Making Something Your Own

It has been going on since time began... a caveman gets his first toga, and has to make it his own. So he modifies it to suit his taste. Trouble is, there is always a few cavemen who later become famous...er.. rock stars, and so the legacy of making something your own goes forward. SRV (Mr Vaughan) had his 'Lenny' Strat, given to him by his wife. He cut out an old piece of inlaid wood and implanted it into his Stratocaster™. John Lennon had his scrunchie hat, worn low and off to one side (circa 1965, around the time he made Help™ ). Brian Setzer had his Gresch 6120, with Black Cat, Horseshoe and Yellow Skull stickers on it (self applied). How about all those who remained in happy obscurity (and never became RFM... Yes, RICH, FAMOUS and MISERABLE)?. How about the guy who finished off (literally) the 1953 Sparkle Green Tele I bought 6 years ago. I got it for five thousand dollars.... However, it was mint... totally original, apart from being totally refinished in someone's garage with sparkle green paint... the type that never totally comes off. I used to play that guitar with my eyes closed... (the fretboard was luckily unsprayed). It felt just like it should have... a 1953 Tele... with your eyes closed. The guy who sold it to me told me said it was '... a totally original 1953 Tele, without case... that some idiot has covered in the most ugly green paint'. The store even included a modern form-fit case for me to go with it... boy... I wish I had never sold that guitar..it was worth more then, and a lot more now. But someone (other than Kurt Cobain) painted it, in a moment of inspiration, even though he probably had little or no skills in a paintbooth... but you see.. I don't think Brian Setzer had experience decorating with stickers either. So what are we to do? My solution... leave your guitars alone... if you need one with a humbucker, trade for one. If it sounds too good to trade, then add the humbucker... but please, don't paint it sparkle green.

Jonathan's Details....

Jonathan at GVCG (Greenwich Village Custom Guitars) went to excruciating details to get his guitars exactly period-correct. As mentioned earlier, my guitar tech informed me that he had removed the surgical rubber grommets under the bridge pickup, since they were outdated. He replaced them for me with more modern springs, which he said were more gig-friendly. He meant well, but for MY taste, I believe whatever is there in a period-correct early 60's Tele, should NOT be updated, unless it makes it unplayable. Thing is, those rubber grommets looked just like original's I've seen off REAL Tele's from that period. Jonathan also hand machined most of his bridge parts (if not ALL of them, apart from the bridge itself). Cloth wiring is obviously period correct too... just in case that has any effect on vintage tone. I just got another pair of his Tele pickups (which he still makes), and they are covered in a wonderful layer of vintage dirt... and also have wonderfully intact cloth wiring. He apparently marked his guitars in hidden places, to avoid confusion with actual Vintage Strats and Teles, and to avoid crooks selling them as such. He even used 100 % nitro paint, which is apparently illegal now. (My investigation into this is still on-going... Leo shot early Tele's with 'thinned' nitro. I don't know if this affects what painters refer to as the paint being 100% nitro solids, since the thinner does evaporate... mostly). In any case... GVCG's are obviously easily as exactingly made as Masterbuilt Fender Guitars... only thing is though... they are as hard to find as an honest electrician... but they are out there (both the guitar and the electrician... maybe together).

How to Buy A Guitar on EBay....

