Mike Bloomfield - A History Of His Guitars

[@roderickbalt8993]

Great vid! Very small detail hope you don't think I'm a dick for bringing it up but the pictures show an OM or in that time period a 000 Martin not a D-28. At around the 2:30 mark.

[@TheGuitarShow]

You are 100% right and Ill.pin your comment so others can be knowing those also thanks !

[@roderickbalt8993]

@@TheGuitarShow Might even be a 00 by the way, one size smaller.

[@GordiansKnotHere]

Thanks for giving this man some recognition.

[@frankdardano3182]

If we would have had things like methadone,and a different medical attitude mike might still be with us .Johnny winters remained on methadone all his life leaving us due to natural causes. Just think if mike was still with us. I can Dream can't I? I am thirsty for unsuspected speed and incredibly unique tone. There are no monsters like. Bloomfield anymore. We do have guys like Bonisama who acknowledge what an incredible Impact mike made.

[@cliverkay]

Thanks for doing the Bloomfield bit ! He was my hero ! And in my non arthritic days I could play nearly all his tracks ! Alberts Shuffle was my favourite! I have most of albums , books etc and have played his old Tele! Interesting was the gouge on his LP under the stop tail where he damaged the top doing a restring .. anyway well done , he doesn’t get enough recognition for his originality in those days and also for his excellent acoustic playing!

[@markconiglio7769]

Albert shuffle is also probably one of my favorites.

[@yousse132]

I love Mike’s tone on Albert’s shuffle so much. That song is what got me into Bloomfield’s stuff.

[@presto111man]

Left out his last guitar- he was using heroin and couldnt sleep by 1980, and had gotten rid of all his guitars. A Vintage Guitar magazine reader had advertised his Tele Thinline in the local paper in CA in 1981. Who shows up to buy it but none other than Bloomfield. The guy sold it to him and he read that Bloomfield died shortly thereafter.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for this !

[@zenzen1916]

Loved Mike, his death was a sin.💔

[@Bushwig]

Is it true when Dylan was recording like a rolling stone Mike walked in with a telecaster in a paper grocery bag took it out blew the snow off it plugged in and started playing is that true?

[@Bushwig]

That shows the toughness of a Fender Telecaster.

[@rheinhardtgrafvonthiesenha8185]

Been waiting for this one. He’s one of my favorite players. You know what would be a fun video is when did collecting become a thing? So Mike Bloomfield got a monthly check from his family’s trust. He was a wealthy man without making a dime in music. I think it’s a bummer because it never really forced him to join a proper band and probably robbed us all of allot of recorded work he could have done (not as a session man). Anyway, my point is he had money yet every guitar he got he traded for, he didn’t just buy it. You hear of guys playing Gibson’s with a a Tele as their backup. Not a different guitar for a different tone, no a legit backup in case they broke a string. The only guy I know of that seemed to “collect” from day 1 is Keith Richards. I guess Rick Neilsson did but he was a bit later. But most guys like Clapton etc went thru their guitars and moved on. When Clapton’s crossroads auction happened we knew about Blackie, Brownie and the 335. All the famous ones were gone the SG, Firebird, Burst etc. Bloomfield died in 80 and really he didn’t have many guitars here just the Tele, Goldtop and Burst and it got me thinking. I bet the reason why is because actual wholesale collecting and hoarding guitars didn’t start until after that time. It was about in the early to mid 80’s that a guitar from the 50’s started to become worth more than a car from the 50’s. Basically I think a video on collecting, when it became a thing, what the values were at certain points, when they skyrocketed, when did rockstars really start accumulating guitars etc..

[@elmolewis9123]

This is easily the best coverage of Bloomfield's guitars I've seen. Great research and editing. Of the big 3 or 4 guitar guns at the time, he was and is my favourite. That sweet LP tone from Super Session and Electric Flag is what I'm still chasing. 😅

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks so much I'm so happy you enjoyed it 🙏🎸

[@Johngonefishin]

That is the purest sound a sunburst Les Paul could make......straight into a blackface Twin Reverb.

