Grateful Dead Music Forum

That Morning Dew has some great tones. Is there a definitive answer as to what he was playing?

I think it is generally confirmed that Garcia used one of Rick Turners custom guitar for all of April 1971 including the Fillmore gigs...

http://jerrygarcia.com/image/manhattan- ... 5-1971-18/

Thanks, that photo explains a lot. I had always read that it was an odd Turner guitar, and assumed it would have been something more Alembic-ish. But the tone on that recording is very Gibson sounding. I'd never seen a photo the actual Turner guitar, which in fact appears to have a Gibson neck.

jackevorkian wrote:Thanks, that photo explains a lot. I had always read that it was an odd Turner guitar, and assumed it would have been something more Alembic-ish. But the tone on that recording is very Gibson sounding. I'd never seen a photo the actual Turner guitar, which in fact appears to have a Gibson neck.

Yes...the whole April run in 71' is primarily that guitar. 1971 sees Garcia changing guitars like no other year... Starts the year with the SG, then the Les Paul DC(TV Yellow)then the Turner Custom, The Guild S100 for a gig or two, Turner Custom,,, Nash Strat(Alligator),then the Guild S100 again, then the Les Paul Double Cut again, The Nash Strat again, a Sunburst Les Paul, then back on the Strat...

There are a few Morning Dews from the Fillmore run... I love the one from the 28th...The tone is heavy...You can hear Garcia toggle to the Neck pickup for the solo following the breakdown. I listen to that alot!


Berkeley Community Theater, August 15, 1971

Part of the fun of seeing the Dead at that time was to see what guitars they'd play. Weir was changing up a lot as well. I don't remember the chonology, but I saw him with a hollowbody, double cutaway Guild, LP Custom, ES-335, SG (maybe a little later?). The LP Custom was used fairly steady for a while. When he pulled out the black D'Angelico at Dead & Co last summer, I thought for a second that it was the old LP.

Jerry played a sunburst rosewood necked Strat quite a bit around then as well.

I was at that Berkeley Community Theater show.

pablomago wrote:Part of the fun of seeing the Dead at that time was to see what guitars they'd play. Weir was changing up a lot as well. I don't remember the chonology, but I saw him with a hollowbody, double cutaway Guild, LP Custom, ES-335, SG (maybe a little later?). The LP Custom was used fairly steady for a while. When he pulled out the black D'Angelico at Dead & Co last summer, I thought for a second that it was the old LP.

Jerry played a sunburst rosewood necked Strat quite a bit around then as well.

I was at that Berkeley Community Theater show.

That's pretty rad that you were at gigs back then! I was 6 years old then and still listening to The Carpenters! Here are some great shots a few days(4/24/71) before the Fillmore East gigs(4/25-4/29/71)... Garcia on the Guild Solidbody and Weir on the Black Les Paul....

http://cartersxrd.net/Site/Performances ... ad.html#12

ahh, Duke outdoors. Great photo!

Yes...the whole April run in 71' is primarily that guitar. 1971 sees Garcia changing guitars like no other year... Starts the year with the SG, then the Les Paul DC(TV Yellow)then the Turner Custom, The Guild S100 for a gig or two, Turner Custom,,, Nash Strat(Alligator),then the Guild S100 again, then the Les Paul Double Cut again, The Nash Strat again, a Sunburst Les Paul, then back on the Strat...

I am a student of '71 too. How did you figure out the first few shows of the year were the SG w/out photos? I've been playing along to 1/24/71 w an SG and it def. sounds like an SG...

I have maybe a dozen photos from 1971 and can place the tv yellow LP at a few shows, the sunburst 71 LP deluxe in August (my ears tell me 8-6-71 was the sunburst LP, but on 8/7/71 there is a photo of Jerry w the tv yellow LP), the Nash strat in June and again at the end of August at Gaelic Park (and it sounds like the rest of the year), the Guild for the one show mentioned here, etc.

Your chronology seems spot on, just wondering how you figured it all out and what do you think was used for the Capitol Theater run in Feb?

Interesting topic. Are there any Garcia interviews where he discusses his evolution in the early days from being primarily a Gibson player to a Strat player? Was it the single coils/middle pick up he was attracted to?

8-6-71 for me wrote:

Yes...the whole April run in 71' is primarily that guitar. 1971 sees Garcia changing guitars like no other year... Starts the year with the SG, then the Les Paul DC(TV Yellow)then the Turner Custom, The Guild S100 for a gig or two, Turner Custom,,, Nash Strat(Alligator),then the Guild S100 again, then the Les Paul Double Cut again, The Nash Strat again, a Sunburst Les Paul, then back on the Strat...

How did you figure out the first few shows of the year were the SG w/out photos?

..... just wondering how you figured it all out and what do you think was used for the Capitol Theater run in Feb?

this shot is from between 1/2/71-1/11/71 from the sessions at Wally Heiders in SF...

I can only assume and my ear also indicates he stayed on this guitar for the Seattle and Oregon gigs, and the Capitol Theater gigs as well in February...

I do love me some 71' as well!!!

kurt eye wrote:Interesting topic. Are there any Garcia interviews where he discusses his evolution in the early days from being primarily a Gibson player to a Strat player? Was it the single coils/middle pick up he was attracted to?

Yes, I have that, but the board won't let me post the attachment. Says the quota is met (???)

8-6-71 for me wrote:

kurt eye wrote:Interesting topic. Are there any Garcia interviews where he discusses his evolution in the early days from being primarily a Gibson player to a Strat player? Was it the single coils/middle pick up he was attracted to?

Yes, I have that, but the board won't let me post the attachment. Says the quota is met (???)

You can't directly upload/attach anything, You have to host it somewhere else and link to it.

http://rukind.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=359&t=12940

The interview is from May 73 Guitar player magazine. It's here-

http://deadsources.blogspot.com/2012/09 ... -tips.html

After playing Gibsons ever since the Dead's first album, why the switch to a Fender Stratocaster?

The characteristic sound of a Fender is texturally different from the sound of the other instruments in the band. Two Gibsons get muddy-sounding.-JG

Thanks for linking that article. Not exactly the deep philosophical answer I was hoping for. I know Jerry used to listen to other bands playing at the Fillmore from the audience to get a sense of what the crowd was hearing. He was very critical of muddy sounding bands and this is what lead to his preferred high treble low bass amp settings to impart tonal separation from the rest of the band.

This quote is kind of a dis to the Allman Bros.

jackevorkian wrote:Thanks, that photo explains a lot. I had always read that it was an odd Turner guitar, and assumed it would have been something more Alembic-ish. But the tone on that recording is very Gibson sounding. I'd never seen a photo the actual Turner guitar, which in fact appears to have a Gibson neck.

The Turner axe was made from the parts of a trashed early 60's Les Paul SG Custom which explains its very Gibson like tonal qualities. This guitar was also used in March on 03-21-71 Cal Expo and 03-24-71 Winterland and possibly others. I've always felt that Jerry got some of his best tone from this guitar. I always wondered why he retired it so soon after first using it. Anyone know of its whereabouts??