The Vintage Guitar News and Views

The Vintage Guitar News and Views ,January 2012 edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:24:04 GMT

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.

Fender amp facts.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:31:35 GMT

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.

In memory of Billy Grammer

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:05:08 GMT

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}

June / July Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:33:00 GMT

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.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views, March / April edition,Greg's Guitars .net

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:51:00 GMT

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

The Vintage Guitar News and Views , October / November Edition

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:26:00 GMT

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

The Vintage Guitar News and Views August / September Edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:45:39 GMT

                             This Faux is for you
                                                         Fake guitars in the guitar market

                                                      The Vintage Guitar News and Views August / September Edition
                                                                                                   Greg's Guitars

This feature is concerning the fake or faux guitars that have been flooding the used and new guitar market . It is not meant to be all inclusive nor is it meant to say that the fake Les Paul guitars that are in the marketplace are necessarily bad guitars or inferior made products. This article is meant to inform prospective buyers that they do exist and some of the points to look for when trying to decide if a deal is to good to be true for the advertised price. I hope you find it insightful and informative and the article helps you in your purchasing decision.Greg Mayo, proprietor of Greg's Guitars.

First up is the guitar case(s) themselves. Most of the fake Gibson cases that I have seen are of the generic build with the exception many carry the Gibson or Gibson Custom Shop logo on the top side. The latches are not as rounded as the Gibson latches, many have fewer latches and almost all have what I call fake stitching on the outside, that is the stitches are actually a part of the case and not a separate piece of fiber. Also you will see a lack of protector "buttons" on the outside of the case in question. The lining of the case is usually of a light blue fur fabric and not the same quality as an original Gibson guitar case lining.

The next item that you will want to look at is the headstock. The top of the headstock on a fake Les Paul is not cut as deeply as an original Gibson Headstock.The headstock pitch angle is getting surprisingly accurate though. The Gibson logo on a real Les Paul guitar is much clearer and the letters are not as crude or as closed up as on a fake Les Paul. The nut on a real Les Paul is much smaller and secures to the neck slot much better in fit and form.Also the back of the neck where the headstock joins is usually more tapered and shows superior craftsmanship on a real Les Paul guitar.

The fake Les Paul seems to have one of more scarf joints on the back of the necks.The depth of the heel is larger also.

There is also on the back of the headstock no evidence of the "wings" commonly found on real Les Paul guitars. Wings are the extra side mountings attached to either side of the back of the headstock blank during construction.

Knob placement is haphazard at best and are spaced incorrectly.

Spacing and placement for the tailpiece and bridge also show discrepancies.

The neck body joint at the top of the guitar on a real Les Paul shows no neck material showing on top of the guitar itself ,whereas on the fake guitar some neck material is protruding out of the top of the body itself.

The body thickness and shape are very similar but the actual length of the guitar are different as well as a splicing of body woods showing.

You will also on a new Les Paul see fret "nibs" extending to the ends of the fret and the neck side dot markers are larger and more defined on an actual Gibson guitar than on a fake guitar.

There are also many other things that should set of alarms when looking at a fake Les Paul, such as really crude cavities routed into the body for the electronics to go into, the truss rod route and truss rod placement as well as the electronics themselves.

Also note on the picture above the selector switch ring has larger printing for the treble and rhythm positions.Also the wiring and pickups are of a inferior quality than you would normally find in a real Gibson Les Paul.

I hope you have found these pictures and descriptions insightful as well as helpful. All in all the fake guitar shown is a very good guitar if it is sold for what it is, a fake and not sold by some unscrupulous individual trying to pass it off as a real Gibson guitar. It feels rather nice and plays good enough , of course electronics upgrades are a must. So if you find yourself looking at one of the many fake models of guitars available on the market please do not confront the seller as that may end up rather unpleasant . Instead just walk away. As always this is just my news and views. So until next time may all your days be memorable , all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg.
Don't forget to check out these sites as well.

