Steve Vai said he “comes closer than anyone else to being the best guitar player that ever lived.”
Les Paul said: “The higher you get, the thinner the air, and the better you get, the farther out you go. When you go out there, boy, the air is thin. So then you’re a musician’s musician and that’s where Danny was going. He played it almost too well.”
Amos Garrett called him “The Humbler” for his ability to defeat other guitarists in head-cutting jam sessions. Gatton’s response: “The biggest humbler to me, of all time, would be Lenny Breau. He was the best I have ever seen.”
He was the world’s greatest unknown guitarist — the second person after Roy Buchanan to earn that specific title in the same city, in the same bar circuit, on the same kind of Telecaster. Both men grew up around Washington D.C. Both men played battered 1953 Telecasters. Both men preferred local gigs to major label contracts. Both men died by their own hand before they turned fifty.
He handed his Telecaster to a twelve-year-old Joe Bonamassa at a 1989 gig. Bonamassa made the most of it.
He traded his 1953 Telecaster for a 1936 Ford Coupe because he loved vintage cars as much as he loved vintage guitars. He played a beer bottle for slide — Heineken preferred, but any brand would do. He built the “Magic Dingus” — a remote effects controller mounted on a steel plate on the face of his guitar — because he liked to tinker and because it sounded extraordinary. He was a sheet metal worker when he wasn’t playing guitar, and he applied the same mechanical precision to both.
Guitar World named Unfinished Business the tenth best album of the 1980s. It was his album after nine years of silence. It sounded like nothing else made in the 1980s.
He died October 4, 1994. He was 49 years old.
Background: Washington D.C., Sheet Metal, Cars, and the Guitar That Humbled Everyone
Danny Gatton was born September 9, 1945, in Washington D.C. — the same metropolitan area where Roy Buchanan would build his career, the same bar circuit where both men would become legends to musicians and unknowns to the general public. His father was a guitarist who had played in dance bands; his mother Norma was a country music fan. A guitar entered his life at nine years old when the family moved to the suburb of Anacostia.
He was obsessive from the beginning. Vintage Guitar magazine quoted him: “I was always obsessed with learning everything — rhythm and blues, and country, and rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll, and jazz.” His live shows incorporated what he called “imitation time” — segments where he would play authentically in the styles of Link Wray, Scotty Moore, Les Paul, and whoever else the moment called for. The genre-hopping was not dilettantism; it was genuinely mastered territory in each direction.
His other obsession was vintage cars and mechanical engineering. His father insisted he get a practical trade, knowing how unstable the music business was. Gatton learned sheet metal work — precision fabrication of metal components — and applied that precision to his guitars with the same attention he gave his music. He worked sheet metal alongside his father while playing six nights a week and jam sessions on weekends. “I played six nights a week and jam sessions on the weekends and still had to get up and do sheet metal work every day, and cut my hands up.”
His early career featured sideman and session work — touring with Roger Miller (of “King of the Road” fame) and Robert Gordon, playing sessions for an array of artists. The Redneck Jazz Explosion — his touring band with pedal steel master Buddy Emmons — produced the 1978 album Redneck Jazz, which combined country, jazz, blues, and rockabilly in the specific synthesis that defined his sound. Lowell George heard it and made the case to Warner Brothers. The label’s board voted against it by one vote.
His 1987 album Unfinished Business, released nine years after Redneck Jazz, was named the tenth best album of the 1980s by Guitar World. The 1989 Guitar Player cover story called him “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist.” His 1991 Elektra album 88 Elmira Street — his first major label release — included a cover of the Simpsons theme that became something of a signature piece demonstrating his range and humor.
He turned down touring opportunities with John Fogerty, Mel Tillis, and Woody Herman to stay home with his wife Jan and daughter Holly. He preferred the local Maryland and D.C. bar scene. He was, as Vintage Guitar described, “a marketable commodity who couldn’t stand to be marketed.”
He died October 4, 1994, by self-inflicted gunshot wound at his farm in Newburg, Maryland. He was 49.
Tone note: He said he had “no direction and never will. If I had to play a whole night of anything, I’d be bored to death.” This is the complete artistic manifesto — not as a statement of freedom but as a statement of compulsion. He couldn’t play one genre for a whole night the way some people can’t eat the same food twice in a row. The genre-hopping wasn’t style; it was personality. The personality was the music.
