Some weekend Guitar

[neilbardsley]

If your wife says you have too many cars or guitars show her this

https://youtu.be/9TXqKkcdqCw

Sent from my Redmi 7 using Tapatalk

[911hillclimber]

Thank you Keith for the 'conversion' so I can see your nephew at his best!

Guitar is a cracker, all the details and not easy to construct, some brilliant luthiers around nowadays for sure!

All those guitars and things Neil, tooo much, never get played, keeps them from others, not impressed, but formidable.
As with many USA collectors, just how do they afford it all?

Here is Tristian for those of us watching keenly:

https://youtu.be/YkCsGH9YvDY

[Hugh Jorgan]

https://youtu.be/65vCVqEjRIo

I usually play this as warm up before getting on to something challenging....................!!

[911hillclimber]

That you in the white shirt?

I have trouble holding a pick, always have, let alone strumming well, let alone all that finger style, let alone being a Guitar God.
He is amazing.

Down to earth: But very good.

https://youtu.be/a8sKEocTHak

[911hillclimber]

Easy finish to the weekend..
https://youtu.be/xhv0xhPpzP4

And two girls!

https://youtu.be/9e-LilpNRwE

[redrobin911]

Some of you might enjoy this…

Like many I used to play guitar and have found the current situation - with no real work - a good reason to play guitar a little more. I've been fiddling around with GarageBand having recently acquired a Jam+ to allow me to record guitar straight to computer - all great fun.

So thought I’d post up my “Strat Build” that I made a few years ago. Having owed a music shop some 30+years ago I understand what makes a good guitar, not always a bucket full of cash - so I wanted a vintage strat, by far the best guitar ever made, but with the niggly or known issues removed - sound familiar in the Porsche world??

I started with a standard Alder start body bought on gumtree from a chap in L/Derry - salmon pink - happy with that. The search for a neck took some time then I stumbled in a NOS 60’s Fender Custom Shop neck a guy had removed in favour of some other “trick” neck for his strat. Needless to say you can’t buy a Fender Custom Shop neck on its own, only a complete guitar, so I pounced on it. These necks are had fabricated to the same spec as the original Pre-CBS necks.

Next on my list were pickups, I believe that standard vintage pickups are the only way to go so purchase a set of Lindy Fralin vintage hot pickups, true vintage sound but with higher (modern) output better suited to valve amps.

Lastly I wanted to sort out the well known issues with the standard strat tremolo, well known for knocking tuning off at the slightest touch. First part of the solution was to get a set of very trick Gotoh locking machine heads, these look completely standard but far from it. With that end of the guitar sorted I chose a Wilkinson Vintage tremolo - very period looking but much better made that the standard vintage Fender one. Then finished off with "mint green" scratch plates and controls.

All electronics are period correct and the guitar was then finally set up by by good friend Pete Griffen. All in it cost me £700 - I really should play some more. Might post up another guitar next week. OK guys any of you got a special that you built or had made for you - if so lets see them….

[911hillclimber]

I built or rather assembled a very cheap Gibson 355 2 Xmas's ago.
Kit was good wood wise, pickups awful and strings from a cheese cutting board....

Kneck was not flat along the whole length and took some tearful filing of 3 frets to stop buzzing.
Soldered joints were like mig welds without gas.

I will post a pic tomorrow, but, I really should have bought a cheap Epiphone for 2 times the final cost and then have 10 times the instrument.

As an aside from YouTube clips we should show our guitar collections and how we got them, plus the ones that left along the way.
I love the tech of the woods and construction as much as the effect of the designs on the ears.

I'll lead by example tomorrow

[redrobin911]

Good man - I have 335 to report on later.... good story.

[Hugh Jorgan]

My parents were in Africa through the 50’s. Amongst lots of other stuff they brought back were some chunks of mahogany.
My mate, ace guitarist, engineer, photographer and guitar builder Dave Thorp, built this for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[redrobin911]

Has the look of a Gibson SG Junior (i had one) with the single P90 pickup, double cut-away... I would hazard a guess that this was the inspiration? I like simple guitars, they make you work harder....

[Hugh Jorgan]

Les Paul junior double cutaway is the the 'inspiration'!!
West African mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard.
Simple it certainly is. I love it, it's light and loud. Dave winds all his own p/ups, in fact he does everything!
More to follow.....

[911hillclimber]

I feel this is going to be an excellent diversion!