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The Vintage Guitar News and Views June / July Issue

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:37:00 GMT

The June / July 2010 issue of The Vintage Guitar New and Views.

Fender amplifiers.

Most of if not all amps produced either in the past or present owe a majority of their linage to the amps first created by Leo Fender. Many people already know this but there are always new members joining the ranks of guitarists and collectors who may not. I will provide a basic time line for some of the changes that Fender amps underwent through the years. There has been a large volume of material that covers this subject and while by no means is this article meant to be all inclusive I hope to provide the basic information, the meat and potatoes if you will,so that you may at the very least be familiar with the subject.

In 1946 Leo fender starts the Fender manufacturing company and in 1947 was renamed The Fender Electric Instrument Company.By no means was this the first attempts by Leo in electronics but this is where we will begin.Leo's first amps of this era were made of wood without any outer cabinet covering and earned the name "woodies" in collectors circles. Made from leftover wood including the handles, most of these amplifiers have 2 to 3 inputs and 2 volume knobs with 1 tone knob.
The next improvements were made during 1947 when an outer covering of white material that was used to dress up the cabinets. This progressed to a yellowish covering that we now refer to as "tweed".Several variations of "tweed" were utilized at Fender. The earliest was a lighter color and is seen on the "TV panel" amplifiers and two tone covered amplifiers built by Fender and continued in production until the mid 1960's.Most of the control panels were located on the rear of these amps and subsequently moved up to the top of Fender amps.

During 1953 Fender placed upper and lower front panels on their amps with a wide tolex covered strip above and below the speaker grill cloth, these amps are commonly referred to as "wide panel " amplifiers.It was during this time period that yet another update to the outer covering of Fender amplifiers were made.Leo was never one to be completely satisfied with his products and always strived if not to reinvent them , at least redress them to keep his products fresh in the consumers eyes.During the mid 1950's he once again changed the front panels of his amplifiers . Replacing the wide upper and lower panels with a narrow panel strip thus enlarging the grill cloth areas to possibly make his amplifiers appear to be more powerful and larger .It was also during this time that Leo released a very rare version of his amplifiers referred to as the "White " amps. A rare steel guitar , amplifier line that also included the name badge "White" as opposed to the normal Fender badge.This was a line meant to pay homage to a friend of Leo Fender's.

During 1959 tweed covering on Fender amplifiers started a transition into a covering more durable and is commonly referred to as tolex.From the early days is was a light brown (almost pink) covering and transitioned into a darker brown color with a darker grill
cloth. These amplifiers are now referred to as "Blonde" and "Brownie" amps.The amps also started appearing with round control knobs and a rubber "dogbone" handle. Never satisfied Fender also started producing separate "piggyback" models where the chassis and controls were placed in a separate unit to sit on top of stand alone cabinet speaker enclosures.Controls for most amplifiers began migrating to the front panels of amplifiers from the top of the amplifiers.

During the early 1960's the plate of the control panels for most amps begin to be made with black backgrounds,black knobs and white numbers and lettering as well as changing the outer covering once again to a black tolex material.A more silver colored grill cloth is used during this time frame as well as "dogbone" handles being replaced with a flat rubber handle with silver end caps.These amps are commonly referred to as the "Blackface " Fender models.
Along this time ( 1964 ) Leo Fender sells his company to "CBS" . It is argued that the changes that occurred after this time were not as well received , but that is another story. In approximately 1966 solid state amplifiers begin to appear in the Fender lineup. Changes made to the outer cosmetics also being to appear, the most common is the change from black control faceplates to a silver faceplate control panel with blue lettering and numbers, hence the term "silverface" comes into being. Also skirted knobs and a blue and silver grill cloth is utilized to aging separate the new line of amplifiers from the older lineups.

