J Mascis

WITH HIS ACOUSTIC SOLO ALBUM, ‘ELASTIC DAYS’, IN THE BAG, WE CATCH UP WITH THE DINOSAUR JR FRONTMAN ONBOARD BRISTOL’S THEKLA TO TALK GOLDEN ERA GIBSONS, VINTAGE MARTINS AND FUZZED OUT FENDERS…

- Rod Brakes

As the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of hard-rocking indie pioneers Dinosaur Jr, and with two Fender signature models to his name, J Mascis is perhaps better known for wielding a heavily fuzz-laden Jazzmaster in front of a wall of Marshalls cranked to ear-splitting volume than strumming a rare 1950s Gibson flat-top. Yet despite J’s punk-rock roots, he has long been renowned for his dynamic live solo acoustic performances, as captured by his 1993 debut acoustic recording Live At CBGB’s (released in 2006) and 1996’s live solo album, Martin + Me. Following the release of last year’s mesmerizing acoustic LP Elastic Days, we caught up with J in the midst of a UK tour to find him playing an equally fascinating choice of guitars.

It’s unusual to see a Gibson CF-100/E being gigged. How did you discover them?

“Gibson made them in the 50s. It’s the same neck as a Goldtop – that’s why I got into them. When Gibson did their [centennial] anniversary series, they had a different acoustic every month for a year and I got a [1994 Gibson 1950 CF-100E]. That was the first one I got. Now I have five altogether, with that newer one. Two are CF-100s and the others are CF-100Es. But one of the [CF-100Es] doesn’t have the pickup or knobs. It was trashed. The previous owner took the electrics out. He decided it sounded better without them because it didn’t buzz as much. Most of the [Gibson CF-100/E] guitars are in Japan and they’re expensive over there. [Tamio Okuda] plays one. He’s got a signature model with Gibson.”

How do these old 50s flat-tops manage to survive on tour?

“They’re a little fragile. I went to Australia from winter to summer and the neck went a bit weird on one of them. The frets were popping out. I had to get it set up again.”