Guitar Collecting

More on building relic guitars

flyssy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:22:10 +0000

I found a great article today about the guys (John Page and Vince Cunetto) who built the first Fender Custom Shop relics back in the ’90′s and some of the techniques they use. Here are some interesting points; Cunetto has spent countless hours doing R&D to find the right techniques. To make the finger-wear marks [...]

Star Wars Fan Builds Millennium Falcon Guitar!

flyssy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:45:15 +0000

I can’t say this appeals to me, as I am not a Star Wars fan but you have to hand it to the guy for his originality. Using an electric guitar and a vintage Millennium Falcon toy, Travis S. managed to build a unique instrument shaped like Han Solo’s starship. Having built guitars with his [...]

Collecting Vintage Acoustic Guitars

flyssy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:03:46 +0000

Paul Brett on collecting vintage acoustic guitars; Acoustic Magazines Vintage Guitar expert, Paul Brett’s DVD sample on collecting vintage acoustic guitars. Paul is rated as one of the leading 12 string guitarists in the World and his ull DVD features 23 rare guitars, plus tips on collecting and sourcing these instruments.

Prince: ‘Playing guitar stops baldness’

flyssy — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:27:40 +0000

Suggestions that Prince may be a bit eccentric have been bolstered today by his assertion that playing guitar prevents baldness! The 52-year-old musician, who is best known for songs such as ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Raspberry Beret’, said that the electricity flowing through the musical instrument must affect the body in some way. Prince told The [...]

More on guitar pick collecting

flyssy — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:37:06 +0000

Following on from my last article about guitar pick collecting, I came across this website dedicated to this great little facet of our hobby. Guitar-picks.com is the run by Alan Ralph, who seems to be the world expert in all things pick related. Alan amassed his collection in 20 years. Another remarkable thing about Alan’s [...]

Vintage Guitar investing on CNN!

flyssy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:55:20 +0000

Rudy Pensa’s interesting comments on investing in vintage guitars..

Collectable Guitars pt 40 – Carvin V220T

Connor F — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 15:08:17 +0000

Carvin is an American custom guitar brand. They are not particularly well-known but to those “in the know” they represent high quality and reasonable value for what they are. Many of Carvin’s designs in their 1980s heyday employed through-neck construction, which is now established and used often. When Carvin started using it, however, it was [...]

Insurance Advice for the Guitar Collector

flyssy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:23:09 +0000

Following on from the last post about the tragic loss of vintage guitars in the Nashville floods, Chris Spann from moneysupermarket.com has written this guest post to alert us all to the importance of making sure we keep the insurance up to date on all our treasured and valuable possessions, not just our guitars! Have you [...]

Guitarists lose vintage gear in Nashville flood

flyssy — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:44:45 +0000

Brad Paisley is one of hundreds of Nashville’s top stars, working musicians and tour support company owners who lost what will likely be millions of dollars in gear due the historic floods in Nashville. Paisley is one of an estimated 1,000 musicians and business owners who house gear at Soundcheck Nashville, a storage rental hub [...]

Genuine Hendrix owned Strat for sale at Vintage and Rare!

flyssy — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:48:12 +0000

My good friend Nicolai has a genuine Jimi Hendrix owned 1967 Fender Stratocaster for sale through one of his dealers (Rock Star Guitars) at his website, Vintage and Rare. This sunburst guitar was given as a gift by Jimi in late 1968 to James “Tappy” Wright, who was a member of his management team along [...]

The Strange World of Guitar Pick Collecting

flyssy — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:13:48 +0000

I found this interesting little article yesterday; A subject close to my heart as I have a fair few “famous” guitar picks from my time working at Wembley Arena in the early 1980′s. Unfortunately, many were unbranded, and over the years I have forgotten who owned what – It’s a shame that Angus Young and [...]

Jeff Beck insures his fingers for £7 million

flyssy — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:45:48 +0000

Guitar hero Jeff Beck has insured each of his fingers for £700,000 after accidentally chopping off the tip of one digit. The 65-year-old had his mishap as he sliced carrots at his home in Sussex, reports The Daily Mirror. Doctors sewed the tip of his left index finger back on but then he struggled to [...]

Collectable Guitars pt 39 – Fender Lead 1, 2 and 3 Models

flyssy — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:15:04 +0000

// The Fender Lead series electric guitars were manufactured from 1979-1982. They was produced in Fullerton, California factory under the direction of Greg Wilson and John Page. They resemble Fender Stratocasters in appearance, but have a unique set of features. Steve Morse was one endorsee of the Fender Lead, and the whole series were probably [...]

