The Vintage Guitar News and Views

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 his legal representation, established a corporation. The new company would be called RG&G Musical Instruments, Inc. (Reid, Grammer, and Gower).Billy told me "that his name by chance looked the best on the headstock hence the name The Grammer Guitar was chosen".

Eventually some problems did occur and with the help of Fred Moore (see this link) some financial help did arrive in time to keep the plant afloat. With the help of Ampeg to infuse capital and produce and distribute his guitars, Billy's factory stayed alive. Many people are under the impression that Ampeg owned Billy's guitar factory , but according to Billy that was not the case. There were changes to the guitar ,but the same experienced luthers still produced the guitars. Some of the changes are what I call the transitional Grammer guitars in which the "railroad track" inlays on the finger board were still there but the Ampeg logo was on the headstock are the earliest examples, other notable changes was the blue label being replaced with a black and white inner label bearing the Ampeg logo on the right side of the label as well as the lettering changing on the headstock from capital T,G and G to lowercase letters .

Some model number discrepancies as well as serial numbering also came into being ,and as Billy stated "I didn't even know what serial numbers were being used at this time" can only lead to confusion among followers and collectors alike. In the spring of 1968 a fire decimated the factory and almost everything was lost. By 1972 the last of Grammer guitars were produced and with the influx of cheap guitar from overseas the Grammer factory close its doors forever with left over inventory and parts being auction off to the highest bidder(s).

Many people like myself have developed an almost cult like following of these fine American made vintage acoustic guitars. Many dealers are also becoming interested in these guitars and can be seen listing several for sale at any time. Ebay will have one or two for sale from time to time as well. The Grammer guitar has even finally been listed in the Vintage Guitar Guide, It must be noted that Billy himself once told me that after the auction several loads of unfinished guitars and guitar parts were sold , so buyer beware .Billy Grammer is still alive and I have the chance to chat with him from time to time and is still active in the music industry, He has just completed filming for several installments to be aired on the RFG channel sometime in March of 2010. Billy has even been so kind to allow me to use the Grammer guitar headstock outline as part of Greg's Guitars logo.

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.

The February Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:42:00 GMT

February's Vintage Guitar News and Views.

Heart to Heart with your guitars.

guitar links

How much is my guitar worth? Seems like a pretty cut and dry question doesn't it ? Well a lot of factors can contribute to the final answer. How much is it in relationship to the present market is one answer. How much do you expect to get for her is another. How much will a buyer ( dealer) pay is quite another answer. Is she straight and clean? Have any parts ever been changed? Is it refinished? If parts were changed do you still have the original parts? Were the changes done professionally? Hang tags? receipts? case candy? All these items come into play with that one simple question.
Can you and will you send pictures of all the appropriate parts and different views if needed? This may require you to take apart to some extent your guitar , are you comfortable doing this? Sure you can look at one of the auction sites to get a general feel for prices ,and if that is all you want then that would be my suggestion. If you do rely on one of these( shudder ) sites for this information then why even bother calling for quotes? Are you selling your guitar or amp or do you want to know if you paid a fair price for it when you made the purchase?
If you are selling the item then know that most purveyors of fine fretted instruments will not nor can not pay top dollar for your item. Certain overhead has to be met to remain in the arena here ,so please do not take offense if you are offered less than you saw on that auction site( which we tend to completely ignore).Now as far as the condition is concerned,pictured are nice but never tell the whole story, any changes,let me repeat myself, any changes whatsoever will impact the price of an instrument even if these changes made the guitar or bass or amp a better piece of equipment,especially in the collectors circles.
Speaking of circles, there are some basic price structure circles to know about.#1- collectors quality,only the best examples of the most desirable pieces fit into this category and prices are on the steeper side. #2- collector / players grade, The item still retains most of the original parts.#3- players grade ,most parts still there but may have wear or finish issues.#4-players,Some parts changed ,and finish redone or lots of wear.#5- beaters , almost none of the guitar or amp is as it left the factory when new .and within these groups are even further sub groups all with pricing criteria and fluctuations.
So if you call someone for that elusive but attainable answer to you question, know that you should know most of the answers to the questions that you will be asked also. Have detailed pictures ready to send via email and be honest, Let the guy on the other end of the phone know why you are interested in knowing the price, let us know if your selling,shopping, or need an evaluation rather than a quick answer. If you do want an in depth evaluation you may be asked to pay for one, Yes time is money and nothing worthwhile is ever free, so be prepared to pony up, so to speak.I Recommend that you purchase a price guide on line or at a book store , these are helpful but not the rule in establishing a fundamental price , but again if your guitar is worth 1000.00 dollars , no one will pay that ,because they in turn have to sell it to make a profit ,so they can not pay what they have to sell for.Like everything , their are fluctuations,standards and exceptions to every rule. Like always this is just my news and view. I hope it has been somewhat helpful.So until next month, may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Greg at Greg's guitar.

