The Vintage Guitar News and Views.
Gibson amps ,That "Goldtone", by Greg's Guitars.



When most people think of amps of any era they usually think Fender, with that said let me introduce to you a lesser but in some ways better amp, Gibson amps. Many may not know that Gibson began producing amplifiers in the 1930's 19 or so years before Fender even existed. With thier line up of the "EH" amplifiers starting in 1935 Gibson produced amps ranging from 8 to 15 watts with 10 inch field coil speakers and no volume or tone controls,later in 1941 the wattage was bumped up to 15 watts with 12 inch speakers and controls for both volume as well as tone,the bass control was also added during this time.After world war II when material restrictions were lifted a new "BR" series amp was added to the Gibson lineup,these amplifiers were produced untill 1954 - 1955.
  Then we enter into what I like to think of as the golden age of Gibson amps ,starting in 1949 with the production of the GA series amplifiers.The Ga 18,Ga19,Ga20,Ga40 and GA 200 being personal favorites of mine from this era, These Ga Gibson series amps are often less expensive than their Fender counterparts of the era and offer tight,clear response with excellent breakup when cranked past 5 on the volume control,whereas Fender amps often remain cleaner the Gibson amp offers the growl and roar that many players seek.
 The 1960's Gibson amps had names such as "Raider", "Skylark", "Lancer",and "Maestro" attached to them and even though they were not (IMO) as killer tonally as the 50 era Gibson amps they still offer great tones with minimal modifications and hold their own in the players world.
 Some of the drawbacks to the Gibson line of amps are the facts that many changes occurred often within not only the same years they were produced but also within the same model lines and these changes often go unnoticed and not even promoted with Gibson literature and sales brochures.
Hundreds of Gibson amp models have been produced over the last 78 years and I have found the most extensive list of these amps on the internet located at the "Gibson Garage Amps" website. Although not all inclusive a further attempt at documenting Gibson amplifiers ha been undertaken by Wallace Mark Jr. in a recent book he has written on Gibson amps.
Gibson amps pretty much went to obscurity from the late 1960's untill Gibson relaunched their "Super Goldtone" line in the mid 1990's. These Super Goldtone amps are some of the best amps(IMO) to have been produced as of late, The halfstack Super Goldtone with a head featuring a clean as well as a gain channel  and a cabinet featuring 2 ten inch speakers open backed and 2 twelve inch speakers in a closed back configuration simply rock ! The combo versions have two different speaker configurations , one being 2x12 and the other 1X10 and 1X12 with the control panel on the top of the amp and the chassis layout similar to the Bassman amps are hard to beat, with the optional and very much needed 5 way control switch allowing the blending of both channels is what makes these amps open up and drip with tone(s). I have seen several combo versions where the control panel was located on the back and bottom  of the amp as well as the chassis ,I do not recommend these versions , in my opinion they are inferior amps, I have also seen single speaker smaller amp versions of the Goldtone series and these also are not in my opinion desirable as far as thei line goes.
 Also noted is the Epiphone versions of the vintage Gibson produced amps (Gibson owned Epiphone), These amps are the same as their Gibson counterparts with just the Epi badge and some cosmetic differences and usually cost less than their Gibson counterpart and should not be overlooked when your in the market for a vintage amp .I personally fvor the 1950 era Gibson amps or their cost as well as their tone and have several in my collection as well as several of the Super Goldtone amps from the 1990's. So if your looking for a vintage amplifier that is less expensive and offers great  tonal varity ,look no further than the Gibson and Epiphone amps. Don't forget to check our website for cool,collectible,rare and vintage guitars and amps . So untill next time , may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg at Greg's Guitars.

For the uninitiated , Fender guitars almost ceased to exist , at least a made in the U.S.A. Product in the mid 1980's.  Yes that's right ,the guitars that started it all ,the guitars that most of us love almost became something of the past.How you may wonder?  Well After the tumultuous 1970's and early 1980's at Fender the corporation that owned Fender (CBS) decided to sell the brand. Rumor has it after the Fender brand was offered on the chopping block there were no serious takers and the few takers that there were wanted to ship all production overseas.  That's where William Schultz stepped up with a group of employees and investors and rescued our beloved Fender from virtual extinction.

