Buddy Black Blog
This is the Buddy Black Blog. Dedicated to the musical genre called the blues, guitars and blues artists that play them. Buddy Black has over 50 years in the industry as a blues artist and guitar aficionado. Buddy owns over 100 vintage guitars that he plays regularly.
Guitars
One of his favorite brand of guitars is the Gibson Trini Lopez of which Buddy Black owns five. These guitars are used in Buddy’s concerts and on his studio recordings.
Buddy Black also plays and collects lap steel guitars as well as pedal steel. These guitars have a long history in contemporary music with origins beginning in 1920’s Hawaii.
Subject Matter Expert On Guitars
Come back here to learn about the blues and the men and guitars that play them. With years of experience and hands on know how, Buddy Black is considered to be an expert in his field.
Hoochie Koochie Man
Hoochie Coochie Man was written by Willie Dixon in 1953. It was first recorded by McKinley Morganfield AKA Muddy Waters In January 1954. It is an erotic song and talks about black magic. I got a Black Cat Bone,,, I got a Mojo too. I got a Johnny Conquer root,,,,,...
Gibson Maestro Volume Wha Green Pedal
It started here. In 1975 I was in a music store in Milwaukee and saw a Gibson Maestro Volume Wha pedal for sale. A guitar player I shared the stage with had one he was very fond of. It was pretty reasonable and left the store with me that day. The love affair began...
The Most Important Day of the Year
A Tribute To Christmas One of the joys of working with different artists and genres is the diversity of life experiences each artist brings to their music. Everyone has a different story to tell and a different point of view. When our music is filtered through our own...
Boss Tone Guitar Effect Distortion Module
Boss Tone Begins 1966 was a very good year for the guitar players that were looking for something different. Jordan electronics, a subsidiary of Victoreen, a company built on their line of geiger counters, was formed to make instrument amplifiers and guitar effects....
Gibson Thick Body SG Fact or Myth?
Different Versions According to the 1959 price guide and my copy of the 1960 Gibson catalog, the model of guitar commonly referred to as Les Paul Special, was actually the first SG. The double cutaway instrument was the same thickness as the Les Paul standard but with...
Epiphone By Gibson
The Korean Connection In 1985 Gibson commissioned Korea based Samick Guitar builders to begin making a few models under the Epiphone trademark, moving their manufacture from Matsumoku Japan. The most popular of them was the Sheraton II. A run of about 50 were made...
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...
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 6x10....
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...
Lap Steel
1936 National New Yorker Lap Steel Electric Guitar One of the Earliest Models In regards to lap steels. one of the earliest models. The first version with an exposed bridge pickup. Two more double coil noise canceling (humbucker) pickups are hidden under the fret...