January Edition of The Vintage Guitar News and Views.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:13:00 GMT

vintage guitars
Music Memorabilia

                     The January Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views

                                           " Terms of Endearment"

From time to time in explaining the condition ,shape or originality of a vintage guitar

or piece of vintage gear,I get the response " what does that mean?" Nothing wrong with that question , not everyone is savvy to all the terms used in the vintage guitar arena,so here are a few terms of endearment that you should get to know.
-Clean:Where as the finish is in great shape from any major nicks or mars ,rips or tears.
-Straight:All the solder joints,tuners,keys,knobs,switches,frets,finish,color,and pickups as well as the pick guard are all original and intact,usually with the original case or cover if it is an amp.
-O.H.S.C.: Original Hard Shell Case as came from the factory.
-Period correct: The guitar or amp is original to a certain year or model and some parts may have been replaced with correct parts from another guitar or amp.
-Period correct case:May not be the original case as from the factory but is a correct case for the vintage piece.
-Refret or refretted: the original frets have been replaced with either period correct frets or frets that the previous owner may have wanted as far as size is concerned,if they were same sized frets as the original they would be ? period correct, see how it all comes full circle?
-Refin or refinished:This refers to the original finish having been at some point either repainted or recovered due to fade or a particular owners preference,i.e. a sunburst stripped off a guitar and a Fiesta red finish reapplied .
-Players grade or players guitar: Usually a vintage guitar ,but not necessarily, that has had some changes that may or may not be period correct it still retains some respectability of originality to it but not everything is original.The body and neck may be all that's left of the original guitar or bass and everything else has through the years been replaced for one reason or another, not a bad thing ,old wood is where the tone is, but not as desirable as an all original straight piece of vintage gear.
-Route or routes: not something everyone wants to hear, but during the life of a vintage guitar somewhere someone has replaced a single coil pickup with a humbucker and had to enlarge the cavity that is in the body to accommodate the larger pickup(s),This does effect the price of a vintage guitar ,but you have to be the judge on how bad you want it, and if the route is a professional or hack job and if the route has or has not been professionally refilled and rerouted back to original specs.
-Second or Factory second:For a while some guitar manufactures let people buy guitars that were deemed as inferior at some phase of the construction process, most blemishes or rejections are impossible to find some are obvious, the Factory would stamp a 2 somewhere ,usually under the serial number or on the back of the headstock to indicate this, according to some experts this does not really effect the price when dealing with highly desirable vintage gear as long as it is straight ,clean and original.
Tweed: The name given by collectors to the striped yellow and brown covering on amps and cases usually from the 40's and 50's.
-Tolex The rouged brown,white,black covering on most amps and cases since the early 60's ,other colors do exist.
-Pups: The pickups in a guitar or bass guitar.
-Pots: The word usually said in place of the potometers, the controls for volume,tone,gain,bass,treble,etc.etc.
-Caps: Again a word used in place of capacitor ,these are the small electronic devices usually wired into a circuit to either combine some aspects of the build ,since you can not really wire each and every piece internally together ,some caps also bleed of unwanted noises, or treble or bass frequency's as determined by the builder, it is not uncommon to see the caps replaced in a amp.as these do deteriorate over time.
-Buckle rash: Usually the backside of the guitars body is covered in small or large areas of finish deterioration ,mars,scratches and finish removal due to usage.
-Ding: a small impression (sometimes not so small) that is pressed into the wood and finish but that does not go through to or expose any of the body wood or break the finish.
-Dink: An impression or mar that shows wood through the finish.
-Swirls: Usually light circular scratches that occur on the finish due to polishing the guitar over the period of it's life.
-Checking:Where the clear coat finish has actual lines throughout the surface of the guitar or bass,not a bad thing, not something that goes into the wood itself ,it is an aging and temperature change condition that almost all guitars will have on them at some point in their life.
-Neckset: Almost all acoustic guitars will at some point in their lifespan need to have the neck removed and a portion of wood shaved off to correct for time and pressure taking its toll on the wood itself and properly realign the neck angle with the body for continued playability.If done properly it is usually of no concern if not,it is usually a noticeable ugly mess and may not be able to be corrected.
-Recone: When an original speaker coil drops or wears out the speaker is usually reconed, this does hamper the original tone as to how the amp will sound , usually they never sound as good as the original, but things happen and with amps it really is no big deal,it just depends on how original an amp you desire.
Now these are just a few of the terms most widely used or that you may hear when a item is being described to you or on a website,So now that you understand some of them you will be better able to make a determination of the price that is being asked,always ask for clear precise pictures or clarification of anything that may cause concern and remember that some changes or replacement parts are not a bad thing , some things just wear out. As always this is just my news and views, So until next month ,may all your days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's guitars. days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer,Greg at Greg's guitars.

