Mod or Rocker

What I meant was... when you buy a new guitar, should you 'Modify' or keep it as it 'Rockin' Is'? This is a touch choice... considering Charvel or Fender is not making a guitar that comes with a John Birch humbucking pickup and eye-bolt fasteners for your strap hooks and a large "XXX" sticker on the front. If you are Nikki Sixx... he says in his book that he had an image of his future band in his head, right down to the smallest detail... long before he had even met his future band mates. This probably also included what bass he had pictured, and what it had in it for pickups. If you were SRV... you had your girl buy you an an old '65Fender Stratthat was already just the way you wanted it, (including 'arty' inlay behind the bridge) for a present. In any case... most musicians are hard pressed to stick with a stock guitar.., even though it might SOUND different to another that looks exactly the same...er... it STILL LOOKS THE SAME, as 10,000 other's guitars that came off the Fender assembly line that year. Of course, when your house is in jeopardy...and you need to sell the guitar (temporarily) to buy back the house, you would get a lot more for an 'uncustomised" guitar... than the one you now call 'Ethyl'. My main idea is this... find a guitar that SOUNDS amazing, then put up with how it looks... if you can... and understand, that it no longer needs that John Birch pickup...because it already sounds great... and you can still call her 'Ethyl'.

Fish or Fowl?

So what are you... Fish or Fowl? Are you the type of person who treats their guitar just like a Hell's Angel treats their bike, or do you not care? So many musicians fly with their favorite axe... but does that mean they don't like their dog licking it? My old friend who loved Hendrix, and also looked just like him... purple bandana and all... used to leave his new Charvel guitar (which I am sure Jimi might have one of, if alive today)...in his music room... when he went to the gym... to train with me, this guitar sat alone, in it's stand. He was a desk sargent at the 125th Street Precinct in NYC... (I had no idea sargent was higher than detective.. but it is). ..she would spill lemon pledge all over his nice shiny guitar (which was also purple). He and the missus weren't getting along very well... so I am sure it was all planned. He was an old-school blues guy... but that didn't mean you can his guitar! He was like me... I worry about my guitar when she isn't next to me...the love and attention I lavish on my axe is enough to make any woman jealous... hence why I should probably give her a name... (not my wife... she has one... and I love her). Of course... best not to name your guitar after an old girlfriend... sort of defeats the purpose... two loves in your life... your wife or girlfriend... and your guitar...best keep it simple. Anyway.. I hear there are people who love to spill beer on their guitars... not many.... but I hear they are out there... heck... I even see old Fender's with burn marks on the headstocks... so that means those people DO exist. So which are you? Fish or Fowl?

Provenance...NOT providence...

What are you really getting when you buy Elvis's guitar on EBay? You write to the seller and ask him (or her) about the guitar... some kind of proof that the King at least PLAYED it once. To yourself, you think it's too good to be true... you are already getting ready to sell your Elvis mug set... the works...this HAS to be real! So when you listen for the answer that comes back, you are already making up your mind that whatever the guy says, you will believe him....you're basically waiting for him at home base, telling him to 'bring it on home'. So he (or she) does, and writes back... "My Uncle lived three doors down from the Presley family in Tupelo... Elvis lived at 510 1/2 Maple Street (but was born in another house in Tupelo). (My Uncle lived in 516 Maple). He went to the Lawhorn elementary school (same as Elvis, but was a few years off from the King). This is the first guitar Elvis bought, at the Tupelo hardware store, and Elvis used to play it at Mayhorn's grocery store... where he would also listen to the blues. When the King left Tupelo at the age of 13, in 1948, the guitar was gifted by Elvis' mother to my Uncle. There is no paperwork (of course) since Elvis wasn't known yet publicly. I have a letter from my Aunt Flo notarized, (she is now dead), but the letter attests to the provenance of this guitar. Inside the guitar, in faded blue ballpoint pen are the initials E.A.P. The 'A' is a little hard to read....but the "E" and the "P" can clearly be made out. Since this guitar lacks some 'pedigree' I will list this item with NO RESERVE. Good luck bidding!" Sound a little too scary and familiar? Well... if you like the guitar, go ahead and buy it... but pay what an old guitar bought at a local hardware store in some small town is probably worth... assume IT IS NOT the King's first ... but then you still have a story to tell everyone who comes over on Friday.
(I have a Steve Mcqueen motorbike... it came with the same kind of story... and I paid what an old bike is worth and no more..the license plate did expire just before his death (Nov.7th, 1980), so maybe I'll hit paydirt..). Happy bidding ... (I got all the Elvis info via google!).

John & Sid & Nancy

Note from Nick

Dear B*llocks,

You rave on and on about your new love affair with 'Vintage' Charvel guitars. Floyd Rose is your new Paris... I find it horrible the way you now feel metal 'tools' are the way to go. It is true... when I tried to break one over the back of a speaker last month it refused to break, and oddly stayed in tune too. IN any case... I don't know where you will be putting those little yellow capacitor things, since I don't think your Charvel wants them.
Sex Pistols for evaH.

