Here's a link to the new Marty Stuart video that just dropped a couple of days ago. Kenny and Marty's guitars sound frickin phenomenal. Tell 'em Otis sent ya! ruclips.net/video/TsrktylH5mc/видео.html
Hey, Mr. Otis....I'll do ya one better than that one. This one sends me into orbit. Marty & Kenny head-to-head on David Letterman show "Country Boy Rock & Roll".
Kenny Vaughn is a treasure trove of music history. I could listen to him talk all day. Even though I’m only in my 30s, I’m pretty biased when it comes to country music and I love how brutally honest he is when being asked questions about country music.
Marty Stuart is also a treasure trove for country music and doing his best to keep it alive. Also has a good collection of guitars and other country music memorabilia He's been involved with real country music since he was young kid. Flatt and Scruggs and Johnny Cash are couple examples.
Between Kenny, Marty and Chris Scruggs, I'd venture to guess they could all teach a university course on these things. I imagine that Handsome Harry is too, although I don't know for sure.
Kenny the historian. Really dig these stories almost as much as his guitar playing which is 2nd to none as far I'm concerned. More Kenny Vaughn please Otis. He's an American treasure although he'd probably scoff at that
I paused the video and listened to El Paso. Super cool listening to the guitar knowing who it was that played it. These interviews are so fascinating and informative. Love it. I could listen to Kenny all day long. 💪🏻
My father was Texas guitarist Steve Rodriguez Davis and grew up playing with Leon Rhodes, Tommy Morrell, Ronnie Tutt, Maurice Anderson, Buster Smith and the Heatwaves of Swing, and all of the Texas greats. He said Leo Fender would give them his early guitars and ask them to play them and give him feedback on what they liked and didn’t like. He said they would play them then give them to their friends. I have a picture of my father playing one of the first Fender broadcasters ever made at the big D jamboree in Dallas in 1952.
Sid and Billy King (Erwin) and the Five Strings from Denton, Texas bought one of the first Telecasters and Stratocasters in Dallas. About 1953/54. They played the Big D Jamboree around that time too.
@@dr.krinkleweldon5934 My father played with Red Foley, Ray Price, Trini Lopez, Donnie Gilliland, Jack Peterson. Jack started the guitar program at University of North, Texas, and my father was a guitar player at UT in their 1 o’clock lab band and was a studio player at King Record. I’m sure he would have known Sid and Billy since they were all part of the Dallas music scene at that time. My father told me that Dallas was full of smokin hot musicians in those days.
@@JohnDavis-hv7nf Sid tells the story that a young Pat Boone came to North Texas State and was trying to get started in the singing business. He married Red's daughter. Shirley. So Sid helped Pat get some gigs. In turn Pat helped Sid and his group get on Red's radio show. Dallas was on the way to being the 2nd Nashville. But it never happened. Eventually Austin took the lead in Texas.
@@dr.krinkleweldon5934 My father and steel guitarist Maurice Anderson, drove to St. Louis in 1956 and played on some of the first televised Red Foley shows. Maurice told me the story and he knew it was 56 because he had just bought a brand new 56 Chevy and that’s what they drove in. After my father passed away, I would go to benefit’s for his friends and they had their stories that they would tell about being on the road. In the 60s my father was the house jazz guitarist at the Adolphus Hotel.
That was new to me about Hank Garland using a Fender on Little Sister. Bigsby was kind of a Thomas Edison with the things he came up with. His work on Cooper Motorcycles and guitars were groundbreaking at the time. The Bigsby tailpiece will outlive us all.
Man, I could listen to Kenny Vaughn talk about guitars and guitar player history all day long! Who has the depth of knowledge to flow so seamlessly from a story about Monk's introduction to the P-bass to Buddy Merrill from Lawrence Welk being one of the early Strat players? And you ask good questions, Otis. These videos are relevant historical documentation.
You could have this depth of knowledge if you read the right books and articles. There's 100s of us geeks who somehow retain this all of this arcane info. I couldn't recall the last thing my wife said to me, but I can tell you when Fender went from the white twill covering to the tweed suitcase type covering on TV front amps. When Gibbs asked if Buddy Holley was the earliest prominent Stratocaster player, the name Buddy Merrill came outta my mouth before Vaughan said it. The Jimmy Bryant story, all of that, it's all in in books, like the one by Forrest White...speaking of White, Vaughan was less than accurate about him and Leo in the Radio shop...White never worked at Fender till Fender amps and guitars were in full production. White tells of his own friendship and times hanging out with Paul Bigsby. This happens all the time when you get a room full of "experts"/historians together...one guys will be relating a story and all the other ones will be correcting him. Don't get me wrong...I love and respect Kenny Vaughan and love to hear him relate what he knows...and he gets most of it right!
So informative! Much respect for Kenny AND Otis. The most impressive thing here is Kenny’s objectivity: if you can’t hear it, don’t pay for it. He sees and hears possibilities with almost every guitar and amp. None of the trash talking so present is many other opinions. I think he sees all the gear as tools, to build great sound. He knows his way isn’t the only way. I loved his statement that he really doesn’t harbor favorite gear opinions. Whatever works. Technique, being adventuresome and flexible. If you really dig his opinions, go see him live. Buy records he is on. He needs to get paid.
