John McNally purchased his Hofner new from a guitar shop in Preston, Lancashire. The guitar came in a natural or "blond" finish. He recalled "I bought it on Hire Purchase - I was too young to sign the credit agreement, so my father had to sign it." That John was not of age to sign the contract is easily seen from his youthful appearance in the photo introducing this article.
Why And By Whom Was The Club 60 Refinished?
The Club 60 was eventually refinished to black and John McNally related the reason behind his decision to have this work done. In his words "I really wanted a Gibson Les Paul, but couldn't afford one, so I had the Club 60 sprayed black to look like the Les Paul. I can't remember the exact year. I do remember, though, that I couldn't afford to have it resprayed by a proper guitar restorer, so I had it done by a friend who was a car mechanic." You can certainly see McNally's point, the black finish had a more professional appearance and also had a "Les Paul look."
McNally with refinished Hofner (1963)
Why And By Whom Was The Club 60 Modified?
The newly finished Club 60 was modified while the Searchers were at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. In what has to be a Star Club memory that he won't soon forget, John McNally recalled "The electrics went while we were at the Star Club in Hamburg. Adrian Barber of The Big Three rewired it, which is what gave it its very trebly sound." So as luck would have it, the modifications made following a guitar malfunction would ultimately result in the trebly sound that became the Searchers' trademark rhythm guitar. A new and unmistakably unqiue sound was born.
Adrian Barber recalls modifying the tow-pickup Hofner owned by John McNally and graciously provided the details. The point of the modification was to obtain a more trebly sound which was popular at that time.
" I removed the faceplate and the pickups and assessed the impedance by comparing the windings of the pickups with publicly-available schematics that I had brought with me from England. The post offices carried these, back then, acting as a kind of communications arm for the government. I was not really a technician and lacked the benchmark by which to know just how to get a thinner and trebly sound. I changed the values of the resistors and capacitors, through a process of trial and error, getting it wrong until I got it right. There were several electronics stores in the Reepergahn vicinity where I bought the components. I also rebuilt the Star Club's sound system around the same time."
McNally's Rhythm
Who Influenced McNally's Rhythm Style?
Of particular interest, however, is the manner in which John McNally skillfully used his new found sound. The Hofner Club 60, which McNally acknowledged used in the recording of "Meet The Searchers" and "Sugar and Spice" albums, would be the vehicle that led to the distinctive sound that fans quickly came to identify as "The Searchers." The tracks from these Pye recordings were as follows:
MEET THE SEARCHERS - (Pye 1963) - Sweets For My Sweet / Alright / Love Potion Number Nine / Farmer John / Stand By Me / Money / Da Doo Ron Ron / Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya / Since You Broke My Heart / Tricky Dicky / Where Have All the Flowers Gone / Twist And Shout
SUGAR AND SPICE - (Pye 1963) - Sugar And Spice / Don't You Know / Some Other Guy / One of These Days / Listen to Me / Unhappy Girls / Ain't That Just Like Me / Oh My Lover / Saints & Searchers / Cherry Stones / All My Sorrows / Hungry For Love
But where did John McNally get the idea for the rapid staccato rhythm so easily identified on recordings such as "Sweets For My Sweet" and "Sugar and Spice". He kindly revealed the source of this technique and explained "My early guitar influences were Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Scotty Moore, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins and Cliff Gallop (Gene Vincent's guitarist)". So which one of these artists do you suppose was paramount in introducing John McNally to what would become his famous rhythm style, Buddy Holly? Carl Perkins? Guess again. McNally continued "The person who I learned most from, however, was a complete unknown - George McGie, an amateur who used to play in the pubs around the part of Liverpool where I lived. He covered the songs of the above, and many others. He was excellent, and I just used to watch, listen and learn from him."
That McNally's rhythmic style has been the mainstay of much of The Searchers' music is an understatement. It is most interesting to see how the staccato riffs in songs such as "Sweets for My Sweet", for example, eventually evolved into the more complex syncopated style heard in classics such as "Goodbye My Love." Went one looks beneath the outside layer of sweet melody and intricate harmonies, there lies within a solid core of rhythm that provides for a whole new appreciation of the Searchers' music. But don't divert your attention for a second - as many of McNally's guitar intricacies are hidden in his blinding speed.
July 23, 2001 - Revised February 5, 2003
