The Everly Brothers and their Gibsons...

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 15 Dec 2009 3:41 pm

I realise that this is a highly-specialised area of interest, and that it may well only be of consequence to only two people (that I'm aware of, at least), but I'm in the midst of a fascinating correspondance with Albert Lee on this very subject.

Albert is a close friend of Don Everly's, and he has the answer to a number of issues that have perplexed me over the years. I can't think why I didn't ask him before now!

As some of you may know, Don made a gift of his black J-200 (with the off-white pickguards) some years ago, and it remains a cherished possession of Albert's to this day.

Albert has cleared up some mysteries surrounding the fate - or disposal - of the Brothers' various Gibsons over the years; if anyone here shares my interest, I'd be happy to add some details.

Here's Don with the predecessor of the Gibson SJ-200 that Albert now owns. Those custom pickgurads really set them off nicely, didn't they?

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 15 Dec 2009 3:44 pm

I'm waiting patiently!

Bill Fisher · Post by **Bill Fisher** » 15 Dec 2009 3:59 pm

To me, the Wilburn Brothers Jumbo Gibsons with their names on them looked much prettier than these. Just my opinion.

Bill

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 15 Dec 2009 5:03 pm

They look cool....they sound awful. You take two thick pieces of pickguard material and cover just about the whole top. REAL good for the vibration of the top.

I have worked on a few of them. All have that clunky thuddy sound to them.

Makes about as much acoustic sense as the tooled leather covered Martins you see.

I like the Everly Bros. much better than I like their guitars.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 15 Dec 2009 5:09 pm

I tend to agree with Bill, but those guitars have become part of their identity. I went to see their concert in Birmingham (England) two years ago, and they were playing the same model Gibsons as they've always played. It may well be that the dull sound suits their style. If you listen to the chopped chords introduction to Bye-Bye Love, for instance, it wouldn't have the same impact on a guitar with more sustain.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 15 Dec 2009 5:48 pm

All quite true, of course. The best J-200s I've heard were certainly only fitted with a single 'guard. Leather-covered Martins? All part of rock and roll imagery, but good for nothing except keeping the rain off, I'd say.

Alan:

What you saw recently were not Gibsons, but replicas built by Robert Steinegger, and called the 'Ike Everly' model in memory of the boys' father. (Ike passed away in 1976.)

As for appearance that, of course, is subjective. I never cared for the Wilburn Brothers J-200s - too overstated, rather like the appalling 'transformation' that was worked by Gibson themselves on Elvis Presley's first blond Gibson (a 1956) when they added an odd-looking spiky pickguard and emblazoned his name on the fretboard.

As for the acoustic guitar we hear on 'Bye, Bye, Love' and 'Wake Up, Little Susie' that is not - contrary to common belief - a J-200, but Don's original Gibson SJ.

I might also add that my own J-200 sustains for days!!!

Mind you, the J-200s have been called 'Whispering Giants' within the trade; I think there are grounds for this, but many of them are excellent guitars. No doubt in my mind, though, that the intention was to create an eye-catching instrument; surely Gibson succeeded in that endeavour?

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 15 Dec 2009 7:25 pm

Roger, Thanks for the info. Albert Lee plays Don's J-200 on his guitar instruction video.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 15 Dec 2009 8:07 pm

Here is Rick Nelson's tooled leather covered Martin.

The J200 is for sure an enigma. So beautiful, but you rarely hear an exceptional sounding one.

There are some Rosewood models of the J200 that I have read about.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 15 Dec 2009 8:38 pm

Actually, the J-200 is arguably the largest bodied acoustic steel string ever built.

Curiously, after a while, anyone who is serious about fingerpicking a guitar would never opt for a drednaught or a J-200. Both would and should be strung with medium gauge strings to emphasize their tone and volume capabilities. Light gauge strings sound too tinny and lose volume; BUT, are easier on the hands.

So what really astounds me to this day, is how in the world Dave Van Ronk played some of the best ragtime/folk fingerstyle guitar on a J-200? It's really something to think about if you ever played steel-string acoustic guitar.

And I'm sure he had it strung with medium gauge strings; maybe even heavy gauge, as well.

He was, nonetheless, a giant of a man, with giant hands, too.

I tried out J-200s in music stores over the years; and played (or tried) some of DVR's patterns and licks [Cocaine Blues], and let me tell ya - my hand was aching after about 5-10 minutes.

But it's still a great axe. Just tough to play all night long.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Dec 2009 4:51 am

Well: I hadn't really intended to start a discussion about the merits of the guitars, but the Everlys; instruments in particular and their various changes during the first three or four years of their success.

More later on that...

Bill:

Interesting picture; where did you find it? I ask because it doesn't look like one of Nelson's Martins (he had a D-28 first, then a D-35 later). The guitar in your picture looks as though it has a rosewood fingerboard, and neither of his Martins had that. The tooled cover also differs from the pictures I have of his - only marginally, but this looks like a clever replica fitted to an available Martin (D-18, surely?) for display purposes.