Here it is folks... free advice, but it isn't bad just because it's free... well, guess it's five minutes of your life, and a little electricity. Up until now, I have bought about 10 guitars on EBay (also sold 8 guitars on EBay). In the beginning I just winged it... all I looked for was a PERFECT FEEDBACK SCORE OF AT LEAST 200. We know God takes care of idiots, and is on their side (generally)... so I actually got 3 great guitars, that were as described (ie. no 'empty' insides, and Chinese humbuckers in a '73 Les Paul). That is my RULE #1. Then I got a set of '63 Strat Pickups. He had the little do-dad that measures the ohms on each one, and they all looked like they were alive in the photos on the listing. I got the pickups, and three months later I found out that one was dead. Was it bad luck? Mishandling in transit? Or did the guy lie... RULE #2: MAKE SURE THE GUY YOU ARE BUYING FROM ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT HE HAS. It is no good if he or she is honest, if they are an honest fool. Somewhere around gutiar #7, I got a really nice sounding, down-to-earth EBayer, selling an '88 PRS Standard. He said in his ad "Some people drill out the sweet switch and mess with the electronics... but this baby is original, totally original...man." He passed the first 2 RULES (over 200 feedbacks, 100 percent rating, and had bought and sold many high-ticket guitars). Guess what? It had a 20 cent Radio Shack 'Sweet Switch' in it (Radio shack makes one that looks really close), and the hole had been drilled out. I wrote to him about it, but he kept lying. Even when the guy I sold it to, and also myself, wrote to him... he went into denial. (I ended up covering MY puchaser's lost $$$ myself... bad Karma will certainly be after the guy that sold it to me... but I am not wishing it on him). He had never got bad feedback, because he had 'held feedback' as ransome (on his end), pending the buyer leaving feedback and just moving on from the whole thing... in fact, I don't think he EVER left feedback for me. So... RULE #3... MAKE SURE THEY ARE IN THE GUITAR BUSINESS... EITHER AN ON-LINE STORE, OR AN ACTUAL STOREFRONT. For instance, I have dealt with a guy called tuneOmatic, and he was strait up with me. (There are others like him that are honest). So, 3 rules-for-the road, to avoid sadness... Happy New Year!

String Me Up

I started with a nice set of D'Addario .09's on my PRS in 1986. Boy... I really loved those .09's. Then I found out that Rich Robinson used .095's... so I went to them... I also became a blow-hard... telling everyone that they were the best of both
.09's and .10's... and in the middle too. Once hand strength has been built up though, it seems to be good advice to go
higher, unless you REALLY need those .09's (for bending notes)... but even then, this doesn't necessarily make all that much sense. I currently play .10's (.10-.46) Fender Vintage strings. I was thinking of moving up to .11's... and eventually .12's. Stevie Ray usually played .13's, and then detuned. (This actually gives you more ooumph to your strings, and then allows you to ALSO bend that string more easily... because of detuning.. sort of like having the cake and eating it too). I asked my Luthier whether I should go for .12's... his answer... "either .09's or .10's are what the guitar is 'set up' for". I didn't question him, or necessarily understand his answer, but went with the .10's. I found my answer last night though in a Fender Stratocaster book... the NUT is filed for strings in the range of .09 to .10 for the high 'E'... and anything bigger probably will require filing. Without filing, you will probably get binding of the string and also 'pinging'. The book mentions a touring musician, who would start with .09's on tour, but by the end of the tour, he would be setting up and playing .13's... (as his hand strength adjusted on tour, I guess). This drove his tech nuts (literally), since he had to get out the file, and work on all the nut's on all the guy's guitars. So string me up, but unless I want .13's.. and will detune... AND plan on permanently filing my nut... Hey, stay down to earth on string gauges.

Relic Guitars

Jay Munn Guitars (http://www.jaymunnguitars.com/)is another guy who will in his case actually relic YOUR guitar, to fit YOUR playing, as if you had played it for the past 40 years. He sums up well on his home page why relic guitars might make sense. As you know, I have been indecisive about whether relicing a guitar (beyond neck feel) actually makes any sense. I just admitted to my friend Rob that I indeed had 'fallen off the wagon' a short while ago. I had contacted the Music Gallery (a big Fender Custom Shop Dealer), regarding making me a Jagstang (like Mr Cobain's). I wanted one made in the good old USA. I wanted it in 'Blackie' black, with an aged, well worn neck feel. Then I let it all hang out... I added that they should distress and age the guitar with everything they could throw at it in the custom shop. (This would have been one b*tchin' guitar). The custom shop contacted Mr Cobain's girlfriend, but since the 'contract' for them to produce Jagstang's had expired, my idea was (for unstated reasons), not going to be allowed. BUT... I had asked for 'relicing' on the body... does this really make a difference? Whenever there is some new trend...it is hard, at the time, to tell if it is an artistic trend, or a 'collector' trend sometimes. Keith Richards and Andy Summers are playing reliced guitars (to replace their old ones on tour). What's the use of beating up a perfectly good NEW guitar? Mr Munn sums it up on his website....to quote... "...If you're a manic vintage guitar guy like I am, you know that there is something incredibly cool about a heavily-played, well-worn guitar.
The neck feels great in your hand - the worn body contours fit your body. The guitar takes on a character and a personality". I am still on the fence (or on and off the wagon on this one)... but if REAL vintage instruments are going to cost thousands and thousands of dollars, it may be what we are all looking for.