RIP T-Bone Wolk

flyssy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:20:03 +0000

This is a personal one for me.. I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of one of my all time bass heroes, T-Bone Wolk last week. Hall and Oates were one of my favourite bands for at least 20 years, and I saw them live on numerous occasions, always with T-Bone laying down [...]

Johnny Marr’s Stolen Gibson SG is Returned

flyssy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:09:19 +0000

// Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is “ecstatic” after one of his favourite guitars was returned to him – 10 years after it was stolen. Marr’s treasured vintage 1964 Gibson SG vanished after a show with his band Johnny Marr and the Healers in London in 2000. The musician was so upset by the theft, [...]

But is it art?

flyssy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:12:42 +0000

I don’t know…I have very mixed feelings about birds playing guitars! Trained as a musician and composer, French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot creates works by drawing on the rhythms of daily life to produce sound in unexpected ways. His installation for The Curve will take the form of a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra [...]

Collectable Guitars pt 38 – Ibanez RBM Voyager Reb Beach Model

flyssy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:30:47 +0000

// Reb Beach was the guitarist with hair metal band, Winger, who achieved a reasonable level of fame in the late 80′s and early 1990′s. More recently he has been a member of David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. This is signature guitar produced by Ibanez in the early 90′s is probably the guitar Reb is most closely [...]

Conan O’Brien Talks About Guitar Collecting

flyssy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:21:37 +0000

// I came across this interesting clip today..I had no idea he was into guitars. Then again, being English, I don’t get to see his show very often anyway and I guess I won’t be seeing it in the future either! Being a big rockabilly fan he has his focus on Gretsch guitars…enjoy!

Guitar Collecting iphone app now available!

flyssy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:36:46 +0000

// We have developed a free iphone app for all our readers who want to read this site whilst on the move, or are sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Just go to the Apple app store (direct from your phone or from Apple’s website) and search for “guitar collecting”. Download the [...]

How to Buy a Vintage Guitar

flyssy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:34:42 +0000

// I found this interesting video on sale whilst browsing on Amazon yesterday. How to Buy a Vintage Guitar [VHS] This buyer’s guide teaches how to appraise, critique, determine originality and playability, recognize counterfeits and predict future investment values. Using both electric and acoustic guitars as teaching tools, George examines finish, hardware, fret type, inlays, [...]

Lowell Kiesel, Founder of Carvin, 1915 – 2009

flyssy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:29:31 +0000

// Just a little snippet of sad news; It is with great sadness that Carvin announces the passing of it’s founder, Lowell C. Kiesel. Mr. Kiesel was born in Nebraska in 1915, and as a young man, spent time in Wichita, Kansas, where he developed an interest in musical instruments; specifically, Hawaiian steel guitars, resonators [...]

Kirk Hammett’s ESP Guitar for sale at $35,000

flyssy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:03:09 +0000

// A ten year old guitar played by Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett is on sale online for $35,000. Hammett used the ESP Flying V guitar live on stage prior to August 1998. Seller Neals Vintage Guitars is offering up the instrument on eBay.com for the fixed price. A statement from the seller reveals, “Kirk played [...]

Picasso’s “Little Guitar” recovered in Italy

flyssy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:26:03 +0000

// Here is a weird but interesting little story… A small guitar which Pablo Picasso had sculptured as a gift for his daughter Paloma has been recovered by the Italian Police. The Police state that Picasso had given the toy to his friend Vittorio Parisi. Two years ago, Parisi, at the age of 92, handed [...]

It turns out father does know best

flyssy — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:20:33 +0000

// Here is a great story I unearthed the other day. It just goes to show that there are still some fantastic guitars out there, still waiting to be found! This is the story of my father, who was a pack rat, his 50-year-old guitar, which sat neglected in our basement for years, and the [...]

Inside the Trussart Guitar Workshop

flyssy — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:33:52 +0000

// Most guitar collectors will be aware of James Trussart’s wonderful metal bodied creations. The expensive hand-produced Telecaster, Jazzmaster and Les Paul shaped works of art are all individual; some are painted, some are bare metal, some are rusty, some a re a combination of all of these. The article below is a fascinating look [...]

