Post by Mustang Bass on May 30, 2017 23:09:26 GMT
I was watching this vid on Youtube when I just chanced to see a comment left by NCT. It's quite a story if true.
The comment in full is :
3:00 Rick says he paid "Eighty quid" for this guitar. Wrong. In fact, Rick - or should I say Rob Young - paid £130 for this guitar. I was a 17 year old salesperson, working in MacCormack's Music Ltd, Bath St, Glasgow - c. 1975-76 - during the time the Quo were doing a UK tour. If memory serves, Rick's guitar was stolen just prior to the Glasgow gig and they (Rick & Rob Young) hurriedly made their way into MacCormack's (premier music store at the time) to buy a replacement - especially as they were in Glasgow's Apollo that night. This Tele - a used guitar - was hanging on the wall, Rick tried it, liked it, and asked if it could be re-strung with a new set of 'heavier' strings and brought to the Apollo that evening. I, personally, strung the guitar - probably Tens or even Elevens, I honestly don't remember the gauge but I do remember thinking they were like 'tow-ropes' - and the guitar was delivered to Rick at the Apollo by Donnie MacLeod, a senior salesman (Donnie would be about 26 at that time). I was instructed by my boss, Neil MacCormack, to go to the Albany Hotel in Bothwell St Glasgow, that evening and get the payment for the guitar. I'm presuming that payment wasn't made earlier in the day in case Rick didn't like the guitar at the gig. However, Rick said at the time - straight after the gig - that it was the best guitar he'd ever played. You know when I started to watch this video, I couldn't possibly be sure if this was the same guitar, but when he mentions that he bought it in Glasgow then I felt it could ONLY be that Tele. Anyway, back to the story; I had a good friend at the time (since lost touch), 'Davie Knox', who was Quo-daft. I called him and said; "I've to go up to the Albany Hotel after the Quo gig and get squared-up for a guitar that Rick Parfitt bought in the store today - wanna come with me?".. he bit my hand off down the phone. I wasn't at the show that night, but went the following night - back in the day when Quo would sell-out 3 x gigs in 3 x nights in Glasgow. But after that particular gig, myself and Davie made our way, by bus, to the Albany Hotel. There was already a large crowd gathered outside the entrance, being held back by hotel staff, security etc. We were waited there when a large black limo pulled up and the band stepped out, jauntily, after a great gig. Seeing me and recognising me from the music shop, Rick whistled and did a 'C'mon' motion with his arm, signalling to the stewards that we were 'special' and were to be permitted past the 'riff-raff' (haha). Chuffed-to-bits. Anyway, we sat with Rick, Francis Rossi and Rob Young, had a beer and a chat and Rob handed-over the £130 for the Tele. We must've been sat there for all of ten minutes but the experience has stayed with me all these years. I was brought here cos I noticed it's Francis Rossi's b'day today (29th May) and one link led to another link and led to another. Rick will be 67 this year, I'll be 59 which means in 75-76 Rick was just a young lad of around 26, but, as I was only around 16 or 17, I thought he was 'an older man' ha. Me? I was a mad Deep Purple/Richie Blackmore nut. I saw them in the Apollo around the same time and when I came into work the following morning I made sure I put a £5 deposit on the beautiful, used, Olympic White 1969 Stratocaster that was hanging on the wall priced at £150 (Strats were dearer than Teles, nothing changes). I still gig that '69 Strat to this day - hey, Rick, maybe I've even had my Strat longer than you've had that Tele? Anyway, like I said, the dude paid £130 for this Tele, not £80 like he states in the vid. By the way, Rick, I've still got deep ruts in my fingers from trying-out those tow-rope gauge strings that day... Incidentally, I have a memory like an elephant and I can tell you categorically that when Rick bought this guitar in 1976 it was immaculate - as new - I don't know wtf you've been doing with this guitar over the years, mate, but it's in a helluva state... Take it easy, man.
I checked my dates again (memory fades with time...) and I worked in Macs store between Nov 1973 and Dec 1974. It's funny to see I worked there for only around 1 year, it felt like much longer at the time. It was also during that time I performed my first live gig with my first band, and as I've said to many people since, when you do your first gig you don't really want to work in any other business. I've known, and still know, brilliant and very smart individuals who could've been a great success - wealthy, comfortable - in any other profession had they not been lured by the music business. We don't think that when we start out. Don’t put your daughter (or son) on the stage, Mrs. Worthington..
