Johnny Rivers' guitars

Watching this clip, two things struck me: most of us have been playing that opening riff wrong (the slidey bits are done on the 3rd string, not the 2nd,) and it's a great looking guitar. Is it just a stock 335 or some custom thing?

6iaR3WO71j4

Most likely an off the shelf 335. There wasn't a lot of custom work going on back then.

Interesting video, thanks for posting it. Notice how huge his hands are as he wraps his thumbs around the neck.

In early '66 he often played downstairs at JD's (Waylon played upstairs in that double decker bar at the edge of Salt river between Tempe and Scottsdale).

He was fantastic, not the tallest fella, but more energy and fun. Nice guy.

Great song! Here's to Honey Ryder and the rest.

thank you very much for the video Valvey,I also play that tune but incorrectly I guest, back to the video to learn it correctly ...lol

Not important but i believe I'm off about a full year...Rivers played JDs more like early '65...my mind>>>> now which girlfriend was around, which car did I have, what sport was I playing if any... yea, more likely '65. Of no consequence really.

Yeah, I've been telling people to play it on the G string for 30 years.

Isn't that a lip sync thang? Who knows what guitar was used in the studio...or who played it? Not to dis JR though...I've always loved that and several other tunes by him. Great vocal style...

Isn't that a lip sync thang? Who knows what guitar was used in the studio...or who played it? Not to dis JR though...I've always loved that and several other tunes by him. Great vocal style...

Apparently the tune was written by a couple of songwriting pros for a TV show, but Johnny Rivers wrote that riff. So I'm guessing he must have played it on the record.

Love it! Thanx for the video. That's been a staple of all my bands and the crowds love it to this day. Timeless......

Thanks for posting. One of my first albums in the '60s was Johnny Rivers Live at The Whiskey A-GO-GO. I learned a lot of songs of the album and, looking back, it was a good basic training album for guitar players. Secret Agent Man wasn't on the album. A few years ago I found a CD of his Whiskey A-Go-Go albums. There must have been two different albums combined onto one CD. Brought back lots of memories and it's stll good to listen to. Great classic standard, Secret Agent Man.

Well in the hear and now..Johnny Rivers is sounding pretty damn good. Heres one of his better live versions of one of his biggest hits. Listen to the trem on the other Lead guitarist..what a sensational sound and good backing band.

VMn5MqWDFBM&feature=related

Is it just a stock 335 or some custom thing?

6iaR3WO71j4

I don't know that I've seen a mid-sixties BLACK 335...

Apparently the tune was written by a couple of songwriting pros for a TV show, but Johnny Rivers wrote that riff. So I'm guessing he must have played it on the record.

Yes, it was written by songwriting legend P.F. Sloan, who also wrote "Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire),"You Baby" (Turtles), "A Must to Avoid" (Herman's Hermits), among many others. Wrote a lot of tunes for the Grass Roots. He also has some great solo albums chock full of awesome tunes. Had a great pop voice too - sang harmonies on a lot of the Jan & Dean stuff, played the iconic guitar intro on "California Dreamin." The guy is all over 60's pop music.

I've seen him perform in the past few years - my girlfriend and I took a trip to San Diego for a weekend just to see him perform. He still has it.

Sorry to hijack, but I just needed to shine a spotlight on someone who I consider to be a somewhat underappreciated songwriter.

oh wow man , for years I thought it was Secret Asian man..... Well explains alot

oh wow man , for years I thought it was Secret Asian man..... Well explains alot

LOL! I was JUST going to post that very thing!

Well, I knew it was Secret Agent Man, but it sure sounds like Secret Asian Man. :lol:

The live version of "Poor Side of Town" was excellent!