-
Ahead “Virtual Guitar”, (controls),
(accessories), click
here for info, PC-based guitar and game and more. Actually a well
constructed unit, made in Canada, and built to last, unlike the very cheap
Guitar Hero/Rockband models. Uses around a 6" length of real
strings (shown here) in the picking area, along with sensors in the fretboard.
Comes with everything you need to install and play via your PC, guy on the
box is really rocking out which might indicates to me that this must really
be fun to play, $35 (I have two of these in you want a pair)
. Note that the box is somewhat tattered but the unit itself is
perfect.
- B.C.
RICH ACOUSTIC - THE ULTIMATE GUITAR FOR THE B.C. RICH
COLLECTOR: (Bernie Sr's. Last
Guitar), (pic2). More
pics and full description at this link: www.chrisguitars.com/bernie.html.
Owned by Martin Miranda, my world-class tech, who was a close friend of Bernie
and this was the last guitar that Bernie ever built, albeit not quite finished,
and he was working on it the very day of his untimely passing. Click the
link for a full description and feel free to email Martin Miranda directly at
the address on the page.
- B.C. Rich USA Mockingbird,
(front/back), (headstock),
(case). Off-hold and now with a
decent Rich case is this most excellent 1980’s USA model with
cool and rare BlueSparkleBurst finish (close-up).
Hard to do it justice in the pics but the finish looks great, with tiny silver
flake in it which gives the guitar a great appearance under stage lights.
Features a great sounding pair of EMG's, with the Zakk style EMG 81/85, top
quality double-locking Kahler/Floyd Rose (pic)
recessed into the body, Sperzel tuners, factory original no tremolo cavity cover
(no screw holes), abalone dot inlays (may be replacements), nice player and
killer tone. Played but overall nice shape with no major flaws. Good
deal on a nice semi-vintage American Rich at just $575.
- B.C. Rich Kerry
King King V with Kahler Tremolo - EMG-KFK Upgrade, (front/back),
(headstock), (Kahler).
A killer metal axe with cool looks with Tribal graphics, Widow headstock, and
beveled edges which catch light and give it a very 3D look on stage. The
main attraction of this axe, however, is one major upgrade in the tone dept. - a
brand new EMG-KFK Kerry King set (pic
here) which includes an EMG81, EMG85, and a PA2 20dB gain booster
switch. Now this guitar sounds as bad-ass as it looks. Features
include basswood body with bolt-on Canadian hard rock maple neck, die-cast Rich
tuners, master volume and tone with 3-way selector (plus added boost switch),
KKV inlay at the 12th fret, 24 jumbo frets, locking Floyd Rose style nut,
excellent quality Kahler-X tremolo that's very similar to the older Kahler
Pro. Originally this model had two volume controls but one of them was
sacrificed to make way for the boost switch. You won't miss it. This
model sells new for $469 and the EMG-KFK is another $240 - and with $60 labor
you're at $769. It's offered in immaculate condition for just $539 and I'm
adding a matching tribal graphic
strap for free. If you're going to be on the road and want some
excellent protection, here's a nice Coffin Universal Extreme case (shown
here), which sells new for $149 - for just $85 with the purchase of this
guitar.
- B.C.
Rich Style - Kramer factory - Custom-Made Lacewood
Mockingbird, (pic2), (pic3).
This is of interest to collectors of one-off's or other custom guitars, with
an interesting history and, more importantly, a fantastic guitar in
beautiful shape. One change to my initial description is a good thing
- tremolo is a Kahler
Steeler (Mod. 2760) that’s arguably better than the original Floyd rose (solid
steel with “harmonically tuned” plate). These trems are highly sought after
and sell for quite a bit
on Ebay. Description: Hand-made by an ex-Kramer employee at the old factory for one of upstate NY's
hottest female guitarists. Built in the late 80's near the end of Kramer's glory days
with all top shelf woods and components, most notable an absolutely superb slab
of Lacewood over mahogany. Not just an 1/4" veneer, this piece of
Lacewood is as deep as the pickups and as shown (in
this pic), encompassing the entire beveled area of the top (see
arrows). The neck joint is beveled to allow easier access on the treble
side, plus the whole cutaway is contoured, again, making it easier to finger in
the upper register. Maple neck with rosewood board and mother of pearl
diamond inlays. Excellent tremolo system with a Floyd-licensed Schaller,
double locking, with a Floyd nut. Pickups are Duncans (pic)
with a JB in the bridge and Jazz in the neck. With gold hardware including
pickup rings, knobs, tip, etc. (pic).
Includes an older pink-lined hardshell
case that fits well and has been with the guitar since new. This is an
extremely well made guitar and little expense was spared in building it.
Playability and tone are superb and it's every bit as good as any USA Rich
you'll play. It should appeal to anyone who's into locking trem guitars
that rock with the best of them - but are beautiful as well. For a
hand-made guitar, this one's a bargain at $950, especially with a neat story
that comes with it - "Kramer meets BC Rich".
- B.C. Rich NJ Neck-Thru
Wave Quilt Top, (front/back),
(headstock). How low do you
want to go? Super low action, all the way to the 24th fret and an absolute
killer imported Rich in their NJ Neck-Thru (pic)
line, which offers some of the best non-bolt-on guitars for the money.
This one is immaculate and even better than new with the addition of a DiMarzio
X2N bridge pickup. Also features a good quality double-locking licensed
Floyd Rose (pic) that stays in
tune perfectly. One oddity, especially considering it's a factory mod, is
the output jack was obviously changed from a barrel type to a square plate (pic)
and for some reason they didn't locate the square plate over the plugged
barrel. It's definitely factory as the finish bears, and doesn't affect
performance. Features include quilted maple top Wave body style with
beveled edges, mahogany body with 5-piece maple/mahogany neck thru, Ebony
fretboard, recessed licensed Floyd Rose trem, black hardware, Diamond inlays,
matching quilted maple headstock veneer, thin profile neck with 24 jumbo frets,
Controls are straight ahead and simple with volume controls for each pickup,
master tone, and 3-way selector. This guitar is in immaculate condition,
plays better than anything you'll find in stores, and with the addition of the
X2N, the tone is better than stock. Especially considering it's a
neck-thru, it's a whole lot of guitar for $425 and I'll guarantee you won't find
a better playing Rich - of any series - than this Wave.
- Boutique
Tele Thinline by Joseph Zackus previously of Washington DC, tree-of-life
inlay, one of the best flamed chunky necks ever, bound top&back,
Vanzandt pickups, gold hardware, I know very little about this builder other
than he build guitars in very small numbers, selling at cost at $1400
-
2000 Brian Moore i2P,
(front/back), (headstock),
(piezo bridge). Piezo/acoustic
bridge, Duncans, Sperzels, and drop dead killer looks. From Brian Moore's
fantastic i2000 series, which in my humble opinion, are the best quality Korean
imports from any manufacturer. I've had around 10, including 4 different
models, and every one was a beautifully made, exceptionally well-engineered
guitar. The i2P features, most strikingly, a truly stunning quilted maple
top finished in cherry sunburst. The top is not only carved, it's bent (shown
here), from edge to edge, and the back is likewise contoured, making this an
extremely comfortable guitar to play. Features include highly figured
maple top - either flame or the more desirable quilt such as this one, Seymour
Duncan humbuckers with gold covers, set-neck design, ivoroid-bound top, single
cutaway mahogany body, 2-piece set mahogany neck, ivoroid-bound 22-fret rosewood
fingerboard, abalone dot inlays, 1-11/16" nut width, 24-3/4" scale,
gold hardware, tune-o-matic bridge with piezo saddles for acoustic sounds (uses
stereo cable), gold Sperzel locking tuners, and Moore's signature sculpted
headstock. One of the best setups you'll find on any guitar with extremely
low action from the 1st to the top fret. For full specs, click
here for Brian Moore's site. List price on this guitar is currently
$1995 but this used one has barely been played and is an exceptional guitar for
$850. Includes your choice of super nice Brian Moore gigbag (pic
here) or an aftermarket hardshell case.
-
BRIAN MOORE i81: New
Brian Moore i-Series: Most affordable model in the i-Series but an
exceptional import in its own right. Has the same Brian Moore signature
looks including sculpted headstock, sleek contoured body, and unique rear output
jack of the higher end models. When BM went in search of factories to do
their imports they did it right and the quality rivals many US makers in my
opinion. The i81 features bolt-on neck, mahogany body with beautifully
bookmatched flamed maple top, classic "iM" Alnico humbuckers, and
"iM" precision tuners. All include a superb quality Brian
Moore gigbag, etc. These guitars will be shipped with optimum
setup, better than your local store or online superstore.
- Carvin DC-200, (front/back),
(headstock). Carvin remains one
of the best buys on the USA guitars - especially on the used market.
They're quality is top-notch but as Carvin sells directly to the public there is
no retail store to take a bite of the profit. This one comes in a high
gloss black finish with features that include neck-thru
construction, dual Carvin humbuckers, Carvin/Wilkinson fulcrum tremolo,
graphite nut, Sperzel locking tuners, Ebony fretboard with block inlays, active
electronics with easy access battery door on back, indestructible stainless
steel frets, and Schaller locking strap pins. The electronics
suite in this one include the normal 3-way selector plus mini switches for
coil splitting and in/out phase for each pickup. Excellent playability and
endless choice of tones. At $529, this is a great buy on a USA neck-thru
guitar. Includes free gigbag or substitute used a hardshell case available
for $55.
