Shane, thank you for talking about "G" and the guitars. This was such a great video, and I enjoyed your stories of how they came together. We are coming up on the anniversary of his passing. (10-17-2019) so this video is pretty timely. I miss him very much! If I remember correctly, your purple guitar's body is one piece Swamp Ash that comes from the Livonia Lousiana area. There was a mill that we'd drive to, and hand select the best wood. There were a few pieces we got on one trip that were big enough to make a complete body with. The wood was cut from what they called the swell butt, which is the part of the tree that grew under the water. So, it's got swamp water in its veins! It was built from the same stash that my guitar was built from. (the special stuff!) Super light and resonant. I believe the switch is a "mega switch" to give that neck and bridge selection. The top was high grade Flame Maple. I think that covers most everything. Love the channel and keeping up with all the awesome musical things you are doing! We used to listen to your CD "Highway 90" on repeat at the shop!
Watching with tears in my eyes. I made Gerard’s first promotional video in 1998 or so. I grew up watching him play throughout Lafourche Parish. He was a huge influence as a musician. Amazing craftsman. Such a tremendous human being.
Thank you Shane - we'll keep his memory alive. Over the last 24 years you have introduced me to so many keepers - the late great Johnny Neel who just passed, Adam Nitti, Dr.John, The Neville Family, and more. Gerard was without a doubt the nicest human I think I've ever met! I can still hear his voice, that southern-gentleman tone, and that included his smile. Sissy almost always answered first, then passed the phone to G. I too asked G to have everyone that worked on my guitars sign the headstock. I now have three keepers as well. Through my work for G I got to meet at least one of his crew, Andre, and he'd passed I met his best friend Kevin. I also worked with many of his artist endorsers - Brad Rabuchin, Scott Bernard, Steve Gregory, Alberto Barrero Juez and others that still and own and play their Melancon instruments. Sad to say, the legacy went with him.Truly a master builder, humble but master player, and just the best man-friend anyone could ask for. BTW, Kevin and he had a great duo, and I can put you two in touch. He likely has someone closer to home that can work on that guitar for you.
To answer your question re: the bridge, G sourced bridge and tuners through Gotoh, and they branded the hardware for his shop. Typically he used DiMarzio pups made to his specs.
It’s no easy feat to design a guitar that looks familiar yet unique at the same time. One of the things I always admired about Melancon guitars was exactly that. The combination of an eye for design with the technical ability to make a great playing, great sounding, and durable road-worthy guitar is what sets the greats apart.
We are happy to hear you on YT. I first came across your name on Melancons website way back years ago. Thanks for pronouncing on your and Melancon’s name properly. Have fun on YT and don’t drink the koolaid and think you need to compete with anyone else. Share your love for the instruments and teaching. Anybody can sell this months tubescreamer. Health and happiness to you.
I was in church the day Gerard played that rendition of Amazing Grace. I remember him telling me he was real nervous lol. I couldn’t imagine Gerard being nervous. He was a great friend and amazing luthier and player
Thank you for sharing these great stories. I met Gerard in 2014 at a guitar show in the Seattle area. I played a couple of his guitars, and told him they sounded and felt wonderful. He was very appreciative, and told me I was a very good guitar player. Just the nicest man. I only today found out he died in 2019. He was a special man, and I'm glad I had a chance to meet him and chat with him for a few minutes.
WOW I’m new to all. Purchasing a guitar but learning the soul of your Melancon is amazing and what tenure you’ve had with it. From the wood to the history of your kinship and thoughts of what you needed is so special! Love your short Amazing Grace sound. You know for sure how to make it purr and really rock! Please keep up the lessons, thoughts, knowledge … professional guitarists should SUBSCRIBE for sure. Meantime, I appreciate all too. This was truly enjoyable Shane. Thank you.
