 1988 to 1994. They were made in the USA. This guitar has one humbucker in the bridge position with a volume and tone control. Peavey made many different variations and colors of this guitar.

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Jeff Dayton shared that Glen probably ended up with it by asking "anybody got a guitar I can use for this show?" and this is what they handed him. He was fearless like that."

Wayne Reid tied all the loose ends together by sharing this article in Vintage Guitar


Guitarist Fred Newell’s best-known gig – as a member of the house band on “Nashville Now”...Newell also had some favorite no-frills guitars in those times. He fell in love with a basic one-pickup Peavey Tracer, and he had a wiring modification that interpolated a coil roll-off circuit installed in the Tracer by a luthier/technician in the Nashville area. “I’d told Peavey ‘Send me the cheapest guitar you’ve got’,” Newell recalled with a chuckle, “and that little sucker was dynamite. I thought it sounded great. As a matter of fact, Glen Campbell heard it when I used it on ‘Nashville Now,’ and borrowed it for some sessions.”


Many thanks to Terry Bilbrey for initially ID'ing the guitar
.


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1967 Gretsch PX-6123 Monkees Guitar Owned by Rick Nielsen

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Glen with Gretsch Monkees 6123 Dolenz
Glen with Gretsch Monkees 6123 Dolenz
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The Gretsch Monkees model guitar is a rare relic of one of the more off-the-wall of 1960's Gretsch endeavors-an endorsement deal to provide instruments for the Monkees TV show. The "Monkees Rock"N"Roll Model" was specifically designed to be a relatively affordable but flashy guitar to hopefully appeal to the group's giant teenage audience. Having seen a massive spike in demand for the company's guitars after Beatle George Harrison appeared with one in 1964, Gretsch likely saw the Monkees TV exposure as another marketing coup. Although it didn't quite work out that way, the Gretsch-Monkees link did create this fairly unique instrument and lead to a lasting association between the company and the group. The actual Monkees Model appeared in only 4 episodes, part of the last batch filmed in the autumn of 1967. The Monkees model never appeared in Gretsch literature, but a limited number were produced from late 1966 through the summer of 1967. There were less than 150 made.

Gretsch Monkees Model 6123
Gretsch Monkees Model 6123
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This guitar was originally owned by Mike Nesmith, who played Gretsch's on the show and he gave it to Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Rick is a guitar collector and can be seen with the guitar on the original If You Want My Love video before Mickey Dolenz signed it on the pickguard. Prior to being sold from Rick's collection, it was used on Cheap Tricks "Bang, Zoom, Crazy, Hello album in 2016.

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Rick played guitar on There's No Me... Without You, on the Ghost on a Canvas album. I assume Rick brought the Gretsch 6123 and Glen was able to use it while they did the Ghost on a Canvas video.


Glen with Gretsch Monkees 6123 Dolenz
Glen with Gretsch Monkees 6123 Dolenz
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