The Church - Under the Milky Way

Vintage, Modern, V & C Series, Signature & Special Editions

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kkm
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The Church - Under the Milky Way

Post by kkm »

I just say this video on vh1 classic. i havent seen the vid in a long time.

I just noticed that the acoustic looks a lot like a Rick but the headstock doesnt have the white trussrod cover. Is that a Rick?
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longhouse
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Post by longhouse »

It's a vintage Jazzbo style Ric which John Hall loaned them for the shoot. Marty has a long history with RIC (Peter has a nice 330/12 too).
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ealdrett
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Post by ealdrett »

Mike,

Here is a thread from the Church list from many years ago:

I've been a great fan of Rickenbacker guitars ever since R.E.M. and the Church and the Smiths and there's this one guitar that I've always wanted to get but no one seemed to know about. It's the one that Marty is playing on the "Under the Milky Way" video. In reality, the guitar he is playing is not the actual guitar that is recorded...He's playing an acoustic Rickenbacker of some sort that has two cateye sound holes. So I've been looking everywhere for this guitar and I finally got ahold of a guy out in California at Route 66 guitars who happens to be one of THE experts on Rickenbackers. The guitar that Marty is playing in the video is only one of two made...and they are both in the possession of the owner of Rickenbacker itself, John Hall (I believe is his name). Anyway, Marty borrowed
that guitar for the video (according to the guy I talked to) and has been after John Hall to sell it to him for quite some time (unsuccessfully). So what you see is not what you hear. But rumour has it that Rickenbacker is planning on producing them in mass quantities because it is listed in their latest catalogue...Or so I am told...

Followup-

The new version of the guitar in question is in fact being made by Rickenbacker again, my local dealer lists it at US$4200. I believe its new name is the 4000-something Jazz-bo, but when the originals were made it was just another speciality guitar made by Rickenbacker's chief luthier, Roger Rossmeisel (sp?). Rickenbacker made a nice range of acoustics throughout the '60s, but very few in actual quantity.
Note also that the cool triangular tailpiece of Marty's version has been replaced by a more traditional "trapeze" style tailpiece. Also, while Marty's has the traditional Rick headstock shape, it is without the Rickenbacker logo swash-shape, which the new version has.

Rickenbacker trivia nuts (can you guess that includes me) should also note in the background is a matched pair of Rickenbacker Trans-Sonic Amplifiers, very rare and very cool in their trapezoidal shape.

In addition, Rickenbacker produced a cool black and red poster promoting "Marty Willson-Piper of the Church" and featuring the cover shot from Marty's Rhyme album. (The perfect wall covering for someone like me!)

Marty no longer tours with his Ric arsenal for fear for of them getting stolen like in the past.
Speaking of tours, The Church plan on touring this year but they are doing a release mini tour in Oz late this month.
Yes, the Church are still together and never really broke up officially although there were times when they came close. The album Uninvited Like The Clouds, is due out in April or May.
Finally, Marty sold some of his geetars a while back:

3rd April 1998
Marty is selling two more guitars from his collection. They are both semi-acoustic Rickenbackers, one is a convertible twelve/six string for 1800 pounds and the other is a six string for 1500 pounds.

The 6 string is the red double-binding Rick with tremelo bar made specially for Marty by Rickenbacker around the time of Starfish. It is a one-off custom made guitar. It has 3 pick-ups and musical note f-hole. Marty thinks he used it on the Reptile video and the Metropolis video. He thinks he also played it on Hotel Womb and Destination.

Both guitars come in genuine Rick guitar cases by the way.
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longhouse
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Post by longhouse »

Marty still gigs with his jetglo 370/12RM. The last time I saw them play (electric) he shredded every string on it during the encore, performing the rapid-fire, windmill swinging Tantalized. I felt sorry for who ever had to re-string it.

Still, it's a shade better than giving it the Townshend treatment.

Sadly real life intervenes. When they were robbed (at the start of the GAF sessions), RIC made MWP a replacement 1998 Rose Morris type 6-string. It's since been owned by at least one forumite. Image Most of the Capris and 60s Rics are gone from his collection -some sold and at least one given away after a show in Aussieland.

You can currently pick up the Church video anthology at: http://www.thechurchband.com/shop/default.php

Therein you'll find a Rickenbacker feast for the eyes and ears.

Here's their official site:
http://www.thechurchband.com/index.phtml
Shaking the floor of Heaven
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ealdrett
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Post by ealdrett »

Noel,

That's interesting. I haven't seen Marty play any of his Rics when they came to town. Nor Peter. Pretty sad to see that and I read on Seance that he no longer wants to take them on the road being that he has a few left. Then again, this comment was several years. Hope this time around when they get to touring the states, they implement the Rics.

Here are some other sites to check out:

http://www.martywillsonpiper.net/

http://www.shadowcabinet.net/mambo/
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karl_teten
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Post by karl_teten »

I saw The Church in Portland, OR two years ago. Marty played a jetglo McGuinn signature 12 string. The kooky thing was that Marty had the McGuinn strung up traditional style with the octave strings first.
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