Mike Adams certainly has one of the most enviable jobs in the guitar world. As Julien's Auctions' in-house appraiser, he has the unique opportunity to lay his hands on some bona fide legendary acoustic and electric guitars – including instruments owned by Prince, John Lennon, and Kurt Cobain. Another big name Adams recently ticked off his bucket list? The iconic filmmaker and Renaissance man, David Lynch.
“When David passed, my wife and I spent a lot of time digging into his work,” Adams tells Guitar World. “We'd seen Twin Peaks, of course, but she'd recently watched his Masterclass and wanted me to see a few key sections regarding his philosophy of making art. I found myself moved as I listened to him for hours, and that sent us down the Rabbits hole. We went through it all!
“We were just finishing up Twin Peaks season 2 again when we got the news that Julien's had the opportunity to offer some of his personal belongings, and I think that meant a lot to everyone on the team.”
Unbeknownst to some, Lynch also dabbled extensively in music – with an approach to musical projects and gear that was as avant-garde as his filmmaking. Opening Lynch's Pandora's box therefore resulted in finding some pretty interesting pieces – including, most eye-catchingly – a custom-built five-necked guitar, which is currently up for auction.
Respected luthier Danny Ferrington (who counted Kurt Cobain, Chrissie Hynde, and Elvis Costello among his clientele) made this off-kilter build based on Lynch's own unique console steel style design – and it is a direct reflection of the filmmaker's unorthodox “upside down and backwards, like a lap guitar” playing style.
“Ferrington built this instrument for David featuring four necks with a 24.5” scale length and one additional neck with a baritone 29.5” scale,” explains Adams.
"Each neck has its own set of six Gotoh tuners, a chrome Floyd Rose bridge, a single P-90 wired to a volume control, and two jacks for chaining them together via patch cables.
“Because it was oriented with the nut on the right side, David could approach it in the same manner as the Parker Fly [one of his go-to guitars], strumming at the nut with his right hand and depressing the vibrato arm with his left.”
And if that's not unique enough for you, there's more. According to a handwritten note Adams later discovered in a box of miscellaneous stuff, “the top two necks were tuned D A F# D A D, the middle two to E B G# E B E, and the baritone to E C# A E A E.
“You'll notice that the console guitar includes capos, which is how David intended to play different chords. He could affix each capo to a different position on each rather large, square-profile neck, strumming one, then the next, and so on.”
He continues,“It's truly one of the most unique purpose-built instruments I've ever seen. On the stand to which they are all mounted, there is a plaque which reads, ‘Built for David Lynch February 26 2012 by Danny Ferrington.’”
Adams sees many a legendary guitar on a daily basis – however, poring over instruments and gaining a clearer sense of the people who once held them is a feeling – and a privilege – that never gets old.
“Being able to lay hands on his instruments is bittersweet,” he ponders. “Sweet, because of course, it's such an honor to understand David's process and musicality, and to actually play music through the VG-8 rig he used to record his albums.
“Still, it's bitter because, as is so often the case with this kind of job, I only get to meet David Lynch through the things he left behind. I discover things second hand, like a wisp of smoke from a few booths over.”
Aside from the five-necked guitar, Adams has also inspected Lynch's iconic 1997 Parker Fly – which includes modifications that “stumped” the appraiser in terms of how the guitar actually works.