The Rig: Danny Gatton’s Guitars, Amps & Gear
Guitars: The 1953 Telecaster He Tinkered With, and the Car He Traded It For
1953 Fender Telecaster — The Primary Instrument
Danny Gatton’s primary guitar — the instrument most associated with his name and his sound — was a 1953 Fender Telecaster purchased from Zavarella’s Music in Arlington, Virginia in 1974 on monthly installments supervised by his wife Jan. Joe Barden confirmed that Gatton’s move to the Telecaster was inspired by Roy Buchanan — the same year (1974) that Buchanan was deepest into his Vibrolux-maxed-Telecaster period.
Until the Telecaster, Gatton had been primarily a Gibson player. His explanation for abandoning Gibsons is characteristically direct: Les Paul? “Too many volume knobs, too many tone knobs, too much crap — plus you can’t bend the strings behind the nut.” The Strat? “No — the middle pickup gets in the way.” The Telecaster’s simplicity — two pickups, one volume, one tone — was the attraction. Nothing in the way.
He then proceeded to add things to the Telecaster.
The modifications to his 1953 Telecaster accumulated over decades and eventually included:
- Joe Barden pickups: Custom wound by close friend Joe Barden — blade-style humbucking pickups that cancelled noise while maintaining the Telecaster’s essential character. Barden’s pickups were wound specifically to Gatton’s preferences, with more output than vintage Telecaster pickups but the same fundamental tonal character
- Cubic zirconia side markers: Reflective cubic zirconia stones set into the side of the guitar’s neck at each fret position — so he could find the right frets on a darkened stage. This is the most distinctive Gatton-specific modification and appears on all versions of his signature models
- Stainless steel bridge: Custom fabricated by his machinist’s hands (or those of collaborators); enhanced sustain and intonation over the standard Telecaster bridge
- Heavily knurled control knobs: Larger, more coarsely knurled than stock — designed for the specific volume-swell and tone-control-wah techniques that required precise, reliable knob control during performance. The knurling provided grip; the size provided ease of access while playing
- CRL switch with bent tip: The pickup selector switch tip was physically bent over to create more space between the switch and the volume knob — preventing accidental volume changes when switching pickups during performance
- .05 capacitor: The tone circuit capacitor was upgraded to enhance the tone-control frequency sweep for the wah effect
- 1 meg tone pot (instead of standard 250K): The higher-resistance tone pot produces a different, wider frequency sweep — particularly important for the tone-control wah technique
- The Magic Dingus plate: A steel plate affixed to the face of the guitar from the bridge/pickup area to the end of the body, upon which a remote effects controller (the Magic Dingus) could be mounted. The pickup switch had been bent down and the original knob replaced with “some sort of green monster-like toy.” After Gatton was criticized for relying too heavily on effects, he removed the Dingus but kept the plate — which became a permanent visual element of the guitar
The guitar also had a notable sentimental feature: Roger Miller’s signature was carved into the top of the guitar’s body, subsequently covered by the Magic Dingus steel plate.
Eventually, Gatton traded the 1953 Telecaster for a 1936 Ford Coupe that he wanted to restore. The guitar trade for a car is either the most beautiful or the most heartbreaking gear story in this series depending on your priorities. The 1953 Telecaster subsequently went to Gatton’s wife and daughter. Mike Stevens of Fender’s Custom Shop built Danny a new Telecaster based on his 1953 model — numbered DG00001, with early-model Joe Barden pickups — which his brother subsequently finished in Ditzler Sunshine Yellow over a gold base to recreate the look of Gatton’s ES-295.
Tone note: He traded his 1953 Telecaster for a 1936 Ford Coupe. The car won. This is the only documented case in this series of a primary career guitar being traded for a car, and it tells you everything about Gatton’s relationship to objects — he loved them for what they were, not for what they represented. The car needed restoring. He wanted to restore it. The Telecaster was a tool; the car was a project. Both were expressions of the same mechanical passion.
The “Magic Dingus” — The Remote Effects Controller
The Magic Dingus deserves its own section because it is simultaneously a gear innovation and a biographical statement. Gatton idolized Les Paul — specifically Les Paul’s Paulverizer, the custom remote effects switching system that Paul used to control reverb, tremolo, and other effects from the guitar itself. The Magic Dingus was Gatton’s version: a remote switching mechanism mounted on the steel plate on the face of his guitar — first a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom, then his ’53 Tele — used to control a Maestro Echoplex and a Leslie rotating speaker.
