Sometime in late 1986/early 1987 a kid came up to me in my graphics art class, second hour at Marquette Senior High School, and said “Hey, I hear you play guitar. I’ve got this guitar at home. Wanna buy it?” Of course I wanted to, sight unseen, but I had a guitar, and I had no money - it just wasn’t realistic. Maybe he didn’t know what he had - maybe it was something super sweet for a great deal.

“Whatch’a got? How much?” I asked. “I dunno man. It’s green. It doesn’t have strings. Ten bucks?” Or maybe it was a dime bag, I don’t remember exactly, but it was basically $10, and the next day he brought it to class – a body and a neck. No electronics, a scrap of wood for a bridge, no pick guard, no strings. It was a LONG WAY from playable. I felt a little ripped off - ten bucks was a lot, but whatever. It was mine now. Maybe someday it’ll be worth something. I took it home and put it in the garage.

And there it sat, for 25 years or more. Through those horrific, endless Arctic-cold Upper Peninsula winters and those humid Lake Superior summers. I moved downstate the following year and left it there, rotting in that garage; for all intents and purposes, the very last place on Earth one would keep a guitar. Eventually my mom sold the house, so after helping her clean it out, I threw the parts in the back of my car, along with her Bob Dylan records and my grandpa’s old soldering gun. Maybe someday it’ll be worth something. Whatever.

Fast-forward to 2014. I was on the road with The Tucos and our brand-new bassist Patty O’Harris. We hit the Tree Bar in Columbus (gratuitous Columbus reference) for a show with Ghost Shirt on our way down to Lexington, one of our new favorite cities, to play the first annual Squallfest at Buster’s. It was a riot. There were two stages of rock in Lexington’s prime mid-sized venue, and a lot of our current and future friends were playing – all run by our new pals Those Crosstown Rivals. Drinks were flowing and things got blurry, but as the night progressed into chaos, we bonded heavily with these cats from somewhere nearby in Kentucky – Vibrolas.

Their bassist Leila is a full-fledged rock goddess with all the moves and a billion-dollar smile, laying down killer, slithering bass grooves on her SG bass with one of the tuning pegs barely hanging on to the headstock by a single stripped screw, while their then-drummer Andy beat his Frankenstein-bargain-bin drum set to oblivion, somehow making it sound and feel more like The Who’s Live at Leeds than the hollers of south-central Kentucky. 

Then there was Chris Hosner. Hoz. The Blizzard of Hoz. Tall, skinny, hairy, and as chill as they come. I’m not sure I’ve seen him without a smile to this day. He holds a PBR as comfortably as he holds his SG, blasting though his Fender Bassman head - Hiwatt 4x12 half-stack. He’s got riffs for ages, and with wife Leila at his side, the Vibrolas flat-out rule. We’ve played their backyard festival a few times, their local brewery-venue, and had them up to Michigan for shows. We each show up to hang when we’re in the same town, even when one or both of our bands aren’t playing. We crank their music at home and in our vehicles. Our bands have become friends for life.

Hoz’ talents aren’t limited to rocking and being a good dude. He’s also a hell of an artist, dabbling mostly in hot-rod illustration, an accomplished screen-printer and businessman, and has a genuine talent for working on guitars – from simple setups and repairs to complete re-hauls and paint. He also knows his way around a garage, spending endless hours keeping their Vista Cruiser (aka “The Bruiser”) on the road well past its life expectancy.

Two years after that fateful festival hang, we had them up to Michigan for a 3-show run ending in Detroit, and the Vista Cruiser pulled into my driveway, but staying back, closer to the sidewalk. “Kentucky is here.” my pal Jason said, looking out the bay window, having never seen them before.

“She leaks a little oil.” Hoz told me as he walked in, maybe underplaying the issue just a tad. “We’ll try to park in the same spot while we’re here to minimize the mess.” There was a sizeable black stain that remained until we had the driveway replaced last year. It made me happy to see it and think about my friends for years to come.

We catered in some fried chicken & pizza for the pre-party of the mini-tour-ending Detroit show, and I took Hoz downstairs to show him the band room. Sitting there in the corner, a flash of green caught my eye. “Hey, whaddya think of this?” I asked, spontaneously, grabbing the guitar parts from behind a stack of magazines and a pile of twisted, broken instrument cables. “Think it would be worth getting this thing in business?” He cracked a wry smile as he set down his PBR and examined the two parts, virtually untouched since I’d taken possession of them over 30 years earlier. “Yeah this is cool!” he said, reserved, but about as excited as I’d ever seen him. I sent it back to Kentucky with them, wedged next to Andy’s Frankenstein drums and the frosty back window of The Bruiser after our Coney Island breakfast the next morning. I told him to take his time (which I’d live to regret) and forgot about it for a few years.