Nick


Dear Nick,
THanks, don't forget The Damned and Wreckless Eric.

FCSG & M

Wow

Lux has original home cooked 50's Tele capacitors on the menu....I have mentioned these before, and with a little solder (don't forget to 'tin' the leads first... )... that vintage tele or esquire can be back to as-good-as-new status.

Jonathan @ GVCG

Jonathan at GVCG's had this to say about the pickup (that I just sent in to Fralin... but I agree with Jonathan, Lollar is fantastic too... so I would recommend either one for rewinds...).."Peter, if I could see them, I could tell you , may be Hamels, but regardless, if you want them ressurected, Lollar is the man for the job-"

GVCG Pickups..

I sold the red GVCG I had (as you know)... after I sold it, the pickups were either 'thin' or 'not working' for Oliver Leiber, so I gave him a new set of GVCG's. Apparently, if you take a reading off of a pickup, while it is in the guitar, you can get a false reading that the pickup is still good (due to the pots...). The pickup must be removed and then both leads used to get an ohm reading. If the pickup is dead, then Lindy Fralin is apparently the one to do a rewind (to whatever specs you want). On the back of this pickup is a little stamped or written " ? " which I have asked Jonathan at GVCG about... he tends to be very busy with projects... but if he gets back to me, I will let you know what he says about the " ? " (Oliver's tech might have put it there too).. and maybe Jonathan will also tell me what type of pickups he originally used in his Tele's, and whether they were Lollar's or not etc. I will also keep everyone appraised of what Lindy says and how the rewind goes (and sounds). How many out there have done rewinds on their dead pickups? Not me... not YET... I'm a 'first timer'.

Changing Strings on a Floyd Rose

Don't fight it... relax and give in... Metal Guitars with a new twist are coming back into style... yes... I used the word STYLE... that may bring up images of White Lion and Poison...but.... they ARE coming back... and so are FLOYD ROSE bridges... they made more sense than those older bridges anyway. The new Charvel (Fender owned and with Fender headstock) San Dimas guitars come with what the original ones didn't have... Nitro Relic finishes. This is sort of a hybrid... for my mind.. the best of Fender meets the best of Metal Guitars (these guitars, as EVH will attest, as basically metal tools.. no nonsense.. they stay in tune, you can bang on them all day... heck.. you can even bolt some giant eye-hooks into them as strap hangers). So on that note... let's all change a string on a Floyd Rose....(get the easy answer HERE...)...FIRST... reset the applicable fine-tuning screw to a middle position (Screw 'A') 2..) Loosen screw 'B' a few turns counter-clockwise, until the desired string pops out of the bridge hole it is in (see the 'X'...which marks the spot). 3.) Loosen the nut clamping block (where you see 3 clamps with allen screws, at the top of the neck) that applies to the string you are working on. 4.) Remove the OLD string. 5.) Clip the ball off the NEW string. 6.) Put the freshly cut end into the hole where the old string came out of, on the bridge (see 'X'). 7.) Push it in as far as you can, and then retighten screw 'B'... DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN! (Do not allow string to pop out again while you are doing this... ). 8.) Feed other end of the string under the nut clamp, and then apply to the tuning peg (as you usually would on any guitar). 9.) Tune the string, and then tighten the nut clamp again. MAIN RULE.. DON'T OVERTIGHTEN ANYTHING.

Holding a Dead Pickup

Remember that movie with Paul Newman and Robert Redford..."The Sting"... they ARE good guys, but they are also conning a conner. If I am selling a totally original PRS guitar, from 1986... based on the description of the guitar I got when I bought it on EBay.... is it a CON if I don't get it checked out myself before immediately selling it? If I got it for 50% off... am I in denial thinking that I am telling the truth, just because the last guy said it was totally original? It is OUR responsibility to check out all the equipment we sell, and because of that... when anything is wrong with something I sell (ie.. the last situation with a pickup that didn't come in 'strong')...am I dumb to stand by it and provide replacement pickups? With that guitar, the dealer I got it from basically told me I was too soft for not telling my buyer to 'get lost'.. and he offered me no help. Maybe that's why I consider myself more of a musician, than a dealer... at least not THAT type of dealer. I know many really great dealers... who are also musicians... who are straight up.. who wouldn't leave someone holding a dead pickup.

Chris Fleming Head of Charvel Production

Fender announced at NAMM that Chris Fleming, former Fender Custom Masterbuilder... is now head of production at Charvel.....(just to recap....)... maybe Fender knows Charvel is on the move ...I think with all the EVH stuff out there that people are ready for some Compound Radius String Bending once more...http://www.themusiczoo.com/features/NAMM2008_AnaheimWinter_ShowCoverage.htm

Fretboard Radius...

