Time...

The time may be coming to stop 'holding' old guitars. I speak treason... but hear me out. Some musicians own older guitars... they love them, and also trust that in a time of severe need, that old guitar will bail them out of financial trouble... the person on the other end of the deal is generally a collector. Why? Because these guitars (sometimes as old as 50 years or more) are really not reliable players any more. The electronics in them came from our early astronaut and military program, and was never made to last as long as an old violin. In addition.. Leo made some of his older Broadcasters and stuff with paint that is already breaking down and turning into old furniture. The plastic on the old Les Pauls is turning into gas and lumps, sort of like my Grandpa... their is little shielding in these things to speak of... the pickups are also losing not only their magnetism (they can be re-magnetized)... but they will also eventually need a rewind...the bone nuts (the ones I have seen from the 50's on Tele's) all have either vibrated or been filed almost all the way down to the fretboard... some of the fretboards have such deep gouges from years of play, that they are almost unplayable... soon collectors will realize that they have to put these on a wall, in a cabinet, next to their wine collections. These guitars will end up living in Chalets in Vail, Telluride and Aspen... and the only place any musician wants to be there is in the bar, playing the blues...with a newer instrument. I have not heard any real stories recently about older Tele's screaming... I am wondering if they are... like the wine... getting past their prime. Remember... the 50's Tele's of the seventies, are like the 80's guitars of NOW. I still own a '59 Rosewood Esquire (other older guitars are either sold, or on 'the block')... I don't play it ... and the nut is almost gone... the pickups worked last month... but who know's today... so why worry... if that was a nice Charvel, I could stop worrying about it..(Fender owns Charvel... unless they sold it again recently...)....

Tokyo

Somehow I picture that if I ever take a 13 hour flight to Japan, go through their customs, and then hop in a Tokyo cab... and then oggle all the foreign culture outside my cab window, all the bright lights, pachinko parlors and saki bars...and then arrive at the hotel... counting out the odd color money to the cabbie... who for some reason either speaks no english, or is too tired to ... go through the super bright lobby to the check-in desk, eventually to the elevator after checking in (they spoke English, and I couldn't find my guide)... electronic key-card in hand, with some ad for saki on it...that then opens my Tokyo hotelroom door (and in my dream, triggers an electronical girls voice, that says something to me in Japanese, like 'Welcome' or 'Sleep Well', wheel the suitcase inside the door, and turn on the plasma tv... this is what I will see...

Hand Striped... and Gigged

We all are aware that one year ago today, Eddie Van Halen turned up at NAMM, to play his new Frankenstrat™ guitar live. There are only 300 instruments (or 301, if you include the one Eddie plays on tour). For more info, go to:http://www.evhgear.com/news/index.php?display_article=5 ... but this is not the only reason that EVH is a marketing genius... he is now playing (from what I can tell) 2 or maybe 3 hand-striped (yes... by Eddie) guitars during each concert performance. He then has someone market them on EBay. (go to: http://www.evh-guitars.com/). So some people are saying... why own an EXACT Fender replica, that Eddie probably never touched...when for less money, I can own something Eddie helped to build...and actually played... (even if for just one song...maybe two)? Tough call....right? A friend rightly pointed out that EVH has always been marketing various versions of his guitars, and this is nothing necessarily new... we should probably expect something else soon... actually... bingo... the EVH 5150 amp...

:56, 1:06 & 1:12

Those Tarantino movies seem to take a long time to get moving... "Planet Terror- Grind House™" seems to be interminably slow in the beginning... but makes up for itself later... specifically... :56 minutes, 1 hr:06 mins and then 1 hr:12 mins into the movie (running time is around 1:46)... the sheer zombie action is an A+. It has all the action of Mad Max-The Road Warrior...but with more gore... once you get to 1 hr:12, and everyone gets in the truck, and starts running down the Zombies it has a certain rock and roll to it... I will not be a kill-joy and give up anything... but if you want to fast forward to :56 and watch it from there... I think you will enjoy it... don't forget to keep your favourite guitar nearby... and Tarantino approved food....

The Word?

Word today.... Listen to The Drive-by Truckers. Other than that... I have made up a person who has issues with me and my site..trying to remain impartial, honest and keep my dumb foot out of my mouth... so here goes....

"Dear Mr Custom Shop Guitars and MORE,
Since when did you become an expert on everything guitar? Your advice seems ok, but I want some stats... do you play in a band? If so, how long have you played in a band? Do you have any guitar repair skills, or do you just blow hot web air on your BLOG? Are you affiliated with Fender Guitars... and if so, why do you talk about so many OTHER guitars? I will be writing again... so gimme some answers.
Thanks,
Mr Morrison.

Dear Mr Morrison (this is my reply),
I have read, owned and studied guitars a long time. I am not perfect, and might sometimes screw up... but I hope it doesn't
happen often, since anyone who takes the few minutes each day to read this stuff sorta counts on decent information.
I have never played in a band, but have been a guy who loves his guitars, and is self-conscious to the point that I might be playing fairly good blues at home... but in front of people I get guitar-shy. I do blow hot web air, but try and keep it to a minimum.
I am not affiliated with Fender™ guitars, but believe they make about the best guitars in the world (other than some of the other
makers that crop up in my posts).... You might say at the moment that Fender is the Butch Cassidy of this guitar gang, and
we still have room for a Sundance Kid... News Carver, Flat-Nose Curry and Bob Meeks.... but none of them is named Gibson, though they make great guitars... I just don't own any.
Sincerely,

Pete

Buck...