The comment in full is :
3:00 Rick says he paid "Eighty quid" for this guitar. Wrong. In fact, Rick - or should I say Rob Young - paid £130 for this guitar. I was a 17 year old salesperson, working in MacCormack's Music Ltd, Bath St, Glasgow - c. 1975-76 - during the time the Quo were doing a UK tour. If memory serves, Rick's guitar was stolen just prior to the Glasgow gig and they (Rick & Rob Young) hurriedly made their way into MacCormack's (premier music store at the time) to buy a replacement - especially as they were in Glasgow's Apollo that night. This Tele - a used guitar - was hanging on the wall, Rick tried it, liked it, and asked if it could be re-strung with a new set of 'heavier' strings and brought to the Apollo that evening. I, personally, strung the guitar - probably Tens or even Elevens, I honestly don't remember the gauge but I do remember thinking they were like 'tow-ropes' - and the guitar was delivered to Rick at the Apollo by Donnie MacLeod, a senior salesman (Donnie would be about 26 at that time). I was instructed by my boss, Neil MacCormack, to go to the Albany Hotel in Bothwell St Glasgow, that evening and get the payment for the guitar. I'm presuming that payment wasn't made earlier in the day in case Rick didn't like the guitar at the gig. However, Rick said at the time - straight after the gig - that it was the best guitar he'd ever played. You know when I started to watch this video, I couldn't possibly be sure if this was the same guitar, but when he mentions that he bought it in Glasgow then I felt it could ONLY be that Tele. Anyway, back to the story; I had a good friend at the time (since lost touch), 'Davie Knox', who was Quo-daft. I called him and said; "I've to go up to the Albany Hotel after the Quo gig and get squared-up for a guitar that Rick Parfitt bought in the store today - wanna come with me?".. he bit my hand off down the phone. I wasn't at the show that night, but went the following night - back in the day when Quo would sell-out 3 x gigs in 3 x nights in Glasgow. But after that particular gig, myself and Davie made our way, by bus, to the Albany Hotel. There was already a large crowd gathered outside the entrance, being held back by hotel staff, security etc. We were waited there when a large black limo pulled up and the band stepped out, jauntily, after a great gig. Seeing me and recognising me from the music shop, Rick whistled and did a 'C'mon' motion with his arm, signalling to the stewards that we were 'special' and were to be permitted past the 'riff-raff' (haha). Chuffed-to-bits. Anyway, we sat with Rick, Francis Rossi and Rob Young, had a beer and a chat and Rob handed-over the £130 for the Tele. We must've been sat there for all of ten minutes but the experience has stayed with me all these years. I was brought here cos I noticed it's Francis Rossi's b'day today (29th May) and one link led to another link and led to another. Rick will be 67 this year, I'll be 59 which means in 75-76 Rick was just a young lad of around 26, but, as I was only around 16 or 17, I thought he was 'an older man' ha. Me? I was a mad Deep Purple/Richie Blackmore nut. I saw them in the Apollo around the same time and when I came into work the following morning I made sure I put a £5 deposit on the beautiful, used, Olympic White 1969 Stratocaster that was hanging on the wall priced at £150 (Strats were dearer than Teles, nothing changes). I still gig that '69 Strat to this day - hey, Rick, maybe I've even had my Strat longer than you've had that Tele? Anyway, like I said, the dude paid £130 for this Tele, not £80 like he states in the vid. By the way, Rick, I've still got deep ruts in my fingers from trying-out those tow-rope gauge strings that day... Incidentally, I have a memory like an elephant and I can tell you categorically that when Rick bought this guitar in 1976 it was immaculate - as new - I don't know wtf you've been doing with this guitar over the years, mate, but it's in a helluva state... Take it easy, man.
I checked my dates again (memory fades with time...) and I worked in Macs store between Nov 1973 and Dec 1974. It's funny to see I worked there for only around 1 year, it felt like much longer at the time. It was also during that time I performed my first live gig with my first band, and as I've said to many people since, when you do your first gig you don't really want to work in any other business. I've known, and still know, brilliant and very smart individuals who could've been a great success - wealthy, comfortable - in any other profession had they not been lured by the music business. We don't think that when we start out. Don’t put your daughter (or son) on the stage, Mrs. Worthington..