Vintage Guitar News and Views the December Edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:54:00 GMT

vintage guitars Vintage acoustic guitars bass guitars links

Keeping your guitars clean,yule be glad you did.

For this months edition of Vintage guitar news and views we turn our attention to the maintenance and upkeep of our guitars ,both our playing guitars and our investments , which in my opinion they all are . Winter time is upon us ,dreary days and cloudy skies ,all but most of our outdoor jam sessions have ceased to exist, the perfect time for tuning up our guitars as well as general upkeep and cleaning, the following is standard but sometime items we either forget or put off to do, so get a space cleared out and enjoy a day with all your guitars, yule be glad ya did.The first thing I do is oil all my latches on my guitar cases and inspect the handles for signs of weakness or need of repair, I take my guitar out and place her on a nice padded work station while I clean the outside of each case with a 20 per cent mix of warm water and mean green cleaner , I use a stiff brush and dip it into my cleaner and give the outside of my cases a good cleaning , followed by a good wipe dry with a clean towel. Now while I sit my case open to dry either in my heated guitar room or place them in the sun if it shining to air dry while I move on to my guitars.
I loosen and remove the strings from my personnel players guitars and usually have no string on my guitars I offer to clients until I ship them. I inspect the frets and dress them as needed, as well as polish my frets. I clean and lubricate the Brazilian rosewood as well as other rosewood fretboards using a damp lint free cloth and buff the dry with another lntfree cloth.I will then follow with a small amount of unboiled linseed oil to lubricate my fretboard or if you prefer some other oil , then feel free to use that, I just like the linseed oil myself. I allow a little time for this to dry before I buff the fretboard dry being sure not to leave any oil or residue on my fret boards. This step does not need to be taken with maple fret boards as that are usually sealed .
Next I remove the truss rod cover if applicable and drop a little 3 in 1 oil on the threads of the rod and wipe up any excess, I then check the neck for any adjustments I may want to make and restring my guitars to tune.
As for the electronics I will add a lubricant pot cleaner to the inside of each pot very sparingly as well as the selector switch insuring to turn them back and forth to spread the cleaner around and again wipe up any excess that may be there. I then button them back up and go onto general body cleaning and polishing.
For this step I use a silicon free cleaner formulated for guitars ,available at places like Stew-mac and other websites that specialize in guitar parts and luther supplies. gently wiping the cleaners off I then follow up with swirl and scratch remover , followed by a good silicon free guitar wax , I buff to a good gloss the entire guitar as well as the back of the necks , followed by a product such as fast fret on the strings .
I then go back to the case and either use a shop vac or a carpet cleaner and follow with a shop vac to clean the interiors of my cases. Insuring that the case interior is completely dry I detune and place my electric guitar back inside, I should note that I do each step on each electric guitar or bass guitar before moving to the next step ,that way I do not have to be going back and forth through each step ,but rather have a assembly line system in which each guitar or bass gets the same treatment before moving on.
This is pretty much the same steps I do for my acoustic guitars as well, with the addition to checking the tops ,bottoms and sides for any evidence of lack of humidity , I will place a homemade humidity device in each acoustic at the beginning of the heating season and recheck every 2 or so months until the weather permits I no longer have to use the heater ,Heaters rob moisture out of our acoustic guitars and can cause significant damage if left unchecked for to long a period. My humidifier is basically a household sponge that I have soaked and wrung out all the excess water that it absorbed, place it in a small baggie that I have perforated and place that inside a larger baggie that is perforated also, drape it between the strings and let it suspend inside the sound hole of my acoustic guitar. It works great and costs a lot less than store bought humidifiers.
Now as for amps, I variac them up every now and then to keep them loose and in working order, I keep them covered and condition the outside tolex with your basic armor all, I might add that I do not hurry in any of these steps, I look forward to spending the quality time with my girls and they to benefit from the time well spent. I hope the holidays are enjoyed by all and as us all this is just my news and views ,so until next month may all your days be memorable, may all your friends stay true and may all your riffs be killer , Greg.

November Edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:58:00 GMT

Vintage Acoustic guitars Bass guitars vintage amps Vintage electric guitars Vintage Steel guitars guitar links Giving thanks for groovy guitars

This article explores Vintage Ibanez guitars,Well one in particular anyway and what she boasts as far as appointments and playability ,plus a little interesting vintage guitar history. Ibanez got her humble starts by a company going by the name of " Hoshino" ,in the early 40's producing a spanish styled acoustic guitar that was named Ibanez. By the 1970's Ibanez ( which Hoshino had purchased the rights to)was known (good or bad) as the lawsuit guitars, for their blatant copies of more renowned guitars being produced ,Although most were cheaper imitations and copies ,the fact does remain that many Ibanez "lawsuit" era guitars were of comparable if not superior quality to the guitars the were produced to mimic. I will let you be the judge of that point. Now what we have here is a wonderful example of what Ibanez was creating in the early to mid 1960's. I have found an older picture of this very guitar on a German Ibanez website , and also a picture of the one and only Jimi Hendrix playing a very similar model ( upside down of course) in a sunburst color scheme as opposed to the white beauty we see pictured here.Knowing that every guitarist must start somewhere on the guitar food chain , and by no way implying that this guitar was ever owned or played by Jimi, the body shape and era that it was built is reasonable enough to inject that this was the type or at least close enough to the type that Sir Jimi cranked many a tune to the amazement of both audience and fellow band members alike. After playing her for quite a while now and coming to the conclusion that even though she is never going to be worth what the same era ,Fender or Martin, or Gibson guitar is worth ,I have decided that she is unique enough,plays good enough and has many nicely though out features that she is a keeper, and I can fully understand why Jimi played one similar to this mode. She just has such wonderful dynamic harmonic explosions tucked away in her, the neck is to die for and well since she is a little on the small body size , she is light enough to play for days. Her is the run down on some of her features..1 piece ash body with the pickups mounted directly on top of the body ( directly coupling for superior resonance) , the pickups themselves are unique in the fact that under the metal covers are 5,yes 5 huge round alnico I magnets that are so large as to only 1/3 of each magnet couples between each individual adjustable pole screw,that alone accounts for ( in my book anyway) for her tremendous tonal qualities. She is routed for the pots and wiring only beneath her 1 piece plastic pick guard located below the pickups. Another interesting and in my opinion superior design is the way her controls are laid out, no 3 or 5 way selector switch to bump and fiddle with while playing ,no sir ,this girl boasts one master volume control for both the front (neck) and rear (bridge ) pickup, this enables the player to dial in an indefinite array of tonal possibilities. As for a tone /treble control she has just the one master control for this ,which I like as it certainly adds to ease in playability and control of my sound.I do not see as to why the electric guitar manufacturers today don't do this as a standard feature.,The neck as I have stated is to die for, 1 solid piece of Mahogany ,perfectly sculpted for a fir like a glove to your fretting hand, and smooth as oriental silk, non bound (thank goodness) with a zero fret ( lord does she stay in tune) and a beautiful 3/8 of an inch thick slab of Brazilian Rosewood for a fretboard with a 10 radius, I love it and am seriously considering making an exact copy to place on a Tele.The only weakness and the only thing I have ever considered changing ( i wrestle with ) is the bridge setup. Now I am no fan of the cheap thumbscrew rosewood adjustable bridge on ANY guitar . let alone an electric, but, this one does stay where it is