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Vintage Guitar News, Vintage guitar and collectible guitar News and Views to inform and entertain.Greg's
vintage and collectible guitar sales . With plenty of experience under
my belt in vintage guitar sales, I provide my customers with the upmost
in excellence as far as sales and service goes. I do not make promises
I can not honor and strive to do the best I can in an ever changing
vintage and collectible guitar market.When searching to purchase a
vintage guitar or consign your vintage guitars please consider Greg's
guitars as your number one source for help. Vintage and collectible
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Proper Grammer ? The February edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views
The Grammer Guitar.
Many people know that I am a follower and lover of The R.G. and G.factories Grammer acoustic Guitars that were made is Nashville during the 1960's. I have bought and sold over 40 of these fine American made acoustic guitars and I am constantly looking for more. I field questions almost every day about these instruments from prospective clients and people just interested in them.
Here are a few tidbits of information for those people who have never heard of them.
A more in depth informative site can be found here. In the early 1960s, Billy Grammer was finding success and keeping very busy. He had a big hit record that crossed genres, a membership in the famous Grand Ole Opry and was gearing up to record his next album. Ever since starting his career as a professional musician, Billy envisioned building the perfect flat top guitar. It would be built to his specifications, combine all the best features of his favorite acoustic guitars, and be made out of the finest materials available and felt the time was right to build the Grammer guitar. (cited from the works of Rob Kilgore)
Clyde Reid. Clyde
operated a music store in Donelson, Tennessee, right outside of
Nashville. Billy knew he would need the help of an experienced luthier
to build
his flat top guitar. He contacted J.W. Gower, a Nashville resident who
came from a family of luthiers and wood workers.
With Billy at the helm, Clyde with his managerial skills, and J.W. with
his guitar-building know-how, all the pieces were in place. They
approached a Nashville lawyer named General Howard Butler and under his
legal representation, established a corporation. The new company would
be called RG&G Musical Instruments, Inc. (Reid, Grammer, and
Gower).Billy told me "that his name by chance looked the best on the
headstock hence the name The Grammer Guitar was chosen".
Eventually some problems did occur and with the help of Fred Moore (see this link) some financial help did arrive in time to keep the plant afloat. With the help of Ampeg to infuse capital and produce and distribute his guitars, Billy's factory stayed alive. Many people are under the impression that Ampeg owned Billy's guitar factory , but according to Billy that was not the case. There were changes to the guitar ,but the same experienced luthers still produced the guitars. Some of the changes are what I call the transitional Grammer guitars in which the "railroad track" inlays on the finger board were still there but the Ampeg logo was on the headstock are the earliest examples, other notable changes was the blue label being replaced with a black and white inner label bearing the Ampeg logo on the right side of the label as well as the lettering changing on the headstock from capital T,G and G to lowercase letters .
Some model number discrepancies as well as serial numbering also came into being ,and as Billy stated "I didn't even know what serial numbers were being used at this time" can only lead to confusion among followers and collectors alike. In the spring of 1968 a fire decimated the factory and almost everything was lost. By 1972 the last of Grammer guitars were produced and with the influx of cheap guitar from overseas the Grammer factory close its doors forever with left over inventory and parts being auction off to the highest bidder(s).
Many people like myself have developed an almost cult like following of these fine American made vintage acoustic guitars. Many dealers are also becoming interested in these guitars and can be seen listing several for sale at any time. Ebay will have one or two for sale from time to time as well. The Grammer guitar has even finally been listed in the Vintage Guitar Guide, It must be noted that Billy himself once told me that after the auction several loads of unfinished guitars and guitar parts were sold , so buyer beware .Billy Grammer is still alive and I have the chance to chat with him from time to time and is still active in the music industry, He has just completed filming for several installments to be aired on the RFG channel sometime in March of 2010. Billy has even been so kind to allow me to use the Grammer guitar headstock outline as part of Greg's Guitars logo.
Going for the gold, The 1952 Gibson Goldtop Les Paul.
The December edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.
Wanting a guitar to compete and to overshadow the guitars that the competition was making out in California ,Ted McCarty introduced the first Gibson solid body electric guitar in 1952,The Les Paul. In body wood choices Gibson deemed an all mahogany model may sound to dull and lifeless and an all maple guitar would (get it?) be far to heavy .So a compromise was agreed upon to make a solid maple carved top,to take advantage of the old world craftsmen employed by Gibson with a set neck and solid mahogany back. Complete with 2 P - 90 pickups ,2 volume and 2 tone controls as well as a 3 way selector switch and a trapeze tail piece.
This was Gibson's first solid body guitar to be produced and was released in 1952 with the patent number of 2714326 in January of 1953. It was produced in two standard ( no pun intended) colors, Black and Gold,although it is acknowledged in several publications that sunburst was the traditional Gibson color in name recognition ,according to other sources Mr. Les Paul himself requested these options. Gibson enlisted Les Paul (r.i.p.) to promote it's new guitar with his (Les Paul) name emblazed across the headstock, securing not only Les immortality but also securing Gibson a bonafide name recognition with their new guitar. Originally produced with a trapeze tailpiece that was replaced in the start of 1954 with the wrap around stop tail piece.
The standard pickup was th P-90 single coil and it was not until 1955 that a test version of Mr. Seth Lovers pickup the "humbucker" was applied to a Les Paul guitar. Even though most guitars would not receive this upgraded pickup until mid 1957. A late 1955 " consolette steel guitar was actually the first Gibson product to receive the new "humbucker" pickups in the Gibson line. But , 1957 is perceived as the era that the humbucker pickup was available guitars. In 1957 the "fretless wonder" was introduced(smaller ,low action frets) along with the "Bigsby" vibrato unit. The tune o matic bridge was also introduced in 1957.
By 1960 the last production year of the first run of Les Paul guitars a 3 pickup version aptly named the Les Paul "Custom" was offered for sale. Interestingly enough these guitars sold for $395.00 without the plush lined "California girl" case and the Les Paul standard sold for a mere $265.00 (if we only knew).
Yes The Gibson Les Paul solid body guitar from it's inception through 1959 only suffered slight but significant changes,from the trapeze tailpiece to the more familiar stop tail piece ,tune o matic bridge configuration. From the P-90 pickups to the P.A.F. Seth Lover humbuckers,structurally and production wise it remained the same, even in it's second incarnation when this icon of rock and roll was reintroduced into production. A true testament to the golden age of guitars and guitar manufacturing in America. Now of course this is not an all inclusive article to list all the minute changes from the headstock angle and size,bindings,color choices,etc.etc... but as always this is just my news and views. So until next month may all your friends stay true all your days be memorable and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's Guitars.
~The November edition was not published due to the birth of my grandson~
The October edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.
Treating yourself.With a lot of inventory sitting on dealers shelves this may just be
the time of year especially with our current economic climate being
what it is, be a good time to score a great guitar at a good price. By
scouring many dealers bargain bins and sale items who knows what kind
of treat may be in store for you. Not just on top shelf items that may
be discounted but also on the guitars or gear that you may have
overlooked when the economic situation was better.
You may want
to take a look now at some refinished guitars that may be priced
right, especially if you are a gigging musician looking to get more
bang for your buck these days. Even as a budding collector just
starting to acquire some really nice guitars or gear this may be a
area you may want to explore. Why refinished guitars you ask? Well in
my own humble opinion as long as the guitar in question is at least 70%
intact to the original components, but may have at some point been
either stripped completely of it's finish or refinished in a more
desirable color or the original color reapplied ,now may be the time to
score that guitar at a reasonable price. Face it ,you still get that
old wood but at a substantial savings.
As prices for guitars
rebound with the rest of our economy you may get even more bang for
your buck as the more pristine examples of vintage guitars increase in
price and become more and more scarce to the buyers market. As this
happens I seem to think that the refinished guitars of the same eras
will also increase in price as supply will be outstripped by demand.
