Jim Messina Telecaster NO PICKS

[Tony Prior]

here ya go, the article from Feb 1977. Jim Messina on the cover , Normally NO picks. I hate it when I am right !

[Pete Finney]

I hate it when I am right !

Well, okay...

But here's exactly what I said that started this off:

some of us think that Jim Messina used a thumbpick and fingerpicks with a Telecaster on many of his Poco (and Loggins and Messina) recordings

VERY specifically about a particular time period, late 60's and early 70's, and that's ALL I was talking about; certain records, I don't think I could have been much clearer.

And now we have Messina in 1977 say that:

"I used to use steel fingerpicks"

Combine that with the interview with Paul Cotten where Cotton specifically says that Messina used fingerpicks with Poco and since Cotten traveled with Poco specifically to study his style and licks to replace him in the band I have to think that he was paying close attention!. That suggests to me that I am probably right (since I never said "he used fingerpicks, period"). Though unless we hear it from the Messina himself I'll refrain from saying "I know for sure"...

But I'm glad you found the interview, it does add some info to an interesting discussion, though at this point it's starting to seem too trivial to bother splitting hairs over (and I started the damn thing, just out of musical curiousity).

[Tony Prior]

all in fun nothing more..

I don't know about a time frame for JM , but I can tell you this, it took years for me to work out the kinks of playing with NO picks, it didn't happen overnight.

The article covers Buffalo Springfield thru Loggins and Messina, it isn't an article referring to '77. 1977 just happens to be the date of his GC Cover article. JM is talking amps, Guitars and styles of playing for the entire time,(BS thru L+M) his history so to speak. The interview is referring to those days, JM is talking about those days. There is a very clear photo of a young JM playing acoustic with no flat or finger picks but does not give a caption time frame but does look to be L+M time frame. Other photo's are of JM playing a Strat but not close up.

Very interesting read for sure.

tp

[Pete Finney]

all in fun nothing more

For sure... and I still hope Messina answers your email!

[Tony Prior]

I'm waiting by the PC....

here's a nice pix..

[Mark Eaton]

No disrespect toward Kenny Loggins, but the reason I bought all those albums and got to see them play one time live (Winterland in San Francisco) was mostly because of Jimmy Messina.

I have one of the CD's that was put out that is a tribute to Taylor Guitars, I think it is called "Sounds of Wood and Steel" or something along those lines, all acoustic of course, and Jimmy has a piece on there called "The Islands," a Hawaiian sounding number. It is really beautiful.

[Tony Prior]

Mark, yes thats a pretty cool album and I would agree that although I like Kenny Loggins my attraction to that band was JM.

JM was and is a very unique player, a primary influence
for me.

[Pete Burak]

'Love the live version of Angry Eyes!
Great guitar tone!
~pb

[Tony Prior]

For sure Pete, thats exactly why we are talking about JM !

[Stephen Gambrell]

Lest we forget, Jimmy was a studio pro for years, and a large part of his sound came from tube compressors he'd robbed!
And Pete, to me, that live cut of "Angry Eyes" DEFINES Telecaster tone.

[David L. Donald]

Our own Earnest Bovine toured with the band back in those days.
His main comment, that I remember was, Jim is LOUD.
He don't sound it with his tone, but he is.
Got noise warnings at the Hollywood Bowl I believe.

I also always loved their sound, I got a triple cd re-release last year and still love it.

[Tony Prior]

In the GP article JM says that with BS,( Bass) he payed thru a SUN Head and 2 / 2x15 bottoms. Thats was the largest gear he could get.

With Poco he played his Telecaster thru a TWIN with a Showman Bottom. At the very large shows he has a special setup which had the Twin preamp feeding a Cerwin Vega system.

Keeping within the timeline of this article, JM is specifically talking about the BS, POCO and early L+M days. All of the questions are based on those days.

[Larry Miller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzpNMKMK ... re=related

[Jim Cohen]

Whoa, Larry! That's what JM looks like now?? Impossible! He must be hangin' out with Mike Nesmith or something...

[Larry Miller]

Butch Patrick maybe

[Tony Prior]

and you can see clearly in the U Tube thing that JM is wearing a Thumb Pick ! I wish he would make up his mind ! But thats a Strat, we're talking Tele here

[David L. Donald]

With L&M I always remember him with a strat.

[Pete Finney]

Just to further confuse things...

There are two photos of Messina on the inside cover of the last Loggins and Messina album, "Finale", which is made up of live recordings from 75-76. In one of them it's hard to tell the exact guitar, but it looks like a Gibson headstock, definitely not a Strat or Tele. And Messina is clearly, unmistakably using... a flat pick! There's another photo with a Tele and while the actual pick isn't so obvious he's sure holding his hand as if he were using a pick...

JM is specifically talking about the BS, POCO and early L+M days. All of the questions are based on those days.

Yep... and one of the answers is "I used to use steel fingerpicks"; I still don't get that that is somehow proof that I'm wrong in saying he might have used them in his Poco days 6 or 7 years earlier. It sure leaves the question open at the very least, IMHO...