Collectable Guitars pt 37 – Jackson Roswell Rhoads

Connor F — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:55:35 +0000

// The Jackson Roswell Rhoads was a very rare, limited edition guitar made in 1997. It was a limited run of 123 guitars, and was a twist on the classic Jackson Randy Rhoads shape, with a UFO theme running through it. The body, instead of being made from wood, was made of 6061-T6 aluminium, an [...]

A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps

flyssy — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:28:24 +0000

This book by Gerald Weber looks like an interesting reference… A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps (Book) If you have questions about guitar amplifiers-how to fix them, how to restore them, or how to hot-rod them-this book has the answer. This book is written for the guitarist or collector who desires a common [...]

Gary Moore’s 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard For Sale

flyssy — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:03:27 +0000

// A snip at $275,000! Here’s the specifications; This guitar is considered to be the Holy Grail to many guitar enthusiasts, collectors and musicians. Sunburst Les Pauls were and are played by the most iconic rock stars of any era. Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Duane Allman, Ace Frehley, Jeff Beck, Paul Kossoff, Joe [...]

Gibson Announce New Jimmy Page Les Paul

flyssy — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:29:40 +0000

// The Gibson Custom Shop has announced the Gibson Custom Jimmy Page Number Two Les Paul Limited Edition guitar, modified by the legendary Jimmy Page himself. Here’s their press release… Every musician knows that late ’50s Sunburst Les Paul Standards are hard enough to come by as it is. Obtaining a pristine and exemplary ’59 [...]

New Fender Guitars Book

flyssy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:59:18 +0000

A friend of a friend has a new book about to be published about Fender’s golden period, 1946-1970. Fender: The Golden Age Here are the details, from Amazon: Leo Fender’s guitars have arguably had the greatest influence on modern music than any other make of guitar. Over 250 guitars in every model, style and finish [...]

Westone Cutlass Rebuild pt 3 – Oiling The Body And Rebuilding

flyssy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:02:43 +0000

I’m fully aware of how long it has taken me to write this update and I seem to begin virtually every post with an apology these days, but you know how it is.. Anyway, the nice clean wooden body needed some protection from the wear and tear of musical life, and as I said in the [...]

BB King’s Lucille Comes Home

flyssy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:33:01 +0000

// I found this great story by Eric Dahl on the Guitar Center blog, so I thought I’d pass it on; I’m one of those people that is always in search of the next cool guitar so I frequent all of the Las Vegas pawn shops, music stores, Craig’s List and of course Ebay. I’m [...]

Guitar Hero Games Foster Interest In The Real Thing

flyssy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:18:57 +0000

// Once frowned upon by just about everyone, video games are breeding a new generation of musicians. Most guitar teachers and competent players will tell you two things about the video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band. One; they stink at them. Big time. Two; they're bad for music. Playing fake music on fake instruments [...]

The New Guitar Collecting Amazon Store

flyssy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:34:31 +0000

Time for a little shameless self-promotion. We have set up our own store within Amazon, for all the guitar related stuff we can think of. The thinking behind it is that we hope to create a starting point for anybody searching for books about guitar collecting, tab books and sheet music, CDs and DVDs by [...]

Paul Smith And Vintage Collaborate on Designer Guitar

flyssy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:11:32 +0000

// Not Paul Reed Smith! Paul Smith, the well known British clothing designer, has collaborated with Vintage Guitars in order to produce the Paul Smith acoustic guitar. It’s a 3/4-sized acoustic that Paul Smith is refers to in most of his marketing as a ‘children’s guitar’ but could really serve as a travel guitar for [...]

First Chanel, now the Ferrari Guitar

flyssy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:50:32 +0000

// This is interesting. The Blackbird Rider travel guitar is now available in a special Ferrari version. The body is a one piece carbon fibre monocoque, just like an F1 car and the design is unique to say the least. I have never seen or heard of these guitars before but they seem pretty good, [...]

Gibson Guitars may face prosecution under revised Lacey Act

flyssy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:21:55 +0000

Gibson Guitars, long lauded by environmental groups as a pioneer in the use of sustainable wood products, is the first U.S. company to face prosecution under a new federal law banning trade in illegal wood. “This is the first enforcement action that we are aware of, and we are extremely encouraged that the government is [...]

