Rock God

So I am eating at a little restaurant near Hollywood two weeks ago... the rains are crazy.. and for California it is really cold, at least 54 ... the girl... my girl... across from me... suddenly gets this subtle look... like the chef just came out of the kitchen holding his hands to his throat... making gestures for someone to read the Heimlich maneuver poster in the men's room and then come help him... but the room still sounds calm... so I don't turn around. I start talking about Nikki Sixx's new book (which is great...if you want the inside scoop on how it was to be a rock god in the late 80's)...she says... 'No... change the topic'... now I start to wonder... WHO or WHAT is going on behind me... so I turn around... and five feet away, looking right at me with his Gene Simmons look is...er.. Gene Simmons, in his suit. No matter what your life is... or what you do... you gotta know he does it right. Who wouldn't want to have been in KISS....?

Holy Cow...

It's happening folks... at least in my mind...(sort of like that comment from Dirty Harry... '...a legend my your own mind')... well, if the world isn't slowly turning in the direction of Jackson/ Charvel, thanks in part to EVH... check this guitar out...it's at the Music Zoo... if I hadn't just bought a Jason Smith Strat, this puppy would be on the way to me. This guitar is b*tchin'... one pickup... Floyd Rose... one volume control... that's it! Get a load of that wild flame neck... sheer perfection and simplicity... and aged just like a custom shop guitar from Fender... except she's a Charvel. Get it before I give in....(I have no affiliation to The Music Zoo™, I just love this thing).

Joan

Ok... how do I start a comment on my blog today... why not 'I love Joan Jett'? I just found out she is working out at my gym. I have not seen her yet. She is punk hot. Also just got my Jason Smith Strat., also punk hot! Jason's attention to detail is beyond any other visual job I have ever seen at the custom shop. When they did the 'Blackie' runs, they were not even as detailed as this beauty. Oh... the finest thing they got right with the 'Blackies' was the specific shine to the paint, like a late 50's Black body strat would sometimes have. I actually saw the original (Blackie)... both at the auction, and at Hollywood Guitar Center. But Jason Smith has definitely found his niche...he goes above and beyond, with the Dakota Red, which he then puts antique white over the top of. Then he does an excellent relic job. The neck is pretty much bare wood on the back, and is shaped just right for me... sort of like a wide-thin PRS neck, just without the finish. The frets have about the best dress job I have seen... and er... so does Joan Jett.....(Got the guitar from Music Zoo... thanks for the photo guys.)

Letters Section

Dear FCSG & M,
I played quite a few Charvels in the 80's, and (like EVH) to get them to sound great, I would work on my pedalboard set-up, my variac voltage, and my amp. The guitar, for my mind, was nothing but a fairly well made place to put a pickup. I know, they looked really hot, and I could bend notes up in the Vai range, but for my mind they never had the 'tone' of an older Les Paul or Strat... or Tele. There is a 'Duel' in a movie, between the kid from 'The Karate Kid', and Steve Vai... you can certainly play those things mechanically well... but where is the mojo? Is it due to the finish being thicker/ different?
Thanks,

Stevie 'V'


Dear Stevie,

Check out the 'Rocklahoma' site... they didn't want or need mojo.

Thanks,

FCSG & M

Updated info On Jackson...

Got more info on thatBio Skull Jackson Guitar...from Rob at Guitar Asylum...
"Hello Pete,

Thanks for the note. I just had a chance to check out your link! I appreciate you spotlighting one of our Custom Creations, and would love for you to keep the photo of the BioSkull and link to our website listed!! The only criticism I have, and please don’t take this the wrong way, is that specs aren’t exactly right. The Bodies are not Fender Strat Bodies. Your Blurb leads readers to think that it’s a Bolt-on style body when the Soloist model is a Neck-thru design. Also, the Soloist is a little more aggressive with a deeper cutout in the cutaways, which also gives it a more accessible reach on the higher register of the Fretboard. Another major difference is the Soloist is 24 Frets. It would be great if you could revise your blurb to reflect the correct specs! "

Rob / Guitar Asylum

Whaaa?

Dear Sir,
I play guitars like Fender Custom Shop Tele's, Nash 'T' Style, GVCG and Linhof...I also love my little Silvertone...where the heck did that abomination come from (the JACKSON?).

