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Thread: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

  1. #26
    Registered User mandobassman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Hard to tell from the photo, but I was thinking it might be a 4-course instrument with 3 strings per course.
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  2. #27
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    No. Barney was a guitar player. Guitars have 6 strings. When you're a "can-do" studio musician as he was, and the call asks for a mandolin, an instrument like this will do the job. Six courses (fairly obvious in the photo) tuned to the same intervals as a guitar, probably simply up an octave, mean there's minimal relearning involved.

    And when you're Barney Kessell, and you need something a little different, Gibson is happy to oblige.

    My guess is that there may have been three of these made, and they're out there somewhere. Maybe Barney had the only one. I would love to know for sure.
    .
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  4. #28
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I just listened to the Pet Sounds box set on a road trip, and that Gibson octave 12-string is everywhere, and not just "WIBN"...
    It's pretty distinctive, especially after getting very familiar with my Hammertone--a similar instrument...
    It's holding down the fort on "Sloop John B"...


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  6. #29
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Might as well add Barney. If you want to see the instrument it's there at 4:45 through 4:55.

    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Jul-06-2017 at 9:49pm.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  7. #30
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Might as well add Barney.

    Glad to see you're having as much problems as the rest of us with imbedding YouTube videos...

  8. #31
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    It's embedded for me.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  9. #32
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    It's embedded for me.
    ...Hmmm, interesting.
    Still not visible here...
    Ad blocker, perhaps??

  10. #33
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I can see 'em fine. Interesting document!

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    Do tell!
    .
    ph

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  11. #34
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    There's a picture of the instrument soon after that pops up. It's only on the screen a short time.

    Brian Wilson's genius pretty much comes out in these sessions but you also realize it wasn't a real walk in the park for the session players.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  12. #35
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post

    Brian Wilson's genius pretty much comes out in these sessions but you also realize it wasn't a real walk in the park for the session players.
    I think it was a hellova lot more interesting that a lot of the drivel that was going on during that period for them...
    And, can you imagine playing the session, and then a few months later hearing the final result??
    That had to feel pretty good...

  13. #36
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    It's actually pretty incredible stuff. You listen to him conveying his desire for the piece ..."Hal, I want a Boom then on the next measure come in with bopta boom on the third beat" or something like that. When you figure most of the session players didn't hear it all together, yeah, that would be neat. I thought it was interesting that he had at least three different bass players on those tracks.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  14. #37
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Mike, I trust you've seen the Wrecking Crew documentary, yes? The final DVD release from 2015 has a ton of extra features that are really worth watching, just to see those people and how they all fit in together, with and without Brian Wilson.

    One more thing about dealing with Brian Wilson: they were all getting very decent union wages. I think it took the $ting out of all the time it took to finally get a take.
    .
    ph

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  15. #38
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I've seen that documentary yes. I'm sure they did well on that. It still looks like it was grueling.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  16. #39
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Yes, I agree, the mind numbing hours of going through things over and over. But, while being paid "scale" was enough to keep the wolf from the door most of those amazing musicians were never recognized for the talent they were.
    I love the fact that Tommy Tedesco played the theme from "Bonanza" but who knew that until after he had died? Not me!
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  17. #40
    Café habitué Paul Hostetter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    So you never saw his monthly column in Guitar Player magazine, Studio Log? It was always one of my favorite things about that magazine. GP used to archive them, but their website seems pretty dead now.

    Among the movie soundtracks he's played on, he counts 45 alone whose titles begin with the letter "B," from "Baby It's You" to "Bye Bye Birdie."

    For television, he played lead guitar for the themes from "Bonanza," "Batman," "MASH" and "Green Acres."

    He also can be heard on such pop hits as Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas," Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town," 5th Dimension's "Up-Up and Away," Jan and Dean's "The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)," Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" and the Mamas & the Papas' "Monday, Monday." He's even backed Alvin & the Chipmunks.

    "It was the heyday of records," he says. "We worked from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m. seven days a week. We'd start with some movie score, then go work for Phil Spector late into the night. A lot of times, we didn't even know what it was we were doing. They put a piece of music in front of you, I play, it's over, they send me the money. That's it.
    .
    ph

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  19. #41

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I think in an old Guitar Player interview, Tedesco said he played on the Ventures stuff that was too "hard" for the band! Or, at least too hard for them to get in one or two takes, I assume.....

  20. #42
    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    "I play, it's over, they send a check"! I love it.
    Timothy F. Lewis
    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

  21. #43

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    How do you post images on this? I can get you guys a pic of it.

  22. #44

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

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  24. #45
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Damn, there it is! OK, what is the story? Where is it now?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  25. #46

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I currently have it because he is letting me borrow it for a Christmas service. I don't know all of the story. He has lived all of his life within about an hour of the old Kalamazoo factory and bought it used years ago. I'm curious about it and sent all of the pertinent info to Gibson to see if they could help me out in identifying it.

  26. #47

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    He's got quite a collection of various things from over the years. He also has what appears to be a '49 ES-175, but with no cutaway. I realize this sounds like it could be a 125 or 150, but all of the appointments are those of a 175. Been digging to try and find out about that as well, but nothing. The other really unique thing is a J-200 with a three piece back. He said that he got that one from someone that used to work in the factory, so I'm guessing that guy had it made for himself. I've not seen another vintage Gibson acoustic with a 3 piece back, just Martin's.

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  28. #48
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    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    Terrific.

    What does the tailpiece look like under the cover?

  29. #49

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

    I have not opened it up yet. I'm going to take it to a tech that I trust to have the strings replaced and I'll get a look at it then.

  30. #50

    Default Re: Barney Kessel Playing A Gibson 12 String Mandolin?

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