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From: Buddy McPeters
Date: December 17, 2002
Doug, Junior's younger brother Gene, who also played with Johnnie Lee and Bob Wills told me that Junior added the pick ups himself. Luke Wills also told me that Junior loved to tinker with his guitar and amp. The D'armond was a popular add on type pick up that many arch top guitar players used in those days because it was easily removed so the instrument could be played acoustic and when mounted it wouldn't deface or harm the acoustic or monetary value of the instrument. A lot of guitarists used them as did Eldon Shamblin on the 1936 Gibson Super 400 he bought from Bob that had been the instrument Tommy Duncan played when he played rhythm guitar. Junior added this pick up simply by attaching the bracket to the Frequensator tailpiece and the slide bar ran thru it so the pick up could be adjusted to where he desired and he set it in the forward or what is known as the neck position of the guitar which gave the guitar lots of booming bass tones and jazzy syrumy tones on his lead solos.
The other pick up Junior added to his Epiphone Emperor guitar was a pick-up he had scavenged off of a steel guitar that Gene couldn't recall the brand name of and he placed it in the bridge position on the guitar which gave the guitar lots of treble tones. I have never been able to get a good close up photo of the guitar that is clear enough to see this pick-up very well or determine the make or model. It could be a Rickenbacker Frying Pan pick up. It does appear to be quite long and would not have fit in the neck position. Gene owned this guitar last I heard, but he has since passed away.
Are you related to Junior? If so please email me at buddymcpeters@yahoo.com
Thanx!!!
Buddy