Nick Schnebelen
Nick Schnebelen has been playing guitar all of his life. Coming through over three generations of guitarists and musicians, in many ways, he is just another vessel for the spirit of music. Growing up in the blues scene of Kansas City, Nick knows many of the KC greats, those alive and those who’ve passed.
After cutting his teeth on guitar with father Bob Schnebelen, Nick moved out East in search of a new experience. Nick says,”Someone once told me, if you want to be known, you gotta be from somewhere else”. That stuck with him and led him to Philadelphia where he lived for nearly nine years. Hitting blues jams that very same week he landed East, he was playing shows the following week. Half a year later, at nineteen, he was playing most of the Blues and Rock clubs in New York City Manhattan in the Village. Nick, and friends Chris Schutz and Jesse Harris, and Justin DiFebbo formed the popular Philadelphia based Killing Floor later known as K-Floor. K-Floor brought high energy blues to an area where there wasn’t so much blues. This group was very successful up and down the East Coast for six years and got to open up for countless acts such as Johnny Winter (several times), Robin Trower, Robert Cray, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood, Steve Miller and James Brown.
For a short time Nick was a member of Buddahead, a New York City based Pop band and traveled all over the US for two years. Opening for Everlast on a national tour and getting to record with Jon Popper from Blues Traveler was just a few of the experiences they had. He received an excellent write-up in the New York Post for a performance opening for Everlast at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in 2003.
Nick won the Albert King Award for most promising guitarist at the 2008 International Blues Challenge.
Equipment |
Guitars | AmpsNick proudly plays and endorses Category 5 amplifiers. - Category 5 Andrew, 2 x 12 combo
- Category 5 Camille, 2 x 12 combo
- Fender Red Knob Twin
- Fender Twin Reverb
- Fender Bassman
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1966 Gibson ES-335 Story
The idea was to rebuild this guitar and make a one of a kind. To have a brand new 66 with original electronics. I would never buy an original 335 to tear the top off and redo it just for the heck of it. That would be a waste of a fine vintage guitar. This USA themed guitar has 48 mother of pearl stars inlayed on the top. 48 stars because in the 40′s during the blues heyday, there were only 48 states. It’s the only guitar that has red white and blue triple binding. We think this because that’s what I wanted and nobody did it so I ordered 3 4X8 sheets of binding plastic- one red, one white and one blue!!! Anybody need some? Got plenty to go around. It has shaller tuning keys- the brushed aluminum ones. We had them anodized 2 red, two white, two blue. Blue field of stars on the back, abalone for the fret blocks on the neck, a row of stars down the back of the neck, custom headstock and a custom strap. I was told that my strap’s delivery to me was delayed because Jimmy Buffet went into the strapmaker’s shop, loved and borrowed my strap for a tour. Thanks Jimmy! (I didn’t mind). I was three years into this project and lots of dollars in and the money just ran out. My brother and sister and I are very fortunate people. We have the most tremendous friends in the world. I was speaking with a good buddy about the guitar and he told our other friend Sean McLaughlin about the project. He laughed and it has to be finished! Consider it done! What a buddy! I am forever grateful for not only his gift, but the timing of where we are and how long this project has been going. We are really just now coming onto the world stage and what better than to have a world class guitar! Sean, you are one a billion! This will be done in december. I can’t wait!
1991 Fender Telecaster
It’s so hard to believe this guitar is 20 years old. I bought this guitar for I think $700 in 1993 from Big Dude’s Music City I’m Kansas city, MO. I never played this Telecaster because I had one or two Gibsons that I played full time. I bought it because I loved the neck. As a lefty, you get what you can and when a guitar comes along that you like, really like, get it! You may never see it again! It developed some electrical issues so it sat at home for years until 2007 when I decided to take my first crack at rewiring a guitar. I bought new American classic tele pickups for it and American hardware for it. I even bought two more hot ceramic pickups online to build a franken-tele to have the original two pickups plus two hunbuckers in the center!!! Wow! That never happened. I just wired in the new pickups and parts and went on. I loved the neck but hated the thin skinny tele frets so I had the big Les Paul jumbo frets installed. This now it’s a hell of a guitar. For the past year, this had been my favorite guitar. I love to fly with it because it’s not too valuable (except sentiment) and it’s not as fragile as the Gibsons. I love Gibsons, but this is one of my favorites!
2003 Epiphone Lucille
This is a special guitar. I received this from my wife for our one year anniversary. That was so sweet of her! I really love having a true righty laying around for me or my friends. It’s always fun to play when I need a new angle perspective. Of course, I can really get my bb on with this one!
