Zappa.com

what guitars did Frank Zappa use in his music?...

Gibson Les Paul Gold Top 1952...?
Gibson SG...
Fender Telecaster (just after the Mother's Gear burned in Montreux)
Strato...

I think I saw a website with all his stuff

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I WANT THE ROXY DVD RELEASE DATE TO BUY IT

That Goldtop was from the fifties ?
I did not know that.

don't forget...Gibson never made the 'Les Paul' shape between 1959 and 1968

The 1968 goldtop 'Deluxe' had minihumbuckers..
which makes Frank's goldtop most likely a '53 to '59 model

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"Wanna buy some pencils?...."

http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/switch.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/zgoldtop.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/SG2.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/hendrix.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/LPcustom.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/strato88.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/gibson160.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/zmartin.gif
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/hagstrom.gif

TAken from
http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/arfz/equipment.html

I have a real nice Martin -- I don't know what the model number is, but it has a classical-width neck that joins the body right at the 12th fret, in a jumbo shell. I also have an Ovation and a bouzouki with a Barcus on it.FZ.

THE ovation can be seen on some Australian chat show from the 70s Cant find it on You tube now.cant remember the interviewers name.

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

The Norman Gunston Show

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Thats him thanks

-Martin’s Dick Boak helped us identify this guitar, which is a D-18S 12-fret “standard” Dreadnought with a slotted headstock; Brazilian rosewood fretboard, headplate, and bridge; and mahogany back and sides. It was used on the 1974 recording of “Sleep Dirt” and the tune “Blessed Relief” from The Grand Wazoo. Zappa traded a Telecaster to get the Martin from its owner, Mark Volman (a.k.a “Flo”) from Zappa’s early-’70’s Flo and Eddie lineup.
ASK VOLMAN
i think he said he said 22 guitars

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

The Martin D-18S is quite a sought after instrument....often referred to as the
'Clarence White' model..they sound better than a 14 fret model because the
bridge is further back...a real fave model for flatpickers (which is probably
why Frank loved the tone) I think he did a good swap for the Tele

man, I can't believe how many mistakes are in the Zappa equipment page
(all credit to the guy for trying though)
Frank's original SG Special was not black...it was cherry
it didn't have a Bigsby, but a Gibson Vibrola
the SG with the mirror scratchplate was not a different guitar, but the same one modified
the Hendrix strat was not red....but sunburst
the Les Paul Custom was not red...it was cherry sunburst
the Black Widow was made by Acoustic, and it was fretless....there were
no other fretless guitars unless Frank had another one custom made
(which I've never heard of)
Frank didn't go and have his custom SG made....from memory, some fan
made it and presented it to him at a gig (don't know if any money changed hands)
Also, the other Les Paul shaped guitar is most likely the Jacobacci Frank
bought in Europe after the casino fire
(there's a pic of Frank playing it when he was in his wheelchair)

I've seen Frank pictured with other guitars...but I don't know if he owned them
(a nice Gibson ES-355TD for example)


[/i]

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The solos were never long enough.

I figured the only way I was going to get to hear enough of what I wanted was to play it my self.

FZappa's father had a guitar hanging around his brother Bobby bought one for £1.50 in an auction, Bobby gave It to Frank Arch top and a T hole the base was cracked and the strings were so high you couldnt play chords. .
about a year later Frank wanted to learn chords so Bobby helped him on his fathers one. Added dearmond sound hole pick up.
Also rented Telecaster and think Jazzmaster guitar.
Quality Guitars

frank bought his and studo z with money from when run home slow resurfaced 1963.
Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster which can be heard on the fisrt 3 albums.
The one he uses on 200 motel looks like the one
edit SG http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XNp_7xLiS ... re=related

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

Frank didn't go and have his custom SG made....from memory, some fan
made it and presented it to him at a gig (don't know if any money changed hands)


I Think he paid $500 not sure if it was at a gig or going to gig on a aeroplane
seems buy this vid that the swithmaster was still in use end of 1970
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4VoVV9b1g ... re=related
and on bbc 68 the gold top Les paul
was ther any other guitars inbetween that time