Now
as far as some of the repaired guitar go, I personally shy away from
those that have had questionable repairs done to cracks, splits or
headstock repairs. It is also a good thing to ask in this area if the
luthier that did the repairs is able to field some questions on the
particular piece in question or if some before and after photos
exist.As for the really bad repairs I tend to stay away from them as it
usually costs more to repair a bad repair that to purchase a repairable
guitar and have the work done correctly the first time.Sometime these
guitars do deserve a second look , especially if the price is right and
you are more interested in playing the guitar than retaining it for an
investment.
Then there are what I call top shelf second tier
guitars. These are the guitar that are offered by one of the guitar
manufactures other than the big three. Most players and collectors
alike tend to look at specific name brand guitars but if you say look
at guitars made by builders such as Gretsch and Guild in the hollow
body and semi hollow bodied guitars you may be pleasantly surprised at
the price difference within the same era produced guitar. Respectable
vintage pieces at a fraction of the price as opposed to the better
known and more sought after guitars on the market.With a multitude to
choose from available from guitar dealers worldwide.
As far as
solid body styled guitars go ,their are alternatives to the major
players but we mainly see strat,tele and LP styled guitars in this
area.Again a refinished guitar should in most cases be a lot cheaper
than its pristine counterpart and this is where I would look for
bargains to surface.Even the third and fourth tier guitar in all ares
seem to have had a price increase as demand is created(think catalog
and department store guitars) and I have seen those heavier guitars
that were produced in the less than stellar years of manufacturing form
guitar makers creep upward as the years go by.
It all boils down
to how much you can live with giving up to get what you desire guitar
and gear wise. Refinished?stripped ?routed? and even the more worn
models of particular guitars all cost less than the pristine examples.
Yes their are bargains to be had and treats to be found ,all that is
required is for you to look. These are after all is just my own news
and views. So until next most ,may all your days be memorable ,all your
friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's Guitars.
The Vintage Guitar News and Views August Edition. 
Got Tone?
Good
tone can be attributed to a lot of different factors and a lot of
different factors can contribute to good tone.This month let us look at
some of those factors that may possibly help you in your own quest for
tone(s).Almost every guitar manufacturer today makes several levels in
the guitar entries to sell, many are branded by the builders under
different names or country(s) of origin by these manufactures.
These
guitars are in some respect very good guitars, maybe not as good as
their premium conterpart ,but as far as basic construction goes they
are a great starting place for many a guitarist. Sometimes the woods
used are less than superior such as veneers but the basic shape and
funtion is there.In most cases because the wood(s) used are very similar it is in the electronics or "under the hood" where many of the cost savings facors come into play. These guitars can be produced and sold for less and therefore make good purchases for the beginner or guitarist who wants more than one guitar but may be on a budget. So if you find yourself buying a guitar that is less than the builders premium made brand , what if any contribution can you make to get some tonal payoffs?
The first thing I would reccomend would be a pickup replacement.Most of these guitars pickups are o.k. but are probably made with less superior materials.Ceramics as opposed to alnico magnets,the winding wire gauges, the windings around the bobbins and the wiring used all help in achiving or not achiving good tonal properties. You can get a good used set of quality pickups to save money for other upgrades as well.Just insure the pickups ar what they are stated as being and work.I prefer alnico magnet material as opposed to ceramic matrials used for the magnets as these seem to have (for me) a smoother less brittle sound and a better "sweet spot" .
when adjusting your pickup height Also be aware tere are many differnt types of pickup also, hotter pickups,passive pickups,vintage reissue pickups, etc.etc.knowing the basic sound you are trying to achive will be a plus when you make your selection. Many pickup builders offer sound clips on their web site for you to listen to to aid in this decision.You can get them straight from the builder or an auction site or many dealers such as myself also carry pickups for sale.
The next link in the tone game is probably the potentiometers or"pots". Again to cut costs in manufactring many builders place good but not as good pots in their cheaper guitars.again there are many custom an vintage reissue potentiometer makers on the market today as well as the premium pots used by the major guitar manufacturers.While your replacing your pots you can also experiment with different rated capacitors or "caps" and some are even made the old fashioned way, paper and foil( which I prefer).You can take a piece of cardboard and tape various "caps" onto it and with a long lead mad with 2 pieces of wire with alligator clips soldered at both ends, attach the caps to your pots wiring(remove old caps first)find the one(s) that you seem to favor without having to take apart your guitar and resolder everything over and over again. A good solid position switch is a positive upgrade also as well as a good output jack. If your really into this upgrading then replace the cheap wiring with good quality proper gauge wiring or reproduction cloth or steel braid covered wiring.
What if anything else can you as a guitarist and guitar lover do to help your guitar achive its maximum potential? A good quality bone nut, a fret dressing and leveling, some quality tuners (tuning keys) and proper neck adjustments all come into my mind. It does surprise me that even today how many new guitars have less than stellar fretwork and neck adjustments leaving the factory. We can't forget good coupling at the bridge ,tail piece area either. The correct spring tension on tremolo styled guitars is a must ,My preference is to use all 5 springs and have the trailing edge of the tremolo bridge plate lifting off the body of the guitar only an eighth of an inch or so when tuned properly.On many guitars supplied with separate bridge tail piece set ups I usually like to see if the bridge studs actually go all the way to the bottom of the hole that they sit in, man times I find a gap between the bottom of the anchor post and the bottom of the hole. For this trick I use allen set screws to find the one that fills the gap while allowing me to properly adjust my bridge height to my desired level.
shielding paint and proper grounding(s) usually eliminate most buzzing and unwanted noise(s).All this may sound like a lot of work and it is. But some people find it enjoyable and for my personal guitars,I want them to perform at their best ,It may not help me play better but it does help me sound better when I play and that in turn will make me want to play more which will eventually will make me a better player. If you do not feel comfortable doing these types of upgrades to your guitar(s) have a qualified guitar technician do them for you.
I hope this article was informative and will inspire you in your lifelong journey with guitars, but like always this is just my news and views. So may all your friends stay true, may all your days be memorable and may all our riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's Guitars.
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The Vintage Guitar News and Views July Edition
Dependence or
The July edition of ” The Vintage Guitar News and Views.”
In
considering this months installment of The Vintage Guitar News and
Views I found myself thinking not only our freedoms we enjoy, but also
the pursuit of ambitions, dreams and the protection of our country and
the sacrifices that have been made by the many that have came before us
and those that are serving now, not only in the service to our country
through the military but also serving our country through the shining
example(s) of the dedication that they brought to the business world
and in particular to the industry of guitars and what (if anything)
could be learned through the exploration of the two icons in our
industry (I think so at least ).
The
two men I have chosen for my own guitar hall of fame are who I consider
(and many will agree) the two most important men in the history of
guitar manufacturing. Leaders, visionaries and capable men who through
trial and error, listening as well as leading ,have brought us(guitar
nuts) the items we consider the best of the best ,in guitar
enthusiasts,players and collectors circles.
These
two men not only developed skills in electronics and business at an
early age . in the development of their products they listened to
their clients, they participated in the development process and most of
all these two men set the tone of their respective companies with their
caring demeanor, thus insuring great products for musicians around the
world then and in retrospect for us now.
Not
only were they educated they were also dedicated. They were dedicated
to their jobs and the jobs and lives of their subordinates, this last
observation is what I feel is and shall always be the building block or
stumbling block of both any company in the past, present and future.
So let us take a brief look at the two“founding fathers” of our guitar nation and see what I mean, Ted McCarty ofGibson guitars and Leo Fender from Fender Musical Instruments.
