Guitar Pickup Tattoos

I got three new tattoos today—or one in three parts depending on how you look at it. The tattoos are of three electric guitar pickups. One for each of my children. Each child has a distinct personality, set of characteristics, and unique approach to life and love and music and art. Guitar pickups are a good metaphor for my beautiful children and the tats also reflect my love for music.

Karysa, my firstborn, is a classic beauty—much like the “lipstick” pickup on my Fender Telecaster. The Tele is one of my favorite guitars because nothing says “Americana” like a Tele. Classic rockers like Tom Petty, Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen play Telecasters with lipstick pickups. My man George Harrison played a Tele during The Beatles famous 'Get Back Sessions' as well as on the Beatles' 1970 album Let It Be and 1969's Abbey Road. He also played his Tele for the Beatles' last public performance in 1969 known as the “rooftop concert.”

Lipstick pickups used to be made with actual surplus lipstick tubes when they were put in Danelectro guitars and Sears Silvertone guitars. My first guitar amp and the first guitar I ever played were made by Silvertone and had one of these pickups. I still have a Silvertone amp and play through it regularly.

The lipstick pickup is vintage. Classic. It is great for music that mixes rock with a folk overtone like the jangle rock bands of the 60’s like The Byrds or more recent bands like R.E.M. Karysa is vintage and classic. She is Breakfast at Tiffany’s and a hot cup of organic fair-trade coffee.

Lipstick pickups, like Karysa, are traditional—but not in that boring kind of a way. Far from it. They are artistic, sought after, and very unique. Look for them at pawn shops and antique stores of the coolest variety.

Karysa doesn’t need a lot of gimmicks to make her cool. She doesn’t need to be “effected.” Her tone is clear, precise, and fashionable.

Joe Strummer of The Clash played a famously beat up and stickered Tele with one of these pickups until his death. The Clash are punk rock. Karysa is a bit punk rock as well. Her tats tell the story. No one can put her in a box. She reinvents herself and stands against the system and "the man." I love this about her.

Connor is my single coil pickup—Strat style. I have three pickups just like these on my American Standard Stratocaster.

The Strat is my utility guitar. The pickups, depending on which one I select, can give the guitar a loud, but mellow and warm tone or a brighter and sharper tone. This is the guitar and pickups I choose when I need to cover a bunch of different styles of songs. It is well rounded. It says Blues, Surf, Country, and Rock with equal conviction.

Connor plays by the rules. He is kind and gentle and respected (not that my other kids aren’t but he has a large dose of these traits). The single coils on my Strat are much the same way. Everyone wants a Strat.

Then there is Kasidy . . . my humbucker.

The open coil humbucker got it’s name because of the way it “bucks the hum” of a single coil pickup. They cancel out the hum generated by alternating current. In layman’s terms, a single coil pickup usually hears all the noise created by the electronics surrounding the instrument that use AC. Amps, mixers, motors, power lines, effects processors, studio gadgets and other electronics generate sound that is picked up by a single coil. BUT, the humbucker changes that.

Kasidy is my humbucker for other reasons. First, humbuckers are loud.

Second, they are playful and give guitars a rounder tone when arranged with other pickups.

Third, they create a great natural “distortion” when cranked to the volume of 10.

Kasidy is my live wire. All my kids are creative but she must be creative every second of every day. She leaves messes wherever she goes—her distortion. She doesn’t have a slow button—until she wears herself out from moving. Then she crashes. She bucks the system and makes her presence known.

She “rounds out” the other pickups in the family. She is unique but she also has many of the qualities and characteristics of her other pickups ah-hem, sibings.

As she grows, I pray she learns more and more to submit to Jesus as He harnesses her raw energy to rock the kingdom in whatever way she carves out.

Love all my babies.

The Winds--a Song

I was excited to hear this song today by guitarist Jeremy Blaska. I hope to meet Jeremy soon. He wrote this song inspired by The Winds--our Cabernet Sauvignon that raised money for art scholarships.

Scotch Cask Guitar

I’m starting to take stock of what I can sell to buy this guitar.

Lagavulin is one of my favorite scotches. I buy a bottle each Christmas (and a few other times throughout the year if I am sharing). My wife and friends know it is one of 4 or 5 scotches that will make me very happy.

If you read my blog regularly you know I am not ashamed of pronouncing my love for scotch. I have even run secret societies dedicated to understanding the process, tasting, and developing an appreciation for scotch in the context of spiritual engagement and community.

So, today my friend @DanP_70 sent me a link to a blog with a write-up about guitars that are being made in Italy out of former Lagavulin casks. Apparently, these are special edition guitars and, as far as I know, there is no plan to make many of them.

What!?!?! It’s like someone has been spying on my dreams and created something combining two loves of mine I never thought would come together—in this way at least.