By the way: Nelson had at least two of those covers - each had his name placed differently in the design. Many pictures from that period show Rick with a sunburst J-200, though - I'm sure he succumbed to the Gibson's visual allure like so many do!

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 18 Dec 2009 11:30 am

I googled "Tooled Leather Martin" and several pics came up of Elvis Martins and then a site had that one. It might be in the Martin museum.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 18 Dec 2009 11:41 am

I tried out J-200s in music stores over the years; and played (or tried) some of DVR's patterns and licks [Cocaine Blues], and let me tell ya - my hand was aching after about 5-10 minutes.

Chip, my take on this is entirely different. For many years I owned a 1964 J-200. I strung it up with standard guage strings (80/20 phosphor-bronze; 0.056 through 0.013), and to my experience, it played as easy as any electric guitar. The reason being the neck. The neck on the J-200 is very narrow when compared with most other acoustic guitars. This is because the J-200's of that era (and maybe through the present) had a 5-piece laminate neck. The cross-grain lamination allowed the neck to be sculpted to a narrow width and thickness. After I sold it (to finance my Sierra S14 PSG) I couldn't find any other acoustic guitar with such an easy neck to play. That's my take, your mileage may vary.

BTW: I think the Gibson J-200 is the most visually appealing, factory-made acoustic guitar on the planet. I'll bet Mr. Rettig concurs.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 18 Dec 2009 11:41 am

Cat Stevens played one too in the early seventies. (On songs like Lady D'Arbanville.)
I wonder if the flamed maple wood is still recognisable
on those black coloured ones?

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 18 Dec 2009 11:54 am

Joachim:

Cat Stevens played a Gibson Everly Brothers model, not a J-200. The 'Everly' came on the market on 1963, the majority were finshed in black (like his) with big plastic 'guards. The 'Everly' was based on the Gibson J-185, and was slightly smaller that a J-200.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 18 Dec 2009 11:59 am

Glen,

I must admit that the J-200s I played were strung with medium gauge strings, of which I wasn't used to at the time. I played a smallish Guild F-30 (out of production) strung with light gauge strings.

The J-200s were definitely not set up, which is probably the reason they broke my hand. Most just-from-the-factory guitars, usually come through with the action set on the high side (easier to take the action down than raise it up, I guess).

I'm sure if they were set up to my liking, I would have definitely found them easier to play. And I am aware of that thin profile neck design.

I probably should have included this in my previous post.

All in all, I like the J-200. Actually, I like most Gibson acoustics. Used to own a Hummingbird, once.

I think there is an Emmylou Harris version, which looks just like a J-200, but is actually a bit smaller (I think). Saw that somewhere.

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 18 Dec 2009 12:38 pm

Regarding the Everly brothers guitars: Theirs (the original two guitars) were 1950's custom J-200's. However, the Gibson 'artist' series "Everly Brothers" guitars were not. They're based on the Gibson J-180, a slightly smaller guitar. The J-200 is 17" across the lower bout and depending on the vintage, the body is from 4.5" to 4.75" in depth. The J-180 is 16" across the lower bout and 4.375" in depth. Also, the artist series "Everly" guitars and later J-180 had/have 'stars' for fret markers and peghead inlay. Where as the J-200 has 'crown' or 'crest' fret makers and peghead inlay.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 18 Dec 2009 2:25 pm

Glenn:

If I could amend your post and add a detail or two....

When they first came to Nashville (their father arranged a meeting with his old friend, Chet Atkins) Don was playing a Gibson Southern Jumbo (SJ). In fact, as I said earlier, this was used on their first two or three hit records, even though they had acquired a pair of standard sunburst J-200s for stage appearances. These J-200s can be seen on the cover of their first LP ('They're Off And Rolling'); the sleeve-picture shows them astride Harley-Davidsons with the guitars slung on their backs.

Next they got a pair of black J-200s with black laminate 'guards (see my pic in an earlier post). We're not sure of the disposal of these guitars, but Albert has sent me a picture of one of them now owned by someone else (he saw it at James Burton's Guitar Fest recently; pic below).

Next they had their most famous J-200s, the black ones with big white double-guards. It is one of these that Don gave to Albert in the late-'70s. Albert thinks that Phil still has his one.

Then - a fourth pair of J-200s; these were a grayish colour with big black 'guards (see the LP 'Instant Party' - they also used them on Ed Sullivan's TV Show when they appeared in their Marine uniforms). Albert informs me, though, that these had a paint aberration and the 'gray' became a sort of unattractive green colour, so they offloaded them.

At some point, Don gave his father, Ike Everly, his original sunburst J-200; this reverted to Don when their father passed away in the '70s.
=============================================

The Gibson 'Everly Brothers' model:

The first two (made in 1962) were in a cherry sunburst - very different from a J-200 in appearance - and these, naturally, went to the Brothers. The first sighting of them was on the sleeve of their 1962 LP, '...Great Country Hits'.

