The Forgotten GUITARS DRUMS AMPS

Without the tools of the trade the Twangers, bangers and magic music boxes there would be no Liverpool Beat.

THE FORGOTTEN Part 1

It is one of those things that has been overlooked by the scribes that have covered the Liverpool sound on its fifty plus years, yes, maybe a cursory glance but no acknowledgement that without these instruments there would be no Liverpool sound and no beat. Our aim here at LB is to provide The Forgotten "Twangers and Bangers" a platform of the gear used by the Liverpool groups and bands and how they used that equipment to make their sound.

Most people know that the main driver of the group is the guitar an instrument that dates back to the fifteen century. But how did it come to the Pool and became the bedrock? The Port of Liverpool was the main gateway to the North Atlantic and home to many sailors who sailed to the   States on the cargo and cruise ships of the day. To us mere mortals, back in the Pool, the goods that the Jack Tars could bring back from the mystical world of America was the stuff of dreams. Yankee comics, bubble gum, nylon stockings, coffee, banjos, Rockin Roll records and Guitars The States were always ahead of the world and so it was with their music. At that time, about fifty years back, it used to take six weeks on the fast ships to sail the Atlantic and a couple of months for the slower cargo boats giving plenty of time for the Jacks to learn the three chords they had picked up in the Jazz, Blues and Rockin Roll bars in the States. When back home the dads would show the lads and that is how I learnt. One Saturday morning myself and five mates went to Tommy Houghton’s house in Verdi Street Seaforth (More about the Famous Street later Ickle B) and Tommy's dad showed us the magic chords E - A - B7th . This happened all over the city, not Tom's dad silly, other Dads and virtually every lad and ,two girls, as far as I know ,could play Any song you like provided it was in the key of E

Ickle B

Verdi was a famous composer from the 18th century. There was a group (how apt) of Streets in the village of Seaforth Liverpool named after famous composers Verdi, Schubert, Granville etc. In Verdi Street lived Bobby Thompson who went on to fame and fortune with The Rocking Berries, via Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. I myself Ickle B and Bassman lived there also the founder of the Dominoes, Sam Hardy was our postman 

Early into the LB the gear that was available was very basic. Acoustic Spanish guitars and Cello Jazz Guitars. The Bass guitar wasn’t invented until the daddy of them all, Leo Fender invented one in 1951. A tea chest with a broom handle and a piece of string provided the bass for the newly formed   groups   and the music played was a mixture of Skiffle and Rock and Roll. It was played acoustically at first, but as it grew, amps came on the scene along with drums. Towards the end of the fifties a pattern was emerging for the line up and music of the groups, gone was the Skiffle and Blues, Rock n Roll was king. The standard line up was lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums. There was the odd exception when a piano or saxophone or even a brass section may be added.

Once again our friends across the pond lead the way with the music and instruments and we copied what the Yanks did   Learnt their songs and their music but with one big difference which moulded the catalyst that was later to become the Liverpool sound. We did not have American guitars amps and drums, we had European copies    

My first group, the Blackhawks ,had a great line up. Lead guitar and singer had Guyatone solid electric guitars the bass was a solid Dallas I played a Framus Cello guitar with sliding Hofner Pickups. Drums were a simple Premier set and for amplifiers a 20watt Selmer Truevoice amp and a home made Selmer copy. Bernie our then bass player was a bit of a wiz with electrics and used a Liner Hi-Fi amp and speaker from a record player and put it in a look a like cabinet. This idea was copied by lots of others, including me. Everyone was learning and every group watched what the others did ; how they played a number; what chords they used; how they dressed and what gear they used.

Another group that had a similar line up was Rory Storm and the Hurricanes but they had two Selmer amps a Guyatone and Hofner Club 60 guitars. The Bass was a Framus, one of my all time favourites, to me that is sound of Rockin Roll and I better not forget Ritchie on drums. Ok... ok Ringo for those not old enough to know him before he became famous  He was playing a small set of Ajax drums a look a like set similar to his famous Ludwig Black Pearl Oyster he later used in the Beatles. But the monster I wanted to tell you about was the bass amp. If you look carefully at the picture you will notice a box, well, you won’t have to look that carefully it is massive That is just the speaker cabinet for the bass amp Again it was powered by a 30watt Liner Hi Fi amp and two 15” Goodman speakers, it became the norm for a lot of groups in Liverpool. There were, however, a few problems to go with it, like, how do you take it on a bus? But even worse you find you have no mates around when you are playing the Cavern and have to lug it down all those steps and worse of all lug it back up again.

Part 2 Pickups