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I was recently asked why I played so many songs with my guitar pickups wired out of phase on Big Sandy’s “On The Go” LP.  The answer to that is… shortly before we recorded the album Robert played me a recording by Louie Innis,  ‘’Ain’t Got A Pot To Peel Potatoes In’’. The song features a great takeoff guitar solo with out of phase pickups. It was the first time I can remember hearing that sound. Immediately I put a push/pull tone pot in my Gretsch to have the option of the out of phase sound. I’ve always thought that the guitar player on this Louie Innis recording might be Roy Lanham but I’m only guessing. If anyone knows the session details of this recording please leave a comment.

You can hear the great Louie Innis recording here…

Lately I’ve been wondering where my ’56 Gretsch 6128 ended up. It was in my possession for about six years from ’89 until ’95. During that time, I used it on Big Sandy’s ‘’On the Go’’ LP, and a few other Fly Rite Trio recordings.  Of all the guitars I’ve bought and sold over the years, I wish I ‘d hung on to this one. Throughout the eighties I owned a couple of Duo Jets and a Jet Firebird, you could find them for around $600 to $1200. The one I ended up keeping I found at a place on Sunset Blvd called ‘’Guitars R Us’’. I think I paid $1100 for it. It was a ’56, the neck had been reset and the back was refinished.  This guitar was nice because unlike the other beat up old Gretsch guitars that I had owned, I could use 13’s on it and not worry about the neck coming unglued. Of the few details I can remember about it, one is that the headstock had been drilled out for 3/8’’ tuners, so I stuck an old set of PMMH-015 Grovers on it. The guitar also had a push-pull pot on the tone control to put it in and out of phase. I used to have the S/N written down on a little piece of paper in my toolbox but it’s long gone now.

When I left the band in ’92 I didn’t play it much and thought it was a shame to have such a nice guitar just sit in a case under the bed. So around ’95 or ’96 I put it on consignment at a music store called Music Music down in El Cajon, Ca. I think it sat there for about a year before it sold. I know it’s a long shot, but if anyone has a clue as to where my Gretsch is now, I’d love to know.

Dan Nosovich from Brisbane, Australia just put up a great clip of ”Bee Byrd Bounce” played on one of my blade pickups mounted in a ’52 reissue. I’m really diggin’ his playing and tone, especially the bottom end. Check it out here.