My Companion

[westtexasred]

Will be here soon!

[youtube][/youtube]

[theshadowofseattle]

That's hot, but the strap buttons of that shape are FUCKING USELESS.

[benecol]

Will be insanely jealous. As ever.

[Paradigmforcosmos]

It is the kind of guitar when you looked at it long enough you'll start to feel dizzy.

[westtexasred]

Haha,Now I need to find a copy of the original LP. They only made 100 copies so it could be tough (Link)



I used to have the reissue on Red Rooster.

[mkt3000]

reverse mosrite?

[Fran]

I've never seen such a dramatic change in direction of string allignment as on that headstock. What's going on under that bar?

[westtexasred]

Mike Dugan demo

[youtube][/youtube]

[westtexasred]

I've never seen such a dramatic change in direction of string allignment as on that headstock. What's going on under that bar?

Quantum entanglement.

[Bacchus]

I've never seen such a dramatic change in direction of string allignment as on that headstock. What's going on under that bar?

There must be channels on the underside, like an upside down nut.

[westtexasred]

I've never seen such a dramatic change in direction of string allignment as on that headstock. What's going on under that bar?

There must be channels on the underside, like an upside down nut.

From "Guitar Player Magazine":

Avalon AV-T2

This “band,� made up of the Wiggins sisters from New Hampshire, recorded an album back in the summer of ’69. That record, Philosophy of the World would have (should have?) stayed totally under the radar if not for the fact that Frank Zappa once declared in a Playboy interview, “The Shaggs are better than the Beatles.� Hmmm. One thing is for sure: The incredibly strange, atonal, arrhythmic tunes on Philosophy are completely devoid of cliché. If your interest is piqued (and how could it not be?), have fun researching this bizarre group that appears on the favorite albums lists of guitarists as diverse as Kurt Cobain and Ronnie Montrose.

Okay, on to the guitar. At first glance, it’s a cheapie, made-in-Japan, ’60’s solidbody, probably produced by Kawai, Teisco, or maybe Tele-Star. It has two single-coil pickups, a 3-way selector switch (conveniently located in the strum path on the pickguard), two volume and two tone knobs, and a surfacemount whammy. Even though it didn’t catch on—which is probably why there is so little information available about this guitar company— this model was built to be more than an entrylevel student guitar. The headstock has a beautiful mother of pearl inlay logo. The pickguard and back plate are made from high-gloss chrome plated steel, as are the pickup rings, bridge plate, tuners, Strat-style output jack, and the ingenious towel-rack string guide on the headstock. The AV-T2 is finished in a righteous tobaccoburst on a figured flame maple top. The bridge sports six individual rollers and the neck plate has five set screws. Not exactly a kid’s guitar!

Here’s what you don’t see at first glance: This guitar actually plays quite nicely. It has a skinny, multi-laminated “propellerwood� neck with jumbo frets, super-low action, and a tremolo that’s very user-friendly and smooth. Plugged into the clean channel of my old Boogie, the Avalon gives good surf, partly due to the smoothness of the trem system, but also thanks to the tone of the single-coils, which— although not particularly unique—are quite musical, falling somewhere between a Tele and a Jaguar. With distortion, you can get a tone reminiscent of Jimmy Page’s Silvertone work with Led Zeppelin.

With all of the lore surrounding the Shaggs on the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album, this weird guitar isn’t easy to find—and isn’t cheap—but well worth the hunt, although any of us would be hardpressed to duplicate the magic of the legendary Dot Wiggins.

[luciguci]

Shiiiiiiiit, fix the pics in your post so they aren't side by side. I've got a big ass screen and it's making me have to scroll side to side to read this thread.

[ultratwin]

Shiiiiiiiit, fix the pics in your post so they aren't side by side. I've got a big ass screen and it's making me have to scroll side to side to read this thread.

FIX'D.

Happy down scrolling!

[luciguci]

That shit is hot. I would replace/reposition those strap pegs though. Or get some rubber washers. Looks like it would fall off easily.

[Dave]

I'm sure I'm not being anything less than totally predictable here: THIS SHAGGS ALBUM IS AMAZING. THANK YOU WESTY! I can't believe I've never heard them before. This is like the revelation that Trout Mast Replica was supposed to be! That's about the nearest touch point I can make to it. It's basically like if the Softies sung over TMR era magic band with meg white on drums. Thats three of my favourite things in ONE band. It is about the most charming thing I've ever heard.

[westtexasred]

I'm sure I'm not being anything less than totally predictable here: THIS SHAGGS ALBUM IS AMAZING. THANK YOU WESTY! I can't believe I've never heard them before. This is like the revelation that Trout Mast Replica was supposed to be! That's about the nearest touch point I can make to it. It's basically like if the Softies sung over TMR era magic band with meg white on drums. Thats three of my favourite things in ONE band. It is about the most charming thing I've ever heard.

Thanks. Check out this video of My Pal Foot Foot. It's really good.

[youtube][/youtube]

The Shaggs are really special.As someone on youtube said The Shaggs are "the musical equivalent of Ed Wood".I first heard about them back around 1979.
That was when NRBQ rereleased "Philosophy Of The World" on their Red Rooster label. NRBQ's drummer Tom Ardolino always came to my record store whenever NRBQ played in the area(New Haven,CT).

I took the photo below in 1987.Tom actually got be a Shagg when he filled in on drums at Shaggs 30th anniversary concert in 1999(Helen was too ill to play).
Sadly, both Helen and Tom are are now deceased so I don't think there will ever be another Shaggs reunion.

[westtexasred]

Here is the original 1968 Harris Teller Wholesale catalog page. Only $47.50!

[westtexasred]

Here is another of the 5 copies of the original POTW known to exist at Dust and Grooves.



Dakota and Elle Fanning are in talks to play Dot and Betty in an up coming Shaggs biopic says The Vulture (link)

[westtexasred]

Here is my pal "Foot Foot".

[westtexasred]

I've never seen such a dramatic change in direction of string allignment as on that headstock. What's going on under that bar?