Joe Doe Jailbird with Case, Gloss Red Overview
With a light and resonant, double bound American Alder body, the traditionally styled Joe Doe Jailbird feels tight and comfortable, despite numerous warnings stating it as being the property of the Ohio State Penitentiary.. A one piece Hard rock Maple neck, shaped into a classic Vintage ‘soft C’ profile, adds to this comfort and positive feel - like a goodbye handshake from the warden on the last day of your sentence. A 22 medium profile fret Lignum Rosa™ fingerboard with keyhole and barbed wire inlays completes the ensemble to make an incredibly playable guitar, but remember the Prison Rules - "Anything north of the 12th fret of a guitar is looking for trouble".
One Joe Doe Custom designed bridge pickup provides a tangy and full tone, which is easily manipulated via single master Volume and Tone controls with a (contraband) five-way pickup selector switch. The Wilkinson WTB 3 saddle provides a tried and tested delivery of perfect intonation and tone transfer, while Wilkinson WJ55S machine heads and a smooth and friction free Graphtech nut provide tuning stability that's as reliable as the Governor's pocket watch. Also included is a Joe Doe luxury hardshell case with case candy, and a Certificate of authenticity included. Each guitar is also individually set-up by the Vintage ProShop team.
Remember “Ignorance is not an excuse”; Prison Rule 182, Chapter 6.
What Vintage say:
John Henry Burke, prison warden at the Ohio State Penitentiary from 1959 to 1977, believed music was the key to help his prisoners reform and rehabilitate. Burke allowed prisoners to keep radios and turntables in their cells, as well as make musical instruments in the workshop. Every year Burke would open the doors of his prison to welcome in families to watch their loved ones perform songs they had written on instruments they had made.
However in 1967, incarcerated arsonist Wilbur Reams started a prison riot by playing blistering guitar licks through a distorted amplifier. Burke reacted by putting a ban on what notes the prisoner could play, saying; “Anything north of the 12th fret of a guitar is looking for trouble. We’re just gonna stick to simple blues and country.” Burke continued to battle with Reams’ over his incendiary guitar playing until May 3rd, 1973, when Reams suddenly escaped via the prisons’ sewer system. In a cruel ironic twist, Reams had dug his way to freedom using tools stolen from the very workshop that Burke had set up to put his prisoners on the path to redemption.
