Of course we all know Susanna Hoffs for her prowess on her Rickenbacker:
But check out what she says here about her gear. Since she's such a big Beatles fan, I wonder if she knows about the Beatles connection to the Starfire XII as well:
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2012/ ... interview/
RCM: A lot of Beatles fans and “gearheads” love to talk about your guitars and amps. Can you talk a bit about that?
SH: I still play the same amp that I bought before The Bangles had any kind of success. It’s a Fender Deluxe and it’s considered a very good amp. It’s a pre-CBS Fender so it has the green light instead of the red light. So I still play it, though I’m sad it’s gotten a teeny bit trashed over the years, but there’s no sound like it. It’s called the “Deluxe Reverb” and I have to tell you, it’s got the best reverb sound. It’s a tube amp so it’s very warm and very cool sounding. It’s a really great one. They’re so expensive now, I’d like to get another one, but I absolutely love it!
I have loads of guitars, like a cool Silvertone bass here, and a Guild Aristocrat from the ’50s that’s absolutely incredible. I have a Guild Starfire 12-string that’s incredible and is on every record that I’ve done. My signature Rickenbacker is a three quarter body and a full-scale neck – it’s the one Rickenbacker made only 250 of in the ’80s. Then I have a John Lennon-style three quarter Rickenbacker, it’s a three quarter neck and three quarter body. I love all those old Beatles-style guitars.
--
Apparently it's a 1965 Starfire XII:
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/07/2 ... -guitar-2/
Susanna Hoffs: It is a sublime sound: sunny, bell-like, beautiful. Twelve-string guitars were used extensively by some of my favorite groups like the Byrds, the Beatles, the Seekers and the Hollies. Just think “Ticket To Ride,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “I’ll Never Find Another You” and “Look Through Any Window.” I cherish my Rickenbacker 12-strings and also my 1965 Guild Starfire, which has a particularly magical bright and jangly sound.
----
Or maybe it's a '66?
http://www.vintageguitar.com/2943/the-bangles/
What was your first electric 12-string?
It’s a ’66 Guild Starfire, and it has this incredible bright-but-warm sound. The pickups are so loud – it has this warm overdrive. This guitar is so magical that I stopped taking it out on the road. Every guitar player I ever worked with actually went out and tried to find one like it.
On Doll Revolution, there are so many parts I did on that guitar. Every time you hear a bell-like 12-string, it’s that guitar. It just takes you right back to the ’60s, in a way. It’s a vintage sound, but it’s modern, too. I’d say it’s up there as one of my most treasured guitars. I don’t know what I would do without it.
Why were no 12-string guitars used during any of the Bangle performances since the reunion?
I can’t afford to take that Guild out with me. It’s just too precious and too fragile. I’ve actually been on the hunt for a roadworthy 12-string. I really miss having one on the road. I’d use it on tons of stuff. It’s really the only thing I need.
---
Man all of this talk makes me really miss my Starfire XII, even though I just picked up a Ric 360-12!
But check out what she says here about her gear. Since she's such a big Beatles fan, I wonder if she knows about the Beatles connection to the Starfire XII as well:
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2012/ ... interview/
RCM: A lot of Beatles fans and “gearheads” love to talk about your guitars and amps. Can you talk a bit about that?
SH: I still play the same amp that I bought before The Bangles had any kind of success. It’s a Fender Deluxe and it’s considered a very good amp. It’s a pre-CBS Fender so it has the green light instead of the red light. So I still play it, though I’m sad it’s gotten a teeny bit trashed over the years, but there’s no sound like it. It’s called the “Deluxe Reverb” and I have to tell you, it’s got the best reverb sound. It’s a tube amp so it’s very warm and very cool sounding. It’s a really great one. They’re so expensive now, I’d like to get another one, but I absolutely love it!
I have loads of guitars, like a cool Silvertone bass here, and a Guild Aristocrat from the ’50s that’s absolutely incredible. I have a Guild Starfire 12-string that’s incredible and is on every record that I’ve done. My signature Rickenbacker is a three quarter body and a full-scale neck – it’s the one Rickenbacker made only 250 of in the ’80s. Then I have a John Lennon-style three quarter Rickenbacker, it’s a three quarter neck and three quarter body. I love all those old Beatles-style guitars.
--
Apparently it's a 1965 Starfire XII:
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/07/2 ... -guitar-2/
Susanna Hoffs: It is a sublime sound: sunny, bell-like, beautiful. Twelve-string guitars were used extensively by some of my favorite groups like the Byrds, the Beatles, the Seekers and the Hollies. Just think “Ticket To Ride,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “I’ll Never Find Another You” and “Look Through Any Window.” I cherish my Rickenbacker 12-strings and also my 1965 Guild Starfire, which has a particularly magical bright and jangly sound.
----
Or maybe it's a '66?
http://www.vintageguitar.com/2943/the-bangles/
What was your first electric 12-string?
It’s a ’66 Guild Starfire, and it has this incredible bright-but-warm sound. The pickups are so loud – it has this warm overdrive. This guitar is so magical that I stopped taking it out on the road. Every guitar player I ever worked with actually went out and tried to find one like it.
On Doll Revolution, there are so many parts I did on that guitar. Every time you hear a bell-like 12-string, it’s that guitar. It just takes you right back to the ’60s, in a way. It’s a vintage sound, but it’s modern, too. I’d say it’s up there as one of my most treasured guitars. I don’t know what I would do without it.
Why were no 12-string guitars used during any of the Bangle performances since the reunion?
I can’t afford to take that Guild out with me. It’s just too precious and too fragile. I’ve actually been on the hunt for a roadworthy 12-string. I really miss having one on the road. I’d use it on tons of stuff. It’s really the only thing I need.
---
Man all of this talk makes me really miss my Starfire XII, even though I just picked up a Ric 360-12!