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

The fretless was stolen. My understanding of the Black Widow is that it was not a fretless guitar. It certainly doesn't sound fretless on Stucco Homes.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

oh..I thought I read that the Acoustic model name was Black Widow
better check

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Check the 1973 part
http://www.unfretted.com/loader.php?LINK=history

http://zappa.radio6.nl/files/2007/04/zappa-71.jpg
Rotterdam Ahoy 11-27 1971
so which guitar was in the fire ?or both

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

that unfretted article confirms what I said..
that the Acoustic Black Widow was fretless

the other pic of Frank with the ES-355TD
maybe he saved that guitar from the fire..
he would have thought it more valuable than the Les Paul
I thought I saw a later pic of Frank playing it

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None the less, listen to "While You Were Out" and "Stucco Homes" where FZ is using a Black Widow that doesn't sound fretless to me. I can't remember which interview I read, but the interviewer commented that he hadn't heard any fretless stuff since the examples on the One Size Fits All and Zoot Allures albums and FZ replied that it had been stolen and he hadn't got himself another fretless guitar.

So maybe the fretless he had then was a Black Widow but I don't think it's the same one on the Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar series.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

What recordings did he use the Tele on, anyone got any idea? Or is the answer 'none'?

Some of the early solos sound too twangy to be a Gibson...might be a Tele
"Trouble Every Day" for example

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He took his telecaster back to the shop in 1961 no more rental
and Bought the Jazzmaster in 1961

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

I have seen the terms ES-5 And ES-355TD Special
http://www.gibson.com/en%2Dus/Support/T ... 0Diagrams/
maybe the diagrams on there might help looks like one had two pickups and the other three
Edit the fire was shortly after that year of the photo.

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

look at this he had more ES Model,s the thing is fat as fuck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCa7Xpbr8h4

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

the gold top
http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/002006.html

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

June 14, 2006
Frank Zappa's Gibson Les Paul Goldtop to be Auctioned


Frank Zappa (right) with Gibson Les Paul Goldtop



Frank Zappa with Gibson Les Paul Goldtop prior to his full customization of the guitar.
Collector's take note, the Cooper Owen auction house will offer Frank Zappa's customized Les Paul Goldtop in an auction to take place on July 28, 2006, at the Abbey Road Studios in London (and eBay Live). The instrument was Zappa's main guitar on stage and in the studio in the mid-1960s until replaced by Zappa's famous Gibson SG.

Tentative lot description of the Frank Zappa Les Paul Goldtop

"A 1952/53 Gibson Les Paul model, in gold/natural finish, single cutaway mahogany body with maple top, bound mahogany neck, twenty-two fret rosewood fingerboard with crown inlays, headstock facia with Les Paul MODEL, one P-90 single coil pickup, one single coil pickup, one humbacking pickup, six rotary controls, toggle switch, pick-up selector switch, metal bridge with Bigsby tremolo tailpiece; and an original brown Lifton hardshell contour case painted green with pink plush lining.



This guitar was customised by Frank Zappa who used it on stage and in studio during the mid-1960s. According to his interview with Steve Rosen that appeared in Guitar Player magazine in 1977, this was his main guitar before he acquired his famous mid-60s SG."

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one pick up it is frank TAke from IT can't Happen here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLV0lI-5 ... re=related
two pickups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCa7Xpbr8h4
Three pickups

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

That pic looks like a Guild Starfire
they have different shaped horns to Gibson..and the neck goes further in
never seen a one pickup version...is his hand just hiding the other p/u?
one pickup guitars are usually budget models and don't have nice inlay
and binding like that one

The 1971 clip (2 pickups) is a Gibson ES-355TDS (stereo, with Vari-tone)
The 1968 clip is the humbucker version Switchmaster

totally different guitars..the 355 is 'semi-solid' and has a wooden block down the centre inside
(they perform almost like a solid body)
the Switchmaster is a totally hollow 'jazz' type guitar
notice the Switchmaster is three times the body thickness of the 355

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not the best pic, but...



notice how the neck goes in deeper on the Guild on the right
they changed this model around a bit over the years but I think that's
what Frank's got there...but with a few extra inlays
probably an early 70's Starfire VI (fancier model than those pictured)


description from 1973 catalogue (but I still can't find a pic)

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"Wanna buy some pencils?...."

hoy poly,
it might have been the Black Widow...he might have just wanted that particular tone...
you don't have to slide around on it..he might have been playing it like a regular guitar

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"Wanna buy some pencils?...."