Sincerely,

Little Joe 'Catscratch' Johnson

Dear Little Joe,

I know it was risky putting up my last post... lest I lose all my readers (in the above categories). But please consider perfectly good musicians who play them (Jackson's), like: Phil Collen, Zakk Wylde (really b*tchin' site too), Warren DeMartini, and the Jenna Jamison...in this photo.
(I still love 'em... I know... maybe I'll get back to the other stuff for a while... before all the guys (and girls...er...really sorry for that photo...really cliche)... who read this blog figure it has turned into a Jackson blog.
Sincerely,
FCSG & M

FIMC & Jackson

So FIMC owns Jackson Guitars (as of 2002). Since they took over, FIMC has strived to not only decrease the price of custom USA made Jackson guitars, but also improve the quality of other Jackson's. The new Jackson guitars are marketed as basically ...'these guitars may look outdated, but they are not..., Floyd Rose locking trem, and Seymour Duncan pickups'...... apart from the Strat bodies, I feel they are the same as they were when I bought my Soloist in 1987, with reverse headstock in Road-Cone Orange day-glo. Their second-coming is not here quite yet... so comments like "outdated" will persist... the same way at times Tele's and Gibson's have been in and out of fashion. I feel Jackson's will return... and since they are owned by FIMC, I can say it on the blog, and not get too muck flak. Check out the Bio-Skull Solist, and tell me it's not b*tchin'... (thanks to Guitar Asylum for the pic, and if it's still there, maybe go buy it...). Please see more recent post for further details about Jackson specifics.

VGM

Vintage Guitar Magazine has a great article on p.92 ("A Good Point")... backing up an earlier post of mine, about whether Jackson Guitars (specifically 'San Dimas' models, from 1984) will be worth more in a while... if you remember, I feel that in a few years, these guitars will represent the NEW HOT guitars for the mainstream musician, along with 80's Fenders and Charvels, once we have a rebirth of Glam Rock ... ok... maybe I have drunk too much coffee... but then again... wait and see...remember that only a few years ago, people were saying that the 3-bolt neck 70's Fenders were only good for the trash.

Strawberry Icecream

My friend Rob just wrote, regarding some really rare, neat guitars Wurlitzer guitars (Cougar and Wildcat)..the first thing I wanted to say to him, since they are 40 years old was to fix-en-and-play-em...then I checked myself... do I practice as I preach? Well...er...yes... I do... last 15 guitars I must have bought, including a 1987 PRS with a (radioshack) sweetswitch (I didn't know that when I bought it...)... a Black Les Paul from the factory (with frets that were so sharp they could slice vegetables...) which came with little or no setup at the factory... a Sadowsky Strat, with no frets (and no nut) left... to speak of...from years of loving playing..a GVCG that needed a new jack plug, and a professional set up. I fix 'em... I made a rule not to COLLECT them... I don't hate collectors... that is like hating strawberry icecream...because... I hate strawberry icecream. DO keep the parts (for collectors, after you are dead. Live and let live.. as they say, these guys are preserving history...when I DO fix 'em, I have f***ed them...(as far as collectors are concerned)... but why own a guitar if you can't gig it. If my 1987 PRS needs a new volume pot... I will put one in...by the way, VGM (Vintage Guitar Magazine) has an article this month, that states that a guitar with little or no frets, but that is TOTALLY ORIGINAL, but UNPLAYABLE... is worth LESS that if you get a professional refret. All this reminds me that my '59 Rosewood Esquire is only good to worry about right now... what the heck can I do with it? Maybe I can call someone in Aspen or Telluride... at their Chalet..."Old guitar for sale... will appreciate one day, but don't play on stage".

Fire Coming....

Well... it's coming...my Nash Firecaster.... it is on the way (see photo). Mr Nash has proved once again, not only is he a genius creating his monsters of tone (as all Nash fans will attest), he has also done a bang-up job of designing the scorching on this guitar. The original body scorching was done by nature, as it
ran rampant through his warehouse last year. The rest was done by Mr Nash himself, to complement the work the real fire had done, and also complete the job. The result... a possible new scorching idea, straight from the workshops of Nash Guitars... More when she arrives....Happy weekend to all.