Die-hard Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan fans—myself included—have already seen this video 49.677777 times. However, that doesn't make it any less appealing.
And, since it wound up in my crowded inbox this morning (probably because it's Jimmie's birthday), I thought I'd share it with the masses.
The clip, which was shot aboard the S.S. Presidente in New Orleans in February 1987, shows Stevie Ray and his big brother, then-Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmie, playing a double-neck guitar—at the same time. They start with an upbeat I-IV-V tune along the lines of Stevie Ray's "Rude Mood" before shifting into "Pipeline," the Chantays' 1962 surf-rock classic, around the 2:49 mark. They also switch necks along the way.
The guitar, which was built by Robin Guitars of Houston, has two maple necks, each with a different-scale length and a pointy "drooped"-style reversed headstock with locking machine heads. It also had (or has, assuming it's still around) Rio Grande single-coil pickups. This guitar was dubbed the "Family Guitar," which foreshadowed the title of the Vaughan Brothers' only album as a bona-fide duo, 1990's Family Style.
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