supposed to and does have compensation for proper intonation, but I would like to try a bigsy or Gibson style bridge and tailpiece but shudder at changing her from her original state, ah decisions decisions...She is one of the most in tune guitars I have and many friends alike agree all the way up and down the fretboard ,which makes my even happier that I acquired her.The headstock has an arrowhead shape with a single all encompassing string tree bar, metal Ibanez logo and ,(ugh) open back tuners, another point I have considered replacing, but hey like they say,"if it ain't broke ,don't fix it" Dynamically harmonic,sweetly sustaining,and extremely light in weight,yes this old girl ia as unique as it gets in the world of guitars. Who knows ,maybe the exact features that Jimi liked about his own 60 era Ibanez, before his change to an easier accessible American guitar? I hope you enjoy looking and remember to take the time to enjoy the obscure guitar for what they are and you as I may be delightfully surprised in what we find. As always this is just my News and Views. So may all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg's guitars.

The October Edition of Greg's Guitars Vintage Guitar News and Views.vintage guitars

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:18:00 GMT

The October edition of Vintage Guitar News and Views.

After settling on a budget, here are a few tricks to help you when treating yourself to your guitar. I really can not stress enough the importance of this first tip, play with your hands and ears, not your eyes. A pretty guitar that does not sound good or does not feel comfortable will not be played as much as a guitar that say may not look as great but has the tonal qualities and feel you really desire, so take the time necessary to choose your guitar,you will be glad you did . In purchasing a guitar there are specific questions one should ask the seller to insure that the guitar you are hoping to purchase is free from any defects and is in proper working condition if it is an electric guitar. Also you should be asking questions as an inspection process for the seller, who may not have working knowledge of guitars. This is both helpful to the seller of an item and to you as a purchaser. The first question as a buyer that you should ask in purchasing an acoustic guitar is the neck straight; this can be determined by the seller by placing the body of the guitar on the floor and holding the headstock and sighting down the neck. This will show any bows or twists in the neck. A bow if not to pronounced is acceptable as to you or a luither adjusting the truss rod to compensate for either a back bow or a front bow. An additional picture could be requested to determine how severe the bow is. The second question should be ,is there any damage to the guitar. Then if no damage is inspected ask if ANY repairs have ever been made to the guitar, repairs can be a neck set, a refret,a new bridge, new nut or a new saddle, some of these repairs are not harmful to the guitar, but some can detract from the value especially if it is a vintage guitar, In which you want almost no work at all in the way of either repairs or work done to the instrument. A visual inspection for repairs can be accomplished on an acoustic guitar by the seller by loosening the strings and taking a small extendable mirror and a small flashlight and looking inside the cavity of the guitar for ANY extra bracing, any extra small cleats of wood along seams, broken braces, extra wood around the underside of the soundhole,and any cracks that may not show through the top of the finish on the outer side of the guitar. Always ask for extra pictures on any thing you want to see or on any questionable repair work. A good seller will; be happy to do this , if your questions are not answered or if you cant get the answers you want then the guitar in question might not be the one you want. I hope you find these guitar buying tips helpful while on your quest for tone. See all my articles at

www.gregsguitars.net May all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Greg

