Blind Snooks Eaglin

Subject: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Leadbelly
Date: 06 Oct 19 - 04:48 PM

Who knows which brand of guitar Snooks used on his early records "Alberta" or " Coutry boy down in New Orleans"? He produced fantastic bass lines on this instrument. Sounds like an extra bass....Thanks

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 06 Oct 19 - 06:17 PM

From Wikipedia:

In 1952, he joined the Flamingoes, a local seven-piece band started by Allen Toussaint. The Flamingoes did not have a bass player, and according to Eaglin, he played both the guitar and the bass parts simultaneously on his guitar. He stayed with the Flamingoes for several years, until the group disbanded in the mid-1950s.

As for the guitar, I couldn't find mention anywhere. One suggestion is to have someone knowledgeable about older guitars identify it from the picture shown on this YouTube video. It's got f-holes and the guitar-top top marking looks distinctive. I can't read the name on the guitar head; it is unfortunately blurred just a bit too much for me to read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KlauSaG-YA

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Leadbelly
Date: 06 Oct 19 - 06:39 PM

Hi Starship,
thank you very much for your quick reply! In so far, my impression about his ability to play both the guitar and the bass parts simultaneously was not wrong. Manfred from Germany

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 06 Oct 19 - 06:55 PM

You're welcome, Manfred. I was just looking around the www and Kay made an acoustic f hole archtop guitar with that line that runs parallel to the edge of the guitar top. Perhaps that's it. I'm not sure if it is, but it could be.

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Tony Rees
Date: 07 Oct 19 - 02:28 AM

A bigger selection of pix (with other stuff) at

https://www.wirz.de/music/eaglin.htm

but details of that acoustic/street guitar still look a bit elusive...

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Tony Rees
Date: 07 Oct 19 - 02:31 AM

Best version probably here:

https://www.wirz.de/music/oster/grafik/eaglin14.jpg

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: GUEST,guest RS
Date: 07 Oct 19 - 03:26 AM

From the look of the top-decoration, my guess would be Harmony.

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Leadbelly
Date: 08 Oct 19 - 05:47 PM

Indeed, it could/might have been a Harmony guitar because help of guest RS and additional information by Dai Thomas: "Ford “Snooks” Eaglin – Harmony Archtop." (taken from "earlyblues.com")...Many thanks to all...Manfred

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Tony Rees
Date: 09 Oct 19 - 11:05 PM

I'd say definitely a Harmony, having seen this description + pics:

https://www.capitolguitars.com/listing/harmony-f-60-nk-archtop-hollow-body-acous

If you look closely at the Oster photo, you can see the white curve above the logo on the headstock exactly as in the recent pics of the for sale instrument (now sold of course...), i.e. this one

Cheers - Tony

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Leadbelly
Date: 11 Oct 19 - 01:12 PM

So, the last open question is, which brand of strings Snooks used to produce such interesting sound like a so-called slap bass...

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 11 Oct 19 - 03:51 PM

I'd expect heavy gauge strings for the bass notes. But definitely guitar strings. I'm pretty certain about that. ;-)

Subject: RE: Blind Snooks Eaglin
From: Tony Rees
Date: 12 Oct 19 - 02:52 PM

Or as Diz Disley used to say, pointing to the piece of string that held the guitar around his neck: "This is the best string on the instrument..."

Like here: Diz Disley at the 1981 Essex Festival in his "folk entertainer" persona: "Just o

(With apologies for the thread drift)

- Tony