Don Rich Guitars

Buck Owens and the Buckaroos made a huge impression on me even though I grew up in New York City. The twangy guitars, honest driving songs and pure talent influenced many guitar players in many genres, not just country. This project was a tribute to Buck and Don.

Fender created sparkle Telecasters for Buck Owens and Don Rich in the 1960’s and forever do we guitar lovers covert owning one. You can tell from this site that I have a place in my heart for sparkle Telecasters.

This project was custom built using the talents of Tony DeLacugo who fabricated the 60s vintage style Alder Telecaster and did the fabulous silver sparkle paint job. See the entire build process here.

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Brilliant silver metal-flake with just a trace of holographic flakes in the final metal-flake coat to give it another visual dimension without overpowering the silver color. The black bindings and checkerboard are simulated as they are painted on. The top binding is checkered black/white like the Don Rich and Marty Stuart Teles. This checkerboard is painted one at a time then it is given the final Polyester clear coat. Once finished it is almost impossible to tell the faux bindings and checkerboard from real binding and purfling and is just as time consuming to build.

No expense was spared on this guitar. Only top shelf parts and craftsmanship. The idea id to build something that even the Fender Custom Shop would be happy to put their name on.

I used O.C. Duff “Buckaroo” pickups that Owen winds by hand. The 4-way switch this gives this guitar more versatile sounds by adding a fat sound.

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Owen Duff website says The “Buckaroo” pickups pay homage to the big, bold, clean Telecaster sounds that emanated from Bakersfield in the 1960’s. Players like Roy Nichols and Don Rich gifted us not only some of the twangiest Tele licks, but also some of the snappiest, clearest chickin’ pickin’ heard west of Muskogee. The “Buckaroo’s” are dead on replica’s of the best of the 60’s, for that clanky, clean Tele sound. Roll back the volume for that smooth, snappy tone. Turn up the heat, and withhold those big, juicy cleans ever Tele player dreams of.

• Fender SELECT highly flamed maple neck with pearloid inlays, modern “C” Shape, compound radius 9.5″-14″ with 22 Medium Jumbo Frets and 1.685″ Width at Nut. Nitrocellulose finish with a satin back

• Callaham CTS Pot 250k Solid Shaft – These pots are de-greased and the spring pressure is reduced which makes the pots very smooth which is great volume swells

Custom Built Don Rich B Bender Telecaster

After the headstock was painted to match body, the Fender waterslide and Buck Owens signature decals were added. Clear coat was applied and the headstock is perfectly smooth. This is a genuine Fender SELECT neck so adding the restoration decal is fine with Fender.

Opted for the Pearl pickguard (like the Fender Custom Shop Marty Stuart Signature Telecaster) instead of the white ones on the Buck Owens and Don Rich original ones.

The Fender SELECT neck is highly flamed and has an awesome feel. In my opinion these are the best necks Fender produces for any of its production guitars. This is a modern neck on a vintage tribute Telecaster with locking Fender tuners!

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Fender has produced the Buck Owens Telecaster and its a great looking Telecaster that is Red, White and Blue sparkle. I have my own version of this guitar. Fender should have made a Don Rich tribute as Don sold many Telecasters with his inspired playing. The twang will live on forever.

Dwight Yoakam got Buck performing again, and in ’88, their revival of Buck’s 1971 single “Streets of Bakersfield” returned Buck to #1 one last time. Before hitting the road with Dwight and his band, including Pete Anderson, Buck reached out to his past. “I called Don’s wife Marlene up in Reno and asked her to send me his old guitar that he played with me all those years and in memory of Don.” That old silver-sparkle Tele became a talisman, one symbolic way of maintaining Don’s presence amid a revival he never expected. Great article on Buck Owens and the Buckaroos is a must read on Vintage Guitar.Don Rich was the guitarist for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. His style of playing helped develop the “Bakersfield Sound” of country music. For some reason, not too many country guitarists play like Don. Don had a very simple style of playing, but it sounded HUGE and was one of the foundations for “chicken’ pickin'” guitar. Like Gene Moles, Don’s playing was very rhythmic, mostly pentatonic, and favored the lower strings. This article takes a look at 10 licks I’ve stolen from Don off the old episodes of the Buck Owens show! Below is a video of all 10 licks. (Underneath each name of the lick, there is a link to a PDF file of the tab/notation)

Whenever I think of Don Rich, this is the first thing I hear. Low strings + the unique rhythm + the use of pentatonics make this THE signature Don Rich lick. (Make sure you let those low open strings ring to sound most like him!!!)

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This is Don’s note for note break on the TV version of the tune “Act Naturally”. It features ideas from the “Dangerous Don” lick and a really cool triplet string pull off run! (The pull off run is very reminiscent of a Merle Travis/Chet Atkins styled lick)

Don doesn’t play too many double stops, but I always enjoyed this one. Before I learned the instrumental, “Buckaroo”, I heard this in a solo he played. This is a great double stop lick that breaks the “cliché” double stop sound. (Try taking your other double stops and adding top and bottom notes like Don did. I have come up with a ton of alterations on this!)

This lick is what Chicken’ Pickin’ is all about. This is the foundation for all country lead guitar in my opinion. There are so many alterations on this lick. Learn it! This is Don’s opening line to his instrumental, “Chicken’ Pickin”.

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I stole this lick from the start of one of Don’s solo. To me, this is another foundational country lead guitar lick. It has a very “Bakersfield” sound to it. Don must have been listening to James Burton…(Make sure to pre-bend the b-string at the 10th fret and slowly release!)

This lick is a great one to use on an E chord that is acting as the 5 chord. It is very similar to something Gene Moles might have played!

This lick features Don bending and holding the bend while playing other notes underneath it. It reminded me of something Roy Nichols might have played. Really milk the bend. Ease slowly up to it!

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This is a great lick to use over a 1511 chord change at the end of a solo. Don slides into some double stops to start and ends with pentatonics!

This lick is one I came up with. I tried to incorporate the main parts of Don’s “sound”-funky rhythm, pentatonics, the occasional double stop, quarter bends, chicken’ pickin’, and low strings. Use this as a template to make your own licks in the style of Don Rich!

This is one last rhythm I have heard Don use. It has attitude and it is in your face. The two 16th notes at the end of the first phrase make the lick for me!

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Don’s playing is very underrated and not heard in many players today. Take his use of low strings, pentatonics, and cool rhythms and run with it! Make your own licks and have fun doing it!

For more things Bakersfield Sound, Western Swing, Swing, and Country Jazz…you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or through my website!

Posted by zodaries14

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