The Dingus allowed Gatton to switch effects on and off without reaching for floor pedals during performance — keeping him mobile and keeping his attention on the music rather than his feet. The Leslie rotating speaker produced the swirling, organic modulation that Gatton used for the Hammond B3 organ simulation that Louder documented: “He could also authentically nail the sound of a Hammond B3 organ by using his Telecaster’s tone control and the vibrato on an old Fender Super Reverb amplifier.”
After criticism that he was relying too heavily on effects, Gatton removed the Dingus but kept the steel plate — which remained a permanent feature of the guitar, covering Roger Miller’s signature.
Earlier Gibson Instruments
Before the Telecaster period, Gatton played Gibson guitars:
- 1956 Gibson ES-350: “Purchased for him by his father for $375 (Danny Senior was not amused).” His first significant guitar, hot-rodded from the beginning: Gatton was a tinkerer who was fascinated by how things worked and began modifying this ES-350 early in his career
- 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom (three pickups): The guitar on which the Magic Dingus was originally mounted; a three-pickup Les Paul that Gatton used before making the Telecaster transition
Other Instruments
- Gibson ES-295: The Unique Guitar Blog noted Gatton “occasionally played a Gibson ES-295, that also was new when he bought it” — the same model Scotty Moore played on the first Elvis Sun recordings
- Beer bottle / Heineken bottle (slide): His preferred slide instrument. Equipboard confirmed: “One trick he kept to himself was his habit of using a beer bottle to play slide: ‘Heineken for preference, but any brand will do…'” The beer bottle’s specific size, weight, and glass character produce a different slide tone than standard glass or metal slides
- Gibson J-200 acoustic: Used in the 1994 Strictly Rhythm Guitar video for demonstrating rhythm guitar backup
- Black and white pearloid Telecaster: Also used in the Strictly Rhythm Guitar video
Fender Danny Gatton Signature Telecaster
Fender produced a Danny Gatton Signature Telecaster based on his modified ’53 — featuring: swamp ash body; specially shaped maple neck with custom ’50s “U” profile; 22 frets; cubic zirconia side position markers (the unique Gatton identifier); dual Bill Lawrence-designed pickups; custom tone circuit (.05 capacitor for the wah effect); bent CRL switch tip; heavily knurled control knobs.
Complete Guitar List
- 1956 Gibson ES-350 — First significant guitar; father-purchased; immediately modified
- 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom (three pickups) — Gibson pre-Telecaster primary; Magic Dingus originally mounted here
- Gibson ES-295 — Occasional use alongside Telecaster work
- 1953 Fender Telecaster (from Zavarella’s Music, Arlington, VA, 1974) — Primary instrument through career; extensively modified (Joe Barden pickups, cubic zirconia markers, stainless steel bridge, Magic Dingus plate, bent switch tip, 1-meg tone pot, .05 capacitor, heavily knurled knobs); Roger Miller signature carved into body under Dingus plate; traded for 1936 Ford Coupe; subsequently replaced by Fender Custom Shop DG00001
- Fender Custom Shop Telecaster DG00001 (Mike Stevens) — Built to replace the ’53 after the car trade; Ditzler Sunshine Yellow finish; early Joe Barden pickups
- Fender Danny Gatton Signature Telecaster — Production model; swamp ash body; ’50s U-neck; cubic zirconia markers; Bill Lawrence-designed pickups; custom tone circuit
- Gibson J-200 acoustic — Used in Strictly Rhythm Guitar video
- Black and white pearloid Telecaster — Also in Strictly Rhythm Guitar video
- Beer bottle / Heineken bottle — Slide instrument; Heineken preferred
Amps: Fender Vintage, Upgraded and Hot-Rodded
The Core Fender Collection
Gatton was a committed Fender amplifier player throughout his career. The liner notes for 88 Elmira St. confirm the range: the liner notes for 88 Elmira St. cite a slew of tweed and blackface Fender beauties, including a ’63 Vibrolux and Super Reverb, a ’58 Twin, ’64 Deluxe, and a ’58 Bassman, many of which had been beefed up with bigger transformers.
The “beefed up with bigger transformers” detail is significant: Gatton’s mechanical skills and tinkering instinct were applied to amplifiers as much as to guitars. Larger output transformers change an amplifier’s power response, headroom, and tonal character — specifically allowing the amp to be pushed harder without collapsing into muddy distortion. This is the same approach that Duane Eddy applied to his Magnatone (increasing output from 65 to 100 watts).