(Imagine Progressive Upbeat Music Playing)... You are Buck Rogers... only you passed out on Sunset Strip, in a bar, with a lapdancer on your lap, next thing you know, you are revived in the year 2038... and you go to the Vintage Room on Sunset Blvd. (because you still live in LA)... in fact, it is the FIRST place you take the monorail down Sunset to...gas-burning vehicles are all-but banned... and on the wall... in fact... covering the wall... are...(gasp)... Jackson and Charvel guitars. By now they are showing signs of aging nicely... some checking in the paint, some bangs and bruises, and some tarnish on the metal. Price for a Charvel EVH model (circa 2003) $219,000.... price for a nice 1987 Jackson Guitar... $488,000. Nikki Sixx walks in... he is now 80... but with plastic surgery, and a Viagra-permanent Implant, he has two hot girls on both his arms. So how about Fenders and Gibsons? Yeh... they are still over in the corner (somewhere).. most are only to be looked at... they don't really function very well anymore...at least not un-molested...since Leo never made them to last almost 90 years).. not to get me wrong... try buying a 1984 '57 Reissue ($235,000)... or a John Cruz Masterbuilt Tele from 2006 ($189,000)... sound crazy...? How about Eric Clapton going into a store in 1970, and buying six Strats for $100 a pop... when nobody wanted them (when they all still worked fine and could be gigged regularly). Hint: Buy newer stuff... and for Vintage... we are talking 80's Strats and Tele's, and of course... Jackson's..and Charvel's.. yeh... believe it... if you still wanna be playing...in 2038.

My New NASH is on the Way...

Mr Nash... the genius... is apparently making my new Tele as we speak. Look forward (I hope) to reports on that, and also the new Strat made by Jason Smith. The Jason Smith is from his 'team', and not selected personally by him for a signature number... so it will be interesting to see how this guitar stacks up. I am currently listening to some vintage Jethro Tull..takes me back...and P.S. If my house was on fire, I WOULD run into it to get that tele with the cutout...er...OUT....

Fatty...

I have been playing my 9/10 (tone-monster rating) John Cruz Tele for some time now... however my lazy playing style with this guitar required me to be careful not to hit the top two strings on some chords. So I just put away my John Cruz... put it away to Music Zoo for a Strat trade...(more about that later)...but I got out my old Tele with the 'belly cutout' on the back (like a 70's Deluxe or Linhof). Suddenly... wow... this thing ROCKS... I can do a Pete Townsend if I wanted, and I NEVER hit those top two strings on chords that require I don't...b*tchin'....and this Tele is an 11/10....no... this really is my TONE MONSTER... so a 'tummy cutout' actually suits a playing style... MINE... and I'm not chunky. Sounds stupid, but I had no ..... NO... 'f'-ing idea those cutouts did more than make more room for a growing baby... or one too many desserts. I also thought it was one of those cosmetic things.....so it's good to hear my new Strat will naturally come with one....If you're in LA... get ready for a lot more rain... if your guitar's are near a leak... MOVE 'EM! Have a great weekend....

Bad Frets....

First of all, go here (Rich Beck Guitars). This guy knows what he is talking about, when it comes to frets. This actually happened to me, buying a used instrument. The guy selling it to me (a die hard musician) had one last play of his guitar (claiming it sounded so good), and then handed me the guitar, and then I handed him the cash. I only say he 'claimed' it sounded good, because when you read the article in this link you see that a musician doesn't even know his guitar is sounding bad, until he plays another friends new guitar, with a good set up. Well, I get the guitar home, and my session friend and I notice that the action is VERY low, and the frets pretty dead (no more left on them). The article mentions this... that the first thing most of us might do when our frets get low, and the guitar sounds bad, is we might get the action lowered... which actually leads to the guitar sounding even worse... anyway... I highly recommend everyone reading this article...so go...

Artist Guitar?

What is an artist guitar? Here... these are artist guitars: GVCG Tele, Zemaitis (any 'Z'), Roger Sadowsky re-built 1980's '57 reissue Strat., modified '74 Tele (like the one I had of Rich Robinson's... it had a Custom body with humbucker & tele singelcoil, and a Deluxe neck, modified to a four bolt configuration... it also had a Rolling Stones 70's tour sticker stuck on the case and falling off)... or maybe a brand new Andy Summers Tele, built by Dennis at the custom shop...if you are Andy..ok, got it? Now... what are NOT artist guitars? (I am not going to say what you think)... NOT artist guitars....'57 Tele 'Collector Grade'...why?... consider no shielding for modern electrical interference, and risk of theft, and that volume pot from '57 suddenly going nuts in front of an audience having a great time. NOW... modify that tele... do what EVH did on the inside of his Frankenstrat... line the electrical cavities with metal paint, for sheilding... replace all the old pots, and 3-way switches...maybe new pickups custom built... unless you are playing a Les Paul in Gun's and Roses... then maybe you have an original humbucker or two (in your Les Paul), which you have thoroughly checked out with your tech. What if you are a session player? How many call-backs does a guy get, when his old guitar keeps having problems? (My friend the session player swears by his Nash Tele, with white binding and rosewood fretboard). What it comes down to is... would you take your 1927 Model 'T' on a trip to see relatives 3 states away...in the rain?

Acid...

Boy... finding out a lot today. Apparently, Muriatic acid is what a lot of builders use to artificially age guitar parts (the metal parts). It is also known as Hydrogen Chloride, and is used (as I said) to etch concrete, and also put into swimming pools to reduce ph. It is a highly reactive liquid acid, and is one of the MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS you can use in the home. Its vapors are very harmful... the problem seems to be, that once the metal guitar parts are aged, if the acid is not neutralized, it keeps eating away at wires and stuff in the guitar for some time (I would think after a few years it's definitely no longer doing any eating)... this would explain the serious rust on not only my 3-way tele switch, but also the jack plug, and some wires (which I had rectified, while keeping the guitar totally restorable to original again... I just wanted someone to be able to also play the heck out of it until then). Anyway....my luthier ended up telling me that whatever damage was done...er...was done... and that she was ready to gig again for a long time!

Neck Shim ... Major Mod?