I have played Fender guitars about my whole life... except for that one trip into Jackson territory in 1987. As you know... I am playing as my #1 right now a Charvel San Dimas Nitro Relic (yep)....I LOVE the feeling of the neck... for me it is a totally different feel to my Fender Tele's/ Strat's... the neck 'feels' flatter...anyway... I can bend notes easier, and when I pick chords with my fingers instead of a pick, everything sounds more 'punchy' and clean... of course this could all be the total make-up of this guitar. It has a great birdseye-maple neck... that feels rock-hard. I found out that if you have a Floyd Rose nut, you need a neck radius around 10" at the neck... with the whole neck staying at 10" radius... except a bottom radius of 16" (very flat) will work... which means it becomes a 10-16 COMPOUND radius neck. This is different to Fender... an old Fender would have a 9" radius... which is very curved. Most steel-stringed guitars have 12" to 17" radius necks. Les Pauls 12". Basically... the LARGER THE NUMBER, THE FLATTER YOUR FRETBOARD will be. An old Fender with a 9" radius is EASIER TO FRET CHORDS... BUT BAD FOR BENDING NOTES... because you ''FRET OUT" (unless you raise the action). OK... maybe too much for today... so look at the attached diagram... then consider yourself on the way to understanding all this...one day ... (this is one of the most confusing topics about gutiars ...)

Anger Management

Remember that scene where (in a movie) Jack Nicholson takes a golf club and starts beating the cr*p out of some car, then it rolls off the top story of a parking structure, to the pavement below? If not... picture it. This is the level of anger some people feel towards 'relic' guitars. They go on and on and are willing to talk all day about how they hate them... I mean HATE those 'poser', 'phoney' 'idiotic' artificially aged guitars. It might be good to ask who feels this way... is it 1.) People like me who talk about guitars in a blog, 2.) People who like collecting 'real' guitars, 3.) Musicians... or 4.) none of the above? Only ONE of those selections really counts (for my mind) when it comes to guitars... that is the MUSICIANS. Keith Richards... Andy Summers, Jeff Beck and EVH all play their relic guitars... they say they not only sound great... but they perform flawlessly, and are not irreplaceable... like their original guitars. How about those musicians who play gig's where all the rest of their equipment is naturally beat to heck... maybe an 'old looking' guitars is better... sort of like why Bowie wears old looking sneakers...it's all part of 'the look'... maybe even adds to the music. I don't think musicians worry about anything except how their playing is going... they have no time to care what color their guitar is... beyond..'Hey... let's use that one... it's cool'...Relic guitars are just another choice... like a guitar with Dolly Parton sprayed on the front...most musicians I know (including my friend Rob) don't get their blood pressure up over 'relic' guitars... they just say... 'Hey.. I'm not into them....'... but we all love to gripe sometimes... about traffic... about the guy on the RV Scooter that drives by your house at 12am....about the neighbors next door who have the love-machine going all night, when you need your sleep...

Pickup...Not Truck..Not Lines..

What is it with 50's and early 60's Strat and Tele pickups? Is it all hype? Probably not. Many factors are involved...Fender changed the insulation on the windings from Formvar in '64, even though the gauge stayed the same. Prior to '65, pickups were hand wound, in a scatter-pattern, with varying tension. Prior to '65, the magnets were sand casted Alnico (newer ones are ceramic). The older magnets have also had time to become slightly weaker... which could definitely lead to a 'special' balance in the pickup. When these old 50's and early '60's pickups die (like my previous post about the GVCG I sold to Oliver)... and they do... (at a higher rate that other manufacturers)...they may still 'partially' appear to work... but might sound 'thin'... someone might keep playing their guitar... thinking the pickup is still working...and only an ohm test on the pickup can find out the real truth. Jonathan at GVCG of course did not use REAL '50's and 60's pickups in his guitars... but he DID do some special aging to them. He was a stickler (and still is) for getting real alnico magnets... having the pickups handwound (by Lollar)...and staggering the poles... sound like a real 50's or early 60's pickup? Yep...

Letters Section...

Dear Randyscousegit,

I notice on your blog that you started off loving Relic guitars by Fender Custom Shop, then fell in love with...(out of order)...Linhof, GVCG, Nash, Harmony, Silvertone, Charvel and Jackson guitars. If you were Gene Simmons these would
all be f*ing women. What are you... fickle? Who do you really love man... you can't love 'em all?

Michael Tork Dolenz-Jones


Dear Michael,

If you look at Keith Richard's pile of guitars (which I am sure he has to keep selling some of, to avoid losing all the rooms in his house to guitars)... I am sure it has all the above in it....I know he has a Linhof...a Custom Shop Fender...probably a Silvertone... unless Ronnie has that one...I bet if you kidded him he would find you a Randy Rhoads in there somewhere. Anybody who only loves one type of guitar is either B.B. King or B.B. King.