Tom Principato described Gatton’s most basic rig: “an old Telecaster, an old, beat-up four-ten Bassman and an Echoplex and he got every sound in the world out of it.” The simplicity of this description is deceptive — the Echoplex is doing important signal-chain work, and the Bassman’s specific character is essential — but the fundamental truth stands: his technique produced more tonal range from modest equipment than most guitarists achieve from elaborate setups.
The Fender Super Reverb’s built-in vibrato was used specifically for the Hammond B3 organ simulation: his Telecaster’s tone control, swept while playing through the Super Reverb’s vibrato, produced an approximation of the Hammond’s distinctive modulated tone. This is the same tone-control technique Roy Buchanan used for wah effects, applied to a more specific sonic goal — and using the amp’s built-in vibrato as a second modulation element layered over the tone control sweep.
Three Modified Fender Vibrolux Amps
The Unique Guitar Blog confirmed: “As far as amplifiers, Gatton was a Fender player. He used two ’50s Twin amps, a blackface Super Reverb and three modified Fender Vibrolux amps.” Three modified Vibrolux amplifiers — the same model Roy Buchanan used at maximum — confirms both the specific Fender Vibrolux’s appropriateness for the Telecaster approach they both developed, and Gatton’s typical approach of owning multiple modified versions of his preferred equipment.
| Amp | Context | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fender Bassman 4×10 (vintage) | Early setup confirmed by Tom Principato | “An old, beat-up four-ten Bassman and an Echoplex and he got every sound in the world out of it” |
| Fender Vibrolux ×3 (modified) | Primary amps through most of career | Three Vibrolux units, modified; the same model as Buchanan’s primary amp; “beefed up with bigger transformers” |
| Fender Twin ×2 (1950s tweed) | Available in amp collection | Two tweed Twins; high-headroom clean platform; modified transformers |
| Fender Super Reverb (blackface, ’63) | Recording and specific performance contexts | Used for Hammond B3 simulation (tone control + Super Reverb vibrato); 88 Elmira St. liner notes |
| Fender ’64 Deluxe, ’58 Bassman (in collection) | Studio and available for specific sounds | Multiple Fender amps available for different recording and performance contexts; all modified |
Pedals & Signal Chain: The Magic Dingus and Its Legacy
The Magic Dingus System — The Echoplex and Leslie Controller
The Magic Dingus was a remote switching mechanism mounted on the guitar that controlled a Maestro Echoplex and a Leslie rotating speaker. Later modified and eventually removed from the guitar itself (but the steel plate remained), the Dingus allowed real-time effects switching without floor pedals during performance.
The Echoplex’s function: slap-back echo and tape-saturation for the warm lead tone characteristic of his recordings. The Leslie: the rotating speaker’s Doppler effect produced the swirling, organic modulation for the B3 simulation and for specific psychedelic passages in his performances.
Post-Dingus Signal Chain
After removing the Dingus following criticism about over-reliance on effects, Gatton simplified: “the only effect Gatton relied on was an old Echoplex or a Chandler digital echo unit.”
- Maestro Echoplex — Tape echo; warm, saturated echo character with the tube preamp circuit that adds warmth to the signal (same Echoplex function documented in Scotty Moore and Carl Perkins sections)
- Chandler digital echo unit — Digital delay alternative to the Echoplex; cleaner repetitions
No wah pedal — the guitar’s tone control handled wah effects. No volume pedal — the guitar’s heavily knurled volume knob handled volume swells. No distortion pedal — the amp’s natural saturation handled overdrive. The instrument’s controls and the amp’s character did the signal-chain work that other guitarists delegated to pedals.
Tone note: He removed the Magic Dingus after criticism that he was relying too heavily on effects. The remaining signal chain — Telecaster, Echoplex, Fender Vibrolux — “got every sound in the world out of it.” The simplification forced by criticism produced the clearest documentation of his actual essential gear. Sometimes external pressure forces a reveal of what was always most important.
Strings, Picks & Setup
Strings: Fender Super 250L strings — Nickel Plated Steel, .010 to .046, with a .015 for the G string. The .015 plain G string (instead of the wound G that some players use) produces a different tonal character on that string — lighter feel, different attack, more consistent with the other unwound strings tonally. This is a specific choice rather than using whatever came in the package.
The Humbler replica documentation confirmed the string gauge: “10-.46 guitar strings” with the specific .015 G string noted.
