Guitars on "Born To Be Wild" ?

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Wed May 21, 2003 8:51 am

So it's Ric day on the radio here at the office! Heard The Beatles, Yes & Steppenwolf all in a row just now...

Which made me wonder - did the 'Wolf use Rics on BTBW?

The main rhythm gtr sounds like a solidbody Ric to me (a Combo), which I know I've seen in their promo shots from the period. I used a Combo 400 for a brief period, and they have a pretty unique tone...anyone know for sure?

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed May 21, 2003 8:56 am

There may be a few clues here Kenny.

sir_andrew_of_left_coast · Wed May 21, 2003 8:59 am

I e-mailed Michael Monarch one time... although there is that pic of him with a Combo 800, he told me that he used Fenders for recording in the studio.

sir_andrew_of_left_coast · Wed May 21, 2003 9:03 am

Funny thing... he wrote me saying RIC gave him a "prototype" guitar. Because of the rarity of Combo 800s, I guess he didn't know it was a production model at one time.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed May 21, 2003 9:06 am

Thanks Andrew. While your comment may provide the crowning touch, I would think that a monarch would prefer to use a Rickenbacker.

lshaia · Post by **lshaia** » Wed May 21, 2003 10:50 am

One of the many great things about this forum is how topics will occasionally cause some bubble of memory to surface with a pop. This discussion has reminded me of how much I used to look forward to watching Don Kirschner's "Rock Concert" when I was in high school. I remember watching Steppenwolf perform this song; John Kaye was playing a lucite Dan Armstrong (I think), the other guitarist was playing a gold top Les Paul. Thanks for jogging the little grey cells!

sir_andrew_of_left_coast · Thu May 22, 2003 9:04 am

Don Kirschner... Wow, that IS diggin' up some old memories. Fond ones, though...

ted_williams · Post by **ted_williams** » Thu May 22, 2003 6:22 pm

Ever see Paul Schaeffer's take-off of Don Kirshner on SNL?

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Thu May 22, 2003 6:52 pm

Then of course there was the Midnight Special hosted by Wolfman Jack. These two shows were about the only real visuals we got on our faveorite bands back then before MTV. I used to watch them very closely to see what equipment the groups used. 4001's were all over the place back then. Paul Schaffer's take off on Don K. was pretty right on too. By the way, VH1 Classics , the only other choice it seems for cool videos these days, shows the BTBW video occasionally and it's full of Rickys. There's even one leaning up against an amp. John Kay's sound on that song sounds just like Peter Banks' 330 when he was with Yes so I just assumed he recorded the song with a Rickenbacker.

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Fri May 23, 2003 5:29 am

MAN that Paul Schaffer thing was great. Haven't seen it in ages though.