[@swaffy101]

I’m very late to the Bloomfield party but man I’m glad I came!

[@TheGuitarShow]

Good to have you on board bro!

[@lestergeez4349]

I can't get enough of Bloomfield's history! It's interesting that those guys swapped guitars or bought guitars without cases or carried them around in garbage bags... and yet they were recording and working guitarists! Compare that to today when most players have 10 or 20 guitars and never amount to anything) 😊

[@francovani393]

Thank you for another interesting feature on another authentic guitarist. I remember picking up The First Butterfield blues album and being blown away by Michael 's marriage of emotive and technically adept approach. His incisive and yet hauting tone perfectly complimenting each track. Excellent job looking forward to more of these installments

[@OscillationOverdrive]

@Goose Thank you for making this! Michael Bloomfield did some amazing work and most people don't even realize they have heard him on Dylan's album Highway 61 Revisited. The Paul Butterfield work is of course amazing, and the cream of the crop is Supersession.

[@limpindug]

Thanks bud for your work and sharing, very interesting video it must have taken a lot of research. 👍👍👍🥃Respect to you mate.

[@nateuhrich1527]

Probably my favorite guitarist of all time. I only play rhythm guitar, but if I could play lead, I’d want his style

[@promerops]

Hi Ramon. Your videos are always first rate, but for me this is the best ever! It is a great complement to the Bloomfield biography, "If You Love These Blues", which I have in my collection. Your research is absolutely amazing - all presented with great skill and enthusiasm. Thanks for this fine document.

[@georgemarquardt4435]

Just a really fabulous video thanks a lot!

[@precbsfender]

Well done.. very precise.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Many thanks indeed

[@ryanfulldark2775]

Fantastic vid! Lots of guitars I never knew about him having.

[@linheitzig9227]

Thanks for the story Goose. You can tell you put so much effort & time into these video's, they are just filled with so much info. The old pictures for me are the best. I'm 68 and I know these musicians. It's fantastic to see these old black & white's. Again, thanks for all you do, I appreciate you!

[@TheGuitarShow]

My pleasure bro 🙏🎸

[@frantisca]

Another awesome talented musician lost to drugs... RIP MBloomfield. Very documented as usual Ramon !

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks

[@ThomasDeLello]

If you love these blues, play 'em as you please...!

[@TheGuitarShow]

amen

[@aminahmed2220]

Absolutely awesome video ramon 😊

[@Barnekkid]

Another good video from you. I saw Bloomfield play. He had Mark Naftalin and Elvin Bishop with him but I can't remember who else. I've said it before, but the thing I remember about him most was his intensity. He seemed to take his gig very seriously and it showed.

[@derekclacton]

Another great, informative video from the Goose! What a superb series, Ramon 👍

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thank you 🙏🎸

[@davegallagher7428]

Another great video, thanks Goose!

[@benjohnson4810]

That's a 345 that Mike has @ 18:10. The broken parallelogram inlay and the Varitone are what makes that style guitar my favorite.

[@vincentmoserblues]

Yes, that's an ES-345

[@zenzen1916]

Mike was a monster on guitar, but an angle at heart. Love and miss you. Stop the Hate💔☮️✡️

[@brunoantony9257]

Excellent research and presentation! One of my favorite guitar players.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Pleasure!

[@SmelOdies]

Thanks for this one. Bloomfield got so much out of the Les Paul hunbucker tone, even though his legacy was already cemented with p90s Goldtop with East West. Some of the more famous Les Paul players, like Slash, could take notes from Bloomfield’s approach to the model.

[@bryanfalcho6293]

His legacy was cemented on a TELECASTER, not a Les Paul or P90s....