Kenny, Marty, and Scruggs are all amazing music history nerds. They just love it all, and when telling a story they exude that joy. The same joy a 15 year old kid has, who plays that newly discovered 45 over and over again. Know what I mean? They're not jaded. They're still big music fans. For me as a guitar player, this was one of the best Kenny vids you've done. He's the coolest cat. And he's in the best band in town. Thanks, Otis.
I read and reread the book, and it really is an amazing story. I only wish that I could have been alive and there with Leo and the others to see how those first instruments came together.
It was probably a great time in music history. So many great bands were growing their careers. Everyone who could really play was offered the latest and greatest equipment.
Could you imagine THAT first meeting?!!! Wow!! The old Epiphone building where Les Paul put together the Log still stands as a design school on 14th St in NYC.
I worked with Sammy Pruett, one of Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys, at Gibson Guitars in Nashville in the late '70s. He was a fantastic jazz player. Mr. Vaughan knows what he's talking about. Interesting, informative video. Peace.
The first time I saw Kenny, was in Nashville circa 1992 at a warehouse that had multiple venues inside. I can't remember the name of it. He was playing with Hal Ketchum. Can't remember the guitar he was playing, but he was playing through an AC 30. Love Kenny's work!!!
Thank you, Otis. I could listen to Kenny talk gear for as long as he wanted to talk. It would be awesome to listen to the fabulous superlatives talk shop!
I enjoy your interviews with Kenny Vaughn. Kenny is a great player who has a vast knowledge of electric guitars, amps, pickups and the people who created and made them. I really enjoy the stories about famous players and his personal experiences, great stuff
Fantastic history here. Fascinating about the late acceptance of the Telecaster in Nashville. Wow 84 and 84 Squires!!! Cool!!! "What would the would be without a the Stratocaster?" Unimaginable. Thanks for posting this.
I love Kenny Vaughn. I am embarrassed to say I didn't know who he was until he started playing with Marty Stewart. Just an incredible player and a treasure trove of musical knowledge.
The Fabulous Superlatives do a surf medley as part of their show. There are several youtube videos of Marty and Kenny and the boys tearing up 60's surf tunes.
Hey Otis, I’m not a musician but a music lover! But, I really dig listening to the great musicians and songwriters you have on here! Keep it up, brother!
I wished you would have asked him why you don’t see more G&L guitars in Nashville, since they are the latest creations of Leo Fender. Great content here. Thanks for bringing Kenny on, he is so cool.
❤ Kenny Vaughan, What A Smithsonian Guitar Artist & Historian & Musicologist, like Yourself Otis! When I Started Playing in My First Band, “The Young One’s” at Twelve Years Old in 1966 in Delaware, Ohio as the Lead Singer using a An All Tube 100 Watt Bogen PA With The Big Fiberglass Horns like you see at a Horse Track for The Loudspeaker System! Delaware, Ohio is where the Famous Sulky Race is held every September called “The Little Brown Jug”
Got an '85, and while the difference is the neck plate in the '83/'84 (which has 3 screws vs the later having 4 screws). Bad news (sorta) is I was a metal dude, so I moded mine, put a Hot Rails in the bridge, and put a Schecter Trem in it with a locking nut. All black chrome hardware. I also have a 2020 Squier CV Telecaster and I think it's fantastic.
I was heading that way, then I decided to listen to the rest of the show. Then I read Otis's comment, and now I'm laughing. I might go and have a look, but the last thing I need is another dang guitar. I have too many as it is, but you pick up one here and there for 40 years, and you end up with what is known scientifically as a shitload. And I'm a sucker for finding cheap, crappy old guitars and making them better. My current favorite is an old Silvertone/Dano 1448 with one lipstick pickup, modded with better tuners, nut, and bridge, and the tone control replaced by a kill switch. It is super light, with great tone, and that lipstick pickup cuts right through whatever is going on. One volume knob, all I need. I love it. I always think of Jack Pearson, who will play any Squier that feels right, and make it sound like the best Strat you can think of. It's the hands, baby, the hands...
Hey Otis , let Kenny know fender did make a factory purple pearliod pick guard in the early 70s. They’re rare as hen’s teeth. I’ve seen them in books and at vintage dealers. I believe well strung guitars in NY had one for sale that was from the song birds museum collection.
Man I could listen to you interview Kenny all day long.Real smart on your part to split this interview & some other Fantastic interviews up you didn't just fall off of the back of that old turnip Truck.Keep it up I know u will.👍 Thanks & God Bless you & Amy. ⚡TCB⚡
Kenny is someone you could have an endless beer with. Such a smart, affable guy. He's a walking encyclopedia, with lots of first hand experiences, and a better memory than most of us amateur hacks out here retained. Videos like these are treasures, thanks once again Otis.