Vintage guitar news and views, the September edition.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:15:00 GMT

The September issue of “Vintage Guitar News and Views” http://www.gregsguitars.net

Going back forwards

Well, with the cost of everything going up, just how far up is the high going to be ? No one knows this answer, but I feel that everything is just hideously expensive. I mean 18 K for a car? 250 K for a home? Shoes, shirts, 30 to 50 bucks a pop, This is ludicrous, and vintage guitars ?sheeze, gimme a break, I mean the average you and I can’t afford sweet old vintage gear ,that’s just a fact, So ,is all this out of kilter ? All askew? There will always be people willing to pay more and more for collectables and that forces the average guy or girl out of the price game, other than a lucky break here and there stumbling on a sweet guitar at a reasonable price. I mean I do understand that 1962 (picked at random) is gone and will never come again and even though a guitar can be made today exactly like that sweet old girl, the same weight, color, feel, tone, It could be vastly inferior or vastly superior to the original or the original itself could be crap, but, there lies the crux. “The original 1962.” Original 1962 guitars are only made in 1962, never before, never again!

So if everyone wants a 1962 era guitar and only so many were originally made, we then enter the world of supply and demand, which in turn factors the pricing index’s, which fuels the ever increasing in prices for a limited supply of goods with over market saturation of demand regardless of whether ¾ of the consumers wanting the item can even afford it. The desire is there and that in turn adds more fuel to the fire. So Greg, what’s you’re point? I don’t really know, except that price fluctuations will always occur within a market and that prices will always rise on the long run as long as there is a limited supply of goods , especially one that is sought after , often duplicated, can even be replicated , but never fully actually authenticated as a time period correct piece. Even if every detail is correct, but the actual manufacturing date is in the past, never to be revisited again, and I guess that is where the mystique of it all lies, today is gone, never to return and somehow tomorrow just isn’t the same. Well that is until the day after tomorrow. So today’s bargains may just very well be tomorrows collectables that we can afford to buy. Just some food for thought and something for you to digest. As always this is just my news and views, so may all your days be memorable, all your friends be true and all your riffs be killer, Till next month, Greg at .

The August edition of Greg's guitars vintage guitar news and views.

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:17:00 GMT

The August ,2008 edition of Greg’s guitars, “Vintage guitar news and views”