- Charvel
San Dimas Style Musikraft, (front/back),
(headstock), (case),
(trem), (straplocks).
Top quality woods/electronics/hardware, superb tone and playability, and
definite San Dimas vibe. Body and neck are quality USA parts from
Musikraft in NJ, who hare coming on strong as makers of some of the finest
licensed parts on the scene today. All of their parts are painstakingly
hand-shaped after manufacture, to guarantee the utmost comfort and looks.
Body is Musikraft Strat spec and ONE-piece mahogany ($255), minimally routed for
more wood thus the small volume pot route - around the size of a LP selector
route. Neck is Musikraft San Dimas Charvel spec quarter-sawn maple with
skunk stripe and dual-acting truss rod adjustment at heel ($265) with wide 1
3/4" nut, medium C-shape, 25.5" scale, hand-shaped flat bottom bone
nut, Dunlop 6000 super jumbo frets. Tremolo is a vintage-style 6-point
solid brass tremolo (purchased from Michael Charvel and built for Wayne Guitars
by the original guy who machined brass back in the day), with screw-in arm and separate
brass screw-on tip for arm ($150). Tuners are Gotoh SG38 gold finish mini
tuners ($45 from Warmoth). Pickup is a custom shop Seymour Duncan
"'78 Model" (shown here)
which sold for $190 for the pickup alone. The '78 is a faithful recreation
of the legendary low-output, Alnico 2, PAF.-style humbucker that Seymour
designed in 1978 for various high-profile artists he was working with at the
time. It's built to order and this one features F-spacing, Alnico II magnets and
a moderate 9K output. It's a very sweet and warm, making this a perfect
mate for the mahogany body. Note that the pickup was originally installed
with the pickup ring (included), but I think it's better mounted directly to the
body without the ring, although 4 small holes are slightly visible with the ring
un-installed. It's currently set up with a new set of
Thomastik-Infeld 11-53 gauge strings but we can change to any ga. of our SIT
strings. This guitar is in beautiful shape with the only notable slight
flaw being a 1/4" indent on the top by the builder. It also has two
small holes where a locking nut was originally going to be installed. It
was later changed to a Floyd style retainer tree. Frets are perfect and
its seen very little playing time. With the one piece solid mahogany with
minimal routes - married to the Duncan '78, this guitar sounds huge. It's
warm and fat, and lends itself to almost any playing style. You can build
this guitar yourself for around $925 with these quality parts - or buy it with assembly
and set up by a qualified tech - for less. Just $699 for this killer axe
with a new quality gigbag or add $100 for this 90's quality Tolex case (shown
here).
- Charvel USA Standard
San Dimas 1HB, (pic2), (pic3),
(pic4). Another fantastic USA San Dimas with one of the coolest necks
around - the profile seems to get thinner as you go up the neck and around
the 7th to 12th frets it seems skinnier than at the lower frets - just super
comfortable and very easy to get around on. You may remember the
snakeskin graphic I had a few weeks ago and this one is less flashy, but it's
every bit as fine a guitar. One of the greatest necks of all time and
more, the complete package, very reminiscent of the original early 80's Charvels
on which this guitar was based. The time was finally ripe for these
guitars to come back, with vintage models climbing above the $5K mark, with a
huge demand with virtually zero supply. Charvel was originally a parts
supply business, sort of the All-Parts of its era and starting in 1979 they
started building their own guitars, essentially parts guitars from various
suppliers. Within a few years they had a thriving business, eventually
joining Jackson as "Charvel/Jackson", with Charvel taking care of the
bolt-on models and Jackson producing the neck-thru's. The San Dimas
NOS 1HB model features include Alder body, quarter-sawn Eastern hard rock maple
neck with thin oil finish, early 80's pointed headstock, 1 11/16" nut
width, 22 jumbo frets, 25.5" scale, compound neck radius, Seymour Duncan
TB-14 Custom 5 Trembucker pickup, "NOS" brass tremolo and black
hardware. These guitars are built to the same high quality specifications
as the originals, including the famous "broken in" neck feel, with
each being hand built using the finest wood, hardware, and pickups, to product a
true Hot Rod Guitar at a truly affordable price. Many NOS (New Old Stock)
Charvel parts are used, along with the newest advances in parts technology.
It is, in fact, among the best playing guitars I've had with super low and even
action - and the neck is the best feeling neck ever made, identical to the
originals that I've played. Offered in near immaculate condition with the
only flaw being some finish had started to lift on the headstock (before
pic - after pic) which has
been repaired such that you can only see a faint line if viewed from an angle
and barely noticeable from straight on. List price for this guitar
was $2099, with a street price of around $1550. If you don't mind
one barely noticeable flaw on an otherwise mint guitar, save big time on this
beauty. Just $1099. Includes original G&G
case, and vintage style trem arm with metal tip.
- 2008 Charvel USA
San Dimas "Style 2" 2H, (front/back),
(headstock), (Floyd/close-up),
(neckplate), (gigbag).
This is the 4th one of these new USA San Dimas models and the first in the
"Style 2" (Tele body). Charvel is known as the original
"hot rod" guitar brand and this new series are killer rock/metal axes
in the Charvel tradition. Part of the new "USA Production Model
Series", originally released in July '08, they're termed Charvel
"bumper to bumper", meaning they are tooled and built with the same
specs as the originals including little touches like the recessed back plates.
Features include Alder Body, 1-Piece Maple Neck, original-style San Dimas
neckplate, Seymour Duncan pickups with a JB bridge and '59 neck, Compound Radius
neck 12" to 16", wide neck - 1 11/16" at the nut, genuine Floyd
Rose Tremolo, Dunlop strap pins, Grover Mini Tuners, black hardware. To
me, USA Charvels have always had one defining feature - the gunstock oil neck.
As soon as you run your hand down it, it feels like the neck you've been looking
for your whole life - and it's just as friendly to sweaty palms as it doesn't
"stick" the way lacquer does. Click
here for all specs on the new USA Production Series. This model now
sell new for $1099. I'm surprised Charvel didn't street these around $300
higher, but with a recent $100 price jump, I think they're still selling at a
marginal profit with the hopes that they'll make it up on quantity on this very
affordable guitar. The quality is top notch. I've had other recent
USA Custom Shop Charvels and this series is 95% as nice for $100's less.
It's a true bang for the buck winner, especially this mint example at just $799.
Includes Charvel deluxe gigbag and trem arm.
- Charvel
Charvette 150, 1990, features a nice sounding set of pickups with a
Charvel Ceramic Plus in the bridge and a Carvel high-gain single coil size
stacked humbucker in the neck. These are high output pickups but the
tone isn't at all harsh to my ears. Also has a Floyd-licensed tremolo
system with fine tuners. Has one mod that bears mentioning - someone removed
the locking nut and replaced with a plastic cover. Not necessarily
a bad thing unless you like to do dive bombs. Overall this guitar is
in very nice shape with a near perfect finish that shines like new.
Frets are near perfect and it has an excellent setup. Compare this to
the Chinese guitars you can get for $200 today and this is an excellent
value at $175.
- Collings City Limits
Deluxe, (front/back),
(headstock), (case).
Some of you will remember a pair of Collings I-35 models I had a year or so
ago. That model introduced Collings into the electric guitar market and
what an introduction. They were the finest semi-hollowbody guitars I had
ever played. Following closely on the heels of the highly acclaimed I-35,
Collings released their solidbody model, the City Limits. Like the I-35,
it may loosely resemble other classic styles but the resemblance is merely in
the body profile - the quality is far above any other single-cut maple/mahogany
model I've had. A few features are truly innovative, starting with the
back (pic here) and the neck
joint which is much easier to work around than a vintage style - plus comfort
cut in the lower waist as well as the bass lower bout, which makes it extremely
comfortable to play, whether standing or sitting. Little expense was
spared in building this guitar. Fine tonewoods like Brazilian rosewood,
perfectly figured and carved maple, and top notch hardware and
electronics. Features include Premium flamed maple with fully carved top, solid mahogany body, grained ivoroid top binding, high gloss lacquer finish, custom Jason Lollar humbuckers, Tone-Pro bridge and tailpiece, custom-made grained ivoroid knobs and pickup rings, 22-fret ivoroid bound mahogany neck, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, Mother-of-pearl dot fingerboard inlays, 24 7/8" scale length, Ivoroid bound peghead, Brazilian rosewood peghead veneer, Mother-of-pearl Collings logo, Sperzel vintage tuners with ivoroid buttons, and Deluxe hardshell case.
Collings offers this model with fancier inlays and bound neck, as well as a
regular City Limits without the grained ivoroid features. As outfitted,
this CL Deluxe lists for $5300 and sells for $4769 new. This one is dead
mint and priced $1K less, just $3769 will make you one happy picker and the envy
of all your buddies. Click
here for Collings info.
- Unique
Mahogany Body Style Custom Made Strat
Head, (pic2). For the player
who wants something truly unique...this is a one-off Custom made guitar.