So Very Cool, Thankyou. Such an interesting discussion. Kenny is fascinating and entertaining story teller and Leo Fender is a Champion. So Awesome to see Kennys respect for Leo. Cheers
Otis this was an amazing post. Kenny is just an absolute gangster walking talking musician. This story on Leo, Les, and Paul, good lord what a great history lesson. Amazing also of Leo going to live gigs and fixing his amps in real time.... come on that's how it was I get it! only Kenny makes that story so dam Rock&Roll.... Love love this channel Cheers Doug 😎
Wow! You guys must have hung out for 10 hours that day. Love the stories. Kenny Vaughan should write a book of his own some time. Sooner than later. These stories are fascinating!! Thank you!
He needs to get a ghost writer if he doesn't want to type it out himself. Just talk into a recorder like Billy Bob Thornton did for his autobiography. A friend of Billy Bob's turned his talks into a really entertaining autobiography. Lots of anecdotal stories in that book like Kenny tells.
Very interesting. He mentions his Squier guitars. 83 & 84. I've had an 84 Squier Tele that I bought off the rack in the mid 80's brand new. It has always been my go to. It's just a perfect guitar. Literally never goes out of tune. The neck is perfect for me. I would be lost without it.
Thank you, Otis & Kenny. Looks like I have some reading homework ahead of me. Funny to think that Leo created guitars that we're still playing and enjoying 70 years later, with a few improvements and modifications along the way.
There's a bunch of weird Fender stuff from that 83-88 or so. They were putting stuff out that was old parts and imported parts and all kinds of stuff. I had an 86 '62 Reissue Strat' that was nowhere near an exact reissue of the 62 but they were hand made in California and were great guitars. But 100% agree, for the first ten years, Leo barely missed. If anyone had come up with any _one_ of the Strat, Tele, P-Bass and the tweed amps that would have made him a legend. Cool interview as always.
Birth of loud is such a good read. I couldn’t believe how close all of those guys were and they never got together and joined forces. Can you even imagine?
Love,love,love interviews with Kenny! Otis, your interview style is great. Really appreciate how you will let someone talk away with no interruption, but still keep things going on track. The best!! ....and thank you for the video. Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives are my all time favorite band.
Masterful, the way the story of Fender getting feedback from playing musicians gets led to the story of Yamaha trying to do the same thing. Thanks Otis and Kenny!
What a great interview. Thank you Otis and Kenny (one of my favorite guitarists in one of my favorite bands). I learned so much about the great country guitar players and the evolution of electric guitars. I went and listened to El Paso again after listening to Kenny's comments and it was a revelation. Kenny is such a wealth of information. Interestingly, I'm a bass player for over 55 years and never warmed to a P bass. 😆
I've been a subscriber for a while now. I think I have seen all or most of your back interviews. You do a really good job Otis! I have to say that Kenny Vaughn is my favorite guest. Such a cool guy but he's still down to earth. I'm a little older than you and my favorite country stars are mostly the old guys from the 50's and 60's. You're a pretty damn good singer/songwriter yourself! Best of luck to you Otis with your show and your touring!
Thanks so much, Otis. Love Kenny. Always have loved to watch that guy work and now I find that he’s very engaging in conversation. What stories he tells! Read Leo’s book last year - actually devoured it - and found it so cool to hear Kenny recount that history. More, more!
Very interesting. Thanks for the history. I lived in Orange County in the late 60s and 70s and bought a Telecaster and a Twin Reverb but got sidetracked by Bluegrass and never followed the Fender story.
Eye-witness. As a teenager I worked at CBS in London for Arbiters the Fender dist for Europe. A rep frim Tokai brought a white mn strat exact 50s replica, the next day I came to work to find the original blue prints(or photostats) of the Mn and rw 50s and 60s strats on the floor and a few if the "Old boys" were furious about the Tokaii thing so off they went to Japan. The 83 Fender Squiers were fast sellers and then the 52 Tele turned up and at first only the proplayers knew how good they were. We only realised how good they were till the Tele arrived , it also had the vintage wiring with the tone set on the neck. The Teles were hottest...the rest is now history. They had to hit Toka with a hammer blow response to the "Springy sound" . Funnily enough the Tokais are more revered in UK then. The Buddy Holly fans bought the 57 Squier and the Hendrix fans the 62. There were some black mn strats at the start too. They a had Fender on the headstock and Squier in small letters later. The basses came soon after. They also had bound 6os Tele in CAR and Sb and then a paisley Strat and Tele pink and a blue flowery pattern.
