Fender Q & a with Al Jardine

[MarcellaHasDirtyFeet]

It would be funny if similar deals were arranged to prohibit Mike from wearing certain hats or Bruce from wearing specific brands of man-shorts when they tour as the regular Beach Boys versus the reunion shows.

Those are not "man shorts," they're short shorts. You know it, I know it, and Bruce knows it!

[guitarfool2002]

It would be funny if similar deals were arranged to prohibit Mike from wearing certain hats or Bruce from wearing specific brands of man-shorts when they tour as the regular Beach Boys versus the reunion shows.

Those are not "man shorts," they're short shorts. You know it, I know it, and Bruce knows it!

As long as Bruce knows it and is comfortable with it, it's OK by me! 

If there were a prankster in the Brother organization, they'd put a hidden rider in Bruce's contract that says he can only wear pants on stage. And add in something about Mike wearing that 70's turban at least once every 5 shows...seems fair for what they're doing with Al's choice of guitars.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

It would be funny if similar deals were arranged to prohibit Mike from wearing certain hats or Bruce from wearing specific brands of man-shorts when they tour as the regular Beach Boys versus the reunion shows.

Those are not "man shorts," they're short shorts. You know it, I know it, and Bruce knows it!

As long as Bruce knows it and is comfortable with it, it's OK by me! 

If there were a prankster in the Brother organization, they'd put a hidden rider in Bruce's contract that says he can only wear pants on stage. And add in something about Mike wearing that 70's turban at least once every 5 shows...seems fair for what they're doing with Al's choice of guitars.

I think that clause was in there when the Beach Boys toured the UK.

[Ron]

I want to see THE BEACH BOYS on tour, not COOL people on tour.  If Mike wants to wear enough rings to look like an elderly jewish lady, then so be it.  If Al breaks out the white suit, I will love it.  If Bruce doesn't wear those 1982 tennis shorts or whatever the hell they are, I won't recognize him, so of course he should wear them.  If Brian doesn't sing wildly off key while doing backup vocals, I'll be pissed.  These are the types of things that linger around long after their voices are gone and they can't walk anymore, it's a reflection of the dorks they really are, which is what's always driven the music. 

[Rocker]

[HeyJude]

In the interview Al says: "I'm still going to play my Strat on tour. I have a couple of replicas made, too."

Maybe that's the answer to your question.

Al's not going to be playing his Strat on the C50 tour.

    

[Jon Stebbins]

Al and Dave switched to Fenders for the tour at the last minute. It was literally like this...they were playing Gibsons during the rehearsals, and then they weren't. Solidarity. Al's playing a white Stratocaster, Dave is playing both a red Stratocaster and a Lake Placid Blue Jaguar. Glad they switched.

[LostArt]

I'm glad, too.  You can't play that early Beach Boys stuff without Fenders.

[guitarfool2002]

Wow. Wonder if Gibson was pissed off at them for doing this.

[SMiLE Brian]

Wow. Wonder if Gibson was pissed off at them for doing this.

Thats what I was wondering as well, but fender is the BBs sound.

[HeyJude]

I don’t know what the arrangements were, if any, with Gibson. But I’d have to believe that they didn’t just violate an agreement straight out. They either didn’t have a firm exclusivity/endorsement deal with Gibson, or they did but had a clause or something to get out of it.

I wouldn’t have minded them switching up and using all sorts of guitars. But I would agree that when it comes to some BB tracks, those Fenders are ideal, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they do have a bit of an iconic appearance when it comes to the BB’s.

[Mikie]

Would like to see a close-up of Al's Strat. If it has a seafoam green pick guard, then that's the one (or similar) that he gave to Fender to have cloned.

[guitarfool2002]

Would like to see a close-up of Al's Strat. If it has a seafoam green pick guard, then that's the one (or similar) that he gave to Fender to have cloned.

Same here - the photo posted above is a little too low-res to see, but that pickguard does look a little minty green to me. And it has a rosewood neck (Yay!). The question will become whether Al is playing the original or the clone in the future, because Fender's "Custom Shop" does amazing work on aging guitars to exact copies of the classics.

I love those mint green Fender guards, but it wouldn't look as nice on my red Strat as on a white one. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/fender-american-standard-stratocaster-11-hole-pickguard--mint-green