May 18, 2013
“The World’s First Tube Wah Wah Pedal!”
Ahh, what more can be said about Madame Tubewah’s Tube Talker? Not a helluva lot, really. Prior to this post, the only trace of this wah wah pedal on the web was one being offered for sale at Harmony Central in 2007. The manufacturer, Calgary’s Musitech Guitar Products, seems to have had its trademark canceled in 1998.
Scan from Guitar Player, May 1993.
May 7, 2013
Lita Rossana Ford ca. 1993
Alvarez are mostly known for their excellent acoustic guitars, but, like Ovation, have made electric inroads. Here is Lita Ford with the most pointy Alvarez Dana Scoop, its extreme cutaway hidden here by Lita’s arm. And what was Ms. Ford up to in ’93? Not much in terms of releasing music, as the album Black was still a couple years away.
Scanned from Guitar Player, May 1993.
February 21, 2013
“From deep withing the jungle … made in America”
Rhino Guitar Amplification is another deceased brand about which not too much can be found, though they were seemingly endorsed by Yngwie Malmsteen and Ron Keel at certain points.
Pulled from Guitar Player, March 2001.
February 21, 2013
The pride of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony
Here’s Rudolf Schenker pushing a Kitty Hawk tube power amp in Guitar Player, January 1997. The ad dates to the days of the Scorpions album Pure Instinct, as reflected in the text.
February 21, 2013
“(Ultra obsessive neurotic) Tone Kings …”
Eric Johnson is know for his Strat wielding, of course, but he’s quite the acoustic stylist too as shown on pieces like “A Song for Life” and “I’m Finding You.” This ad for Baggs pickups ran in the wake of EJ’s Venus Isle album.
Scanned from Guitar Player, January 1997.
December 18, 2012
Sco
Shown here is the always innovative John Scofield with his signature model Ibanez. The copy ties in with Sco’s 2001 Verve album Works for Me.
Found in Guitar Player, August 2001.
From the Rooney Archive.
November 30, 2012
Mutants
This Fernandes ad comes from Guitar Player, August 2001. In those days Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew were back in the saddle with King Crimson, having released The ConstruKction of Light the previous year. Fellow endorser Reeves Gabrels was into his post-Bowie solo career, Ulysses (Della Notte) being his most recent issue.
The text also cites Steve Vai, The Edge, and Steve Lukather as Fernandes Sustainer users.
From the Rooney Archive
November 19, 2012
Straight outta Canberra
Fusion guru Frank Gambale has amassed a huge discography since launching his recording career with 1985′s Brave New Guitar. When this Seymour Duncan ad was running in Guitar Player, August 2001, Frank was between projects with Vital Information and Maurizio Colonna, as well as several solo releases.
From the Rooney Archive.
November 5, 2012
“The only two things in life that make it worth livin’ is guitars that tune good and firm feelin’ women”
Couple this Waylon Jennings Guild ad with the previously featured Willie Nelson item and we’ve got the makings for “Luckenbach, Texas.” It’s great when flat top strumming troubadours show up in the big guitar mags. Guitar Player, November 1996, from whence this springs, for example, also featured articles about Buckethead and Joe Satriani.
November 3, 2012
Reid Laurence Lalonde
In yet another guitar ad that inexplicably crops the guitar in question, here’s Larry LaLonde of Primus with a beautiful Paul Reed Smith. This was scanned from Guitar Player, March 1996, squarely between that band’s albums Tales from the Punchbowl and Brown Album.