Very unique looks, top-notch parts, and quality woods. The body style is a
cross between a Les Paul Single Cutaway, although with a much rounder upper bout
and deep & pointy cutaway - while the lower bout is something straight out
of the builder's imagination - there really isn't a comparison that I'm aware
of. The neck appears to be custom built as well and is perfectly straight,
featuring a rosewood board and Strat headstock. Please note that we
relocated the string tree to the traditional position and plugged the small hole
where it is located in the pics. Excellent electronics all around with a
cool blend of Fender, Les Paul, and acoustic. Pickups
are a DiMarzio DP-181 Fast Track in the bridge, Gibson PAF in the neck, and a
Fishman HS100P piezo bridge for
acoustic tones. Switches are 3-way selector for the magnetic pickups on
the upper bout, 3-way mini-toggle near the knobs to select magnetic - magnetic
and piezo - piezo alone. Control knobs are master volume, master tone, and
Piezo volume (white knob). Body is one-piece mahogany (end
view) which yields a very warm and full tone. Control cavity is
shielded, neatly wired, and contains the circuit board for the Fishman system
and 9V battery (pic here).
Output jack is conveniently located out of the way, in the cutout area at the
end of the body which also features a bird in flight Abalone inlay (pic
here). This is a great playing guitar and should appeal to players who
want a lot of versatility but, especially, want to strap on something that's
truly unique and a hand-built one-of-a-kind instrument with top quality
components. Very cool piece for $750.
- Daisy Rock Debutante
Short Scale, (front/back),
(headstock), (case).
I just got in a few of these for the holidays. If you've got a young
player, not quite ready for a full scale instrument, but you want to buy a
*real* guitar rather than a toy at the department store, this is an excellent
choice. The quality is equally on par with Fender's Squier series with
good quality electronics and hardware and after Martin does his magic on them,
they set-up with very comfortable action, which is imperative for
beginners. If a guitar is difficult to play, it's not going to get
played. At 22.5" scale length (distance from bridge to the nut), it's
2"-3" shorter than a full scale, just enough to make it easy to get
around on but nothing that they're going to grow out of in a few months.
With a list price of $249, in my opinion this is an excellent buy on a
"real" guitar at just $149 which includes a pro setup prior to
shipping. Comes in pink with white accents.
- Daisy Rock Tom Boy,
(front/back), (headstock),
(thin, rounded heel). Never
retailed, unplayed, immaculate. Don't let
the name fool you. Daisy Rocks were originally aimed for the
"girl" market but there's particularly girlish about this
guitar. The Tom Boy closely resembles a Tele Custom in style and function
with a traditional Tele pickup and bridge plate plus a PAF style humbucker in
the neck. This model has more sonic versatility though as both are
humbuckers with single coil capability, each with a slider switches for choice
of humbucker, single coil, or off. Pickups are very good quality Duncan
Designed Alnico humbuckers. Other features include a thin and lightweight
agathis body, maple neck and fretboard, 24-3/4" (Gibson scale) with a
slightly narrow neck make it easier for smaller hands to get around on.
Also features string-thru body construction, Grover tuners, plus dual volume
controls and master tone. These pickups do a good job with a wide range of
tones, from crunchy and heavy to clean and twangy. With a list of $499 the
Tom Boy sells in stores for $349. This one's new, old stock, and set up
better than factory for just $279.
- Danelectro '63, (front/back),
(headstock), (aged
pickups/pickguard). The king of retro guitars, Dano abandoned their
line of 6 or so models years ago and has since gone to a single guitar and bass
for a run of about a year and then it's on to a new model. Many of you
older players, or vintage fans, as a copy of the "Model 1449", sold
primarily in the Sears catalog, years before we shopped on the web. Among
its most notable players was Elvis Costello, and thousands of beginning
guitarists who were proud to make this their first guitar. These are
actually better guitars than the original and with clean original Dano's now
going for four figures, they're a much better value for the player. Like
the original these feature the Masonite top and back, with a chambered center so
it's very lightweight. Likewise, the pickguard, complete with oval cutout,
is also made of Masonite. The tape on the originals was to cover the seam
of the top and back; on these reissues it's for aesthetic reasons only and can
be removed. It inevitably shrinks a little and begins to show gaps so you
can expect a sight gap in the cutaway. You can keep pressing it down but
it will come back. Scale is 25", right between Fender and Gibson, and
the neck is a slightly shallow C-shape, with 19 fret rosewood fretboard.
It's done in a satin finish, this one finished in "Burgundy".
Dano's signature "lipstick tube" pickups have that unmistakable Dano
tone and are controlled by a standard 3-way with volume and tone. One of
the great improvements on these later models are a metal bridge with adjustable
saddles for perfect intonation, a great improvement over the single slab of
rosewood on earlier models. These sold for $299 but this one is near immaculate, 9.9 condition, set up very well, and a very gigable guitar for just
$225(HOLD-Brad M 10/16).
- Danelectro Baritone
Guitar, (front/back), (headstock).
A real beauty in Copper Burst with a retro look and that distinct Dano sound,
except in a tuned down, longer scale, baritone guitar. This is from the
original run of reissues, '98 to '01, and features the better tuners than the
very first reissues. Dano was the first to produce a baritone guitar and
it's original model, produced in the late 50's, gained fame as the up front tone
in numerous "spaghetti western" sound tracks. Dano recent reissued
this model as the '63 Baritone but unlike these original reissues, the '63 only
features a single volume and tone control (i.e. no stacked pots). Features
of this model include dual lipstick pickups, dual tone and volume control via
stacked pots, 3-way selector, 27 3/4" scale length, rosewood saddle,
rosewood fretboard, maple neck and plywood frame with pressed-wood top and back.
This guitar is in near immaculate condition with a very comfortable setup and
highly recommended for anyone who wants to give baritones a try. My man
Martin's main guitar is a baritone so there must be something extremely cool
about them. This one's $399(Tent. HOLD-Andew W 10/28) and includes a well-padded gigbag.
- Danelectro '59 DC, (front/back),
(headstock). "Kool
Kopper" finish. Reissue of a true American classic guitar. Even
touring pro's who can afford any guitar they want frequently have one of these
in their rack, ready to make an appearance 4-5 times per show. I've seen
Clapton use this model as well as Dave Matthews just recently and, of course,
Jimmy Page was probably the pro most associated with the '59 DC. I get in
loads of '56 U-2's but rarely one of these, for reasons I can't explain, but
since it's been discontinued I rarely get in any 59DC models. Specs are
much the same as they were back in the 50's with a Hardboard (aka Masonite) top
and bottom with plywood frame, Hard maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 25”
scale, 21 frets, taped "binding" around the body, chrome bridge with
rosewood saddle, headstock painted to match body, stacked pots for individual
volume and tone controls with 3-way selector, "lipstick" pickups -
brass tube w/chrome plating with original formula 50’s style Alnico magnets.
This is one of the later models with the improved "D" tuners, although
it's pre-"Pro" model. I don't know why Dano saw fit to
"improve" upon this model with the '59 DC Pro but from what I can tell
the '59 Pro is a cheaper model and, in fact, less of a "pro" guitar.
With the newer "Pro", gone are the stacked knobs in favor of a master
volume and tone and the rosewood bridge, which gave it much of it's feel and
tone is gone, replaced by regular old stamped metal saddles. If you missed
this model during it's production in the late 90's/early 00's - and a
"Pro" just doesn't cut it - here's a chance to get one that's near
immaculate 9.9 condition with a simply killer setup - for $399 with gigbag.
- 2004
Danelectro '56 U-2 - Upgraded, (front/back),
(headstock), (bridge/controls).
Finished in desirable Limo Black and features a few upgrades including excellent
quality Gotoh tuners, metal saddles that are individually adjustable instead of
the wood block, and a piezo pickup controlled by a mini 3-way switch (piezo
only, piezo and lipstick pickups, lipstick pickups only). The single coil
lipstick pickups are controlled by the regular 3-way switch with stacked
volume/tone knobs to give full control to both pickups. The piezo system
isn't really an acoustic tone, but it does add a lot of body to the sound,
especially in the middle position, when combined with the magnetic
pickups. I last had this guitar around 3 years ago and it appears as
though it was unplayed since it was last in my hands. Finish has all the
luster of a new model and frets are perfect. These Dano's are every bit as
good as the original 50's Dano/Silvertone models and one of the best values on
the market. Nothing sounds like them and once Martin gets a hold of them,
nothing plays like them. His setups on Dano's is simply incredible.
If you're looking for a great U-2, with some very smart upgrades, this one is
only $50 more than market price on a stock one. $349.
- Danelectro
'56 U-2 in dark blue, Blue Suede, getting harder to come by since Dano
discontinued all their guitars a few years ago (they're now making one model
only). Player's love these, even if only to pull them out for one or
two songs per set. But they set up flawlessly, are feather weight,
and, hey, nothing sounds like these vintage lipstick pickups. Stacked
knobs give you volume and tone on each pickup plus the usual 3-way selector.
Very clean shape with barely a mark, and just a little discoloration on the
tape binding. Pro setup and ready to rock for $299.
- Danelectro
'56 U-2, cool reissue of the famed 50's model and in Limo Black this
one's just like Jimmy Page's (if you don't count the number of cutaways).
Incredible player with low action all the way up the neck and some of the
coolest tones you'll ever coax out of a budget guitar. They haven't
made this model for over 2 years and they're going up but this one's in nice
shape and still just $299.