[@SmelOdies]

@@bryanfalcho6293 In this video it is revealed that East West was recorded on a Goldtop with P90s.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Bloomfield also did the soundtracks for several porno movies around’79-80. Forgot the names, but I’ve seen them, you can tell it’s MB playing.

[@jltrem]

Now THIS is ultra cool!

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks

[@jltrem]

@@TheGuitarShow Dan Erlewine has had livestream Q & A's and I've asked if he still has Bloomfield's Goldtop. Unfortunately, never got an answer.

[@TheGuitarShow]

@@jltrem thanks for the info

[@jonnybeck6723]

I've been covering "It Takes a Lot... (well I call it 'Mail Train')...to Cry" for years and love doin' it in 'G' So so glad you finally did a 'Guitars of' for Bloomy... Thanx so very much Meester Goose (Moon equipped)

[@timbuckxxi9690]

Thanks Goose...The crazy story about Mike leaving his BURST and amp in British Columbia so he could go watch SOUNDSTAGE TV PROGRAM show in the U.S. is bizarre..I knew he left in Canada but didn't know the details..CRAZY.. The trade Mike & Dan did with the burst & 54 goldtop(plus $125) is one Dan Erlwine regrets to this day(he's said with a smile)..Dan is one interesting guitar repairman..I suppose we've all got some interesting stories about HUNTING for guitars. I know I do. Where's that BLOOMFIELD BURST today ? Sounds like lawyers will have fun with this one someday..

[@markvincent522]

He didn't really leave to watch the show, he left to go back to Chicago where he could score. He was a terrible insomniac.

[@markvincent522]

And I mean heroin.

[@paulbrasile8654]

Good vid👍 the SG is actually John Cippolinas from Quicksilver.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Good to know that for my upcoming SG video - thanks!!

[@zenzen1916]

Mike was an angel masquerading as a human, he tried to save me, wish I could have saved him.🥀💔✡️ Ugly world. Stop the Hate🥀

[@anthonytye2591]

Word on the net is that is that why the trade took place was that DE and his father would re top gold tops in the mid sixties often using CELLO back timber @ 14.22 in look care fully at the flame it opens in reverse to highly figured for Burst's different maple DE is reported to have visited Gibson Kalamazoo many times

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for this

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

I have a few stories about Michael's fabled burst. All of this happened decades ago so you will have to forgive me for failing to recollect exactly when all these things happened. First story. Sometime in the early 80's I met a local Toronto blues guitarist who ( Jeff ? - his last name completely escapes me, sorry) told me that he was offered the burst for $1800.00 when it was still being held by the club owner in Vancouver. He couldn't raise the money and unfortunately had to pass. My brother, who is a guitar player went to buy a fuzz pedal from a guy here in Toronto who lived in the beaches and at this time he was in possession of Mike's burst. My brother said it sounded incredible. A number of years later the guitar was brought to a local blues guitarist by the name of John Bride. John said that the owner was enquiring whether or not it would be wise to have it refretted because the frets were quite worn and pitted. John told him not to change a thing. He photographed the guitar and I later saw those photos. I believe the owner was the guy mentioned who was from Chicago. I never did see the actual guitar myself, but I am told it is still in Chicago but I have no proof of that. I am sure it will surface at some point, but who knows when.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for this info - much appreciated!

[@BoiDetroit]

The Les Paul at 9:59 a the Living End in Detroit was a 59' and not his. It was a loaner from Capitol Music while his was in for service. I know because I bought that guitar from Capitol and had the Bigsby removed to lower the price by $25. I heard Michael playing it that weekend and mentioned to the owner of Capitol that I heard a Michael playing a guitar at The Living End and he said, "this one?" holding it up from behind the counter. I said how much and when he told me the price said I was $25 short so he said he wanted the Bigsby and would cut the price $25. I played it for decades before I sold it.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for the info bro

[@bobsmith-ji2uh]

I had no idea he was left handed. I did the same thing when I started playing because my only guitar was my father's right handed guitar.