Fast forward to the 1980's and Fender almost ceases to exist. In 1985 Fender is bought back by a group of investors led by William Schultz and employees at Fender. The move is made to Corona ,California ,red knobs appear on amp control panels,blackface amps make a comeback, solid state amplifiers resurface , albeit for the better.During the 1990's push buttons,gain channels,on board effects,push pull knobs and master volume controls in one configuration or another appear on Fender amplifiers. In the later part of the 1990's Fender revisits their own roots ,question themselves and reissues the amplifier models that made them the leader to begin with. Both as a means to reestablish their leadership role and regain control of the amplifier market that Leo and family had built to begin with.Fender comes full circle back to their roots and the beginning of a new era.

Now I know I did not include schematic changes,tube changes and other applications in this article,nor did I even begin to scratch the surface in amplifier models that were produced by Fender, this is just a basic time frame reference to initiate the beginner or reeducate the seasoned collector and other articles will follow on specifics in the future.Fender amps have evolved ,some for better some for worse, but I am truly amazed at the products that Leo has given us ,their history and heritage as well as the multitude of spin off products that they have inspired and will continue to inspire in amp builders both yesterday and tomorrow.

As always this is just my news and views .So until next time, may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's guitars.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views April / May Edition

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Time is money

The April / May Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

Time is money and money is time applies to just about every aspect of our lives today.I know some people who do their own yard work and I know others that have it done as their time is better spent pursuing other matters. Buying and selling vintage and collectible guitars is in many ways no different than the other things we do in life. I cannot speak for other guitar dealers but I spend a lot of my time in all things stringed. Not being in the position to purchase every guitar dealt my way I have to do my research accordingly. Some dealers can and do buy everything they can and there is nothing wrong with that; they even the market spread and save other items for future sales based on their own time spent doing research. Some guitar dealers buy only certain brands of guitars and concentrate on that market ,others buy guitars made in a selective few years based on their expertise and research. Within these certain niche markets I am probably correct in the assumption that each guitar dealer has spent considerable time investing into research and at reaching their business model conclusion.Personally I can not afford to gamble buying every guitar that is offered to me for sale,so I do market research and try to read into what I perceive the future and present state of the guitar market is and what it may be (speculation).

Retrospectively speaking anyone can say "you should have bought this or that" or "you should have sold those items when the market was better",whether it be in stocks,real estate or vintage guitars. When the facts are already a known given price wise it does not take a genius to make an educated guess.

As guitar dealers most of us spend a lot of our time reading reviews, talking to players and collectors, feeling out forum rooms for talk about certain guitars, and pour over magazines, news articles and our peers publications. We read every book with pertinent facts,pricing guides and index's on our wares. I spend a lot of time looking into buying trends, visiting big box outlet and seeing what age groups are buying and interested in which products. Yes, time is money.

Even when all this is considered, things in our ever changing industry can still be murky at best. After all we are selling a luxury tangible item and know one really knows what the future may hold. Even still I spend my free time (what is left of it anyway) looking into archival reports, articles and literature on certain years,makes,models,colors within certain manufacturers that have peaked my interest. I look to see what changes occurred in what years, were they received as good changes or bad changes and how that effects the vintage guitar market.Sometimes the payoff can be huge and sometimes it is small, it is all relative to what measure you hold for success. In my case I feel successful by what I have achieved by myself and that is good enough for me.
I any not be able to offer very many "401K" guitars for sale ,mainly because I do not have that kind of money to spend or risk, but what I do have and will always enjoy i the amount of information I gather that make reflect on what I do buy and offer for sale to you the client.These days it is not enough to just offer an item for sale that will differentiate you from the other guys with a slick website,but it is the amount of time and work that I actually put into this passion of guitars. I am sure this can be felt and seen when dealing or talking with me as well as visiting my website and making that "wish list" of your very own. After all you too do your own investments in time when looking at the various guitars you will or would like to purchase someday now don't you ?