Great episode man! Thanks for that! You probably don't care but I'm gonna tell you a little bit about mine...I have a Melancon Classic Artist Tele...charcoal burst....bought it in 2016...Swamp Ash and Flame Maple body....Tortoise pick-guard....Maple Neck with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard...Hard tail bridge...chrome hardware....Melancon PAFN hand wound pick-ups in neck and PAFN coil splitting in bridge...master volume and tone with 3 way mini -toggle...I love it !
Hey Shane dig that 10 lbs.Melancon tele, I'm in Gatineau Qc. and we have a lot of Melancon & Theriault up here ...spelling of the name may be different but pronunciation is the same.
I also have two Melancon's that are keepers. I never met the man, but speced out the first one twenty years ago. It's a P90 Artist with a Koa top and mahogany body in tobacco sunbrust front and back. It's had many pickups over the years, currently Lollar gold foils which have unique sound. The other is a T-style with flame maple top and a trem from about 2009. Currently has Lollar Imperials and best neck I've ever played, smooth mahogany. The neck is bigger than the P90 guitar, and I had thought about having Gerard duplicate it for the first guitar but never got it done. I had a maple neck, sunburst strat style of his years ago which I foolishly sold. He was not a well known builder, but those of us that own them know how good they are. I've always coveted a Cajun Gentleman but there are not many out in the wild.
I got familiar with you Shane from watching the “Daryl’s House” sessions which you and the guys did some awesome playing. Good luck with the Channel. It’s nice to hear your content.
Thanks a bunch for doing this Shane! Beautiful guitars. Great stories as well, man as mentioned on your last video I feel very lucky to have two excellent Melancons. They’ve been my most sturdy and reliable electrics on gigs/sessions for the past few years. I always felt that Gerard deserved more recognition for what he did. Even up here in Canada from time to time I come across people, usually at a gig who are absolutely fanatic about these guitars though.. i’ve gone through some mods on my telecaster style that Gerard built as well, but have kept my Strat pretty stock aside from a much-needed refret a couple of years ago. :-)
Wow very cool guitars. Very cool that you made this video to highlight him as well. RIP to a great guitar builder. Now his art lives on in those who play his creations 🙏
Love all your videos Shane . Great to see you honoring your friend and the great work that he did. A great instrument in the hands of a master , built by the hands of a master !! That’s as good as it gets !!!
Great job Shane and a very unique video! Inspiration, makes your Melancon guitars priceless to you. I get it! Beautiful guitars and one of a kind, you can’t beat that!
hmm...maybe the harmonics thing? probably what you are talking about. it wasn't done great, you need more gain to pull that off. It's a Van Halen trick. do a trill with left hand and slide right across the string to pull out the harmonics
Great video! I cherish my Cajun Gent and all the times spent shooting the breeze at his lil shop. If you’re still in nola, take that pine T to Vincent at New Orleans Guitar Company. He’ll set it up right for ya! ⚜️☮️❤️🎶
well i was born there, never lived there though. out of all the places I've lived in my life (there's a lot) I've spent the most time in New orleans 25+ years.
I'm sitting here shimming the neck on my Pro Artist as I watch. I love my Melancon but could never get the action just right all across the board. Hopefully this does the trick. It's the last thing I can think of.
As far as the neck goes, most likely just needs the truss rod adjusted. Any luthier should be able to do it really easy. Strange guitarworks is the highest rated luthier in the New Orleans area with almost 100% 5 stars. The reviews say they’re knowledgeable and reasonable prices - so that’s always good. Good luck!!
these guitars are all in Los Angeles now. For years I struggled to find anyone good that could work on guitars in NOLA when I was living full time there. It was slim pickins haha. good to know.
@@TheRiotguitaroh ok, gotcha! It’s never when you need it, right? lol in LA on San Fernando Rd I’ve heard Nomadic guitar repairs is good. Lots of good reviews for them too
Be careful saying you would never sell your guitars, I speak from experience that nobody is beyond the reach of a terrible divorce. I’ve had to sell guitars and amplifiers that were important to me, however through the passing of time I’ve been able to rebuild. All the best!🎸🇺🇸
Shane, thank you for talking about "G" and the guitars. This was such a great video, and I enjoyed your stories of how they came together. We are coming up on the anniversary of his passing. (10-17-2019) so this video is pretty timely. I miss him very much!
