Ricky Wilson's Guitars

User avatar
101Volts
Master Contributor
Posts: 2486
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:33 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby 101Volts » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:23 am

101Volts wrote:The video in subject is a rather unusual performance for Planet Claire as usually Ricky played guitar, Not bass for it; And he only played the riff on the low E bass string in that performance, He never changed it.


If anyone's wondering what I'm talking about here, I mean the 1983 Dortmund show which I posted earlier in the thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju15-NDuKsg

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

sumlin
Senior Member
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:38 am
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby sumlin » Tue Jul 29, 2014 3:54 pm

I have another one of my B52s covers band shows coming up in a week or so and I was scouring You Tube for some footage of Ricky to check a couple of things and a whole show from 1980 (I think) at the Capitol Theatre (I think) somewhere popped up. Black and white footage, really good quality. Ricky played the blue Mark V, a 70s Ventures type model, a double neck on Dirty Back Road and a squared off looking Danelectro on a couple of songs. Really amazing footage but then - it disappeared. I guess it was taken down for some legal reasons but it was the best footage of Ricky playing I've ever seen. Really informative for tunings as well as you could work out what he was tuned to a lot of the time by the guitar choice.

Anyway - here's what I'm tuning to if it helps anyone:

Rock Lobster / Dance This Mess Around - CFxxFF (I'm going .58 / .50 / .20 / .20 gauges, heavy string for the low F: that way you can play F chords by muting the C and strumming hard on the low F and it doesn't sound lightweight)
Planet Claire - standard tuning (though it works in EADxBB as well or in EAEA on a bass with D and G bass strings and then E and A guitar strings but I'm already taking about 4 guitars so...)
52 Girls - EADxBB
Dirty Back Road - EBExBB with capo on the 1st fret (this tuning means you get that neat last chord on the verses which is the open A string and the D at the 6th fret which I think makes it a C and a Bb together picked alternately)
Private Idaho - EBExBB (though this can be done in EADxBB which I think is how he did it as you can occasionally hear him hit the A or the D on Idaho but I'm clumsier so it's good to have the open chord)
Lava - DADxBB
Brass Rail #43
Acoustic Black Widow #BC1092
MkV #B735
Univox Hi Fliers, Tele Deluxes, Harmony Bobkats

User avatar
101Volts
Master Contributor
Posts: 2486
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:33 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby 101Volts » Tue Jul 29, 2014 6:16 pm

1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

sumlin
Senior Member
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:38 am
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby sumlin » Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:27 pm

I take you've seen this exhibit in Athens that was put together recently? (again, pics aren't linking anymore, can a moderator check this?)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/ ... cef6cdf841

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 29598110ab
Brass Rail #43
Acoustic Black Widow #BC1092
MkV #B735
Univox Hi Fliers, Tele Deluxes, Harmony Bobkats

User avatar
101Volts
Master Contributor
Posts: 2486
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:33 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby 101Volts » Thu Aug 14, 2014 5:44 am

sumlin wrote:I take you've seen this exhibit in Athens that was put together recently? (again, pics aren't linking anymore, can a moderator check this?)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/ ... cef6cdf841

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 29598110ab


No, I hadn't seen that. Thanks for posting it. What does the text under the blue MK V say? I'm still interested in knowing what the serial number is on that guitar, if it's there.

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

sumlin
Senior Member
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:38 am
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby sumlin » Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:55 am

It says

BLUE MOSRITE GUITAR

B52s guitarist Ricky Wilson played Rock Lobster, Dance This Mess Around and many other of the band's early classics on this guitar as the group toured extensively.
This instrument was also featured on the lyric sheet of their 1979 debut album.
Ricky's unorthodox approach to the guitar is evidenced by the missing strings. Ricky strung his guitars with either four or five extra thick strings instead of the usual six and he also devised a different tuning for almost every song the band created.