- 2006 Dean USA Hardtail
, (front/back), (headstock),
(side), (keyring),
(case). Simply gorgeous
figured maple that looks great from any direction - from top - bottom - or
either side. Dean called this one a quilt but I call it wide flame.
Either way, it's gorgeous. This guitar is absolutely perfect, never
retailed and unplayed condition. I get in just about every higher end
production guitars made and this is, without a doubt, one of the finest
production guitars made - with looks, tone, and playability as good as it
gets. This guitar has one of the best acoustics tones I've ever
heard from a solidbody electric. The Hardtail was the first guitar
designed by Dean Zelinsky after his 12-year hiatus from Dean, with 3 years in
the making, finally debuting at the 2001 NAMM show. Dean uses only the
finest tonewoods - hand-selected mahogany with the highest quality figured
maple, as well a fine Ebony fingerboard, wood binding, quartersawn neck, Abalone
inlays on fretboard as well as headstock logo and model, nickel hardware with
Grover tuners - Tonepros bridge - and Duncan pickups. Very nice
weight and extremely comfortable to play. For full specs see
Dean's Site here. If you're a fan of PRS this guitar should appeal to
you - the vibe is similar and the quality is as good or better. Current
list price on this guitar is $3850 and this one is in unplayed condition - at
way under 50% off, just $1750 and one of the best tops you'll see on this
model. Includes excellent quality formfit
Dean case.
- Dean Razorback V
Standard - NOS - Black or Candy Apple Red, (front/back),
(headstock/V neck profile).
Personally designed by the late, great Dimebag Darrell in 2004 before his
untimely passing. By this year Dimebag had returned to Dean and had begun
work on several signature models with this Razorback V being one of his final
contributions. It cuts a figure much like the time-tested Flying V, only
more dangerous looking with a few more jagged edges and actually more
comfortable with the addition to sleek body bevels. The Razorback V
features a mahogany neck and body,
a rosewood fretboard with a super flat 16" radius, and a
very comfortably contoured neck heel (shown
here) which allows very easy access to the upper frets. Pickups are a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker pickup at
the bridge with a Dean humbucker in the neck with the edges
taped down, Dimebag style. The neck is a radical departure from
rock/metal axes, traditionally outfitted with a very thin profile. The
neck on this model is quite substantial, with a rounded-V profile that feels a
lot like a '56 Strat. Quality hardware with Grover tuners and a recessed,
double-locking licensed Floyd Rose tremolo (pickups/trem)
keeps it in tune perfectly. Controls are straight ahead 3-way selector
with master tone and volume, with easy grip circles on the volume. With a
list of $1550, these were selling for $999 but I have a few in stock, never
retailed, first quality, and perfect, for 55% off list, $697.
With a pro in-house setup, these guitars are an incredible value for the
money. Includes Dean
hardshell case and comes in gloss black finish or Candy Apple Red
metallic.
- Dean Dimebag Far Beyond Driven
Tribute ML, an incredible guitar that's a fitting tribute to the late
Dimebag Darrell, with excellent quality and top-notch features including flame
maple top, a mahogany body with a set-in mahogany neck, a Floyd Rose licensed
tremolo bridge system, and the classic Dean Series
II V headstock with a screened collage of Dimebag. Other features include a
rosewood fingerboard, cream body and neck binding, a vintage Brazilliaburst
finish, Dimebag Traction knobs, a Dimebag Quad image sticker on the body, and a
Dimebucker Treble pickup (bridge position). Killer setup, killer tone, a
super axe all around. For complete details, check out Dean's
Site. Between Dean and Washburn there have been a lot of Dimebag
models released and it's somewhat confusing to many customers. Having had
most of them I can attest that the best of the lot are the Korean set-neck
models, and that this is the best of the lot. Even the case is superior,
with a very heavy Canadian Hardshell
Case rather than the newer&cheaper lightweight Chinese case.
List price on new is $1539, selling everywhere for $999, but this one was
collector owned and offered in mint condition for just $699.
- Dean Baby ML,
(front/back), (headstock).
Now offered at lower price with stock pickups installed. Ultra-cool ML
looks in a "fun-size" scaled down body - but don't get it wrong, it's
a full scale and the tone is huge. The ML is a cool guitar because it has
unique looks but is still very well balanced for such a radical body. The
edges are nicely contoured, an improvement over the Explorer, V, and other
radical shapes, and it utilizes strings-thru-body which is an tonal improvement
over a stop bar and tuneomatic. Cosmetically, no player's wear but
you can see the remnants of "System of a Down" (pic)
on the back side and a Wylde sticker on front (we can probably remove if
desired). Dean makes some good quality imports and this is a good example
of good playing guitar at a modest price. Very cool axe for just $199.
- 1998 Dean USA Chrome Custom ML
Showpiece, (pic2), (pic3),
(pic4). Here's one for the collection -
one of a kind Dean USA ML with aircraft aluminum. This is the very guitar
featured on page 4 of the 1998 Dean catalog, which is included with the guitar (catalog
pic). Aluminum body was bolted together with recessed bolts, thus no
control cavity on back, every piece is chromed and polished, one of a kind
fretboard inlays, mahogany neck, original V headstock, Seymour Duncan Pearly
Gates pickups, construction supervised by Ben Chafin, only one ever built.
Please note that this guitar is impossible to photograph properly and you'll see
many things in the finish that aren't there. In person, it's dead mint and
beautiful. Let's face it, this guitar is aimed at the collector, to the 5%
of the buying public for which rarity, uniqueness, and condition mean
everything. To be the only one in the world with this model guitar;
that sums it up nicely. Not one of 50; one of 12, one of 5. With
the collector in mind, it's in all probability, the heaviest guitar I've had
tipping the scales at around 19
lbs. I had a 70's Les Paul Custom once that was around 14 but this
eclipses that record. It's actually a good sounding guitar with excellent resonance but for
most of us is going to be more comfortable to play while seated. Original
price was around $6K and this is the find of the year for a Dean collector,
nicely priced at just $3000. Includes Dean case, catalog, and certificate
(picture).
- Dean USA Bel Aire,
(pic2), 1983, in very cool
Silverburst. Shape isn't as radical as most Deans from that era but the
quality is definitely there. Features HSS pickup configuration, nicely
flamed maple neck, and 3+3 Dean headstock. Cosmetically, has some finish
touch ups on the edges but top is nice and overall very presentable.
Highly recommend for anyone with a Silverburst collection or just a good gigging
guitar for less than an arm&leg. $450.
- 2005 Dean Black Gold V,
(front/back),
(headstock). An upscale take on the
classic Flying V accented by a flamed maple top in transparent black, gold
hardware, and binding on all edges. The Black Gold V utilizes the tried
and tested maple top over a mahogany body to provide warmth and sustain, with a
nice "snap" on the attack. Also contributing to the sustain is
the set-neck construction and strings-thru-body design. Cosmetic
features include multi-layer binding to the body and headstock, bound neck,
pearl block inlays with "Black Gold" at the 12th fret, and fully
covered (no pole holes) humbuckers. Also noteworthy, this beauty hits the
scales at under 7 lbs., which makes it a pleasure to play for long sets.
Setup is low and comfortable and these high-output humbuckers sound great.
Offered in pristine condition - plastic film is still on the pickups - and could
be sold as new. These sell for $649 in the stores, with a $999 list, but
this one is perfect and a killer deal on a V with these features for just
$499.
- Denyle Walnut & Maple
Single Cut, (front/back), (headstock),
(back/neck joint), (pickups).
Very unique guitar in terms of looks and design, totally hand-crafted in USA in
very low numbers. I think this builder has only made a handful of guitars
and the hand-built aspect is very obvious, definitely no CNC machines used on
this guitar. The body shape is unique, sort of a highly exaggerated Tele
style, except with rounded edges. It features a center second of quilted
maple, with mahogany wings, with a set-in poplar neck with ironwood
fretboard. Pickups are a Gibson humbucker in the bridge, with a P100
stacked P90 style in the neck. A striking headstock, which combined with
the billowy body, bring to mind Prince's Cloud guitar, or something of that ilk,
in fact I think this guitar would look great with an off-white or yellow
finish. Tuners are Grovers. This guitar is the very one pictured on
Denyle's site (4th one down)
and you'll notice it had a different tailpiece at one time (more
factory pics). Some time before it got to me the unusual tailpiece and
bridge were changed to a stop bar/tuneomatic. If you look closely you'll see
telltale signs of the earlier hardware but it's not very noticeable. If
you're looking for something truly unique and appreciate the quaintness of a
small builder, this one is priced around 1/2 of the original price at
$850.
