Billy Gibbons - Starz Getarz

Billy Gibbons is a true Bluesman, a southern boy with a real roots attachment to the heart and soul of the blues vibe. It's easy to emulate, and some can even simulate, but only a chosen few can Demonstrate! Players like Billy G. and Stevie Ray don't come along often. They are the real 'thang'!

I met Billy for the first time at "Ole Miss" in Oxford, Mississippi! There was a small coliseum there and Billy "tore it down"! I was really impressed with the effort he put out at the show. He busted his butt and went more than the extra mile!

We had gone to the show with Mike Ladd, a friend of mine that had a music store in Memphis across the street from Graceland. He knew Billy personally and was quite a Bluesman himself. They really were like brothers it seemed. Mike was a trip, and a guitar maniac. We went to a hotel room and waited there for a minute, then in walked this guy. He said "Hi" to Mike and they started to talk and cut up.

I wondered who this guy was, then Mike turned around and said, "Guys, meet Billy Gibbons". I couldn't believe it! He looked like just a plain ole regular guy. He was totally down to earth and extremely friendly. He did have 'Pearly Gates' with him and yes, I got to play it. Pearly had a thick neck, very heavy strings and was tough to play-- a man's guitar, and it took some serious chops to play it.

After that, Billy came to the store all the time. Tom worked on his guitars and Billy hung out and messed around on guitars. One time he brought this guitar shaped like the state of Texas (pictured bottom right). It was a Gibson, cherry red, and pretty huge. He left it with me and we showed it off for a while.

Another time he brought in the absolute craziest guitar ever made. It was this metal contraption with what looked a hundred moving parts. It had no definable body and a ultra strange neck. It looked like a hand held nuclear reactor or somethin'! He left that one with us too! **If anyone has a picture of it please let us know so we may feature it here!**

Billy was working on a new project at Ardent Studios, here in Memphis, several years back and he came by the workshop and spotted a St.Blues Eliminator sitting on the counter. Up to that time he had never shown any interest in a "wang bar" guitar and the Eliminator was definitely a "one trick pony". It had a locking tremolo and one humbucker. He liked it so he bought it and took it back to the studio. Imagine Billy G. with a Van Halen Special! "Lawd hav mercy! What's that boy gonna do next?!"

Billy cut most of his albums in Memphis at Ardent Studios. He lived here a lot and stayed at the Peabody Hotel for months at a time. He's a close personal friend and family here at Strings and Things.