If you’re in need of a bit of luck, then this Joe Doe Gambler might be the rabbit’s foot you’re looking for. Taking inspiration from neon buzzing, dollar guzzling casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, the Gambler sports custom decals, card suit inlays and doubles down with a genuine 10 dollar poker chip. Rub it for Luck! Whether you’re backing up a front man adorned with rhinestones or comping in a jazz club where the sun never sets, the Gambler provides all the charm and chops you need.
Like all Joe Doe Guitars, the Gambler comes with its own origin story and this one is no different. The Gambler is modelled after the guitar played and pawned numerous times by Las Vegas veteran/fugitive, Jack Tandy.
The Story
“If you’re lucky, you know Jack Tandy as the talented Nashville session guitarist who appeared on many popular country singles and radio jingles from the 1960’s and 70’s. To those less fortunate, you know Tandy as a drunk and compulsive gambler who made more promises than he could keep and borrowed more money than he could ever pay back.
Tandy left his Nashville demons and debtors behind in December 1977 and headed West to hide out in sunny Las Vegas. After months of strumming on the backwater circuit, Tandy landed a permanent gig playing in the Flamingo Hotel house band where he lived rent free, had unlimited access to the all you can eat buffets and enjoyed a generous line of credit. Life was good for nearly twenty years until 13th January 1993, when FBI agents swarmed the hotel and arrested the entire hotel management. Tandy’s superiors were charged with murder, extortion and corruption of local officials and collectively sentenced to 594 years. Remarkably, Tandy walked free and started a new job (with a new identity) serenading newlyweds at the Quick Vows Chapel on Freemont street. To date he has helped thousands of couples come together and after each ceremony wishes them luck, knowing all too well they’ll need it later on in life.”
The Specs
Body:
Double bound USA Alder body, chambered with custom arrow sound hole.
Nicotine butterscotch yellow finish with ‘Rub For Luck’ custom decal.
Front mounted Las Vegas Poker chip (To be removed in emergencies only).
Pickups:
Wilkinson WOVTN neck / WOVTB bridge pickups mounted on black scratch plate.
Controls:
Volume and Tone.
Hardware:
Chrome coloured hardware throughout; Wilkinson WTB Bridge, WJ55 tuners.
Neck & Fingerboard:
25.5” scale maple neck and fingerboard with finger friendly 12” radius, 22 frets and yesteryear amber finish.
Nut:
Slippery GraphTech nut.
Case: Joe Doe luxury solid hardcase with case candy.
Certificate: Certificate of authenticity included.
Limited Edition of 100 'Gambler' is an original Vintage® guitar, designed and created by Joe Doe Guitars and the UK Vintage design team.
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About Joe Doe
Joe Doe Guitars, maker of unique custom guitars with amazing back stories built in have teamed up with the Vintage® design team to create the 2023 Collection, a series of limited-edition guitars (just a hundred of each) that are hands down, like nothing you’ve ever seen before!
Constructed using the highly regarded Vintage® V6™, V52™, V100™ and V4™ chassis, Ben Court, originator of Joe Doe Guitars has applied his signature blend of art, design, and tall storytelling to create guitars with a history, character and soul all of their own, made to play as well as they look, and sound as good as you’d expect from a Vintage® guitar. So, when a Joe Doe Guitar is hanging on your wall it’s a work of art to be admired and discussed in hushed tones and when it’s hanging off your guitar strap, it’s pure musical inspiration.
Each Joe Doe Guitar features a characterful origin story, custom artwork, unique design details, Wilkinson hardware and pickups throughout, and a Joe Doe branded hard case.
Each guitar comes with an individually numbered authentication certificate and extra special ‘case candy’.
You can read the article with designer Ben Court Here.