Sincerely,

Gene (NOT Simmons)

GVCG Restoration

So we know that muriatic acid keeps eating away at guitar parts... unless you rinse it off really well. It also ages guitar parts... and makes them look like they are 40 or 50 years old. It ages the metal, and the rubber and the plastic and the wires. It is best when it just ages just the metal. In any case... I sold my GVCG Red Maple Neck tele to Oliver Leiber...a well known a talented musician who 'lives down my hill'... in hippy heaven... Lauren Canyon... Jonathan Wilson has a mailing address there too..(I don't know if he moved there too)... the Zappa Family live there... and the Doors and so many others have made it their home since the 60's. Trouble is, he called me up, and let me know that the pickups had gone kaput. Luckily I had some backup GVCG pickups from Jonathan Wilson (maker of the original GVCG). Oliver came up with his friend, and went back to work like scientists in a lab to restore a very deserving guitar. The 'other' red GVCG (with rosewood fretboard) went to Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen... (who cares about muriatic acid!)... it's only a side effect to true genius... which Jonathan is. His guitars are the hands of some of the worlds most talented musician... Rick Nielsen and Oliver Leiber included...and nobody seems to regret the price we pay... as long as replacement parts are at hand!

Bang It Up!

I know a very well known guitar player who once told me that belt buckle rash on a 'relic' doesn't count...er... 'cause it's a relic? Right? If you drop your relic guitar, it only get's more reliced! Not true... very good #1 Fender store/ dealer of mine just informed me that he checks for this type of thing, especially for those Neiman-Marcus situations... you know... the girl who goes into the department store, buys a $2000 dress... wears it with the tag hidden to a party... then returns it a week later... for a full refund. Well... guitar dealers are not that dumb. There is apparently a difference between those professional bumps put in by masterbuilders... and they always do it in a certain overall-but-hard-to-explain pattern... like an artwork.. and someone who gets a little drunk at a gig, wails on his guitar, turns around and .... walks his headstock right into a stack of Marshalls... Someone who spills paint on a Jackson Pollock might think one more drip on a drip painting will not be detectable... BUT THEY ARE to EXPERTS (real ones, not the ones I joke about). So... warning to the wise... if you want to resell your relic... baby it like a new pair of white sneakers.... or pay the price... and never try to con someone... remember..."In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" (PM).

Quentin T.

So I am standing filling my car up, in the twilight... some homeless person has used the squeegie water container as a urinal, and a large billboard that belongs to the service station I am at has an electrical display...I stare fixedly at my message for the day...'Welcome to ', then after about 5 seconds.... 'We have lots of'.... 5 seconds more... 'We have both hot'..... and finally....'Thank you'. If it had started to flicker and one of the bulbs had blown out dramatically, I would have known I was in one of Quentin Tarantino's Zombie flicks...but it didn't .... But it did make me think of China. China is still working on getting down how to do certain things for the American market...they have silk tapestries, herbal remedies, and are the home to acupuncture... they also have Kung Fu, loveable Chinese English-overdubbed Martial Arts movies..the Great Wall.....and...er....Chinese Fender Guitars. Some say it is time to ignore those little 'Made in China' stickers on the back of some guitars, and embrace them as being as good as, or better than USA-made guitars. Er....NOT YET. I swear it.... keep waiting... they are getting better... it will happen... but their guitars are not (yet) like USA-made instruments. Case in point... I rented a Burns guitar... which was new, with a little sticker on the back. The fretboard felt plasticky, the nut kept making little metal pinging sounds when I played... and it had so much poly on it, I never really felt the wood was there... but I know it was... deep down. Maybe it just needed a good set up... but don't take my word for it... go to Hank Marvin's 'Fender Stratocaster Handbook' (published in England in 2007... but China could have done it for less, and done a good job).... under 'Case Studies'...they looked at a USA Custom Shop '54:...Condition on arrival: 'impeccable set up and workmanship'. They also looked at a Chinese made Standard Squire™.... condition on arrival: '...a reasonably good instrument...however, low-cost saddle materials, lightweight trem block (the US one might have this too...) and.. it did have (what I had problems with on the Burns guitar)... a bad fretboard/fret problem... with '... rather uneven fretting- putting this right could cost as much as 50 percent of the purchase price of the guitar'. So.. my word for the day... Standby on China... I am sure they will get it...but not yet...not with electric guitars.... (I am not crazy about 'Agathis' wood either... but that's my problem...). A Japanese friend of mine when asked about Floyd Rose trems told me 'stay away from the ones made in China... they break'. I won't get them in a room together....to discuss that one....

My Sweet Lord...

