Strange Tele from the fiftys

JMPRO · June 20th, 2008, 03:21 PM

Found this while looking for some other stuff. The guitar player 2nd from right has this stange looking guitar, a cut down Tele I think. His name is Earl Mock with the Arizona Dance Hands. Picture taken early to mid fiftys in Los Angles. Talk about what we do to our guitars today, I didn't know they has LSD back then.
Jerry

garytelecastor · June 20th, 2008, 03:23 PM

I copied it into my pics and enlarged it. It is a tele that someone has mutilated.
I wonder if he was going for a lap steel thing?

robt57 · June 20th, 2008, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMPRO

Found this while looking for some other stuff. The guitar player 2nd from right has this stange looking guitar, a cut down Tele I think.

I guess that they all shopped for hats at the same place...

Cool find. Love to know the actual story. Like the body got cracked when the PU truck ran over the case, etc...

garytelecastor · June 20th, 2008, 03:30 PM

JMPRO-Probably wasn't LSD as much as bootleg liquor.

robt57 · June 20th, 2008, 03:34 PM

http://www.deanarmstrong.com/main/index.php?topic=band

JMPRO · June 20th, 2008, 03:37 PM

Although I am not an expert by any means but I had never heard of this guy before and had heard of or seen many of the old guys from early country music in southern California because of my dad being a country performer back then.. You wonder if he got that body from the trash can at Fender and put it together. When I worked at Fender in 1960 or so many of the bodies that couldn't be refinished or repaired were cut into at least 4 pieces on the band saw and trashed. That Tele really doesn't look like one of those.
Jerry

adamjs69 · June 20th, 2008, 03:39 PM

Nice pic. I don't know why cutting all of that useless, excess wood off of a Tele never caught on...Especially as obsessed as some of you are with finding the world's lightest Tele.

I'd say this one weighs in somewhere around 3.5-4 lbs? Could we be witnessing the birth of a new "chop your Tele" trend...

boneyguy · June 20th, 2008, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robt57

http://www.deanarmstrong.com/main/index.php?topic=band

That's pretty cool that the band was formed in 1948, is still playing and two of the four members are original members. Wow!! That's commitment!!

Flat357 · June 20th, 2008, 10:10 PM

I wonder if he devalued it slightly

If it's still around , what it would be worth ?

BroadMaster · June 20th, 2008, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneyguy

That's pretty cool that the band was formed in 1948, is still playing and two of the four members are original members. Wow!! That's commitment!!

That's almost longer than The Rolling Stones are old.

JMPRO · June 21st, 2008, 04:28 PM

I just recieved an email from the leader of the band, Dean Armstrong. He said they had a friend that cut those Tele bodies in to wierd shapes for the T.V. show every week. I asked him to come on over to the FDP to tell more about it. I hope he shows up, could have a lot of great stories. I would like to know where the bodies came from and did
they just replace the bodies every week or cut up another guitar. Where are
all those great old guitars.
Jerry

robt57 · June 21st, 2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMPRO

I just recieved an email from the leader of the band, Dean Armstrong.

Cool!

telel6s · June 21st, 2008, 06:13 PM

This makes me want to take a vacation in Tuscon just to see a band that has been playing for 60+ years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by robt57

http://www.deanarmstrong.com/main/index.php?topic=band

B Valley · June 21st, 2008, 06:52 PM

Those guys play just an hour or two south of me. I'm in Tucson a couple times a month. Maybe I'll look those guys up and ask them about that guitar. They may still have it.

slack · June 21st, 2008, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robt57

Cool find. Love to know the actual story. Like the body got cracked when the PU truck ran over the case, etc...

I've got a 68 that was run over by a pickup truck (long before I owned it). The case was destroyed. The Tele was fine. Considering the bar fights the guitar had been in, it wan't fazed.

sean79 · June 21st, 2008, 08:01 PM

..

RodeoTex · June 22nd, 2008, 01:27 AM

Funny that he removed all that wood but kept the ashtray on

Alnico Sunburst · June 22nd, 2008, 12:05 PM

I thought we weren't allowed to discuss Limited Slip Differentials in here. This is a telecaster forum. ;)

furrfurrfurr · June 22nd, 2008, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alnico Sunburst

I thought we weren't allowed to discuss Limited Slip Differentials in here. This is a telecaster forum. ;)

AS long as you're listening to Lucy In The Sky w/ Diamonds or driving down Lake Shore Drive, it's okay.

