Joe Walsh playing an EDS 1275

[IMMUSICRULZ]

Don Felder is perhaps more well known for playing the infamous EDS 1275 double neck on Hotel California, but Joe Walsh has been known to sport one on several occasions. Both with and without the Eagles.



I believe Joe Walsh used this EDS 1275 on Hotel California, but he may have also used it on his ABC albums. But Seriously Folks, So What and You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind definitely sound like they have the EDS 1275 on certain tracks, but it might be just multi tracked guitars.

But does anybody have any info regarding Joe Walsh's EDS 1275? Like when did he acquire it, what tracks did he use it on, does he still own it, etc.? He also plays a Les Paul, a bunch of Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitars, and the usual Telecaster. There is also a rumor that he once gave a Gibson guitar to Jimmy Page, and of course everyone knows about the Gretsch he gave to Pete Townshend that was used on Who's Next.
But if anyone knows about the EDS 1275 then kindly respond.

It also helps that Ringo Starr is Joe Walsh's brother in law, and as such has toured with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band.

Here is a picture, by the way, of Don Felder playing his EDS 1275.


I read it is in a music museum somewhere, but Don Felder has his own signature model.

 

[Bob Womack]

There was a period in the '70s when amplifying acoustic guitars was really problematic because of feedback problems. The whole live acoustic guitar thing in arenas was in its infancy. Guys were casting about for an interim solution. Some like Joe Walsh, Jimmy Page, and Steve Howe, used the EDS 1275 as a stop-gap, using the twelve-string neck for acoustic-ish sounds and the six-string neck for electric sounds. It was a horrible stop-gap. I remember that pic of Joe with the EDS somewhere around 1975-ish. Now, the song "Meadows" from The Smoker You Drink was recorded on a Hagstrom electric twelve string, so perhaps what we are seeing is Joe playing that song live on the EDS. In that time there were also shots of him playing slide on a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Special '55 Reissue. That was a slab-bodied LP with two P90s.

On the So What? album and resultant tour, "Turn to Stone" was performed on a sunburst ES-335. Yes that is Felder accompanying him.

Joe also favored Strats. Note the bicycle horns and rear view mirror.

On the studio version of "Hotel California," Joe played a Tele and Don Played an LP. Unlike Southern rockers, they preferred contrasting guitar sounds when playing dual leads. Producer/engineer Bill Szymczyk recalls as the highlight of his career the two days when Walsh and Felder sat, one on each side of him in the control room, composing and recording the HC end solo section. There were three versions of the basic tracks recorded in order to settle on a key Don Henley could sing in. Once they got the leads recorded and went to rehearse for the tour, Felder and Walsh initially just free-lanced the end solo section. Henley stopped them and said, "Wait. That isn't what you did on the record. Play it like you did on the record." Uh-oh. Joe describes the record solo as a challenge every single night that will kick his butt if he doesn't concentrate.

Felder's white EDS was rewired with separate outputs for twelve and six string necks. The twelve string neck was routed to a Leslie rotating speaker and the six string neck was routed to his usual guitar amp for leads. Live, the intro to Hotel California was a combination of Felder on the twelve string neck through the Leslie and Frey on a 12 string acoustic. I think it is in the Rock N Roll Hall now.

Bob

 

[IMMUSICRULZ]

Joe Walsh also favors a lot of Music Man guitars. Here he is playing one with Steuart Smith on a rare Ernie Ball Music Man double neck.

 

[Bob Womack]

I was just watching a video with Steuart where he discussed having that guitar made up for him by Ernie Ball. You'll notice that his is arranged exactly backwards with the twelve-string neck on the bottom. I understand that it is wired just like Felder's EDS. The interview is a fun watch, though it is over two hours long.

Bob

 

[IMMUSICRULZ]

I also found a picture of Taylor Swift with Joe Walsh. Two great singer songwriters.

 

[clayviation]

Don Felder is perhaps more well known for playing the infamous EDS 1275 double neck on Hotel California, but Joe Walsh has been known to sport one on several occasions. Both with and without the Eagles.

View attachment 17009

I believe Joe Walsh used this EDS 1275 on Hotel California, but he may have also used it on his ABC albums. But Seriously Folks, So What and You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind definitely sound like they have the EDS 1275 on certain tracks, but it might be just multi tracked guitars.

But does anybody have any info regarding Joe Walsh's EDS 1275? Like when did he acquire it, what tracks did he use it on, does he still own it, etc.? He also plays a Les Paul, a bunch of Rickenbacker and Gretsch guitars, and the usual Telecaster. There is also a rumor that he once gave a Gibson guitar to Jimmy Page, and of course everyone knows about the Gretsch he gave to Pete Townshend that was used on Who's Next.
But if anyone knows about the EDS 1275 then kindly respond.

It also helps that Ringo Starr is Joe Walsh's brother in law, and as such has toured with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band.

Here is a picture, by the way, of Don Felder playing his EDS 1275.

View attachment 17010
I read it is in a music museum somewhere, but Don Felder has his own signature model.

Joe used the EDS-1275 for In The City on the 1979-80 The Long Run tour. He had the 12 string neck tuned normally for rhythm parts and the 6 string neck tuned to open E for the slide parts. For his 1980s tours, he took out 6 of the pegs in the 12 string neck to effectively make it a double neck with two 6 string necks, each in a different tuning (E and open E).

 

[LPR6]

Joe had a hand in steering or selling Page his number one, that’s not a rumor.

 

[Bob Womack]

Joe had a hand in steering or selling Page his number one, that’s not a rumor.

No, it isn't. Joe was a disciple of the 1959-60s and bought them and sold them to friends, including Jimmy. Joe's wife has been helping him replace some of the guitars he lost during the bad years. A couple of years ago he tracked down the '59 burst he's seen playing on the inner sleeve of "So What?" and re-bought it. You can read about it, HERE.

Bob

 

[jb_abides]

No, it isn't. Joe was a disciple of the 1959-60s and bought them and sold them to friends, including Jimmy. Joe's wife has been helping him replace some of the guitars he lost during the bad years. A couple of years ago he tracked down the '59 burst he's seen playing on the inner sleeve of "So What?" and re-bought it. You can read about it, HERE.

Bob

Great article.

Joe Walsh: ‘It does seem odd that Joe Walsh is paying a premium for a guitar owned by Joe Walsh.’