Dick Dale was also a close friend of Leo Fender. Dale talked about the first time they met and Leo handed him a Strat. He said he flipped it upside down to play left handed and Leo thought that was hilarious. He played the right handed model for a while and kept asking Leo to make a left hand model but he said Leo told him the tooling would be too expensive ($25,000?). Well obviously at some point Leo did start making left handed models. Dale played a left handed Strat until he died. It is named "The Beast". I always wondered if it was the first left handed one off the line or not. Dale never mentioned that but I'm sure it is a very early production model. Leo worked more closely with Dale when developing his amps. Dale would play the Balboa Ballroom and was burning up amps left and right trying to increase volume. Dale claimed the Leo built the first 100 watt amp for him. And again, Dale played those original tan tweed amps until he died. According to Dale, Leo named the "Showman" amp after dale because he would jump off the top of the amps when he played. Dale really was a showman and a vey unique player. He wasn't a technical player but he was one of the first to really be a "Shredder". Dale played that staccato so hard that sometimes he would burn through three picks on one song. He actually had a little pick dispenser glued to his guitar above the pickup. And he played HUGE Dean Markley strings. I forget what gauge but Dale called them Bridge Cables. The calluses on Dale's fingers were insane. I don't think he even had fingerprints.
Left-handed upside down right handed guitars is how I learned. As a 5 year, you didn't know Left-handed guitars existed and also you had no money. So you played what dad could afford. I'm 65 and still play the same way.
I saw a great deal on music equipment and a PA system...loads of mics, stands, drum machine, etc, in an AD in the Shreveport Times newspaper. I called them and went to check it out. An hour later I was shocked to be drinking wine with James Burton at his kitchen table. He threw in an old very heavy microphone stand Elvis used that had rust where he held it with his sweaty hand. Most of the stuff had belonged to his daughter but he threw in plenty of extra cables. Very nice folks.
If you ever do another interview with Kenny Vaughan would you consider asking him about his time with Lucinda Williams? His playing on her stuff in the 90's was pure gold.
Kenny's great and the albums Marty Stewart and The Superlatives are making (along with the videos) are amazing. There's a video here on RUclips of them playing acoustic on KEXP that's mind blowing. There's also a full length concert video of them at the Swanee Music Festival that's a must see. While the audio isn't top notch just imagine tuning this in on an AM radio station late at night with the ability to see them play. When the concert ends you'll know you really went somewhere special. They are true blue professional musicians. Thanks for the interview Otis!
Great content….also seen this dude in the “neighborhood” many times and knew somehow someway he was “a somebody”….well now I know my vibe detector is at least somewhat accurate….lol
Deep knowledge from Kenny! In the late 70's he was the first guy I knew who played an "old guitar" on purpose. I'd never seen anybody use the wang bar on a Stratocaster and keep it in tune like Kenny. Cheers to you both.
Here's a link to the new Marty Stuart video that just dropped a couple of days ago. Kenny and Marty's guitars sound frickin phenomenal. Tell 'em Otis sent ya!
ruclips.net/video/TsrktylH5mc/видео.html
Otis,
I couldn’t stop watching that video. What a fabulous song. And you’re right, the guitars are fantastic!
Thank You Otis, and Tried To Have Two Friends in Columbus, Ohio catch Peter Case’s Show at Natalie’s Kitchen in Grandview last Saturday Night,too!
Hey, Mr. Otis....I'll do ya one better than that one. This one sends me into orbit. Marty & Kenny head-to-head on David Letterman show "Country Boy Rock & Roll".
Awesome. And love the new album. Primo.
Mercy!
Kenny Vaughan is a national treasure, protect him at all costs
Yes!!!
love these talks 😎
Kenny Vaughn is a treasure trove of music history. I could listen to him talk all day. Even though I’m only in my 30s, I’m pretty biased when it comes to country music and I love how brutally honest he is when being asked questions about country music.
Marty Stuart is also a treasure trove for country music and doing his best to keep it alive.
Also has a good collection of guitars and other country music memorabilia
He's been involved with real country music since he was young kid. Flatt and Scruggs and Johnny Cash are couple examples.
Between Kenny, Marty and Chris Scruggs, I'd venture to guess they could all teach a university course on these things. I imagine that Handsome Harry is too, although I don't know for sure.
The genuine awe in Kenny's face when recounting Leo's brilliant inventions - The Esquire, Broadcaster, P-Bass and strat. Priceless!
Kenny the historian. Really dig these stories almost as much as his guitar playing which is 2nd to none as far I'm concerned. More Kenny Vaughn please Otis. He's an American treasure although he'd probably scoff at that
Gibbs/Vaughn 2024 “Make America Cool, Talented and Vintage Again”
I paused the video and listened to El Paso. Super cool listening to the guitar knowing who it was that played it. These interviews are so fascinating and informative. Love it. I could listen to Kenny all day long. 💪🏻
Kenny does an incredible job on Marty’s version of El Paso. Such a great tune and performance on both versions!
Same thoughts ,,
the BEST story teller
My father was Texas guitarist Steve Rodriguez Davis and grew up playing with Leon Rhodes, Tommy Morrell, Ronnie Tutt, Maurice Anderson, Buster Smith and the Heatwaves of Swing, and all of the Texas greats. He said Leo Fender would give them his early guitars and ask them to play them and give him feedback on what they liked and didn’t like. He said they would play them then give them to their friends. I have a picture of my father playing one of the first Fender broadcasters ever made at the big D jamboree in Dallas in 1952.
