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Vintage ICON V52MRBS – click here
Vintage ReIssued VR100CR – click here
Fret-King Esprit 3 – click here
Fret-King Black Label Dave Colwell Signature


"The way the DBC guitar rings, even when it's not plugged in, is just incredible. I love P90 pickups – and I have done ever since I saw Steve Marriott and Mick Ralphs using them – so the Wilkinson W90B is the business. The thumb scoop is a great idea too, and it allows me easy access to those high frets, even when the guitar is slung really low. The DBC is exactly what it says it is – a pure rock 'n' roll guitar. I love it!" – Dave

Specifications: Fret-King Black Label DC Guitar Model: FKV1DC
Body: Mahogany. Neck: Mahogany, 22 Medium Jumbo frets. Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo.
Fingerboard: Rosewood. Scale: 24.75"/628mm. Pickups: Wilkinson W90B P90 Single Coil
Tailpiece: L/P tailpiece. Machineheads: Wilkinson WJ44 tuners. Carry Bag: Included. RRP: £599.00

“For Guitars, Beers & Tears, I laid down the basic tracks with Bad Company’s bassist Jaz Lochrie, Harry James from Thunder on drums and me on guitar and vocals," says Dave. "Then I added the additional vocals while moving between London, New York, Nashville and LA, travelling with just a hard drive in my pocket. It’s crazy how easy it’s become to record now using modern method. I can recall when I was musical director for the Steve Marriott memorial concert in London’s Dominion theatre, I had a fleet of huge recording lorries parked around the building to capture the event.
"But I have to laugh when I think back to when we recorded one of the earlier Bad Company albums. We hired a chateau in Paris and used The Rolling Stones' mobile recording truck, but when it arrived it wouldn’t go through the gates as it was such a massive vehicle. So we had helicopters airlift it over the wall!”

While several of the musicians on Guitars, Beers & Tears are committed to their own projects, to tour and promote this album, Bucket has been able to cherry-pick players for his live band, Bucket and Co.

“I‘ve got Benjy Reid on drums, who’s played with Ted Nugent, bassist PJ Phillips from Rod Stewart’s band, Dick Young on keyboards, and a new vocalist called Ronan Kavanagh, who can vocally handle every track in the same vain as all the singers on the album," Dave says. "We also had an abundance of fine singers, including Mick Ronson’s wife and daughter, and Ian Hunter’s daughter, Tracy.”

Soaring vocals with a marriage of tight harmonies run a close race with Bucket’s other passion... a well-built, toneful guitar.

“I had been promised an endorsement deal with one of the world’s biggest guitar brands and was invited to their booth at the Frankfurt Musikmesse," he says. "I was getting rather impatient to say the least after being kept waiting for three hours, when, fortunately, Trevor Wilkinson drifted past. We started talking guitars, I was very aware of the incredible knowledge that he has within pickups, hardware and guitar construction, so it didn’t take a lot of persuading to drag me away, sit quietly and discuss in the ins and outs of a P90, my favourite pickup.

"I went on about how I have various Les Paul Juniors, including a ’56 with that pickup, how sweet the tone is and also the fact that I have a guy who has worked for me for over twenty years now, lives like a hobbit in his shed and can rebuild an old P90 with all the original Gibson wiring true to the fundamental specifications.

"Trevor said nothing, just handed me one of his own Fret-King Esprit III guitars loaded with three P90s and left me to it. I just couldn’t believe it, they sounded exactly the same as my originals. I don’t play quiet, and I love being the only guitar player in the band and kicking up a lot of noise. The Esprit III is full of dynamics, and the perfect tool to project solo notes through the mix, while backing off still maintains a bucket load of useable tone.

And Dave has also become a convert of another guitar brand closely linked to Trev Wilkinson - JHS's Vintage. "I’m also a fan of the Vintage brand of guitars," he says. "I first came across the range after playing a friend’s acoustic model. I was knocked out by the playability, output and tone, and left with his guitar! I contacted John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., who are the distributors of Vintage, and said I was really impressed, and they invited me along to chat about guitars in general. I tried a host of these great models and was immediately taken back by the solid bodied electrics, and fell in love with the distressed V100 Lemon Drop. I’d been using my original black 3-pickup Les Paul for years. It was a gift from Peter Frampton, but it’s now been replaced by the Lemon Drop. The tone and output are both superb!
"Playing a guitar unplugged is a key to how it’s going to sound wired up, and another Vintage model I’m also using is the V52 from the Icon Series. It has this wonderful resonance and when played acoustically chimes like a bell, and amped up, it’s a real winner. I’ve also had a Fishman Piezo acoustic pickup system fitted which I can blend in with the original pickups for a little more versatility.

"I’ve been using the Fret-King and the Vintage brands flat out on the road for over a year now, and they just stand up, and sound incredible. They’re real guitars at realistic prices. Some of the bigger companies have price bands, so they won’t make a fantastic guitar within a lower band, because there wouldn’t be any need to buy their more expensive models, but Vintage and Fret-King both have a credo that is quite apparent, proving that you can make a very affordable guitar that is just perfect in every department."
– Lars Mullen.