So remember than when you call to ask about a certain guitar and sigh at the price that may be asked for it, that a lot more than just plunking down some cash for any old guitar and throwing it up on the website may contribute to the price. On another note, if you are scouting for a price on your guitar remember that most dealers do charge a fee for this service as the spend time doing the research and after all "time is money" .
Remember that this is just my news and view and may differ from yours , but I hope you have enjoyed this installment of The Vintage Guitar News and Views and as always , may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, till June ( as we are now going to a bi-monthly publication format) Greg.

Greg's Guitars is pleased to announce that The leader in Southern music publications has picked up The Vintage Guitar News and Views to be part of their family, Thanks.

The March Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:07:00 GMT

The Vintage Guitar News and Views March 2010.

"Staying on Top"

Why are some guitar tops painted and some guitar tops plain? Why do some builders use polyurethane paints and some guitar builders use nitrocellulose paints? Is the reissue bug just a fad or craze ?Are older guitars really better? In the later issues of The Vintage Guitar News and Views I said to ask questions and boy have I been hammered ! It has been a phenomenal response from you the readers and I thank all of you for your questions.So as to some of the questions you the readers have asked ,let me try to give what I believe are reasonable answers.
Why are some guitar tops painted and some not ? I believe it has nothing to do with tone or sound (duh) it is about the aesthetics of color for the buying public as well as a way for builders to hide imperfections in the wood and to be able to splice several pieces of wood together to complete a top. I know ,your top should be 1 or 2 pieces of wood joined at the center seam but even as far back as the 50's companies have had to use all the wood they could for their products ,they never imagined that we would be all freaky about this sort of thing 50 years later.It just make plain good business sense to utilize all the woods available and to hide these seemingly imperfections with paint. Personally I covet the mismatched, wood grained, mineral stained, unflamed tops myself.
Now "pretty" wood such as flame, fiddleback,curly,bearclaw and the like are perceived to be more pleasant to look at and (now at least) they are not covered up with paint. At one time though some of the prettiest tops I have seen were "uncovered" during a restoration or conversion and rescued from under the painted tops that were hiding them.
But these types of tops can now command a higher price tag and are displayed behind a clear ot more transparent finish rather than hidden away never to be seen. All at the same time by creating a larger buying market and even so much as creating smaller "divisions" among the market base of clients .I will leave that subject alone for now and leave it to many a articulate or even imbibed discussion amongst yourselves.
Poly finish or Nitro? To me the best ,well one of the best smells there are is when you pop open a guitar case and the smell of nitro permeates the room. That unmistakable smell is what makes this question kinda hard, you see nitro never really cures fully and is in a constant state of evaporation from the moment it is applied to the day it returns to sawdust with that old guitar.
I like nitro on all my acoustics as I do believe it does, as time passes contribute to the opening up of the tonal qualities as many people subscribe to. On electric guitars I think the switch to a poly finish was as mentioned by others before me a decision to make the finish on the guitar harder and last longer without fade, a protectant and a cost cutting decision for the production plants as poly dries faster and more guitars can be made to sell.As far as sound qualities on the electric guitars? Well there have been a whole lot of sweet sounds and great players that played those poly coated beauties now haven't there? Some poly coats seemed to fare better than others and the reissues from overseas tend to age and pock just a little differently than their American counterparts. Why? I do not know, they just "relic" differently.
Which brings up the next topic,the relic craze. Nostalgia? The bygone days of youth when you first started playing ? From the mildly and elegantly understated aged guitars that are made by master builders and custom shops which are limited in run and will possibly retain and gain in value to the obviously overdone relics that look "cookie cutter made" all intended to stir these emotions in the consumers.
Truthfully, do some play better or sound better than others? You bet they do. Limited runs and custom reliced guitars are more hand crafted and have more attention to detail even when it comes to aging the parts and pieces that make of our lovely ladies. Where the mass produced guitars all look the same and are more budget priced, they seem to just use the standard parts and pieces, and if one plays better or sounds better ,lucky you.
Which brings us to the next subject. Are old guitars better? Hmmm ,gotta pick my words carefully here.Well some of the appointments look better, I mean I'll take cloth covered wiring and paper caps over plastic any day, but today's wiring is probably better made and the shielding is superior but then again isn't it the quirks that make guitars so lovable? Pickups are next, I mean a good pickup will make any guitar sound better and a bad pickup will make good guitar sound lousy and I am sticking to that statement.I prefer older alnico magnets to todays blends and ceramics ,nope ain't gonna do it. Appointments? well the old parts do seem to get real brittle and crumble to dust and often need replacing, personally I prefer steel tuning keys over others and multi-ply covers and guards over the older single plys ,but that is just my preference.
Which brings us to the bare bones of any guitar,the wood used. I do think older wood is better, and older guitars are made of superior wood in my opinion, not that the wood is actually better but more the process of air drying for years wood that gets cut and air dries for years more stored on racks and shelves then is made into various parts of a guitar and again sits until orders are placed or new models are designed and then the wood was hand caressed into works of art, that's what I mean by old wood. Todays guitars are being shaped as the axemen strip the branches from the trunks of the trees, green wood being forced kiln dried and mass produced to be shaped and shipped to the consumer. I cringe every time I see a "modern " guitar assembly plant in operation on tour videos, I understand the economics and the tighter tolerances touted, but it just ain't the same as far as I can tell. The marriage of certain parts and pieces seem to be another quandary to amuse all of us guitar nuts.Think about it , most of the guys we idolize play guitars that are made from several different guitar, which dispels the myth of certain era guitars being better than others now doesn't it? Take "Blackie" and Duane's Burst , parts guitars........We all know that certain points have counterpoints and in the guitar world the greatness lies in the diversity, we as guitar lovers want to spend our money on something we can hold,touch,feel,smell,play and admire for all our own reasons and that makes us all part of this huge family no matter what we think individually about certain brands,makes,parts or pieces,diversity is the key because if all guitars are eventually created equal then we would all own the same guitar and it would be like every other guitar on the planet, well except for the color..........Till next month may all your days be memorable ,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's Guitars.