William ( Bill ) Schultz was no newcomer to the guitar industry, He arrived at fender in early 1981 a veteran from Yamaha and immediately started the transformation at the then CBS factory to try and turn around a declining guitar market that had been flooded with overseas cheap instruments as well as turn around the declining conditions at Fender.  So the Fender name machinery and inventory was secured but no plant to produce guitars was included in the deal.  The hunt was on for a relocation of the factory from the Fullerton location to what would be to Corona California. During the move there were some inventory being sold from left over stock but the bulk of all of Fenders sales was from the Japan factory for late 1984 and 1985.    

  Rumor has it that Bill took some of the key employees to the Japan fender factory (who at that time was building rather good guitars) and stated" This is what we have to do back home to stay competitive and stay alive, now I can't verify that but it does seem plausible as the guitars coming from the factory in Japan were solid guitars and better than what were being produced t the time at CBS . So much so that it is interesting enough that as soon as production was warping up in the Corona factory the Japan factory produced guitars no longer carried "Fender" on the headstock as it was replaced with "Squire" .

  So with the saving graces from Bill Schultz ,employees and select investors Fender remained not only a U.S. company but also remained on U.S. soil, which I hear was well received at the NAMM show at the time. All I can say from where I sit is that  I am thankful that Bill and the boys had the gumption an fortitude to bite off more than what they could percievably chew and not only save an iconic American company from extinction but restructure and resurrect the company into what it once was, a trendsetter and innovative guitar manufacturer that to this day still carries on the traditions that Leo started back in 1946.

  Next issue we will explore some of the innovative,successful  and not so successful models that William (Bill) Schultz brought to Fender (CBS) and what models resurrected Fender after the buyout and why. So until then, may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Rock on from Greg's Guitars.

Fingerboard materials on guitars.

Many an argument can be made regarding the use of different tonewoods for the fingerboard/fretboard used on guitars ,both the acoustic guitar and electric guitar. We will explore the types of woods used by various builders and why they may or may not have been used and the reasons behind it.

I tend to believe that aesthetics and abundance  played a more important role in the use of specific woods rather than a real attempt (at the time) to choose a wood for (arguably) better tonal response.

With Gibson a variant of rosewood seems to be used on most of their instruments from the very early days . It may be that rosewood seemed to look better than maple since mahogany seemed to be the most prevalent neck wood used. Gibson has experimented and released models of instruments with rosewood,maple,ebony and even mother of pearl fingerboards with neck materials from maple to mahogany as well. Many players regard rosewood as a superior tone wood over other woods but subjectively I can not really say beyond a doubt whether that holds true or not seeing as you would have to have one guitar that you could interchange the fingerboards on to really make a definite comparison being that even two guitars built one after the other on any given day will have subtle differences. I can say that many a Gibson fan does not hold into tolerance the fact that a Gibson will have any other than a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard , it may be that  since this is the most seen and produced variance that that is what is more acceptable than other tone woods. Maple necks were shunned on Les Pauls but are accepted on other Gibson models easily so maybe it has more to do with a specific model of instrument  than anything else.  Maple as a fingerboard material  has also been used on the Les Paul model with little acceptance whereas ebony is accepted , again aesthetics and the normal appearance of what has been used through Gibson history may affect this decision among guitarists ( we are a fickle bunch ).

Fender on the other hand used maple on maple since their inception and only started using rosewood as a choice in 1959 as noted in most Fender history publications. Again mostly for aesthetic reasons when Leo Fender saw the prominent wear on his maple fingerboards.Since then Fender has opted for maple neck/fingerboards, maple caps on maple neck blanks as well as rosewood on their maple necks and all are accepted within the guitar community.