Picks: Fender model “358” heavy gauge white guitar pick — a specific pick with known attributes. The heavy gauge produces a consistent, firm attack for his chicken-pickin’-derived technique. The Humbler replica documentation confirmed: “I’ve also included a vintage (super rare!) Fender model ‘358’ heavy gauge white guitar pick — Just like Danny used!”
The cubic zirconia side markers: Not a tonal modification but an illumination solution — he embedded cubic zirconia stones in the side of the guitar neck at each fret position so the stones would reflect any available light, allowing him to find fret positions on completely dark stages without looking at the front of the neck. This is a practical modification reflecting the real-world challenges of playing in poorly lit clubs. The signature model features confirmed: “Zirconium position markers so that you can see them when there’s no overhead lighting.”
The beer bottle for slide: A Heineken bottle, or any brand. Gatton’s slide playing used a beer bottle rather than a conventional glass or metal slide — the bottle’s weight, diameter, and glass character producing a specific slide tone different from standard slide materials. The bottle was “one trick he kept to himself” — not a publicized signature technique but a personal preference revealed in interviews and documentation.
Tone pot specification: 1 meg (versus standard 250K) — the higher-resistance tone pot provides a wider, more sweepable frequency range, making the tone-control wah technique more effective. Combined with the .05 capacitor, the tone circuit is specifically optimised for the wah sweep technique rather than for conventional use as a high-frequency roll-off control.
Tone note: Cubic zirconia fret markers so he could see in the dark. A beer bottle for slide. A 1-meg tone pot for a better wah sweep. Each modification is the solution to a specific practical problem. The machine-shop precision that he brought to sheet metal work was applied directly to his guitars — not to make them look impressive, but to make them function better in the specific performance context he occupied.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy: The Whitman Sampler
John Previti, who played bass with Gatton for eighteen years, described his playing with the most accurate metaphor available: “He called himself a Whitman sampler of music. You know, when he played country music, it sounded like all he played was country music. When he played jazz, it sounded like that’s all he played, rockabilly, old rock and roll, soul music.”
The Whitman sampler — a box of assorted chocolates where each piece is a completely different flavor — is the right image. Gatton didn’t play jazz-flavoured country or country-influenced jazz. He played each genre authentically, from the inside, with the full technical and emotional commitment of someone who had absorbed each tradition completely. Then he moved to the next one. Sometimes in the same bar.
The Technical Range
Guitar.com’s summary: “Blues, jazz, country, rockabilly – Danny Gatton mixed all these together, sometimes in the space of a single bar.” The Louder article captured the challenge this posed: the opening of Dan Forte’s Guitar Player exposé demanded: “Imagine your all-time favourite mainstream jazz guitarist trying to perform a credible Johnny B Goode. How about your number-one classic blues artist trying to tackle Orange Blossom Special? Here’s a good one: your typical heavy-metal superstar stumbling through the changes of a jazz standard like Cherokee.” Gatton could do all three. In the same set. At bar-circuit prices.
He could slip his guitar into an alternative tuning as he played — mid-song, without stopping, retuning to a different key or configuration while the band continued. This skill — immediate ear-directed tuning under performance pressure — reflects decades of the “imitation time” segments where he had to execute different guitarists’ styles instantly.
He could authentically nail the sound of a Hammond B3 organ using only his Telecaster’s tone control and the vibrato on an old Fender Super Reverb. No keyboard, no organ, no additional equipment — just the specific combined manipulation of two available controls to produce the specific frequency sweep and modulation of a completely different instrument.
Tone note: “He played it almost too well.” Les Paul said that. Les Paul — who invented the solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording, who played with Django Reinhardt, who was the technical innovator that all subsequent players built on — said Danny Gatton played it almost too well. That qualifier — “almost too well” — captures the specific problem of transcendent technique: when the playing exceeds what audiences can comfortably receive, it becomes isolating rather than connecting. Gatton played at a level that made other guitarists want to quit. That’s not the most commercially effective outcome.
The Tinkerer’s Approach to Tone
Gatton’s approach to tone was the approach of a machinist — systematic problem-solving, precise modification, the conviction that any deficiency could be corrected if you understood what caused it. The cubic zirconia markers solved the dark-stage problem. The 1-meg tone pot solved the limited wah-sweep problem. The Joe Barden pickups solved the noise-floor problem while maintaining Telecaster character. The beer bottle solved whatever problem conventional slides created for his specific slide approach.
