“For many years Casper Rawls has been one of my favorite guitarists and people. Picking up where country/rock visionaries like James Burton and Clarence White left off, Casper can bend, twist and coax some powerful, abstract soulful beauty out of a six-string guitar. Hell, he could probably do the same thing with a one-string guitar. If I practiced 12 hours a day for the rest of my life I’d still not be in his league. He’s a true guitar hero who plays with intelligence as well as passion. And also a really, really good guy.” --Dave Alvin
Parsons/White Stringbender
Vintage Guitar Magazine, April 2004—Edward B. Driscoll, Jr. and Dan Forte
The Parsons/White Stringbender
Vintage Guitar Magazine, April 2004
Used with Permission of Vintage Guitar Magazine
On September 20, 1983, Jimmy Page re-emerged into the public eye after the death of John Bonham and the breakup of Led Zeppelin with a thundering ovation at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Instead of a sunburst Les Paul, the model synonymous with his onstage persona with Zep, Page chose as his primary instrument an austere-looking brown Telecaster with what looked like an additional chrome volume knob behind the bridge.
Of course, it was not a volume knob. Page’s Tele was equipped with a Parson/White StringBender, which Page had previously used to great effect on the beautiful melodic, bent-note runs on Led Zepplin’s classic ballad, “All My Love,” and live on “Ten Years Gone.”