Proper Grammer ? The February edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:24:00 GMT

Proper Grammer
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 hislegal representation, established a corporation. The new company wouldbe 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.

Now this is not meant to be an all inclusive complete history of these fine guitars but merely a reference and starting point for those who may be interested in them. So until next month May all your friends stay true ,all your days be memorable and all your riffs be killer , Greg.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views January Edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:26:00 GMT

As with my peers concerning the state of today's guitar and vintage guitar market I will add in my own opinion for what it is worth.(no pun intended ). What I see is a halt to the sudden and rapid rise in prices that mint vintage guitars will bring in, such as those we have seen in the last 3 to 4 years and a slow down or market correction,which we are seeing today, not that these guitars are worth any less but rather a more informed market and a hesitance on buyers reluctant to make larger purchase as thy have in the past. I do strongly believe that vintage electric guitars (pre 1964) and pre war vintage acoustics will always be a wise investment for diversity and collect ability .

The market for less than mint vintage guitars will not command the prices they did in the past (for now). Usually the price for for a less than mint vintage guitar was worth roughly 20 to 60 % of the going price for a mint version(depending on many factors) but as collectors today can hold out and purchase more guitar for less money in todays market ,they can and will seek the best version and price for a particular make and model that they have been desiring.This being the case as a player first and collector second now is an excellent time to purchase a less than stellar example of that desired guitar that you have been seeking. Which as a guitar enthusiast I welcome , due to the fact that more and more of these guitars will actually be in the public eye and be played and not tucked away in an unseen vault ,which in turn will fuel the market for more of these great old guitars

As the builders are flooding the market with every type of conceivable reissue they can think of I also think this will fuel the market and interest in the earlier (pre 2000) released reissue and relic guitars (think Murphy and Cunetto ) and the limited run custom shop guitars. I do not see a substantial rise in price or value of later releases or cookie cutter relic guitars and actually see the prices of these later versions probably going down as was once the norm for a used guitar.