Thinking out of the box

     With the fall of yet another American iconic company being bought up by a worldwide multinational giant, is anything ever going to be the same? How can I relate this to the past, present and future of the guitar industry? Well let me see. Company “A” starts production, builds some great guitars, innovates the industry and sells out 7 or 8 years down the road to a larger corporation “company B”. Company B makes some changes to the product, most which are almost irreversible , then bleeds the original company for all they are worth until they too finally succumb and are forced to sell . For all realistic purposes company “A” is gone and so is the original product, never to be again except in a nostalgic nod and wink to the past in a somewhat pale attempt to recapture the glory of days long gone by. This scenario is for the most part repeated over and over through the years until only 2 to 3 large corporations now control the manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution ,as well as hype of almost all the guitars sold today. Sound far fetched? Look again. With this scenario in place , the bottom line becomes …. Well, the bottom line. Their will be a few aha moments and a select few great products come back out to market, and even some “niche” builders will fill the void where once a great product once stood.
            As the large conglomerates prey upon our nostalgia and production overrides innovations everyone and everything slows to a simmering suffrage. So where does it all lead and Greg what is your point? Certainly the big boys will continue to crank out and reap the lions share of rewards due mainly to the brainwashing of us as consumers, think about it, we play certain styled guitars because that is our perceived “norm”, you could build the most fantastic guitar ever and if it doesn’t “fit” well, it will not sell. Period. Which is where I now lead us, I have been lucky enough to play and get turned onto some really cool guitars. These are not made by any of the big boys, not expensive, but rather inexpensive (cost only) Very well built attention to every detail and yes they all share the same mold that we have been taught are the right shape. Yet they feel different, they feel…. Better, they seem to be even made better with better attention to detail and finished product that once graced the land in the beginning, yet they cost a fraction of the comparable models that should be the best.
    I believe in change, change they say is good, certainly manufacturing has changed ,yet the big boys, the heavy hitters ,rely on making us think inside the box of constraint, where the unattainable past is the present and the present isn’t anywhere near as good as the past that they want us to buy into……. The bottom line is still the bottom line. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some and will continue to be great products being pumped out for all to be had of that I am sure. But, well, I just wish we as a group would look outside the box, the small builders the lesser known guys and maybe just maybe some change could do us good, maybe ,like our micro brewery buddies they too have learned something from the past and are just waiting for the rest of us to catch on….. But hey like always this is just my news and views. May all your days be memorable, all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, till next month Thanks for reading Greg’s guitars “Vintage guitar news and views.”http://www.gregsguitars.net

The July issue of Greg's Guitars" Vintage guitar news and views."

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:22:00 GMT

Starting your collection

This is an extremely personnel and diversified subject to say the least. As an example, my collection of "keeper"

guitars consist of my vintage 1962 Ibanez solid body,2 single coil pickup guitar,not only for her extreme rarity but

also because it boasts a unique 1 master tone knob and 1 volume knob for each of her 2 pickups,she is super light

(5.8 lbs.) and has the sweetest mahogany neck boasting a 3/8 inch thick solid slab of beautiful Brazilian rosewood

for a fretboard. She is a;so one of the most harmonically dynamic playing guitars I have ever owned. Next is my

1972 Vintage Olympic white Stratocaster for the Fender in me. The 3 bolt neck and remarkable mellow tone and

large headstock with bullet trussrod has keeper written all over her. As for my acoustic guitars,well I am off the

beaten path for sure, with my Vintage 1969/70 era Grammer guitars,the one I personally favor as my keeper is a

worn, well played Mahogany bodied,Alpine spruce topped model G-10 that is just wonderful in tone and

playability. As for a spanky sparkle tone I go for my solid flamed maple Grammer guitar ,for a touch of class this girl

has the original blue label from R.G. and G. guitars inside her body cavity and a gorgeous Brazilian rosewood

fretboard. To round out my collection is my 1959 reissue Bassman with rectifier tube and Jenson alnico

speakers,Boss ch-1,delay and of course the Boss compression pedal. Now my collection is far from complete as I

still search for my 335ish styled guitar and of course my Tele keeper and to finish rounding my collection out a

vintage Baritone guitar would fit the bill nicely. Now, as you can tell my collection is all mine ,rather than as some

do,find a multitude of one particular guitar( Stratocasters) or a certain color within several styles ( all Dakota Red

) or even all same period guitars (1960 or preCBS), or just various guitars based on price and originality. What I

am alluding to is this,There is every reason under the sun for collections as their are guitars made(duh Greg ).

That's the tricky,quirky,fun and personnel part of collecting guitars. Each collection is a direct reflection of the

likes,tastes,and favorites of you as a collector. That is where the fun is, figuring out where and what you want to

pursue,style,playability,color,year,make,or just bargins made in the U.S.A. or made elsewhere?Original?,Reissue?,

Custom shop?,or run of the mill? All the above great guitars in their own rights and each having more desirable

guitars within each sub category. So sometimes you need to have a plan to make things cohesive and sometimes

you can just price shop at a set dollar amount to spend and get the most bang for your hard earned buck. Always

remember do your homework,take your time,and take pride in your collection,above all have fun and enjoy your

girls and never ever forget to play them,after all they were made to be played! So until next month,may all your

days be memorable,all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer , Greg at Greg's guitars.