Sid and Billy King (Erwin) and the Five Strings from Denton, Texas bought one of the first Telecasters and Stratocasters in Dallas. About 1953/54. They played the Big D Jamboree around that time too.
@@dr.krinkleweldon5934 My father played with Red Foley, Ray Price, Trini Lopez, Donnie Gilliland, Jack Peterson. Jack started the guitar program at University of North, Texas, and my father was a guitar player at UT in their 1 o’clock lab band and was a studio player at King Record. I’m sure he would have known Sid and Billy since they were all part of the Dallas music scene at that time. My father told me that Dallas was full of smokin hot musicians in those days.
@@JohnDavis-hv7nf Sid tells the story that a young Pat Boone came to North Texas State and was trying to get started in the singing business. He married Red's daughter. Shirley. So Sid helped Pat get some gigs. In turn Pat helped Sid and his group get on Red's radio show. Dallas was on the way to being the 2nd Nashville. But it never happened. Eventually Austin took the lead in Texas.
@@dr.krinkleweldon5934 My father and steel guitarist Maurice Anderson, drove to St. Louis in 1956 and played on some of the first televised Red Foley shows. Maurice told me the story and he knew it was 56 because he had just bought a brand new 56 Chevy and that’s what they drove in. After my father passed away, I would go to benefit’s for his friends and they had their stories that they would tell about being on the road. In the 60s my father was the house jazz guitarist at the Adolphus Hotel.
@@dr.krinkleweldon5934 How did Austin accomplish that? Strange.
That was new to me about Hank Garland using a Fender on Little Sister. Bigsby was kind of a Thomas Edison with the things he came up with. His work on Cooper Motorcycles and guitars were groundbreaking at the time. The Bigsby tailpiece will outlive us all.
Thanks for this interview here, Kenny is my Hero, Cousin Figel
Man, I could listen to Kenny Vaughn talk about guitars and guitar player history all day long! Who has the depth of knowledge to flow so seamlessly from a story about Monk's introduction to the P-bass to Buddy Merrill from Lawrence Welk being one of the early Strat players? And you ask good questions, Otis. These videos are relevant historical documentation.
You could have this depth of knowledge if you read the right books and articles. There's 100s of us geeks who somehow retain this all of this arcane info. I couldn't recall the last thing my wife said to me, but I can tell you when Fender went from the white twill covering to the tweed suitcase type covering on TV front amps. When Gibbs asked if Buddy Holley was the earliest prominent Stratocaster player, the name Buddy Merrill came outta my mouth before Vaughan said it. The Jimmy Bryant story, all of that, it's all in in books, like the one by Forrest White...speaking of White, Vaughan was less than accurate about him and Leo in the Radio shop...White never worked at Fender till Fender amps and guitars were in full production. White tells of his own friendship and times hanging out with Paul Bigsby. This happens all the time when you get a room full of "experts"/historians together...one guys will be relating a story and all the other ones will be correcting him. Don't get me wrong...I love and respect Kenny Vaughan and love to hear him relate what he knows...and he gets most of it right!
Kenny playing with Lucinda live is pure magic..love his sound and style so much..
AND Marty Stuart head-to-head. Jaw dropping.
So informative! Much respect for Kenny AND Otis. The most impressive thing here is Kenny’s objectivity: if you can’t hear it, don’t pay for it. He sees and hears possibilities with almost every guitar and amp. None of the trash talking so present is many other opinions. I think he sees all the gear as tools, to build great sound. He knows his way isn’t the only way. I loved his statement that he really doesn’t harbor favorite gear opinions. Whatever works. Technique, being adventuresome and flexible. If you really dig his opinions, go see him live. Buy records he is on. He needs to get paid.
Kenny, Marty, and Scruggs are all amazing music history nerds. They just love it all, and when telling a story they exude that joy. The same joy a 15 year old kid has, who plays that newly discovered 45 over and over again. Know what I mean? They're not jaded. They're still big music fans.
For me as a guitar player, this was one of the best Kenny vids you've done. He's the coolest cat. And he's in the best band in town.
Thanks, Otis.
I read and reread the book, and it really is an amazing story. I only wish that I could have been alive and there with Leo and the others to see how those first instruments came together.
It was probably a great time in music history. So many great bands were growing their careers. Everyone who could really play was offered the latest and greatest equipment.
Always excited to see a video featuring Kenny. Very informed, thoughtful guy -- and a monster player.
i didn't want to this end...More Kenny !
Amazing cat! His genuine attitude is very apparent. His playing is seriously off the charts. Killer tone!
Could you imagine THAT first meeting?!!! Wow!! The old Epiphone building where Les Paul put together the Log still stands as a design school on 14th St in NYC.
Awesome. Could listen to him all day
Kenny is so conversational . . with a wealth of knowledge. This one is gold! More Kenny, Otis!
I worked with Sammy Pruett, one of Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys, at Gibson Guitars in Nashville in the late '70s. He was a fantastic jazz player. Mr. Vaughan knows what he's talking about. Interesting, informative video. Peace.
