The first time I heard the Grand Funk Railroad song "High On A Horse" I was hooked. Something about Grand Funk's music that's if liked one song from them you always wanted more.
Hell yeah..the rock band that pulled it off...they had unique sound n alot power.. ***Great job man.one my 1st records was 1 red Grand funk lp. Very unique fuzztones the orig messenger had ..still a mystery to fuzz builders n pedal geeks.
This is what is on the box: "Lil Chester" Alnico V Mini Mount Vintage Style/Single Coil Pickup. It has the initials 'LCN' hand printed on the side with a felt marker. These pups were an exact fit. Easy installation.
I can dig this. GFR fan since Hooked On Love in '70. I was 13. Knew of the EastWood ri and intrigued but pretty much forgot about them. Nice work on yours. Great riffing, too ! man, Late 90s and i stop by Starving Musician in Santa Clara (orig location) and a real Messenger is there. Blown away, i strummed a few chords and put it back. Never plugged it in. Wasn;t there a built in fuzz powered by an AA battery on the originals ? Cool guitars from SF, Ca.
Good idea replacing the stock mini humbuckers with DeArmond style single coil pups. Your Eastwood sounds closer to the Musicraft Messenger. The tone is a little closer but not quite. You would still need to get a hollow body tone that those Eastwood's won't be able to reproduce since it is a semi-hollow body. But, you are on the right track. The Grand Funk Railroad track! I know of what I speak...I have a 1968 Musicraft Messenger that is stock with the DeArmond single coils and has Mark Farner's autograph on the pickguard. Keep it Shinin' On, brother!
Wow, considering that those Eastwood guitars have nothing to do with the original Messengers except for the looks, this sounds pretty close in fact! Also everything else seems to be off: No metal neck, no fuzz, wrong amp & cab/speakers. ...but still it has that woody Farner sound... I'm honestly impressed! Guess it's the pickups and the hollowbody sound for the most part??
...fyi. Remove that pickguard friend! The tone is definitely notable. In that the 67-68 MM's were 'neck-heavy', Eastwood's are as well. I placed a button tab diametrically opposite the upper - below the neck. The guitar is now balanced perfectly. If you break or crossover to a monica, the axe just rolls over and muffs.
I have the same guitar and bought some of the frankentone lil chester pickups. I have a question on how to wire the new pickups. The original pickups have a black and red wire while the new pickup has only single black wire with the shield. Not sure how you wired your new pickups in.
Guy Lee, Good Choice on Guitar! I have the very same Messenger. On the Frankentone, could you please enter the product info? My Greenburst came with the mini's as well and when I do some measurements, the Franks' are too large for the factory MiniBucker Soap Bar. Is there a particular DeArmond and accessory package for our Messengers? In addition to the Frankens', I plan to place an internal Passive Mic c/l of the Cat-eyes soldered straight to the jack; which should mimic that 'aluminum' resonate tone. For getting the scratch as back in 70, I have combined Martin Bronze-wound with D'Addario 10's. I prefer a filed quarter when Funking - unique sound, should try it? Found a West Fillmore 200 I'm working on. Please, any product and contact info would be most appreciated Mr. Lee
That’s a great riff/tune. Before Guitar tuners were invented I would use that song to tune my ‘A’ string then tune the rest of my guitar to that string. When I get a chance I’ll video it. I’ve been busy with 150 independent bookings in 2018.
Hi Guy Lee.! Leon from Norway Scandinavia.! Great playing... Started up in 1970 as a bass player and my favorite song was Mr. Limounsine Driver with GFR. Im still playing but my friends from different bands are gone or "growing old" and so on . So please Guy... stay young and carry on the beautiful guitar playing. I dig it.
Mike Sveda I saw Grand Funk in 1970 on the Closer To Home Tour. Magnificent! I also saw them in '75 in Columbia SC and 1996 at The Ryman in Nashville. The best concert I've ever attended. As a music journalist I got to interview Mark Farner twice for Goldmine magazine. Great cat.