In 1963 general production of the Everly Brothers model commenced, most being in black with faux-tortoiseshell 'guards. Some had blond tops and , later in the run ('63 - '72) they were fitted with smaller 'guards. A total of 488 were made. Don also had an 'Everly' with non-standard 'guards - a pair of 'teardrop' shaped ones, similar to those fitted on Martins.

Sad to relate, when Don moved to Nashville from CA he lost a number of instruments that were stolen from a storage facility. Among the missing guitars were his original sunburst J-200, as well as a couple of his 'Everly' models. Happily, he still has the Gibson 'SJ' that is heard on 'Bye Bye, Love'.

As I stated above, they've used Robert Steineggar's 'Ike Everly Model' guitars on shows since their reunion at London's Albert Hall in late-1983.
===================================================

So: They had at least four pairs of matching J-200s, then went on to use various 'Everly Bros' guitars until their 'split' in 1973. As Glenn rightly says, these are smaller than the 200s. At a glance, see the EB has 'star' motifs in place of the J-200's 'crowns' and 'squashed frog' on the fingerboard and headstock respectively.

I'm very much obliged to Albert for filling in a number of 'blanks' for me. I'm happy to relate that he's as bad as I am for wanting to ferret out all this trivia!

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 18 Dec 2009 2:50 pm

I have a J-200 Gibson and have had it for almost thirty years and still take it to gigs. Yes, the body is huge; however, as with anything else, you get used to it and don't give it a thought after three or four months.

Right now, I just received a new D8, Jerry Byrd style bar for my steel from Bill Stroud and, I am having a terrible time trying to hold that slippery little piece of chrome. In time though, its size will not enter my mind while playing.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 18 Dec 2009 4:41 pm

Ike Everly had a long career, with a radio show featuring him, his wife and Don and Phil. I've searched many times for material of him singing and playing and all I've come up with is the clips on the Everly Brothers' Roots album. They use one of those clips on their live show. The voice of Ike is heard, as he introduces the boys singing, then the curtain goes up and the live music blends in. It's very effective.

Does anyone know of ANY Ike Everly material published ?

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 18 Dec 2009 6:04 pm

Just for the records, here are some of their J-200s...

First, a promo shot for their first album on Cadence; this shows their first pair of 'standard' sunburst J-200s.

Now: the gray ones. These, I'm told, underwent a strange metamorphosis and turned a kind of green! still, they looked quite striking for a while, didn't they?

Then there were the black ones with the white 'guards - seen here on an album cover; this is the guitar that Albert now has.

You've already seen the black on black ones.

Now here's the only shot I know of what I'm certain were the very first Gibson Everly Brothers guitars. You can just see the cherry sunburst finish on Phil's guitar.

(This album, by the way, is terrific! Sonny Curtis, Billy Strange and Glen Campbell on guitars, and Red Rhodes on steel guitar.)

Lastly, here's a more standard EB model being shown to me by Albert. The occasion was the rehearsals for the Brothers' reunion concert at the Albert Hall in 1983. Although the Boys were playing the Steineggar guitars by now, this stayed on stage as a spare instrument throughout the rehearsals and the two shows. (I think it belonged to their old bass-player, Terry Slater.)

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 18 Dec 2009 8:33 pm

This is my favorite leather tooled Martin. (Sorry Roger but Hatcher started it

)

Great steel by Gene O'Neil and fiddles by Bobby Hicks and Tommy Williams. Joel Price of Lavonia GA on the bass.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 19 Dec 2009 7:55 am

Hi, Bill C! That's some outfit, isn't it?

No problem, by the way - I'm fascinated by the 'leather cover' phenomenom, too!

Bill H.:

I wondered if it was the Martin Museum, too - it looks like it. The cover depicted there is, as I say, slightly at-odds with the pictures I have here, but I suppose he could have had two or three over the years.

Rick Nelson also had a fancy tooled cover for his J-200 - Elvis did the same, and that accessory can now be seen at Graceland along with the famous $50,000 (

) suit covered in gold leaf. As neither Rick or Elvis were contributing much to their on-stage sound with their guitar-playing, I guess it was okay for them to mute their sound thus....

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 20 Dec 2009 4:03 am

Hey Roger, I don't have a Gibson but here's a shot of my Epiphone "Elvis Tribute" guitar. I think it has a very nice tone either plugged or unplugged. I have the action very low with light gauge strings. I bought it some years ago when I was gigging with an Elvis impersonator. Unplugged it does a nice job of matching the tone of the Everly Brothers rhythm licks........JH in Va.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 20 Dec 2009 7:54 am

Here's a couple of Ricky's sound deadeners ....

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 20 Dec 2009 9:07 am

Hey, Jerry - I remember that guitar!

Barry:

Well sleuthed!

The top one looks identical to the cover he used on his J-200 - is that some sort of certificate of provenance beside it?

The lower picture IS the original Martin cover he had, and it's the one that the example in Bill's photo is meant to replicate. Almost identical, but not exactly so.

What on earth is Ricky Nelson doing in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I wonder?