- Electra Les Paul
Custom with Burstbucker, (pic2),
(pic3). Low action fans
note - this thing plays itself. Gibson LP Customs are among the best
playing guitars made; I've found that, universally, they set up better than LP
Standards, other Gibsons, or just about any other brand made. This
Japan-made Electra plays like a Gibson LP Custom, cut low at the nut for low
action at the first fret, and since it has an excellent neck, the action stays
low all the way up. Somebody loved this guitar enough to invest $115 in a
Gibson Burstbucker (pic here)
and although the stock neck pickup sounds good - it really shines when using the
bridge pickup. Some nice features including w-b-w-b-w-b body binding,
vintage style double-ring tulip tuner buttons, multi-ply headstock binding, neck
binding, pearloid logo, and some great looking pearloid fretboard inlays (pictured
here). I'm not sure how to date this era Electra but the
"Fan" headstock and features probably make it an early 80's
model. Cosmetically, the top is nice, back has it's share of scratches so
if you're into cosmetics I would pass on this one. For a player though,
it's an exceptional playing Paul and with the Burstbucker you get some great
tone - all for $350 with gigbag. Note also: We change the neck
pickup to another Gibson $75, labor included and/or add pickup covers at
$10/each.
- Ernie Ball Musicman
Axis Super Sport HH with match headstock and tremolo, (front/back),
(headstock), Beautiful
Orange Quilt with matching headstock, optional vintage tremolo, and lightly
figured maple neck. As you probably know, this model was essentially
the EVH model, after Ed's contract with Ernie Ball ended. There have been
some improvements to the guitar since the EVH days but by appearances it's much
the same. Many of you will say "that looks like a Wolfgang" but
the roots of this model, the EBMM EVH, preceded the Wolfgang by around 8years. Set up is
perfect and Musicman's custom wound DiMarzio's sound fantastic. Spec's of
this model include Basswood body with bookmatched, figured maple top, Maple neck with 5-bolt neck joint, Maple fretboard, 22 high profile, medium width frets, 2 custom DiMarzio humbuckers, Music Man tremolo, Schaller M6LA tuners with pearl buttons, Graphite acrylic resin-coated body cavity and aluminum-lined control cover, volume and tone controls with 3-way pickup selector, Cream body binding, 25-1/2" scale, 10" fretboard radius, and 1-5/8" nut width.
Offered in immaculate condition with a fantastic setup and your choice of a
Musicman deluxe gigbag or new aftermarket Tolex/wood case. This model lists at
$2575,
selling online for $1799 but this beautiful used one is just $1099.
- Ernie Ball Musicman SUB 1, (front/back),
(headstock). Lightweight 7.8 lbs. Musicman quality at an affordable
price. Basically a stripped down version of a Silhouette Special, the
defining feature of the SUB is a textured finish is cheaper to produce, one of
the primary reasons that these fine USA SUB's are such a good bargain.
Features include solid poplar body, diamond plate pickguard, locking tuners,
satin finished neck and headstock, single Musicman humbucker with volume and
tone controls, signature Musicman 4/2 tuners/headstock, and vintage style
tremolo. This single humbucker model appeals to players who only use one
tone, who feel extra pickups just get in the way. Also features the
locking tuners that go with the trem-equipped models. 25.5" scale
with a 10" radius and a nicely rounded neck profile that Musicman is noted
for - feels great in the palm. This guitar is immaculate, very
lightweight, and an excellent value in a well made American guitar at $450.
Includes free gigbag or used Fender/other case optional at $59.
- 1999
Ernie Ball Musicman Axis Sport Limited Edition, (Case).
Extremely rare factory "Gravity Games" graphic with only 16 made as
grand prizes in conjunction with the event (link-press
release). These Axis guitars have the same feel as the old EVH models,
nicely rounded in back - easy to get your hands around - and a very thin sealer
coat that's as slick as glass but without the thick lacquer that deadens the
sustain and gains friction when your hand sweats. Very nice birdseye maple
neck with locking tuners, EBMM tremolo, and 100% Axis Sport specs except for the
graphic. All original and overall condition is a beautiful 9.5+ with a few
miniscule impressions but no scratches or actual player's wear. Like
most EBMM's, this guitar has a great neck that sets up perfectly - low action
with no fret outs during bends. Simply a killer guitar to play.
Priced lower than before and with the case now included, a smoking deal on a
great guitar for the player or collector at $799.
- 1996 ESP Mirage, (front/back), (headstock),
(tremolo), (case), (pickups),
(neck/body markings).
A real stunner - immaculate condition and a just a gorgeous custom order *real*
ESP, which are really getting hard to come by unless you want to plunk down $2K
for a new one. Even better than its looks is the playability. This
one came in as barely mediocre at best but Martin worked his magic and has
transformed it into one of the best playing ESP's I've had. Back in the
80's/90's you could, probably still can, custom order ESP's with any
configuration you wanted, as indicated by the "Custom" seal on the
back of the headstock. At one time these were all supposedly USA models
but I don't have any hard info to support that. Doesn't matter though as
Japan ESP's are as well respected as most USA makers. This one was ordered
with a highly figured swamp ash body with matching headstock veneer, reverse
headstock, Sperzel locking tuners, Wilkinson bridge, black hardware,
"ESP" inlay at the 12th fret and Abalone dot inlays elsewhere.
Pickups are in an HSS configuration, with a DiMarzio Tone Zone humbucker in the
bridge, Duncan Cool Rails Strat Humbucker in the neck, and DiMarzio Fast Track
Strat humbucker in the middle - controlled by 5-way selector, master volume, and
master tone. Although 13 years old, this guitar looks like it was bought
this year but the price is likely less than it cost back in '96 at just $950.
Includes original ESP case. This is one nice Mirage.
- ESP Vintage S - Daddy's
Series, (front/back), (headstock).
Not an especially rare model, but an extremely rare series, commissioned for
Daddy's Junky Music, probably the country's #1 dealer in used gear, around 25
years ago. I called Daddy's corporate office to get the rundown on this
model and spoke to Chris, who was actually around when these guitars were
built. The story goes like this: In the early 80's, ESP had very few
dealers in the USA and they were hot to increase their distribution
stateside. At a NAMM show a fellow named "Toschi" from ESP
approached Daddy's and Daddy's placed a fairly large order. According to
Chris, he thought that there were probably 50 or so, but no more than 100 of the
entire series, which were essentially ESP's Vintage Series, with a special
"Daddy's Series" logo. They came in various finishes and
appointments, with this one being Olympic white with black and white plastic
parts. It's a well made guitar, typical of Japan quality in the 80's, with
good quality woods, hardware, and electronics. The bridge pickup has been
replaced with a Duncan Quarter Pounder (pic
here) - middle and neck are regular stag pole vintage style. Pots are
the full size Japan pots; switch is the vintage style blade, both
shown here. This guitar is in extremely clean condition with no
scratches to on the body or neck; frets are 98%, almost new. The only
noteworthy flaws are some natural relic'ing to the nickel bridge and some of the
pickguard screws, as shown here.
The rarity of a Daddy's Series may only appeal to a handful of players, but it's
an interesting story, and one that has little to no web documentation.
Thanks to Chris from Daddy's corporate headquarters for his help. Rarity
aside, this is a very good quality Japan S-style in superb condition - for $550. Includes gigbag.
- Fernandes Vertigo - upgraded,
(pic2), These are cool guitars in the vein
of the Baretta with just a single humbucker and a volume control. Every
now and then we get in an inexpensive guitar that sets up so well that I feel it
would be an injustice to sell it with a cheap stock pickups and tuners.
Such was the case with this one. Overall exceptional condition with the
exception of one small finish chip that we paint matched and filled (pic
here) - and we upgraded it (upgrade pics)
with a set of Gibson Kluson tuners and a new DiMarzio PAF Pro DP-151. The
result is a guitar that's good enough for the pro musician who wants a killer
player with nice tone and one that stays in tune. All this for just
$299(HOLD-Robert N 10/15).
- Fender
Tele Copy - SX Traditional Series Tele Style, (front/back),
(headstock). The few SX
"Traditional Series", I've had have been very good guitars for very
modest money, and this Tele style is a good example. I was told this was
Lacewood but it doesn't have the characteristic look like my BC Rich Lacewood
(pic here) so I'm not sure what to call the wood. It is, however, an
attractive grain and very lightweight at just 7.4 lbs. This one is
"as new", with plastic still on the pickguard and pickups. For
looks, vintage vibe, and quality tone, it's hard to beat this for the
price. With a pro setup prior to shipping, an excellent value at just
$145.
- Floyd Rose Redmond Model 3,
(front/back),
(headstock), (case/acc.).
USA, "as new" condition - could be sold as new. The Redmond
series were a very innovative model from one of the most inventive designers of
the hard rock decade, Floyd Rose, the man, the legend One of the most
innovative features of this guitar was Floyd’s new Speed
Loader system that makes changing strings a breeze – stay in tune as well
as a double-locking trem without all the hassle. The most striking aspect of these great new models are the “open”
headstock, facilitated by use of fine tuners only, at the bridge. The
Redmond Series Model 2 features two Floyd Rose“ vintage series humbuckers and
a three-way pickup selector switch. This unique combination of wood and
electronics makes the Model 2 the instrument of choice for musicians who love a
classic fat tone. Very sleek neck with 12” radius, 1.65” at the nut and
lightweight Alder body. Controls
are merely a 3-way selector and a volume control – nothing else in line to
suck your tone. List price on this
model was $2450 and they sold at discount at numerous dealers for $1995.
I got a pair of these from someone who apparently never played them and they're
priced less than 1/2 of what these sold for when they hit the stores in 2004 -
just $799. Includes original Floyd Rose case and accessories.
