E-minor7 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Seems like Donovan has found another cherry J-45 Seems Donovan has found another cherry J-45 after all these years, , , , 40 to be more precise. The original, bought in 1965, got stolen from a backstage zone in '72. Look at the saddle – ceramic ! , , , ,or is it tusq. No matter what, the guitar sounds pretty amazing, if you ask me. Hits the vintage D-acoustic flavor or comes close. ................................................... ................................................... Here's a few links where he entertains on a radio station in Austin Texas or somewhere like that. I'm not overwhelmingly wild about this particular performance, but the Gibson does it for me - especially in Mellow Yellow. Mellow Yellow - My link Lanena - My link Colours - My link Sunshine Superman - My link Cross fingers I didn't mix up - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Looks like it might be about a '68 to me, with that rosette detail and the narrow-nut neck. That's pretty much the same 'burst that my old J-45 had when she came back from Gibson after being re-topped in 1968. Not sure if the ceramic saddle is original, as most were rosewood at that time. Are those his real right-hand nails, or are those some kind of extensions/overlays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 . That 45 sounds great. Good stuff. And congrats to Donovan Leitch on his RHoF induction. Check out his Zemaitis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qenu-zJZ6fE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Seems Donovan has found another cherry J-45 after all these years, , , , 40 to be more precise. The original, bought in 1965, got stolen from a backstage zone in '72. Look at the saddle – ceramic ! , , , ,or is it tusq. No matter what, the guitar sounds pretty amazing, if you ask me. Hits the vintage D-acoustic flavor or comes close. .............................................. Here's a few links where he entertains on a radio station in Austin Texas or somewhere like that. I'm not overwhelmingly wild about this particular performance, but the Gibson does it for me - especially in Mellow Yellow. I really enjoyed performer and guitar! Great little live radio performance....from a man that still cares enough to practice guitar daily by the sounds of it. He certainly has a nice set of right hand claws. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 . That 45 sounds great. Good stuff. And congrats to Donovan Leitch on his RHoF induction. Check out his Zemaitis - The Zemaitis has always been interesting. For a while I thought it was made from metal or had some metal components to it. This clip tells it was a fantasy of mine. But does the fast guy say 1978 for year of birth. . . . Sounds a bit like it. Anyway, the guitar is from 1972 and was first introduced that same year or should we say 1973 where it was seen on the cover of the Cosmic Wheels album (and heard of course). Did that record have any life in the US ? Btw. the Z was refurbished or brought to life by some luthier not so long ago. It's in the Sunshine Superman DVD, which gives Mr. Leitch the big treat from A to, , , , , well Z. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 The ol' boy can still rock n' roll very well! I enjoyed that a lot.......thanks for the post! The 45 sounds excellent on Colours.......strong bass with good balance.......excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abners Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 The ol' boy can still rock n' roll very well! I enjoyed that a lot.......thanks for the post! The 45 sounds excellent on Colours.......strong bass with good balance.......excellent! Looks like it might be about a '68 to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-45Girl Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 The Zemaitis has always been interesting. For a while I thought it was made from metal or had some metal components to it. in the mid 80's a friend and I opened up for him in a small venue. We were sitting backstage and Donovan came up to me and handed me that guitar, then went onstage playing another one. The whole time I was thinking, "I could run away with this, he doesn't have a clue who I am!" Of course I didn't, but I was surprised at his lax attitude about the guitar. It was a very cool thing to hold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I really like the J-45 in the cherry sunburst finish. Very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmonsh Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 i seen him play before yes back in the 70,s. he was amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 While I ain't a fan of cherry finishes on Gibsons, despite "Atlantis" I recall Donovan with great fondness. First time I saw him was on Shindig in 1965. Never saw him live though. Glad he made it into the R&RHOF. Anybody recall the running joke about Donovan being the "New Dylan" in Dylan's Don't Look Back documentary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 Hello J-45Girl, never knew you were around. I love stories as yours. Small stripes of memory-footage that zooms in and makes micro of macro. Like some years back when I via a friend had the opportunity to ask what Steeleye Span actually meant when they sang : All around my hat I will wear a green willow. (Did that song ever have a life in US). My question to you is (and this is a brick I been waiting to turn for ages) : Do you remember the exact nuance of the Zeimaitis - dark blue, purple, something third ??? Zomb - I recall Donovan as rather humble in the hotel-room-clip. A sympathetic guy he seemed to be. In that context anyway. . . . Now don't get me wrong – a huge Bob fan here. Still Don managed to cover ground Dylan for different reasons never reached. Both in lyrics and music. And all fine, , , Stones/Beatles – Gibson/Martin – Laurel and Hardy/Chaplin – Laurel/Hardy, , , you won't see me choose. As said before, I prefer double for half. Takes 2 sides to make a coin. Ohhh J-45Girl, , , , must have been some nite back then - or maybe just another day at the office for you. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-45Girl Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 E-minor7, it was a big night for us. We had been playing in bars and coffee houses until then. This was before he made a comeback, there were probably 50 people in the audience. Donovan was one of my early heros so it was fantastic for me. As for the colour of the guitar....it looked to me to be silvery grey with a dark purple/blueish tinge. It was such an honour to have it in my hands, I didn't try to play it at all, I just looked at it in awe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 A fine firsthand account - silvery grey with a dark purple/blueish tinge – yeah that's the neighborhood we're in and I guess the mystery to some degree remains. It's the way it should be. I saw the Z live at a bigger concert as big kid in 1974 - in colored spots and from a row behind in the hall. That moon was something else, , , and then there was the 12-string with a ☼ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 in the mid 80's a friend and I opened up for him in a small venue. We were sitting backstage and Donovan came up to me and handed me that guitar, then went onstage playing another one. The whole time I was thinking, "I could run away with this, he doesn't have a clue who I am!" Of course I didn't, but I was surprised at his lax attitude about the guitar. It was a very cool thing to hold. .... .... it was a big night for us. We had been playing in bars and coffee houses until then. This was before he made a comeback, there were probably 50 people in the audience. Donovan was one of my early heros so it was fantastic for me. As for the colour of the guitar....it looked to me to be silvery grey with a dark purple/blueish tinge. It was such an honour to have it in my hands, I didn't try to play it at all, I just looked at it in awe. I enjoyed your cool story. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Where are the stars?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Where are the stars?????? Man oh man, that was a different time! Were any of us ever that young? That was only a year or so after my J-45 acquired its "psychedelic" fretboard inlays. Despite everything were were into back then, there was a startling naivete and innocence to it all..... Donovan today looks like he still has quite a bit of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 Thanks for that E-minor 7... he is sounding and looking real cool. Love the humor in Mellow Yellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodmeister Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Donovan and James Tayor were the two biggest influences in my choosing the J-45 as my guitar. They both used the slight thuddy bass of the J-45 to good effect. To me the sound they both produced epitomizes the folk sound of that era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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