The
similarities are spooky to say the least,Mr. McCarty at a young age had
an aptitude for business, and in elementary school he started a school
newspaper was very athletic and showed an interest in radio, not just
for the entertainment they provided but also the inner workings. He
built many a radio and experimented with the internal workings from
kits. Excelling academically, athletically and socially off to college
he went. Mr. Fender born to a farming family showed interest in the
tools of the trade rather than the trade itself also interested in
electronics and inner workings of things he tore apart radios to see
how they worked, interesting enough he also built an acoustic guitar at
the age of only 16.After an unassuming early education Leo went on to
Jr. college where he worked as a bookkeeper and then became an
accountant , learning the practices of making a business work through
checks and balances ( no pun intended ). Still the everdying tinkerer
he was always drawn to his love of electronics and working on musical
instruments. Catching the notice of a local bandleader for his ability
to work on P.A. systems he was given a chance to build several systems
under contract and this led the way for what we know today as the great
Fender Musical Instrument company.
Mr. McCarty after elementary education went onto the
Both
Leo and Ted learned the business of business from the bottom up, inside
out and most importantly learned that their product(s) were only as
good as the people that made them and that the people that made their
products were only as good as the leadership at the helm of operations.
This aspect I feel was fundamentally lost after they both relinquished
their leadership to others and most people in the guitar world feel that the golden age of guitars(the
first anyways) was over by the time both of these men left the
companies that they had either run or founded. These men put their
passion of what they enjoyed doing combined with the passion for
guitars out in front of everyone to see, they purposely made and
improved their products for the end consumers .Sure they wanted to turn
a profit and succeed but they also believed in what they were doing. I
wish that companies today would take the lessons these two gentlemen
taught us both in the desire to produce superior products and act
independently of market conditions instead of depending on past
successes to invigorate sales. Also in the way these two men listened
to not only their clients but also their genuine
care for the people they employed . Enabled them to create the guitars
that we today so covet. Both these men although taking different paths,
followed their desires and interests that they cradled at an early age
to build what most consider the most successful instrument(s) we think
we have ever seen.
So many of us as parents seem to try to mold our children instead of letting them mold themselves (I ‘m guilty). Granted they(our children) can not run amok , but there may be something to the innate abilities that one is born with that can lead us all to success in one form oranother. After all look at the two iconic guitars ever produced by the two men that independently followed the path that led them to their place in history.Well this like always its just my news and views, so until next month, may all your friends stay true all your days be memorable and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Gregs Guitars.
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Amps and the general scheme of things
The Vintage Guitar News and Views, June Edition.
I get questions concerning amps all the time, some easy to answer and some a little harder to answer. Here in this issue of The Vintage Guitar News and Views
I will lay some very basic groundwork for you to digest concerning
guitar amplifiers. Class A amps have low distortion and low power
output with full power always flowing to the amps tubes, these style
amps consume a lot of power and have great sustain, think of the Vox AC
30 as one example.
Class B style amps turn Ac power into current
and have more distortion are more efficient energy wise. Class A/B
,which most Fender amps are and most B class amps give the best in
design of both sustain and breakup or distortion ( natural) , they are
cheaper to build, reliable and easy to work on.
The output
stages being one .the push pull style can be summed up as to whatever
one tube is doing in the circuit the next tube is doing the opposite in
operation ,hence the name "push pull " Capacitors or "caps" as they are
commonly called store a charge and block out or taper low frequencies
and allow higher frequencies to pass through the circuit, There are
several different caps available in amps , the "vintage " paper caps,
then the mylar caps,electrolytic caps,and the most common used today
the mylar caps. They all do the same job in the circuit but some people
prefer one type over another.
Hard wired or point to point amps
are generally more expensive although almost all "vintage " amps are
wired this way. this is where each component is linked to the next
inline via the solder joint and is not attached to a circuit board of
any kind. The circuit board in most amps built since the 1960's is
usually made of a fiber material and most components are attached to
the board .
Speakers have changed over the years also, the best
by general consensus are the alnico magnet type of speakers, but in the
mid 1960's the ingredients used to produce these magnets became to
expensive and newer magnet material(s) were developed with a
combination of oxide(s) and ceramic (s), these are pretty much the norm
today.I like the blue back celestions myself.
Then there were
the manufacturing companies that produced amplifiers( to many to list)
but makers such as
Oahu,Gibson,Supro,Danelectro,Rickenbacher(Rickenbacker today ) ,Fender,
Magnatone, Alamo,Vox ,Marshall,Gretsch,Kelly,Music man,Mesa, and
hundreds of other companies. My personal amps consist of my Magnatone
M-10,Gibson GA-5, Fender Vibroverb, 1960 Concert amp, and my Fender
Bassman, all different but all the same , I still search for really
cool amps to offer my clients as well as myself.
As far as
tubes go, some work better than others and some work better in
different spots along the amp circuitry, you have to experiment and mix
and match until you get the desired effect out of tube placement and
that can and is a whole article within itself.So until next month, may
all your days be memorable, may all your friends stay true and may all
your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's Guitars.
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The Vintage Guitar News and Views April Edition,"Music the Universal Language"
As I looked at my cards the dealer had given me contemplating my odds. The gentleman seated to my left gives me a shrug. Seeing my cards he knows my chances as well as I do.I fold mu hand, that is the beauty of 3 card poker. Each player is only playing against the house or dealers cards and it is not uncommon to show your hand to fellow players. The local player to my left strikes up a conversation noting I was wearing a shirt with a guitar on it."Do you play the guitar?' he asks. I answer that I play as well as sell guitars,his eyes register that universal acknowledgment among all guitarists. He then asks "what type of guitars do you sell ?" So I produce a small booklet of some of my inventory that I carry with me for just this very reason. He flips through the pages and stops at certain guitars and asks various questions, which I answer to the best of my ability. He too has the same love and admiration for these fine stringed instruments, a fellow guitar lover. He begins telling me of his guitars which draws the attention of another fellow card player at the next table. We all sit out the next few hands of three card poker at the nearby bar discussing various pieces of equipment. Some we own, some we would like to own, and some we can only imagine owning one day.After an hour of so of conversation our group has grown to over seven fellow guitar enthusiasts, all local residents, each taking turns looking at my booklet and each fielding their own unique questions. All of us smile and nod our satisfaction. I listen with earnest as they tell me of their guitars, or "girls" as I call them and they are all amused at the phrase I have taught them to call their guitars. Most of their guitars are the classical style, made with local exotic tone woods, which leads to the discussion of the exotic wood shortages faced by most guitar builders today. We are joined by several Americans who have overheard us talking about our guitars and want to share stories about their own guitars,( we are so one track minded) and as the evening progresses we exchange addresses and email information and I give everyone a business card for Greg's guitars, they all accept and as we file away ,each of us feeling a little better, a little luckier, we settle back into our tables to once again play cards. I can not help but smile , even though three languages were spoken over the course of our guitar conversations we all understood each other, and who says that mathematics is the only true universal language? So may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer , until next month this is Greg at Greg's guitars.
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The Vintage Guitar News and Views March Edition.
There have been many changes in the acoustic guitar industry through the years,some good,some not so good and some were really bad. For the most part the old adage that "necessity breeds invention" holds true. Take the use of Mahogany wood for example. Mahogany wood was once viewed as inferior tone wood to be used on acoustic guitars, but was accepted and used as a replacement for Brazilian rosewood at times.One large guitar maker even used birch wood ( although called maple) for the sides and back of some of its guitars. But, back to mahogany. This wood was found to have properties to better the construction of guitar necks , because at one point in history acoustic guitar necks were made of cedar, spliced together. So instead of several pieces of cedar to make a guitar neck one piece of mahogany wood because of its strength could now be used and made it possible to construct the neck and peg head out of one piece. Mahogany also gained acceptance for the back and sides of acoustic guitars.
Another
replacement or change that happened was the replacement of Ivory ,also
a widely used material for bridge pins, binding,bridge saddles, and
nuts,decoration and sometimes complete custom fret boards. this was
slowly replaced with a celluloid material commonly referred to today as
" ivoryoid".