I have googled myself out the ying yang to find out if a neck shim is a major mod. Apparently it depends on how you feel about neck shims. Nothing I googled referred to neck shims as anything but a 'modification'. Ibanez actually ships their guitars with neck shims... to quote another site: "Ibanez shims most of their necks with a thin piece cardboard (about the thickness of a business card, 1/2 inch long, almost as wide as the fretboard) inserted on the body side of the neck joint..."... I know you will say "That's IBANEZ man..."... but FENDER also puts these in their new guitars sometimes.... but thought everyone should know. In any case... I always offer a full refund on all sales on EBay of guitars, and everyone else reading should too.. in case the buyer is not happy...and we all should be.

Put it ALL in your Listing...Save Time.

I am selling an old Tele on EBay with a neck shim under the neck (see earlier post about neck shims)... Neck shims are all over old guitars, since the necks inevitably finish their 'drying' sometimes on the guitars, and change shape... sometimes beyond the help of truss rod adjustments. The only way to avoid this is to buy an old guitar with a perfect neck, that will probably never change shape again, unless you leave it in the rain, in the garage, or in your car in Vegas for a few days. Another buyer pointed out to me that it might be good to make sure any potential buyers know this, as I neglected to put it in the description... and he is right, and probably saved me shipping it out and getting it back again ( I offer full refunds if not as described, on EBay). What bothers me might not bother another musician... same for the reverse. The guy that sold the guitar to me never mentioned anything unusual about the guitar... including the changed 3-way switch (which is due to Jonathan at GVCG apparently using muriatic acid to age his parts), I just fixed them all, and moved on...but I made sure to mention the other stuff on my EBay listing. The guy who sold it to me also was straight up, and apologized for not mentioning everything. He told me that a working musician had been using the guitar, and that apparently GVCG's do have this muriatic acid situation (this acid is also used to etch concrete). I would say, from my experience, that roughly 1 in 5 old guitars end up with shims somewhere under their necks...sometimes this was done BEFORE they left Leo's factory... ... thanks to the guy who told me to put it in the listing! That not only goes for me... but the guy who sold it to me too... who offered to put it all right... and so would I.

Bargains...

At recent count there were up to 5 EVH Fender Limited edition Frankanstrats™ listed on EBay for sale. None have ever been played by Eddie. Original list (and street) price was and is $25,000 with Guitar Center. There are buy-it-now's for $18,995.00, $17,900.00 and (WOW) $15,995.00. The one for $15,995.00 was from a seller with over 500 feedbacks... yet no buyers. No buyers because the price was TOO LOW, and scared people. Sort of like when the hottest girl in your 12th grade class crosses the classroom and asks YOU to french kiss her NOW (while some really jerky looking 'friends' across the room leer at you). Something must be wrong! Nobody bought the $15,995.00 Frankenstrat™, which, by the way, was listed as 'untouched in it's original sealed box'. Do you think it was? Put it this way... maybe. On the other hand, if I'm a liar, I don't worry about lying...I'll say anything to sell the guitar (even if it got attacked by my pitbull Franklin last week, and he left a few toothmarks... that someone else might think Eddie did himself). So I will never know if I missed something... could've saved $9005.00.... right? (or lost $15,995.00). But to do that, I would have had to sell Elvis's jeweled belt from his last tour (just kidding).

Nikki and Heath...and Us...

Heath Ledger is dead. Wow... sad, and nobody knows why right now. Was it a supposed heroin addiction, prescription drugs or other things that killed him? Remember when Elvis died... same questions... but eventually everyone found out (skip the Heroin with Elvis). I still can't get over the RFM thingie... (Rich, Famous and Miserable). I refuse to believe it... I mean... why believe it? I am also reading the Nikki Sixx book, where he is RFM... and under a Christmas tree alone with a needle in his arm on Christmas eve...and no friends. (Check out the book... AND his new album...). Everyone thinks...NO... EVERYONE KNOWS....that if they had just shot a movie and probably netted 10 million (after agents etc), AND had a great loft on Broom Street in NYC, and been FAMOUS, and had a new movie coming out with premiers... AND dated a really hot group of girls.... AND have a new kid....ANd...aND...anD.....it goes on...but were people really programmed to handle all this input. FAME and COCAINE rhyme... they are also just as dangerous I think... human beings don't seem to be able to do either in moderation, or survive too much of either one. Now go buy the Nikki Sixx book.....

NAMM2008

I was just wondering out loud... EVH didn't make it to NAMM™ this year...What's up?.. but Santana was scheduled to be there (in the PRS booth at 2pm on Saturday), and so was Dick Dale (he was there) and other notables. Since when did a trade show become a rock venue? In all fairness... I like to think that in 1956, the Crickets where there in force, playing their Strats, and maybe in 1964, the Ventures were at NAMM playing Jaguars.....so it is just me... but the first NAMM show was actually in 1910, in Richmond Virginia... then known as the National Piano Dealers Association of America. For most of the history of NAMM™, it was a 'bare-bones' affair (as noted on 'bnet' on-line). It IS a trade show... main thing I notice is there were a lot of cool toys... including new PRS models... including one in Korina wood. Fender had an actual stage set up... for musicians to sort of give a rock concert for those there. Anyway... if you want to see it all... go to this great guy at youTube you actually can get a pretty good picture of what it was like, from the comfort of your own den chair... you just can't have Carlos sign your guitar...

Shoot...

Ok.. here goes... what's the point of living if I don't shoot my mouth off...to live is to say what you believe... then take a punch to the gut... lie there on the ground, taking it all back... or probably not. Quentin Tarantino's Deathtrap/ Planet Terror/ Grindhouse...well.. the site is amazing... and the music is also really cool... like 'Last Race', by Jack Nitzsche (try spelling that)... hot music, hot site... but how come I watched the first 30 minutes of the movie 'Deathproof' and just couldn't take the suspended sense of nothing occurring any longer. Tarantino is gifted, and has great taste in movie posters, music and getting everything tacky-cool... but I will never know what I missed, because I stopped watching, and put the DVD in my circular file (every time I hate a movie, a meaningful gesture is required.. ). Too bad, because maybe the 'Planet Terror' movie would have held my attention longer... no plot is required, just lots of authentic, tiki-style tack, well done... with some added action thrown in... and bad girls acting just the way they are cast. Happy Martin Luther King day...