I just got back my Nitro San Dimas Charvel Relic....I swear to God that if I handed this guitar to Eddie Van Halen, I would never get it back... I am sure. That is how amazing it is. Problem: Charvel custom shop makes this amazing color(s) nitro for this series (through Music Zoo)... they also use the most flamey maple for the neck that I have ever seen... except on that Bentley I looked through the windows on, parked on the street.... problem part is... my luthier (who IS Steve Vai's luthier).. told me that it was set up 'mickey mouse'...and he showed me why... frets were loose, the locking nut screws were 'overdrilled' on the back of the headstock (ie. too deep, making the screws stick up too far on the top side)... also Charvel took the rust a little too far (for MY mind, the rust and wear now looks better with a little lube...more like it really was made in the 80's, but serviced properly)...if you get one of these, lube up those rusty parts... no problem.. Kenny set 'er up with .10's and that neck IS like running your hands over a Bentley dash... and the frets are PERFECTLY dressed, to the point that I think that wood came with the frets... smooth as silk. Charvel are genius at LOOKS (the guy that did the aesthetic job on this guitar is as good as the best at the custom shop), but we were wondering (at my luthiers) if the guy who set this guitar up at the factory had even been there a week... total cost: $3195 for guitar and $267 for the set-up... total $3462... but THAT GUITAR PLAYS LIKE ONE THAT COSTS MUCH MORE. Get's my Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval...

John L.

The pro's and con's of 'Relic' guitars... ahhhh yes... this heated little argument is as hot as any political conversation that ends with broken furniture and someone looking for a first-aid kit...the people that LIKE them might say 'What is the difference between a 'relic' guitar, and one I get at my pawn shop, that Krumpy 'no nose' Smith owned for 30 years? Heck... Eric Clapton got his 'Blackie' in pieces all covered in some unknown player's scratches and beer'. The people that hate 'relics' say... 'Dude.. stop being a poser. Bet you can't even play 4 chords... but you want to look cool without the licks... you-hopped-up-on-starbucks-wallstreet-trader-rockstar-wannabe'. Now, let's raise the ghost of John Lennon for a closing statement: .... (John speaking in Liverpudlian accent)...'Ya know man... it's whatever you want it to be...isn't it? In the end... whatever floats your boat... who am I to put down your shoes or what type of hat you want to wear? If you sound good... I'll jam with you... if not...cool...peace out...the world needs all types..I mean... if I wasn't a rock star... I might be a Wall street trader, or milkman... or whatever...in some other life.. but you can be sure I wouldn't be busting someone else's head about what makes them happy....". Thank you John....

Mailman..

Dear Guitar Dude,

Charvel guitars will always be badly made. They might look good to the eye (your relic), but their quality has always (at best) been acceptable. If you are EVH, he probably has to have his tech 'finish them' for him. The frets can be in bad shape (coming loose), the intricate Floyd Rose bridges not properly set up... and people have complained about breakages of the Jackson Floyd Rose bridges. The Fender custom shop currently turns out top quality guitars... without any of these problems. As for Gibson... I just bought a black Les Paul that had no shielding in it, a sharp (literally) fret job, and a poor set up (so ayou are right about them). The manufacturers say they leave the set up for the buyer... but that, for my mind, is a cop out. The best quality right now is the Fender Custom shop.... and Fender, who just took over Charvel/ Jackson... is well aware of their quality problem, and apparently trying to bring them up to speed.
Sincerely,

Dirk

Dear Dirk,
Thanks... I love my new Charvel... but it did require a $300 fret/ truss rod/ bridge set up.

For Rob...

Hey... my friend Rob likes matching headstocks...this baby is $3099.00 at MetalShopMusic... more than a Harmony ... more money... and also more hairspray, spandex and (as I heard in Rolling Stone Magazine)... more like the band where you choose a 'color' and an 'animal' for a name... but super cool....

More Mail...

Dear Mystic Seer...

I love the fact that you can see into the future... please tell me... will yahoo go any higher? Will Crystal, my current girlfriend say yes if I ask her to marry me.

Sincerely,

Sleepless in Sherman Oaks


Dear Sleepless,

I don't know...BUT... to use all those words the guys on the FNN use... let's look at past performance to see the future. Fender Strats were $150 in 1970. People (artists) were playing Les Pauls ... and Jerry Garcia was playing Gibson SG. NOBODY at that time thought Fender's from the 50's would ever be more than yard-sale left-overs. Fender's with worn frets, beer under the pickguards, and burn marks on the headstocks were not attractive...at least no more attractive to an artist than an old piece of furniture with bed-bugs. (Gibsons... with their non-bolt-on necks were considered a finer instrument at the time). Isn't this roughly how people currently feel about Charvel's and Jacksons? There are artists currently buying Jacksons with screaming hell-demons airbrushed on the front ... but they are a small, dedicated group of musicians, who like a certain niche. I still feel that early San Dimas Jackson's and Charvels will be the 'hot' guitar in the near future. You heard it here first folks...no pushing, fire exits to you left.

