This is it here:
and more pics can be seen here.
So I contacted him and we sealed the deal. He lives about 4 hours from here and he was kind enough to deliver the guitar.
It's a beautiful guitar and it plays great. Phil had added the 3rd neck himself, and he did a real nice job of it. He had also modified the case to accomodate the additional neck.
Unfortunately, the reason he was selling it was because he had developed Parkinsons and was having increasing difficulty controlling the bar. So he decided to get out, clearly not a happy decision for him.
It was impossible to feel elated about acquiring the guitar, and I didn't even post pics on the forum and all the usual stuff. I told Phil that I would never sell the guitar but if he wanted it back I would sell it to him. He replied that he was glad I wouldn't sell it but that he wouldn't be wanting it back. I remember having a funny feeling when he said that, an inkling you might say.
Shortly after that Phil sent me some cassettes of him playing at HSGA Festivals to make into a CD. That's when I really got to hear him, and he is a beautiful player. It was very emotional to listen to him and to think that he couldn't play any more.
Although we didn't discuss it beforehand, I left in his spoken introductions to the songs. I thought they provided some good insight into the song, and you could hear the very appreciative audience and get a feel for the vibe in the room. After I sent him the CDs he mentioned to me that he would rather the introductions had been left off.
Then a few weeks later I saw a post on the HSGA forum by Gerald Ross. Phil had sent him one of the CDs so his songs could be posted on the HSGA site, and he had asked Gerald to remove the introductions. Gerald made an executive decision and declined to do it, for essentially the same reasons. Phil couldn't get anyone to cut his intros . .
I'm not exactly sure why I found that funny.
Then a few months later just before the holidaze I received an email from Phil. He had been taking some new medication and had regained 89% control of his left hand. He asked if I still had the guitar and if I would still be willing to sell it back to him.
So today Phil and forum member Don Fullmer came to pick up the guitar. We had a real nice visit.
l2r - Phil Bender, Don Fullmer, Rick Alexander
Phil got reacquainted with his baby:
Then we put the headphones on him and told him we were going to record a song:
We decided to record Song Of The Island with the backup track from TUFF FUN TAB. Phil opted to use his C6/A7 neck and did a very nice version of it.
Listen to SONG OF THE ISLAND by Phil Bender with Yours Truly on Guitars, Ukulele and Bass.
Afterward Don brought in his 12 string (with 10 strings on it) Sierra and played a few songs. I wished we hadn't run out of time because I would have liked to record his playing as well. The man has a fine touch, no doubt about it.
Both of these guys are beautiful players and it was a very enjoyable couple of hours in the studio. It was great to see Phil in his much improved condition and in such good spirits. He has some gigs lined up and he's on his way.
I never figured I'd be happy about letting a nice guitar go. But this has made me feel very joyful, there's no better word for it - and Phil says he feels 100 times as joyful.
RA
BIG STEEL