With the advent of longer fret boards to facilitate
players needs and demands and with the wider usage of steel strings
Acoustic guitar builders slowly adapted to the placement of interior
neck reinforcement. This helped keep the neck straight due to the
tension created by steel strings. Using everything from ebony to steel
and finally the adjustable "truss rod " we know as a standard feature
on guitars today. Which are still being refined on modern guitars.
The
change from "gut" or "Nylon" strings to steel strings also created
other changes in acoustic guitars. The greater tension placed on the
guitar tops,bracing and bridges on guitars of "oldie" required makers
to change or alter the interior body bracing for the acoustic guitars
tops and also change the size " footprint" that the bridge made on the
top of the guitar as well, all leading to a better built and sometimes
better sounding acoustic guitar.
During
the late 1960's and early 1970's the tone wood from Brazil became
harder to get and after it came under government control it became
quite expensive also. Acoustic guitar makers scrambled to get as much
as they could and started to utilize the remaining Brazilian rosewood
that they already had. Such is the case for the emergence of smaller
pieces being used to create the backs of some acoustic guitars( 3
pieces instead of 2 larger pieces), and a shift to Indian rosewood as
well.
As in regards to experiments with tone woods, builders used
and are still doing so,more laminates,exotic woods and indigenous wood
species in an attempt to replace the lost Brazilian rosewoods,But hey
that is another edition of the vintage guitar news and views
altogether. This article is not meant to be all inclusive or the
definite last word on the subjects covered,but rather an informative
and entertain look at the different aspects of guitars and the vintage
guitar market as I see it and as usual this is just my guitar news and
views. So until next month may all your days be memorable,all your
friends stay true and all your riffs be killer,Greg.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The February Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views
A Heart to Heart with Your Guitar
Guitar links
How much is my guitar worth? Seems like a pretty cut and dry question doesn't it ? Well a lot of factors can contribute to the final answer. How much is it in relationship to the present market is one answer. How much do you expect to get for her is another. How much will a buyer ( dealer) pay is quite another answer. Is she straight and clean? Have any parts ever been changed? Is it refinished? If parts were changed do you still have the original parts? Were the changes done professionally? Hang tags? receipts? case candy? All these items come into play with that one simple question.
Can you and will you send pictures of all the appropriate parts and different views if needed? This may require you to take apart to some extent your guitar , are you comfortable doing this? Sure you can look at one of the auction sites to get a general feel for prices ,and if that is all you want then that would be my suggestion. If you do rely on one of these( shudder ) sites for this information then why even bother calling for quotes? Are you selling your guitar or amp or do you want to know if you paid a fair price for it when you made the purchase?
If you are selling the item then know that most purveyors of fine fretted instruments will not nor can not pay top dollar for your item. Certain overhead has to be met to remain in the arena here ,so please do not take offense if you are offered less than you saw on that auction site( which we tend to completely ignore).Now as far as the condition is concerned,pictured are nice but never tell the whole story, any changes,let me repeat myself, any changes whatsoever will impact the price of an instrument even if these changes made the guitar or bass or amp a better piece of equipment,especially in the collectors circles.
Speaking of circles, there are some basic price structure circles to know about.#1- collectors quality,only the best examples of the most desirable pieces fit into this category and prices are on the steeper side. #2- collector / players grade, The item still retains most of the original parts.#3- players grade ,most parts still there but may have wear or finish issues.#4-players,Some parts changed ,and finish redone or lots of wear.#5- beaters , almost none of the guitar or amp is as it left the factory when new .and within these groups are even further sub groups all with pricing criteria and fluctuations.
So if you call someone for that elusive but attainable answer to you question, know that you should know most of the answers to the questions that you will be asked also. Have detailed pictures ready to send via email and be honest, Let the guy on the other end of the phone know why you are interested in knowing the price, let us know if your selling,shopping, or need an evaluation rather than a quick answer. If you do want an in depth evaluation you may be asked to pay for one, Yes time is money and nothing worthwhile is ever free, so be prepared to pony up, so to speak.I Recommend that you purchase a price guide on line or at a book store , these are helpful but not the rule in establishing a fundamental price , but again if your guitar is worth 1000.00 dollars , no one will pay that ,because they in turn have to sell it to make a profit ,so they can not pay what they have to sell for.Like everything , their are fluctuations,standards and exceptions to every rule. Like always this is just my news and view. I hope it has been somewhat helpful.So until next month, may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's guitar.
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The January Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views
" Terms of Endearment"
From time to time in explaining the condition ,shape or originality of a vintage guitar
-Clean:Where as the finish is in great shape from any major nicks or mars ,rips or tears.
-Straight:All the solder joints,tuners,keys,knobs,switches,frets,finish,color,and pickups as well as the pick guard are all original and intact,usually with the original case or cover if it is an amp.
-O.H.S.C.: Original Hard Shell Case as came from the factory.
-Period correct: The guitar or amp is original to a certain year or model and some parts may have been replaced with correct parts from another guitar or amp.
-Period correct case:May not be the original case as from the factory but is a correct case for the vintage piece.
-Refret or refretted: the original frets have been replaced with either period correct frets or frets that the previous owner may have wanted as far as size is concerned,if they were same sized frets as the original they would be ? period correct, see how it all comes full circle?
-Refin or refinished:This refers to the original finish having been at some point either repainted or recovered due to fade or a particular owners preference,i.e. a sunburst stripped off a guitar and a Fiesta red finish reapplied .
-Players grade or players guitar: Usually a vintage guitar ,but not necessarily, that has had some changes that may or may not be period correct it still retains some respectability of originality to it but not everything is original.The body and neck may be all that's left of the original guitar or bass and everything else has through the years been replaced for one reason or another, not a bad thing ,old wood is where the tone is, but not as desirable as an all original straight piece of vintage gear.
-Route or routes: not something everyone wants to hear, but during the life of a vintage guitar somewhere someone has replaced a single coil pickup with a humbucker and had to enlarge the cavity that is in the body to accommodate the larger pickup(s),This does effect the price of a vintage guitar ,but you have to be the judge on how bad you want it, and if the route is a professional or hack job and if the route has or has not been professionally refilled and rerouted back to original specs.
-Second or Factory second:For a while some guitar manufactures let people buy guitars that were deemed as inferior at some phase of the construction process, most blemishes or rejections are impossible to find some are obvious, the Factory would stamp a 2 somewhere ,usually under the serial number or on the back of the headstock to indicate this, according to some experts this does not really effect the price when dealing with highly desirable vintage gear as long as it is straight ,clean and original.
Tweed: The name given by collectors to the striped yellow and brown covering on amps and cases usually from the 40's and 50's.
-Tolex The rouged brown,white,black covering on most amps and cases since the early 60's ,other colors do exist.
-Pups: The pickups in a guitar or bass guitar.
-Pots: The word usually said in place of the potentiometers, the controls for volume,tone,gain,bass,treble,etc.etc.
-Caps: Again a word used in place of capacitor ,these are the small electronic devices usually wired into a circuit to either combine some aspects of the build ,since you can not really wire each and every piece internally together ,some caps also bleed of unwanted noises, or treble or bass frequency's as determined by the builder, it is not uncommon to see the caps replaced in a amp.as these do deteriorate over time.
-Buckle rash: Usually the backside of the guitars body is covered in small or large areas of finish deterioration ,mars,scratches and finish removal due to usage.
-Ding: a small impression (sometimes not so small) that is pressed into the wood and finish but that does not go through to or expose any of the body wood or break the finish.
-Dink: An impression or mar that shows wood through the finish.
-Swirls: Usually light circular scratches that occur on the finish due to polishing the guitar over the period of it's life.
-Checking:Where the clear coat finish has actual lines throughout the surface of the guitar or bass,not a bad thing, not something that goes into the wood itself ,it is an aging and temperature change condition that almost all guitars will have on them at some point in their life.