PS. Rob... Silvertones/ Harmony's will always rock..

Yoda

Try this... Yoda-speak generator site ...something to take your mind off 'heavy' stuff for while...'Geek am I'....Yesssss. (Try it).

Bumper Crop...of My Cr*p

Broadcaster Story.... 'Once upon a time a guy (like me) buys an old Broadcaster... that used to belong to Rich Robinson. I always wanted one... so I traded everything I had for it. I sit by my house, waiting for the Purolator man...to find out at 11:04 am that they have left it ouside another house down the street...er...ON THE STREET... so I run down the street, with no shirt on... looking everywhere... and see the box... leaning up against a wall... in the sun. First impression when I take it out of the box (and original thermometer case)...'nice... it's real... but not original finish'. Immediately I pack-down the finish feeling. Well... I eventually take it down the hill to a recording studio, for my Grammy friend to (possibly) use on his new album. His guitarist says...'feels like a '68 neck... and doesn't sound right either...er...NOT going to use it'. I freak inside, but stay calm and unblemished outside. My friend (the guy with the Grammy... I promise not to keep saying that...) says to take it to his well-known tech, to have him check it out... so I do that. I get a bad feeling when he is nice enough to go through it with me right there... he HAS A BOOK OUT to help identify the decal properly. He says the decal should have a slight 'bleed/ fuzziness' to it. He says mine doesn't. In the end... he tells me that the 'Broadcaster' I have is nothing (in his rough/ honest opinion) more than an $5000-$8000 parts-caster. So I call up the guy that sold it to me, and tell him it's in the mail, with no insurance...and it can get lost for all I care. He DOES refund my money... BUT at the price I bought it at(by then Broadcasters skyrocketed in price). Ok... so I am ok with this... THEN... I see it in Nacho Banos' book... HOLY COW... it WAS real (I knew it... the neck had a special feel... and a unique bevel right on the edge on either side the neck, just by the frets...it also had a very pronounced 'V' shape to the neck...which was correct for a Broadcaster). It HAD been refinished...but the guy that sold it to me HAD refunded my money... I probably should have kept that guitar... so it just goes to show about 'experts'....whew'...

Is Ebay Still Safe?

Ok... Harmony and Silvertone guys & gals.... (er... that would be YOU Rob).... if you don't want to buy from Hollywood Vintage Room...where do you get the Silvertone? Well... they did have a Silvertone (in black) last time I stopped by there... but the price is higher (because they check everything and you are basically buying from someone as honest as your local Pastor)... so WHERE to buy a vintage guitar... other than the higher-end stuff (that I just got swizzled on by a pirate). Is EBay still safe...? YES and NO (don't you love those answers?). As I said, I bought a 'totally original 1986 PRS with sweet switch'... that ended up being a 'totally home job that could short out with radio shack 15cent switch'....not that radio shack doesn't make nice parts!). The feedback on this schnook was high numbers, and all 100% good. He communicated well...and shipped on time too. If you shop on EBay (and I do)... they (EBay) are basically the MAYOR/ CONSTABLE of pirate-town... trying to keep everyone honest... you can guess the rest... so if you venture there... take your pistols... and don't fall asleep. Honestly though... I think Rob knows this... if the guitar you are buying is $320, and you intend on playing the heck out of it... you go into town knowing you might get a little taken. If the transaction is guaranteed through EBay (buyer protection).. THAT REALLY HELPS... to the tune of either $200 or $2000 dollars... (read their rules on that)... so that could make it all ok for the moment, if you are wary. So... my final word is... YES... trade on EBay... BUT... the seller must have enough BUYER PROTECTION offered to cover the purchase price, also they must have 100 percent positive feedback (or a reason why it isn't that makes da*n good sense... but due to bad feedback... there might not be any buyer protection now). They should also have 100 or more feedbacks for a Harmony purchase/ Silvertone/ less than $500 value purchase.. and more than 250 feedbacks for a purchase of up to $3000. THESE ARE THE HARD-AND-FAST rules I USE myself. If you are buying an EVH Frankenstrat, for $15,950.00... you WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH COVERAGE.. so ONLY buy if you can pick up in PERSON.

HONEST DEALERS

MY LIST OF HONEST DEALERS...ALL HAVE MY 10/10 RATING (I WILL ADD TO THIS AS REQUIRED):
THE MUSIC ZOO of LIttle Neck, NY
THE MUSIC GALLERY of Highland Park, IL
HOLLYWOOD VINTAGE ROOM, Hollywood, CA
THE GUITAR HANGAR of Brookfield, CT

more 'Wall of Honor' dealers soon...