Along a time line:

first guitar was a white acoustic bought for me when I was 9. Never expected it, and had no interest or awareness of guitars then.
Tried to tune it, top E snapped and the guitar went under the bed, never to be played again.
Second guitar arrived when I was 16 and had started Tech college, submerged in Led Zep, Santana, Beatles were for my 6 years older sister! (and incessant Motown). Cost £5, a weeks wages for me then (apprentice).

Here it is, a Dallas Tuxedo 3. Solid guitar, heavy and all that 50's chrome. Bolt-on neck that moves but quite rare, I have the sale brochure for it too. Plays well now the intonation is right.



'Played' this Tuxedo in a barn with a few others, we were all crap but full of enthusiasm and it all petered out slowly after we lot touch with each other, and for me, cars took over and drag racing.

Moving forward to 1975/6 and I bought this fab ECO from a mate across the street. He sold it to me to buy a new fangled Ovation, the one with the plastic/composite rear bowl. Big with a lot of volume and superb build and detail. Now suffering a bit, but plays well. Pick-up added a few years ago, does little for it.



Actually played rhythm guitar in a local Brummy folk group with a girl I fancied who looked like Marian Faithful and sure could sing. She eventually married a best friend! Did not like playing in front of a (small) audience. Guitar interest/playing stopped dead as total immersion in cars followed with hot rods and more.

Married in '78 and had a few more guitars.

Bought this acoustic from the back of a junk shop closing down in the dark side of Wolverhampton. This is another rarity, a Hermsdorf Lux jazzer from the mid 50's. Solid wood, double carved top in the Rickenbacker way, solid neck, no truss rod so BIG in the hand and very hard to play. Lots of volume but not nice tone. Lovely looking thing IMHO and I love it. Came with a Hofner floating pickup, the cable araldited to the body...



2 notable guitars came and went, wish I had kept them of course. First was a Hofner Verithin in cherry red. A real Gibson 335 take off, played well and sold it to a man who played in a gospel church band. My first sale on ebay. Actually made money on it. Second was a Gibson ES125 C a student guitar with Florentine cut away. Short scale neck and played well if a little 'dead' using light flat wound strings and through a Laney valve amp. Case was original and had a vibrant orange interior. Sold to a Scotsman who loved it. It was a perfect example too.
I had a £1000 pocket money from the wife and it was either a LSD for the 911 or the Gibson at the time. Bob Watson thought I made a good choice, he played drums at one time.

I then had the hots for a Taylor. I had almost the first Taylor Big Baby travel guitar in the country, no pick guard which dates it so.
Flyweight instrument, delicate, good sound but not geometrically good. The high E string can come off the fret board! It spends all of it's time in the case with a bowed neck...



A long time ago we went to the Guitar Show at the NEC, maybe 20 years back now and bought an Epiphone Les Paul. What a guitar. it is simply fabulous, huge weight, flamed top and never goes out of tune. My wife thinks it is the best guitar I have. Immaculate and perfect, sits in the lounge.



A visit to Birmingham's Guitar Guitar shop and I bought an Ibanez electro acoustic with Olive wood veneer and a few glitzy details along with a solid state amp with a few effects on it to entertain myself. This is my favorite guitar to 'play'. Fabulous sound in any mode, looks nice and is very well balanced to hold. Beautiful slender neck much like the Epiphone LP. Never goes out of tune. The amp is really nice too, small and just right for all the guitars.



A brief ownership followed with a used perfect condition Squire Telecaster with Bare Knuckle pickups. Lad I bought it from was buying a real Gibson LP and was desperate. Never got on with it. The neck seemed too narrow, the string too close. I sold it last year to a DDK'r!

Finally, I fancied building a guitar. Wanting a Gibson 335 type design, bout a kit from the far far east which was a challenge. I don't 'do' woodwork, so thought the challenge would do me good.
Got there in the end, but not worth is as the final result is questionable due to the pick-ups I think.

[neilbardsley]

Tokai Love Rock. I haven't done anything to this. I haven't played it for ages. I love the sound but prefer my lighter squire in London.

I've never played a Gibson Les Paul but have been told these are probably the best copies

Sent from my Redmi 7 using Tapatalk

[Hugh Jorgan]

Dallas Tuxedo.....love it, Hermsdorf....! what a great collection, I knew you'd have some wild and whacky stuff!!!! The top on the Ibanez is stunning.

Tokai made really good guitars. I had a Jazz bass and a strat years ago.

[Hugh Jorgan]

Swamp ash body, bird’s eye maple neck, rosewood fingerboard with mother of pearl markers. Custom wound P and J pickups. Another one made for me by my mate Dave!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk