Filed under: contests, gibson, guitars, les paul | Tags: gibson, guitars, les paul
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- Sammy Ash, Les Paul
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- Sammy And Les get ready to jam
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- Les Paul signs the Goldtop for our contest
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- Les Paul, Sammy Ash
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- Sammy Ash, Les Paul, Paul Green
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- Les Paul
As always Les was smiling and happy and for 93 in great health. We started out with the usual small talk on my parent’s health, life with Gibson and things in general. One of the reasons we were at the club was to have Les sign a 1957 Gold Top for a contest and giveaway. It is a beauty and if you haven’t signed up for it yet I suggest you do. Over the next hour or so we had a great time posing, talking and playing catch up in general. As you will see we got a lot of really good shots from the session.
While we were hanging he was sitting there just playing to pass the time. He was playing a very strange LP. It was clearly a Les Paul Custom in black but it had Les Paul “Recording” electronics. The Recording was a guitar that Gibson came out with in the 70’s. It was an enlarged Les Paul shape with slightly rounded features. Lots of switches and dials and two very large oval black pickups. These were special low impedance pickups designed to jack straight into a recording console hence the “Recording” name. This was a guitar that I had never seen before or since. I asked him about it and he says it has been his main axe for some time now. Of course I asked him if I could play it and of course he said yes. This was one very heavy LP in every way, vibe, weight and looks. I played it a little and then took a look at the back of the headstock … the guitar was stamped “SECOND” as in factory second!
I almost fell off my chair. Here is Les Paul the name sake for the most popular guitar in the world and he was not playing a custom built, custom shop, special addition, original, vintage… anything. He was playing a “fac 2”. The images that ran through my brain were just unbelievable. He who could have his choice of all guitars out there plays a factory second, that is the ultimate in irony.
Paul Green happened to be there so he spent a few minutes with Les and the three of us got a photo together too. One of the conversations we had were how the recording equipment has changed since he was a little boy to today and I presented him with a Zoom H2 Handy Recorder. He explained to me that there was a time it took a room of equipment just to do a fraction of what this little unit could do. As the afternoon went on I could see that Les was a bit tired and wanted to get ready for the first set of the day. I wish I was able to stay but duty calls.
Les is still playing almost every single Monday at the Iridium with the Les Paul Trio. Lots of stories and even a little guitar playing thrown in from time to time. You really should check it out. He may be 93 but he swings just like a man 30 years his junior.
Sammy
The Sam Ash Family and the Fred Gretsch Family are one of the longest lasting relationships in this industry. The Gretsch Company is celebrating their 125th year anniversary and Sam Ash Music is about to celebrate their 85th.
Fred invited our family to an intimate dinner in NYC to celebrate our longevity together in October. In attendance were Fred and Dinah Gretsch, Fred’s sister and niece, David and Karen Ash, Paul Ash and his wife Cobi Narita and Sammy Ash. Jerry and Richard Ash were unable to attend due to a prior commitment.
As soon as we got together the stories started. Paul reminded everyone that Fred Gretsch, (Fred’s uncle) was the person that showed Paul and Jerry around this place called Long Island and helped us find the location that became our Hempstead store. We only had one store in Brooklyn at the time so you can say the Gretsch Family is responsible for us becoming a chain.
We talked about the introduction of the White Falcon which at the time was the most expensive guitar in the world $1000.00! We discussed the first real seven-string guitar player, George Van Epps, long before Steve Vie was even born! All of the factories that still proudly have the Gretsch name emblazoned on them even 40 years after they closed. You can still see them when you cross the Williamsburg Bridge. There were far too many stories for this little article.
The Gretsch’s were kind enough to present us with a special painting of the history of the Gretsch Family and Company. They have a rich history and heritage in the music industry and rightly so. Drums, guitars, banjos and so much more were produced in those factories and now a whole new generation is growing up with Gretsch drums and guitars. The Gretsch’s still own all of the patents and trade marks but they license the name to the Fender Musical Instrument Company to help produce and expand on this great name.
One of their cherished accomplishments was the fact that in 2008 Fred and Dinah Gretsch themselves were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. They were very proud and it is a well-deserved honor.