Casablanca & Port Royal

Remember the movie Casablanca? Remember how anything goes, and all the naive people lose. How about the pirate city of Mos Eisley, on the planet Tatooine... where Jabba the Hutt lives... ever tried making a deal with someone like Jabba? (I want to speak fluent Jabba....like...'Cheesa. Peacha. Chr’Wanki Chewbacca’ – which apparently translates... ’At last we have the mighty Chewbacca'... in other words... I wish I could speak fluent hustler.) One more... how about Port Royal... in Jamaica... the pirate city...that sank to the bottom of the ocean in an earthquake... the 'original sin city'. Well.. some might remember those scenes... and a nice guy goes into the scene in one piece, and generally comes back out the window a few minutes later... minus his watch, his money and his shoes. Welcome to Vintage Guitar traders of america. No... I am not harsh... and not angry... just warning those who still have their watches....the number of stories I have heard (and witnessed)... including one where a 50's Telecaster was refinished... offered to me for sale as 'refinished'... only to turn up the following year as 'totally original'... and fully priced as such. Please watch out for the Jabba's...in the world of old guitars... there are more of them... than the good, honest guys (like Han Solo?).. there are also more Signor Farrari's (in Casablanca).. than there are 'Ricks'... those willing to deal in whatever they can, and con the unwary...yes... of course there are good, honest sellers out there, but any time you have a valuable, rare item on the market, expect pirates......(my Broadcaster story next)....

Rob...

My good friend Rob (and Harmony and also Silvertone lover) makes a great point: "But if i only buy new guitars, i can't buy a 65 Alamo Fiesta to go with my Alamo Futura Reverb amp...check it...

Sorry t hear about the Esquire--that sucks.
How many guitars do you have? Amps?
I'm at about 14 guitars and 7-8 amps here"

R

(I am down to 8 guitars...and one acoustic...so..er....that makes 9...and...one amp...Louis Electric KR12...with variac.) Thanks Rob..(.does an original 1985 San Dimas Randy Rhoads Jackson count as old?)....

Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)

Here is information to save you a lot of pain and trouble... first of all... my Country Music Friend always told me to ONLY buy new guitars (He's had a grammy... but not me...). I (up until now) did not listen. My money-in-the-bank guitar... which I got from 'Dealer X' 10 months ago, is not original. It is a '50's Esquire. The seller told me it was totally original. Period. I then took it (not being dumb) to 'Dealer Y' here in California. 'Dealer Y' is a respected guitar store here in California, that someone would trust. (It is NOT Guitar Center... they are great). 'Dealer Y' told me (after checking it out) that it was all original, and when I asked them again... er.. yep... they said it was all original... nothing unusual. Well... sent it to be sold last week... and it IS all original... but over a period of years... ... it also has two holes (NOT original) in the neck pickup route (there was a modification there at one point). Also... I am told that the pots/ capacitor/ switch date to one year. The body and neck date to about 18 months earlier. Apparently... (makes sense)... there is no way for the electronics to be made a year and a half after the body and neck (unless Leo used the neck and body for a paper weight on his desk). There is SOME allowances here (as all Fender experts know... things could be...say.. 7 months off)..Also... the patent stamp on the bridge is wrong (and should be a later one). I have heard of people who apparently can Ebay parts, and assemble original-looking old guitars and make them appear totally original...even to someone supposedly an expert.... WELL THEY CAN. What is the price difference... I don't even want to tell you... between a totally original 50's Esquire, and a 'parts guitar'. I truly thought I had it all covered... even going to a well respected store here, before accepting the guitar. Advice to the wise... only deal with people you KNOW ARE HONEST. I will be staying clear of 'Dealer X' and 'Dealer Y' (dealer Y needs glasses)... sorry I can't tell you their names... for obvious reasons. Caveat Emptor...like Mr Brady said on the Brady Bunch, when Greg Brady goes to buy his first car. ... Next Post... my original 1950 Broadcaster... that I was told was a 'parts' guitar (by an expert)... that ended up being real... and in a book to prove it (Mr Nacho Banos' book)...albeit refinished.