- Floyd Rose Redmond Model
5 - Custom Order, (front/back),
(headstock), (case/acc.). USA,
"as new" condition - could be sold as new. This one was custom
ordered with a bound body, sort of like a Strat Custom - looks great with the
dark natural finish. The Redmond series were a very innovative model from
one of the most inventive designers of the hard rock decade, Floyd Rose, the
man, the legend One of the most innovative features of this guitar was Floyd’s new
Speed
Loader system that makes changing strings a breeze – stay in tune as well
as a double-locking trem without all the hassle. The most striking aspect of these great new models are the “open”
headstock, facilitated by use of fine tuners only, at the bridge. The
Redmond Series Model 5 features two Floyd Rose“ ultra-high output Red-Series
humbuckers and a three-way pickup selector switch for the ultimate in high-gain
playing performance. The ferocious power of the Model 5 belies its ability to
produce
exceptionally clarity. Very sleek neck with 12” radius, 1.65” at the nut and
lightweight Alder body - plus nice touches such as recessed neckplate (pic
here). Controls
are merely a 3-way selector and a volume control – nothing else in line to
suck your tone. List price on this
model was $2450, not counting upcharge for the bound body, and off-the-shelf
models sold at discount at numerous dealers for $1995.
I got a pair of these from someone who apparently never played them and they're
priced less than 1/2 of what these sold for when they hit the stores in 2004 -
just $899(HOLD-Caesar 10/28). Includes original Floyd Rose case and accessories.
- Floyd Rose Discovery DST1-R
w/accessories, (pic2), 2004,
new-old-stock, these cool Floyd guitars now come in an affordable, quality-made
import model. They use the same unique patented Speed-Loader system.
Features the new Floyd Rose Speedloader tremolo bridge, 3 high-output single
coils, Basswood body, and the cool, low-mass headstock that's constructed
largely of "air". The best thing about the Speedloader system is
string changes can be done in less than a minute - it's truly a no-brainer easy
job. For specs on this bridge, click
here. These guitars are very well constructed as you'd expect with
anything that Floyd would put his name on - with excellent setup and quality
tone. These are $399 everywhere for the guitar alone but this one includes
genuine Floyd Rose accessories including
gigbag, strap, picks, cable, and tools for just $389 - plus a pro-setup that's
better than factory.
- Floyd Rose Discovery DSF2-BK
w/accessories, (pic2), 2004,
new-old-stock, same basic design as the DST-1 above except in a non-tremolo
model with the Speedloader Fixed Bridge with dual hot humbuckers. For
bridge specs, click here.
These are $399 everywhere for the guitar alone but this one includes genuine Floyd
Rose accessories including gigbag, strap, picks, cable, and tools for just
$389 - plus a pro-setup that's better than factory.
- Gibson set-neck SG Style:
Fender Squier Set-Neck S-73, as new,
excellent Korean model with an eye toward the SG. The Squier S-73 is a
double cutaway solid mahogany guitar with a set mahogany neck. The rosewood
fingerboard has jumbo nickel silver frets and newly designed block inlays,
and a 24 3/4" scale length. This guitar features two Seymour-Duncan
designed humbuckers. List price on new is $726.99 but this one is dead
mint with plastic still on the pickguard and back plate and ships in
original factory box for just $325.
- 1991 G&L SC-3, (front/back),
(headstock), (bridge/MFD
pickups). Excellent condition and an excellent player. Nothing
like the rarity of the SC-1 above, but a fine G&L in its own right.
The SC-3 was the evolution of Leo's original Stratocaster with a number of
refinements along the way. Features maple body with 3-bolt maple neck and
rosewood fretboard - a dark & nicely figured
fretboard on this one. Other features include 2-point G&L fulcrum
tremolo, locking Sperzel tuners, Magnetic Field Design pickups with adjustable
pole pieces mounted on black pickguard with volume, tone, and 5-way
selector. This one is also very light for an SC-3 at 7.6 lbs. From
what I read specs called for matching headstock on this model from '86 onward so
this one, with an unpainted headstock would seem to be rare, unless they had
different spec's for SC-3's in black. For complete specs and info on this,
the 3rd version SC-3, click here
for ggjaguar. This is an exceptional Strat-style guitar, with a quality
that just feels significantly higher than Fender's American Standard from the
same era. Body and neck both dated May '91 and appears to be 100% original
and, again, very clean condition. Includes original trem arm and
aftermarket hardshell case. I just looked
around the web and saw another nice '91 SC-3...for $1799...whoa... While
that may be a tad high, compare this to a Fender from the same era -
this is a better guitar for about the same price, just $699.
- G&L Asat Classic Pickup and
Bridge, NOTE: Parts only - removed when new so mint condition. Includes pickup with cloth
wires, 6 brass saddles, and bridge. Impossible to find on the used market
but this mint set is here and just $85.
- 2007 G&L
Asat Classic Bluesboy Semi-Hollow Tribute,
(front/back), (headstock),
(bridge), (Deluxe
Gigbag). I consider G&L's Tribute series the best quality
traditional guitars (i.e. guitars with their roots in the 50's/60's), on the
market today. Although other manufacturers produce some good quality
imports, they compromise on hardware and electronics. The only exception I
can think of are Japan-made Fender and Epi Elitist, but these are guitars that
cost almost as much as their USA counterparts. G&L's Tribute series,
on the other hand, use the same USA hardware and electronics as their American
lines. Quality parts alone mean little without quality control on the
overall product and the Tribute series has that under control as well. In
my opinion, these guitars are 85% as nice as the USA models at under 50% of the
price. The G&L Tribute ASAT Classic Bluesboy, with a semi-hollow,
toneful swamp ash body, is a serious blues guitar, but can cut it with any style
other than metal. Features USA parts including a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucker in neck
position with a traditional size G&L Magnetic Field Design single coil in Bridge position.
This humbucker with a Tele bridge is a favorite of legends such as Keith
Richards and Albert Collins. Also features quality locking tuners and a
G&L boxed bridge with six brass saddles for improved intonation. Other
features include Lightweight Swamp Ash body with twin Voice Chambers with
"F" hole, Hard Rock Maple with Maple fingerboard, 7.5" vintage neck radius, 1 5/8" nut width, and traditional T-style control plate with 3-way, volume, and tone.
This is a remarkable guitar at its price point. At $749 street price
($1079 list), it has all the quality electronics and hardware you'd want
to upgrade on most imports. This one is in flawless condition and one nice
playing, excellent sounding Thinline and a sweet Tele style for just $559(Tent.
Hold - Jim B; Tom W, in order).
Includes G&L gigbag, one of the best gigbags on the market.
- 1998 G&L
ASAT Special with Rio Grande's, (front/back),
(headstock/neck), (case/acc).
Special order with G&L
tremolo, large neck, locking tuners, and best of all, just a killer look
with Blue Metal Flake finish and mirror pickguard. Stock pickups on this
model were G&L soapbars, which are good pickups but this one has been
upgraded with a *great* pickups with a pair of Rio Grande Asat pickups. In
addition to tone and looks, this thing plays like a monster and if you're a fan
of chunky neck, this one is just huge, with a baseball bat soft-V shape reminiscent
of a mid-50's Fender. Has seen very little playing time and offered in
exceptional condition and after Martin did some of his magic, it's one killer
player. For some of you Tele fanatics, this is the ultimate Tele style,
especially if you're looking for a little flash to go along with your
twang. With options such as metal flake finish ($400), G&L tremolo
($100), graphite nut ($30), matching headstock ($150), Schaller locking
tuners ($50) and mirror pickguard ($50) this guitar has $720 in options
alone, which makes it is a smoking deal on a higher end Asat for just $1199. Includes G&L
Case. 9.2 lbs.
- Gadow Custom Set Neck,
(front/back), (headstock),
(thick maple top), (push/pull
pots), (case).
I get in just one or two Gadow's a year and we've been impressed by every one,
from the rather plain utility "Nashville" model I had a few months
ago, to this top-of-the-line Set Neck Custom. Gadows are hand-crafted in
Durham NC and compared to most other small builders, the price vs. quality ratio
is better on Gadow than any other brand. The Custom Set Neck offers a familiar
look and feel, comfort, and exceptional tone - even Martin was impressed by this
guitar from both a player and builder's perspective. Starting with the
classic Mahogany body with a maple cap, this guitar was built for comfort, looks
and tone. More so than any other Gadow, this guitar has pizzazz, dressed
up with nicely figured carved maple tops and custom fretboard inlays. The
Honduran mahogany is just beautiful, very close to Korina in appearance and the
maple cap is thicker than most, offering a little more snap than most
maple-capped mahogany guitars. Other features include Carbon fiber reinforced mahogany set neck; 25"
scale neck; 1 11/16 inch nut, a pair of Seymour Duncan coil-tapped pickups with nickel covers
controlled by a 3-way and push/pull pots on both the volume and tone, Rosewood fingerboard with genuine bone nut; 12"
fretboard radius; Mother of pearl crown inlays; Ebony veneer headstock overlay;
gold hardware; Gotoh tuners; one piece TonePros wraparound bridge; UV-cured polyester finish.
For more details you can check out Gadow at
this link. This guitar retails at $3495, selling at discount for $2799,
which makes the Set Neck Custom one of the best USA guitar in its price range.
This one appears to have never been played, offered in immaculate condition, for
$1300 less than new, just $1499. This guitar is a steal in a high-end USA
guitar. Includes top quality Gadow/TKL tolex case with leather stitched
ends and leather handle.