Variac

I just read an article in VGM (Vintage Guitar Magazine) about Variacs...they are used to drop the voltage down from the current modern voltage of up to 130 volts, to the more 'old fashoined' voltage of 115 volts (or lower). The VGM info says that once you get below about 80 volts, benefits are lost. When I ordered my rebuilt Variac from the rebuilder in Van Nuys, I mentioned this to him. He was very familiar with what variacs are used for by musicians, including EVH ... he said you can actually 'dial in' lower voltages, and get great results with either your authentic vintage amp, or a newer tube amp. He told me that the mistake is to go to 'higher' voltages, which should be avoided. I will be playing around with the variac and reporting back...

Sparkle Dunebuggy

Before I get to my new variac I just ordered (rebuilt, from Van Nuys CA)... How about legal powers? I just saw a pricey Pre Lawsuit Scott Lentz S-type guitar on ebay... it is listed as 'resonant, spanks and sings'... and has pre-lawsuit mojo...I know GVCG's are surrounded in the same mystique... the mystique of something elusive, now illegal, and possibly possessing above-average powers (because of the first two items). Every GVCG made was technically 'pre-lawsuit', so has these powers. So do some PRS guitars we all see listed on EBay (as pre-lawsuit), also the Lentz guitars just mentioned, and also an extremely short run of Keith Richards Telecasters that were possibly made by Fender a few years ago. I saw one of the Keith Tele's (with humbucker of course), and (yes)... it was listed as resonant, spanking, and singing. Is it the mystique, or is it just our imagination, that these guitars supposedly are better than others? And let's not forget the most famous Pre-Lawsuit guitar ever... the Fender Broadcaster. Maybe it's like the guy I knew with a sparkle dunebuggy in high school... there were guys with other (more sexpensive) cars, but it was always the guy in the sparkle dunebuggy that had three or four hot blondes riding with him.

Next Up... EVH & Variacs

Fire Test

Your house is on fire... your girlfriend is throwing all her new Victoria's Secret™ underwear into a trash bag to carry out, and you, naturally, think about grabbing a baby...the electrical kind. Which one? Tuner to your head... right now... WHICH ONE?!?!? Whichever one that guitar is, it's now "Fire Test" your #1 (yeh, like SRV's #1, only yours). So you bump the case down the stairs, pretending that once you get this guitar out and away from the house (and any risk of fire damage), you WILL be back to help her with some of the furniture, photos and Gammie's Bowl collection. You come back in the front door... the East Wing is still burning... what's next? How about getting ONE more out... WHICH ONE?!?!?!? THAT is your number 2 (like SRV's #2, only yours). You yell to your girl "I am going upstairs to see what I can grab..."... your heart beats... you just need to get out that front door with #2, without being caught by her, like a deer in headlights, holding a guitar case close to your chest, your scared, beady eyes aware you have been caught. The rest can burn, Right? NO! Darn it! NOTHING musical can burn... if time allowed it, the last thing out will be your cables and gig bags. Meanwhile... Gammie's bowls are definitely a gonner... unless they come after the gig bags...

Resolutions...

Let's all make new year's resolutions to put old terminology away... and make up some new ones.
How about the much-overused term "Tone Monster"... as in "...This 1958 Strat is a tone monster".
I just got back from my luthier down the hill... he really thought my guitar sounded good... so he
told me..."This guitar sounds great".Next on my list.... "Gotta thin the herd", as in "I am selling this
guitar on Ebay, even though it is a tone monster, but I gotta thin the herd a bit". We all know that
this term is overused, so let's just say the truth.... either "I spent too much on guitars, and this
guitar sounds great, butit won't look good after my wife/ girlfriend hits me with it"... or ... "I want
to sell this guitarbecause I need to get rid of one I don't want anymore". Ok... guess maybe that might
hurt sales,
but let's try one more... just for fun....the term "The Real Deal", as in "This is the REAL DEAL, vintage
1955 Tele with amp, from original owner, it is a tone monster and I need to thin the herd". Let's try this
instead: "Vintage 1955 Tele with amp, from original owner, sounds great, need to sell".
Just to be fair, I personally will try to stop using dots (...,...), using 'Er...", and "ok..." in my posts
next year. (and remember, like the guy at the Laugh Factory told me last night... this is all in fun...)...
Happy New Year and Happy Holidays... all of 'em.

