VU Guitars Photo Thread

[simonm]

Here's another pic -


I think the gtr in the 65 pic has a long tailpiece too, but it's in shadow - it is different to the one Moe is holding though, the vibrato on Sterl's is like the one on this '62 SG Custom - there's a triangular hole, and the vibrato arm folds back


He might have had it changed some time later - looks to me like the knobs etc are the same - 2 vol, 2 tone, plus output jack and pickup selector.

[Mark]

Sterling's playing an SG here as well:



It was obviously a guitar he had access to over time - seems strange he apparently didn't play it often though.

[lurid]

Wasn't this great pic taken at the WLWH promo show at the Aardvark Cinema in Chicago, Jan/Feb 1968? (It's from the cover of an obscure Boston (?) LP which doesn't contain any VU music)

Just out of interest, do you know when Lou's Gretsch was stolen?

Picking up on another comment - I seem to remember reading somewhere that Lou had an early Vox fuzz box which plugged directly into his guitar jack socket, and had a hand-operated on/off switch. The same hazy memory says that you can actually hear him "hitting it" on and off during "I Heard Her Call My Name".

oh! - haven't seen this before!

- that's the Gretsch with the added vox tremolo (repeat percussion) and distortion booster effects and extra pickups! This gets my vote as the I Heard Her Call My Name guitar. It''s mentioned in Uptight. Lou got some free pedals from Vox and had them put into a green Country Gent along with a set of Strat pickups from one of Sterl's gtrs. This is the clearest pic I've seen so far. It was stolen.

[simonm]

Found the Country Gent info, such as it is: Jonathan Richman in Uptight p86

"Sterling helped Lou work on the Country Gentleman by giving him a pickup off his own Stratocaster to put on it. That's brotherhood. .... the Country Gentleman had four pickups (they usually have 2), built in pre-amp, built in tremolo unit, added Gretsch pickup, added Stratocaster Fender pickup for more treble. ... the Gretsch was converted to stereo enabling him to get low bass and high treble at the same time."

The reference to it being stolen I can't find. Probably just a passing comment somewhere. Anyone else remember it?

The plug in distortion thing? I had thought it was built into the guitar, but it seems not - it was probably one of these:

and another pic showing the switch:

You can definitely hear something being switched on in a feedback screech before one of the solos in IHHCMN...

[calaminehello]

[quote="simonm"]. ... the Gretsch was converted to stereo enabling him to get low bass and high treble at the same time."





vox probably had a whole line of these things? lucky lou probably got 1 of each!

the vox distortion booster plug-in, wow, really flippin cool! they have a pedal called the distortion booster nowadays, wonder if the same effect is achieved?

[Jez]

Lurid asked - 'Just out of interest, do you know when Lou's Gretsch was stolen?'

Lou's Gretsch (and record collection) were supposedly stolen while he was playing at the Dom, April 66.

At least that's how I remember it. Anyone got a reference to this?

[Mark]

I think Uptight states (from Moe?) that his record collection was stolen at the Dom, but the Gretsch must have been taken much later if he used it on the first album and WLWH. Doesn't Sterling say in the Peel Slowly book that a lot of their gear was stolen immediately before starting work on the third album?

[alfredovu]

Wasn't this great pic taken at the WLWH promo show at the Aardvark Cinema in Chicago, Jan/Feb 1968? (It's from the cover of an obscure Boston (?) LP which doesn't contain any VU music)

[alfredovu]

Wasn't this great pic taken at the WLWH promo show at the Aardvark Cinema in Chicago, Jan/Feb 1968? (It's from the cover of an obscure Boston (?) LP which doesn't contain any VU music)

The pic is inside the gatefold cover. KLRO´68 (or similar) is the name of the Double Album. A 67 Greatest Hits issued by this Bostonian Radio Station. The guy introducing VU is an staff Disk jokey (his name is on the record ... but I do not have it with me now. Let me know if needed). No VU music though as Gordon says.

[lurid]

Am I correct in thinking that the picture was taken at the Aardvark Cinematique (the "WL/WH promo" show? If you look at the photos from that show (on Olivier's site taken from the "VU Scrapbook") it looks like the same location. Has the source of the KLRO 68 picture been documented anywhere before?

I've always loved that pic. Sterling (with his studded dog-collar!) looks as if he's smirking at the "straight" DJ (in his buttoned-up double-breasted jacket and casual slacks), John looks as if he's cowering from something, and Lou looks just like a punk kid from the streets (drain-pipe denims and pointy boots). I can imagine them opening with an outrageously loud "White Light/White Heat" and the audience ("200 lucky teens") wondering what the hell had hit them. Great pic!

Just for the record - what is the DJ's name?

The pic is inside the gatefold cover. KLRO´68 (or similar) is the name of the Double Album. A 67 Greatest Hits issued by this Bostonian Radio Station. The guy introducing VU is an staff Disk jokey (his name is on the record ... but I do not have it with me now. Let me know if needed). No VU music though as Gordon says.