John Tron Davidson

SPIRITUAL CENTRE OF THE PLECTROVERSE, GUITARIST, WRITER AND PRESENTER.

WWW.HEAVYREPPING.COM
WWW.BLACKTRONONE.BANDCAMP.COM

The Deadbeat - "The Stick"

This is it – Genesis.
After 25 years of playing and 15 years in guitar shops, I finally decided to go for a custom instrument.
I wanted something that functioned as I did, that didn’t come with tonal expectations because of its
shape. Discovering Odessa and the Deadbeat in particular, I got talking to Mike about what would
become my Deadbeat.
A concoction of disparate elements, the neck pickup came from a jazz-loving friend of mine and was
at one point fitted to my ’93 Gibson Nighthawk. Paired with a strident, articulate Creamery pickup in
the bridge, The Deadbeat has been with me through a number of projects, not least of which is the 40+
records I’ve written with it as Blacktron One. It’s been in many, many tunings, played with
everything from cables and cutlery to cloth and springs, and made sounds that other guitars would
consider unknowable.
The true starting point of knowing myself as a player, it’s a deliberately minimal, utilitarian odyssey.
Resonant and composed without being hollow, all three positions have distinct character and
purpose. My insistence on the largest volume knob available makes dialling back drives and raising
swells a tremendous experience, setting a precedent for the models to follow.

Specs:
Chambered Ash body w’milk paint finish
Slim Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard
12” radius
25.5” scale
Stainless Steel frets
Bone nut
Hipshot 6K2GN0B tuners
Hipshot through-body bridge
Powder-coated aluminium plate
Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Deluxe Rhythm mini humbucker (neck)
The Creamery Custom 65 Stapletop mini humbucker (bridge)
CTS pots (both)

The Reprobate - "The Dark"

For the longest time I had dreamed of owning a serious baritone. Finding one that wasn’t overly
short, twangy or tuned for extreme sounds was difficult. I knew from my Jerry Jones and subsequent
7-string adventures that it was something I wanted to pursue. Following the construction of the Deadbeat, my thoughts turned to a long-scale, lower-register instrument.
Tuned in A standard and strung 14-74, The Reprobate has a huge, enveloping sound. Mike and I decided to
keep the 12” radius and go all the way to a 29” scale, making this a full-on baritone. I didn’t want
anything too high-output for the pickups, and so Simon at the Manson’s Guitar Works made me a
stacked P-90 for the neck and a mini humbucker for the bridge. Encased in gold foil housings, this
pairing delivers giant, chiming cleans with supreme definition, even with cascaded drives.
The Reprobate is weighty but well-balanced. The massive neck is one of the biggest I have ever held,
though it has never felt cumbersome or restrictive. Ironically for such a low-tuned piece, it’s
comfortably the most elegant-sounding guitar I possess next to the brooding, dramatic Deadbeat and
uncaged wrath of the Delinquent. Everything I wanted from a dreamer’s baritone.

Specs:
Ash body w’milk paint
Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard
12” radius
29” scale
Stainless Steel frets
Bone nut
Gotoh 510Z tuners
Hipshot through-body bridge
CTS pots
Custom-wound stacked P-90 (neck)
Custom-wound mini humbucker (bridge)

The Delinquent - "El Catto"

Unconcerned with grace or safety, my Delinquent came about thanks to a conversation about the SG
Junior. A gentleman had said that it only had one sound, and in demonstrating this was not the case,
I fell in love with the simplicity.
Seeing the Delinquent Mike had made for exceptional illustrator and fellow noise-lover Drew
Millward, I decided a single P-90 guitar was a must. My Delinquent came around at the same time as we
took custody of our cat Xini. Being capable of great softness and extreme violence it felt deeply
appropriate.
Strung over a 25.5” scale, it’s split between DADGAD and standard tuning. Not only putting me more
in touch with my playing as a whole, the Delinquent has driven me to make full use of every part of the
instrument. Ambient and textural work require a spread of tones easily achievable in a two or three
pickup scenario, but the Delinquent’s demented P-90 is so open that neck sounds are easily achievable.
The simplest tool and incredible fun. Perfectly balanced and heaving with personality.
Specs:
Ash body w’milk paint
Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard
12” radius
25.5” scale
Stainless Steel frets
Graphtech nut
Gotoh 510Z tuners
Hipshot bridge
Custom-wound P-90
CTS pots
Powder-coated aluminium plate