Bob Casale

Bob Casale’s main guitar seems to have been a red Hagstrom PB-24-G which he played at Devo’s first performance (as Sextet Devo) at Kent State University in 1973 as well as the “Satisfaction” and “Come Back Jonee” videos in 1978. Occasionally played by Mark Mothersbaugh as well as on Saturday Night Live in 1978 (with his trademark pedals duct taped to it).

Anyone that has seen Devo live will know that the set has reached its climax when Bob 1 whips out “the stick” and spastically shreds all the strings off of his super-rare La Baye 2x4 in a fit of malfunctioning robot riffage. The solo for “Mr. DNA” is anything but common stock and calls for an axe as jarring as the tune. The elusive and coveted La Baye 2x4 was first manufactured in 1967. This minimalist design was the brainchild of a Green Bay, WI guitarist by the name of Dan Helland and no doubt influenced Ned Steinberger’s futuristic headless composite guitars that reared up a few years later. Essentially, the La Baye 2x4 is a plank of wood with a slim neck bolted on, four thumb-wheel tone and volume adjusters on the top, and a Bigsby-style vibrato unit that is highly expressive. With only 45 or so ever made, one should be prepared to pay a couple grand or more for the real deal. The good news is, those of us Devo-obsessos on a spudget can get a killer reissue from Eastwood Guitars to arm ourselves for future duty.

Of all the guitars in this feature, the G&L SC-2 is the one I have personal experience with. The SC-2 is all about lightweight, playability, tuning stability and the powerful springy brilliance of the Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickups. To me, this is Leo Fender’s sleeper guitar design. The SC-2 has DNA from the Mustang, Jaguar, Stratocaster and Telecaster, while retaining its own vibe, feel and sound all together. It is quite simply a stripped down, effortless player and a pure surfy Rock n’ Roll machine. From Devo’s New Traditionalists album onward, Bob 1 can be seen playing both stoptail and tremolo-equipped versions and I imagine that he favored the SC-2 for all the reasons I listed above—and also his affinity for Fender Musicmasters. Oh, and G&L reissued the SC-2 a few years back and they are still made in Fullerton California, dipped in tasty vintage-style finishes that make you want to pick them up and lick them like ice cream bars. Tasty.

From Devo’s New Traditionalists album onward, Bob 1 can be seen playing both stoptail and tremolo-equipped versions and I imagine that he favored the SC-2 for all the reasons I listed above—and also his affinity for Fender Musicmasters.

Similar to the G&L SC-2, the Ibanez Talman TC420 is a supremely attractive, playable, and toneful sleeper guitar, with a cult following of those in-the-know. The late Bob Casale’s main axe toward the end of his adventurous life was a slightly customized, green-bodied Talman TC420 with a red pickguard and a beautifully flamed maple neck and fretboard.

"But at the same time, Bob 1 [Bob Mothersbaugh] and Bob 2 [Bob Casale] were still using Performer and are kind of happy with it."