-Neckset: Almost all acoustic guitars will at some point in their lifespan need to have the neck removed and a portion of wood shaved off to correct for time and pressure taking its toll on the wood itself and properly realign the neck angle with the body for continued playability.If done properly it is usually of no concern if not,it is usually a noticeable ugly mess and may not be able to be corrected.
-Recone: When an original speaker coil drops or wears out the speaker is usually reconed, this does hamper the original tone as to how the amp will sound , usually they never sound as good as the original, but things happen and with amps it really is no big deal,it just depends on how original an amp you desire.
Now these are just a few of the terms most widely used or that you may hear when a item is being described to you or on a website,So now that you understand some of them you will be better able to make a determination of the price that is being asked,always ask for clear precise pictures or clarification of anything that may cause concern and remember that some changes or replacement parts are not a bad thing , some things just wear out. As always this is just my news and views, So until next month ,may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's guitars. days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's guitars.
other Vintage guitars
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The December Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views here at Greg's guitars.
Keeping your guitars clean,"yule" be glad you did.
For this months edition of Vintage guitar news and views we turn our attention to the maintenance and upkeep of our guitars ,both our playing guitars and our investments , which in my opinion they all are . Winter time is upon us ,dreary days and cloudy skies ,all but most of our outdoor jam sessions have ceased to exist, the perfect time for tuning up our guitars as well as general upkeep and cleaning, the following is standard but sometime items we either forget or put off to do, so get a space cleared out and enjoy a day with all your guitars, yule be glad ya did.The first thing I do is oil all my latches on my guitar cases and inspect the handles for signs of weakness or need of repair, I take my guitar out and place her on a nice padded work station while I clean the outside of each case with a 20 per cent mix of warm water and mean green cleaner , I use a stiff brush and dip it into my cleaner and give the outside of my cases a good cleaning , followed by a good wipe dry with a clean towel. Now while I sit my case open to dry either in my heated guitar room or place them in the sun if it shining to air dry while I move on to my guitars.
I loosen and remove the strings from my personnel players guitars and usually have no string on my guitars I offer to clients until I ship them. I inspect the frets and dress them as needed, as well as polish my frets. I clean and lubricate the Brazilian rosewood as well as other rosewood fretboard using a damp lint free cloth and buff the dry with another lintfree cloth.I will then follow with a small amount of unboiled linseed oil to lubricate my fretboard or if you prefer some other oil , then feel free to use that, I just like the linseed oil myself. I allow a little time for this to dry before I buff the fretboard dry being sure not to leave any oil or residue on my fret boards. This step does not need to be taken with maple fret boards as that are usually sealed .
Next I remove the truss rod cover if applicable and drop a little 3 in 1 oil on the threads of the rod and wipe up any excess, I then check the neck for any adjustments I may want to make and restring my guitars to tune.
As for the electronics I will add a lubricant pot cleaner to the inside of each pot very sparingly as well as the selector switch insuring to turn them back and forth to spread the cleaner around and again wipe up any excess that may be there. I then button them back up and go onto general body cleaning and polishing.
For this step I use a silicon free cleaner formulated for guitars ,available at places like Stew-mac and other websites that specialize in guitar parts and luthier supplies. gently wiping the cleaners off I then follow up with swirl and scratch remover , followed by a good silicon free guitar wax , I buff to a good gloss the entire guitar as well as the back of the necks , followed by a product such as fast fret on the strings .
I then go back to the case and either use a shop vac or a carpet cleaner and follow with a shop vac to clean the interiors of my cases. Insuring that the case interior is completely dry I detune and place my electric guitar back inside, I should note that I do each step on each electric guitar or bass guitar before moving to the next step ,that way I do not have to be going back and forth through each step ,but rather have a assembly line system in which each guitar or bass gets the same treatment before moving on.
This is pretty much the same steps I do for my acoustic guitars as well, with the addition to checking the tops ,bottoms and sides for any evidence of lack of humidity , I will place a homemade humidity device in each acoustic at the beginning of the heating season and recheck every 2 or so months until the weather permits I no longer have to use the heater ,Heaters rob moisture out of our acoustic guitars and can cause significant damage if left unchecked for to long a period. My humidifier is basically a household sponge that I have soaked and wrung out all the excess water that it absorbed, place it in a small baggie that I have perforated and place that inside a larger baggie that is perforated also, drape it between the strings and let it suspend inside the sound hole of my acoustic guitar. It works great and costs a lot less than store bought humidifiers.
Now as for amps, I variac them up every now and then to keep them loose and in working order, I keep them covered and condition the outside tolex with your basic armor all, I might add that I do not hurry in any of these steps, I look forward to spending the quality time with my girls and they to benefit from the time well spent. I hope the holidays are enjoyed by all and as us all this is just my news and views ,so until next month may all your days be memorable, may all your friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer , Greg.Happy Holidays to all.
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November edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views.
"Giving thanks for groovy guitars"
This article explores Vintage Ibanez guitars,Well one in particular anyway and what she boasts as far as appointments and playability ,plus a little interesting vintage guitar history. Ibanez got her humble starts by a company going by the name of " Hoshino" ,in the early 40's producing a spanish styled acoustic guitar that was named Ibanez. By the 1970's Ibanez ( which Hoshino had purchased the rights to)was known (good or bad) as the lawsuit guitars, for their blatant copies of more renowned guitars being produced ,Although most were cheaper imitations and copies ,the fact does remain that many Ibanez "lawsuit" era guitars were of comparable if not superior quality to the guitars the were produced to mimic. I will let you be the judge of that point. Now what we have here is a wonderful example of what Ibanez was creating in the early to mid 1960's. I have found an older picture of this very guitar on a German Ibanez website , and also a picture of the one and only Jimi Hendrix playing a very similar model ( upside down of course) in a sunburst color scheme as opposed to the white beauty we see pictured here.Knowing that every guitarist must start somewhere on the guitar food chain , and by no way implying that this guitar was ever owned or played by Jimi, the body shape and era that it was built is reasonable enough to inject that this was the type or at least close enough to the type that Sir Jimi cranked many a tune to the amazement of both audience and fellow band members alike. After playing her for quite a while now and coming to the conclusion that even though she is never going to be worth what the same era ,Fender or Martin, or Gibson guitar is worth ,I have decided that she is unique enough,plays good enough and has many nicely though out features that she is a keeper, and I can fully understand why Jimi played one similar to this mode. She just has such wonderful dynamic harmonic explosions tucked away in her, the neck is to die for and well since she is a little on the small body size , she is light enough to play for days. Her is the run down on some of her features..1 piece ash body with the pickups mounted directly on top of the body ( directly coupling for superior resonance) , the pickups themselves are unique in the fact that under the metal covers are 5,yes 5 huge round alnico I magnets that are so large as to only 1/3 of each magnet couples between each individual adjustable pole screw,that alone accounts for ( in my book anyway) for her tremendous tonal qualities. She is routed for the pots and wiring only beneath her 1 piece plastic pick guard located below the pickups. Another interesting and in my opinion superior design is the way her controls are laid out, no 3 or 5 way selector switch to bump and fiddle with while playing ,no sir ,this girl boasts one master volume control for both the front (neck) and rear (bridge ) pickup, this enables the player to dial in an indefinite array of tonal possibilities. As for a tone /treble control she has just the one master control for this ,which I like as it certainly adds to ease in playability and control of my sound.I do not see as to why the electric guitar manufacturers today don't do this as a standard feature.,The neck as I have stated is to die for, 1 solid piece of Mahogany ,perfectly sculpted for a fir like a glove to your fretting hand, and smooth as oriental silk, non bound (thank goodness) with a zero fret ( lord does she stay in tune) and a beautiful 3/8 of an inch thick slab of Brazilian Rosewood for a fretboard with a 10 radius, I love it and am seriously considering making an exact copy to place on a Tele.The only weakness and the only thing I have ever considered changing ( i wrestle with ) is the bridge setup. Now I am no fan of the cheap thumbscrew rosewood adjustable bridge on ANY guitar . let alone an electric, but, this one does stay where it is supposed to and does have compensation for proper intonation, but I would like to try a bigsy or Gibson style bridge and tailpiece but shudder at changing her from her original state, ah decisions decisions...She is one of the most in tune guitars I have and many friends alike agree all the way up and down the fretboard ,which makes my even happier that I acquired her.The headstock has an arrowhead shape with a single all encompassing string tree bar, metal Ibanez logo and ,(ugh) open back tuners, another point I have considered replacing, but hey like they say,"if it ain't broke ,don't fix it" Dynamically harmonic,sweetly sustaining,and extremely light in weight,yes this old girl ia as unique as it gets in the world of guitars. Who knows ,maybe the exact features that Jimi liked about his own 60 era Ibanez, before his change to an easier accessible American guitar? I hope you enjoy looking and remember to take the time to enjoy the obscure guitar for what they are and you as I may be delightfully surprised in what we find. As always this is just my News and Views. So may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer.Greg's guitars.