If I remember correctly, your purple guitar's body is one piece Swamp Ash that comes from the Livonia Lousiana area. There was a mill that we'd drive to, and hand select the best wood. There were a few pieces we got on one trip that were big enough to make a complete body with. The wood was cut from what they called the swell butt, which is the part of the tree that grew under the water. So, it's got swamp water in its veins! It was built from the same stash that my guitar was built from. (the special stuff!) Super light and resonant. I believe the switch is a "mega switch" to give that neck and bridge selection. The top was high grade Flame Maple. I think that covers most everything. Love the channel and keeping up with all the awesome musical things you are doing! We used to listen to your CD "Highway 90" on repeat at the shop!
thanks for the insight Andre! I hope you are doing great man. I didn't realize we were coming up on the date...man. Time flies.
@@TheRiotguitar You are very welcome. We are doing well down here in Thibodaux. Its sugar cane season. Time does fly!
@@andrebadeaux2756 my favorite time of the year over there
Watching with tears in my eyes. I made Gerard’s first promotional video in 1998 or so. I grew up watching him play throughout Lafourche Parish. He was a huge influence as a musician. Amazing craftsman. Such a tremendous human being.
wow thanks for that. He was a great person. I felt like someone needed do talk about his work and his life a bit.
Thank you Shane - we'll keep his memory alive. Over the last 24 years you have introduced me to so many keepers - the late great Johnny Neel who just passed, Adam Nitti, Dr.John, The Neville Family, and more. Gerard was without a doubt the nicest human I think I've ever met! I can still hear his voice, that southern-gentleman tone, and that included his smile. Sissy almost always answered first, then passed the phone to G. I too asked G to have everyone that worked on my guitars sign the headstock. I now have three keepers as well. Through my work for G I got to meet at least one of his crew, Andre, and he'd passed I met his best friend Kevin. I also worked with many of his artist endorsers - Brad Rabuchin, Scott Bernard, Steve Gregory, Alberto Barrero Juez and others that still and own and play their Melancon instruments. Sad to say, the legacy went with him.Truly a master builder, humble but master player, and just the best man-friend anyone could ask for. BTW, Kevin and he had a great duo, and I can put you two in touch. He likely has someone closer to home that can work on that guitar for you.
thx Tim. Those guitars are all in LA now. I'll find somebody at some point to look at it!
To answer your question re: the bridge, G sourced bridge and tuners through Gotoh, and they branded the hardware for his shop. Typically he used DiMarzio pups made to his specs.
It’s no easy feat to design a guitar that looks familiar yet unique at the same time. One of the things I always admired about Melancon guitars was exactly that. The combination of an eye for design with the technical ability to make a great playing, great sounding, and durable road-worthy guitar is what sets the greats apart.
We are happy to hear you on YT.
I first came across your name on Melancons website way back years ago.
Thanks for pronouncing on your and Melancon’s name properly.
Have fun on YT and don’t drink the koolaid and think you need to compete with anyone else. Share your love for the instruments and teaching. Anybody can sell this months tubescreamer.
Health and happiness to you.
thanks for watching!
I was in church the day Gerard played that rendition of Amazing Grace. I remember him telling me he was real nervous lol. I couldn’t imagine Gerard being nervous. He was a great friend and amazing luthier and player
Thank you for sharing these great stories. I met Gerard in 2014 at a guitar show in the Seattle area. I played a couple of his guitars, and told him they sounded and felt wonderful. He was very appreciative, and told me I was a very good guitar player. Just the nicest man. I only today found out he died in 2019. He was a special man, and I'm glad I had a chance to meet him and chat with him for a few minutes.
thanks for that!