POST #100 'COURT'ney

What drives people to wherever they are going? I think musician's are real... I mean, they are not going to chase a craze. Nobody is going to play a crummy guitar, if Courtney Love has one. So why don't we play Jazzmasters and Jaguars so much. I see them in girl bands, and in Freaky-Friday type movies, that need a guitar for the lead girl to play... they look ok, but they must not sound good enough for anyone to really make a mad run off a cliff for them. Most of my friends would rather grab a Harmony or a Danelectro or an ES 175...than ever get near a Jazzmaster... but if Jazzmasters sound so bad, how come they have been made for so long? They must sell. They must manage to get out the music shop door, and get played once or twice, before landing in a closet somewhere. Here's to Jazzmasters, Jaguars and my favorite ... the Jackson Soloist reverse headstock. (Wish I still had mine... and hope Joan Jett forgives me for the 'girl band' comments).

139.000 Clams

So it happened.... the vintage guitar market is (briefly?)flagging. A well known Vintage Guitar store near me still has 3 blackguard telecasters on their wall, for the $89,000 each. In November they were there... an awe-inspiring but not altogether at the time unbelievable price (knowing what they went up to). One mint Blackguard Tele sold on Ebay for 60K about a year ago...and that kicked off the investment craze in Vintage Guitars. People WERE actually trading these Tele's briefly at these prices through 2007. As of November, guitars were still going on EBay for really high prices. Even 80's Strat's were going as high as 10K (yes...). Then things slowed in December, and by January my delaer friend said things were "soft". Those who held Blackguard Tele's at $89,000 are still holding. Some are simply holding onto both their guitars and the prices they want. Currently, there is a NoCaster on EBay for $139,000.00. Another guy on EBay is holding solid on his price, but offering 20 percent off (really just a final admission that the market has gone off a bit). My feeling on seeing those 3 Blackguard Tele's on thewall... high off the ground...at that store... was that they would now stay there for a while.... If Keith Richards walks in...plays one...he might buy... but his first comment will be "C'mon man... nobody's getting these prices anymore... what will you REALLY take?". It's not just guitars either... my friend has a 1965 Fastback Mustang, completely restored. It was worth 34K last June (if you were patient), 29K in October, and now 26.1K (top bid on EBay). So old Mustangs are off 24 percent... and guess what... Blackguard Tele's are probably off more.... and that guy who wants 10K for his 80's 57 Reissue Strat may have to come down....to Earth...what goes up, must come down. (Sorry... real musicians still can't get near this stuff...Blackguard Teles, Bursts, 50's Strats...even 50's Les Paul Specials...). Harmoney or Danelectro anyone?

Place In Mind to Unwind...

So the NAMM show is off and running... just got back from a trip last night to Medieval Times™, with my two friends Simon and Ian from the UK. They informed be that the NAMM show had a lot of people who should really not have been there. Medieval Times was a trip worth taking, if you can resist not also stopping at the Pirate's Dinner Adventure™ next door. Both Ian and Simon said after an hour or so of NAMM you were definitely ready for either a Pirate Adventure or a Medieval Time. (My friend at the Vintage room at Guitar Center Hollywood also confirmed he was NOT going to NAMM this year... even if EVH turned up again). The chicken was great and so was the sparerib. The show was fun, and the more you get into it the better it gets. We had to cheer for the blue knight, and for $10 you can purchase a light-up sword, which I highly recommend. So once you have done all your music deals, make sure you have a place in mind to unwind... Medieval or otherwise...

CBGB's

Smells take you back better than any other sense... like the smell of Little Tree™ Auto Freshner and Decomposing Camaro Naugahyde they zap you right back to a time and a place. Whatever that stuff is they use to assemble guitar cases... we all know the smell. How about that first time you open a new guitar in it's case, and smell that 'New Guitar' smell. The other end of the spectrum is my memories of CBGB's... on the lower east side of New York City... yeh, I would love to have said I was there moshing in front of the small stage at 1am on a Saturday night, sometime back in 1978... some punker (and puker) girlfriend next to me, with pink hair... sloshed out of her mind... but actually I happened in there at 12 midday, on a weekday. They were apparently cleaning up from the previous nights small disaster, and I (being cocky) wandered right in. Nobody was around, apart from the usual indications of odd little noises from a back room, alerting me that someone was somewhere, just not there (where I was). The place was TINY.. about one old-fashioned New York deli wide, and about as far back. Lots of beat up wood, and carpet that lacked all the distinguishing points to still be called carpet... but the smell....wow... sort of like wet mattress, beer and wet wood...and that stage that gave birth to so many great bands... long live CBGB's.....!

Cocoa Pebbles

Are we, as late thirties into the forties rockers finally doing it? Are we the first generation in hundreds of years to keep our childhoods alive and well into our 60's, like Jagger? (I didn't say childish... though most women I have known might disagree). I don't do drugs and I don't smoke, but I do sugar. Ice cream isn't just for desert anymore, it can be any time of my day. How many sitcoms do you watch where some 40-ish guy is chugging down Coco Pebbles or Tony the Tiger's Favorite? Did my Dad ever behave like this? Did my Dad get tattoos, wear sneakers and jeans with holes in (both the sneakers and the jeans). Did he continue to dress the same at 40 as when he was 17? Did he skateboard well into his 30's? To answer this question, first we must find out what my Dad was doing when HE was 17. That was the early 50's...leisure wear was in... but...er... that was what Dad was wearing when I grew up with him (and HE was 40). So...sorry... nothing new here. Dad probably also went to see Sinatra (same way we see the Stones or EVH), and as he looked out over the greying crowd, he probably thought he was cool, and keeping his youth alive... difference is, I never needed to go see Sinatra as a kid... or Porgy and Bess... and why WAS that record album in their collection....?