This engineering philosophy was inseparable from his approach to playing. He understood, at a mechanical level, what his equipment was doing — which frequencies were being emphasised, which circuits were affecting the signal, what the physical properties of different materials produced when they contacted the strings. The tinkerer and the musician were the same person.
The Roy Buchanan Debt and Distinction
Vintage Guitar confirmed that Buchanan was the catalyst for Gatton’s Telecaster adoption. Both men played 1953 Telecasters; both worked the same D.C. bar circuit; both preferred the local scene to major-label opportunities; both died by their own hands before fifty.
But their playing was entirely distinct. Buchanan’s approach was maximum voltage — amp at full, the technique controlling everything from the guitar. Gatton’s approach was maximum flexibility — technique and modified electronics together producing a wider range of sounds from the same fundamental setup. Buchanan was the raw material; Gatton was the engineer’s refinement of it.
A rumor surfaced that Buchanan and Gatton were in competition — frequent jamming partners who were each other’s primary challengers in the head-cutting tradition. Buchanan was five years older and had more experience when they began playing together in the late 1960s. By the time Gatton reached full maturity in the 1970s and 1980s, the competition would have been genuinely extraordinary to witness.
How to Sound Like Danny Gatton: The Tele Master’s Tone
Gatton’s tone is more approachable than his technique suggests — the Telecaster setup is straightforward, the amp requirements are achievable with vintage or boutique Fender amplifiers, and the effects chain is genuinely minimal. The technique is the impossible part.
The Guitar
Fender Telecaster with Joe Barden or equivalent high-quality pickups. The specific modifications (cubic zirconia markers, 1-meg tone pot, .05 capacitor, heavily knurled knobs, bent switch tip) are replicable and specifically engineered for his technique.
- Fender Danny Gatton Signature Telecaster — The production model with his specific modifications; most authentic available option
- Any Telecaster with Joe Barden or similar high-output hum-cancelling pickups — The pickup character is the most sonically important modification
- Modify a standard Telecaster: Add cubic zirconia side markers (practical on dark stages); upgrade tone pot to 1 meg; upgrade capacitor to .05; bend the switch tip down; install heavily knurled knobs. These are all achievable modifications
The Amps
Fender vintage or Fender-voiced boutique amplifiers. The Vibrolux or Super Reverb character is the authentic choice.
| Control | Setting | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 6–8 (natural tube saturation approaching) | High enough for dynamic response from the guitar’s volume control; not so high that the guitar volume at zero doesn’t clean up |
| Treble | 5–7 | Bright enough for Telecaster clarity; adjust by context (jazz = less treble, rockabilly = more) |
| Middle | 5–6 | Moderate; the Telecaster bridge pickup has natural mid presence |
| Bass | 4–5 | Controlled; the Telecaster’s specific low-end character doesn’t need boost |
| Vibrato/Tremolo (Super Reverb) | Moderate rate when used for B3 simulation | Combine with tone control sweep for the Hammond organ effect; off for most playing |
The Essential Effect — The Echoplex
Maestro Echoplex for the authentic slap-back and warm saturation. Boss DM-2W or Strymon El Capistan as modern alternatives. Set for slap-back (80-120ms, one repeat) or longer delay when the song requires it.
Budget vs Authentic
Budget:
- Guitar: Fender Player Telecaster; upgrade tone pot to 1 meg; upgrade capacitor to .05; bent switch tip
- Amp: Fender Blues Junior or Blues DeVille (clean, natural tube saturation)
- Effect: Boss DM-2W at slapback settings
- Strings: Fender Super 250L .010–.046 with .015 G string
- Pick: Heavy gauge pick
Authentic:
- Guitar: Fender Danny Gatton Signature Telecaster or heavily modified 1950s Telecaster with Joe Barden pickups
- Amp: Vintage Fender Vibrolux or Super Reverb (with transformer upgrades)
- Effect: Maestro Echoplex EP-3 or Strymon El Capistan
The Techniques
The volume swell: with the picking hand’s pinkie on the guitar’s heavily knurled volume knob, roll from zero to full after picking the note. The note bows in. Practice the coordination until it’s automatic.
The tone-control wah: with the picking hand’s ring finger on the tone knob (or a separate control arm if your setup allows), sweep from zero to ten and back while playing. With the 1-meg pot and .05 capacitor, the frequency sweep is wide enough to sound convincingly like a wah pedal.