As for tonal attributes? Since no two pieces of wood used in an instrument is exactly identical to any other it's really scientifically difficult to say (IMO).  I can say that I believe the various rosewood fingerboards do look rather nice with the coloration and grains that run through the wood , the rosewood does appear to be a little more of an oily type wood and may facilitate an ease in playing whereas a maple board is less oily and usually over sprayed with a clearcoat which would protect the wood from wear to some extent , but does it effect the tone ? I can't really say.I will say that hearing the differences on the same style guitar does have some tonal differences, the maple board tends to sound brighter that the rosewood models on the same style guitar to some degree.

Even within the sub groups of different rosewoods used there are arguments for and against these as well. Again I say that the woods used in any specific time frame are due largely to the norm and abundance of these woods as opposed to large corporate builders actually choosing these woods for tonal qualities, I may be wrong but that is simply my opinion.Many will think or even argue that with Brazilian rosewood fingerboard material they can and do hear an actual tonal difference, well I can't hear it, I can as I stated "feel" a difference but I can't hear one. Since Brazilian rosewood has become less abundant and harder to get it does command a premium in pricetag though and even more recent builds using this wood has seen a higher pricetag for these instruments with nothing more than a certificate issued stating the use of this wood as a material on certain models, whereas almost, I say almost every guitar both expensive and inexpensive guitar made pre 1960 has this rosewood as a fingerboard material .

In a more modern approach since the most desirable ( for whatever reason) fingerboard materials have become harder to come by and the costs associated with them have risen as well as "sustainable" being a new buzzword we see the use of baked lighter tonewoods to give the darker appearance of rosewood, multi ply or the sandwiching of several thinner layers of wood to create fingerbaords and even other species of woods such as Pau Ferro,rodewood from Madagascar ,Ebony,Satine, ( all used at different times) used by different manufactures all in an attempt to keep in front of the player and consumer what appears to be the norm that they are used to seeing on any given brand. What will this do to future guitar markets? Will Indian or Madagascar woods on the fingerboard be more covenanted in the future? Who knows, I do know we all like what we like and we can argue our respected points to no end , but that to me is what makes it so enjoyable. So untill next time, may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg's Guitars .

The Vintage Guitar News and Views Summer edition.

The Fender Precision bass or P-bass Guitar.

Most of us know the Fender Precision bass in it's present incarnation of 45 and 3/4 inches in length,13 inch wide body that is 1 and 3/4 inches thick with it's 34 inch string length with a 1 and 5/8ths inch nut,contoured "Stratocaster" styled body shape and headstock design,3 pointed pickguard with 1 volume and 1 tone control,split pick design and 4 separate adjustable bridge saddles.

 
But this configuration we all know and love was not the original designed bass guitar that Leo Fender introduced to the world back in 1951. Even though none of this information is new ,still some may find it for the first time and enjoy reading it here.The first production runs of the Precision bass was made in the style of Leo Fenders "Telecaster "guitar with the same basic outline body shape and slab body without contouring.  The P bass was designed and marketed by Fender to replace the standup bass used at the time. At first glance one may even think "Telecaster" before realizing the four string configuration. In 1953 the P bass was produced with contoured edges but still retained the "Telecaster" body style.

In 1957 the P bass received an updates body design that followed Leo Fenders innovative new designed "Stratocaster " electric guitar.with a rounder neck heel replacing the original square shape introduced in 1951. The redesigned P-Bass pickguard was made of a single layer of gold anodized aluminum with 10 screwholes (1957–59) and then changed in 1960 to a 13-screw celluloid "multilayer" with 3 or 4 layers of black, white, mint green, aged white pearloid and brown tortoise shell. The original single-coil pickup was replaced in 1957 with a new split-coil pickup with staggered polepieces with raised "A" string polepiece.with a rounder neck heel replacing the original square shape introduced in 1951.

Interesting enough the original designed "Tele" style P bass was reintroduced as a "new" model in 1967 by then CBS owned Fender guitars which was marketed as a completely different bass line .

