Photos and final video from three days of rawk with Tim Young at Hyde Street Studio C, San Francisco.
Here is one more vidoe from my 3-day session with guitarist Tim Young. Unlike the other two videos, this one is just straight up rhythm, but with such a simple part, perhaps especially because of the simplicity of the part, you can truly see Tim’s talent. I mean, he’s just so relaxed and grooveworthy. I’ve also posted some pictures from the sessions. To see them, just click on “Fotos” above and click on the first album, which is called Three Days with Tim Young and The Guitarsenal. I apologize for the fact that almost all the photos are taken from the exact same angle, but chalk it up to my brain injury, which forces me to stay sprawled on the couch in order to remain comfortable and make it through a longer day.
For the gearheads out there, here’s a list of the Guitarsenal!
Maton Supreme EG 240S - I just call this guitar The Maton, for it is righteous and deserving of titles, worship and awe. The backstory starts in a dumpster in Australia back in the early 70s, I think, when a friend of mine (not at the time, of course!) was being punished by his school for some offense and was out picking up trash when he noticed the neck of The Maton sticking out of a trash can. He knew instantly that he was looking at the remnants of the guitar a patron had bought for his school just weeks before but had been smashed to pieces by some irate kid. He dove into that dumpster and pulled out every last piece. Back home later that day his dad took pity on him and offered to pay to have the guitar fixed. And so my friend brought it to the Maton factory. A few years ago, when I first “borrowed” the guitar, I noticed the neck beginning to separate from the body. I panicked, called my friend and told him I would pay to have the guitar fixed if he gave me the okay. He did and the guitar was made better than new by the wizards at Gary Brawer guitar repair in SF. Since I first came into possession of The Maton, it has been the guitar I write songs on, or maybe it writes the songs, I don’t know. All hail The Maton!
Fender “The Strat” - I bought this way back in 1980, when Fender first introduced this model as the kickoff of a long-term plan to start building good guitars again after the debacle of the post-CBS era (CBS bought Fender in 1965 and the company’s quality took a nosedive for about the next 15 years.)
For the gearheads out there, here’s a list of the Guitarsenal!
Maton Supreme EG 240S - I just call this guitar The Maton, for it is righteous and deserving of titles, worship and awe. The backstory starts in a dumpster in Australia back in the early 70s, I think, when a friend of mine (not at the time, of course!) was being punished by his school for some offense and was out picking up trash when he noticed the neck of The Maton sticking out of a trash can. He knew instantly that he was looking at the remnants of the guitar a patron had bought for his school just weeks before but had been smashed to pieces by some irate kid. He dove into that dumpster and pulled out every last piece. Back home later that day his dad took pity on him and offered to pay to have the guitar fixed. And so my friend brought it to the Maton factory. A few years ago, when I first “borrowed” the guitar, I noticed the neck beginning to separate from the body. I panicked, called my friend and told him I would pay to have the guitar fixed if he gave me the okay. He did and the guitar was made better than new by the wizards at Gary Brawer guitar repair in SF. Since I first came into possession of The Maton, it has been the guitar I write songs on, or maybe it writes the songs, I don’t know. All hail The Maton!
Fender “The Strat” - I bought this way back in 1980, when Fender first introduced this model as the kickoff of a long-term plan to start building good guitars again after the debacle of the post-CBS era (CBS bought Fender in 1965 and the company’s quality took a nosedive for about the next 15 years.)
1966 Epiphone Olympic - One of Tim's, who says "I bought this from a friend in Portland who had 3 of them and who turned me on to the feather-light body / heavy-weight sound of this little beauty."
1967 Hofner 459 - Another one of Tim's: "I saw Jon Brion playing one of these when I auditioned for Fiona Apple 15 years ago (to play vibes- I didn't get the gig). Saw two hanging next to each other at Emerald City Guitars in Seattle. Eryn and her mother, Karyn bought it for my birthday 5 years ago. It is the guitar I use the most, but sadly very difficult to find parts for! It has an active circuit (9 volt battery)."
2007 Taylor GC-7 - Tim's prized acoustic: "Got this at McCabe's in LA. I went in there and played all the top notch guitars until I found the one that sounded the best to me, then I tried to A/B it with less expensive guitars until I found THE ONE in MY PRICE RANGE!!!"
Gibson Les Paul - My first guitar. I -- er... my parents bought this guitar for me from Gelb Music in Redwood City. I know every player says his Les Paul is the best, but mine really is.
2003 '57 Re-issue Fender Telecaster - Tim's workhorse: "This guitar was a gift from Eryn's mom and the first guitar I had that really sang. I took a lesson from Tele great Jim Campilongo to learn how to play that particular guitar. He told me to take the finish off the neck; I did so with acetone and a popsicle stick then polished it with steel wool."
Gibson 336CS - When I turned 40, I asked my folks to go halves on a new guitar with me. They did and this is what I picked out, a staggeringly beautiful update of Gibson’s classic. Believe it or not, I ordered it online. The first one that arrived was not up to my mysterious snuff, but this one spoke to me.
And here are the amps!
Carr Mercury 10” with a KT-66 tube - I bought this on the way to client presentation in 2002 or 3, maybe even 4, I’ll have to check my records to know for sure. How best to describe this amp? Put it this way, at Hyde Street Studio C, where I keep it, it has become the go-to amp for clients. They plug in, they pick up their jaw, they rock.
EarCandy SweetTooth 2X10 - I had this built for me just a few years ago in the vain hope that I would someday play live again and need a bit more stage volume than the Carr can deliver on its own. Together, this cabinet and the Carr create the best rock guitar tone I have ever heard.
1965 Fender Princeton Amp - When Tim shows up for a gig, this is the amp he always his with him: "I got this from New Yorker Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman...). At first he 'lent' it to me; had it shipped in its case to me so that he could have an amp in LA should he need it for gigs here. Then a couple of months later he asked if I wanted to buy it, so I unloaded a '75 Princeton Reverb (hugely inferior in sound and heavier) and made that happen."
Silvertone - Jaime found this outside a bar. It had been left for trash pick-up! Crazy world. He rescued it and it is the amp to use if you want authentic vintage tone.