The B3 simulation: engage the Super Reverb’s vibrato at moderate rate and depth. While playing, sweep the tone control. The combination of the amp’s pitch modulation and the tone control’s filter sweep produces the specific quality of a Hammond B3’s rotating speaker. This requires the right amp — specifically the Super Reverb’s particular vibrato character.
The genre-hopping: learn jazz voicings alongside country chicken pickin’ alongside rockabilly double-stops alongside blues bends. Not superficially — in depth. This is the work of decades. Start with the genres you already know and add one more completely, at a time.
Influence & Legacy: The Humbler’s Lasting Shadow
Danny Gatton’s influence is the influence of a musician’s musician — the player who inspired other players rather than the general audience, the guitarist whose name appears in the acknowledgments of other guitarists’ interviews but rarely in mainstream coverage.
Wikipedia’s list of confirmed admirers: Buckethead, Joe Bonamassa, Lenny Breau, James Burton, Vince Gill, Johnny Hiland, Albert Lee, Les Paul, Arlen Roth, Richie Sambora, Ricky Skaggs, Slash, Lou Reed, Trey Anastasio, Steve Vai, Chris Isaak, Albert Lee.
Steve Vai: “comes closer than anyone else to being the best guitar player that ever lived.” Albert Lee: “Here’s a guy who’s got it all.” Les Paul: “He played it almost too well.”
Joe Bonamassa received his Telecaster at age twelve at a 1989 gig. The YouTube video of that moment has hundreds of comments from people who immediately recognize the significance of a twelve-year-old Bonamassa getting a few minutes on Gatton’s guitar. The moment is visible. The influence is traceable.
The three-night tribute at Tramps nightclub in New York in January 1995 — organized immediately after his death — raised $25,000 for his wife and daughter through performances by Les Paul, James Burton, Arlen Roth, and Albert Lee, all performing for free. That is the measure of how other professional guitarists valued him.
Guitar World named Unfinished Business the tenth best album of the 1980s. It was his album after nine years of silence. Gibson.com ranked him the 27th best guitarist of all time in 2010. Rolling Stone’s 2003 poll placed him 63rd on David Fricke’s personal ballot — a poll in which the senior editor admitted his rankings were personal.
He never got the recognition his playing deserved. He didn’t pursue the recognition. Both things are true. The combination is the tragedy.
Tone note: He handed his Telecaster to a twelve-year-old Joe Bonamassa. He turned down John Fogerty and Mel Tillis to stay home. He traded his ’53 Telecaster for a 1936 Ford. He played Heineken bottles for slide. He had Roger Miller’s signature under a steel plate on his guitar. He embedded cubic zirconia in his frets so he could find his way on dark stages. Every detail of his gear is a specific, practical solution to a specific, real problem. The genius and the engineer were the same person, all the way to the end.
At a garage in Newburg, Maryland, on October 4, 1994, Danny Gatton died.
He had been the Humbler — the guitarist who made other guitarists want to quit or practice more, depending on their character. Steve Vai said he came closer than anyone else to being the best guitar player that ever lived. Les Paul said he played almost too well. He handed his Telecaster to twelve-year-old Joe Bonamassa at a gig in 1989.
The guitar he mostly played was a 1953 Telecaster with cubic zirconia fret markers so he could see on dark stages, Joe Barden pickups wound by his close friend, a 1-meg tone pot for better wah sweeps, and Roger Miller’s signature carved into the body under a steel plate. He traded it for a 1936 Ford Coupe.
He was 49. He had no direction and never would. If he’d had to play a whole night of anything, he would have been bored to death.
The Telecaster found its way back to his family. The car was restored. The music is what’s left.
If Danny Gatton’s Telecaster mastery — the modifications, the Echoplex, the technique that made other guitarists want to quit — has you exploring the Washington D.C. guitar tradition he and Roy Buchanan built, check out our complete guide to Roy Buchanan’s guitars and gear — the guitarist who inspired Gatton’s switch to Telecaster and who preceded him in both the title “World’s Greatest Unknown Guitarist” and the tragic ending.
And for the twelve-year-old who played Gatton’s Telecaster at that 1989 gig and grew up to collect nine 1959 Les Paul Sunbursts, don’t miss our breakdown of Joe Bonamassa’s complete gear guide.
FAQ: Danny Gatton Guitars & Gear
- What guitar did Danny Gatton play?