Sleeping Beauty...

I just read in a Fender Stratocaster book I have that a vintage instrument...if not played, will die (musically). I know this is true when it comes to things like old Violins... I have heard story's of old concert violins that were put in a closet and left for 80 years...when they went to sleep they were beautiful (tonally), but when they woke up, they were 'all-gone man'. I don't believe this is true with solid-body (SOLID BODY) electric guitars. Why? The sheer number (enough to make this point work) of early 50's telecasters that were purchased new, played for a few lessons, and put under a bed for 40 years or more. There is one in "The Blackguard Book"... no checking in the finish, just like new. All the metal shines... and guess what... it apparently plays wonderfully (after it's long sleep).

Point Taken....

Please check out my friend Rob's info about Silvertones, Harmony's and more: http://www.myrareguitars.com/silvertonerare.html
He makes a good point in one of his posts... (see them all here:http://www.myrareguitars.com/guitar-articles.html). As I posted a week or so ago... there is NO formula for a great guitar really... and money seems to play less into that equation than someone might think. Like most people as a kid, I wanted a Fender or a Gibson, (or if it was the eighties... a Jackson or PRS). If I was smart money, I took my $1400 in 1986 and bought an old Broadcaster. If you buy 'Relic' guitars, in the high-end price range, you can certainly increase your odds of finding a great sounding guitar, without too much effort going from store to store and sitting on lots of guitar stools... but SMART MONEY can certainly get a great guitar for less money than that. Fender (I am sure) would even admit this. Rob says something to the effect that relic guitars are dumb... Musicians self-immersed in how they look are a little dumb. (Poison were sort of cool though). Remember... the point of this BLOG is to let everyone know Fender makes some great guitars, but you will have to be ready to go for some of their high-end stuff. Do I personally care about 'Relicing'... well...er... yes... personally... but only for the FEEL. Fake visual ageing is not my personal gig... but a nice old feeling neck is... A $300 Harmony might have a similar feeling neck by the way....What I believe is that Fender IS making some great guitars right now... new ones. Their 'thin skin' guitars seem to be taking a little flack. Some people say if you put almost no paint on any piece of wood, it will sound good. Some point to them being overpriced. These guitars also do cater to some people who want a lot of 'glam' relicing....thanks Rob...MORE LATER........"Nothin' But A Good Time".....

Youtube

Youtube clip of the week.... (for the drums and guitar):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyEnG_DEB1I

If I Ain't Sick....

If I'm not sick, I don't believe in doctors. They actually do not exist. Why not? Well... that is actually almost every guy friend's attitude I know, including my own. Why get myself poked and siphoned, if nothing is there right now? Preventive maintenance... hogwash! That (it appears) is also most musician's attitude towards their guitars. I just bought a wonderful 80's Strat, of which I will rave as time goes on... got it from a real musician too... it also needed a refret. It also looked like the string grooves in the nut had been filed a bit, since the frets got lower, and the nut needed to be filed to match. Did it still play great...? Of course it did. Was anything wrong with how it sounded? Not at all.... not yet. The jack plug also cut out when the cable moved in a certain way... so whoever was playing it just sat down, and didn't move the guitar too much, in relation to that cable... and it never cut out. Total bill to fix it all properly was $410... and the guy was fantastic... the best luthier I know (Performance Guitar, Hollywood) took care of it. I just took another guitar I purchased from a playing musician to him too... it played fine... but three frets were loose. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to be the musician's motto here... and I don't mean physically broken... that's ok, as long as it doesn't effect how it plays... especially if the toilet just broke again at home, and the paperclip job on the toilet chain in the tank just isn't working anymore, and the plumber wants $$$.