The more I learn about Kenny Vaughn, the more respect I gain for him.
The first time I saw Kenny, was in Nashville circa 1992 at a warehouse that had multiple venues inside. I can't remember the name of it. He was playing with Hal Ketchum. Can't remember the guitar he was playing, but he was playing through an AC 30. Love Kenny's work!!!
Thank you, Otis. I could listen to Kenny talk gear for as long as he wanted to talk. It would be awesome to listen to the fabulous superlatives talk shop!
I enjoy your interviews with Kenny Vaughn. Kenny is a great player who has a vast knowledge of electric guitars, amps, pickups and the people who created and made them. I really enjoy the stories about famous players and his personal experiences, great stuff
Love these interviews! I don't play guitar. I'm not a gearhead. But it's just so interesting!
Do you pass any pawn shops in you daily travels? Us guitar guys do…and our wives love us for it!! 😉
I started on strats, and a friend of mine gave me a tele last week. The sound.....I love this guitar. Nobody gets it unless they play one, once.
Fantastic history here. Fascinating about the late acceptance of the Telecaster in Nashville.
Wow 84 and 84 Squires!!! Cool!!!
"What would the would be without a the Stratocaster?" Unimaginable. Thanks for posting this.
I love Kenny Vaughn. I am embarrassed to say I didn't know who he was until he started playing with Marty Stewart.
Just an incredible player and a treasure trove of musical knowledge.
First knowledge of him was watching The Marty Stewart Show.
Who is this nerd playing with Marty ?
He ripped into a lead , a fan ever since .
Kenny F’ing Vaughn… This dude is a treasure…
Kenny is playing in a blues trio right now in Nashville but I’d love to hear him doing Surf Rock
The Fabulous Superlatives do a surf medley as part of their show. There are several youtube videos of Marty and Kenny and the boys tearing up 60's surf tunes.
Probably one the best guitar players around - one of the best around live - a huge talent!
Hope Kenny puts out a book someday.
Hey Otis, I’m not a musician but a music lover! But, I really dig listening to the great musicians and songwriters you have on here! Keep it up, brother!
I wished you would have asked him why you don’t see more G&L guitars in Nashville, since they are the latest creations of Leo Fender. Great content here. Thanks for bringing Kenny on, he is so cool.
I love Kenny’s playing great player. Cool dude.
❤ Kenny Vaughan, What A Smithsonian Guitar Artist & Historian & Musicologist, like Yourself Otis!
When I Started Playing in My First Band, “The Young One’s” at Twelve Years Old in 1966 in Delaware, Ohio as the Lead Singer using a An All Tube 100 Watt Bogen PA With The Big Fiberglass Horns like you see at a Horse Track for The Loudspeaker System! Delaware, Ohio is where the Famous Sulky Race is held every September called “The Little Brown Jug”
Absolutely fabulous!! Kenny is such a dude. Love the way he tells a story. Keep on twangin!!
that kenny dude is just the best story teller....fantastic as always
I could listen to Kenny all day!
Raise your hand if you just went to Reverb dot com looking for 83 or 84 Squires?
Got an '85, and while the difference is the neck plate in the '83/'84 (which has 3 screws vs the later having 4 screws). Bad news (sorta) is I was a metal dude, so I moded mine, put a Hot Rails in the bridge, and put a Schecter Trem in it with a locking nut. All black chrome hardware. I also have a 2020 Squier CV Telecaster and I think it's fantastic.
😂😂😂
I was heading that way, then I decided to listen to the rest of the show. Then I read Otis's comment, and now I'm laughing. I might go and have a look, but the last thing I need is another dang guitar. I have too many as it is, but you pick up one here and there for 40 years, and you end up with what is known scientifically as a shitload. And I'm a sucker for finding cheap, crappy old guitars and making them better. My current favorite is an old Silvertone/Dano 1448 with one lipstick pickup, modded with better tuners, nut, and bridge, and the tone control replaced by a kill switch. It is super light, with great tone, and that lipstick pickup cuts right through whatever is going on. One volume knob, all I need. I love it.
I always think of Jack Pearson, who will play any Squier that feels right, and make it sound like the best Strat you can think of. It's the hands, baby, the hands...
Hey Otis , let Kenny know fender did make a factory purple pearliod pick guard in the early 70s. They’re rare as hen’s teeth. I’ve seen them in books and at vintage dealers. I believe well strung guitars in NY had one for sale that was from the song birds museum collection.
Paused the video and immediately went there! 😀
Thank you for this. I am grinning ear to ear.
These sessions with Otis and Kenny, pure gold.
Love the Kenny Vaughan interviews! I just bought that book online.
Man I could listen to you interview Kenny all day long.Real smart on your part to split this interview & some other Fantastic interviews up you didn't just fall off of the back of that old turnip Truck.Keep it up I know u will.👍 Thanks & God Bless you & Amy. ⚡TCB⚡
It's so much fun listening to Kenny nerd out over guitars and gear.
