B.C. Williamson - The Official Website
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WHAT INSTRUMENTS DOES B.C. USE?
B.C. has had a long and varied career, and as a consequence has picked up many guitars along the way. While certain musicians will stick to one guitar throughout their career, B.C. has played over 75 different guitars on his records and live performances, from his customized Gibson ES-335, to Gibson Flying Vs, and Fender Telecasters. Below are a selection of the many guitars B.C. has used.
GUITARS
Cigar box guitar
Unable to afford a real guitar in his teenage years, yet determined to sing the blues, B.C. constructed this small cigar box guitar in a few days of work, assisted by one of his fathers during a brief parole release. He used a classic Havana cigar box - since customized with logos and stickers - and a small piece of wood as a guitar neck. The guitar shown here is the original model, fitted with string wrapped around turning eye bolts for tuning. He later removed the guitar tuning pegs from a friend's acoustic, and added metal strings. It was at this point that B.C. added a small electro-acoustic pick-up to the inside of the guitar, which was then wired to an input jack on the end of the box. This allowed B.C. to play amplified for the first time. B.C. still owns the guitar, which was used for the unplugged performances on the classic live album, LIVE!
Stella acoustic
The B.C. Williamson story begins with this Stella acoustic guitar, obtained in the early 40s. After hearing that the famous blues legend Robert Johnson had originally played one, and that Leadbelly had played a twelve-string model, he was determined to buy himself this legendary guitar. However, the poverty of his Deep South existence halted this, until he acquired the guitar under mysterious circumstances. He continued to play this into the early 50s. It now hangs in the studio area of Williamson's Memphis house.
1951 Gibson ES-175
B.C.'s first electric guitar was purchased in the early 1950s when rhythm guitarist Ray Jay Robertson recommended the model. B.C. had previously played only with an acoustic guitar, but found the sound too quiet to satisfy large club audiences. A small group of purists objected to the switch to a jazz guitar, with a small number of fans shouting abuse at B.C. during his first all-electric concerts. By this stage, according to Williamson's memoirs, after hours of playing, B.C was so tired and inebriated, he believed their expletive-laden diatribes were in fact calls of "thank you." This vintage guitar was lost in 1957 after a concert, prompting him to purchase an early Gibson ES-335. This was the last guitar he owned without the custom set-up.
1958 Gibson ES-335
One of the very first models of the guitar to go onto the market, this ES-335 has remained with B.C. throughout his entire career. He owns many different models of it, in many colors, but he most frequently uses his original 1958 model in red for live performances. The guitar features throughout most of his albums after 1960. In 1965, B.C. met Ted McCarty, the head of the Gibson corporation at the time. They designed a special 'B.C. Williamson' model ES-335, with over ten tone knobs, to achieve extremely precise tone control (roughly two controls per string). Tick-Tock Turner, a keen electrician, had been custom-wiring B.C.'s guitars that way for many years. The model went on sale in late 1968, and has sold ever since.
The special B.C. WILLIAMSON ES-335 can be purchased in red or black from all good musical retailers for $3,995/£3,500.
"A true joy for any guitarist to play, I would presume." - Tick-Tock Turner, drummer
1959 Fender Telecaster
The story of B.C.'s arrest for stealing a Fender Telecaster in 1952 is well-known, but it is not so well-known that B.C. would later acquire a Telecaster, a 1957 butterscotch model purchased legitimately years after the event and used on the albums "White Not Blue", "Rise", and "Me And The Blues". He recently brought out the Telecaster again for some tracks on the "Larger Than Life" album. B.C. is fond of the guitar, counting it among his most admired possessions.
1969 Gibson Flying V
Inspired by his contemporary Albert King's use of the guitar, B.C. was prompted to purchase this famous Gibson guitar when he saw it in a Los Angeles music room, prior to recording "Ready For Re-Entry". He enjoyed the guitar, but found the heavy strings unsuitable for his style of playing. The guitar was soon abandoned for his Gibson ES-335, and given to Tick-Tock Turner's son as a birthday present. The guitar was recently sold for $115,000 at an auction in New York to an anonymous bidder.
1972 Fender Jazzmaster
Long-famed for being the guitar of surf-rock and grunge guitarists, the Jazzmaster is not often seen as being a blues guitar, with its thin timbre. However, B.C. bought a pair for himself and his backing band during the recording of "I'm Back". On certain tracks, B.C. can be heard to be over-enthusiastically using the guitar's tremolo arm. The guitar was later left unused. It was sold in 2004 to an anonymous collector.
1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
Though by his own admission not a fan of the heavy humbucker sound of the Les Paul, B.C. did however purchase this now invaluable Les Paul Goldtop, fitted with its original P-90 pickups. This briefly-lived guitar lent itself to the harsh sounds of "Fatal Discharge", and also appeared on "And That's Why They Call Me Johnny". The guitar was later sold privately.
1965 Epiphone Sheraton
OTHER INSTRUMENTS
ARP 2600 synthesizer
Vox Continental
Hohner Marine Band
B.C. used a harmonica on many of his hit records - including "Picasso Was Never as Blue as Me, Baby" and "Believe Her 'Till I Leave Her". This Hohner Marine Band was used by the vast majority of harmonica legends, including old inspiration Bob Dylan. B.C. is reported to own many.
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