Oh boy .... after an AMAZING concert by AWB and TOP, my friend Brian ( TOP's webmaster) took me backstage to meet the guys and then I got a guitar signed by the whole band - it's a great keepsake! Never saw so many white guys groovin' and movin' to the music .... SO MUCH FUN!
And to make things even sweeter - I have a big band job tonight on BARI SAX! Like Zach Brown says ....
"Life is good today!"

A very nice evening indeed Dave!!

Say ... how come the picture only shows as a link? What do you do to have it show up in the window here? Hmmmmmmmm

smarty pants!

Nice guitar btw

Right under my name you'll notice TOP Veteran Lee Thornberg - after Mic Gilette's hasty and mysterious exit a few months ago, Lee came back in, and he had a BLAST on stage. He looked like a proud new father at a baseball game! When I shook Roger Smith's (B3 guy) hand ... it went completely around mine! Dude has BIG paws... no wonder he seems to sail all over that Hammond! I told Doc that he was the reason I now own a Bari, and Rocco and I shared a moment talking about Fender basses through the years - it was so much fun.
These cats are regular working stiffs, with families and issues just like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, they pack every arena they attend, and still manage to control their egos. They sign anything for anyone for free, and wait after the show for the last fan to leave the table. Pure class act.
And their music STILL kicks SERIOUS a**. It must - the new Korg PA3x has a style dedicated to them, right? (See how I tied it all into a relevant post!)

It's a cheap Squire I bought just for the occasion - I'll never play it .... wouldn't want it to smudge!
Any one have any ideas if spray polyurethane would damage the ink? I'd like to clear-coat it so it lasts till my grandson gets it from me someday!

What a fantastic keepsake there Dave. Not sure what to use to cover it, perhaps some laquer similar to that used on the guitar itself?

Laquer - Yeah, I know that would be ok for the guitar finish, but I wonder about the marker ink? If a chemical reaction made the signatures disappear or run, I'd be devastated! Maybe I'll just build a glass case!

It is worth more now Best thing is to keep it behind glass.

A similar guitar sold for $3000 on eBay a month or two ago to benefit Doc's wife's medical fund, but this one is NOT for sale!

Dave, quite a sight to see all the TOP/AWB sigs all over your guitar. I suppose that's specifically a guitar thang, because my sister who's a 1st rate violinist (and vocalist) in her own right, recently attended a concert by renowned violinist David Garrett and after the concert went back stage and asked if he would sign her violin, but because he didn't want to deface it, opted to sign her violin 'case' instead. She returned home feeling a little disappointed, but also understood Garrett's respect for her instrument too.

UD ... that is REALLY cool, man ... nice going ... it is nice to be able to see the more 'human' side of top entertainers ...

Scott, I agree, and that's why I bought a cheap guitar just for their signatures. I don't expect to ever play it. ... it's more of a shrine. A painted guitar can't be ruined by magic marker anyway, but a violin ... different story!

BTW - I only got TOP's signatures. I enjoy AWB, but I'm a Tower freak from WAY back.

Dave, you want my signature? I know you're a fan. Send me a keyboard and I'll sign it.

DonM

TOP are a great bunch of guys...I was lucky enough to jam with them several years ago, in Toronto, Ontario.

It never occurred to me to get them to sign anything, but the memories are just as permanent as ink....at least in this case.

Your guitar will be a great keepsake, David, and a treasure for your kids.

Ian

PS...Another great horn group, and favorites of mine too, are the Horny Horns...used to play with Parliament-Funkadelic. Ever meet them guys?

TOP!!! One of my favorite all time bands. Years ago two friends of mine were music teachers in Carteret NJ and also TOP fanatics. Even tried to put together a tribute band with their own original tunes. I tried out but was rejected because I couldn't bring my B3 to weekly rehearsals at the school. Had a steady 4 night restaurant gig and moving each week would of upset the owner too much.
For a few years TOP would make an extended stop at the Bottom Line in NYC. These two teachers corresponded with TOP so much that the day before the gig started the band would come down to Carteret and do clinics with the HS kids all day, share a buffet put on by the band kids moms, and then do a private show for the kids and parents. I never could even come close to getting a ticket for that. All I heard was , as you said, really nice guys with no egos.
One more note, (pun) The other night at my Elks Lodge my friend says :"Hey I've got some extra credits on the Jukebox, go play some songs" I choose What is Hip, Still a Young Man, And Three Dog Nights, Try a Little Tenderness. All of a sudden everyone wants to know who's blowing those horns!
AWB kicks butt live too. Especially with only five pieces.
All through my early bands I played organ and Bari too. Even in college in Kentucky. Doin James Brown tunes in the hills. Miss those days

I've seen Parliament, but never met the guys - it was an awesome bill in Philly 2 years ago at the West Oak Lane Jazz Fest:
Parliament, AWB, WAR and TOP ! I was speechless for 8 hours!!!!!! 30,000 bumpsters in the streets, laughing, telling stories, dancing and singing to the beat. A day I will never forget. My daughters and I were the ONLY white faces in the crowd except for the band, and it was the safest, friendliest environment I was ever in. Music ... the world's best response to the race card. We're all just ordinary people .... lovin' the music.
I raised all my kids to be totally colorblind, and this day was the proof that we watch people from the inside out!

You could get a marker and sign similar surface, and try to laquer it or cover it with some clear coat spray. That way you'll know without ruining the guitar.

Cool guitar by the way... not many play Big Apples, does it have a coil tap/split?

DocZ

Doc,
This was a $99 Squire hardtail that GC gave me for $75 brand new, so ... no, it has no cool features that I know of. It has a 3 position switch though, so maybe there is some wiring inside that taps the single coils. I really have no intention of playing it .. it's just an ornament of my deepest affection!

This is the guitar I got signed, just in case anyone was interested!
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-Bullet-Strat-HH-Electric-Guitar-H69849-i1689604.gc

That's awesome Dave. I have seen TOP live on a couple of occasions and they are an awesome band.

And yes, I'd be wary of trying put any sort of chemical over the guitar and risk destroying the signatures. Plus some of them are on the plastic pick guard as well. I would just keep it behind glass.

And that was a good guitar to pick for the job. Even though I know it isn't for playing those cheap Squiers are very playable guitars. I could play a gig with one like that without a problem.

Poly will work fine sprayed over the magic marker. The Square already has a poly coat. DO NOT USE LAQUER-it will bunch and go bad.

I'd get an airbrush and do it gently if it were here. Take it to a refinisher to spray the poly. It will be fine. you only lightly spray the sigs.

Bootsey lives in Covington, Ky, and I see him around here occasionally and at Summer NAMM. He demos for Ampeg.

I'll spray the guitar free. Of course theres the 20 plus hours of driving...(LOL).

Be well,


R.

Thanx for all the suggestions!