Mountainview Publishing, LLC INSIDE the True guitar chronicles… How Thomas V. Jones followed his dream and became the craftsman we The Player’s Guide to Ultimate Tone TM know today as $15.00 US, June 2014/Vol.15 NO.8 Report TV Jones 5 TV Jones Fated 20th Anniversary Limited Edition humbucker Who knows why we do what we do… We mean you, us, and everyone else in the world. From birth 6 Another affordable to death and the journey between the two, how can we explain the paths we take in life? One man keeper… becomes a criminal, another man a judge… Mothers send their precious children into the world The Epiphone 335 with love, hope and dreams of happiness, yet no philosopher, priest, or fortune teller can predict Pro the course their lives may take. Are we brought into the world as unformed clay or creatures with coil taps of destiny? How does life work? If the creation of life is a miracle, and it surely is, how can we understand and comprehend the miracle of the lives we live? Well, backtracking seems to work if 7 you are inclined to discard the concept of fate. Fate is the more convenient and mythical explana- ‘60s Surprise tion, but fate begs the question of who or what determines fate for each of us. Is our fate written 1964 in the stars, numerology, or designed by a celestial multi-tasker perhaps, and a busy one at that. Gibson GA-19RVT Backtracking seems to make more sense. Here’s how it works… Falcon 9 Chuck Dean’s new Retro King ‘Master 50… kinda like a JCM800 but better… 11 Mitch Colby’s new Park amps… 13 An overview of the original Park amps & the new Park Top Mount 45 Limited Edition We can all point to a mere handful of events that have dramatically affected and determined the 15 course of our lives. Using a personal example, if the husband of my mother’s sister hadn’t been Not your stationed in Indianapolis, my mother wouldn’t have moved there, the place where I spent the first average clone… The RecPro Audio 21 years of life. If not for a road trip through Atlanta in 1974, Atlanta wouldn’t have become my 5E3 Deluxe preferred destination to escape sleepy Naptown. As a struggling musician in 1984, if I hadn’t an- swered an ad for employment with an Atlanta publishing company, I would never have met my wife 18 at a publishing conference in Washington D.C., and had I not worked for a publishing company, Dunlop it is highly likely that I would not be writing the words you are reading now. So there you go… Eric Johnson A military posting, a road trip and a single help wanted ad set in motion a series of events that Signature Fuzz Face shaped a life. Yeah, but you could have done something different… Yeah, but I didn’t. www.tonequest.com cover story Thomas V. Jones got a hold of the Beatles White Album and it taken apart in no time. My dad changed his life. Whatever he may have been thinking about found out, and asked what I at the time suddenly took a backseat to what he heard on the was doing and after explaining Beatles record, and like a great cosmic trip wire, his course what I was after, he suggested in life was not only changed, but consumed by the sound, look some other cool ideas (now and feel of the electric guitar. This was deeper than a mere luv that I think about it, I will have fest with a pop band. In time he acquired enough knowledge to ask him to explain one of his and skill to be hired at a guitar repair shop in Southern Cali- ideas in more detail). It was so fornia where the guitar guy for a big time rock & roll guitar exciting to learn how simply player took the big time rock & roll guitar player’s guitars the electric guitar worked. I to be fixed, and they just happened to be Gretsch guitars gave up on wiring the guitar equipped with Filter’tron and Dearmond pickups. As Thomas in stereo, put it back together, V. Jones became intimately acquainted with these pickups, an and from then on played as Dan Erlewine invitation was issued for pickup winders to build their best ef- much as I had time for. While fort at reproducing a Gretsch Filter’tron for the very same big in high school, I bought my first serious guitar – a used time rock & roll guitar player’s signature guitar. The pickup 1973 Strat. I became very interested in modifying (thanks to Thomas V. Jones wound was selected as the best, and at that Edward Van Halen) and repairing my guitars, so I eventu- moment in time, TV Jones was born. His personal story is a ally purchased Dan Erlewine’s repair videos through Stewart study in how we humans can become so inspired by music that MacDonald. If I may, I’d like to send a heartfelt “thank you” we find a way to make it our life’s work. The guitar business to Dan Erlewine and Stew-Mac. I was completely hooked! I is rich with such stories, and whether you are a believer in performed fret jobs, replaced pickups, did custom paint jobs, fate or the rewards mined from raw determination, innovators and even started to build my first guitar, and ironically, never like TV Jones offer real world glimpses into the wonder of finished it. I should have started with a simple design, but for the human spirit that can inspire us all. You surely know the some reason I had to make a double neck guitar/mandolin and name, and now it’s time you met the man. It is our pleasure to painted it in a checkerboard pattern... introduce you to TV Jones. Enjoy… After that, I decided to learn and TQR: Tom, can you describe how you first became polish my craft as a luthier, so in interested in guitars, pickups and pickup winding? the early 1990s I applied at The How did your initial interest evolve and result in World Of Strings in Long Beach, the eventual creation of the TV Jones company we California. WOS was a violin/guitar know today? shop that lasted over 50 years. I was instructed there by owner Jon Peter- Early on, I son, a violin maker and upright bass became seri- specialist, and worked with my great ously inter- friend Saul Koll (of Koll Guitars). ested in the Other luthiers to come out of WOS guitar while are Jim Foote (South Bay Music listening to first guitar Works), Chris Hill (CB Hill Guitars), The Beatles Chris Flemming (Fender Custom Shop), Glenn Mers (Glenn White Mers Custom Guitars), and many more. After almost three Album. I was years at WOS I was forced to tend to my growing business at convinced I home in Whittier, California. had to learn how to play the electric guitar. Actually, It was either the bass, TV Jones Guitars was started in November of 1993. I repaired or the guitar – it didn’t matter, as long as it had strings and it and built guitars for the next 8 years in Whittier. I special- had to be plugged it into an amp. At 14, I talked my mom into ized in building six and seven string jazz guitars, for which I taking me to the local pawn shop to buy my first guitar. It was decided to compliment each of those custom instruments with a lower-end solid body electric with a sunburst finish. My dad, their own custom pickup. Each pickup was built and wound who has an amazing musical ear, showed me a few riffs on to bring out the best in each individual guitar. Many of my the low E string, and that was it – I was hooked. Being a huge guitars at this time were similar in design, but being that they Chuck Berry fan, I moved up to a green Aria Diamond hollow were made with organic materials, they all had a life of their body. My goal was to try and wire it into a stereo guitar, like own. During this period I learned a lot about guitar pickups. I Chuck Berry’s Gibson ES-355 and I got right to it. I had it experimented for hours, took notes, had pickups and materials -continued- 2 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 cover story analyzed, and used my ears, parts (pole screws, touch, and intuition for my magnets...) were used creations. In the summer because Gretsch had of 1998, Brian Setzer was to get guitars out the interested in a new reis- door any way they sue Filter’tron pickup for could just to meet his new Gretsch Hotrod demand. Later in the guitar. A few famous pickup 1990s, I worked on makers got in the mix, and Brian’s 1956 Silver later I found out that Brian Jet (used on his Dirty Powertron chose my pickup in a blind Boogie CD). This is a test. That October I received special guitar, so what better guitar to analyze? I must say that I a phone call from Fred have been very fortunate to have had these and other incred- Gretsch and the rest is history! ible guitars at my work bench. After analyzing and producing a ‘59 Filter’tron and a ‘56 DeArmond, I made bridge versions TQR: You have long been recognized as the ultimate of these pickups (vintage pickups didn’t originally come in alternative for classic Filter’Tron and DeArmond neck and bridge positions – just one pickup for both positions).