During the 1970's some P bass were produced without frets though not well received. In the early 1980's new pickups and active onboard circuitry with a redesigned high mass bridge was introduced. The 1990's saw the introduction of the 40th anniversary models, lace sensor pickups and fine tuners on the bridge. Now even though some of the changes or updates were not well received, some improvements or design changes were. All in all in keeping with Leo Fenders original concept of ever changing and updating his beloved designs you can't argue that the Precision bass set the standard all subsequent electric bass guitars have been judged by.

This installment of The Vintage Guitar News and Views is not meant to be all inclusive but rather a brief summary of the Precision bass and we hope you have enjoyed reading it and hopefully leave with a little more knowledge than when you first started reading the article. In closing "May all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer."

The Guitar That changed it all.

A brief history of the Fender Esquire,Broadcaster,Telecaster electric guitar.

Although each of these guitars ,the Esquire,Broadcaster,Nocaster and The Telecaster were all different guitars in their own rights we can combine each of them into one grouping for historical lineage sakes.

The beginning, setting the world on its ear.

Conceived as a Spanish electric guitar the Esquire debuted at the July 1950 Namm show,even though it did not set the world on fire and was met with some resistance it is the first in the solid body electric guitar lineup from that little company from California that would eventually start a revolution. It came as a bolt on neck,flat body and 1 pickup, although a 2 pickup version of the Esquire was offered and produced in limited quantities.At first these guitars were produced without a truss rod as it has been quoted that Leo Fender did not think the guitar needed one due to the hard maple construction of the neck.This was later revisited and addressed and the following guitars would all have a truss rod installed into them.

 Later in the Fall of 1950 a regular production 2 pickup version of Fender's Electric Spanish guitar was produced as a standard order item and officially named the Broadcaster, ( even though special order 2 pickup versions of the Esquire were available by special order) . These guitars differed from the original versions with a truss rod and a "skunk stripe" of wood on the back of the neck where the truss rod was placed during production, it has been noted in other publications that several of these "skunk Stripes" are of maple and blend in with the back of the neck almost invisibly.For approximately 6 months these guitars were produced under the Broadcaster name until The Gretsch Mfg. Co. requested that Fender drop the name as they (Gretsch) had a trademark on the name ,although spelled slightly differently. Fender agreed and began clipping the "Broadcaster" off the headstock stickers ,thus the "Nocaster" came into existence, although not an official designation, the term "Nocaster" has been applied to these guitars by collectors and players alike.The "no name " or "Nocasters" were produced without a name on the headstock until approximately September of 1951. From this a new model name was introduced )after a careful trademark search) and the  "Telecaster" name was born and was introduced on models appearing side by side with the later "Nocasters" on the production line untill the old clipped decals finally  ran out,( Leo hated waste).

As early as April 1951 ,less than a year from conception the Spanish electric guitar offered by Fender had already undergone some substantial changes.From no truss rod to a truss rod installed , from 1 pickup to 2 pickup versions ,from production ( although not many) from pine wood to the use of ash as the body wood.The earliest models had no string tree either.

At the July 1951 NAMM show the new Telecaster and it's older brother the Esquire were both displayed at the Fender booth and well The fender company never looked back.Even though the basic construction of this grandfather of electric solidbody guitar has remained almost the same throughout it's 60 year history some change have occurred,some subtle and some not so subtle.
The following is just a few of the noted changes that our beloved Telecaster has undergone through the years.

From 1950 to 1964. 

These are commonly referred to as the pre CBS years or the Leo years.

Finish goes from white washed pine bodies to the more common yellow or butterscotch ash bodied guitars. These also have a black pick guard ,hence the nickname of "blackguard Tele's".

A blended circuitry gave way to a tone control in mid 1952 .The form fit case was replaced with the "poodle " case.

1954 black guards are replaced with the single ply white guard,brass saddles replaced with steel saddles.The yellow or butterscotch finish became a cremier color,the serial numbers were moved from the bridge to the neck plate and the "tweed" case was introduced.
Late in 1955 saw the staggered pole pieces in Fenders pickups introduced and about this time the switchtip was changed as well as the control knob(s) profile.
1958  saw less pronounced neck profiles.
1958 -1959 also introduced the "top load" bridge introduced although it only lasted approximately a year.
In 1959 it is generally accepted that "rosewood" fingerboards appeared on the maple neck blanks on Fender guitars. These also will undergo changes in size,shape as the year(s) progress.
Later in 1959 tweed cases gave way to brown tolex,then white in 1963 and later black in 1965.
Alder bodies appear in the "custom" in late 1959.