WOW I’m new to all. Purchasing a guitar but learning the soul of your Melancon is amazing and what tenure you’ve had with it. From the wood to the history of your kinship and thoughts of what you needed is so special! Love your short Amazing Grace sound. You know for sure how to make it purr and really rock! Please keep up the lessons, thoughts, knowledge … professional guitarists should SUBSCRIBE for sure. Meantime, I appreciate all too. This was truly enjoyable Shane. Thank you.
Thanks Hetti!
NICE VID COOL STORIES,,,,,BIG CHUNK OF RAW TIMBER, BESIDE THE GUITAR GREAT PICS.
Great episode man! Thanks for that! You probably don't care but I'm gonna tell you a little bit about mine...I have a Melancon Classic Artist Tele...charcoal burst....bought it in 2016...Swamp Ash and Flame Maple body....Tortoise pick-guard....Maple Neck with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard...Hard tail bridge...chrome hardware....Melancon PAFN hand wound pick-ups in neck and PAFN coil splitting in bridge...master volume and tone with 3 way mini -toggle...I love it !
sweet! Thanks for sharing
It's great to hear of the tremendous personal value of these guitars... there could be no price tag that matched that.
Great stuff for us guitar nerds. Thanks again!
as always JD
thanks for watching
Great video Shane, beautiful guitars. I’m glad you’re doing this, I miss your old podcast ✊🏼
thanks! Podcast is still going although I haven't been as frequent with it.
Hey Shane dig that 10 lbs.Melancon tele, I'm in Gatineau Qc. and we have a lot of Melancon & Theriault up here ...spelling of the name may be different but pronunciation is the same.
so cool to hear
The Seafoam Green one. Todd Rundgren has a Strat that color that he uses a lot. He's named it, "Foamy".
That was fun. Thank you.
I also have two Melancon's that are keepers. I never met the man, but speced out the first one twenty years ago. It's a P90 Artist with a Koa top and mahogany body in tobacco sunbrust front and back. It's had many pickups over the years, currently Lollar gold foils which have unique sound. The other is a T-style with flame maple top and a trem from about 2009. Currently has Lollar Imperials and best neck I've ever played, smooth mahogany. The neck is bigger than the P90 guitar, and I had thought about having Gerard duplicate it for the first guitar but never got it done. I had a maple neck, sunburst strat style of his years ago which I foolishly sold. He was not a well known builder, but those of us that own them know how good they are. I've always coveted a Cajun Gentleman but there are not many out in the wild.
What a beautiful story of your friendship with this master guitar builder and player. I really enjoyed this episode! Well done Shane!
thanks for watching!
Great sounds
thanks for listening!
I got familiar with you Shane from watching the “Daryl’s House” sessions which you and the guys did some awesome playing. Good luck with the Channel. It’s nice to hear your content.
thanks for watching!
I’ve been a fan since watching you on Daryl’s House. I'm glad to see you putting out content. I’m sure it will continue to grow!
thanks!
Love your channel...so much great info and not to mention...you are a down cat man!!
thanks for watching!
I adore the timbre & dynamics of your Melancon guitars & the way you make them sing in any genre! Such great history as well. Thanks for sharing! ❤
thanks!
Thanks a bunch for doing this Shane! Beautiful guitars. Great stories as well, man as mentioned on your last video I feel very lucky to have two excellent Melancons. They’ve been my most sturdy and reliable electrics on gigs/sessions for the past few years. I always felt that Gerard deserved more recognition for what he did. Even up here in Canada from time to time I come across people, usually at a gig who are absolutely fanatic about these guitars though.. i’ve gone through some mods on my telecaster style that Gerard built as well, but have kept my Strat pretty stock aside from a much-needed refret a couple of years ago. :-)
thanks for sharing! I'm glad he's known up in Canada that's great
Wow very cool guitars. Very cool that you made this video to highlight him as well. RIP to a great guitar builder. Now his art lives on in those who play his creations 🙏
yeah they always feel like a piece of "home"
How nice to see your Melancon guitars and hear the stories of how they came about. Quality above quantity. Excellent video!
thanks Elizabeth!
