Guess more than just a couple here are into guitars as I am. So here are some pics from the current ZZ Top tour.
As always Billy brought some fine guitars out onstage. BTW Regardless what the headstock says, they are all built by John Bolin.

And who are the sexy ladies ?
I don't remember ZZ Top having any background vocalists...

[doctorstonesblog.blogspot.com]

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Doc
And who are the sexy ladies ?
I don't remember ZZ Top having any background vocalists...

They are no background vocalists. When Billy called for his "Blues Hat" it was brought to him on stage by his wife Gilligan Stillwater Gibbons (on the right)
and the other lovely Lady. They just stayed for a couple of minutes.

I thought Billy used Gretsch;s?

What are those two metal boxes on the floor by the mike stand?
Could it be that their stage sound is so low, that they are monitors?

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Cafaro
I thought Billy used Gretsch;s?

None of the Gretsch Billy Bo guitars played by Billy were made by Gretsch.
Neither the ones sporting the full Gretsch Logo/Name nor the ones with the single big G letter on the headstock.

BTW same is with the Gretsch Duo Jet played by Keith during some concerts and @ the RRHF session.
He and Ronnie got some "Gretschs" and a couple of Supro style guitars built by John Bolin.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-14 17:37 by Phil Good.

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Palace Revolution 2000
What are those two metal boxes on the floor by the mike stand?
Could it be that their stage sound is so low, that they are monitors?

Sorry, don't know what it is.

I thought maybe they were screens with the songlist; then that maybe his effects were covered, but now I see Frank Beard has them all around his drum kit. Sure looks like monitors.

nice site imo
[www.bolinguitars.com]

Here is a shot of Billy that I took last summer

>> BTW same is with the Gretsch Duo Jet played by Keith during some concerts and @ the RRHF session.
He and Ronnie got some "Gretschs" and a couple of Supro style guitars built by John Bolin. <<

really?! interesting! a couple of the Ratbag Boogie threads need correcting in that case.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-14 21:25 by with sssoul.

I saw them not too long ago, and was really surprised at how much sequenced tracks they were triggering.

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with sssoul
>> BTW same is with the Gretsch Duo Jet played by Keith during some concerts and @ the RRHF session.
He and Ronnie got some "Gretschs" and a couple of Supro style guitars built by John Bolin. <<

really?! interesting! a couple of the Ratbag Boogie threads need correcting in that case.

Yeah...it sure does. But it also akes you wonder: why on earth would Bolin build Duo Jets? Supro's I can understand, but Duo Jet's? Why would he spend the time and resources?

Mathijs

From Getty Images:



Billy with his single p/up pinstriped Jet

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Mathijs
Yeah...it sure does. But it also akes you wonder: why on earth would Bolin build Duo Jets? Supro's I can understand, but Duo Jet's? Why would he spend the time and resources?

Mathijs

He gets paid for doing that.

>> He gets paid for doing that <<

well okay, but ... why?

update: Phil Good, i found this post of yours from last year: [www.iorr.org]
where you seem to mean that John Bolin is building Supro guitars because he works for Supro - is that right?
so they are Bolin-built Supro guitars?

and is that the case with the Duo-Jet as well - is it a Gretsch Duo-Jet, built by Bolin?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-15 10:14 by with sssoul.

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with sssoul
>> He gets paid for doing that <<

well okay, but ... why?

Probably someone just thinks that a JB built Jet is a bit better guitar than the ones made by Gretsch.
Same thing with Peter "Max" Baranet or Chris Derrig. Why are/were their LPs, Vs or Explorers preferred over what Gibson was able to deliver.
For awhile now Gretsch's Masterluthier Stephen Stern is building some very fine nitro laquered instruments in their US CS.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-15 10:27 by Phil Good.

>> Probably someone just thinks that a JB built Jet is a bit better guitar than the ones made by Gretsch. <<


okay so he's not working for Gretsch, but he is/was working for Supro?
sorry, i'm not trying to be ornery, i'm just trying to understand!
if the point is that some people consider Bolin's Duo-Jets better,
i don't get why the ones he makes have the Gretsch logo instead of a Bolin or JB logo.

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with sssoul
>> Probably someone just thinks that a JB built Jet is a bit better guitar than the ones made by Gretsch. <<


okay so he's not working for Gretsch, but he is/was working for Supro?
sorry, i'm not trying to be ornery, i'm just trying to understand!
if the point is that some people consider Bolin's Duo-Jets better,
i don't get why the ones he makes have the Gretsch logo instead of a Bolin or JB logo.

Supro: He was/is involved in a project with the now onwners of Supro.
[www.suprousa.com]

Gretsch: Of what I was told is that John Bolin has/had permission by Gretsch to build these guitars for big name Guitarists
Not everybody is into it like you and me or other guitar nuts on this or some other forums. Guess that 99% of the people who see BFG or Keith in concert or in a photo playing a guitar sporting a certain logo/name on the headstock naturally think it's built by what the headstock says. So if they like what they see and it comes to purchase a new guitar they might go - in this case - for a Gretsch. And that's fine with the company. Works better than any advertising.
Bolin will NOT build a guitar like that for an everydayjoe guitarist like me.

While talking about Billy Gibbons - he really loves to present people he likes with guitars. Not only Keith and Ronnie. He did that before.
John Bolin gave me that pic long before Internet & email. It's the first time that I post it on a website. Fore sure not everybody's cup of tea but I like it alot.
Saw Albert King live back then playing it. He was fantastic. RIP





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-15 11:35 by Phil Good.

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Phil Good

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with sssoul
>> He gets paid for doing that <<

well okay, but ... why?

Probably someone just thinks that a JB built Jet is a bit better guitar than the ones made by Gretsch.
Same thing with Peter "Max" Baranet or Chris Derrig. Why are/were their LPs, Vs or Explorers preferred over what Gibson was able to deliver.
For awhile now Gretsch's Masterluthier Stephen Stern is building some very fine nitro laquered instruments in their US CS.

I understand that very well, but at the time of the Max and Chris Derrig their LP's where a lot better than what Gibson offered, and where much closer to original 50's LP's than anything else. Times have changed, and Gibson improved a lot, as has Gretsch. I just never imagined somebody putting in time and money to build something that -at least to me- doesn't need much improving anymore, which is a Gretsch Jet.

Than again, I am not a rock star with $200 million on the bank account.

Mathijs