Danny Gatton

Danny Gatton famously played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, which he customized with Joe Barden pickups and Fender Super 250L strings (Nickel Plated Steel, .010 to .046 with a .015 for the G). Fender has since replicated this iconic instrument. Additionally, Gatton occasionally utilized a beer bottle or mug for slide techniques.

For amps, the liner notes for 88 Elmira St. cite a slew of tweed and blackface Fender beauties, including a ’63 Vibrolux and Super Reverb, a ’58 Twin, ’64 Deluxe, and a ’58 Bassman, many of which had been beefed up with bigger transformers.

For amps, the liner notes for 88 Elmira St. cite a slew of tweed and blackface Fender beauties, including a ’63 Vibrolux and Super Reverb, a ’58 Twin, ’64 Deluxe, and a ’58 Bassman, many of which had been beefed up with bigger transformers.

For amps, the liner notes for 88 Elmira St. cite a slew of tweed and blackface Fender beauties, including a ’63 Vibrolux and Super Reverb, a ’58 Twin, ’64 Deluxe, and a ’58 Bassman, many of which had been beefed up with bigger transformers.

Telemaster was released three years later, while 1994’s Strictly Rhythm Guitar saw him demonstrating the art of backup with a Gibson J-200 and a black and white pearloid Telecaster. One trick he kept to himself was his habit of using a beer bottle to play slide: “Heineken for preference, but any brand will do…”

Gatton’s legendary “Magic Dingus” box, which can be heard on Redneck Jazz, was a remote switching mechanism mounted on a steel plate affixed to the face of his guitar—first a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom, then his ’53 Tele—and was used to control a Maestro Echoplex and a Leslie rotating speaker.

Gatton, whose love for cars ran parallel to his music, was a tinkerer who was fascinated by how things worked. Just as he’d often be found with his head under a car bonnet, he would hot-rod his guitars, starting with a 1956 Gibson ES-350 purchased for him by his father for $375 (Danny Senior was not amused). He chose the utilitarian Tele as his adult workhorse because it came with no preconceptions. A Les Paul? “Too many volume knobs, too many tone knobs, too much crap – plus you can’t bend the strings behind the nut,” Gatton opined. The Strat? “No – the middle pickup gets in the way.”

For amps, the liner notes for 88 Elmira St. cite a slew of tweed and blackface Fender beauties, including a ’63 Vibrolux and Super Reverb, a ’58 Twin, ’64 Deluxe, and a ’58 Bassman, many of which had been beefed up with bigger transformers.

Danny traded a ‘51 Martin D-18 for his ‘54 ES 295 at the Nashville Pickin Parlor in 1980. The 295 was subsequently used to record Cherokee, Homage To Charlie Christian, Elmira St Boogie, The Simpsons, Cruisin’, 20 Flight Rock, Good Rockin Tonight, Heart Like A Rock, and several other tunes.

In this video, Danny Gatton is seen with his signature Telecaster from Fender. He says:

It's been about a year and a half I guess since I was talking to Fender guitar company about doing a Danny Gatton model '53 Telecaster and this is the prototype. And it's exactly the same as my original '53 Telecaster. It's got the zirconium position markers so that you can see them when there's no overhead lighting. It's got a curly maple neck, the other one didn’t. The special bridge that enhances the sound somewhat. Bigger knobs with a very coarse knurl to them and Joe Barden pickups, which are the finest in the world. It's probably the best guitar I think I've ever had, honest. I wouldn't say that just to sell them.

According to the JBE Pickups website, Danny Gatton uses the JBE Pickups Gatton T-Style Pickups.

The documentary "The Humbler," which is an authoritative source on Danny Gatton, details a replica guitar donated by luthier Carson Hess and specifies that it includes a vintage Fender 358 Heavy, White guitar pick, noting, "Just like Danny used!"