- Godin
G4000, USA, excellent tone via humbucker and two singles, Schaller
deluxe tremolo block, Grover tuners, nice trans-blue finish on a body
that’s somewhat reminiscent of a Jaguar, excellent player and nice tone,
the G-Series Godins are excellent quality and when you buy used they’re
perhaps the best bargains on the market, $275
- 2006 Godin
Acousticaster Deluxe, (front/back),
(headstock), (case),
(preamp). "As
new" condition. Perfect marriage of an acoustic and electric from one
of the best builders of acoustic guitars. Built in Connecticut with
quality Canadian parts, the Godin A6 has design elements from both models.
Its neck has the feel and profile of an electric guitar - with the body design
an obvious nod to the Fender Tele. Its main acoustic elements include
woods (solid Spruce top with a mahogany body, and acoustic bridge/saddles).
I personally used an Acousticaster as my main acoustic/electric for around
4 years and I'm a big fan of this model, for what it's worth. This one is
an excellent player with comfortable action and the wide 1 11/16" nut width
gives you plenty of room for finger style playing. One of the keys to the
Acousticaster's tone is a body that's chambered, and has 18
tuned metal tines mounted under the bridge help to create the unique sound
and makes this a surprisingly loud guitar when played acoustically.
Amplified it sounds excellent, with the L.R. Baggs bridge transducer and custom
preamp. This guitar is in beautiful shape and has seen very little use.
It has surprisingly good projection and will actually hold it's own in an
acoustic jam but really shines as a stage guitar. For 6 reviews, where this
model scored a remarkable 10 overall from 6 reviews, click
here for Harmony-Central. This model sells new for $995 ($1195 list)
with a Godin gigbag. I highly recommend this model for anyone looking for
a comfortable and unobtrusive stage acoustic and it's a very high quality guitar,
in dead mint condition, for just $699 including mint TKL case in place of the
stock gigbag.
- 2002 Godin Deluxe
Acousticaster Ltd, (front/back),
(sides), (headstock/neck),
(case). Stunning
quilted maple top and flames maple sides and back are the feature of this
Limited model from 2002. A spruce top Acousticaster was my
personal acoustic/electric for around 4 years and I love the guitars. This
one is as nice a player as my old one but it's also one of the most gorgeous
looking emerald Green quilt tops you'll see. Likewise, the back and sides
are nicely flamed as well. The Acousticaster is a Tele style body that's
chambered with 18 tuned metal
tines mounted under the bridge help to create the unique sound and makes
this a surprisingly loud guitar when played acoustically. Amplified it
sounds excellent, with the L.R. Baggs bridge transducer and custom preamp.
Very comfortable neck with some figuring in the maple and a vintage tint, 1 11/16" at the
nut. Tuners have been upgraded with locking type which have the identical
footprint of the originals so no mod's were required - and strap pins have been
changed to Schaller locking. The gold hardware looks great with the green finish.
There was a label that said "Tele (6)" on the back of the headstock
(as shown in pic) but if fell off. This is an excellent playing guitar in very nice shape, that will hold it's own
in an acoustic jam but really shines as a stage guitar. As far as looks,
it doesn't get much more stunning than this. A regular spruce top Godin A6
sells for $995 w/gigbag but if you want something much more visually appealing,
this is about as nice as it comes for a Godin and just $779. Includes used
hardshell case.
- Godin Solidac Leaftop 2
Voice - with Acoustic Bridge Tranducer in "Light Burst",
2002. (pic2), Fantastic
acoustic/electric that combines the sound of magnetic pickups with a quality
Baggs transducer system for acoustic sounds. Has the versatility of a
humbucker-single-humbucker pickup configuration along with a transducer-equipped
tremolo bridge. Individual
outputs for the magnetics and the bridge, with the bridge output doubling as a
mix out for both signals when used alone. There is an internal preamp
voiced to provide excellent acoustic sound when used with any full range system
and it produces very good acoustic tone even when plugged into a regular guitar
amp. These are exception guitars for the money and provides the same
hand-finished quality that is a standard feature in every Godin. Wide and
flat fretboard that's 1 11/16" at the nut with a 16" radius.
Quality locking tuners. These sell on the web for $699 with gigbag but
this one is perfect, includes quality Godin
hardshell case that fits like a glove, and is $150 less at $550. If
you' haven't tried Godin for a stage guitar, you're missing out.
Incredible features, looks, and versatility at a killer price.
- Godin
SD HSS, 2004, assembled in the USA from parts hand-crafted in Canada,
nice sounding Godin pickups, excellent playability with a fast 24-fret neck,
good selection of single coil and humbucker tones via 5-way selector.
Very clean with no scratches except on pickguard and no fret wear. One of the best quality guitars in this price range,
$259(Sold - Keith K 4/28) with a nice gigbag or $275 with hardshell
case.
- 2008 Grosh Bent
Top Custom, (close-up),
(headstock), (front/back),
(3/4), (case),
(specs). One-owner,
collector-owned, and unplayed since new. One of the most visually
appealing quilted maple tops you'll find and looks aside, Grosh makes some of
the finest instruments that I've ever played. Whether it's a traditional
Alder body Strat or a more tricked out beauty like this, Grosh guitars are in a
class by themselves. The ultimate in playability, superb tone, and
incredible sustain. Grosh builds guitars in very low numbers - this one's
serial 2004 - and the close attention to detail is obvious. Features
include one-piece mahogany body with bookmatched quilted maple cap, matching
quilted maple headstock, maple neck with satin lacquer finish and Indian
rosewood fretboard, medium/large roundback neck profile, 10" fretboard
radius, 6150 medium frets, Abalone dot inlays, 23.75" (Gibson) scale,
Grosh/Gotoh vintage 1088 tremolo, vintage style *locking* Kluson tuners, Fralin
pickups (Unbucker neck and bridge with Vintage Hot middle), controls are 5-way
selector - volume - tone - blender - with a push/pull coil tap. Includes
Certificate and paperwork, trem arm with chrome and black tip, and a velvet
lined G&G vintage case. For around the price of a base-model Alder
custom shop Strat, this guitar is truly hand-made and a better guitar.
Just $2499 for this unplayed beauty.
- 1982 Guild X-82 Nova,
(front/back), (headstock/neck),
(1982 Catalog Specs), (case).
Insanely light - 6 1/2 lbs!!! Update: last owner called this finish Holoflake,
rather than Black Sparkle, which would make this a rare guitar among a rare
series. It may look like silver flake and black on quick inspection, but under bright
lights you can see that it actually reflects red, green, blue, and yellow
sparkles as shown here.
During this era many makers were coming out with radical body shapes, ready made
for the metal scene which was just starting to blow up. This 3-pointed
body style somewhat resembles an Explorer and shares the same all-mahogany
construction, but the body of the X-82 is somewhat scaled down and is very
lightweight for a mahogany guitar. Other features include a 24-fret neck,
24 3/4" scale, ebony fretboard, Guild XR-7 humbuckers, Guild SP-6 tailpiece
and adjusto-matic bridge, 3+3 headstock with inlaid logo, set-neck construction,
and bound body. The smaller body size, nice weight and deep treble
cutaway, as well as the easy bends on the Gibson scale combine to make this a
very fun guitar to play and the XR-7 pickups, which were designed for Guild by
DiMarzio, sound great and the high output makes them especially well-suited for
rock guitar. It has apparently seen very little use and is in very tidy
condition, especially considering it's 26 years old. Just some very minor
rubs on some of the points but overall, exceptionally clean for a vintage
guitar. For the collector of
mid-line vintage - or the Guild collector who wants one of the harder-to-find
80's electrics, this is a very nice piece for $1050. Includes original
dark brown form-fit case.
- Greco "Device"
Jackson Strat Copy, 1985, (pic2), a
shredder's dream guitar with action so low it makes you laugh like a small
child. Excellent Japan model that was made for Japan distribution and not
imported from what I find. Cool color, Salmon Pink, which was a Fender
custom color back in the 60's. The body (pic
here) is a dead knockoff of a San Dimas era Jackson with an identical small
control plate and identical contours. Features real Kahler tremolo and
superb sounding pickups (pic3). I
don't know what model the pickups are but they're Duncan style with large pole
pieces and a brass band around the sides if that helps to identify them.
All three pickups sound great. Controls and knob layout is Jackson all the
way, with volume and tone mounted straight across, with three 3-way mini-toggles
(one for each pickup) to select humbucker-single-or off. Bound 24-fret neck feels great and is thinner at the
nut that most metal axes. Also features black hardware, Grover tuners, and
football output jack which is another Jackson touch. I would hold this
guitar up against any USA made during this time and, trust me, the action is as
low as it gets. It's in extremely clean, collector's condition, with no
flaws of note. A sweet metal axe that's a rare find in the USA, for
$499. Free gigbag or take a form-fitting Charvel chainsaw
case for $35 with 3 of 4 latches intact.