Old Guitar = House

I just discovered that if I hadn't sold my 1958 Blond Strat a few years back, it would have got me a house, sauna and 15+ acres of land in Alaska, with the following description: "Turn Key Recreational Remote Getaway with view only minutes from Takotna River. Watch the Iditarod and the Iron Dog go by then grab your friends and relax in the 12 man sauna. Great salmon fishing and miles of trails to explore!".. I am naive, and don't know what Iditarod and Iron Dogs are, and why they go by the house, but this still a HOUSE. I wonder if those guys playing gigs in 1963, with their old 50's Strats in some smokey bar for food and tips ever thought the thing in their lap would one day be worth a whole house. Will these things keep going up? 1980's guitars are now disappearing from EBay... yes... they are being 'sucked up' by guitar dealers, and toted as the next realm of valuable collectible instruments... I am referring only to the '57 Reissue Strats made between 1982 and 1988/9. There is even one for sale for (gasp) $10,000 (and no, it was never owned by anyone well known). With possible economic hardships ahead... will instrument prices keep climbing, leaving musicians to buy Lap Harps, as the only thing they can afford? (Danelectro/ Silvertones are already leaving their 3-digit range, as musician affordable guitars). Luckily, Harmony Rocket's are still affordable....But my prediction is...NO... people investing WANT things to keep climbing, but things will level off. Will you ever get that '53 Blackguard you want back again? Probably not... they are now priced above 35K unless they have a broken neck(some people want over 75K for them)... demand and people willing to PAY those prices will dry up for sure, but those with them are likely to continue to hold them, patiently awaiting the price they will not back off from... now this doesn't mean that in 18 months you might now wave $37K cash under someones nose.. and get them to part with one... but hey... how about a house in Alaska?

Don't Fret...

I just took my latest Strat down for a refret at Performance Guitar in Hollywood... at first, I thought maybe I could get away with one more "fret dressing" (you can generally do this up to 3 times on a set of frets)... but the wear was too much. My normal fear when this is done is that most luthiers have to refinish the fretboard to some extent when the frets are replaced. Sometimes, with older instruments, little pieces of wood are lost when the frets are removed and then must be re-glued back into the fretboard again (which also means re-sanding the area lightly with some sort of refinishing also). When this occurs, a lot of the 'mojo' we all love with an old guitar's fretboard can be lost (the darkened areas on a maple fretboard, where fingers have been playing for years). A friend of mine took his mid-seventies Tele for a refret to HIS luthier (not mine), and it came back with a neck that looked brand new... ugh! I got my guitar back today. I had asked the guys at Performance to try and leave my fretboard as original as possible... which they did! This is difficult to do, since much more skill is required to safely remove old frets, without any visible damage to the fretboard (that would have required some loss of mojo). I cannot even tell it has been refretted (from the top sides!). How did they do it... well Performance Guitar has been building custom guitars for years, so if anyone could have done this type of job, it was them... wow! (Practice makes perfect...)

Christmas Spirit

.... also check out Keef's "Run, Run Rudoph", as well as Dwight Yoakam's version (which has some great finger-picking and mean synthesizer on it)... to liven up that old Christmas spirit....

Santa Can't Stay

Have to give Dwight Yoakam credit... his Christmas song somehow fits a niche that to my mind really hasn't been filled, until he did that song (Santa Can't Stay). Johnny cash had Blue Christmas, and Elvis covered Christmas from every angle... but nobody had really addressed the Christmas described in that song. I don't want to admit to it, but I can identify with a dysfunctional Christmas. There is always someone trying to reload happy Christmas songs somewhere, possibly to try and save the whole event from the total disaster it seems to be headed for, like the premonition of some train wreck. None of us can escape the holidays, so we hunker down like the guy on the trap seat of the water dunk at the county fair. All this is said tongue-in-cheek... more of memories of childhood Christmas's (like in Dwight's song) long past... Christmas's got a lot better, but that doesn't mean all those memories can't be used to make great songs (and maybe some royalties). Check out the song...if you're tired of the usual Christmas fare. It's the stealth hit of the season, and only 99¢...

Shopping for Parts....

