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Before the Telecaster… before the Les Paul & the Strat… there was Bigsby.

In this video, we take a deep dive into a 1949 Bigsby electric guitar, one of the earliest solid-body electrics ever made, and a true cornerstone in the evolution of the modern guitar. Built by Paul Bigsby, these instruments weren’t mass-produced, they were individually handcrafted works of art.

Bigsby guitars are incredibly rare, as he built around 27 guitars from the mid-1940s through the late 1950s. Each one was custom-made, often for top-tier players, making them some of the most elusive and historically significant electric guitars in existence.

Most famously associated with Merle Travis, Bigsby’s designs introduced features that would later define the electric guitar as we know it, including a solid body, a six-on-a-side headstock, and a sleek, functional aesthetic that clearly influenced Leo Fender and the birth of the Fender Telecaster.

This particular instrument has its own incredible story. Created on August 7, 1949, this guitar was built by Paul specifically to be photographed for one of his early catalogs. Because of that, collectors have long referred to it as “the catalog guitar.”

Even more special, the owner generously allowed me to take the instrument to my studio for a couple of hours so I could film this episode. Getting hands-on time with a guitar like this is a rare opportunity, and I’m excited to share it with you.

www.truetone.com

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Best known for his longtime work with Delbert McClinton, James Pennebaker has been one of the most tasteful and versatile guitarists in Nashville for decades. Starting his professional career at just 19 years old with McClinton, he went on to become a key part of the band on and off for more than forty years.

But Pennebaker is far more than just a sideman. He’s a true multi-instrumentalist—equally comfortable on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, mandolin, and more. Over the years he’s recorded and performed with artists like John Fogerty, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Lee Roy Parnell, and many others.
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The only Gibson model I’ve ever really connected with is the ES-335. While I’ve always gravitated toward Fender, the 335 is one Gibson that I think absolutely got right. Much like the Fender Telecaster, it’s simply a brilliant piece of guitar design.

The magic of the 335 is in how balanced the concept is. The semi-hollow body combined with the center block gives you the warmth and air of a hollowbody while still delivering the sustain, focus, and feedback resistance of a solidbody. The result is a guitar that can cover an incredible amount of musical ground. Blues, jazz, country, rock,  a great 335 seems to sit comfortably in all of those spaces.

In this video, I spend some time talking about what makes the ES-335 such a successful design and why it continues to be one of the most versatile electric guitars ever built. I’m using a vintage 1964 ES-335 as the reference point, a guitar from Gibson’s golden era that really shows the design at its best.

We also compare it to a more recent ’63 reissue built during the Gibson Memphis years to see how modern versions stack up against a true vintage example.

And because not everyone is shopping in the vintage market, we also talk about some of the more affordable ES-335-style options out there today that capture a lot of the same spirit and sound without the vintage price tag.
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In this episode, Joe Spann and I dive deep into the legacy of Don Rich and one of the most fascinating lost instruments in Fender history, his 1964 Gold Sparkle Fender Custom Telecaster.

Joe breaks down exactly how Fender created the Gold Sparkle finish using crushed mirror material, why it was so visually striking under stage lights, and how unusual the process was for the era. We also discuss the many Buck Owens hits Don Rich recorded while using this Telecaster, and how central it was to his tone, image, and the Bakersfield sound.

Finally, we explore the leading theories behind how the guitar disappeared, when it was last seen, why it was likely never recovered, and what makes it one of the great “what if” stories in vintage guitar history.

This is a deep-dive into Don Rich’s influence, Fender’s experimental finishes, and one legendary Telecaster that vanished without a trace.
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We went behind the scenes at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville for a tour of the 'Tele Vault' with legendary vintage archivist and researcher Joe Spann.

We aren't just looking at vintage guitars; we’re looking at the DNA of the Fender company. Joe walks us through the history and technical specs of some of the most significant instruments on the planet, including George Fullerton's personal 1949 prototype, a guitar that predates the Broadcaster and Telecaster as we know it.

The Lineup:

1949 Fender Prototype: George Fullerton’s personal guitar.

1951 Nocaster: The bridge between the Broadcaster and the Telecaster.

1963 Custom Esquire: A minimalist masterpiece in rare Custom trim.

1967 Custom Telecaster: Featuring a rare factory-installed Bigsby.

1967 Telecaster: A pristine late-60s classic.

Massive thanks to Joe Spann and the team at Gruhn Guitars for opening the vault for us.
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