Joseph Cooper

EKO Ranger 6

I am at home most days now, looking for a new line of work. Hopefully something will crop up by January. I look after the kids most time, but I need something, to focus on, creatively.

I need that.

So, at long last, I have picked up my guitar. I have a EKO Ranger 6, that I have hawked around with me for the last 20 years, but have never found time to play.

Well now I have that time. I have been looking for guitar tutorials on the net, and I have found lots of brilliant resources which I would like to discuss in greater detail in another post. (that post is now up and running click here)

I have always been deeply into blues and soul music. Therefore, most of what I want to learn to play, falls within these genre.

The John Lee Hooker video above is brilliant, and is a blues number in the key of e (as many of John Lee’s songs are).

The guitar John Lee is playing, looks to be an Epiphone Zephyr, or very similar model, a thinline guitar with twin mini humbuckers, which evolved from the deeper bodied Zephyr jazz boxes.

It is great to try and work out what he is doing and pick it out on my EKO.

I have also bought myself a very cheap electric guitar and amp, that will do for the time being. However, I am enjoying myself so much that I plan to reward myself one day with a “real” guitar.

After much searching and consideration of what would be my ideal guitar (considering my budget), I have decided on an Epiphone Sheraton II vintage sunburst. Hooker, played a Sheraton later in his career, but I would suspect his early recordings sound and tone came from deeper bodied guitars similar to the aforementioned Epiphone Zephyr or Emperor.

If I practice enough, and I am happy with the way things are going, I will get my semi acoustic blues guitar, one day, and hopefully, one that will give me a tone, that will encourage me to practice and practice.

The video below is someone testing the Epiphone Sheraton II vintage sunburst. So if you can imagine me trying to learn the song from the top video, and one day, playing it on the guitar in the bottom video, you get the gist of how I am occupying my time these days.

UPDATE:

My newly acquired Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II

There has been a twist to this story. I spoke to the guy in my local guitar shop and he advised me, in his opinion, to stay clear of recent Indonesian built Epiphones, and he showed me an example of an acoustic, a recent Epiphone that was shocking.

Very poor finish and showing signs of not going the course. So, I decided to hunt for a second hand Epiphone made in the days when quality control was a big issue during builds in Japan and Korea.

I found a used (but in very good condition), Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor (I can’t afford a 1960 vintage Epi’ Zephyr, this is as close as I can get), on Blocket (Swedish, Ebay type site), for half the price of a new Indonesian built Epi’ Sheraton. The serial number is S701xxxx which means it was made in Korea in the Samick factory in January 1997. It is a beautifully made guitar, within its range and price bracket.

I love the way she looks, I love the way she plays, I love the way she feels…….(imagine that to the tune of Dimples by Hooker)

The plan now is over time to change to Gibson pickups and redo the wiring completely so it has a Epi’ body and a Gibson heart and hopefully soul. Once she has had the makeover and the project is complete this Joe Pass will be renamed “Annie Mae”.

Will add to this post when I start the transformation.

Found this amazing and inspirational video, of a music student from Brazil, pedromoser01 playing Jazz , getting some beautiful mellow tones from his Epi’ Joe Pass Emperor II (unmodified with standard Epiphone humbuckers) and a Fender Blues Junior tube amp……..