Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad used a 1967 Messenger guitar on the early Grand Funk albums. Messenger guitars were built in Astoria, Oregon in 1967 and 1968 by the San Francisco-based Musicraft, Inc, and were the first to feature a magnesium-aluminum alloy neck.
The guitars also featured stereo output and a built-in fuzztone circuit known as the “Tone Messer.” Farner used the “Tone Messer” circuit often on solos. He gave the Messenger a psychedelic paint job and would stuff the hollow body with foam rubber and tape over the sound holes with tape to control feedback.
1967 Messenger - Custom Paint
Mark was a madman. I wish his thinking evolved more with his experience, but his heart has always been in the right place. E Pluribus Funk helped inform my early childhood. Thank you, Mark.
ReplyDelete