After Leo,1965 to 1984.

The CBS years.

The "L" series neck plates give way ti the "F' plates.
In 1967 the old circuitry was replaced ,The logo changed to the Black logo.
The Thinline models were introduced in 1967.
Poly finishes were the standard in the 1970's.3 bolt necks introduced,Larger headstocks.
Body shapes became incorrect due to "modern" production techniques.

Post CBS

After CBS sold it's stake in Fender changes gradually happened for the better, a more period correct ( and correct period) Telecaster was produced an continues to be produced to this day, Yes it's only been around 60 years has undergone changes ,but all in all it "The Telecaster" is still in retrospect the guitar all of us grew up with. From it's inception it's a guitar than can be changed and refined in some ways but still retains its' look ,feel and twang, many copies have been produced by variuos makers but to coin a phrase I once heard" It's hard to make a better guitar than the one(s) Leo Fender and company first designed". That pretty much sums it all up for me, The guitars that Leo and company put into our hands are still the yardstick in which all other guitar are measured by.
I hope you learned something with this article.It is not meant to be all inclusive by no means and is for your reading enjoyment. Many sources are available on the Telecaser and Fender guitars and include some of the facts I have mentioned ( as there can only be so many facts cited) . It is not the intention of me to give these facts as first hand knowledge but rather a culmination of facts that I have learned over the years any coincidence to any other articles is just that ,coincidence.
So may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer.
Happy New Year to all from Greg's Guitars and The Vintage Guitar News and Views.    
 

The Vintage Guitar News and Views ,Greg's Guitars.

October / November 2011

This month we will look at some of the Fender amp facts that may be of use to you in determining the date your amp may have been produced and the type or style circuit it has.

Fender commonly used charts in their amps to denote a particular time frame and amp model ,but remember that Fender did use items that were in stock even if they were not exactly correct to their product untill such a time that the present inventory of parts or in this case labels or charts ran out or were to far out of date to be used,so some overlapping did and still does occur.
Take the 5A5 class of amp,this indicates an amp built in the 1950's (5),it was an earlier incarnation of stated amp (A), each successive alphabet B-c-d would indicate a later version of the amp in question and the other 5 indicates it should be a "Pro" amplifier ( see below as to model designations).  In Fenders early model designations we have the following.
1 indicated the Champ amplifier, 2 indicated the Princeton line, 3 indicated the Deluxe amplifier line, 4 indicated the Super amp,5 the Pro amp, 6 the Bassman amp, 7 the Bandmaster, 8 the Twin amps, 9 the Tremolux,10 the Harvard  amp, 11 the Vibrolux, 12 the Concert amp, 13 the Vibrosonic amp,14 the Showman 16 was the Vibroverb amps and 15 was fenders stand alone reverb tank head model. This was followed by an alphbetical system to denote the period or style date of an amp.
A is commonly used to indicate the TV style tweed amps , B was used for the 1952 wide panel tweeds,C was used from 1953 -1954 wide panel amps,D was used in 1954 -1955 wide panel amps,E was used from 1955 to 1966 as was an F. G was used from 1960 to 1964.
 The above system for date sourcing and model designation did have overlapping periods and in the early 1960's when "blackface" amp line were introduced their seems to be a 2 letter 3 number scenario.
Fender amps made from 1951 to 1967 have a date code in the back. This is stamped with an ink stamp in black ink (or green ink in 1966) on the tube chart. Note this ink stamped designation should not be confused with the model number, serial number or production number. The first letter of the ink stamp is the year, the second the month of manufacturer.

On American made vintage guitars and gear, the pots and speakers provide an excellent opportunity to date a piece of equipment by referencing their "source-date code".

