"Back To The Future" : Marty McFly With Ibanez

[CrossingStar]

I just noticed the other day when rewatching Back To The Future. When Marty's band, The Pinheads, is auditioning at the beginning (for Huey Lewis) he's playing some early Ibanez. What model is that?

[BucketBot]

Isn't it one of the Roadstar series? Don't know what exact model. Man, I can't remember.

[the.godfather]

Yeah if I remember rightly, it was a Red Roadstar series Ibanez. I dont know whether he actually played it himself or not. But I noticed that a while back. I am sure it has been discussed before too.

I love the ending though, when Marty goes all shred on a Gibson 335. You gotta love it.
Gary - The.Godfather

[CrossingStar]

It was black. It doesn't have the typical Ibanez headstock we've all come to love.
I doubt he was playing, but I guess he does play somewhat in real life so his hand movements were more convincing.

[Anton]

I read that it WAS him playing , he sounds pretty damn good

[jim777]

Mike Fox played all his own parts in that movie, and was coached by Doug Marks of Metal Method lessons fame. He had been playing for a long time before the movie was made. Also, when he went back in time and played the 335, the 335 hadn't been introduced yet ;-) The producers had an ES-5 Switchmaster on hand that was period correct, but not as sexy as the 335, so it never made it on camera.

jim

[nuno]

it's a black Roadstar RS Series, maybe a 440, or anything like the black one pictured here.

in BTTF part II, when he's just been fired because of "Flea" Needles corruption attempt, he sadly sits on a armchair and strums the riff from The Power Of Love with a blue PRS.

[davester1234]

Originally Posted by jim777

Mike Fox played all his own parts in that movie, and was coached by Doug Marks of Metal Method lessons fame. He had been playing for a long time before the movie was made.
jim

hey, wow! I had no idea!

I can remember sitting watching that tape rewinding over and over to learn Marty McFly's version of JBG.

I actually played JBG at my brother's wedding and icorporated alot of ideas from the movie's version. I played with the hired band, and we got a great reaction. It was super fun.

[dex]

Actually on the extra features on the DVD Michael J Fox says that he can play and that he used to be in a bunch of highschool bands but in the movie he is miming and the actulal playing was done by someone else (Paul Hansen??).
Also he said that he was supposed to have Paul coach him to make the solo more believable but as he already knew how to play, they saved 2 weeks of pre-production time.

ilia

[davester1234]

its amazing that MJF still looks young. His health has deteriorated alot over the past few years, but he still looks pretty much the same, give or take.

[jim777]

Originally Posted by dex

Actually on the extra features on the DVD Michael J Fox says that he can play and that he used to be in a bunch of highschool bands but in the movie he is miming and the actulal playing was done by someone else (Paul Hansen??).
Also he said that he was supposed to have Paul coach him to make the solo more believable but as he already knew how to play, they saved 2 weeks of pre-production time.

ilia

And there you go! I could have sworn I heard he was doing the playing, I must've been a bit less than sober when I heard it

jim

[sniperfrommars1]

As far as i know wasnt he using a gibson es-355? ANyone have any pictures but i seem to remember that big honking switch. That guitar had an added bigsby vibrato. By the way eddie van halen does have a part in the movie. When Marty is trying to act like a space alien and wears the radioactive suit, he puts some headphones on his dad George mcfly. The tape playing through the headphones is actually Eddie Van Halen noodling away on guitar.

[darren wilson]

Originally Posted by sniperfrommars1

The tape playing through the headphones is actually Eddie Van Halen noodling away on guitar.

When he loads the tape into the Walkman, it very clearly says "VAN HALEN" on the cassette. He melts George's brain with Eruption.

[dex]

The Guitar Marty plays is a Roadstar RS430BK - 3 single coils

Also the tape he plays to his dad clearly says Edward VAN HALEN on it and it was submited by Ed especially for the movie.
I remember reading somewhere that he submited a full track but the editor only used the scarry begining and it is most definately not Eruption.

Johnny B. Goode was sung by Mark Campbell and the guitar was played by Tim May.
I watched the film again last night and the "solo" on Johnny is actually very very bad - they should have asked Ed to do it properly.

And if they wouldn't let MJF even sing on the song, do you really think they would let him play?

ilia

p.s. I noticed last night that every shot of Marty sleeping in the movie, his RS430 is lying on the bed next to him and the guitar he is using to blow the huge speaker up in the very begining og the movie is a Dan Erlewine Chiqita

[pinto79]

The Ibanez seems to be a 430, but it very clearly has a non-recessed Edge Trem... I found it once at the ibanez register...