G. E. Smith - Musical Equipment

Musical Equipment

On his 11th birthday Smith got his first electric guitar, a Fender Telecaster bought by his mother; the guitar, which he still owns, was made the same year he was born (1952). Over the years his collection of instruments has grown and includes a large number of vintage guitars, amplifiers and lapsteel guitars with Fender representing the majority of his collection.

In January 2007, Fender issued the G.E. Smith signature Telecaster in honor of Smith's reputation as a modern master of the Telecaster. His signature guitar is based on a 1950s Telecaster with a cut-off bridge plate and the bridge pickup mounted right to the body, a feature normally found on Champion lap-steels from the late 1940s, as well as the 'Oval and Diamond' fretboard inlays on the guitar's neck. The neck is made out of maple and is based on measurements from some of Smith's personal favorite Fender necks which Fender calls the 'Special Extra Deep “U” Shape'. The guitar is available in 'Honey Blonde', 'Black' and 'Dakota Red' cellulose finishes.

“What I’ve tried to do over the years, and in particular with this guitar, is to make it capable of being really fat-sounding, as well as doing all the chicken-pickin’ and the classic Telecaster things that you think about. But with that pickup in the wood like that, you get this resonance and this fattened-up lower end and low midrange that’s really cool. As long as somebody’s willing to do the digging in that you’ve got to do to play a Telecaster anyway, it really responds, and that’s something I’m really happy with.”