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October Edition of
Vintage Guitar News and Views.
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The September Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views Going Back Forwards
Well, with the cost of everything going up, just how far up is the high going to be ? No one knows this answer, but I feel that everything is just hideously expensive. I mean 18 K for a car? 250 K for a home? Shoes, shirts, 30 to 50 bucks a pop, This is ludicrous, and vintage guitars ?sheeze, gimme a break, I mean the average you and I can’t afford sweet old vintage gear ,that’s just a fact, So ,is all this out of kilter ? All askew? There will always be people willing to pay more and more for collectibles and that forces the average guy or girl out of the price game, other than a lucky break here and there stumbling on a sweet guitar at a reasonable price. I mean I do understand that 1962 (picked at random) is gone and will never come again and even though a guitar can be made today exactly like that sweet old girl, the same weight, color, feel, tone, It could be vastly inferior or vastly superior to the original or the original itself could be crap, but, there lies the crux. “The original 1962.” Original 1962 guitars are only made in 1962, never before, never again!
So if everyone wants a 1962 era guitar and only so many were originally made, we then enter the world of supply and demand, which in turn factors the pricing index’s, which fuels the ever increasing in prices for a limited supply of goods with over market saturation of demand regardless of whether ¾ of the consumers wanting the item can even afford it. The desire is there and that in turn adds more fuel to the fire. So Greg, what’s you’re point? I don’t really know, except that price fluctuations will always occur within a market and that prices will always rise on the long run as long as there is a limited supply of goods , especially one that is sought after , often duplicated, can even be replicated , but never fully actually authenticated as a time period correct piece. Even if every detail is correct, but the actual manufacturing date is in the past, never to be revisited again, and I guess that is where the mystique of it all lies, today is gone, never to return and somehow tomorrow just isn’t the same. Well that is until the day after tomorrow. So today’s bargains may just very well be tomorrows collectibles that we can afford to buy. Just some food for thought and something for you to digest. As always this is just my news and views, so may all your days be memorable, all your friends be true and all your riffs be killer, Till next month, Greg at Greg’s guitars .
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Next is my 1972 Vintage Olympic white Stratocaster for
the Fender in me. The 3 bolt neck and remarkable mellow
tone and large headstock with bullet trussrod has keeper
written all over her. As for my acoustic guitars,well I am off
the beaten path for sure, with my Vintage 1969/70 era
Grammer guitars,the one I personally favor as my keeper is a worn, well played Mahogany bodied,Alpine spruce topped
model G-10 that is just wonderful in tone and playability.
As for a spanky sparkle tone I go for my solid flamed maple
Grammer guitar ,for a touch of class this girl has an original
blue label from R.G. and G. guitars inside her body cavity
and a gorgeous Brazilian rosewood fretboard. To round out
my collection is my 1959 reissue Bassman with rectifier
tube and Jenson alnico speakers,Boss ch-1,delay and of
course the Boss compression pedal. Now my collection is
far from complete as I still search for my 335ish styled
guitar and of course my Tele keeper and to finish rounding
my collection out a vintage Baritone guitar would fit the bill
nicely. Now, as you can tell my collection is all mine ,rather
than as some do,find a multitude of one particular guitar(
Stratocasters) or a certain color within several styles ( all
Dakota Red) or even all same period guitars (1960 or
preCBS), or just various guitars based on price and
originality.
What I am alluding to is this,There is every reason under the
sun for collections as their are guitars made(duh Greg ).
That's the tricky,quirky,fun and personnel part of collecting
guitars. Each collection is a direct reflection of the
likes,tastes,and favorites of you as a collector. That is
where the fun is, figuring out where and what you want to
pursue,style,playability,color,year,make,or just bargains
made in the U.S.A. or made elsewhere?Original?,Reissue?,
Custom shop?,or run of the mill? All the above great guitars
in their own rights and each having more desirable
guitars within each sub category. So sometimes you need to
have a plan to make things cohesive and sometimes
you can just price shop at a set dollar amount to spend and
get the most bang for your hard earned buck. Always
remember do your homework,take your time,and take pride
in your collection,above all have fun and enjoy your
girls and never ever forget to play them,after all they were
made to be played! So until next month,may all your
days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your
riffs be killer , Thanks for stopping by Greg's guitars.
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The September Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views Going Back Forwards
Well, with the cost of everything going up, just how far up is the high going to be ? No one knows this answer, but I feel that everything is just hideously expensive. I mean 18 K for a car? 250 K for a home? Shoes, shirts, 30 to 50 bucks a pop, This is ludicrous, and vintage guitars ?sheeze, gimme a break, I mean the average you and I can’t afford sweet old vintage gear ,that’s just a fact, So ,is all this out of kilter ? All askew? There will always be people willing to pay more and more for collectibles and that forces the average guy or girl out of the price game, other than a lucky break here and there stumbling on a sweet guitar at a reasonable price. I mean I do understand that 1962 (picked at random) is gone and will never come again and even though a guitar can be made today exactly like that sweet old girl, the same weight, color, feel, tone, It could be vastly inferior or vastly superior to the original or the original itself could be crap, but, there lies the crux. “The original 1962.” Original 1962 guitars are only made in 1962, never before, never again!
So if everyone wants a 1962 era guitar and only so many were originally made, we then enter the world of supply and demand, which in turn factors the pricing index’s, which fuels the ever increasing in prices for a limited supply of goods with over market saturation of demand regardless of whether ¾ of the consumers wanting the item can even afford it. The desire is there and that in turn adds more fuel to the fire. So Greg, what’s you’re point? I don’t really know, except that price fluctuations will always occur within a market and that prices will always rise on the long run as long as there is a limited supply of goods , especially one that is sought after , often duplicated, can even be replicated , but never fully actually authenticated as a time period correct piece. Even if every detail is correct, but the actual manufacturing date is in the past, never to be revisited again, and I guess that is where the mystique of it all lies, today is gone, never to return and somehow tomorrow just isn’t the same. Well that is until the day after tomorrow. So today’s bargains may just very well be tomorrows collectibles that we can afford to buy. Just some food for thought and something for you to digest. As always this is just my news and views, so may all your days be memorable, all your friends be true and all your riffs be killer, Till next month, Greg at Greg’s guitars .
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The July edition of Greg's Guitars" Vintage guitar news and views."
Starting your collection
This is is an extremely personnel and diversified subject to say the least. As an example, my collection of "keeper" guitars consist of my vintage 1962 Ibanez solid body,2 single coil pickup guitar,not only for her extreme rarity but also because it boasts a unique 1 master tone knob and 1 volume knob for each of her 2 pickups,she is super light (5.8 lbs.) and has the sweetest mahogany neck boasting a 3/8 inch thick solid slab of beautiful Brazilian rosewood for a fretboard. She is also one of the most harmonically dynamic playing guitars I have ever owned.Next is my 1972 Vintage Olympic white Stratocaster for
the Fender in me. The 3 bolt neck and remarkable mellow
tone and large headstock with bullet trussrod has keeper
written all over her. As for my acoustic guitars,well I am off
the beaten path for sure, with my Vintage 1969/70 era
Grammer guitars,the one I personally favor as my keeper is a worn, well played Mahogany bodied,Alpine spruce topped
model G-10 that is just wonderful in tone and playability.
