Despite being best known for his ’80s hard rock sensibilities with Tesla (not that Tesla), Frank Hannon's upcoming instrumental guitar album – Reflections – features more Western-tinged and soulful bottleneck slide guitar musings that were recorded in the wake of life upheaval and personal loss, including that of his late father-in-law, Dickey Betts.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that one of the guitars Hannon wields on this record is one of Betts' own: the prototype of the Dickey Betts “From One Brother to Another” Gibson SG, released in 2011 – which, in turn, was a replica of the ’61 SG that Dickey would hand over to Duane [Allman] during live shows.
“I was going to a jam at a bar in Florida one night, and I grabbed an SG that was just sitting in the living room on a stand,” he tells Guitar World. “And Dickey was sitting on the couch, just looking at me, and I was looking at him while holding the SG, and I said, ‘Dickey, do you mind if I borrow this guitar for this jam tonight?’
“And Dickey was funny, man,” he reminisces. “He had such a serious look, and I thought that this guy wanted to kick my ass!
“Anyway, I was holding this SG, wanting to borrow it, and he was staring at it, man. He was looking at it, and looking at me for a couple of minutes straight, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, shit, I’m in trouble now…’ And then, he stopped, and goes, ‘No.’ I go, ‘What do you mean?’ He goes, ‘That’s not the good one. Go in the bedroom and grab the good one.’
“‘There’s a much better SG in there that sounds way better.’ I was like, ‘Cool… alright.’ And he was right because the one that I was holding was a hunk of a log that really felt like a dog.
“I put it down, went into the bedroom, grabbed the other one, opened the case, and he goes, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Take that one.’ But then he said, ‘Cherish it. Be careful. Don’t let nothing happen to it because it’s a great one.’”
However, that wasn't the end of Hannon's involvement with Betts' prized SG. Fast forward a couple of years, and the Tesla guitarist was on the road with Devon Allman and Duane Betts for the Allman Family Reunion Revival, with the SG prototype in hand.
“Dickey came to one of the shows, and it was his 80th birthday in Sarasota, Florida,” he relates.
“I was playing that SG, and he whispers to me, ‘Hey, is that the guitar I loaned you?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He goes, ‘Good,’ and he gave me the thumbs up, and a hug. So, I’m still borrowing it. I got his blessing to use it, where he said, ‘You can use it for as long as you want.’ It means a lot to me and to my heart.”
After his passing last year, Betts was celebrated earlier this year with a tribute concert, In Memory of Dickey Betts, which was hosted and curated by his son, Duane Betts.
Guitar World's upcoming interview with Frank Hannon will be published in the coming weeks.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
