Fichigan

Feral’s Instruments

I’d like to have a nickel for every musical instrument Feral has brought to trout camp because I could buy a candy bar. If it has strings attached he has owned one, and that includes banjos, mandolins, violins, ukuleles, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, dobros, steel guitars, classical gut string guitars, and some hybrids like a tiger maple slide guitar. Not to mention harmonicas, a piccolo, a flute, a recorder, and then there was the time he brought up a grand piano on a flat bed trailer. Ok – no piano yet at trout camp, but he has owned one or two.

Feral’s owned some vintage instruments including a Fender Duosonic circa 1960s, an unidentified parlor guitar that had the loudest, clear tone I have ever witnessed, and a steel Dobro with a hot lady etched on the back (wow). All of his instruments came with a story and it was always more fun hearing the story than hearing him play. (Just kidding but Feral is a story teller which is a rare breed nowadays. He keeps trout camp a very interesting place to be.) He is also a daring instrumentalist which is more than I can say for myself.

So how did I get started on Feral’s instruments? In the picture above there’s an electric guitar I don’t recognize. I remember taking the photo one morning when we tried to make coffee but we lost the percolator cap on our coffee pot. The beer bottle did the trick – so there’s my camping tip for the day.

At first I thought the guitar was a loaner I had from Jeff DeJager back in the 70’s, a Stratocaster copy with a neck though body that his wife bought him and he didn’t play but loaned to me for some unknown reason. But it doesn’t look like a strat body so I am at a loss. It may be one from Feral’s archive or maybe someone else brought a guitar to camp. Anyway, when I get a nickel for every instrument Feral brought to trout camp I will give the person who identifies the guitar a candy bar.