Loved comin' to hear you and Rodger at the Stardust in Denver, thanks for letting me set in!
Otis @ Kenny interviews are the best - Kenny’s voice is so relaxing and Otis is pretty damn mellow too.
Looking forward to any future instalments
What a National Treasure Kenny is.
Kenny is someone you could have an endless beer with. Such a smart, affable guy. He's a walking encyclopedia, with lots of first hand experiences, and a better memory than most of us amateur hacks out here retained. Videos like these are treasures, thanks once again Otis.
Great interview and Kenny has an encyclopedia in his brain.
So Very Cool, Thankyou. Such an interesting discussion. Kenny is fascinating and entertaining story teller and Leo Fender is a Champion. So Awesome to see Kennys respect for Leo. Cheers
Otis this was an amazing post.
Kenny is just an absolute gangster walking talking musician.
This story on Leo, Les, and Paul, good lord what a great history lesson.
Amazing also of Leo going to live gigs and fixing his amps in real time.... come on that's how it was I get it! only Kenny makes that story so dam Rock&Roll....
Love love this channel
Cheers Doug 😎
You're my favorite channel. LOVE your content.
Wow! You guys must have hung out for 10 hours that day. Love the stories. Kenny Vaughan should write a book of his own some time. Sooner than later. These stories are fascinating!! Thank you!
He needs to get a ghost writer if he doesn't want to type it out himself. Just talk into a recorder like Billy Bob Thornton did for his autobiography. A friend of Billy Bob's turned his talks into a really entertaining autobiography. Lots of anecdotal stories in that book like Kenny tells.
Very interesting. He mentions his Squier guitars. 83 & 84. I've had an 84 Squier Tele that I bought off the rack in the mid 80's brand new. It has always been my go to. It's just a perfect guitar. Literally never goes out of tune. The neck is perfect for me. I would be lost without it.
Thank you, Otis & Kenny.
Looks like I have some reading homework ahead of me.
Funny to think that Leo created guitars that we're still playing and enjoying 70 years later, with a few improvements and modifications along the way.
OG - "How many teles do you own?"
KV - "I don't know"
We should all be so lucky. Can you have too many??
Another home run Otis!
There's a bunch of weird Fender stuff from that 83-88 or so. They were putting stuff out that was old parts and imported parts and all kinds of stuff. I had an 86 '62 Reissue Strat' that was nowhere near an exact reissue of the 62 but they were hand made in California and were great guitars. But 100% agree, for the first ten years, Leo barely missed. If anyone had come up with any _one_ of the Strat, Tele, P-Bass and the tweed amps that would have made him a legend. Cool interview as always.
Great suggestion on the Birth of Loud! Reading it now and the stories are as cool as described by Kenny.
As a guitarist, I loved geeking-out on this. Good stuff!
Me too
Kenny is my favorite guest you bring on. Pure Joy. Peace
Great stories.. Love to hear him talk...
Birth of loud is such a good read. I couldn’t believe how close all of those guys were and they never got together and joined forces. Can you even imagine?
Mr. Vaughan, you are the coolest, most humble guy…thanks for honoring the guitar makers history…
Kenny is the best storyteller as he is interesting and so are his stories
Man do I adore Kenny Vaughn. In a just and verdant universe, V would have been a smash hit.
Thank you, an excellent and enjoyable interview 👍
Love,love,love interviews with Kenny! Otis, your interview style is great. Really appreciate how you will let someone talk away with no interruption, but still keep things going on track. The best!! ....and thank you for the video. Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives are my all time favorite band.
Kenny might be my favorite honky tonk guitar player. Just so cool
Masterful, the way the story of Fender getting feedback from playing musicians gets led to the story of Yamaha trying to do the same thing. Thanks Otis and Kenny!
Otis! This interview should be Grammy material! Who wouldn't want Kenny for a best friend? Forget about it
What a great interview. Thank you Otis and Kenny (one of my favorite guitarists in one of my favorite bands). I learned so much about the great country guitar players and the evolution of electric guitars. I went and listened to El Paso again after listening to Kenny's comments and it was a revelation. Kenny is such a wealth of information. Interestingly, I'm a bass player for over 55 years and never warmed to a P bass. 😆
I've been a subscriber for a while now. I think I have seen all or most of your back interviews. You do a really good job Otis!
I have to say that Kenny Vaughn is my favorite guest. Such a cool guy but he's still down to earth. I'm a little older than you and my favorite country stars are mostly the old guys from the 50's and 60's.
You're a pretty damn good singer/songwriter yourself!
Best of luck to you Otis with your show and your touring!
Learn so much from Kenny every time!!! Thank you Otis! ... just put on my Gunfighter Ballads LP to listen to El Paso with fresh ears!!♥
Thanks so much, Otis. Love Kenny. Always have loved to watch that guy work and now I find that he’s very engaging in conversation. What stories he tells! Read Leo’s book last year - actually devoured it - and found it so cool to hear Kenny recount that history. More, more!
Love to listen to Kenny telling stories.