USA Charvel Custom Shop

I bought the USA Charvel Custom Shop San Dimas™ Relic... with Nitrocellulose Fiesta Red Paint, 21 fret neck, retro-floyd rose... all aged by Chip Ellis. It was a fairly pricy purchase at $3195.00. Here's the scoop... let me start of by saying two things... this is one of the first of these (I believe) to come off the line.. if not, certainly the first I have seen around (it's a custom job by Charvel, for the Music Zoo).. also...as an aside... Gibson is notorious for sending out Les Pauls (apparently) that still require a proper set-up, and fret attention too (rough frets)... Charvel is apparently no different. I did the usual dumb thing (after not owning a Charvel in years...) ... I started tuning my high E string...it was out of tune on my tuner... my tuner kept saying 'F...F.....F....F...' no matter which way I moved the tuner ....unlike the Randy Rhoads I just got (story later) where the guy left the nut-lock undone (like some people do, including me...)... this nut lock was screwed down... and yep..locked.... and you guessed it... 'ping'... the string popped between the nut and the tuner. I looked at all the various 'aged' screws on that wonderful retro floyd rose, and didn't remember which screw to loosen first. So I took it right down to Kenny at performance guitar for a lesson on the care and feeding of a floyd rose bridge (more later on that... I LOVE floyd rose bridges). Overall review on this guitar: Aging/ Color/ Finish....10/10... really cherry color and great eye-appeal. The floyd rose has been artificially aged, and now actually requires some lubrication, before it locks up for real. The minor string distance adjustments on the floyd rose are OFF (fully adjustable bridge that it is... Kenny showed me a ruler, where there was an 'F' he had put... to indicate the correct string length adjustment for a Floyd Rose bridge). Apparently, they are hard to set up unless you have lived and breathed them for years (like Kenny at Performance has... setting up and building guitars for the best of the '80's... and beyond).... In addition... some of the frets are popping up (why... I don't know). Also, the floyd rose is actually a truly retro floyd rose(yeah!)... where the trem arm doesn't pop-release from the bridge... so it stays in all the time. This is fine... but Kenny tells me that (for his metal guys in the 80's) a cut-out in the case is required, to avoid unnecessary pressure on the bar while the guitar is in the case. The bar needs to be positioned at the 2 o'clock position, and then the case shut (over the volume knob roughly) to align with the new cutout. Cost was fairly high, but not as high as a Fender Relic by a well known Masterbuilder. Overall ... I would say a really nice guitar, worth buying if you have the money, but then take it right down for a professional set-up with a good luthier. (Most manufacturers tell you that they leave the set up for the buyer/ stores to do anyway). In a few days, this guitar will be ready for any metal gig... anywhere.

Dear FCSG&M

Dear B*llocks,

I was looking at your all-fancy-like mock faux custom guitars and think you have have your head up your posterior. I do like what you say about Charvel. My Charvel was dropped off a truck on White Street in NYC.... I found it in a dumpster. I hand wired it myself, using a soldering iron and some glue. The pickup was loose so I got it to stay in with staples. I was with a punk band in the 80's and we played at the Mudd Club. My guitar sounds great, and cost me nothing. I don't understand you poncy pants who think a guitar has to be 'reliced' and cost a lot to be good. Get real and call me.

Nick

Dear Nick,

You are right. EVH made his Frankenstrat the same way... and now people are buying copies of it for $16,000. I fully respect a guitar need not be reliced or expensive to be great, and will try to include more ideas along this vein in the future.

Thanks...

FCSG&M

Famous Models

So if I buy and enjoy playing another famous musician's guitar... does that mean I'm a loser? A lot of well-known musicians will not admit entertaining thoughts of playing ANOTHER guitarists model... it does help when that other guitarist is a dead one though. Chet Atkins died in 2001... meanwhile, George Harrison in the early days of the Beatles ('63- '64) played a Chet Atkins 'Tennessean' guitar, during the British Invasion...it obviously didn't matter to him. If a guitar sounds so great you can't put it down...then the name 'don't matter'....though it might be tough to be Ronnie Wood... playing a Keith Richard's Tele....

Holy Cow...

John made a 'Holy Cow' comment re: San Dimas Relic Nitrocellulose Fiesta Red 21 Fret, Retro-fit Floyd Rose, Non-Recessed Backplate Guitar, aged by Chip Ellis at Charvel... to the effect that at $3195 that is a pricey guitar.... considering one can get a neat Harmony, Silvertone or Eastwood for much less. True. I still think it is a much better bargain than buying a run-of-the-mill Relic Fender from your local guitar store for the same money. I love the simplicity about the San Dimas, the aging... and also the Floyd Rose. No need to spend that kind of money John... REAL San Dimas Charvels are going around $900... and are slated to be the popular guitar of the next decade... the way Eric Clapton somehow knew to buy up old Fenders in the 60's... for $100 a pop. The new Charvels and Jacksons will only (for my mind)... drive interest to the older ones too....

Nash Firecaster is Here

So how does a person explain a guitar that arrives, with a label that lists the following options: "Char-broiled Alder Body, Hibachi Maple Neck". Mr Nash has truly outdone himself with this one... she plays like pure Keith (Keef)... clean crisp tele punch, just like Keith uses on "Brown Sugar". Anyone could play this guitar for half their career, and need no other. I don't know if it's because of the fire... but this guitar fits right into your hands like something you found behind the beer crates from the old days, in some old Blues Bar. The neck is just right... not too clubby. The frets look to me like med. jumbo, but I am sure Bill Nash will correct me if they aren't. The body was done by nature (Bill's fire in '06), and the neck is pure perfection... by Bill himself. I'll be saying more as I try it through different amps/ effects...meanwhile... Bill's comment in an EMail to me is also worth quoting: 'Enjoy ...and remember, it can also be used as a fireplace poker...'.

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.