I also think large auction styled sites will continue to confuse an be a detractant to most new and irregular buyers and sellers as the pricing on such sites tends to be spotty and not an actual informed area where true guitar sellers place most of their gear for sale but rather use these type of sites to increase awareness and traffic to their regular web site. Just because it is old does not mean it is valuable and just because it is valuable does not mean it has to be old and like my peers we tend to do a lot of research and spend a lot of time when doing listings ,so purchases will continue to be made more (I think )from well knowledged and customer attentive dealers as opposed to the auction styled sites.

I have also always believed the acoustic market was way under valued and it has started to respond as I anticipated with prices starting to edge up on certain guitars , an area which I believe will continue to rise. We as guitar players and collectors are a diverse and finicky group to say the least and as older players acquire the guitars they want , the newer player collectors with different guitar hero's ,memories and styles will start to effect the market, so don't be surprised to see guitars enter the arena that 10 years ago you would not have dreamed would. This always is just my news and views to inform and entertain. May all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, till next month, Greg at Greg's guitars."Bottom side up."The Vintage Guitar News and View January Edition.

The December Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:52:00 GMT

Going for the gold, The 1952 Gibson Goldtop Les Paul.

The December edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

This issue of The Vintage Guitar News and Views we will look at what has made the Les Paul guitar such an iconic guitar and also some of the changes that it has undergone throughout the last 57 years.
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 untill next month may all your friends stay true all your days be memorable and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's Guitars.Classifieds Advertising

The Vintage Guitar News and Views October Edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:05:00 GMT

Treating yourself.

The October edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

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 September edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:27:00 GMT

Need a date ? well then ask Martin.

Most guitar companies have for the most part kept records of production ,unfortunately incomplete would be the best description of these records with the exception of one small but albeit giant company,Martin guitars. Martin guitar company can trace most every guitar it has made since 1898 and well, that is pretty good record keeping by anyone's standards. How important is this ? well knowing that there are accurate records of production numbers for a given model of guitar as well as since the 1930's the serial numbers are also recorded helps to establish serious provenance of any given instrument and it also helps you in identifying almost any Martin guitar ever made and how many were manufactured as well as the years of manufacturing for that model. Pretty impressive I think, as all this can come into play when you decide to sell your Martin guitar or when you are looking to purchase a very rare or limited production model Martin.

Martin has tried to keep this system relatively simple in nature with regards to model numbers and suffix designations as example the A suffix denotes ash and the C suffix denotes a cutaway body style, MB denotes maple binding and so forth. At last count I believe that Martin has or has used 43 separate suffix designations and at least 29 different model style designations, daunting but at least consistant which is more that can be said for other guitar manufacturers.

Luckily Martin guitars have a two part model designation separated by a hyphen, the first being the size of the guitar the second being the body style of the Martin guitar, where a 00-18 would be a 00 body size and the 18 being the style of the guitar followed by the suffix designation within each separate body size,i.e. 00-18C would indicate a sized 00,style 18 and C for classical guitar.Martin guitar record keeping also includes the chronology of their production for their guitar (the year(s) a certain guitar was or was not offered) .

In general terms Martin guitars can be laced into at least 1 of 3 period production areas. Period number 1 were the Martin guitars made between 1833 and 1898, these guitars usually have light tops and are not sized larger than the OOO size guitars, they usually have no serial number no fingerboard inlays and no truss rod. The second period of Martin production were from 1898 to 1931.These guitars usually have a serial number on the guitar itself and many do not have a pick guard, they also have the C.F.Martin designation on the headstock and the "D" sized guitar were not yet into production. Last but not least the third era of Martin guitars were produced from 1932 to the present day. All of these guitars were seldom made without a pick guard, they all have serial numbers and and most importantly is the fact that they all (with few exceptions) are numbered consecutively, usually stamped inside the body or neck block for flattops and the center seam for their arch top guitars.

