On the one hand, the tone sounds like an acoustic guitar, not like the incredibly sophisticated and "electrified" tone of Rosebud or Tiger1. Lightning Bolt is very clear though and cut through the mix nicely.
On the other hand, Lightning Bolt was much lighter and easier for Jerry to manage for the 3 hour Dead concerts.
On The one hand, Doug Irwin (main designer of Jerry's guitars for many years prior to Lightning Bolt) is like a Michaelangelo to most Deadheads - and deservedly so. For over 20 years the Grateful Dead's amazing concerts were performed with Jerry using a Doug Irwin Guitar - from The Wolf in 1972 up through Rosebud which was retired in 1993. Jerry left the guitars to Doug Irwin when he died - it's stated as one of the first things in his will. The rest of the Grateful Dead (in a total dick move) intervened and prevented this from coming to fruition by claiming the instruments that the Dead used in their live concerts were property of the Grateful Dead entity, not individual performers.
On
the other hand, no one really knows anything (or seems to care) about Stephen
Cripe, the Florida woodworker hobbyist who crafted Lighning Bolt from
watching a Grateful Dead video and mailed it unsolicited to Grateful Dead
headquarters. If you consider the unlikely story that Garcia adopted the
guitar and then Stephen Cripe died when the fireworks he was making in his shed
blew up (cover story for meth lab?), this story is stranger than fiction and is
worthy of Dead folklore.
Lightning Bolt's Facility of Playing
Below are posted 2 sets from Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993. If you watch these (particularly the 2nd set) you will hear Jerry playing with incredible fluidity. In fact, there are times when he is utterly unconscious in the 2nd set.
While I, too, prefer Rosebud's sound to Lightning Bolt, I would definitely sacrifice some sound quality to allow Jerry the ability to more easily express himself and hit higher heights.
I actually saw the Shoreline run a few weeks before this Richfield show where Jerry introduced Lightning Bolt (according to this site). That was a pretty phenomenal Shoreline run (by Shoreline standards). Jerry seemed to take well immediately to Lightning Bolt because in addition to these shows there is a lot of additional great music throughout the rest of 1993.
Lightning Bolt's 'Acoustic Sound'
Jerry was actively rehearsing and recording incredible acoustic music with David Grisman around the time Lightning Bolt showed up. Jerry's acoustic chops really got honed during this period. His strong fingerpicking prowess was on display not only on great albums like Garcia/Grisman and Not for Kids Only, but also in Grateful Dead concerts in the 1990s.
Jerry started adding a lot of additional voices to his guitar arrangements of Grateful Dead songs, and you can really hear his emphasis on fingerpicking in songs like Stagger Lee, Lazy River Road, and Friend of the Devil (the intro guitar riff). So, it makes sense that he would opt for a clear sound like Lightning Bolt provided to make sure each string would ring out clearly - like an acoustic guitar.
Behold, Lightning Bolt in a great show from Richfield. The archive.org audio (for soundboard) is here. There will be much more discussion of this show in my next blog entry:
Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 1
Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 2
Thanks to "Obie's" Pictoral Guide to Jerry Garcia's Guitars for for invaluable information.
Thanks to StickyFingers44111 for uploading this incredible footage.
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog about the world of The Grateful Dead. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).
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