Don't feel bad... I worked out the other day that most guitar players are lucky to break even after trading all their guitars (don't tell that to your wife) back and forth over the years. Those that DO make a profit, tend to end up owning stores... first on-line stores, then an actual location on the street. They have that knack that most musicians don't have... the ability to barter, and come out ahead. We musicians are not into that.. not really. We know what we want, when we want it... and if someone is offering us $320 less than we originally paid for it... we tend to take it. When we need new equipment, we need it NOW. Maybe it's time for a humbucker, or a thinner neck... or a different brand guitar that will continue to inspire you. But then I think we all feel bad... we add up the losses, and lament. Could we have been more careful... not to have bought the guitar we now want to sell again (on EBay)? But let me end on one note... if you take your girlfriend (or wife) to Carmel-By-the-Sea, and eat lunch and stay the night... let's say it cost you $900.00. Do you lament over money you no longer have, and an 'intangible' memory of the happy trip? NO. YOU DONT. So if you enjoyed that Day-Glo Orange Jackson for a week, and had never had a fretboard with shark teeth inlays, and got to play it a while...before selling it for a $900 loss... why lament? You have the memory...ONLY lament if you did nothing with that guitar...at all, while you owned it.

PUP

How much do you worry about your guitars? Do you worry more about your guitars than about Global Warming? Do you lay in bed at night, worrying that the guitar down at your luthier is not next to you, safe near your bed (or in your bed)? I don't count sheep at night... I count guitars. I know you do too. If you have a regular paying job, then all day you wait to get back to your music room. If you are a guitar teacher/ professional musician... or ex-80's-glam-rock-band-lead-guitarist-now-turned- teacher, then count yourself lucky. I know... lucky to be driving all over Los Angeles (or New York.. or some other town)... lucky to see that same budding future-rockstar of 2016 do his scales... maybe faster than you currently do. Lucky that his mother uses the lessons to try and pick you up... knowing full well that you know her husband is into the international pharmaceutical import/export business (and has a problem with blind rages). You are still lucky to be amongst the few who live the dream... the dream to do what you love for your life work. Those others have to be happy with their half hour in the music room, while their wife handles the kids. A toast today... to those who live the life they love... even if there is no money in it. (Remember, most famous musicians are RFM... Rich, Famous and Miserable, while you are PUP... Poor, Unknown but PLAYING).

Well Strip My Frets....

Rob appropriately points out NOT to strip a neck with frets in it...SANDING is for necks. Balmer's 'Fender Stratocaster Handbook' rightly warns (on p.70)..."I will state quite clearly from the beginning that no amateur would be wise to set about finish repairs on a rare and valuable guitar". Now... if you don't mind the risk, you stated that your guitar was a 'cheapy'... I am sure Eddie Van Halen was no luthier either... and learned a lot working on his own guitars... so if you're game... do for it (I would). As a note... Balmer in his book removes all frets first, then sands the fretboard LONGWAYS with a curved block of wood (with a 7.25in radius!)... pretty technical ... and does require a gentle touch.

Give Me a Stripper

My good friend Rob (in the desert) asks..."Hey Pete-
I've got a fun cheapy guitar ( a Jay Turser Surfcaster) that actually SOUNDS great...it plays ok, but I'm going to put a Tele neck on it to address that part. BUT, in the meantime, I thought I'd experiment on it a bit....I want to strip the gloss off the fretboard (maple) and the back of the neck (also maple)...do you know a good, safe, somewhat easy way to do this?"
Rob... you have 3 choices (if refinishing a body): Sanding, a Heat Gun, or chemical stripper.
I would not consider the sanding it... it will change the shape of things... the heat gun thing is also a little weird
for my mind... so it all comes down to good old chemical stripper. I had a famous ex-Masterbuilder make me a
guitar... and he took my 1951 Tele covered in a wonderful green glitter, and stripped it using the chemical approach. He then
painted it in blonde Nitro. A day later some of the green bled though the nitro (this is the trouble with chemical stripping),
so he re shot it with more nitro to cover it up. Not a perfect job for my mind... but it worked.
Chemical stripping is still my choice of how to do it... because it does preserve the original shape of the wood you
are working on. As with all things, there are side effects, but they can be minimized. Waiting a bit for the wood to
dry after stripping (a week or so) might help here. IF YOU HAVE A NECK to refinish... 'The Fender Stratocaster Book' (Balmer) show how he refinished a Strat neck using sanding. THIS IS THE BEST WAY for a neck, but unless you have practice at it, the neck will probably be affected somewhat here and there (oops...hit that headstock angle a bit hard!)... but considering people shave the back of their necks anyway (not THEIR necks, the guitar)... if you can live with it... I can.

Randy Rhoads

I finally admit it... I am a child of the 80's. For some reason I liked to think I was a child of the 70's...but considering I was still under the care of a babysitter, that wouldn't count... so I admit that the 80's are MY decade. So here it is...."To celebrate a quarter-century of fantastic instruments and innovation, the Jackson Custom Shop is very proud indeed to introduce a special 25-instrument limited-edition run of its King V guitar". Yes, Crack Guitars. I admit there is some evil side to me that likes those shark tooth inlays. The Seymour Duncan TB-4 bridge pickup screaming out metal hell-sounds. Floyd Rose™ bridges... with all those little adjustment knobs on them. Randy Rhoads died at the age of 25, in 1982, when the Beechcraft Bonanza he was in crashed into his tour bus. (They were trying to buzz the bus.. and the guy flying had done some coke... not the fizzy kind). But his guitars live on. Everyone remembers that Stevie Ray died in a helicopter, and Buddy Holly died in a Beechcraft Bonanza (stay away from Beechcraft Bonanza's). Rick Nelson died in a DC3 crash (not a Bonanza). But nobody remembers Randy... not really. So March 19th is Randy Rhaods day... if you read my blog, I will remind you...yeh... I'm putting it in my daily log now to remember... long live Randy.