The source-date code found on pots and speakers gives the manufacturer and date (roughly) when the components were made. It may have been some time before the part was installed at the factory, but it still provides a good approximation of when the gear was made. This is especially helpful on (less popular) gear that doesn`t have reliable serial#`s or other information to date them.

The source-date code will signify the earliest possible date that the instrument or amp could have been made. This isn't going to be exact, but it will give you a "ball-park" age. And remember, even the dates indicated by the pots aren't that exact. For example, if you buy a brand new CTS pot today, they are dated a month or two in advance! I don't know the reason for this, but it's worth mentioning.

The source-date codes are under the framework of the "Electronic Industries Association", which is a non-profit organization representing the manufacturers of electronic parts. The EIA source-date code is a numeric code, assigned and registered by the EIA. It can be stamped or marked on any product to identify the production source (vendor) and date of manufacturer. Source-date codes have been published by the EIA since 1924. The EIA can be contacted via mail: Electronics Industries Association, 2001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20006.

Consideration and exceptions:
• Source-date codes weren't an industry standard until after WWII. But I have seen them used on Stackpole pots on electric National guitars as early as 1935. The first time date-source codes were published was 1924, so I guess you could see them as early as the late 1920's.
• Most Fenders from 1966 to 1969 have 1966 dated CTS pots. Apparently CBS/Fender bought a large stock of pots in 1966 that lasted till 1969.
• On popular Fender models, the pot date can be very close to the actual date of the instrument. On less popular Fender instruments, such as LapSteels, pots can be as much as two years earlier than the actual date of the instrument.
• Gibson didn't start using pots with source-date codes till 1953 or 1954.

Originality.

Of course this all assumes the pot or speaker is original. You have to make that call. I would suggest checking the solder joints - are they clean? Are the wires of the right era (cloth insulation for older stuff)? If so, you can check the pot or speaker for the source-date code, and determine an approximate age from that.

How the Source-Date Code Works. The source-date code on a pot is a 6 or 7 digit code impressed into the casing of the potentiometer. For speakers this code can be 5, 6, 7 or 8 digits long, and it's ink-stamped or paint-stamped on the "bell housing" of the speaker.

In either case, the code works the same. The first 3 digits on a pot, or the first 2, 3 or 4 digits on a speaker are the source or manufacturer code.

The remaining 3 or 4 digits are the date code. In 3 digit dates code, the 1st digit is the last digit of the year. On 4 digits date codes, the 1st and 2nd digits are the last two digits of the year. In either case, the remaining 2 digits are the week of manufacture (01 to 52). With this in mind, remember if the last two digits of the source-date code are greater than 52, you're not looking at the source-date code!

Also it's worth mentioning:

• Sometimes there is a space or hyphen between the manufacturer code and the year/week code.
• 3 digit date codes were used in the 1940's and 1950's. Stackpole for example converted from three to four digit date codes in late 1959.
• 4 digit date codes were used in the 1960's and later (this makes determining the year much simpler)
• On 3 digit date codes, you have to "guess" the decade of the pot or speaker. Usually this isn't too difficult.
Like with many mass produced items their is a certain amount of irregularities and although nothing can be positively absolute this system does provide a reasonable date and circuit for Fender amps.
Not meaning to be all inclusive by any means this article skims some of the facts about Fender amps and hopefully provides information and answers to some questions you may have , in a future installment we will discuss some modifications on Fender amps ( any amp actually) that you may be wanting to do and what modifications I believe you really do not need to do, of course this is just my vintage guitar (and amp) news and view. So untill next time ,may all your friends stay true ,all your days be memorable and all your riffs be killer.  

This months vintage guitar news and views is a memorial to the man of many legends Mr. Billy Grammer.I have been blessed with the opportunity to talk with Billy and his wife Ruth countless times picking their brains for information on his wonderful guitars that I have been honored to have been associated with. Countless stories did I listen to from both of them, I was able to allow several museums to acquire some of his fine guitars for permanent display and even sold a few to his family members.I was given Billy's blessings and approval for utilizing his iconic headstock shape into Greg's Guitars logo.He will be missed by many. Listed below is some information on Billy and his guitars. Rest in peace. Billy Grammer.

