Neil's guitars, effects, amps

I ate that whole thread! Thank you!

It were yummy.

Shakespeare

Yup, he DID lose it in the Nambassa file. As did Nigel with his bass (a Rickenbacker too I think). Somewhere in storage I have a fact sheet from way back in the Enz day where they were asked about their equipment. Neil referred to 2 guitars I think to which he added, "both now in ashes". Come to think of it, I guess I just assumed that it was the Nambassa fire. Of course, it could have been some other fire - but that would be on hell of a lot of bad luck for one band don't you think?!

Haha! Maybe Neil is like Hendrix, torching his guitars willy-nilly

You leave me out of this!

Willy

Hello Everyone! (My first post!)

I'm a huge fan of Maton guitars mostly due to Neil and Tim.
My pride and joy is a custom Maton EGB808 made with the exact same specs as Neil's model.
Maton were very good about it all- checking their books to make sure it was the same as what they'd recorded for Finn's.

I often wonder if 808 Song was named after Neil's guitar. Does anyone know?

quote:

Originally posted by Kid A:
[qb] Hello Everyone! (My first post!)

I'm a huge fan of Maton guitars mostly due to Neil and Tim.
My pride and joy is a custom Maton EGB808 made with the exact same specs as Neil's model.
Maton were very good about it all- checking their books to make sure it was the same as what they'd recorded for Finn's.

I often wonder if 808 Song was named after Neil's guitar. Does anyone know? [/qb]

wow! i'm kind of surprised they would make one identical to neil's. that's cool. always wanted me an EGB808. what a beautiful guitar!

as far as i know, everything i've read points to the 808 song indeed being named after the guitar.

Yeah, certainly agree with that. Maton do make great sounding guitars; the small-bodied ones, the "BlueGrass" series (BG, EBG) have such a big sound!

Sure, Maton will do any customisation you want (at a price). Maton offer a set of custom options to make the guitar look different, so sure, you can make your EBG808 look like one of Neil's if you want. Check out the website www.maton.com.au

But Martin and Collings also make very nice-sounding small-bodied guitars. Check out (if you're in a Martin dealer shop) the Martin "Eric Clapton" signature model (OK, if you have USD 10,000 lying around).

The Martin guitar Neil plays on the Edible Flowers video is a Martin "Graham Nash" signature model: all Mahogany body...looks amazing, and probably sounds the same ("only" around USD 5000 according to their website). It looks a bit like the guitar you see Robert Johnson playing on the front of that compilation CD of his stuff. Cool or what?

The originator of this thread was interested in all Neil's guitars from
"Day 1", I think...

Well the first electric he bought (in Soho, London, aged 19, Day 1 with Split Enz)was a Yamaha. Can't remember the model number, but it had a double cutaway. You can see it in early Split Enz concert pics. You can still get them
because I saw one in a guitar shop in Singapore a couple of years ago. The Yamaha website is probably a good place to check the latest...!

The LP Goldtop he played at the very first Crowded House gig (Middle Park Hotel, Melbourne, 1986, supporting Split Enz) was a 1964 Les Paul Goldtop. Of course, he may have other ones, too... If you want a Goldtop, I think Gibson only do LP Standards as Goldtops now, but check the webpage. Of course, if you happen to be a Rock-god, a guitar-maker will do any
customisation/alteration you desire for free (publicity).

Any idea what was the pillar-box red thin-line acoustic Neil plays at the beginning of the "I Like To Watch" video? Think it might be another Yamaha...

quote:

Originally posted by RavingChat:
[qb] Sure, Maton will do any customisation you want (at a price). Maton offer a set of custom options to make the guitar look different, so sure, you can make your EBG808 look like one of Neil's if you want. Check out the website www.maton.com.au[/qb]

i was interested enough at one point to get maton to price one for me. i didn't ask for the specs to be identical to neil's, but the price came to around $5,000 new zealand. at that time the exchange rate was about half, so it would have been a good deal for me, but i decided not to buy it.

you mention the martin small bodied guitars, besides the clapton one, they also have their own 'blue grass' model. i haven't seen it in a while, but last time i did it was about $700. i don't know how it sounds, but i have a martin DM that was in that price range and i love playing it and how it sounds. they make good guitars.

Anyone know what Neil is playing on the Weather with you video of the special ed. EIH? I'd be v.grateful if someone could give me the details as I have no clue when it comes to guitars...

One of the good things I find about the smaller bodied guitar in general is the ergonomics of it- I find it easier to play than the standard size.

Raving Chat, I'm pretty sure the red acoustic is a Yamaha. :-)

Oh, Vieoray, you really should get yourself one (a Maton, I mean), man. They are not cheap, but they are awsome guitars and tremendous value (compared to a Martin, I was thinking). I mean, I thought the Martin Eric Clapton sounded great when I tried it, but did it sound (to my ear) better than my Maton? Not sure about that... It's like auditioning hi-fi: do you actually get a better listening experience for the extra bucks?

Maton are extremely helpful about shipping, in my experience. It's all door-to-door!

I agree 100% with Kid A about the smaller-bodied guitar experience. Holding a dreadnought now feels pretty strange...

Like mrsfrog, I, too, would like to know what the 12-string was Neil has been using on the EIH tour. I'm sorry, I can't help you there... :-(

the smaller guitars are called parlour guitars, i believe.
i wish i had one!
comfort issues aside (they are quite comfy!), i like how they are generally less boomy and have better upper midrange articulation.
yah, muso alert here.

quote:

Originally posted by Reformed Dreamer:
[qb] the smaller guitars are called parlour guitars, i believe.
i wish i had one!
comfort issues aside (they are quite comfy!), i like how they are generally less boomy and have better upper midrange articulation.
yah, muso alert here. [/qb]

they are also called auditorium guitars. i like playing them because i'm a smaller guy, and it just feels more natural and comfortable than a dreadnought.

i wanna start learning to play guitar.Its something i've always wanted to do but never found the time.Now i have some spare time i've decided to learn.I want to learn to play acoustic guitar first and was wondering what is best guitar to get for a beginner.I can afford to spend about �200.

Roger
RIP Paul

Roger, you might want to post your question as a new topic in AIA -- it's more likely to be seen there.

not meaning to stray too far off topic but to answer your question crowdieman, you should go to your local guitar shop and ask for help. tell them your budget, and get them to show you a few guitars within your constraints. request to hold the guitars, strum them, see which one feels comfortable to you and sounds how you want to sound. finding the guitar that's comfortable to you is the biggest thing. ask questions and buy the one that feels and sounds the best. then be very, very patient and have fun

I've been wondering what that big red Gretsch he owns was. He uses it A LOT. Now I know, and as I suspected I couldn't afford one even if I came across one similar. Fender bought Gretsch and the quality on the guitars this mere mortal can own is reported to be pretty ho-hum (they have electrical problems in the new jet models).

He definitely has a gold top Gibson...that could use a pick guard I might add, but at least it shows he uses/loves it.

In the most recent Finn Bros tour, I swear I saw him using an electric 12-string that looked to have Maton on the head...any thoughts?

As far as I know, Black Cloud- that Gretsch is a Firebird. I think it's a 58? That's just off the top of my head.

As I recall it was a gift from a fan who owned a music store in the US. Someone might want to correct me with better details.

yes, i believe you're correct kid a. but...is that the guitar neil lost and then found some time later? seems like i remember him misplacing a guitar that was given to him as a gift and it turned back up eventually.

He LOST a Gretsch?
Man.

The Firebird of Neil's came from Athens, Georgia or so Chris Bourke's biography says. It was given to him by generous man called Mike Guthrie in 1991 (I think)- it's possible he did lose this one as it doesn't seem to appear for ages in their live shows.

I believe I heard this story and he didn't lose the guitar (whatever guitar it was) so much as an airline did.

yes, if i remember correctly, an airline lost one of neil's guitars, but it turned up after some time (two years or more?). i THINK it might be the gretsch, or maybe i am mixing the two stories of the lost guitar and the gift guitar together.

ok, i did some research on this:

apparently neil owns a duojet and a firebird.
the DUOJET was given to neil by a guitar store owner in Austin:
from an interview in 1998 with neil, where he was asked "what's your most treasured possession?"

"It used to be my Gretsch Duojet guitar. I was in Austin, Texas, feeling miserable because I had the flu, and this guy who owned a vintage guitar store showed me this guitar and turned up at the show that night to give it to me."

it was also the DUOJET neil lost:
"Unfortunately the airline lost it on the way from Melbourne a couple of years ago, so that was my most treasured."

ok...so we know neil has the firebird, because he plays it now. but did he ever recover the duojet? i seem to recall him having a duojet. didn't he play one on suffer never on the seven worlds collide dvd? it's a blueish color with silver trim...

I've definitely seen him more recently with a semi-hollow Gretsch. I'm not remembering if it was live, live feed, DVD or what. Both that he uses/used have Bigsby tremolos are are similar enough in color to be confusing in stage lighting (red looks black in green light, blue looks black in green light, etc.)

Not that I want to own a Gretsch or anything like that. Does anyone have US$3000 they want to donate?

This is from a 2002 article in Acoustic Guitar magazine:
"Neil Finn plays two custom-made Maton EBG808 acoustic guitars. Maton Guitars (http://www.maton.com.au) is known for using native Australian tonewoods for its guitars' backs, sides, and necks, and Alaskan spruce for the tops. Rather than playing through an amp, Finn plugs his acoustics straight into a DI during his live performances. D'Addario EJ16s are his strings of choice, and he uses Dunlop .073 guitar picks and Kyser capos. On the electric side, he plays a 1958 Gretsch Firebird and a 1968 Gibson goldtop Les Paul."

the duojet neil owns looks very close to this: http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.php?product=G6...&cat1=&cat2=&q=&st=1

the pickguard or some other part on his has glitter-like stuff on it.

I think that's the one he plays Suffer Never with on the Seven Worlds Collide DVD?

yes.

I can kinda see where Stuart Murphy was going with the Burns 12 string, the main thing i got against it, is the 'head' of the guitar is different, and the body of Neils 12er looks like the bodies of some of the 6ers. The maton 12er looks nothing like the 12 Neil played in Australia (I know i been drooling over one for about 12 months). Anyone got any other suggestions? i really like that 12 string.

I was 6 feet from it in Oxford and it's definitely a Maton, it says so. Must be some custom-made job.

The 12 string as seen at the Albert Hall gigs recently is definitely a Maton.

The Gretsch Duo Jet Neil had lost by the airline was black in colour, I last saw him play it at the 1st Finn tour back in 95 at the Islington Union Chapel....not sure if he ever got it back?? I don't think so.

Zola

quote:

Originally posted by Lovethislife:
[qb] The 12 string as seen at the Albert Hall gigs recently is definitely a Maton.
[/qb]

THANK YOU. I'm not crazy. I was in the front row of a show in the US (meaning I could have pretty much mugged Neil if I'd wanted) and that's what I saw. It looked like it was orange too. Weird little guitar. If I can get this to work...it looked a bit like this guitar (Maton Flamenco circa 1960s), but 12-string and w/o the bigsby. It also had some tone switches in addition to the volume knob.



Well, hell, here's a pic someone got at RAH.

Well I've got my first Vox AC30 on the way...

Now all I need is a Gold Top Les Paul and a voice and some talent...

cheers,
joey

to you guys who were so close to the maton 12 string electric: what does that label say underneath one of the switches? you can see it in the picture above, look directly underneath neil's hand at the white square. you can almost see what it says on the everyone is here bonus DVD, but i can't quite make it out.

i'm pretty sure the red 12-string is a modified Burns.

I see the Crowther Hotcake that Neil uses is made by the ex Split Enz drummer Paul Crowther...

I can't find a website for Crowther Audio to read about the Hotcake...

does a website exist??

thanks,
joey

I don't think Mr Crowther has a Website, but you could find out information via Google, particularly the Aus (com.au) and NZ (co.nz)Googles. He makes a limited number every year which get distributed to musical instrument shops in Aus and NZ. You may be able to get one that ships, or you may find some in the US, you never know.

If you're a bass player, check out the Crowther "Prunes and Custard", too...

Sorry, forgot to mention... This is a shop in Melbourne that will ship for you, if you're interested.

http://www.melmusic.com.au/index.php

I picked up both pedals here, when I was in Melbourne.

Thanks RavingChat,

What does Prunes and Custard do that is good for bass? I am mainly guitar, but occasionally play bass.

Ah, well, you just seem to get some better synthetic sounds in the bass, I thought...

Here's a little bit more about the Crowther P&C:

http://filters.muziq.be/model/crowther/prunescustard

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Crowther_Au..._And_Custard-01.html

Try searching in Google on "PEC Hot Cake" and "PEC Prunes and Custard"

PEC=Paul Emlyn Crowther