As for a spanky sparkle tone I go for my solid flamed maple
Grammer guitar ,for a touch of class this girl has an original
blue label from R.G. and G. guitars inside her body cavity
and a gorgeous Brazilian rosewood fretboard. To round out
my collection is my 1959 reissue Bassman with rectifier
tube and Jenson alnico speakers,Boss ch-1,delay and of
course the Boss compression pedal. Now my collection is
far from complete as I still search for my 335ish styled
guitar and of course my Tele keeper and to finish rounding
my collection out a vintage Baritone guitar would fit the bill
nicely. Now, as you can tell my collection is all mine ,rather
than as some do,find a multitude of one particular guitar(
Stratocasters) or a certain color within several styles ( all
Dakota Red) or even all same period guitars (1960 or
preCBS), or just various guitars based on price and
originality.
What I am alluding to is this,There is every reason under the
sun for collections as their are guitars made(duh Greg ).
That's the tricky,quirky,fun and personnel part of collecting
guitars. Each collection is a direct reflection of the
likes,tastes,and favorites of you as a collector. That is
where the fun is, figuring out where and what you want to
pursue,style,playability,color,year,make,or just bargains
made in the U.S.A. or made elsewhere?Original?,Reissue?,
Custom shop?,or run of the mill? All the above great guitars
in their own rights and each having more desirable
guitars within each sub category. So sometimes you need to
have a plan to make things cohesive and sometimes
you can just price shop at a set dollar amount to spend and
get the most bang for your hard earned buck. Always
remember do your homework,take your time,and take pride
in your collection,above all have fun and enjoy your
girls and never ever forget to play them,after all they were
made to be played! So until next month,may all your
days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your
riffs be killer , Thanks for stopping by Greg's guitars.
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The June edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views
The 1960’s – An Era of Change
So what were some
of the changes? Well, first to come to
mind was the fretboard – Fender went from a maple fretboard to a rosewood fretboard
,with the maple as an option, the Rosewood which throughout the 1960’s got progressively
thinner, and in late 1962 even had a bottom radius to match the arch of the neck’s top
radius. The black fret position markers
were also changed to clay dot markers on the fretboard face. Also, the trussrod which was placed through
the backside of the neck, and gave us the skunk stripe inlay was placed via under
of the rosewood fretboard, thus eliminating the skunk stripe itself and doing
away with the pegheads plug inlay. As a
result, I am probably correct to assume that it also facilitated speed in
production and less articulation on the builder’s part – remember, Leo was a
“bottom line” kind of guy. But being
cost conscious why go from an 8 screw to an 11 screw pickguard cover that was now
introduced ? ( obviously for better
coupling) and Fender replaced the thinner one-ply pickguard with a
triple-laminated (the mint green coloration, according to Fender, was a
mistake) and often a shielded one. Yes Leo was known to shave a dollar here and
spend a dime there all the while listening to his field of test players in the
trenches, the raves and the complaints were all a grand part in Leo’s quest for
perfecting his “girl” the Stratocaster.
The 3 color “bursts” were phased in over the standard 2 color s( although some 3 color one do appear as early as the later half of 1958) Some of the production models in the earlier 60’s had a strange combo of older and newer parts (again Leo saving a dime) until all the old inventory was used up and production was ramping up. Also we see on dealers charts of the day an array of colors appearing and disappearing, choices such as Lake Placid Blue , Sonic Blue, Sherwood Green , Foam Green, Shoreline Gold Metalic , Olympic White , Surf Green , Burgandy mist , Black,Blonde , and The Sunburst were some of the custom color choices as a customer you would have had. Interestingly enough Shell Pink was one that was discontinued and Candy Apple Red was introduced.
Because of undercoat “primer” changes from silver to gold in 1965
/ 1965 we can also see a wide array of coloration discrepancies all within the
same known colors of a particular
guitar.(especially within the reds) At times due to a lack of guitar for a
customers color order, a desert sand or sunburst that didn’t quite take well
was over sprayed the custom color , again to save inventory and probably speed
thing up a notch ,we will never really
know. So by 1964 Leo and the gang was kicking out some mighty fine guitars, progress
was being made, expansion was constant and changes were taking place. Then another turn in the house of cards was
to take place. In 1965 the sale of Fender to CBS, making what some argue the
most highly desirable (PRE CBS) and prized guitars in the market as we know it
today. But , That is just another piece to the puzzle and another story for
another day and as always this is just my opinion here at "Vintage Guitar News and Views", all brought to
you courtesy of Greg at www.Gregsguitars.net. So may all your days be fair all your friends stay true and
all your riffs be killer, Thanks and I will see ya next month .Greg.
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The May edition of "Vintage guitar News and Views" by gregsguitars.net
Well, I get a lot of questions from new collectors as well as avid collectors lookin to add new pieces to their stable regarding "what is a desired piece?" That can be a tough one ,especially since it is imperative to address each collector on an individual basis. I can say the "vintage" market is pretty stable is the solid buys , pre CBS Fenders and McCarty era Gibsons,(expensive to say the least though) But what about guitars that have in the last few years hit the market? Lets address just a few guitars in my opinion that would qualify as decent aqusitions. First the "Johnson" released Strats were not as big a movers as some would have liked , but I still think one in white would be desirable . The "relic" market in my opinion has hit its apex with the best of the best being the "Cunetto relics" and in my opinion these are the ones I would aquire. I wasn't impressed with "art guitars" so I wouldn't pay the price these guitars commanded. The "new" 1966 Strat reissue? Hmmm, it does have the correct peghead and transitional logo, as well as proper "nitro " finish, If you can find one in "Firemist Gold" with a maple fretboard I personally would get one( Maple fretboards just do it for me). A lot of guitars suddenly were "Mary Kays" wrong, The "Mary Kay" tribute was a limited release with thin translucent finish and all gold hardware, and not every "Blonde " was a "Mary Kay" . I like the "tribute Limited released ones ". Now on to the underrated or overlooked released guitars. The "Trower" artist release is a good bet in my book, I mean "Long Misty Days", "Bridge of Sighs" , come on, this man keeps on rockin and is probably one of the most overlooked guitarist of our generation. I prefer the "Midnight Wine" colored one . This is just a few of the recent releases from one manufacturer and this list could go on and on, But these are the ones I like and as always " It's just my opinion" so may all your days be fair and all your riffs be killer" until next month ,Thanks for stopping by. Greg @ Gregsguitars.net----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The April Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views
Well the old adage that "everything old is new again "can certainly be said regarding the guitar market. How this relates to popular trends is evident in the resurrection of N.O.S and reissue guitars that have flooded the market. Not that reissue guitars are anything new mind you,Fender reissued 60's styled guitars as early as the mid 80's with reasonable success. But the surge has hit an all time high mainly due (I believe anyway) to the fact that a lot of working,gigging and weekend warriors are afraid to take their prized vintage gear out on the road. Even though the guitarist arsenal hasn't changed ,the way one perceives his or her equipment certainly has. So,many musicians (working ones anyways)are turning to "reissues" or "relic" guitars as a viable alternative to risking damage or loss to their vintage gear while on the road or performing. So what constitutes a good deal on one of these types of guitars ? Well like everything ,you have to shop around and be willing to invest some time visiting dealer web sites such as www.gregsguitars.net or others and looking over the attributes of certain models within your defined budget. Forum rooms are another good source to gather insight to other players' ratings, likes and dislikes on certain models. Then you have to decide, "How much do I want to pay?" Is the certificate ,case candy and other non players attributes worth the extra cash that some dealers charge for such items? Is it something you want to increase the guitars resale value? Well... The certificate and case candy do add some value for you at resale some point down the line,but as a player first ,they really do not make the guitar sound better or play better now do they? But they should be considered if your sole purpose is to collect guitars and not play them.The extra cost(s) should be factored into your final evaluation of any deal regardless ,but as a player whether they (the certificates)are there or not should not be a deal breaker by any means. So my best advice that I can give you? Look for guitars that are early custom shop,or custom shop built before the paper rage took hold and the cookie cutters came out. A custom run of a particular guitar ,custom colors,or a reissue that had only a certain number of guitars built and are numbered to reflect that (like a Cunetto diamond dealer relic Stratocaster that was limited in it's run)or even better ,if your lucky enough to run down that old guitar that still retains all the original parts but has at some point been "refinned" (shudder, shudder) these guitars are still somewhat affordable and have that "old tone wood" that we all desire.But hey, like always this is just my opinion. Greg at Greg's guitars.