I was just reading about a well-known English musician( John Porter) who put together a parts guitar (parts is parts)....then he played it, and basically set it up to his liking. It had a route for a humbucker, missing frets...and a broken pickguard... all the things that are meant to say 'stay away' today... but this was a long time ago. It ended up sounding so good, that all sorts of well-known people played it on their albums... Clapton and many more... So how come HE can assemble a lot of parts, and make this wonderful instrument? I see a lot of tele parts on EBay... like a 1953 Tele Bridge with serial number on it, for two thousand dollars. I ask myself "Will this money pay off in some special mojo for MY parts guitar?". I think metal is metal. The brass saddles MIGHT make a difference, but do I have to spend two thousand dollars on the bridge? NO! Next up... a 1950's era Esquire BODY only, covered in what looks like nice thick clear coat of Poly paint (I have had one of these myself, a 1952 Tele, sealed in Clear Poly, like a Diploma). If I strip it all off, and get someone to shoot Nitro on it, will it make a great parts guitar? I doubt it, sorry, I do ... unfortunately, if you had hand-assembled a parts guitar yourself in the sixties (like Clapton did with Blackie), you would at least be getting a guitar with original paint, un-soaked wood (no stripping), and a bridge from the time. Remember... when Leo painted his guitars in the mid fifties, MANY steps were involved... first a filler coat, then sanding, then a color coat and sanding, then a final coat, then more sanding... and if the color coat was accidentally sanded through, it was stripped down again, and repainted all over again... what does all this add up to? A parts guitar that starts off with potential to begin with. I have bought parts on EBay (61 Strat Neck, 63 SB Body, 61 Pickups, Green Guard... everything original). I took it to my Luthier who is Japanese (and a whiz)... and it was a 9/10 guitar... but I didn't mess with the original paint. And I kept everything original... so I DID do it the way they did back in the day... if you want to do it, do it that way. Now... to the Christmas list... Grandma has the pickups, Dad the neck...er, sorry, Uncle Leo buys me the neck...

Pickup

The three major parts to a pickup are: The Magnets, Copper Wire, and the Bobbin. The wire is wound around a bobbin, to make the pickup coil. The machines are not very complex usually, and someone like Abby Ybarra, who has been at Fender since the 50's, can guide the wire by hand into the winding machine. There is a counter on the machine, and hence the terms "underwind" and "overwind" a pickup. The tension can also be varied when making the winds also. Coils generally have between 6000 and 8,500 winds. Now to charging the magnets; Magnets are usually charged after the pickups have been manufactured (wow). They are charged in a similar way to some of the science experiments we all did in High School, where the pickups are introduced into a magnetic field, which is electrically generated. Does this all sound like a Wolfgang Puck recipe? Why do you think Lindy Fralin and Abigail Ybarra are so well known... if everyone and anyone could wind an amazing sounding pickup (or cook a great mulligan stew)...well...they would all be doing it.... wouldn't we?

Who Makes the Best Guitar For Me?

It's official... the answer is: Fender, Gibson, GVCG, Linhof, Nash, Danelectro/ Silvertone, and virtually anyone else one can think of...! I was looking to buy one of those great Silvertone Guitars, on EBay. It was the one that comes with the speaker built right into the guitar case, and three tubes you can see inside the case. It is made of Kitchen materials and wire, and at the moment is available on EBay for around $750. Mick jagger is seen playing one, and so is Beck. I checked out how Jagger sounded on his Silvertone... (check it out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yvu69jw5QY). He sounds great! Maybe amazing. So after plowing through many guitars, many makers, many prices... which guitar is the best sounding one I've played? Well, one was a Nash (a green one). Also a John Cruz Relic.... and some others that you would NOT think should have sounded good for the price. So it has NOTHING to do with price, and EVERYTHING to do with luck, luthier, and apparent mojo that comes together in a moment in the universe. I have played two John Cruz relics, and one sounded noticeably better than the other (both were Relic guitars, but around 150 sn's apart). Why did JC have one day better than the other? Maybe he has good days and not-so-good days like all of us do. Maybe there is hot and not-so-hot wood in his wood bin (but this is obviously not noticeable before the guitar is painted and assembled. What I want to say is... honestly, I have never played a good MIM (made in Mexico) Fender Tele YET, but I would be a fool to say (after Mick's SIlvertone video on youtube™), that someone in 30 or 40 years might not be getting great sounds out of one, on some stage in front of thousands of fans. Remember; SIlvertone's were not made out of gold (though apparently some did have Brazilian Rosewood fretboards!).

Lemons....

