A CONVERSATION WITH JORMA KAUKONEN (cont.)
JK: Well, I'm lucky, I got a bunch of things going on. The Ranch is already in the black, after only four years. As you know, that's unbelievable for a small business of that sort. At 61, I don't enjoy the road as much as I used to. And I quit doing the electric band, just couldn't make any money at it.
But Jack and I still like to play gigs. It's just four guys on the bus, really low stress, it doesn't get any better than that. I basically just sit down and pick my guitar a couple of hours a night, it's great. With a little luck, I'll be able to do some touring with these guys I just cut this record with, we're working on that possibility. It's predicated on their availability, and my ability to afford them.
The Nashville thing is so funny, I'm a stranger here. In the studio, as soon as a take is done, everybody's back on their cell phone. [laughter] I get it, you got to keep it rolling. But we've all become very friendly, so it may come together. But by golly, I'd sure like to do that. I hate change, so once I've actually done something different, then I want it to stay that way, you know. Last year I did 170 or 180 dates, and I'll probably do that this year, too. But I love to spend time with Vanessa on the Ranch, so it's about striking the balance.
PM: Will this record be a one-off deal with Columbia, or is something else planned?
JK: Well, naturally, it depends on how this is received, how well it sells. But they have options, and if it does well, there will be other records. Not just for me, but I suspect for Jack and I to do some Hot Tuna records with them.
PM: What guitar are you playing these days?
JK: I'm a Gibson nut. They gave me a factory second Advanced Jumbo a couple of years ago that I really like, and that's all I used for this session. It's a 1936 Advanced Jumbo model, a long scale guitar, which I don't normally play, but this particular guitar I love. This really is unplugged, just microphones, no pickups. Byron had a direct on his upright besides the mics, but that's it. The Gibson guys up in Montana have been talking about the possibility of doing a Jorma model acoustic, which I'm very excited about.
I play the Gibson J-190 acoustic electric fusion guitars on the road. It's a J-185 soft cutaway, arch back, no bracing in the back, a Super 400 neck, but a short scale one. A transducer pickup under the bridge, and a single coil humbucker at the bottom of the neck, with a three way switch. Volume and tone for each pickup, you don't need to read the instructions to play this guitar. It's great for gigging, but we needed an acoustic for this record, of course. I've been using a Retrospec Tube Direct, unfortunately they went out of business. They still own the patents, and may come back. I go right into the PA, and I've also been using the Crate Acoustic Amp, the CA112, which I like a lot. G.E.Smith got me hooked on using a little Reverb.
PM: I hate playing without Reverb.
JK: Yes, it's very forgiving. On the electric side, the Jorma Epiphone is a 335 with a whammy bar on it, Cherry Red, of course. People ask, "Does that throw your guitar out of tune?" I tell them, "Well, of course it throws your guitar out of tune if you whammy the hell out of it, you're bending the strings!" I use those and these Carvin 50 watt Bel Air amps, a retro tube amp with two 12" speakers that you or I could still lift with one hand and not be taken to the hospital.
PM: What will be the earmarks of the proposed Jorma acoustic?
JK: We're still in the talking stage. On the electric, it was mostly cosmetic things. I wanted the vintage '57 pickups, the gold hardware, Grover tuners, the whammy bar, and I wanted them to black out the inside of the F holes, 'cause it looks cooler. The acoustic guys Robbie and Ren in Montana say "Dream. Don't just put your name on something." What I'm thinking about is the Advanced Jumbo body, but a short scale neck like the J-190, and no cutaway. And there's a new Swiss pickup we're talking about, uses a lithium battery that lasts for years. I'll gladly go out to Montana and hang out with those guys, do some fishing, and not tax the R&D budget needlessly. So we'll see.
PM: Maybe it's time for a one name model, the Jorma Gibson.
JK: Hey, that's a good idea. But for my personal guitar, I'm old enough now where I want my entire name on the fingerboard: Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. [Vanessa and Ranch manager John Hurlbut return. Time to get to the studio.]
PM: Well, that was a fun interview.
JK: Yeah, Frank, thanks. Good to see you. Come on up to the Ranch in the Spring. We'll see you then.
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