Guitar stories

if Bong can talk about his favorite instrument, then so can I. I've had my Gretsch 6120 (see Eddie Cochran, Brian Setzer for reference) for about three years now and was just moderately happy with it. I wasn't stoked about the way that it played or how it sounded for the longest time. It's kind of an expensive guitar and it was my dream guitar for so long that I didn't want to give up on it. I recently replaced the pickups with TV Jones pickups (the same kind that Setzer plays with) and had the whole thing set up professionally. It's now the best guitar that I have ever played. It sings and growls and just f*ckin' rocks. I think it's time to start my rockabilly band back up.

Let me hear your stories about guitars. Also, I went to the NAMM show on Sunday in Anaheim and was too late to get the Fender and Gretsch catalogs. If anybody else went and grabbed extras, I'd be super stoked to get a hold of them. Thanks.

Spike

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2004-01-20 09:57 ]

I've always wanted one of those Gretsch guitars. A friend of mine had a Gretsch Chet Adkins Country Gentleman from the '60s with the simulated f-holes, and I always liked that guitar. He played it through an old Fender twin, and it sounded great with an overdrive pedal. We all (guitar players) probably have a story about ones we traded and now regret. I had an early '70s Les Paul Special (like the '55 or 56 reissues) with P90 pickups that I traded a while back, and of course, now I regret it. I made a vow to myself never to sell or trade another American-made guitar. I have four now, and I'll have them until I'm old and gray (that is unless my kids want them when they are old enough to respect them). I even miss an old Marauder I used to have because it was my first Gibson (although not a very good one).

My bass is wonderful...I have 5 basses, but I always grab this one first..

I paid 500 bucks for this used 1996 Fender P-bass

What's special is the color: Sea-foam green with a faded white pearloid pick-guard...it matches Lucky Design's Danelectro, and because I put flat-wound strings on it, sounds too cool for words..well, I could say it sounds like Jameson, Donald Duck Dunn, and Rocco Prestia's sound..if you know Fender, you know what I am talking about! Warm, sunny, juicy, beefy....tiki!!!!!(soul-tiki!!)

I also own a Carvin 6 string, a Music Man sterling (cost me 1400, would love to sell it for 700), a Warwick steamer 5 string, and a vintage style Telecaster p-bass (1953 style) and I play none of them very much..I always go for my green p-bass!!!

The only other bass I might play a lot, if I was lucky to own, would be Bong's rickenbaker...that thing sounds sweet!!

as for Lucky Design's axe...his words don't do the sound justice...it sounds HUGE!! And it sounds really good when Lucky plays it, because he is one Smokin' Menehune, and can play Jazz, rockabilly, early country, just about anything!

Some times, just to annoy us, he will start up with the AC/DC riffs, just for a goof!!

Then Shirley starts break-dancing.....

I don't play guitar, but am always happy as heel to see people talk lovingly about their instruments. Mick, seafoam green always works for me! Joe Morrell makes a fine seafoam green lap steel, there is a vertain amount of lust going on there for me right now...when you say Jamerson, Duck Dunn, and Rocco Prestia, I know what you're talking about as an old funk head from waaay back. "What Is Hip?" - aaah, that's the s**t! Did you ever hear "Oakland Stroke"? That's Prestia playing about twice as fast as normal, it's enough to make a body bug out completely!

I need a nap now...

:), em.

Sam, I've never had the guts to get rid of a guitar yet. I've got something like seven guitars. Four or five of them are playable, the others are more for decor. I don't think I could part with any of them. The first guitar that I learned how to play on was a Peavey Predator. Not a super great guitar, but it had a nice neck and with some swapping of pickups ended up playing very well. I think the emotional attachment to that one would be to tough to get rid of. Guitars end up being a very personal thing. I'm sure people must be reading this and thinking I'm crazy. I guess I'm gonna have to lessen the load eventually though.

That's another thing I just noticed in Mick's post. His bass was only 500 bucks. My Dano was on sale for only 150 bucks and like Mick, I probably play that the most. Sometimes the cost of an instrument doesn't dictate how well it'll play. It should, but it doesn't.