Iowa music store will restring guitars for food

flyssy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:13:43 +0000

This is a great story, why don’t other string manufacturers follow D’addarios lead? Clinton, Iowa — Local music store, Tegeler Music, in cooperation with the D’Addario String Company and the Independent Music Store Owners coalition will take part in the national Restring for Food event collecting non-perishable food items in exchange for restringing guitars. All [...]

Charvel Spectrum Epidemic!

flyssy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:53:31 +0000

// I thought you may be interested to see this. A high end guitar collecting friend of mine has a guilty pleasure. Collecting Charvel Spectrums! His addiction has been satisfied for the time being, with the arrival of a black model from Australia, although he is making noises about the lack of maple necked models. He [...]

Relic your guitar parts

flyssy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:06:37 +0000

I found this interesting video yesterday. I’d never considered doing this myself. but it’s given me a few ideas..

New Taylor Swift Signature Guitar

flyssy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Taylor Swift now has her own signature model guitar to be built and distributed by Taylor Guitars, the renowned acoustic and electric guitar company founded in 1974. She joins Leo Kottke, Doyle Dykes and Dan Crary as artists who have a signature model built by the company. The Taylor Swift Baby Taylor guitar is based [...]

Guitar Collecting for the Financially Challenged

flyssy — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:18:42 +0000

As guitarists, most of us would love to have the financial means to acquire a dream collection of our favourite instruments. Real world pressures usually get in the way though, and most of us restrict ourselves to having one or two guitars at most. Our collecting urges can now be satisfied though, as well as [...]

Collectable Guitars pt 36 – Fender Electric XII

flyssy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:24:43 +0000

The Fender Electric XII was a purpose-built 12-string electric guitar, designed for folk rockers. Instead of using a Stratocaster-body style, it used one with a Jaguar/Jazzmaster body style. It was also a departure from the typical “Stratocaster”-style headstock, instead featuring a long headstock nicknamed the “hockey-stick” headstock. The Electric XII used a unique split pickup [...]

Westone Cutlass Rebuild pt 2 – The Body and the Scratchplate

flyssy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:10:51 +0000

As I said in part one of the Westone Cutlass rebuild, I have decided not paint this guitar, but to keep it natural looking. The original body finish was a pale, yellowy clear lacquer which suited the look of the guitar, but now has some quite deep scratches and dents on the front, back and [...]

1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard is up for Auction

flyssy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:58:08 +0000

California Auctioneers will be auctioning one of the rarest rock guitars in the world; The 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard. An amazing collection of over 70 Autographed guitars of the who’s who in rock n roll, contemporary art, and a rare collection of Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson Memorabilia. On Sunday Oct 11th, 10 am [...]

Hendrix 1967 Stratocaster For Sale

flyssy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:07:14 +0000

A 1967 Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by Jimi Henrix with a controversial past is now for sale after its owners settled with the late rock star’s estate. The sunburst Strat is a right-handed one that was converted to left-handed use to accommodate Hendrix. The owners, Rockstarsguitars.com, are asking $500,000. The instrument, currently on display at [...]

Collectable Guitars pt 35 – Fender Duosonic

flyssy — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:54:05 +0000

The Fender DuoSonic guitar was first produced by in 1956. It was meant to be a student guitar. It featured a short, 22.5 inch, scale length that was considerably shorter than the 25.5 inch scale used on standard Fender guitars. The DuoSonic, which is sometimes spelled as Duo-Sonic or Duosonic, has two, single coil, pickups [...]

Westone Cutlass Rebuild pt 1 – The Background

flyssy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:18:11 +0000

// When I first started this site, one of the reasons was to get back into restoring, customising and fiddling with guitars. I have played around with guitars all my playing life (30 years this month!) as most of us players do. It is always useful to know how to fix your own gear, and [...]

Bill Wyman criticises ‘Guitar Hero’ style video games

flyssy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:07:55 +0000

Bill Wyman, the former bassist of the Rolling Stones, has claimed that Guitar Hero, Rock Band and other music games discourage children from learning real instruments. His criticism comes on the eve of the release of ‘The Beatles Rock Band’ computer game, which allows players to play along with to band’s back catalogue. “It encourages [...]

Steve Lukather sells his surplus gear on Ebay

flyssy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:53:26 +0000

Ex Toto guitarist and all round session superstar Steve Lukather has listed a whole bunch of instruments and gear on Ebay through L.A. Vintage Gear. Included are a very cool looking Rickenbacker 6/12 string double neck and a unique 26 year old Ibanez prototype of a potential Lukather signature model that never made it into [...]