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Dickey Betts Les Paul Photo

buckaroo

Formerly Tweedguy
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Feb 17, 2009
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In the 1970's, around the time the single Ramblin' Man was released (circa 1973 ?), there was an article in the teen oriented music magazines about The Allman Brothers Band. My memory is that it was "most likely" either Circus or Hit Parader magazine.

In the article there was a very large color image of Dickey Betts playing a sunburst Les Paul with the pickup covers removed. Seems as though he was wearing a blue denim jacket in the photo. The image was taken from the right front side of Dickey.

I am curious if any one recalls the specific image? Or better yet, does anyone have the old magazine and can post the photo?

That one image in particular, not to mention the guitar solos of the Allman Brothers records up to that point, triggered my love for Les Pauls. I have looked a bit for the image over the years but have never found it. It ocurred to me that someone here may have it and be willing to share.
 

TM1

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I remember that guitar very well. It had been a GT that they sent to Gibson to be refinished in cherry sunburst. There were a number of Les Pauls in the ABB family around that time. If I'm not mistaken, that guitar is the one that Dickey gave to Danny (Toler) when Danny joined "Great Southern". First time I saw Dickey with it was the first tour after Duane was killed. He used it for slide and had a GT for regular tuning/playing. I shudder to think how many GT's Dickey's had. I know he had one he threw in the rubbish bin, Reddog saw it, fished it out and put it back on his guitar rack. Dickey saw it the next day and Reddog caught hell for it. Dickey put it back in the rubbish bin. Reddog took it home and still has it. It had a buzzy ABR-1. Dickey thought it was a defective guitar..
The Sunburst was the GT that Dickey used @ The Fillmore East and originally had a Bigsby. That's also the same guitar the he used on "Brothers & Sisters". Danny sold it to Geno Mitchallini (a local KMET DJ). Geno sold it to someone else who's name escapes me and I think it's the one that's in Germany now..
 

TM1

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Seems as though I have it backwards..
Sunburst used for leads:
R2_008A.jpg

R2A_007A.jpg

R2_007A.jpg

Dickey's using the GT for slide. Same guitar used in `71 for Live @ The Fillmore. you can barely make out the Bigsby beard.
 
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buckaroo

Formerly Tweedguy
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938
That may be the same guitar. And a very cool image. And very kind of you to post it!

It is not the specific image that I remember though.
 

TM1

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That may be the same guitar. And a very cool image. And very kind of you to post it!

It is not the specific image that I remember though.
I doubt that it would be because I was there. This was the last show that Berry played before he was killed. It was like "Rock Concert" or one of those TV shows that started around `72 or so.. I've got a whole bunch of shots from this show. I had them on a proof sheet for years before I had them transferred to a disc about 8-9 years ago.
 

Steve Craw

Formerly Lefty Elmo
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Don, have you ever thought about publishing you photos, maybe writing a memoir? Lots of us out there would love to hear about The Brothers from back in the day!
 

VintageWoodWorkshop

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Nov 12, 2002
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661
Hey Don,

Does that guitar have a center seam maple top visible in the pic you posted? If so then it would be different then the one that Udo Piper has in Germany.

I was watching the "Brothers from the Road" DVD this weekend and Toler is playing the non-center seam refinished burst with grovers. Man, what killer playing and tone by Dan. Dickey is playing what appears to be the "goldie" guitar with grovers.

here is the same guitar in the "brothers from the road" dvd (now udo piper's)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8kfI8H-XOg&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
 

Mark Kane

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Jul 18, 2001
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The pic you're looking for has been posted here before. Have you tried a search? I've got on a thumb drive I think. If I dig it out I'll post it for you if someone doesn't beat me to it.
 

kharrison

Active member
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May 18, 2006
Messages
4,225
Seems as though I have it backwards..
Sunburst used for leads:
R2_008A.jpg

R2A_007A.jpg

R2_007A.jpg

Dickey's using the GT for slide. Same guitar used in `71 for Live @ The Fillmore. you can barely make out the Bigsby beard.

OK, so I am confused. Is this a pic of the Bett's/Toler burst? Looks like this one has a center seam.
 

mistersnappy

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Jan 20, 2006
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7,321
OK, so I am confused. Is this a pic of the Bett's/Toler burst? Looks like this one has a center seam.

No. The Betts/Toler "Burst", IFAIK, is the same guitar as the Goldtop in the middle pic. The other is now owned by Kunio Kishida. The Goldtop was starting to really lose the paint, as you can kinda see, near where Dickey right arm is. Same guitar as used for "At Fillmore East". Pretty much the only Les Paul Dickey used in '71.
 

buckaroo

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Wow these are all great images! And I do appreciate all the efforts. The specific image I would love to see is not anywhere, that I have found, on the forum. I do recall that the pickup covers are off and he is wearing a jean jacket. It was published in the magazines cited in the OP above. And it was published right about the time Ramblin Man was released. I think that it is the same guitar (not the LP deluxe) as in the Saturday night in Macon video from 1973.
 

buckaroo

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The pic you're looking for has been posted here before. Have you tried a search? I've got on a thumb drive I think. If I dig it out I'll post it for you if someone doesn't beat me to it.


Thanks Mark! Cool to see what you might have.
 

buckaroo

Formerly Tweedguy
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Feb 17, 2009
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Thanks for the images. Very cool. Everyone here has been very kind in sharing. I think several have published the correct instrument.

Still looking for that particular published image from my youth; with the jean jacket and the pup covers removed as described in the OP.

I have been searching for comprehensive indexes of those magazines but what I have located thus far is pretty spotty.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
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Aug 2, 2001
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42,567
Still looking for that particular published image from my youth; with the jean jacket and the pup covers removed as described in the OP.

I have been searching for comprehensive indexes of those magazines but what I have located thus far is pretty spotty.

I think I know the photo you are looking for, but I cannot find it in my [many] stashes of photos. I will keep looking. :)
 

TM1

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Wow.. so nice of Willie to use my photo without asking.. but.. I may have given him a set of photos back in `89 when he was still managing Gregg.. Hard to remember. I use to sets of those through "Hittin' The Note" for next to nothing...Try and find a photo house that will do small runs these days.. aren't any.
I had all the negatives put on CD's about 7-8 years ago.
 

buckaroo

Formerly Tweedguy
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
938
I think I know the photo you are looking for, but I cannot find it in my [many] stashes of photos. I will keep looking. :)


Much appreciated Tom!

Silly as it seems, that photo started the whole Les Paul thing for me. Probably most of us here identify with something similar either from an album cover, a magazine or video. For me, it was that one image.
 
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