A few years back, I went to a bunch of pawn shops and found 2 really junky identical 1960's Kingston guitars. Neither were playable, so I took the best parts from each and made one guitar from them. It still wasn't really a player's guitar, but it had good kitsch quality. I put it up for sale, and this guy bought it:

http://www.myrareguitars.com

I had no real attachment to it, but I felt pretty good taking junk and making something better out of it.

My very first guitar was a Hondo (remember those?) classical guitar, and my dad pinstriped it all up in cream, gold and orange. I really wish I had that one back as well. I had traded it to buy my first electric: a "Drifter" strat copy.

On 2004-01-21 07:24, Sam Gambino wrote:

[...] I put it up for sale, and this guy bought it:

http://www.myrareguitars.com

[...]

My very first guitar was a Hondo (remember those?)

Coincidence #1: I recently bought an Eastwood Specter 12 (VOX Phantom XII replica) from http://www.myrareguitars.com and had it shipped to Sweden.

Coincidence #2: My first guitar was also a Hondo (Les Paul copy) :)

Very cool guitar. Also, I would have liked a Les Paul copy at the time, but I had to settle for the old Hondo classical guitar with the nylon strings until I proved that I was not going to lose interest. Well, it's 25 years later, and I'm still interested!

I've always wanted a Baritone guitar for that real spaghetti western/ surf sound. I missed out when Danelectro had those. They ended up not making guitars anymore so the ebay prices on them is climbing. After the NAMM show, I noticed that Gretsch was putting them into production. I don't know if I would use it enough to warrent the $2000+ price tag though.

On 2004-01-22 14:32, Luckydesigns wrote:
I've always wanted a Baritone guitar for that real spaghetti western/ surf sound. I missed out when Danelectro had those. They ended up not making guitars anymore so the ebay prices on them is climbing. After the NAMM show, I noticed that Gretsch was putting them into production. I don't know if I would use it enough to warrent the $2000+ price tag though.

Lucky, have you heard of Subway Guitars? Go to their Danelectro page & look @ the "new from vintage parts" Baritones. $400 dollars is much better than $2000!

I bought one of those Danelectro Baritones about 2 or 3 years ago for around $300. It's kind of neat, but not very good for typical chording. But is good for single note picking.

Like Spike says, it's got that true spagehetti western sound.

I'm thinking about selling it - any takers?

That's a great link, FF. I read how he's taking 60's Dano Convertibles and turning them into Jimmy Page Danos because the old Convertibles are caved in at the bridge. I own a '64 Convertible, and it's doing just that. I'm certainly not willing to trade mine, but I certainly wouldn't mind buying one.

Here is an example of how stupid I am. Many years ago I purchased a 56 Gretsch country club from a member of Fleetwood Mac. About 3 years ago I needed cash and sold it for a
grand. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful guitars i've seen. It was refinished in black, the original color was green.

FOR A GRAND?! I hope it was a repro. A "fifty-three" must be worth at least ten grand. This is the kind of story that really gets ya.

On 2004-01-23 09:29, tiki-riviera wrote:

Here is an example of how stupid I am. Many years ago I purchased a 56 Gretsch country club from a member of Fleetwood Mac. About 3 years ago I needed cash and sold it for a
grand. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful guitars i've seen. It was refinished in black, the original color was green.

My step-father was a country western lead guitarist and bought at 1956 Gretch Silver Jet in 1963 for $125 (which was a chunk of change back then). He gave it to me about 6 years ago and I had it professionally refinished. Last I checked in the 'Guitar Blue Book', it was valued from $3,500 to $6,000.

It has a great sound, but I don't like it because it has a floating bridge, meaning the bridge isn't affixed to the guitar. I'm a hard player and had a tendency to hit the bridge with my strumming hand and knock it way out of tune whilst on stage (not good!).

Anyway, I keep it and maybe one day will turn it (after my step father passes on to the big beer bar in the sky).

You just need to put heavier strings on it. I've played Bong's Silver Jet and that's another one of his guitars that I'd love to have. I could list guitars that I want for hours but I think if I had a baritone, a telecaster, and a silver jet, I'd be pretty content.

That Silver Jet is a real jem. Hang on to that.