Scotch is matured in previously used and matured oak casks (usually former bourbon casks or sometimes sherry casks). It is an oak cask that was used for these axes. Three guitars are made from one cask—two guitars and one bass.

Dear Santa, I have been a good boy. I will not shoot my eye out with this.

HT: WhiskyGrotto.com

Third Day News

I have been a Third Day fan since I heard the first bit of amp feedback before the words were uttered, "on and on and on and on and on she goes and where she stops no one really knows."

If you don't know what I am referring to, go buy everything Third Day ever recorded.

I have seen these guys play countless times and I have had the opportunity to take my kids backstage twice (which leads me to say--when you are any age it is cool to go backstage at a rock show but when you are 15 there is nothing greater).

I became an even bigger fan of the band when I had my first conversation outside of a quick handshake with Mark Lee--Third Day guitarist extraordinaire-- a few years ago at cre:ate in Nashville. Mark was approachable and funny and his wonderful wife Stephanie was very kind to my wife Tahni.

So, being the fan that I am--of the band and the "people" of Third Day you can imagine the great week I am having in light of the following two things taking place:

#1 Yesterday, I got an email announcing tickets go on sale Friday for the "Music Builds" tour starring Third Day, Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. August 21st at 6:00pm Detroit Rock City will get its hot pants rocked off. Yeah, guess who is going to that show. I am taking the whole freaking day off so I can eat a good breakfast and prepare for the rocking.

#2 I check my Google reader today and find this:
Mark Lee, Third Day guitarist posted about my blog--the blog you are reading-- on his blog This Guy Falls Down!

I have enjoyed Mark's blog immensely over the past few years. It is full of all the good rock and roll jargon and humor I would expect from a rock and roll guy's blog. Mark has great taste in music, tells it like he sees it, and often shares fun bits of trivia and invites his readers to participate in the conversation. Mark is also very tech savvy and has a lot of good web 2.0 talk on his blog. The thing that impresses me most is Mark's commitment to his family.

If R.E.M. or The Black Crowes are a regular part of your vocabulary, you will especially dig Mark's blog.

So, read Mark's blog. Subscribe to it. Buy Third Day tickets. Buy the t-shirt. Look for the new album, Revelation out on July 29.

What Westwinds and Megadeth have in Common

This weekend, I will lead worship (or part of the set at least) with this rock and roll beast you see above. I probably won't be using my rock face but . . .

Not your normal worship leading axe? Is that Dave Mustaine’s signature? Dave Mustaine of Megadeth? And the Anarchy symbol?

Yep. To all that. Gather 'round kids while uncle John tells you a story.

Dave and I got back from lunch and pulled into the Westwinds parking lot. As we we’re walking into the office, someone called my name. I turned around to greet the voice—a man I had never seen before.

“You’re John, right?” Uhhh . . . yes I am. Do I know you? “No. I’m here to give you something. It’s over here in my van.”

I will admit it felt a bit weird to follow a stranger to his black van to receive a gift.

He opened the door and handed me a case. It was a big case. I was pretty sure it was a guitar case though it was huge.

What is it? I asked. “I have no idea. I am just supposed to drop it off. It is an anonymous gift. The guy told me not to tell you who he is.”

I made some joke about the case “ticking” but the guy didn’t laugh. Then I saw a familiar logo—one I hadn’t really seen since the 80’s.

Inside the case was a white Jackson Charvel Flying V no-pickguard axe with a Floyd Rose Tremolo, signed by guitar wizard Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.

There was just a note inside with some pictures. The note read, “To JVo. Because you rock.” The pictures were of Dave Mustaine playing this very guitar on a Megadeth tour.


I just about peed.

This is a guitar I probably wouldn’t go buy for myself because I am usually more concerned about versatility when purchasing a guitar—Strat, Paul, Tele, etc. So, what a treat to have something a bit extravagant and so . . . rock and roll.

So, yes, I will be playing this guitar as is. Anarchy symbol and all. The guitar is a story. I'm not changing a thing and I will tell this story again and again.

I am so proud of this guitar because of what it represents. I don’t create fire from my fingers on the fretboard and I won’t be playing any speed metal but this guitar will serve the songs of Leeland, Robbie Seay, Mark Roach, Vicky Beeching, David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Fee, Paul Baloche, Matt Maher, Brenton Brown, and countless others at Westwinds.

And who knows . . . maybe there will be . . . that one Sunday where the set is begging for Megadeth.

This quarter we will cover Sheryl Crow, Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Yael Naim, and Lenny Kravitz. The guitar will make more appearances.

Thank you anonymous giver of rock.

To you I raise my goblet.

P.S. My daughter is pretty sure she wants to start a girl band with this guitar.