Les Spann in Quincy Jones - Birth of A Band

[jimmyl51]

Was just watching this clip of Les Spann playing what looks to be an A-500 with a Guild Charlie Christian pickup on it. Looks like my 1960 A-500 whereas my guitar has the Guild DeArmond on it. I'm thinking a custom Guild that Al Dronge made for Les at that time maybe? jim in Maine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEfpjIKlxWU

 

[hansmoust]

Hello Jim,

You've made it! I'll see if I can find something about that Les Spann guitar!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[Walter Broes]

Great clip!!!! Nice guitar too!

 

[walrus]

Yes, excellent clip - it looks like Spann is not using a pick, unless he has a thumbpick on. It's amazing he can be heard in that setting without a pick...

walrus

 

[rwmol]

I searched the web and found an album cover from a late 1960 release that has him holding his flute and his A-500 to his side.

Interestingly, it appears to have an D'Armond Artist Award Pickup. My question is: the control is mounted on a pick guard with both a front and back cutaway. Is this the way it would have come from the factory? Or, was it added later?

The control on my 61 A-500 is mounted on a Guild pick guard with no cutaway. It was added after the build. There is no letter after the model name on the sticker.

Randy

 

[hansmoust]

I searched the web and found an album cover from a late 1960 release that has him holding his flute and his A-500 to his side.

Hello Randy,

You're probably referring to this photo:

Interestingly, it appears to have an D'Armond Artist Award Pickup. My question is: the control is mounted on a pick guard with both a front and back cutaway. Is this the way it would have come from the factory? Or, was it added later?

The guitar is listed in the factory ledgers as an A-500, which means it didn't come with the DeArmond originally. If the album cover is indeed from the end of 1960, then the guitar must have been fairly new, since it's a 1960 guitar. As far as the pickguard is concerned, that's a Gibson (style) pickguard, probably borrowed from another guitar.

The control on my 61 A-500 is mounted on a Guild pick guard with no cutaway. It was added after the build. There is no letter after the model name on the sticker.

Usually, a guitar that came with the DeArmond as stock equipment will have the 'Special' designation on the label.

The guitar in the Quincy Jones clip has controls on the body and the pickup is not clear enough for me to identify but since I do not know when exactly the Quincy Jones clip was made, it is very well possible that the guitar was altered at a later date or it may not have been the same guitar at all.

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[walrus]

Love the cigarette!

walrus

 

[northbayj]

Hi guys

More on Les and his Guilds in the post from awhile back
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10682

 

[hansmoust]

Hi guys

More on Les and his Guilds in the post from awhile back.

Thanks northbayj, for reminding us about that older thread!

I've 'worked' a bit on one of the photos so it would be easier to see the details:

The photo shows a Guild X-500 from the 1959-1960 period with a Charlie Christian pickup in the fingerboard position. You can't really see what's going on with the bridge pickup but the guitar still has the pickup switch mounted on the black plate near the cutaway. Also note the Grover Imperial machineheads that were probably not original on that guitar either.
It's most likely the same guitar as the one in the Quincy Jones clip. I've seen photos of Les Spann with an X-500 from that period but those were probably taken before the change to the Charlie Christian pickup.

So the A-500 in the other photo is definitely not the same guitar. Note the completely different sunburst finish on the A-500:

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
http://www.guitarsgalore.nl

 

[northbayj]

Thanks for the photo save and the additional info Hans - good stuff.

 

[ogtcheddyg]

I'd bet $1 that he's playing Elek Bacsik's Guild in the photos. The CC pick-up and Grover Imperials are the giveaway. No one else played a Guild like that in the 1960's.

 

[teleharmonium]

Gemini is a great record.

 

[shihan]

An A 500 with a Charlie Christian pickup is my idea of guitar heaven.

 

[gjmalcyon]

His big bands were outstanding collections of great musicians. The box set of his final European tour with his band, The Complete 1960 European Concerts, is a must-have for lovers of big band jazz. The tour was booked for a 2-year term supporting the Harold Arlen musical, Free and Easy. The show folded, and Quincy Jones attempted to keep the band together and on the road, nearly bankrupting himself in the process with the $100,000 debt he incurred trying to do so.

The Quincy Jones Big Band - Complete 1960 European Concerts

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2011 CD release of "Complete 1960 European Concerts" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com