Enjoyed listening about your friend and maker!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice playing Shane as always. I can tell these are YOUR guitars. A beautiful nod to your friend and builder who had your back. 😊
i still play one until now.❤ Lately he wound the pickups himself.
yr right. i loved it. that solo up front was sickkkkkkk as!
thanks!
Love all your videos Shane . Great to see you honoring your friend and the great work that he did. A great instrument in the hands of a master , built by the hands of a master !! That’s as good as it gets !!!
Great job Shane and a very unique video! Inspiration, makes your Melancon guitars priceless to you. I get it!
Beautiful guitars and one of a kind, you can’t beat that!
thanks!
"who knew Footloose was so complicated".......your M gtrs sound great!
thanks for watching !
Great video 🎸👍 appreciate you sharing your guitars and playing with us
Nice
Thank you for sharing. 👍
You are such a great musician Shane.
thanks so much
What a great story!! Thanks for sharing
Love the storytelling. Thx, Shane
thanks for listening/watching
Always wanted one of Gerard’s guitars but never was a good enough player to justify the cost for me but he was a great person and luthier
Could you explain what you did at approx. 1:17 please. It was a wow moment for me.
hmm...maybe the harmonics thing? probably what you are talking about. it wasn't done great, you need more gain to pull that off. It's a Van Halen trick. do a trill with left hand and slide right across the string to pull out the harmonics
yeah man , NOLA's Edward Kalil is my guy. We go way back. Sorry to hear Gerard passed. Totally understand that player:builder relationship
Great video! I cherish my Cajun Gent and all the times spent shooting the breeze at his lil shop. If you’re still in nola, take that pine T to Vincent at New Orleans Guitar Company. He’ll set it up right for ya! ⚜️☮️❤️🎶
Yeah well, this is what it’s all about. Thanks Shane!
thanks for watching
Been curious about owning a melancon for years
never too late
Fell in like with you on Daryl's House, and I love your guitar videos. I'd love to hear you sing solo sometime. Thanks!
thank you
😊👍🐬🎸🔆had a feeling your house wood gtr would be 10+ lbs.
haha yep. That's why all those houses in NOLA are still standing, you can't get wood like that anymore.
You are from Thibodeaux! Wow
well i was born there, never lived there though. out of all the places I've lived in my life (there's a lot) I've spent the most time in New orleans 25+ years.
I think I played that guitar in the shop lol
I'm sitting here shimming the neck on my Pro Artist as I watch. I love my Melancon but could never get the action just right all across the board. Hopefully this does the trick. It's the last thing I can think of.
good luck with it
I REMEMBER YOU ,WATCHING THE CLIPS FROM DARRELS HOUSE,YOU HAD THE GREEN STRAT,I HAVE 96 MIM ANNIVERSARY STRAT,I WOULD NEVER PART WITH IT,OK BUD
As far as the neck goes, most likely just needs the truss rod adjusted. Any luthier should be able to do it really easy. Strange guitarworks is the highest rated luthier in the New Orleans area with almost 100% 5 stars. The reviews say they’re knowledgeable and reasonable prices - so that’s always good. Good luck!!
these guitars are all in Los Angeles now. For years I struggled to find anyone good that could work on guitars in NOLA when I was living full time there. It was slim pickins haha. good to know.
@@TheRiotguitaroh ok, gotcha! It’s never when you need it, right? lol in LA on San Fernando Rd I’ve heard Nomadic guitar repairs is good. Lots of good reviews for them too
Be careful saying you would never sell your guitars, I speak from experience that nobody is beyond the reach of a terrible divorce. I’ve had to sell guitars and amplifiers that were important to me, however through the passing of time I’ve been able to rebuild. All the best!🎸🇺🇸
I won't sell any of my guitars because they're not worth anything. 😁😎🤓 I own 4 Asian beauties and I love them.
i like asian beauties too
Yeah, me too❣️
I thought you sold that.
haha
8:32....8:42..... ! Only for Adults !
haha good ears
@@TheRiotguitar Great song ! 🙂