Vintage Guitar News and Views The June Edition

gregsguitars1@yahoo.com (Greg's Vintage Guitar News) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:48:00 GMT

Ah, the 1960’s…the rise of surf music, the loss of 1950’s rock icons and across the Big Pond an interest in and resurgence of American blues music will soon give rise to the British Invasion and some of our future guitar legends.

The guitar manufacturers were also undergoing some changes themselves and as research and development plodded forward, These changes were reflected in the guitars themselves. Over at Fender, Leo and the gang brought us the Telecaster, and although not its replacement, but by Leo’s standards an improvement in design, he then brought us the Stratocaster in the early 1960’s. The pre-CBS Stratocasters (1959 to 1964)underwent some significant changes within its own design. Essentially, the Stratocaster was still the same guitar as always, with some (as enthusiasts contend) cosmetic changes, some of which were esthetically pleasing, minute at the time, but all eventually changed the 50’s ‘Strat. Some say it changed for the better, some argue it changed for the worse, but we will let that dog chase its tail on its own.

So what were some of the changes? Well, first to come to mind was the fretboard – Fender went from a maple fretboard to a rosewood fretboard ,with the maple as an option, the Rosewood which throughout the 1960’s got progressively thinner, and in late 1962 even had a bottom radius to match the arch of the neck’s top radius. The black fret position markers were also changed to clay dot markers on the fretboard face. Also, the trussrod which was placed through the backside of the neck, and gave us the skunk stripe inlay was placed via under of the rosewood fretboard, thus eliminating the skunk stripe itself and doing away with the pegheads plug inlay. As a result, I am probably correct to assume that it also facilitated speed in production and less articulation on the builder’s part – remember, Leo was a “bottom line” kind of guy. But being cost conscious why go from an 8 screw to an 11 screw pickguard cover that was now introduced ? ( obviously for better coupling) and Fender replaced the thinner one-ply pickguard with a triple-laminated (the mint green coloration, according to Fender, was a mistake) and often a shielded one. Yes Leo was known to shave a dollar here and spend a dime there all the while listening to his field of test players in the trenches, the raves and the complaints were all a grand part in Leo’s quest for perfecting his “girl” the Stratocaster.

The 3 color “bursts” were phased in over the standard 2 color s( although some 3 color one do appear as early as the later half of 1958) Some of the production models in the earlier 60’s had a strange combo of older and newer parts (again Leo saving a dime) until all the old inventory was used up and production was ramping up. Also we see on dealers charts of the day an array of colors appearing and disappearing, choices such as Lake Placid Blue , Sonic Blue, Sherwood Green , Foam Green, Shoreline Gold Metalic , Olympic White , Surf Green , Burgandy mist , Black,Blonde , and The Sunburst were some of the custom color choices as a customer you would have had. Interestingly enough Shell Pink was one that was discontinued and Candy Apple Red was introduced.

Because of undercoat “primer” changes from silver to gold in 1965 / 1965 we can also see a wide array of coloration discrepancies all within the same known colors of a particular guitar.(especially within the reds) At times due to a lack of guitar for a customers color order, a desert sand or sunburst that didn’t quite take well was over sprayed the custom color , again to save inventory and probably speed thing up a notch ,we will never really know. So by 1964 Leo and the gang was kicking out some mighty fine guitars, progress was being made, expansion was constant and changes were taking place. Then another turn in the house of cards was to take place. In 1965 the sale of Fender to CBS, making what some argue the most highly desirable (PRE CBS) and prized guitars in the market as we know it today. But , That is just another piece to the puzzle and another story for another day and as always this is just my opinion her at Vintage Guitar News and Views, all brought to you courtesy of Greg at www.Gregsguitars.net. So may all your days be fair all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer, Thanks and I will see ya next month .Greg.