We crossed paths fairly regularly in Kentucky or Detroit over the next few years. The Silvertone would come up casually – I was in no hurry and wasn’t really worried about it. “I tracked down the paint.” he’d tell me. Or “I had to carve out a pick guard.” After the pandemic I stepped up the pressure a bit. “We’re playing Huntington next month – I could swing by!” but it took a couple more years. Every time we headed below the Sweet Tea Line, Tucos drummer Gabriel would joke “You getting the Silvertone this weekend?” It had become folklore: something that was maybe real at one time, but now just the stuff of legend, lost to the ages, and to the increasingly fading memories of those who were there.

This past October we were wrapping up a long run south with a show in Lexington on the curve back north, as we often do, to make sure we end the tour on a guaranteed high note. The room brightened up when Leila walked in, as it always does, and behind her…the Blizzard of Hoz, carrying a guitar case. Holy cow, today is the day! It was a glorious occasion, and I was so excited. Chris seemed to revel a bit in his own way, in my joy.

My Silvertone 1417 is incredible. It’s beautiful; perfectly finished. It plays great, and fired up through an amp it has some SERIOUS mojo. It’s going to have a heavy presence on the currently-underway next Tucos record, and it’s a cornerstone in my guitar collection, one of my most treasured pieces, not only because of what it is, but because of who made it into what it is.

Silvertoneworld.net (thee place to go for Silvertone info) says:

A short-lived  axe from Kay, the 1417 took the surf thang and swam with it, even to the sea-foam green of its finish (the catalog calls it turquoise). Identical to its slightly longer-lived sibling, the 1413, save for its 'true vibrato' mechanism.

The 1417 guitar  is a funky surf twanger from our friends at Kay. Adding 'true vibrato' to the 1413's one pickup, volume/tone setup upped the budget price point, and made this model a less common guitar than the 1413. The 1417 sported the same contoured, beveled body, big silvery pickup plus a simple adjustable two-spring whammy assembly. Quite rare on the collectors market.

Introduced: Fall / Winter 1964
Retired: Fall / Winter 1965

THE CHRIS HOSNER INTERVIEW

Chris Hosner agreed to chat about the guitar, his artwork, and the Vibrolas for Pencil Storm, so we had him up to the compound for some coffee and beers, and here’s what came out of it.

Hoz!!! Thanks for chatting with me about the Silvertone, and everything else going on in your world! Let's get into it.

In April, 2016 I gave you a dis-assembled neck and body of an old Sears guitar that was basically left for junk, and seven short years later you delivered back a beautiful, functional, cool-as-hell instrument. Can you talk about the approach from the start and what you saw as potential issues, problems, or concerns?

Thanks for having me on Pencil Storm! Or in? Not a physical place but a cool word space! You had to drop that "seven years" in there, hahaha! That was a long time for this project:) I actually recently finished another about seven-year project in the shop. Let's say I get distracted sometimes.   

When you dropped the Silvertone on me I was giddy since I've never ran into a 1417 in the wild. I was skeptical when I noticed it had almost zero parts on it! It was a body and neck husk. Then I noticed the fingerboard was even loose - What are you getting me into!!!??? It reminded me of the scene in Corvette Summer when Mark Hamill finds the project car and all it is is a frame and firewall--not a good start but not hopeless.  

What do you know about the 1417 model? Any historical relevance tied to great players? Had you come across one before? How does it differ from the 1413? What is "Kay"?

The 1417 & 1413 seemed to be Kay's answer or budget friendly alternative to the Gibson SG. Still sexy but a little funky. I don't know the production numbers but these are definitely rare. I've owned a few 60's Kays and multiples of Vanguards but never ran across one of these. The 1417 is the tremolo'd version of the 1413. I believe it was 1 or 2 years only. I can't think of any notable Kay players but almost every great player a decade or two ahead of us has had one in their hands at some point.

What is Kay? It is a wonderful budget guitar, misunderstood, underappreciated. Up until the late 1960s-70s, Kay, Harmony, and Valco produced the nation's budget guitars in Chicago, Illinois, some of them under the Silvertone, True Tone, Old Craftsman moniker for Sears and Roebuck and other department store catalogs. House brand guitars were cemented in history here.

How did you figure out that the color was Emerald Mist Metallic, a 1959 GM color? How did you track down that paint?

Fender and Gibson historically used GM custom colors in the early days. So, I thought that was probably the case here. I plopped open an actual ‘50s color chip book from my Dad's shelf and matched the color instantly, which was used on '59 Oldsmobiles and other GM brands. The paint supplier had to scan the chip, which I think came out a little on the brighter side but kinda accounts for the age.

The Sivertone: A work in progress:

What challenges or roadblocks did you hit along the way? And how did you get by them?

All of them, lol!

Biggest was no pickup and no pickguard. At the time there were no Kay pancake pickups online other than buying an entire guitar and cannibalizing which is against my ethics. I had a dead one in a drawer that needed rewinding. The pickup was intended for my '58 Kay Sizzler project that I knew I wasn't getting to for years down the road. To this day it is neglected! I knew I could borrow it for your guitar. I wound it with 43awg enameled wire so I could hopefully get a few more ohms than stock in the tight space. Curtis Novak has recently started making them, a stock version and a hotter version. I believe my winding hit the hotter mark as it seems to have a little more punch than what I was expecting.

