[CountryMile Cadillac]

Saw this picture as I was poking around the internets... Any info on this guitar?

[TI4-1009]

From a Weir interview you can find on Dozin:

What were your first guitars?

"My first was a $17 Japanese model. Then I got a $35 Harmony classical, and it was okay. When I was 15, I ran away from home to cowboy for a summer and make enough money to buy a Martin D-28 from a pawn-shop. A little later I found a really nice 1944 Martin 000-21 in a pawnshop for less than $100, as I recall. Those were the old days.
I played that until I got my first electric, which was a Gretsch Chet Atkins model. Then I got a Gibson ES-335, and later on tried a Rickenbacker, which was a great little guitar. From about 1968 to '71 I used a Gibson ES-345, until I switched to a Gibson SG. I had been playing that for about three years when I met Jeff Hassleberger from Ibanez. We hit it off real well and started working on desingning a guitar. It was about 1975 when I got my first Ibanez guitar, and it's pretty much a continuing progression of them ever since. They all look the same, but they're real different."

I remember reading a different interview where he talks about he and Jerry trying to stay out of each other's ways- tone-wise. If Jer was using single coils Bob would usually shift over to something with humbuckers.

Interesting to hear him say he liked the Ric. Not many photos of him with it- I wonder why he moved away from it- and never returned?

[tatittle]

I have seen that guitar before, from a Fillmore East show I believe. That would put it in the 1970 era, though its a much older model no doubt. I guess that pic shows cab's from a later date like 1972-73, so maybe he pulled it back out or I am misremembering the Fillmore East connection.

My 1st guitar was a Montoya acoustic (or something close to that), followed closely by a Martin (Shenandoah I think) HD-28 "2nd" I got at the factory in Nazareth. My 1st electric was a new Gibson LP Custom (really wish I still had that one)...so you can tell I a from a different generation than some of the older heads lol! Actually my brother had a Fender Bullet but I never really played it.

[ccw3432]

I love the SGs. I would way overdue it if I had a tremolo bar like that but it sure would be fun.

My first guitar was a cheap Fender acoustic. I still have it and it is now my travel guitar. First electric was an SG!

[douglasa]

It's an early '60's SG/Les Paul with sideways vibrola that Weir used in '73. He used it in between the cherry red Gibson ES-345 in '72, and the sunburst Gibson ES-335 he started using in late fall '73.

[CountryMile Cadillac]

That vibrato is the thing I was most curious about, looks like it folds into place.. I was looking around wondering about if he was ever a Bigsby guy, and saw that picture. I had never seen him with that guitar (so I thought until i looked around a bit more), but knew he liked Gibson's back in the day as well as these days.


I fairly recently stuck a Bigsby on a '78 Musicmaster I salvaged and Hot rodded up, so my interest in vibrato pieces has increased!

I've read that interview.. Liked the comment about the Martin at the Pawn Shop, those were the days.. seems like I heard that interview at some point as well.. but my mind makes shit up quite often

[PHersh]

That vibrato is the thing I was most curious about, looks like it folds into place.

I saw one of those vibratos on a new Gibson SG reissue last month. Surprised, as they were somewhat rare (and snazzy looking with the cover in place).

[TI4-1009]

[CountryMile Cadillac]

Thats an interesting and crazy little gadget right there. thanks for the info fellas!
From Wikipedia...
The Gibson Vibrato, an earliest Gibson-designed vibrato systems, was a distinctive long tailpiece released in 1962 on some SG models. This mechanism later became known as the side-to-side vibrato (or Sideways Vibrola)[6] because of the position of the lever, which emerged from the side of the long tailpiece. This lever had only restricted movement up and down in a plane close to that of the strings, so its action was unlike that of the Bigsby and Fender units, and remains unique. It was also described as the "Gibson Vibrola Tailpiece" in Gibson documents, but this name can be applied to any of the Gibson vibrato mechanisms. It was not a success and is of interest mainly to historians and collectors.
Also an earliest short vibrato, referred as "ebony vibrato with the inlaid pearl", was seen on the several Les Paul/SG Standard in the same year.[7]

The Deluxe Gibson Vibrato (or Gibson Deluxe Vibrola, etc), released in 1963, was another long tailpiece mechanism which replaced the Gibson Vibrato. Its vibrato arm and all subsequent designs adopted the action popularized by Bigsby and Fender. Short version of Deluxe Gibson Vibrola was fitted as standard to the 1967 reissue Gibson Flying V. Also, there are two other names on the Deluxe Gibson Vibrato: "Lyre Vibrola" nicknamed after the lyre engraved on the cover plate, which was fitted to Gibson ES-335 series as an option by 1964; and "Maestro Vibrola" renamed for keeping Maestro brand, which was an option on the ES-335 by 1967.