Sale Starts President's Day, 5AM...

"NAMM Passes-Sleep with my wife!!--" (Actual Craig's LIst posting, just found). I also found a thread as a man who last year went as a woman, just to use a pass. Has this got out of control? Lot's of people talk about how the last day, sellers offer their items at radically reduced prices, so they don't have to ship stuff home... is that the reason for the NAMM™ show hype this year? Is it EVH and his private performance last year? Another thread mentions kids running around the aisles, tripping over guitars...this doesn't sound like Xanadu guys. I remember being offered passes out the wazoo two years ago... I could have had as many as I wanted... people couldn't give them away. Music industry friends lamented having to spend three days doing tedious business deals... of how there are lots of stalls selling Kazoo's and stuff that a guitar player would never even look at. I am sure there is a tambourine stall, where you can have your dog's photo silk screened onto them. How about the guy with the new invention... the 'Guitar Keeper'... that keeps your guitar leaning on the wall without falling over... (that one's my joke.. there is not a 'Guitar Keeper' as far as I know of)... but you get my drift...it is a mad rush of lemmings to get to Anaheim....doors open at 5am folks, and the furniture sale runs all day. Don't forget the coupons..... (I still want to go).

Frau Blucher ...

Does anyone remember their first car...motorcycle...? Remember the time you decided to do your own break job on your car, because you couldn't afford to go to the mechanic... and the breaks actually worked. You only found out afterwards that you shouldn't have used that wire brush to dust all that asbestos™ out of the calipers and into your lungs...well...it's time to take a guitar apart. Which one? They are all your babies... so which one do you do a Dr Frankenstein on? Come on... it's the only way we all learn. I actually thought about doing it the other day... but the first time you do it, there are always a few extra missing parts, and the first experiment is sort of a write-off... like when Frankie leaves the castle and goes to town looking for fun. Nobody is going to chase you with pitchforks though on this one... just take that Squire™ and a screwdriver and start takin' it apart... then you will actually know what goes where. That is how Eddie made his guitar... it might have been the other 2 'Frankenstrats' never made it back to the stage. So... my suggestion for the weekend... everyone off to the lab... (by the way, Frau Blucher is in 'Young Frankenstein'.... see it tonight).

"Heck Yeh!"

When am I a guitar player/ musician... officially? When I go into a store and look like a musician? But how about when someone asks if I'm a musician? What is the definition? George Harrison had said he never considered himself to be a great guitarist. At what dollar level are you a musician then... do you have to earn a living at it to be one? Obviously not. If someone had asked Muddy Waters at the time, who supposedly self-taught himself slide guitar in one year, if he was a musician... he probably would have said (as a kid)..."Heck yeh! You're lookin' at one". I am pretty sure at the time that he had made little or no money at it, at that point. So it all seems to be what you think you are, not what others think. George could think he was anything he wanted... because everyone still knew he was George Harrison. It's up to us to define ourselves... so go out today... even if you run a car wash... if you can do a great Van Halen version of the opening to Eruption... when asked... say "Heck yeh! You're lookin' at one".

Western Bar

Does bad equipment lead to a bad session? Would Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have played an out-of-tune upright piano with a broken middle-C in a Western bar if he couldn't find a better gig? Like most, I have owned and briefly played horrible equipment. The traveling 'guitar' that I got a couple years ago was one. If I was alone on a desert island with that 'guitar', I would have used it to dig a hole. It stayed in tune so poorly that it required retuning every 10 minutes. The fretboard felt like it was made of plastic instead of wood. I shall not go on... but did it effect my mental state? Was it a 'bummer'? Frankly...yes. We can all say to ourselves that Muddy Waters in his shack, in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1925 might have been playing a box with a stick for a neck, and only cat-gut for strings... but he wasn't playing a cheap guitar from China... that box of his must have had more mojo. I am sure Muddy didn't wait long to get himself a real guitar. So go get yourself a real guitar... with mojo. If I handed Muddy that traveling guitar, I am sure he would have made it travel.... out the window.

Vitamin Q

I retract my previous comment that electronics would probably add very little to the sound of a vintage tele..actually I am still covered, because I said some time ago that they might add to the 'tone'. On EBay right now, you can buy reproduction wax capacitors for either an early fifties Tele or a late fifties/ early sixties tele. The old capacitors looked yellow, and like some overgrown Good and Plenty candy. They look sort of cool. The old ones were made with foil and paper originally, but the NOS (new old stock) Vitamin Q capacitors are made differently. The NOS ones are made with paper and oil. These type of capacitors were originally used for military and aerospace use in the fifties. The dielectric and foil in the new ones is also sealed in a metal and glass tube, and do not drift in value, or degrade with time (like a twinkie if you left it for 3000 years). These things are known for lending a more 'musical' quality to your guitar. These little things also include original ingredients... like pitch and beeswax. The '56 -'58 Esquires take 3 little yellow capacitors (ZSW1S5 .05/150v), and also one 3.3k Carbon Comp resistor. The '58-'62 Telecasters take a ZNW1P1 and a ZYW1S5. Go check this guy out... he is at http://stores.ebay.com/Luxe-Guitars. ... and I don't get a cut of his sales....no.....

Selling your Stuff on EBay...

