Susana Hoffs or officially Susanna lee Hoffs of the Bangles was one of the Few female guitarists of her era to have her own signature Susanna Hoffs Rickenbacker line of guitar s launched in a mostly male dominant guitar world. The rhythm guitarist of the Bangels who played alongside the lead guitarist of the Bangles Vicki Peterson had big hit’s playing rhythm guitar on songs like “Walk like an Egyptian, Eternal Flame and Manic Monday caught my attention in my news feed recently when someone posted a happy birthday wish to the guitarist and since I have not published much on Female guitarists here I have decided to do a piece on Her. After all Susanna once bought a Gibson SG that was believed to have been owned by the Byrd’s but that is unsure maybe guitarist Roger MGuinn knows something about it as he plays a Signature Rickenbacker 12 string guitar.
photo by Gsashburn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Signature Rickenbacker of Susanna Hoffs
Levitating with my Rickenbacker. Photography by Robyn Breen Shinn. pic.twitter.com/9xPbjYK1by
— Susanna Hoffs (@SusannaHoffs) May 6, 2019
It’s no doubt she loves her Rickenbacker as you can see from a recent tweet from her profile. Hoffs started out on a nylon sting guitar like many of us and she moved on to a Gibson SG before she started collage. Then finally moving on to Rickenbacker’s. Susanna got interested in ?Rickenbacker’s because of her love for the music of the Beatles. She said she just loved the Jangly Bright sound they had. While looking into her guitars I discovered an amazing guitar restoration project where Susanna’s Rickenbacker 350 was shipped to be restored turned out beautifully for Project #125 by Studio California who have a detailed photo gallery on the Restoration Project.
This song in your room was part of a batch written collection of songs for the Bangles by songwriter Billy Steinberg which included a bigger tune Eternal Flame. He considers the song to be along the lines of the massive tune Mony Mony by Tommy James and the Shondells who are still active today.
Vintage Susanna Hoffs Performance “Hero Takes A Fall” Hoffs playing a stratocaster not her signature Rickenbacker
Susanna is a guitar hero who didn’t fall after the break up of the Bangles in 1989 she was quick to release her first solo album “When your a boy” and between 2006 and 2013 she done a series of albums with Matthew Sweet a alternative power rock singer songwriter and guitarist. and she is still recording new music with the Release of her 4th Solo Album Bright Lights in 2021 however her solo projects have not done so well sales wise but she seems to be able to make a living and cant’ be expected to top such performances as this Classic Bangles Concert from Pittsburgh PA in 1986
Susanna Hoffs The Bangels Pittsburgh PA 1986 With Annotations
Our last video is from her last recorded album and a feelgood track from the Album Bright Lights titled “I want to see the bright lights tonight” you can really hear that Jangly and bright sound of her Infamous Rickenbacker in this track don’t you think? let us know in the comments below or you wish to include anything on the rhythm guitarist from the Bangles. While I feel the Bright lights album will never be near as successful as her time with the Bangles it’s still full of catchy riffs and great rhythm which captures her unique guitar sound on her Jangly and bright Rickenbacker.