: ZZ Top - “Tres Hombres.”
This 1973 release defined ZZ Top as a band … and introduced the world to Billy Gibbon’s Texas-fueled brand of guitar boogie. Snarling and gritty, Gibbons lets loose on the driving rocker “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers,” while tipping his 10-gallon hat to pioneering guitarists like John Lee Hooker with the earthy blues of “La Grange.”
“Tres Hombres” remains a watershed musical moment: Texas blues got cattle prodded with Gibbons’ searing approach to guitar playing. But Billy was well-equipped to pull it off. Four years earlier, when Jimi Hendrix appeared on “The Dick Cavett Show,” he cited Gibbons as his favorite guitarist. High praise, indeed.
Tracks
: Gator Top Steelcaster - James Trussart.
James Trussart makes hollow body guitars of steel. He then textures the finish to create something that is unlike anything most guitarists have ever seen. Trussart’s instruments run from being chrome-like and reflective to rusty and weathered. For his Rust-O-Matic technique, he exposes the guitar body to nasty weather for weeks before finishing it. Additional patterns, like the alligator skin shown here, are then engraved or imprinted into the body and headstock of the guitar. He adds wood necks and custom-designed Arcane pickups to complete the instrument.
Trussart is gaining fans among notable players for the sustain and tone offered by the unusual construction; Z.Z. Top’s Billy Gibbons came up with the name “Rust-O-Matic.” You can view more Trussart guitars at http://www.jamestrussart.com/Steelcaster.htm
James Trussart makes hollow body guitars of steel. He then textures the finish to create something that is unlike anything most guitarists have ever seen. Trussart’s instruments run from being chrome-like and reflective to rusty and weathered. For his Rust-O-Matic technique, he exposes the guitar body to nasty weather for weeks before finishing it. Additional patterns, like the alligator skin shown here, are then engraved or imprinted into the body and headstock of the guitar. He adds wood necks and custom-designed Arcane pickups to complete the instrument.
Trussart is gaining fans among notable players for the sustain and tone offered by the unusual construction; Z.Z. Top’s Billy Gibbons came up with the name “Rust-O-Matic.” You can view more Trussart guitars at http://www.jamestrussart.com/Steelcaster.htm
: ZZ Top - “Prom Photo”.
.
This picture shows a very young Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard in a photo for a Texas prom roundabout 1970 or 1971. Allegedly, the unbearded Billy is holding his “Pearly Gates” 1959 Les Paul (Gibson’s replicas of Pearly Gates sold for $25k). This is the earliest known picture of the band in its current lineup, and one of the last of Reverend Billy without a beard and sunglasses.
