What guitarist would be more fitting to represent an all-Californian guitar company than that of California's musical crown jewel? Steve Bartek, primary guitarist and right-hand man of Danny Elfman in Oingo Boingo, utilized his background in jazz and psychedelic rock to weave intricate, multifaceted guitar work into a sonic tapestry that drew from West African highlife, prewar jazz, punk, rockabilly, Balinese gamelan, ska, and synthpop.
Don't worry, you'll get a concrete example in a moment.
Now, a guitarist with eggs in that many baskets ought to have a guitar that can handle something like that, right? Well, throughout his career with the band, Steve was mostly content with a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, a Carvin DC200, and a Strat with Lace Sensor pickups. But sometime during the Good for Your Soul sessions in late 1982-early 83, J.B. Player approached Steve with a guitar. As recalled by the man himself:
"They made that one for me special (or so they said). I remember it being a little skinny for my fat fingers, but it played well and was way way lighter than my Les Paul, thus easier to play for a long set."
Steve was bandmates with Randy Zacuto in his high school days, so from the get-go a connection was there. He had been in J.B. Player advertisements to begin with as discussed earlier, but a guitar built specifically for him (even if it was just a semi-custom job) was new. This, of course, was his marine blue Mercury, fitted with three singlecoil pickups (most likely Mighty Mite 1100s) and a Kahler 2300 vibrato bridge.
Much like how Devo's ugly-duckling Gibsons fit with their particular visual presentation, the familiar-yet-unfamiliar, almost goofy styling of the Mercury was appropriate for a group that had the trappings of a rock band but still leaned heavily on a background of whimsical musical theatre and Cab Calloway antics. Steve had two J.B. Players, the second one I'm unsure of what it was.
The guitar was delivered by March or April 1983 and had its live debut at a secret show in Reseda, CA. Later, during Labor Day Weekend of that year, tens of thousands of concertgoers witnessed Steve pull out the Mercury for the midsection of Oingo Boingo's set at that year's US Festival. He switched out his guitars just before "Grey Matter" and just after "Violent Love".
Mr. Bartek took his Mercury on the road with him during the 1983 tour, and possibly for a few dates the following year. Afterwards, Dead Man's Party was released, and Carvin approached Steve with an endorsement deal. With J.B. Player undergoing a paradigm shift as ownership changed hands and production moved to South Korea, and Oingo Boingo stepping in a more "pop" direction in both sound and stage presence, the Mercury was stowed away.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Southern United States. Hundreds, if not thousands, of charity auctions cropped up to support relief efforts in the aftermath. Steve Bartek nobly contributed both his J.B. Player guitars to the cause in a private auction. While there may be receipts or some sort of record, maybe a name of the winning bidder, I don't have it. I just hope whoever went home with those guitars knows just how unique they are--pieces of an untold history, points of light in an otherwise darkened room.
These photos were sourced from an archived eBay auction. This brochure was printed around 1983 and included as "case candy". Anyone who has this or a similar brochure is invited to share higher-quality scans.
Exterior with phone number, address, and artist roster
Front cover, featuring Steve Bartek of Oingo Boingo. He holds a Mercury in his hands.
The artist roster. Bob Mothersbaugh's last name is hilariously misspelled. Vixen, at the time of this ad, was still a small local band. This was before their appearance in Hardbodies.
The inside of the brochure, with a model lineup and prices. Both the Buick and Mercury are shown with Motherbucker triple-coil pickups, each coil with its own on/off/phase reverse switch. It should be noted that Steve Bartek was photographed with Buicks but never played one onstage. He was, however, seen with a Mercury. Jan Kuehnemund of Vixen played a Mercury as well, at least until 1985. I can't find any photos of anyone other than Bob Mothersbaugh using a Buick, despite the listed names. This is the only photographic evidence I can find of the Buick Bass. Gayle Erickson of Vixen is similarly elusive. She left before the Hardbodies filming.
J.B. Player was founded in 1981 by Dana Zacuto (d. 2004) in Los Angeles, CA. The company made custom electric guitars and basses with contemporary styling for the Los Angeles rock scene. This was the age of the superstrat and the pointy guitar, and J.B. Player delivered--from hot-rodded S-types to Explorers, and even a few B. C. Rich shapes to be found. Dana was the brother of Randy Zacuto, who founded the guitar parts company Mighty Mite. The latter company supplied parts for several other builders in the area, including Kramer and Charvel. Of all the makers that Mighty Mite supplied, it was perhaps J.B. Player that pushed the envelope furthest. As recalled by former associate Eric Lamb in a forum post:
"The owner at that time, Dana, was not only an incredibly crazy man, he was driven to try and make a great playing instrument for a fair price. Many of his guitars I still have were quite innovative... a strat with a built in wireless system in the guitar so you didn't need to have a transmitter on your belt... another one that he called 'The Buick', that had just one triple coil pickup that was wired to play any of the three coils independently, in or out of phase or all at the same time!"
While the built-in wireless system would take some time to be developed into a marketable product, the exotic Buick model was good to go from the start. In 1982, J.B. Player launched its "New Wave" line of electric guitars and basses. The Buick, whose body shape was appropriately radical and zany for the time, appeared in both guitar and bass form, and was accompanied by the Mercury, a model which was more conservative in comparison to its sibling, but striking and unmistakable nonetheless. The triple coil pickup--the legendary Mighty Mite Motherbucker, with Brian May-style switching for ultimate versatility, came stock on these instruments, which in 1983 ran for $599.
These models would find their ways into the hands of Martha Davis of the Motels, Gayle Erickson and Jan Kuehnemund of Vixen, Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo, and Steve Bartek of Oingo Boingo. Contemporary advertising featured the latter three extensively. Bob used a Buick in music videos, onstage with Devo, and was featured in flyers. Jan also found herself on early flyers, with an Explorer-style guitar and a Mercury with two rail humbuckers and a Kahler tremolo system--which if you look closely you may catch glimpses of in the 1984 film Hardbodies. Steve was the face of the catalog and brochures, his face contorted into any one of his signature grimaces as he posed with Buick and Mercury examples alike. At US Festival in 1983, he played a Mercury with three singlecoils and a Kahler tremolo system for the middle third of the set. This guitar went on the road with him while Oingo Boingo toured in support of their album Good for Your Soul.
By 1985, J.B. Player was purchased by MBT International. Guitars were manufactured in South Korea and set up at home base in Westlake Village, CA. The zaniness and boundless creativity of the USA days was gone, replaced by cookie-cutter superstrats, with or without Accutune tremolo systems--which were knockoffs of Kahler's design and didn't function nearly as well. The Buick, Mercury, and possibly others were all but forgotten by everyone, save for those who had actually built and used them.