There are two stories from the Mark's own mouth about why he retired the MM - worn fretting, the other, neck/back injury making the MM too heavy. I enjoyed GFR up and to the E Pluribus Funk vinyl. On Time, Red Album and Closer to Home were the only 'Studio' albums where the Messenger was used. The '1970' Live (best live album ever recorded and, just 3 guys up in your face) was the MM. The album was a culmination of recorded live events throughout Florida that same year. E Pluribus has that Farner sound and the songs are unique but, you can thank the West Fillmore 200's for that. From that alum on, GFR had added that organist (mistake) and went from the MM to a hard-body; from there on, GFR went Pop! That 'Fly' Mark uses now? Well, sounds cheezily trebly to me! but, he loves it sound (must be losing his hearing? Who said that??) and the weight. For what he paid for it you can find original MM's in the same price range.
webman1956 Mark Farner is a truly gifted guitarist. Incredible rhythm playing and fiery solos. His songwriting skills contributed to the classic riffs (the head) of his songs. Talented cat.
I always loved his guitar playing and he was always dogged by people saying is playing was simple but since I don`t play guitar I don`t know that. I never realized the reason I like early Grand Funk best and after watching you I figured out that early on Farner used a Messenger guitar. Of course the early "Bluesy sound" was more to my liking than the top 40 stuff anyway.
He's a lot better than a lot of the so called greats. I've Clapton in concert and I've seen Farner in concert. Farner is a much better ROCK guitarist than Clapton. Clapton is a BLUES guitarist. As far as front man? NOBODY is better than Farner
@@johneasler9967 Mark Farner still rocks at 72 years old and still is GFR. Don Brewer should reconsider joining Mark or just fold his useless rendition of GFR.
It's almost spot on to Mark's tone. Excellent !!!!
The Fuzz sound on the Messenger is like no other fuzz I've ever heard!
I agree!
You're nailing this stuff bro. Well done!
The first time I heard the Grand Funk Railroad song "High On A Horse" I was hooked. Something about Grand Funk's music that's if liked one song from them you always wanted more.
Hell yeah..the rock band that pulled it off...they had unique sound n alot power.. ***Great job man.one my 1st records was 1 red Grand funk lp. Very unique fuzztones the orig messenger had ..still a mystery to fuzz builders n pedal geeks.
Great tone, and of course I love the songs!!
This is what is on the box: "Lil Chester" Alnico V Mini Mount Vintage Style/Single Coil Pickup. It has the initials 'LCN' hand printed on the side with a felt marker. These pups were an exact fit. Easy installation.
Great! Thank you! How about Country Road?
Awesome! Thank you!
OMG - that's it! Great job Bro...sounds like Mark. If you can ever figure out the intro to in need and show us that would incredible Thanks
I can dig this. GFR fan since Hooked On Love in '70. I was 13.
Knew of the EastWood ri and intrigued but pretty much forgot about them. Nice work on yours. Great riffing, too !
man, Late 90s and i stop by Starving Musician in Santa Clara (orig location) and a real Messenger is there.
Blown away, i strummed a few chords and put it back. Never plugged it in.
Wasn;t there a built in fuzz powered by an AA battery on the originals ?
Cool guitars from SF, Ca.
Need a West amp now:) sounds good, home town band well pretty close here
Nice tone out of that guitar.. Keep Rockin!
Really does sound like the original.
Had to watch this again 😊
Lol. And Mark Farner covered the F holes with duct tape on his Messenger back in the 70s.
Good idea replacing the stock mini humbuckers with DeArmond style single coil pups. Your Eastwood sounds closer to the Musicraft Messenger. The tone is a little closer but not quite. You would still need to get a hollow body tone that those Eastwood's won't be able to reproduce since it is a semi-hollow body. But, you are on the right track. The Grand Funk Railroad track! I know of what I speak...I have a 1968 Musicraft Messenger that is stock with the DeArmond single coils and has Mark Farner's autograph on the pickguard. Keep it Shinin' On, brother!
Excellent! Thank you!
Sounds good man!
Wow, considering that those Eastwood guitars have nothing to do with the original Messengers except for the looks, this sounds pretty close in fact! Also everything else seems to be off: No metal neck, no fuzz, wrong amp & cab/speakers. ...but still it has that woody Farner sound... I'm honestly impressed! Guess it's the pickups and the hollowbody sound for the most part??
Sounds Good 2 Me!! Keep On Rocking!!!
...fyi. Remove that pickguard friend! The tone is definitely notable.
In that the 67-68 MM's were 'neck-heavy', Eastwood's are as well. I placed a button tab diametrically opposite the upper - below the neck. The guitar is now balanced perfectly. If you break or crossover to a monica, the axe just rolls over and muffs.
Saludos desde Spain!