All musicians need to buy and sell 'stuff'. How does someone 'savvy' accomplish this? EBay. How do you list your guitar (coming from someone who has done it many times)?. First of all... avoid lying. Calling every guitar you sell "A Tone Monster" (as I have said before)... and using comments like "This Guitar would make Eddie Van Halen drool" are not encouraged... except in the very rare case it is true. If someone goes to your EBay profile, and discovers (as I have) that someone has sold 11 guitars in 3 months, and every one was a "Tone Monster".... I am going to start to think someone is either stretching the point, or lying. How something sounds is very personal too... I have thought a guitar sounded wonderful at first, and raved about it to my session friend, only to have him tilt his head and wait for me to play a little longer... after which, I sometimes change my opinion after trying all 3 tele selector switch positions, and all tone-selector combinations. At this point I might find that it is just an 'average, good playing guitar'. For the record... I have had one real dog (discussed recently)... by 'Brand X' (I don't want to hurt their business... but 'Brand X' IS NOT, repeat NOT any of the following: Nash, Monroe, Fender, Sadowsky, Linhof or GVCG...). I have had about 6 average, good players (that I would not run into a house to rescue), and 3 or 4 that were 'alive' (and I might run into a burning house to rescue... ok, I WOULD run into the burning house... at least try).

Slipcovers

What do you do with your guitar when you are not playing it? Manufacturers rightly point out that the only place to safely put your guitar is in it's case... but isn't that a little like putting slipcovers on the sofa? Where else can you put it? If you are like most people, it will go on a stand. Most manufacturers now guarantee that their stands will not affect Nitro paint... no... they will not reimburse you for damages though (if it does). A lot of guitars out there are still NOT nitro, unless you buy high-end instruments... so stands are generally safe. Even if it is on a safe stand.. is it in direct sunlight? Maybe it's sitting under that heating vent you have in your room. Maybe kitty isn't de-clawed, or fido isn't house trained. How about a wall hanger.. how about California earthquakes? Certainly don't leave it in the car... that is the biggest no-no that everyone agrees on. But I have to ask you... why does that guitar your favorite rock god is playing look so good... answer: probably because it was treated so bad... just don't leave it out in the rain.

Practice, Practice...

I recently have been thinking of someone I know who composes on their piano. They practice for a good part of six hours a day. That is my goal... practice my guitar for six hours a day... just like Jimi Hendrix supposedly did. If you hear the stories that have outlived Jimi, he slept with his guitar, and it became a part of his body... trouble is Isaac Hanson, of the band Hanson, got a blood clot in his right arm, that caused painful swelling. He attributed the clot to playing his guitar for long periods of time on tour, without moving or changing positions. I have not heard of this problem with piano composers. The guitar requires a more unusual body position than a piano... even though the Gipsy Kings may make it look relaxing. (Yes, I actually did spell Jimi and Gipsy the way the artists had it). The guitar and the piano are different instruments, and I may have to make concessions to my practice sessions... or at least move around a bit between my sets at home, in front of my dog. At least he stays for the whole set.

Lube Job..

If you read all the care-and-feeding manuals provided by guitar manufacturers, you know that they recommend
doing all sorts of things to your guitar, sometimes every time you change the strings. You are meant to get out
all sorts of things... even 3-in-1 oil... a thing I never previously wanted in the same room as my guitar. Even
though my guitar does have metal and plastic parts, I still think of it as a fine instrument... just like any other
musical instrument. Apparently, the fretboard needs frequent oiling...but with lemon oil '.. to remove perspiration and oils from playing'.
It looks like I would be rubbing, oiling and shining all day... more than my Dad had me doing as a kid Saturday morning, on
his car, and on our house... Truth be told... many luthiers and writers agree... your hand oils naturally help preserve
your fretboard, and apart from a tiny amount of a drop or two of oil in those tuners every long once and a while, not
much is really required for your guitar. A good set-up is required. No... unless you are a stage musician, you do not
need new strings every night. That 50's Tele found in someone's closet can look great... and play great...even though
there wasn't someone shining and cleaning it every few minutes. I guess all this does help the 3-in-1 oil company sell
more oil... (and the lemon oil people too).

Ugly Ducklings

What makes a Fender Stratocaster worth more than a lap steel guitar? Why do people pay more for a Tele or a Strat, than for the 'higher quality' Jazzmaster? Heck.. the headstock is even painted the same color as on the body sometimes... but to no avail. Even Elvis Costello could not really kick-start a Jazzmaster craze. Was it the 'Jazz' part of 'Jazzmaster' that was a turn-off? Not really a rock-n-roll name for sure. Possibly too many buttons... too much to work out? More likely though... the answer lies in two areas; maybe not as attractive to the eye, and the shape is not as good for great tone. Piffle you say! Ah... not so. Go watch 3:10 to Yuma, and tell me that the Colt Peacemaker is not the most attractive pistol ever made. Well you are looking at the same magical designing skills that came into play with the Strat, the Tele, and the Les Paul. The Jazzmaster has it's many followers, but is still sort of an ugly duckling in the Fender family, the one not going to the prom. (I will catch flak on this, and beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, so keep reading please). Now to how the Jazzmaster (and Jaguar) sound... in an private EMail to me, a well-known and now highly sucessful guitar manufacturer admitted that whenever he made 'J' Style Guitars he just couldn't get them to sound any good. He said it was easy (for him) to get the 'T' Style and the 'S' Style to sound great, but he hated making the 'J' Style guitars. Whether it was in the shape of the wood, or in the electronics, they just didn't sound as good. Ugly duckling lovers forgive me... and Elvis Costello, you still made your's sound great, but I'll choose a Tele or a Strat first.