So in conclusion it is nice to know that my 1985 D-21-LEV is made of Indian rosewood with herringbone sound hole ring complete with tortoise binding and tortoise pick guard, it has a sweet vee neck and is one of only 75 produced for that year and I know all this because of the fact that Martin guitars excellence in record keeping.So my hat is off to Martin guitars for making things a little easier when it comes to the daunting task of guitar identification. So until next most may all your days be memorable ,all your friend stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg at Greg's guitars.

The August edition of The Vintage Guitar New and Views, "Got Tone" ?

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:48:00 GMT

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.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views July Edition

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Dependence or Independence.

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 University of Cincinnati. Majoring in engineering and studying in a co op program where he studied and worked at the same time. This education process and its rigid structure of the school Ifeel set the tone for his success later in his life. By also learning bookkeeping like Leo, Ted also learned the strategies to make a company work from the inside out. More outgoing Mr. McCarty belonged to the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, Mr. Fender although excelling was a little more reclusive.

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.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views, June Edition

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:29:00 GMT

Amps and the general scheme of things.

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.

The May Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:31:00 GMT

Arguably the point has been made that the best acoustic guitars were constructed in a short 9 to 12 year span and that span in time was before most off us were born. Now I am not going to argue that particular point in this issue of The Vintage Guitar News and Views, but rather inject some food for thought. I as much as any player or guitar collector love those old guitars made in the late 1930's through the late 1940's and like any guitar made today ,some were good some were bad and some where tonally ugly. True, acoustic guitars made in this era will probably always be highly sought after by players and collectors alike to those that can afford them but I tend to disagree ( surprised ? ) that these are the best of the best in acoustic guitar production. I personally have heard and own many acoustic guitars that sound amazing and are extremely well built. Some of these guitars were constructed by now defunct and out of business companies due to financial or natural disasters. The R.G. and G. company out of Nashville Tennessee is one such guitar company that made some fine guitars ,they were highly regarded and played by anyone who was someone in Nashville in the 1960's and early 1970's while these guitars were still in production. Unfortunately the company founded by Billy Grammer ( The Grammer Guitar) was consumed by fire and never rose from the ashes to build another guitar .Takamine guitars started flexing there muscle in the 1980's and many big named stars to this day play those and more recently produced Takamine guitars. As newer innovations and technology crept into the guitar manufacturing process a more conforming and standard product started arriving for the consumer, now granted none of these guitars may never achieve the cult like status and glory that the older acoustic guitars have acquired, but you never know. I also believe that the Vintage acoustic guitar market is ready for an upswing in pricing. They have played second fiddle to the electric slab of wood long enough in my opinion and I predict that the electric guitar market will soften and stabilize while we acoustic guitar collectors will see a rise in value. All this almost brings me to my point, that most acoustic guitars that have been built since the 1930 era are all bench marked against the big two guitar makers of the time, i.e. It sounds like a "Gibson" or is made like a "Martin" and so on. Much as most amps built are compared to either Fender or Marshall as if these companies are the only companies to ever build a good product.If this were the truth then why are their so many different choices even within the major companies themselves? The answer to me is simple, with such a wide tonal palette to enjoy and such a varied playing spectrum in which we can participate then choice is paramount to the player to the artist and to the collector. Granted some guitars will be worth more than others because of the perceived magical era in which they were produced, but what is judges as good or not good collectible or not narrowed down to just a handful of guitars made in a certain time frame is rather shallow and narrow minded, but this as always is just my news and view. So until next month , may all your days be re memorable may all your friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer, Greg.

The Vintage Guitar News and Views April Edition,"Music the Universal Language"

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:08:00 GMT

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.