The Groundhogs – No Surrender - Razors Edge Tour 1985

Two were used in the 1980s. The first, a red Mustang with Vibrato, is visible in this 1985 video of McPhee playing "Groundhog Blues" at the Pennyfarthing in Oxford; it is likely the same Mustang listed among McPhee's gear on the back cover of Razor's Edge. The second, a black Mustang with Vibrato, appears in this July 19, 1987 photograph from a show at The Mardi Gras, Nottingham (which was posted to The Groundhogs' official Facebook page on May 18, 2015) and in this 1988 video of McPhee performing at Rock City.

Razor's Edge back cover

Fender Mustang

Facebook, The Groundhogs, May 18, 2015

OK last one for tonight, Tony McPhee from 19/7/1987 at The Mardi Gras, Nottingham, in the days when he used to take his Zemaitis round as a spare....!

McPhee also mentions a Mustang in his review of the ARP Avatar, which appeared on page 31 of the May 1978 issue of Beat Instrumental. He describes how it was the subject of a prototype pitch-to-voltage converter for guitar.

In the end I took an old Fender Mustang along to PA:CE, who make MM mixers, and together with Dick Parmee, their designer, tried to figure out how to make a fretboard function as a supplier of voltages. Basically we had to cut a groove along the neck and insert resistors, one for each fret, and solder them to the frets. A voltage was then connected to each end of the string of resistors, and when a string touched a fret, a corresponding voltage was taken from the end of the string via a special bridge.

The gate and trigger voltages were derived from the pick up via an envelope-follower circuit.

Well, it worked to a point, but then both Dick and myself started getting into other things, and it was shelved. At the same time, other companies were trying to solve the same problems and came up with various solutions, all with certain snags.

Listed on the back cover of Back Against the Wall among McPhee's equipment and shown up close in Live At Anti WAA Festival 1989 at 12:55.

Ibanez Analogue Delay.

Listed on the back cover of Back Against the Wall among McPhee's equipment and shown up close in Live At Anti WAA Festival 1989 at 12:54.

Cry Baby Wah Wah

Listed among Fish's equipment on the back cover of Razor's Edge.

ALAN FISH - Bass (Fender Precision Bass, Orange 200 Watt Amp and Cab)

Listed among Kirton's equipment on the back cover of Razor's Edge and identified in a photo shared by The Groundhogs bandmate Tony McPhee in this January 23, 2016 Facebook post.

Razor's Edge back cover

MICK KIRTON - Drums (Staccato Drums and Paiste Cymbals)

Facebook, Tony McPhee, January 23, 2016

Mick Kirton, Alan Fish & me with Staccato kit, we used to say the bass drums were Mama Cass's pants

Facebook, Tony McPhee, comment on January 23, 2016 post

Mick made boxes for them, they were HUGE, didn't last long!