Buddy Black’s Signature Guitar Picks

The Early Years

In the early years, I used a variety of medium gauge guitar picks in teardrop shape. By the mid 70’s I had focused on the medium gauge black Gibson teardrop version. One day I walked into a music store in Milwaukee and tried a soft triangle shaped Fender extra heavy white pick. A love affair began. The white celluloid has a brighter sound than any pick I had ever used. The 3 rounded points are perfect for my approach to the strings and extra heavy made all of that magic happen!! 

Great New Guitar Picks

I bought them in one gross packages For several years. I usually had to order them. Over the years as my playing style developed, I used more and more. Eventually that became a fresh guitar pick for each song. And then it happened. All of a sudden they were getting much harder to find. I walked into Harry’s Guitar shop in Raleigh NC and tried to order 2 gross bags. The supplier said they could no longer get my picks. They were only available in Black or tortoise.  

What Next?

What was I going to do. The perfect pick for me was out of print. My birthday is August 15. I was looking at a pile of dull sounding black Fender picks on my coffee table, and it hit me. Why would I continue to advertise for Fender if they couldn’t sell me what I really want? I searched the web for companies making personalized guitar picks. The one that had the best website was Pickworld. I gave those guys a call. The fellow that answered the phone was very helpful and entertaining. I told him about my problem, that it was my birthday, and asked him to be gentle. He laughed and said I have good news and bad news, which do you want first? I said, start with the bad news. He said, It’s true,,, Fender has discontinued your picks. 

The Good News

The good news is we have made them for Fender since 1972 and will be happy to make them for you!! Happy Birthday! It made my day. I asked him if he knew that the plastic had changed a year or so ago. It was brighter till then. He said the celluloid provider they used until a couple of years ago had just sent them new stock and I could now get the ones I really liked. Even better news was that they were about 2/3 the cost of the ones with Fender on them. I now order 1000 at a time and have made a few special orders for specific events. Those guys at Pickworld are the best. They put my guitar pick, front and center, on the heading photo of their site for a couple of years. 

Related Articles: 

Pickworld

Fender 

From The Swag Store

Why does Buddy Black prefer Peavey Artist Series Amplifiers?

Peavey Artist Series Amplifiers.

The story begins in 1964. Buddy got his first electric guitar amp, a Gibson Hawk. Although it sounded great, it was too small to keep up with the other’s rigs. Sometimes he would be allowed to use his older brother’s Silvertone 6×10. That is where the love for 10″ speakers began, but not much admiration for solid state technology.

The Search Began

The search began,,, First was a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb. During a performance in about 1975 he was playing a newly acquired type of instrument called a lap steel, and flames shot out of the front of the amp. That probably was one of the best things that could have happened for the audience, but put Buddy back to scratch with amplifiers. While it was being repaired the folks at Duncan Music in Winston Salem NC. loaned him an early model Crate amp that was in a case made of old crates. After one show, he went amp shopping!!! “No offense intended” Buddy told the music store owner, “but this thing SUCKS!!” He got them to replace the speakers in the Twin that day and he headed to Raleigh for a show. On the way to the venue, he found a small shop called Whetstone Music. He traded the Fender Twin for a 1957 Fender Vibroluxe. He said he and the store owner were both laughing at the other for their loss,,,, It was the best sounding amp Buddy had ever plugged into and he used it for a couple of years till it and his 1962 Gibson SG were stolen. He went to Camel Pawn in Winston-Salem and bought a 1966 Fender Vibroluxe. That’s where the magic really began. It was an amp powerful enough to keep up on most stages, and the return of 10″ speakers to his life. It had the most liquid reverb Buddy had ever experienced and with the hotter pickups Gibson guitars of the day had, literally SCREAMED! It sounded pretty good with his Stratocasters too but he believed a little more gain would help, so the hunt was on again.

The Hunt For More Gain

In 1979 he bought his first 1959 Fender Bassman amp. It had more power than the Vibroluxe and four 10″ speakers. He bought another one and 2 Fender spring reverb units. Buddy started using one on each side of the drummer and the stage ROCKED! In 1989 Buddy went in The Music Connection in Raleigh NC. and saw some new models Peavey had started making called The Classic series. They had tweed covers and the Classic 50 looked almost identical to his Fender Bassman amps. There were a couple of things different though. The circuitry was nearly the same as his Bassman amps but had a volume control before and after the preamp and another for output volume. The reverb was built in and was wet and lush like the Vibroluxe. A love affair with those amps began and continues today. He has moved up a little in power. His stage rig is several full stacks. 8-10″ speakers powered by Classic 100w heads. The same volume configuration but double the power of the Classic 50. Botique amp designer and builder Marc Auble made a tube driven line conditioner for Buddy so up to 20 stacks can be used at a time without impedence issues. It looks like the hunt for the perfect sound is over. Buddy smiles a lot now!!!

Related Articles:

Audio Fanzine

Google Groups

Mose Henry’s Martin

Mose Henry’s Martin

Dead Instruments In The Shop

Mose Henry’s Martin

Hanging in the dead instrument area of Ben Runkle’s shop in Raleigh NC was one of the greatest finds of Buddy’s life. A 1965 Martin D-35 formally owned by Mose Henry. It had been decorated with items from some very noteworthy folks. The silver inlays were from a platter donated to the project by actress Julie Andrews. The silver eagle on the headstock was carved from a dollar by Eddie Arnold. The bridge and cross were made and donated by Pepper Wise. A pearl was added to the headstock by his grandfather.

Needs A Little Work

Mose Henry’s Martin  guitar needed some work to bring it back to life. Buddy Black had Bruce Wei make a fret board with his name in mother of pearl which was installed by luthier Jeff Pippin. It now plays great and sounds like only a Brazilian rosewood vintage Martin can. Fat, loud and crisp. A treasure by anybody’s definition and Buddy’s favorite acoustic guitar!!

Who Was Mose Henry?

Mose Henry was a singer and instrumentalist in a 1960’s era folk band founded by Dave Fisher and four other Wesleyan students. The original members disbanded in 1964 with three attending Harvard and one attending graduate school at Colombia. Fisher remained in the music business and acted as the band’s music director with a new group of members; one of which was Mose Henry.  The Highwaymen, under the leadership of Dave Fisher, recorded two albums titled, Stop Look and Listen and On A New Road. The group performed concerts and appeared on a number of variety shows. The group stayed together until 1967 when Dave Fisher moved to Los Angeles and began a career making music for film and composing over one thousand songs.

Related Articles:

C.F. Martin & Company

The Highwaymen

Early History of CF Martin and Company

About Buddy Black