[@allenmcdaniel1470]

At 1:40 IN, WHO is the cat playing what appears to be a TSB maple-neck Strat UPSIDE-DOWN, another lefty who couldn't get his hands on a LH axe, and/or just LEARNED that way? ANYBODY KNOW? Could it be 'Mr. Double Trouble' hisself? Y'all know who I mean? And at 2:00- that INSANE Dano-lookin' DOBBLE-NECK! (YES, DOBBLE-0-SEVEN!!) SOME WAHHHLD STUFF!! And ALL of those old AMPS- OMG. I remember the Epiphone of JL Hooker @ 2:57- another beaut w/that trapeze-style bridge and the big badge on the H/S. So 50's- So Cool!

[@zippy-zappa-zeppo-zorba-etc]

@ 18:09 that's a 345, not a 355. You can tell by the fret markers.

[@timpells456]

Nice one Ram! This was really interesting! What a shame we couldn’t find authenticating evidence for the VancouverPacific Colosseum gig I went to in the early 70’s where he was supported by John Fahey, but interesting to see the Tacoma records link later on. Great work! (Also amazing to see a fabulous Guild amplifier on stage!)

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks so much Tim I often heard you talk about John Fahey.

[@josephcottone3347]

DRUGS TAKES ANOTHER GREAT GUITAR 🎸 PLAYER. R.IP. 😢❤

[@TheGuitarShow]

Amen

[@johncrace911]

A lot of guitars. I heard his family was well off. This is a great informative history of one of the greatest blues players ever. I spent many hours playing that 1st Butterfield album.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks 🙏🎸

[@frankdardano3182]

ThAT TONE IS A LES PAUL WITH AFENDER SUPER REVERB, WITH BOTH PICKUPS ON,USING THE TOGGLE SWITCH IIN THE MIDDLE. HE UTILIZED THE GIBSON HUMBUCKING PICKUPS AND SOMETIMES A P 90 PICKUP.REVERB 2 AND A HALF!!! Thank you Mike RIP,you deserve peace,so hard to find for such a gentle soul.

[@georgerodda4405]

Rock on 🎉

[@oldgrannywheels]

A couple years ago I commented, asking maybe to do Roy Buchanan or Mike Bloomfield's guitar history. You commented back and said you would, and here we are, thank you! Mike's my favorite but maybe Roy soon too eh?

[@MrCherryJuice]

That first Electric Flag album, 'Long Time Comin'', named thusly because it took so long for the band to make the record, is stunningly good, with a killer band including Buddy Miles, Harvey Brooks, Herbie Rich, Barry Goldberg plus a fine horn section. Go listen to the opening track, 'Killing Floor' - it is killer, with some great guitar playing. And it puts Zeppelin's rip off of the tune ('Lemon Song') to shame, not that music should be compared. But still... By the second Flag album Bloomfield was gone. It was no secret the guitarist had issues. He bailed on the 'Super Session' album after the first day, prompting the enlisting of Stephen Stills. And he bailed on the second day of the 'Live Adventures of Michael Bloomfield & Al Kooper', which saw Kooper (who started Blood Sweat & Tears, played organ with Dylan, later discovered and produced Lynyrd Skynyrd etc.) and promoter Bill Graham quickly enlist the likes of Elvin Bishop and Carlos Santana to jam with a lineup that also included John Kahn on bass, and future Lighthouse drummer Skip Prokop. Indeed, Santana's appearance on the album created from the weekend's recordings was his first time on record. Apparently Graham had caught him sneaking into the Fillmore West and his 'punishment' was that he had to get up and play. To get a sense of how erratic Bloomfield was (typically attributed to insomnia and 'medications'), listen to him doing the spoken introduction to 'Over Loving You' and the closing commentary from the Monterey Festival (KZbin). On that tune he's on a Tele, though on the one linked below, 'Wine', he's on a Les Paul. And what a killer start - a single stinging note. Though the band's media coverage for Monterey was dwarfed by the Who's smash-up routine and Hendrix burning his guitar, the Flag were apparently the talk of the show amongst musicians, with the likes of David Crosby raving about them. But Bloomfield never seemed to stick around long enough to really gain traction. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWjJf4iIaMaKqM0

[@TheGuitarShow]

great comment, loved reading this thank you.