Bruce Juice

Apparently Bruce Springsteen used to sweat so much playing his 'Blackguard' tele that they had to seal the pickups to make them waterproof. This is nothing against Bruce... I like him. Those lights get pretty hot, and creativity takes a lot out of you. (I don't know, I haven't been onstage at the Wiltern recently...if ever... but I do feel I create sometimes). This was many incarnations ago for his guitar... as even he will admit. Pickups are replaced and repotted, pots changed, things added, new necks attached... if you check out photos of Bruce over the years, you will see his Tele change. So why does Bruce's guitar look BETTER after all the sweat? Same for Rory Gallagher, and SRV, and Jeff Beck... the list goes on. However, I saw another guitar for sale on EBay the other day that hadn't fared so well. No... it didn't look attractive... it looked like it had been dipped in acid. Meanwhile, I face a whole other type of problem...the 'New Sneaker' syndrome we all know. We are petrified of that first scuff. I have daydreams of throwing my Tele to someone who rudely puts it in a corner. I am sitting at a bar in Pensacola, Florida (yes... McGuires Irsh Pub and Brewery), and while reaching for my end-of-the-last-set drink, my headstock knocks over my mike stand. My roadie Phil picks up my guitar by the neck, after eating a burrito... he had wiped his hands down, but there is still some burrito mojo left for my guitar neck. Then my luthier cleans things up, with a nice light scrub with lemon oil, and a little 3-in-1 for the tuners, which overflows and drips down the back of the neck, and adds even more mojo. While I am at the VIP party, signing autographs, some person has persuaded my roadie (still Phil), to let them open the case and examine the famous axe... yes, more mojo. Nothing makes a guitar look better over time than mojo... so let's all try and relax, stop worrying about losing money in damages, and start throwing that puppy to the guy in the wings.

NAMM Doesn't Want Fingerwatchers.

Last year at the California NAMM™ show Eddie Van Halen played his new Frankenstrat™ live... problem was, I had turned down an invite to the show. My good friend who used to work at Guitar Center Hollywood, and now works for a well known drumstore in London, had a pass for me at the time. This was last year... when apparently NAMM™ was more lax about who they let in. They only want music retailers, dealers and wholesalers there (officially). Anyone else who gets in is considered 'superflous'... and they are. If I had gone last year...I might have bought a new Eastwood guitar when I got home..or not... but otherwise would have been edging closer and closer to Eddie, to check out the ageing rocker's licks and see how Fender did the pickups on his new Strat. I found out recently that the front row of Beck concerts is full of people like me... watching fingers and noting how the artist is hitting a note, or how he has opted to do a bend... I think we are called 'finger watchers'. I also found out that watching Beck play, it is very hard to figure out exactly what he is doing with his fingers. In any case, NAMM doesn't want fingerwatchers. This year they are getting security as tight as a Britney Spears concert. Nice guys that sound like ex-Jerry Garcia fans are lamenting the inavailability of NAMM™ tickets this year for those not in the industry. ID's will now be checked, to actual names on the passes...security will be tight. There will be no 'riding on the coattails' of a friend who works in the Vintage room in Hollywood Guitar Center. But all of this makes me wonder what turned a Trade Show into a Britney Spears concert... I think it had something to do with Eddie Turning up last year, and giving that private performance...

Mom's Credit Card

So who makes the best guitar? Who's guitars always have tone (tone monster) mojo? Come on... gotta be one... right? Fender... Gibson, Linhof, Nash, GVCG, PRS...how about those 1980's '57 reissues I was talking about. I have bought and owned and sold scores of guitars... and even guitars by the same masterbuilder do NOT guarantee tone. I have owned two guitars, built by the same masterbuilder. One was 'nice'. I took it for a set up, and picked it up, without any comment from the luthier. The OTHER, I went down to get, and the luthier WAS PLAYING IT when I came in. Likewise, when they built all those limited edition Gibson Doubleneck SG's for Jimmy Page, he hand chose a select group out of many that he liked the sound of. I am sure all the guitars he was handed had equally good wood and workmanship... and identical electronics etc. But even Jimmy knew... some sounded great... some sounded good... and some were meant to go on a wall for display. I have bought Nash guitars... some sounded amazing, some sounded good... but so far, none sounded bad. I have bought and sold 6 Nash guitars to date... each one went to a happy home. I like what a recent rock musician said in VGM (Vintage Guitar Magazine)... I look for guitars that sound good... if they don't then I don't want them. That doesn't mean I don't pass along some winners... most of the Nash Guitars I have sold were really great sounding guitars, and one I really should have kept (but as I say, I have enough great sounding guitars). Have I had any dogs? Yes. But not in the past year... I am developing a tried-and-true process of guitar aquisition, that will not allow me to get involved with dogs. Last dog I had was about 2 years ago... let's call it 'Brand X'... I kept it for less than one day, and called up the store to return it. The guy there was angry...he actually accused me of being 15... that I had wasted his time, and was now banned from ever shopping with him again. Why? Because I am sure I was the third or fourth guy to return that guitar to him, and he knew he was now stuck with it... the guitar maker is still making guitars, so I don't want to ruin his life... but if you ever get a dog, call up the store immediately, and ask them to return it... even if they accuse you of using your Mom's credit card...

Losing Your Nut

Are you losing your nut?? I mean... like the '56 Tele I used to have. The nut slots were worn so low, that the strings barely cleared the first fret. The thing was BARELY playable. What caused this? Was it too much filing? Actually... no... probably just wear and tear from being played a lot. Nuts get worn, and then the strings 'fret out' at the first fret. Bone nuts sound better, but graphite is supposedly better for electric guitars (and might wear a bit better too). Once things have progressed to the point of a bone nut wearing down it's slots, you either have to put something under the nut to raise it up again, or start with a new nut. If you own a vintage '53 Tele, worth 35K, collectors will not like this. You will pay the price for playing that old tele. Keith Richards doesn't care (yes, I can speak for him on this one)... he plays his guitars, they are not totally original, and there are newer parts in those guitars that are constantly being replaced. If you want to buy a '53 Tele and play it, you are either Keith Richards, Bill Gates, or a liberated individual. The way to check if your nut is ok is to fret any string at the third fret... you should then be able to get a piece of paper between the first fret and the string fretted. Another way to check this is to go to your luthier and say "set it up again Fred, with a set of '11's".