In October of 1999, we were doing an in-store at Tower Records in Nashville.
I remember thinking to myself, “Cool, well that’ll make three people…”
I was going through a really heavy Beatles faze at the time and had been eyeing the Epiphone Casino that Lennon seemed to be playing in every picture.
“Hmmm….” I thought to myself, “I wonder…”
Anyway, Derek had an Epiphone 5 string acoustic bass guitar that he played for acoustic shows, radio shows and in-store appearances.
As I was introducing the band, I said, “And on the bass guitar tonight, playing a 5 string Epiphone bass guitar and if I may say so, a fine fine musical instrument if ever I saw one, the one, the only, the incomparable… Derek Mazurek!”
(golf clap)
After our set, I was standing outside having a cigarette and wondering what good that could have possibly done for our career, when this lady walks up to me.
She said, “Hi, I’m Cara Hogan from Epiphone, here’s my card call me Monday and I’ll send you a catalog to pick out some guitars.”
I called her Monday.
She sent a catalog.
A week later, sitting on my doorstep at our house on Acklen in Nashville was a big box with “Epiphone” written on the side.
The only thing stopping my grin was my ears.
There was a shinny new Epiphone Casino just like Lennon used to play.
All I needed was a Vox amp and I’d be good to go.
It’s been a great guitar.
It has aged gracefully.
In fact, it shows almost no wear at all, which is odd for the way the rest of my guitars look.
I can’t explain it.
I wrote “Sensitive Guy” on that guitar and with the exception of “Dreamer” (in which I played a Rickenbacker) all of my electric guitar parts on “Fools For The Radio” were on this baby.