[@harvey1954]

Michael fell for Les Pauls when he saw John Sebastian's sunburst Les Paul. Michael saw it when the Butterfield band went to NYC to record their first album (which was be shelved for several decades).. Sebastian hung out with the band and this is when Michael saw it.

[@glenkepic3208]

Nice work !! I knew of East West as a kid of like 7 then. It was too much. Later would see SS and loved the cover. I wanted to know what the heck that guitar on the cover was. Took until '71 when someone older said 'It's a Les Paul". Knew bits of the story. Read that Mike would play a solo to finish a gig then let it crash onto the stage. He wasn't lying when he said it was a mess. I'm surprised it survived. Bought Golden Butter on used vinyl about 15 years ago. This is where i finally 'got it'. The rest i didn't really get into for years.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks Glen!

[@johnpandolfino8663]

Well done mate 👍

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thank you bro 🙏🎸

[@crlaw75]

The guitar player at 1:40, played his like this before Hendrix (maybe even Paul McCartney when he played guitar).

[@wolfstrela]

One of the greatest guitarists of the 20th century. That Les Paul belongs to his heirs whoever they are. How it ended where it is it's ridiculous.

[@coreytrevor1255]

Thanks for the awesome video! Can you do a video on Johnny Thunders?

[@Jay-oq1co]

Letsss gooo I asked for this almost a year ago

[@yousse132]

I love Mike Bloomfield. Very underrated artist, one of the best for sure. Are there any plans to videos on his playing?

[@FYMASMD]

Underrated is the wrong term. Not “we’ll known” is better. Guitar players know what’s up.

[@Patrick-fm5dk]

Is that Iggy Pop on drums in Dan Erliwine’s band?! I know that Iggy played drums in a few garage bands, on at least one Motown record and with some Chicago bluesmen so it could be?

[@Patrick-fm5dk]

It is. I just confirmed it with some research.

[@baronoflivonia.3512]

Did not get notified when vid dropped. Is that Jim Osterberg on drums with 1st photo of Prime Movers? Another fantastic "Guitar's of" video.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks 🙏 very much 🙏🙏🎸

[@osodelcity]

Cool video. Not a big deal, but @ 1:51, that music store was Sajewski’s on Ashland and Milwaukee avenue in Chicago. My dad would buy his guitar strings there and I bought my first bass, a Cortez p bass copy from them. 👍

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for this - I had problems locating the exact store.

[@larrypower8659]

Bloomfield is one of those players very difficult to imitate. He was unique. You can figure out WHAT he’s playing, but not HOW he’s playing it. And I’m sure someone else has mentioned this, but that is not a Gibson ES 355 in that photo. It’s an ES 345, the longtime guitar of choice for Bloomfield’s compadre, Elvin Bishop. It may even be Elvin’s guitar, with a photographer capturing a moment when Bloomfield had it in his hands.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Great comment thanks!

[@trevorgwelch7412]

I would like to know the history of Robin Trower's Guitars .... ✨✨✨🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸✨✨✨✨☮️

[@edmcdonald4285]

Petroff was from North York when he bought the Bloomfield for $5,000.00 from Ken. Colin moved the Chicago well after that. There is a strong rumour it is New York with a New Owner. It was a great guitar with a cool history.