 

Grammar, the eldest of 13 children (nine boys and four girls), was born in Benton, Illinois.^[1] His father was a musician; he played the violin and trumpet.^{[citation needed]}

Grammar served in the Army during World War II, and upon discharge worked as an apprentice toolmaker at the Washington Naval gun factory at Shop #20. Grammar married his high school girlfriend, Ruth Burzynski, in 1944. Shortly after the war ended, 18,000 of a 24,000-strong workforce were laid off, including Grammar. The couple returned to their home in Franklin County, Illinois. Signed by Monument Records in Nashville, Tennessee, he scored with "Gotta Travel On", written by Paul Clayton. The song peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and peaked at number five on the country chart in 1959. That same year, he became a regular cast member on the Grand Ole Opry.^[2] Grammar named his band after his most notable hit as The Travel On Boys. "Gotta Travel On" was used as the opening song by Buddy Holly on his final tour in January and February 1959, which ended in tragedy.^[3]

Grammar recorded the first chart version of Mel Tillis' "Detroit City", entitled "I Wanna Go Home". It hit the Billboard country chart in early 1963.

Grammar founded RG&G (Reid, Grammar & Gower) Company in 1965 with Clyde Reid and J.W. Gower.^{[citation needed]} RG&G made the Grammar guitar from 1965 until 1968, when a fire consumed the factory in downtown Nashville. The company was then sold to Ampeg, and a new factory was erected down the street from the old one. The company was renamed Grammar Guitar, Inc. (GGI). GGI produced the Grammar guitar until 1970. His guitar was installed into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville on March 1, 1969.^[1]

On May 15, 1972, Grammar and the Travel On Boys played at the rally in Laurel, Maryland where Alabama governor George Wallace was shot. Grammar and his band played the "Under the Double Eagle" march as Wallace mounted the stage to speak. After he spoke, Wallace mingled with the crowd, and Arthur Bremer shot a concealed handgun at the presidential candidate. The outcome was Wallace's paralysis, leaving him using a wheelchair for the rest of his life.^[4] "I've said all along, if they wanted to do something like this, they do it under these circumstances," Grammar said, weeping, after the incident.^[4]

Grammar also delivered the invocation for the Grand Ole Opry House opening on March 16, 1974.^[5]

In 1990, Grammar was inducted into the Illinois Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Tex Williams, Lulu Belle and Scotty, and Patsy Montana. Grammar suffers from a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa.^[6] He became completely blind.^[6] On February 27, 2009, he was honored by the Grand Ole Opry for his 50 years as a member.^[6]

Grammar died on August 10, 2011, at 12:20 a.m. He was in Benton Hospital being treated for a long-term illness, which included suffering a heart attack in January. He was eighteen days short of his 86th birthday.

^{Videos that Billy Grammer has Posted on Youtube}

                                             Got issues ?

Well  you have been pouring over guitars for sale ads and trying to determine what it is you're really looking at when you're reading them .  This edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views we will try to clarify what some "issues" are and what can  be determined as not and "issue". We will be looking at this from the standpoint of a guitar being sold as " an original" because you can have  an original 1960  era guitar ,but it could have non original or replaced parts as well as a few repairs and still retain all it's vintage vibe.Sure it should be priced lower than a 100 per cent  all original model of the same make that has not ever had nor needs any repairs and these items should be disclosed or made available to you before your purchase.

First let's look at electric guitars, now I am not talking about new guitars or even custom shop or reissue guitars. What I am talking about throughout this article is guitars that are 20 or more years old. O.K. now that that has been addressed let's move right along.
In my opinion an "issue" is a major alteration  or a problem that has NOT been addressed ,NOT a normal playing repair that has been addressed with the appropriate and correct solution to the problem.