No... not talking that old car at Ed's Used Cars that is 'hot'....how do you treat you Nitro? (...cellulose). Nitrocellulose finishes are notorious for interacting in all the wrong ways with many things. I just saw a bass guitar on EBay (think it was a '59 Fender Bass).. someone had left a coiled rubber cord under the guitar for a few months or years... resulting in what the seller referred to as "raptor bites" in the finish. We all know guitar stands can eat away a nitrocellulose finish too...as can other plastics, and anything that will not allow it to breath. As long as your guitar case has nothing else in it, and you don't live in a jungle or some place with weird humidity problems, a case is the only thing you really want in contact with Nitro for a long period of time. Now... on to LEMON oil... Dennis Galuszka at Fender told me he uses lemon oil on some guitar necks, when doing the aging. Meanwhile, there is an on-going urban legend on-line that lemon oil can damage nitro finishes. Martin apparently tells people not to use it on their guitars, as it breaks down the finishes, and can corrode frets. Then, along with Dennis and other luthiers, there are people who have used it on Nitro fretboards for years, with no apparent problems... maybe it's best not to pour on the whole bottle, and make sure you DO pat it down afterwards (ie. No drips). The problems may be due to overuse (just like my cousin Vern, and his alcohol problem). Seriously... what hurts Nitro? Some guitar makers say ANY material, if left in contact for a long time with the guitar finish (apart from the case!). Remember...Nitro can take over a year to cure... avoid prolonged contact with guitar picks, straps, cables, guitar stands... etc. (especially with a new Nitro guitar). What is GOOD to clean your guitar finish with? A warm, damp t-shirt (old) would be great to remove oils and sweat.... and no damage!

Rewind

How many people love old pickups? (No.... not the trucks....but they are cool too). What makes an old pickup sound like an old pickup? Jonathan at GVCG makes a great aged Tele set with Jason Lollar. Mr Lollar sourced the MAGNET SLUGS. What is next... the pickups get wound with wire (maybe by hand). During the winding process, clear lacquer is sprayed at various times to insulate what needs insulating. When all this is done, the pickups used to be 'potted'... in wax (and sometimes still are). Sometimes string is wound around the outside of the windings, or black tape added. Does this sound like a recipe? Well...it is. What if I went back to 1952 and asked Fender to use a different wire...the pickup would most likely sound different. What if the lacquer coats are done differently? What if one person makes the slugs a little different in height here and there? You get my drift I hope... let's take it a step further... what if I purchase a REWOUND PAF pickup on Bay (from a reliable seller who knows what he is doing and has high feedback)....will it sound the same as one that is NOT rewound? Let's answer that now...if my Picasso falls off my wall (or that guy in Las Vegas punches it for me)...(no, I don't have a Picasso)....will a repair look the same? We all know it depends on who is doing the repairing... My guess is if Fralin is doing the rewind for Joe Bonamassa it will be pretty much as close as we can get today to a vintage job... but not if I go and buy wire, read a few books, and inbetween doing a home-tile in my kitchen I rewind myself a pickup. By the way... I have asked Jonathan at GVCG for more of his pickups twice... but am scared I am in his 'Bad' book... so Jonathan.....I love your guitars... but if I don't speak my mind honestly, this blog means nothing. PLEEEASE allow me another set of pickups......Sorry man if I said anything wrong...otherwise, maybe you are just away! (.. Jonathan apparently used 100 percent nitro for these guitars of which I am so happy to own one... which is THE way they were painted in the fifties... nobody shoots 100 percent nitro anymore at the factory. Also... he actually used what appear to be REAL rubber spacers on his bridge pickup...made of surgical tubing... either that, or a totally believable ageing job... but more on his guitars again at a later date... hope he let's me have more pickups....)

GAS

John replied to the last post, referring to a great term, that I can assume stands for G uitar A quisition S yndrome, or G.A.S. We all don't count sheep going to bed... instead, our last thoughts as we go to sleep are of '56 Strats and '59 Tele's, or some other as-yet-not-acquired instrument, that once acquired, will enable us to continue on our stairway to heaven. If the path to hell is paved with good intentions, then the path to the lights going out in our house (due to past due lighting bills) must be paved with the acquisition of amazingly expensive instruments that we can all neither afford or find the space to house. It is said that Gorky the painter used to buy $300 tubes of paint, even though he had told his wife for weeks that they couldn't afford any food....to him, food didn't matter... only paint. Is it really that bad for us too? To end on a holiday note... if unaffordable instruments have been coming through our doors and windows all the past year (at times when family members are not home to tease us about an affliction they will never understand)... even if some of the guitars arriving were got through trading other guitars that departed (aha! Where were the family members when the other guitars left?)...what are the chances of convincing anyone around us that what we REALLY want for Christmas is musical?