Collection of Linda J. Wilson


I found a quite close up pic but I can't post it as something's up with the coding for the forum at the moment. The pic shows the paintwork is badly crazed, the pickguard has browned around the screw holes, the knobs are as they were (one original, one that looks like it's off a TV) and it's strung with 5 strings at the moment.
I can't see for sure but it doesn't look to have a serial number...
Brass Rail #43
Acoustic Black Widow #BC1092
MkV #B735
Univox Hi Fliers, Tele Deluxes, Harmony Bobkats

vibramutant1965
Senior Member
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:21 am
Location: vero beach FL
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby vibramutant1965 » Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:33 pm

its nice to see this guy getting some well deserved attention as guitar player . Lots of his tuning info on the web now and most of it seems to be in agreement. I remember back then folks that made light of his playing , and when I would say "lets hear you try it" the silence was deafening...............

sumlin
Senior Member
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:38 am
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby sumlin » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:23 pm

I've had a pretty varied musical life so far, played with a lot of truly unusual musicians, guitar orchestras, improvised stuff, punk rock etc and lots of it in strange tunings but rediscovering Ricky's playing a short while ago re-inspired me like nothing else. He plays exactly what's needed to uniquely convey his musical viewpoint - which just happens to be totally excellent.
Brass Rail #43
Acoustic Black Widow #BC1092
MkV #B735
Univox Hi Fliers, Tele Deluxes, Harmony Bobkats

User avatar
101Volts
Master Contributor
Posts: 2486
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:33 pm
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby 101Volts » Mon Aug 25, 2014 4:25 pm

sumlin wrote:It says

BLUE MOSRITE GUITAR

B52s guitarist Ricky Wilson played Rock Lobster, Dance This Mess Around and many other of the band's early classics on this guitar as the group toured extensively.
This instrument was also featured on the lyric sheet of their 1979 debut album.
Ricky's unorthodox approach to the guitar is evidenced by the missing strings. Ricky strung his guitars with either four or five extra thick strings instead of the usual six and he also devised a different tuning for almost every song the band created.

Collection of Linda J. Wilson


I found a quite close up pic but I can't post it as something's up with the coding for the forum at the moment. The pic shows the paintwork is badly crazed, the pickguard has browned around the screw holes, the knobs are as they were (one original, one that looks like it's off a TV) and it's strung with 5 strings at the moment.
I can't see for sure but it doesn't look to have a serial number...


Thanks. The guitar looked battered even by the time it was photographed for the first album cover, In that photo you can see it's missing a knob and has duct tape on it to hold the strap on. It didn't have a rusty pickguard then though.

sumlin wrote:I've had a pretty varied musical life so far, played with a lot of truly unusual musicians, guitar orchestras, improvised stuff, punk rock etc and lots of it in strange tunings but rediscovering Ricky's playing a short while ago re-inspired me like nothing else. He plays exactly what's needed to uniquely convey his musical viewpoint - which just happens to be totally excellent.


Ricky did play parts that I had no idea were being played until I listened closer. "Rock Lobster" is (or was, if they fixed it) not charted properly on guitar for the video game Rock Band 3, there are parts missing in the last few minutes.

- Austin
1966 Ventures II (German Carved, B670.)
1970s "Not a Blues Bender" Bodies: 2.
1976 Brass Rail Deluxe #10.
2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI.

sumlin
Senior Member
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:38 am
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

Re: Ricky Wilson's Guitars

Postby sumlin » Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:21 pm

Here's one from last Friday. I have no idea how Ricky didn't pop strings all over the place. I broke 3 in a 40 min set and I string my guitars with bridge cable pretty much for these covers gigs. I broke the A (or F as it is) about a minute into Rock Lobster, did a quick mental calculation as to whether I could get through without it, counted the 3 remaining strings and abandoned ship. And I'm really trying to take it easy on the strings too (it's pretty hard at the end of Lobster I have to admit).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i-P20DMQsQ
Brass Rail #43
Acoustic Black Widow #BC1092
MkV #B735
Univox Hi Fliers, Tele Deluxes, Harmony Bobkats


Return to “Mosrite Guitars & Basses Vintage USA”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 134 guests