Greg's guitars on "Making that guitar purchase"
This article will help explain what you can do
and what you should not do to your vintage guitar in order to keep it
at its maximum value.Never drill any hole for any reason in any part of
the guitar,or create an extra routing to facilitate the replacement or
addition to any piece on the guitar,period! You have a vintage guitar
or any guitar for that matter,this article will cover Stratocaster
style or type guitars,others will be addressed in future articles.So
you got a guitar ,you want to change a few things huh,hmmmm well first
of all lets start at the top,the peghead or headstock, if you will.You
can change cheap or vintage tuning keys with ease as long as you
remember rule # 1 drill no holes.chose the replacement keys that match
exactly in mounting and size,easy if you take your time.You can change
necks if your vintage piece has substantial wear or you want to
preserve it,or it is not comfortable as you would like.Remember mount
the new neck exactly as old one came off,no new or enlarged holes,if
its a 3 bolt neck ,get a 3 bolt replacement neck .Same goes for a 4
bolt,no new holes! Easy enough huh?Now on to the body.do not spot paint
refinish,restore in any way shape or form the original paint or nitros
finish no matter what.Now if you need to replace a faulty or under
performing switch,or channel selector or even a pickup or 2 or 3, My
advice is replace the entire scratchplate assembly with all the
components already in place .Why you ask? Well any broken or replaced
solder or solder joint is always suspect as to non original to the
guitar in question ,especially vintage guitars and will effect the
value tremendously at a time of resale.Doing this only calls into
question the solder joint at the input jack ,which is easier to
understand and explain to a future buyer of your guitar.Now as for
brides or bridge saddles these are easy fixes to replace,First remember
no new holes! All mounting should either be exact period correct pieces
or n.o.s. pieces,If you prefer the newer style(s) as long as the
mounting is exactly as the old one(s) that's o.k. .Take the old off and
replace with the new.For bridge saddles just do the same.A word of
caution and to help you here, always place the old pieces in a baggie
or draw string pouch along with a card stating ,when,why and what you
did to the guitar for your ease in undoing any modifications is always
a good idea,always leave this in the case pocket of the guitar case so
you always know where it is .It would also be a great idea to add a
card with the guitars known history(who knows you may become famous
)The date purchased ,original owner(s),and to whom and when you ever
sell the guitar to,and encourage the next owner to keep the card up to
date as time goes by and the guitar changes ownership(s).This is a
great way to establish a history with the guitar and in some ways will
actually make the piece more desirable and maybe more valuable,Who
wouldn't want to know a complete history of a vintage guitar?.I hope
this is helpful to you and remember rule number 1 above all else ,no
mods that can not be returned to original specs as easily as possible
is the best thing you can ever do for your vintage guitar.Included is a
link to my web site for further enjoyment,Thanks from Greg Guitars.
Well the old adage that "everything old is new again "can certainly be said regarding the guitar market. How this relates to popular trends is evident in the resurrection of N.O.S and reissue guitars that have flooded the market. Not that reissue guitars are anything new mind you,Fender reissued 60's styled guitars as early as the mid 80's with reasonable success. But the surge has hit an all time high mainly due (I believe anyway) to the fact that a lot of working,gigging and weekend warriors are afraid to take their prized vintage gear out on the road. Even though the guitarist arsenal hasn't changed ,the way one perceives his or her equipment certainly has. So,many musicians (working ones anyways)are turning to "reissues" or "relic" guitars as a viable alternative to risking damage or loss to their vintage gear while on the road or performing. So what constitutes a good deal on one of these types of guitars ? Well like everything ,you have to shop around and be willing to invest some time visiting dealer web sites such as www.gregsguitars.net or others and looking over the attributes of certain models within your defined budget. Forum rooms are another good source to gather insight to other players' ratings, likes and dislikes on certain models. Then you have to decide, "How much do I want to pay?" Is the certificate ,case candy and other non players attributes worth the extra cash that some dealers charge for such items? Is it something you want to increase the guitars resale value? Well... The certificate and case candy do add some value for you at resale some point down the line,but as a player first ,they really do not make the guitar sound better or play better now do they? But they should be considered if your sole purpose is to collect guitars and not play them.The extra cost(s) should be factored into your final evaluation of any deal regardless ,but as a player whether they (the certificates)are there or not should not be a deal breaker by any means. So my best advice that I can give you? Look for guitars that are early custom shop,or custom shop built before the paper rage took hold and the cookie cutters came out. A custom run of a particular guitar ,custom colors,or a reissue that had only a certain number of guitars built and are numbered to reflect that (like a Cunetto diamond dealer relic Stratocaster that was limited in it's run)or even better ,if your lucky enough to run down that old guitar that still retains all the original parts but has at some point been "refinned" (shudder, shudder) these guitars are still somewhat affordable and have that "old tone wood" that we all desire.But hey, like always this is just my opinion. Greg at Greg's guitars.
http://blog.gregsguitars.net
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Vintage guitar news and views The March Edition.
Greg's guitars on "Making that guitar purchase"
Well lets
see,grim economic forecasts,auto plants cut shifts,interest rates on
t-bills plunge,the housing sector is in trouble,and the executives at 3
large corporations get between 12 an 21.7 million dollar bonus packages.Man
talk about skewed news,and all we want is that sweet little tele we saw
last week.Where's the justice? So how can you make your guitar purchase
pay off (hopefully) in the future?Well as stated in my other articles
,the price for vintage gear has also dropped ,So if you happen to have
some obscene amount of extra cash laying around ,go out and pick up
that 62 Strat you have always wanted.As for the rest of us poor working
stiffs unless I hit the lottery that is just a pipe dream for now.So I
have to do a little homework when it comes to selecting my next (yes
next) guitar to purchase and you can do the same.Question; I want a
guitar that sounds good,plays well,is as original as possible,suits my
playing style and doesn't cost a fortune,hmmm.Well I am narrowing down
my options a little here and at the same time widening my choices.This
is where the homework starts. I usually go to books about specific
companies and brands of guitars ,then narrow my field from there.I look
for when certain manufactures made changes to their lines,It could be
something as easy as a tuner change,knobs,or something more factory
involved ,such as changing body styles or new neck design,or just a new
type of pickup or tail piece.It could be a new release of a new line or
the last year of a specific design.It's not quick or easy but it is in
my opinion fun and interesting none the least.This homework will slowly
narrow your search as daunting as it may seem.So for this articles sake
I have made my choice,I'll take that tele in the window...Tele's were
slab bodied for the first years they were produced and at some point a
little contour was given,This is the one I am after ,the year the
contouring showed up,and of course I want a "custom" color ,so I pick
Dakota red,yea and with a maple capped neck..mmmmmm Whether she is out
there or not,well thats a whole 'nother article.Till next time Keep
your days close and your riffs killer. Greg at www.gregsguitars.net
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