You read a listing that states ...1960  so and so electric guitar for sale ,All original  but...The "but " part is what you have to look at. Starting at the headstock,if the neck has been broken ,that is an issue and not a "normal" playing repair although it is not unusual for a headstock or neck to get broken it is in the eyes of the guitar world an issue. New nut ? Not an issue,this is a solid repair or needed item ,especially if the guitar is not offered as 100 per cent all original has been played and the old or original nut was slotting to deep or causing tuning problems. Sometimes the original nut  slots can be filled in with bone dust and reslotted  which would be more desirable than a replacement nut for sure.But not an issue or deal breaker.

Frets ? I would rather have a guitar with appropriately replaced good frets than a guitar with worn out frets,so if the frets are worn out and make the guitar play poorly that would be an issue,but as for a refretted guitar I consider that a needed repair.Any routes on the guitar in my opinion is an issue.If a pot has been replaced,well electrical components wear out or go bad ,so I would consider this a needed repair and not an issue ,unless of course all the pots were changed out especially if they have several different pots or several differently dated pots,that may be an issue. What about pickup changes ? Well replaced pickups are an issue,rewound original pickups that utilize the original plates,magnets, and bobbins are less of an issue as long as they were rewound using the correct method and gauge wire as well as hopefully reusung the lead wires as well and can probably be considered a repair.
 Refinished , stripped or just plain old repainted guitar bodies (or necks) are an issue that should be disclosed as well.

How about acoustic guitars ? These are easier as far as I am concerned, again a neck or headstock break no matter how expertly repaired are issues in my opinion. Any repair that is needed and NOT addressed are issues,any repairs such as refret jobs,loose braces,lifting or reset bridge(s) or body cracks that have been correctly repaired are not issues in my book . How about replaced tuners ? Gray area here as many tuners that were replaced probably needed to be due to age or the inability to hold a guitar in tune well. It would not be an issue on acoustics or electric guitars as long as the parts were the same as the originals were,but then again most replaced tuners were different than the originals and since the 2 or 3 most widly used tuners were used on all makes of guitars at one point or another this should be addressed but not necessarily an issue,unless of course the headstock was damaged or the  tuning post holes improperly enlarged  in the course of the change. If a bridge has been replaced with the correct material,possibly a vintage bridge from another guitar of the same make and model ,shares the exact same footprint then I don't see an issue as long as it is disclosed,the same goes with replacing a cheaper plastic adjustable bridge with a more suitable rosewood bridge. Cracks as long as they have been addressed and properly repaired are not issues in my book. A reset neck you say ? Well I would rather have a guitar that has had an appropriate neck set myself as this is one repair that most all acoustic guitars will at some point in their life need and should be seen as more of keeping the entire guitar playable rather than a distraction from purchasing. Remember make sure any normal repair has been addressed in the appropriate manner and in the general scheme of things and  have been disclosed to you and  you should come out with a good purchase and a healthy guitar.Of course any items that are suspect or need to be repaired should be at the very least looked at by a professional repair person  for clarification and cost(s) before you make a purchase just to be on the safe side. Most guitar dealers list an item pretty honestly and disclose what they think have been repaired as well as what may or may not be original from the factory on said guitar, but it is up to you the consumer to ask for any clarification .Most guitar dealers do ask that you give them a call,this is not a sales ploy (on my behalf anyway ) to get you on the phone but rather an attempt to be able to give you an accurate hands on description of the guitar in question and to ease any concerns and answer all of your questions honestly and not have to rely on an email that may or may not contain all the information that an actual visual real time inspection may give.
So until next time ,may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer. Greg's Guitars.

Member of Gbase......The Guitar A Go Go.

This installment of Greg's Guitars. net  "The Vintage Guitar News and Views"  is a video series on The Grammer Guitars and several really interesting Fender and Gibson Factory videos. Enjoy.
Greg's Guitars ,vintage guitar sales and consignment services.

The Grammer Guitar Video

Fender factory 1959

Fenders in England

Billy Grammer Video

Gibson Guitars '59 burst

This month is a series of videos for The Vintage Guitar News and Views. Acoustic guitars, what to look for when choosing one that is right for you. I hope you enjoy them and tell a friend.

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

Video Part 3

Video final Part 4