2005 Fender Stratocaster
A good friend of mine Larry has an exact copy of this guitar in right handed form. He has a friend who fixes guitars an sells them. My friend said he had this one laying around ready to go but no lefty to sell it to. I was a little apprehensive to buy it since I didn’t play too many fenders at the time. It turned out to be a great lefty strat that I’d play often. It has an S1 switch that I like. It’s currently on loan to a young lefty who’s learning to play.
2009 Gibson Custom Shop Albert King 335
This guitar I recieved for winning the Albert King Award as most promising guitarist as well as first place band at the 2008 International Blues Challenge. It’s actually a funny story. We had made it to the finals and everyone was getting excited. There was a backstage meeting and briefing for all the bands before the finals started. This was held by our friend Joe Whitamer at the International Blues Foundation. Joe was giving us the rundown and one of the staff pulled out thte Albert king Award guitar and set it on the table. It was a right-handed White Les Paul Custom with the Blues Foundation’s logo on it. A beautiful guitar! Gorgeous white! Joe brings up the guitar and Kris raises his hand and asks, “is the Albert King Award guitar left-handed?” Everyone laughed! His joke actually cut some of the tension backstage. Anyway after the competition, full of suspense, we waited backstage for the results and behold, I won the Albert King award for Best voted Guitarist that year! The IBF Gave me the guitar which was presented by Sean Kearny and Jonn Richarson who were past Albert King Award winners. I also felt like I was welcomed as a new member to a brotherhood of guitarists which feels good!
So that evening, I played the guitar at the afterparty at King’s Palace on Beale Street and really enjoyed it. The right-handed Les paul doesn’t flip over very easy. A Flying V or 335 is symetrical in design and can be played righty or lefty. The Les Paul flipped doesn’t allow your fingers to get up to the upper register plus it is a little thicker of a guitar and the knobs are uncomfortable under your hand. It’s just funny to think that I won a righty, but how was the Blues Foundation supposed to know the winner was lefty!?! I proudly played that guitar at a few large festivals, but didn’t travel it too much because it was too nice.
One year later, we were back down at Memphis on Beale street playing an Alumni show at the New Daisy theater and Joe Whitamer asked me to bring me the Albert King Award Les Paul to the event. So I did. They wanted me to play it towards the end for photos. So I did. All of the sudden, Joe walks out on stage and gives me this beautiful Left-Handed 2009 Custom Shop 335! I gave back the Les Paul right there and took the 335. Man! Cream white binding on an Alpine white 335 with the IBF logo!
I had many people try to get Gibson to make me a left-handed custom shop 335 and Gibson wouldn’t do it. The Blues Foundation didn’t know that they made this happen for me as well! Thank you International Blues Foundation! Thank you Gibson!
Gibson Flying V
In 2003, I was on the road. I had been touring all over the US for months and got to Nashville. We played 3rd and Lindsley a great club in Nashville. As a young rock band we weren’t exactly making a ton of money. I got 50 bucks per show and 10 dollars a day for food. Yay! It wasn’t much, but I had been on the road for a month or so and had accumulated a small fortune. We went to Gruhn Guitars right on Broadway in Nashville. There were hundreds of guitars on the walls- from floor to 20 foot ceilings. I saw the Flying V right away! It was right handed but I didn’t care. The sales guy goes, “we have a few lefty fenders but I don’t think that’s what you’re after!” he was right. I pulled down the V first and it sang to me. The hot ceramic pickups are exactly that- hot! I picked up a few other guitars to play and none were the same- even upside-down! I gave him my small fortune of $400 and had him put it away for me. I eventually paid it off over a few months and he shipped it to me in Philadelphia. I got a really cool strap for it as well in Nashville. I tell everyone about Gruhn Guitars. Great place!
After cutting his teeth on guitar with father Bob Schnebelen, Nick moved out East in search of a new experience. Nick says,”Someone once told me, if you want to be known, you gotta be from somewhere else”. That stuck with him and led him to Philadelphia where he lived for nearly nine years. Hitting blues jams that very same week he landed East, he was playing shows the following week. Half a year later, at nineteen, he was playing most of the Blues and Rock clubs in New York City Manhattan in the Village. Nick, and friends Chris Schutz and Jesse Harris, and Justin DiFebbo formed the popular Philadelphia based Killing Floor later known as K-Floor. K-Floor brought high energy blues to an area where there wasn’t so much blues. This group was very successful up and down the East Coast for six years and got to open up for countless acts such as Johnny Winter (several times), Robin Trower, Robert Cray, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood, Steve Miller and James Brown.
For a short time Nick was a member of Buddahead, a New York City based Pop band and traveled all over the US for two years. Opening for Everlast on a national tour and getting to record with Jon Popper from Blues Traveler was just a few of the experiences they had. He received an excellent write-up in the New York Post for a performance opening for Everlast at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in 2003.
