The Chetboard

We all know that Chet, Jerry, Paul and Willie were using the Prismatone pickup. I was wondering if there are other recordings (or videos) were the pickup has been used on. I've read somewhere that people like Charlie Byrd, Carlos Montoya and Jimmy Stewart (from Gabor Szabo) also used Prismatone fitted guitars. Bruce Osborne played a Baldwin on "The Porter Wagoner Show" while backing Dolly Parton on "Jolene". Glen used a Ovation with one during his time with Jerry.

Does anyone has a recording or video were someone is playing a Prismatone? I'm curious if 'that sound' is audible in all hands.

You might check Steve Wariner's early stuff. Here's a clip of him playing a small body Baldwin with a Prismatone. There were two different types of Baldwin classicals. The odd shaped like Jerry's chopped Baldwin, and a small body style like Jerry's florentine cutaway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHeXLjRcY0g

I believe Albert Lee used a Prismatone, but I don't know what recordings.

I've seen that clip; it's indeed a smaller Baldwin. Almost a children sized guitar. Can't find anything late 70's, early 80's stuff of Steve on iTunes. Albert Lee used a Prismatone on a recut of "Country Boy", but I can't find that version.

Hey boys....I've got a video of Porter Wagoner and Buck Trent playing some song to-gether on the show....Buck's playing his electric banjo with nylon strings and Porter is playing a Baldwin 801 w/ prismatone doing some pretty good fingerpickin'....though not comparable to Jerry or Chet. I'll try to upload it sometime.

Heres clip I found some time ago of Earl Scruggs and his boys playing with Doc Watson and his son at Doc's home. Earl's son Stevie is playing a Baldwin with prismatone. You dont get very many good shots of it, or hear it at all, but you can definatley see the Scruggs family has a Baldwin. Check out the vid at 2:33, you get a pretty good close-up of the guitar.

Dow


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxLbEcFYqUM

Boys, I'll tell ya...

There's always some young hotshot who can play faster than Earl Scruggs but there is something about the way he makes music on that banjo that is pure elegance.

...not much help on the prismatone though, sorry...

Dow, I've watched that clip of the Scruggs' years ago, but never noticed the Baldwin. Thanks for sharing! Would like to see Porter pick on that Baldwin, please upload it.

This is a old(er) thread, but I stumbled upon something.

I know that Charlie Byrd played a Baldwin classical in his career, but I have never seen it on a photo or heard on a record. I think I finally found some evidence; in a old Jazz magazine I found out that Charlie played a Baldwin on his '66 album Byrdland. In the following YouTube you'll hear his arrangement of the Beatles tune Girl. That is absolutely a Prismatone sound.

Charlie Byrd - Girl

It would make sense that he played that same Baldwin on other occasions in that same year. So I found a live recording of him at Newport Jazz Festival in 1966 playing Nuages. Also unmistakable the Prismatone sound.

Charlie Byrd - Nuages (Live at Newport)

What do you think?

The original Country Boy, Albert Lee with Heads, Hands, and Feet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjSN6V6CpXM

(Sorry, I know it's a video link.)

Craig

Thanks for that Craig. I've read somewhere that Albert recorded a version of this song with a Baldwin guitar and that he loved it. He preferred the Baldwin one above the Telecaster version. A while ago I searched for this one but couldn't find it. It makes sense because he recorded this version with the band Heads Hands & Feet and I wasn't aware of that.

A update on Dow's post:

The video he posted is deleted from YouTube. There is even a better quality video of another song from that moment. You can see Steve Scruggs playing the Baldwin very clearly. He's sitting between/behind Earl and Doc.

Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs and Family - John Hardy