Cool that Kenny loves and plays early 80s MIJ Squiers. They are great guitars. Lov his story telling.
Very interesting. Thanks for the history. I lived in Orange County in the late 60s and 70s and bought a Telecaster and a Twin Reverb but got sidetracked by Bluegrass and never followed the Fender story.
Eye-witness. As a teenager I worked at CBS in London for Arbiters the Fender dist for Europe. A rep frim Tokai brought a white mn strat exact 50s replica, the next day I came to work to find the original blue prints(or photostats) of the Mn and rw 50s and 60s strats on the floor and a few if the "Old boys" were furious about the Tokaii thing so off they went to Japan. The 83 Fender Squiers were fast sellers and then the 52 Tele turned up and at first only the proplayers knew how good they were. We only realised how good they were till the Tele arrived , it also had the vintage wiring with the tone set on the neck. The Teles were hottest...the rest is now history. They had to hit Toka with a hammer blow response to the "Springy sound" . Funnily enough the Tokais are more revered in UK then. The Buddy Holly fans bought the 57 Squier and the Hendrix fans the 62. There were some black mn strats at the start too. They a had Fender on the headstock and Squier in small letters later. The basses came soon after. They also had bound 6os Tele in CAR and Sb and then a paisley Strat and Tele pink and a blue flowery pattern.
Man I love Kenny’s stories!
pure gold,,,thanks Kenney and Otis
Fantastic! I have an 83 squier tele. I love it. Bought it in 1991 for a couple hundred.
Dick Dale was also a close friend of Leo Fender. Dale talked about the first time they met and Leo handed him a Strat. He said he flipped it upside down to play left handed and Leo thought that was hilarious. He played the right handed model for a while and kept asking Leo to make a left hand model but he said Leo told him the tooling would be too expensive ($25,000?). Well obviously at some point Leo did start making left handed models. Dale played a left handed Strat until he died. It is named "The Beast". I always wondered if it was the first left handed one off the line or not. Dale never mentioned that but I'm sure it is a very early production model. Leo worked more closely with Dale when developing his amps. Dale would play the Balboa Ballroom and was burning up amps left and right trying to increase volume. Dale claimed the Leo built the first 100 watt amp for him. And again, Dale played those original tan tweed amps until he died. According to Dale, Leo named the "Showman" amp after dale because he would jump off the top of the amps when he played. Dale really was a showman and a vey unique player. He wasn't a technical player but he was one of the first to really be a "Shredder". Dale played that staccato so hard that sometimes he would burn through three picks on one song. He actually had a little pick dispenser glued to his guitar above the pickup. And he played HUGE Dean Markley strings. I forget what gauge but Dale called them Bridge Cables. The calluses on Dale's fingers were insane. I don't think he even had fingerprints.
Left-handed upside down right handed guitars is how I learned. As a 5 year, you didn't know Left-handed guitars existed and also you had no money. So you played what dad could afford. I'm 65 and still play the same way.
That was a really interesting conversation between you two. Thanks for sharing it.
I saw a great deal on music equipment and a PA system...loads of mics, stands, drum machine, etc, in an AD in the Shreveport Times newspaper. I called them and went to check it out. An hour later I was shocked to be drinking wine with James Burton at his kitchen table. He threw in an old very heavy microphone stand Elvis used that had rust where he held it with his sweaty hand. Most of the stuff had belonged to his daughter but he threw in plenty of extra cables. Very nice folks.
If you ever do another interview with Kenny Vaughan would you consider asking him about his time with Lucinda Williams? His playing on her stuff in the 90's was pure gold.
Kenny's great and the albums Marty Stewart and The Superlatives are making (along with the videos) are amazing. There's a video here on RUclips of them playing acoustic on KEXP that's mind blowing. There's also a full length concert video of them at the Swanee Music Festival that's a must see. While the audio isn't top notch just imagine tuning this in on an AM radio station late at night with the ability to see them play. When the concert ends you'll know you really went somewhere special. They are true blue professional musicians. Thanks for the interview Otis!
Great content….also seen this dude in the “neighborhood” many times and knew somehow someway he was “a somebody”….well now I know my vibe detector is at least somewhat accurate….lol
My favorite of the Kenny Vaughan episodes so far, and they've all been great. Thanks Otis!
I've heard so many great things about those early Squire Strats!
Both of you guys are a wealth of cool memories and stories. I enjoy hearing them.
Can listen to Kenny all the time . Enjoy his knowledge and history .
Deep knowledge from Kenny! In the late 70's he was the first guy I knew who played an "old guitar" on purpose. I'd never seen anybody use the wang bar on a Stratocaster and keep it in tune like Kenny. Cheers to you both.
Excellent! My 83 Squire is the very reason I have never owned a real Strat to this day. Great interview with Kenny as usual brother!
It was fun to hear that Kenny Vaughn's favorite strats were mine too! Those JV and SQ serial Squires were made by FujiGen to an excellent standard.
Kenny is one of those guys I'd like to a long road trip with and just listen and learn, man what a great storyteller.
So educational ✌🏼🏴