[@davescupper5789]

You should hear him play rag Hes amazing

[@TheGuitarShow]

I agree Dave

[@MBRMrblueroads]

👍👍

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks

[@strat0871]

👍

[@eldiablo3794]

20:20 that's a Gibson Marauder, not Miranda. Awesome video, though. I really like Mike Bloomfields playing style. For some reason it's hard to find any info on his specs, amps, and guitars that he played and used throughout his career.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for the correction - an oversight on my part

[@aliensporebomb]

It bums me out - he was such a gifted player but chronic insomia, exacerbated by drug abuse and an uneasy relationship with his fame made it all too obvious that his end wasn't going to be a happy one. He was one of those guys that was a gifted musician but the music business wasn't any fun for him. His music shines with such life! The poor burst! He'd drag the thing around caseless sometimes. And the whole circumstances of him wanting to watch some PBS special - just a weird story that seems more likely he was more easily able to score whatever drugs he needed on his home turf rather than the unknown quantity of Vancouver. This was in the days prior to common availability of VCRs too. That burst guitar had such a sweet tone with Michael playing it.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks for the comment.

[@jonnybeck6723]

@18:18... split parallelograms mean it's an ES-345 (?) (wot, me?, nitpick?) ...luv ya mang

[@stuartpenney6829]

Great work as always. One observation: at 18:10 surely it's a Gibson 345, not a 355?

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks - yes he did play a 345 at some point!

[@clancykobane9102]

Iggy Pop aka Jim Osterberg to the far left at 11:32

[@benjohnson4810]

Is that Iggy Pop on drums @ 11:26? I knew he played drums with a band called The Iguanas, hence his nick name "Iggy".

[@missionrd100]

Pretty sure it is Iggy. I know that he played drums with the Prime Movers. He later stated that afterwards he moved to Chicago and hung around the blues clubs and jammed with blues musicians playing drums. After a while, he went back to Detroit to put together the Psychedelic Stooges and the rest is history.

[@benjohnson4810]

@@missionrd100 That's him for sure. I had probably known that he played in a band with Erlewine, but i forgot and seeing that picture immediately reminded me.

[@no59do56]

Check out the band GA20

[@Jacob-2005]

Do Metallica’s Kirk Hammett next

[@bobcabo4509]

ES-345, not 355. Also, it's a MARAUDER, not a Maranda or Marander. Otherwise, enjoyed the info !

[@Lawmanxxx]

Gibson Maranda? Do you mean the Gibson Marauder? Might be a British accent thing.

[@TheGuitarShow]

You're right! Thanks

[@JamesWalshBristolKids]

McCabes Club in Santa Monica _ Pronounced: McCaybes

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thank you 🙏🎸

[@joshuahymer15]

PAUL KOSSOFF WOULD MAKE A GREAT VID!!!

[@TheGuitarShow]

Definitely

[@jonnybeck6723]

IMHO the Gibson Marauder is an unfortunate P.O.S. (but that's just me...)

[@sconni666]

He ditched his 59’ to watch a TV show?

[@roderickbalt8993]

I don't recall where I read this so don't quote me on this but apparently he was very laissez faire with his instruments, he loved them but saw them purely as tools and didn't obsess over them like many of us do. Then again I do believe he came from a rich family so money wasn't really a concern for him, again going off vague memory but that's what I remember. He was also a heavy drug user so who knows how much that influenced his decisions...

[@sconni666]

@@roderickbalt8993 wow. Makes sense though. Willikers.

[@waynepayne864]

so thats why 63 teles are so coveted

[@TheGuitarShow]

It certainly is, Bloomfield definitely put his stamp on that guitar.

[@MarshallAmpMan]

Its not "Moronda" its Marauder, there is no N in the word.

[@harvey1954]

McCabe's is not pronounced like "cabs". Instead it rhymes with Abe's.

[@larryzink8978]

Elvis wasnt from Memphis.

[@danmist]

Marauder, not maraunder, come on man.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Hanging my head in shame 😩

[@vincentmoserblues]

Thanks for posting . Great video! At 18:10 : that's an ES-345, not an ES-355. @benjohnson4810 : you're right.

[@TheGuitarShow]

Thanks