- His primary instrument was a 1953 Fender Telecaster purchased from Zavarella’s Music in Arlington, Virginia in 1974, heavily modified over the years: Joe Barden custom pickups (blade-style humbuckers preserving Telecaster character), cubic zirconia side markers (so he could find frets on dark stages), stainless steel bridge, 1-meg tone pot (for wider tone-control wah sweep), .05 capacitor, heavily knurled control knobs (for volume swells and tone-wah technique), and a bent CRL switch tip (preventing accidental volume changes when switching pickups). Roger Miller’s signature was carved into the guitar’s body, covered by the “Magic Dingus” steel plate. He eventually traded this guitar for a 1936 Ford Coupe.
- What was the “Magic Dingus”?
- The Magic Dingus was a remote effects controller — a switching mechanism mounted on a steel plate affixed to the face of Gatton’s guitar — that controlled a Maestro Echoplex and a Leslie rotating speaker. It was Gatton’s version of Les Paul’s Paulverizer, allowing him to switch effects on and off without floor pedals during performance. The pickup switch had been bent down and replaced with a green monster toy knob. After criticism that he was relying too heavily on effects, Gatton removed the Dingus but kept the steel plate permanently. Subsequent to removal, his effects chain simplified to just an Echoplex or Chandler digital delay.
- Why did Danny Gatton trade his 1953 Telecaster for a car?
- Because he loved vintage cars as much as he loved vintage guitars — arguably more. He traded the ’53 Telecaster for a 1936 Ford Coupe that he wanted to restore. His passion for vintage cars and mechanical engineering ran parallel to his music; he was a sheet metal worker who could as easily be found with his head under a car bonnet as playing guitar. Mike Stevens at Fender’s Custom Shop subsequently built him a replacement Telecaster (DG00001) based on the ’53’s specifications, which his brother finished in Ditzler Sunshine Yellow over gold to recreate the look of his earlier ES-295.
- What amps did Danny Gatton use?
- He was a committed Fender player. His primary setup included three modified Fender Vibrolux amplifiers (all modified with bigger transformers), two 1950s tweed Fender Twins, a blackface Fender Super Reverb, and a Fender ’64 Deluxe and ’58 Bassman. Tom Principato described his most basic rig as “an old Telecaster, an old, beat-up four-ten Bassman and an Echoplex and he got every sound in the world out of it.” The Super Reverb was specifically used for Hammond B3 organ simulation — combining the amp’s built-in vibrato with Gatton’s tone-control sweep to produce the modulated sound of a rotating speaker.
- What was Danny Gatton’s connection to Roy Buchanan?
- Both were Washington D.C. area guitarists who played battered 1953 Telecasters, preferred local bars to major label opportunities, and were known as the “world’s greatest unknown guitarist.” Joe Barden confirmed that Gatton’s switch from Gibson to Telecaster was inspired by Buchanan, his jamming partner and mentor. Buchanan was five years older and already established in the local scene when Gatton began absorbing his approach. Both men adopted the tone-control wah and volume-swell techniques from the guitar’s own controls rather than external pedals. Both died by their own hands before age 50.
- What strings and picks did Danny Gatton use?
- Fender Super 250L strings — Nickel Plated Steel, .010 to .046, with a .015 for the G string (a plain G string rather than wound). For picks: Fender model “358” heavy gauge white guitar pick — confirmed in the Humbler replica documentation as “just like Danny used.” He was also known to use a beer bottle (Heineken preferred, but any brand would do) as a slide instrument — one technique he “kept to himself” rather than publicizing.
- How do I get Danny Gatton’s guitar tone?
- Fender Telecaster with hum-cancelling high-output pickups (Joe Barden or equivalent), 1-meg tone pot (for wide wah sweep), .05 capacitor, and heavily knurled knobs for volume control during playing. Into a Fender Vibrolux or Super Reverb at working volume (natural tube saturation). Maestro Echoplex or Boss DM-2W for slap-back echo. No other effects pedals. Control dynamics and tone from the guitar: roll volume back for clean, push to full for drive; sweep tone from 0 to 10 for the wah effect. Strings: Fender Super 250L .010–.046 with .015 G. Pick: heavy gauge. The essential technique to develop: the tone-control wah sweep while playing (requires the 1-meg pot and .05 cap), the volume-swell with picking-hand pinkie, and the genre-hopping — each style mastered from the inside rather than approximated from the outside.