I have the same guitar and bought some of the frankentone lil chester pickups. I have a question on how to wire the new pickups. The original pickups have a black and red wire while the new pickup has only single black wire with the shield. Not sure how you wired your new pickups in.
northfunker I honestly can't recall how I wired it. I remember it simple and quick.
Ohm it from wire to wire to the p/u body. The wire that pings the meter is your neg.
Awesome!
Guy Lee, Good Choice on Guitar! I have the very same Messenger. On the Frankentone, could you please enter the product info? My Greenburst came with the mini's as well and when I do some measurements, the Franks' are too large for the factory MiniBucker Soap Bar. Is there a particular DeArmond and accessory package for our Messengers?
In addition to the Frankens', I plan to place an internal Passive Mic c/l of the Cat-eyes soldered straight to the jack; which should mimic that 'aluminum' resonate tone. For getting the scratch as back in 70, I have combined Martin Bronze-wound with D'Addario 10's. I prefer a filed quarter when Funking - unique sound, should try it? Found a West Fillmore 200 I'm working on.
Please, any product and contact info would be most appreciated Mr. Lee
Wow! Sounds VERY close. What amp are you playing through here?
I’m using a Richie Kotzen RK5 pedal by Tech 21 through 5 watt Epiphone Valve Junior amp.
@@GuyLeeguitar Nice! 'yer getting that tone with that small of an amp. That's damn good. Thanks for letting me know!
excellent
You look like Mark's brother,dude.
That’s a great riff/tune. Before Guitar tuners were invented I would use that song to tune my ‘A’ string then tune the rest of my guitar to that string. When I get a chance I’ll video it. I’ve been busy with 150 independent bookings in 2018.
Hi Guy Lee.! Leon from Norway Scandinavia.! Great playing... Started up in 1970 as a bass player and my favorite song was Mr. Limounsine Driver with GFR. Im still playing but my friends from different bands are gone or "growing old" and so on . So please Guy... stay young and carry on the beautiful guitar playing. I dig it.
What amp or pedals are you using?
Mike Sveda I'm playing through a Bose L1 w/ B1 Bass Module P.A. System and a Tech 21 RK5 pedal.
Sounds good. Love Grand Funk
Ordered a Chester for the bridge position on my G&L Fallout
Mike Sveda I saw Grand Funk in 1970 on the Closer To Home Tour. Magnificent! I also saw them in '75 in Columbia SC and 1996 at The Ryman in Nashville. The best concert I've ever attended. As a music journalist I got to interview Mark Farner twice for Goldmine magazine. Great cat.
There are two stories from the Mark's own mouth about why he retired the MM - worn fretting, the other, neck/back injury making the MM too heavy. I enjoyed GFR up and to the E Pluribus Funk vinyl. On Time, Red Album and Closer to Home were the only 'Studio' albums where the Messenger was used.
The '1970' Live (best live album ever recorded and, just 3 guys up in your face) was the MM. The album was a culmination of recorded live events throughout Florida that same year. E Pluribus has that Farner sound and the songs are unique but, you can thank the West Fillmore 200's for that. From that alum on, GFR had added that organist (mistake) and went from the MM to a hard-body; from there on, GFR went Pop!
That 'Fly' Mark uses now? Well, sounds cheezily trebly to me! but, he loves it sound (must be losing his hearing? Who said that??) and the weight. For what he paid for it you can find original MM's in the same price range.
Question? Why does Mark Farner get such a bad rap as a Guitarist ?
webman1956 Mark Farner is a truly gifted guitarist. Incredible rhythm playing and fiery solos. His songwriting skills contributed to the classic riffs (the head) of his songs. Talented cat.
I always loved his guitar playing and he was always dogged by people saying is playing was simple but since I don`t play guitar I don`t know that. I never realized the reason I like early Grand Funk best and after watching you I figured out that early on Farner used a Messenger guitar. Of course the early "Bluesy sound" was more to my liking than the top 40 stuff anyway.
He's a lot better than a lot of the so called greats. I've Clapton in concert and I've seen Farner in concert. Farner is a much better ROCK guitarist than Clapton. Clapton is a BLUES guitarist. As far as front man? NOBODY is better than Farner
@@johneasler9967 Mark Farner still rocks at 72 years old and still is GFR. Don Brewer should reconsider joining Mark or just fold his useless rendition of GFR.
Sounds good man!