Local and Live - Gena Lanette

I’m a hobby guitar builder/tinkerer. I taught myself by going to pawn shops and buying beater guitars, setting them up, swapping pickups and pots, etc. I have a background in woodworking, and I taught myself basic wiring when setting up a homebrew electric system years ago, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out.

Eventually, once I got the general hang, I started wanting to build certain setups from various musicians. I taught myself the Jimmy Page wiring for a les paul, for instance (its ridiculously complicated with over 20 tone setting choices… I have little use for more than, maybe, 3 of them but hey… I can say I know how to do it. Real guitar builders might think I know what I’m doing!)

So the Jimmy Page thing was just to say I could do it. But then I wanted to build the 60’s telecaster Keith Richards used, with a humbucker in the neck that was a Gibson bridge pickup, in the neck, backwards. It was called the Micawber. And, that, of course, I’m doing because Keith is the stone cold unvarnished truth. Obviously.

I set it up, even removed the low E string just like Keith did…it’s kept in Open G tuning, and you don’t need that damn thing. Like all of my creations, it’s janky and rough looking, but the setup is great and you can see your reflection in the frets… I focus on playability and quality build rather than esthetics.

Mostly because I don’t like all the sanding, and I’m not that great with a spray gun.

I started out building these things to prove to myself that I could figure it out and execute… now I just do it because I find the artist in question inspiring and it’s appealing to me to have a guitar to play that’s set up like their signature instrument.

Now I want to build a coodercaster. It’s basically a Stratocaster or telecaster with the pickup from a lap steel guitar in the bridge and a single coil in the neck. Very unique guitar, especially good for people who play with a slide a lot.

It’s named after Ry Cooder, who is a violently underrated slide guitar grandmaster and pretty amazing guitarist overall. He’s about 78 as we speak now, and I’m sure he still can kick some holy ass if he’s of a mood to.

Nothing but respect for Ry, but he’s not the reason I want to build a Coodercaster. I want to do that because of Gena Lanette.

I don’t even know if she’d like one (I imagine if it appealed to her, she’d already have one), but she is one of the most amazing electric guitar players I’ve ever had the luck to see play live. One of her signature skills is playing a telecaster with a copper Home Depot T joint on one finger, and working the slide along with some intricate rhythm fingerpicking. She moves back and forth seamlessly and swings so hard, somewhere Blind Blake is tapping his foot.

Gena plays a great solo set, mostly originals with some very well selected covers. Sometimes she plays with Peter Wile (I already told you about that clown, no need to dwell. Hey Pete…), and also works with Cumberland Honey, a band that I will talk about separately at another time, but if you don’t know about them yet, step it up and find out! You won’t be sorry.

Kidding aside, Gena and Pete share an incomparable professionalism and showmanship, along with masterful composing skills. Gena adds a level of virtuosity across several stringed instruments that I haven’t seen in years. Every time I see her, she does something that stops me from talking (which is almost impossible), and makes me think “holy shit, where did that come from?”

I don’t just recommend you find Gena and see her play, I suggest you do it often. Depending on who shows up with her, her sets vary and there are always moments you will be glad you were there for.  Maybe one day she’ll play my Coodercaster. Probably tell me the actions too low and what the hell was I thinking with that shitty neck pickup?

Would still be my honor.