I've been playing the guitar since we got home from that tour - I used it on some of the later Tucos' demos we did for our next record and we've got it designated for at least a couple key tracks on the album. The neck is a little wide, it's not particularly easy to play, but the action/setup/intonation is great and it sounds really unique - super special. I LOVE it! As you handed it off, how did you feel about the job and the guitar in the end?

Having exploded the neck and re-assembled it with modern nickel fret wire and a trued level board, it is the best Kay I've experienced. I did think about reshaping the back of the neck before painting but felt it would homogenize the guitar somewhat. Maybe it was a lost opportunity but I don't regret it. It plays and looks like a Kay should, and the sound was pleasing to me through a blackface Bassman. It felt like an A-list guitar to me. Handing it off to you was first like I can't wait to see your face when you hold it, but then it was like I wish I could borrow the guitar a while longer, ha. So, that was a good feeling. Maybe I need to finish my Sizzler.

The Sivertone: The finished product:

Ok let's talk about a couple other things you're into. You've had your artwork, mostly hot-rod related, published in magazines and used on posters, albums, tee shirts, and other promotional materials. How did you get started in hot-rod art and how do you approach it to make your stuff unique and special? What are the pieces or accomplishments you're most proud of with your art?

I grew up in a car-centric family in Michigan. My whole family worked at GM. My Dad was always building cars and really sparked my interest. So, I was always drawing hotrods! I would never call my stuff unique and special, thanks! But each time I start something, I try to conceptualize the finished art, then reverse engineer it. Sometimes I have no vision but go for it anyways. This is really where I like new fangled computer drawing pads! Erasing is a snap. Creating is kind of a mind trip when you sleep on something that is stumping you and you wake up with another idea or angle of attack.

I feel like I have a lot of highlights. What I consider an accomplishment is landing a CARtoons Magazine cover. Issue #39, 2021. I poured myself into that artwork, made something really fun and it looks cool. That was the first time I produced something on an iPad. It wasn't even a good iPad. I had to squint all the way at a 9" screen! Currently I draw for a couple YouTube channels that give me a lot of freedom. I feel like getting to do what I like to do for a living is the greatest accomplishment.    

You're not only illustrating hot rods - you're traveling the hot-rod circuit in your Vista Cruiser, drag racing, staying in cool retro motels, and hanging with other gear-heads. Crazy how that car keeps going! How's she holding up? Big plans for more events in 2024?

The Vista is solid. Over 380k on the odometer. Can't say it's all original though. Our biggest plan for 2024 is to do Dragweek again. This year might be a little tame compared to the past couple years but there will be a few roadtrips at random.     

And finally, let's talk Rock & Roll for a minute! What are your pre-Vibrolas rock and roll roots? You did a stint with The Hookers, I know. What are your influences musically?

Guitar and attitude really tug at my heart strings. I remember hearing “Eighteen” (by Alice Cooper) on the radio as a kid and it blew my mind for real! Shortly afterwards there was some infomercial cassette collection on the TV. It seemed Detroit-centric and they played the clip of “Kick Out The Jams” full-glory, Rob Tyner belting it out in front of the green screen. I was a full metal-head by the time I was 15 and got my first guitar. Adam Neal (Hookers - R&R Outlaw) and I formed our first band about a year later. Not sure how to describe that, lol! At that time discovering Mudhoney with a Misfits skill level on guitar. There was a lot to be influenced by at the time. I thought I was gonna get more into Mummies style shit. That's where the Vibrolas name formed.

Vibrolas! I'm just a huge fan, and have been from the first time we met at Squall Fest in Lexington in 2014. I think we've played eight shows together over the years and we've seen each other play a few times on top of that. New record in the chamber? Recorded in Detroit (yeah!)? New drummer is working out it seems? Did you get that loose tuner fixed on Leila's bass? What's 2024 have in store for Vibrolas?

Jeremy Porter and the Tucos!!! I should be asking you these questions. There are people and bands we've met over the years we have instantly bonded with and I want to shovel some of that fandom back at you!

We are waiting on test pressings at the moment. Recorded in your neck of the woods with Paul Grace Smith at Burning Ear Studios. He's a total madman and nailed us on the recording. We can't call Justin the new drummer anymore. He's pretty well cemented in and kicking our asses!

Leila's bass is barely hanging on! We can rebuild! 2024 is shaping up. We'll be staying in the region but we are going to pepper the whole year with shows and push the new record. We will announce the name of it by next month and start doing a pre-order. Last year was really good to us. Really stoked for what's coming down the line and hope everybody digs.

THANKS Hoz! Love you and Leila and Vibrolas and your work and Kentucky!

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
www.facebook.com/jeremyportermusic
www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic