Rockstars might come across as being so effortlessly cool they’re not even worried about what they might look like, but as the story of Don Felder receiving his now-iconic double neck guitar goes to show, they sometimes worry about it a little bit. In hindsight, his response to the guitar is even more laughable, considering how famous the instrument has become.
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But back in the 1970s, Felder had one thought: is this too girly?
Don Felder Responds To Double Neck Guitar Pick
The Eagles are, for all intents and purposes, a guitarist band. With three guitars, one bass guitar, and a drummer who also plays guitar, the band was in no short supply of axes in the studio or on the stage. The former locale allowed the band to experiment with layering, harmony, and experimentation with different guitar makes and models. Sure, that made for some incredible records. But it also made it difficult to recreate their album sound during a live show. This was especially true of “Hotel California.”
Guitarist Don Felder utilized around 15 guitars in the studio while the band cut their signature track. When the time came to translate that song into their live show, Felder asked a guitar tech to go to the store and find a double neck guitar so that he could recreate a similar sound without physically switching guitars. Felder’s tech came back with a Gibson EDS-1275 in a crisp white finish with black pickguards and silver hardware.
In an interview with KSHE 95, Felder recalled asking his guitar tech, “Why did you get a white one? Why didn’t you get a black one or a red one? Why so girly looking?” Felder said the tech responded, “That’s all they had.” Looking back on it now, Felder’s response is almost comical. Considering a white guitar to be “girly” gives off the same boyish energy as Tom Petty telling Stevie Nicks there would never be girls in the Heartbreakers. All these rockstars are missing is a “no girlz allowed” sign hung on their studio door.
Girly colors or not, Felder certainly turned the double neck Gibson into an integral part of the Eagles’ live performances of “Hotel California.”
The Inspiration Behind The Eagles Guitarist’s Stage Set Up
Having a double neck guitar meant that Don Felder could perform the jangly, shimmery “Hotel California” intro on the 12-string before switching to the grittier, beefier six-string for the rest of the song. The Gibson eliminated the need to physically switch guitars on stage, which would be more of a logistical hassle than wearing two instruments at once. Chet Atkins, guitar legend known for his ability to play bass and treble parts at the same time á la a ragtime piano player, was the driving inspiration behind Felder’s stage setup.
When Felder was a child, he had a pivotal musical moment watching Atkins play his guitar in stereo on stage. Using two pickups coming out of the same guitar, Atkins was able to wire his bass strings to one side of the stage and his treble strings to another. Felder implemented a similar technique with his double neck, drilling another output into the guitar body. His 12-string guitar would run to an Echoplex and a Leslie. When he flipped a switch, the signal from the 6-string would go to a pedal board into a Fender Deluxe.
The end result was highly effective. It became a regular part of the Eagles show and never once gave off the impression that Felder was playing a “girly” guitar. (That is, if we’re to assume that’s something to avoid in the first place. But that’s a different conversation altogether.)
Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images
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