Alnico Sunburst · June 22nd, 2008, 12:36 PM

Let's just say I've seen some things I thought I never saw, covered in hair.

robt57 · June 22nd, 2008, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

Funny that he removed all that wood but kept the ashtray on

Too noisy without ???

mogascreeta · June 23rd, 2008, 12:01 AM

i'm sure it would be uncomfortable to play, especially sitting

June 20th, 2008, 03:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
JMPRO Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 212 3 Photos	Strange Tele from the fiftys Found this while looking for some other stuff. The guitar player 2nd from right has this stange looking guitar, a cut down Tele I think. His name is Earl Mock with the Arizona Dance Hands. Picture taken early to mid fiftys in Los Angles. Talk about what we do to our guitars today, I didn't know they has LSD back then. Jerry

June 20th, 2008, 03:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
garytelecastor Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,405 18 Photos	I copied it into my pics and enlarged it. It is a tele that someone has mutilated. I wonder if he was going for a lap steel thing? __________________ éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Would you mind holding this bag while we go through the custom shop????? Redd Volkaert is a Jedi Knight at one with the Force!!!

June 20th, 2008, 03:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
garytelecastor Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,405 18 Photos	JMPRO-Probably wasn't LSD as much as bootleg liquor. __________________ éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Would you mind holding this bag while we go through the custom shop????? Redd Volkaert is a Jedi Knight at one with the Force!!!

June 20th, 2008, 03:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
robt57 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 3,218 18 Photos	http://www.deanarmstrong.com/main/index.php?topic=band __________________ Leo's Great, Leo's Good, let us thank him for our... Twang!

June 20th, 2008, 03:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
adamjs69 Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.A. TX Posts: 130	Nice pic. I don't know why cutting all of that useless, excess wood off of a Tele never caught on...Especially as obsessed as some of you are with finding the world's lightest Tele. I'd say this one weighs in somewhere around 3.5-4 lbs? Could we be witnessing the birth of a new "chop your Tele" trend... __________________

June 20th, 2008, 03:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
JMPRO Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 212 3 Photos	Although I am not an expert by any means but I had never heard of this guy before and had heard of or seen many of the old guys from early country music in southern California because of my dad being a country performer back then.. You wonder if he got that body from the trash can at Fender and put it together. When I worked at Fender in 1960 or so many of the bodies that couldn't be refinished or repaired were cut into at least 4 pieces on the band saw and trashed. That Tele really doesn't look like one of those. Jerry

June 20th, 2008, 10:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
Flat357 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Cheshire Age: 40 Posts: 2,874	I wonder if he devalued it slightly If it's still around , what it would be worth ? __________________ Homepage http://www.soundclick.com/members/de...member=flat357 MySpace http://www.myspace.com/flat357

June 21st, 2008, 04:28 PM	#11 (permalink)
JMPRO Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 212 3 Photos	I just recieved an email from the leader of the band, Dean Armstrong. He said they had a friend that cut those Tele bodies in to wierd shapes for the T.V. show every week. I asked him to come on over to the FDP to tell more about it. I hope he shows up, could have a lot of great stories. I would like to know where the bodies came from and did they just replace the bodies every week or cut up another guitar. Where are all those great old guitars. Jerry

June 21st, 2008, 06:52 PM	#14 (permalink)
B Valley Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2008 Location: Glendale, Az Posts: 404	Those guys play just an hour or two south of me. I'm in Tucson a couple times a month. Maybe I'll look those guys up and ask them about that guitar. They may still have it. __________________ How many guitars is enough? Just one more...

June 21st, 2008, 08:01 PM	#16 (permalink)
sean79 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: northcentral/western Pennsylvania Posts: 1,749 9 Photos	.. __________________ Every now and then I know it's kind of hard to tell, but I'm still alive and well. Last edited by sean79; June 22nd, 2008 at 01:55 PM.

June 22nd, 2008, 01:27 AM	#17 (permalink)
RodeoTex Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,178	Funny that he removed all that wood but kept the ashtray on __________________ Turn it on, turn it up, turn me loose.

June 22nd, 2008, 12:05 PM	#18 (permalink)
Alnico Sunburst TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Victoria, BC, Canada Age: 34 Posts: 13	I thought we weren't allowed to discuss Limited Slip Differentials in here. This is a telecaster forum. ;)

June 22nd, 2008, 12:36 PM	#20 (permalink)
Alnico Sunburst TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Victoria, BC, Canada Age: 34 Posts: 13	Let's just say I've seen some things I thought I never saw, covered in hair.

June 23rd, 2008, 12:01 AM	#22 (permalink)
mogascreeta TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 18 Posts: 38	i'm sure it would be uncomfortable to play, especially sitting