- Gretsch G6122-12 Country Classic
12-String, (front/back), (headstock),
(case/acc). Never
retailed, offered unplayed and immaculate. I've never had one of these
before and I wasn't even aware that they had made a Gent 12 until a few
months ago. The Country Classic 12 is an update of their most
popular Country Gentleman design, with that classic 12-string jingle-jangle
sound that helped definite the 60's by such group as the Byrds. As one
of Gretsch's Professional series, this guitar is very well made and is
likely a better guitar than Gretsch made back in the 60's. The Country
Classic 12 is a hollowbody double cutaway with all-maple construction,
including arched laminated maple top with dual faux f-holes, maple sides and
back, and 2-piece maple neck. Other features include dual Filter'Tron
pickups, 3-way pickup switching, Volume 1, Volume 2, and Master Volume
controls, 3-position toggle Master Tone switch, Standby switch, ebony
fingerboard with neo-classic MOP side thumbnail markers, ebony-based
12-string Adjusto-Matic bridge, Gretsch G-Cutout Tailpiece, Gold hardware,
and Grover Rotomatic tuners. Specs include 24.6" scale length, body is
17" wide and 2" deep, 1-11/16" nut width, 12"
fingerboard radius, and 22 frets (plus zero fret). This guitar
plays very nicely with low action and a nice light touch for a 12.
Unplayed, first quality Gretsch and with a list price of $3075, nicely
priced at $1850. Includes Gretsch case, all paperwork, and ships in
original box.
- 2007 Gretsch G6121-1955 Chet
Atkins Solid Body, (front/back), (headstock),
(leather trim). "As new"
condition. Now that Gretsch has the Chet Atkins name again they've
revamped almost their entire line. This Chet Atkins Solidbody is one of
the new models. Loaded with Gretsch Western vibe, from the iconic
"G" brand, to the cactus and steer inlays, to the leather studded
binding - everything you love about the original 6120 in a solid body
form. Features include semi-hollow mahogany body, arched laminated maple
top, 1-piece mahogany neck, 22 fret rosewood fingerboard with aged inlays
of wide-block pearl cactus, steer heads & fences, 1-11/16" nut width,
24.6" scale, Western style tooled leather side-body trim accented with aged
furniture tacks, "G" brand on body, inlaid aged pearloid steer head
& Gretsch logo on headstock, 2 DynaSonic single coil pickups, 3-way toggle
switch, 2 volume, 1 tone & master volume controls, arrow knobs, Bigsby
B3GBVN tremolo tailpiece, Grover vintage style Sta-Tite tuners, Bigsby compensated
bridge, and gold hardware. Sells on line for $2500 ($3575 list) but this
one is flawless, new in the box condition with a killer setup for just
$1950. Includes vintage style Gretsch
case, also with western trim, with
velvet lining and Gretsch banner inside, as certificate, tags, manuals,
etc.
- Gretsch
G1627 Syncromatic Sparkle Jet with F-Hole, NEW, in very cool Blue
Sparkle, similar to the Silver Jet but with F-hole to add retro looks and
feather weight, Gretsch vibe and tone at a fraction of the price, in the
Gretsch tradition you’ll find the pickup selector on the upper bout plus a
master volume on the lower bout, excellent player with a pair of quality
sounding Gretsch single coils, pro setup and ready to gig, never retailed
and mint, with a list of $540 you can add this to your stage arsenal for
only $279.
- 2005 Hamer Duotone Brazilian
Custom, (close-up), (neck/headstock),
(back), (MOP
detail), (side), (pickups/specs),
(cert.), (strap
locks), (case). The
Duotone is Hamer's hybrid acoustic-electric. They're great guitars but
this custom order Duotone puts it in a class by itself, absolutely loaded with
custom shop touches which make it a great example of "guitars as
art." Starting with a stunning Brazilian rosewood headstock face and
Brazilian fretboard - to the Brazilian bridge. Hamer inlaid mother of
pearl around the entire soundboard, edge of the fretboard, headstock, and around
the bridge, which also features a fossilized ivory saddle. The nut is also
fossilized; bone. The pearl bound body has a deliciously sculpted cedar
top finished in "Light Brown Sugar Burst"; the Korina neck, capped
with Brazilian rosewood is outlined with 100's of pearl pieces, each cut and
placed by hand, plus ten Victory fretboard inlays. Ivoroid binding is hand
cut and fitted in the F-hole and matches the fossilized ivory saddle.
Seymour Duncan wound the pickups specifically for this guitar and engraved the
gold covers with the guitar's serial number along with his signature. The
pickups are "Jimmy Pagers" which have a vintage-style medium output in
the 8K's, and sound great in this spruce and Korina body. The aged cedar
top features very tight grain to give the guitar its unique look and tone.
Controls are straight ahead Hamer and features Hamer's Ultimate Electronics
Package, with a separate 3-way to select acoustic-acoustic+electric-electric,
with 4-band frequency cut/boost controls accessible via holes in the electronics
cover - plus separate acoustic and electric output jacks are utilized to go to
separate amps if desired. Joel Danzig signed the electronics cover as
well. One departure from the normal Duotone is the middle pot is a
"push-push" to split the humbuckers, allowing a choice of 6 electric
tones. You can see pics and info on the Hamer Designer Gallery at
this link - just lick "designer archive" and it'll be on the first
page. I've always been impressed with Duotones in terms of tone, feel, and
playability and this one is more than looks alone. It's the best Duotone
I've played. The action is laughingly low and most player will probably
want it raised slightly but an insanely low setup is there if you want it.
This beauty has been collector owned since new and has seen little to no
use. To order this guitar today, you're looking at over $6000 but this
pristine example of Hamer's finest work can be yours for $3800.
- 1996 Hamer
USA Artist
(Studio) GATASO,
(front/back), (headstock).
A real stunner in Honey finish - solid maple top with beautiful flame (top)
in beautiful condition. The Artist Studio features an offset double
cutaway mahogany body with sound chamber, carved bookmatched solid maple top,
mahogany neck, single f-hole, 22-fret neck, Wilkinson hardtail wraparound
bridge, Schaller tuners, and a great pair of pickups - Seymour Duncan Seth
Lovers. Extremely clean condition with the worst flaw being a little milky
clear coat on the edge of the fretboard, which is a common flaw on Hamers but
overall a solid 9. List on a new Artist Studio is $3300, street priced at
over $2300, which makes this a
pretty good value at $1350. Includes Hamer
case.
- Hamer
Special Slammer, just your basic all-mahogany guitar but, man, what an
incredible player. Very thin profile neck with low action at the nut -
all the way up the neck. I've been playing this guitar for a few days
and I hate to let it go. Unique neck joint where the neck fits in like
a set neck, but is actually a bolt on. Good sounding humbuckers and
overall excellent condition. Best playing guitar I have in stock for
under $350 and just $199(HOLD-Bob M 11/18).
- 1999 Heritage H170CMSM, (front/back),
(headstock/neck), (bridge/"stag
mag" pu's), (flaws),
(case). A Bang-For-The-Buck
hands-down winner! What a great guitar and
thanks to two non-problematic hairline cracks in the cutaway, an excellent
bargain for the player. Heritage was formed by ex-Gibson employees who
stayed in Kalamazoo MI after the company uprooted their factory to
Nashville. These employees were some of the best craftsmen the company had
and when they set out to build guitars, they stuck with models that they knew
best. By and large, Heritage guitars are based on old Gibson designs and
construction techniques. In my opinion, they're better guitars than the
original company and much better bargains on the used market. As you can
see in the pics, this one has a lovely flamed maple cap with a desirable wide
flame, and overall this guitar is in very nice shape. The one flaw is
shown in the pic above, with two hairline cracks in the cutaway, so shallow that
they will definitely not pose a problem but appear to be slightly deeper than
the lacquer. I guarantee 100% that this is a structurally sound
guitar. The H17CM features a 17 degree headstock angle for increased angle
over the nut and better sustain, bound body with maple cap over a mahogany body,
cream binding, pickups are Seymour Duncan "Stag Mag" humbuckers with
push-pull pots for single or humbucker tones, dual volume with master tone and
3-way selector. This is a great playing guitar with superb tone and if
you're not scared off by two hairline cracks, you'll be getting a guitar that I
think is better than an LP for just $799(SOLD-John/Kerry 10/10). Includes very clean original
case.
- 2008 Jackson DK2M Dinky - Black,
(front/back), (headstock),
(low-profile Floyd), (Dinky
scoops). Never retailed and immaculate. Fairly new model from Jackson, with superb Japanese craftsmanship. The DK2M Dinky features a maple fretboard with contrasting black sharktooth inlays and the slightly smaller 7/8 size Dinky body. One of the most important features on this model are a pair of quality Seymour Duncan humbuckers with a JB (TB4) in the bridge; and a Jazz (SH2N) in the neck. The rock maple neck is bound and uses Jackson's compound-radius maple fretboard that goes from a flat 12" at the nut - to an even flatter 16" at the top. It also features Dinky's scalloped cutaway on top and scalloped heel on back, to make playing the upper frets a breeze. Tremolo is also top notch with Jackson's Floyd Rose-licensed low-profile double-locking system that is impervious to dive bombs and 3-fret up-pulls. Other features include: Alder body, bolt-on maple neck with scar joint headstock, black binding on neck and headstock, 25-1/2" scale, 24 jumbo frets, Black Delrin fin position inlays, 1.6875" nut width, black hardware, and 3-position blade pickup switch with master volume and master tone.
The setup on these guitars is great, comparable to the DK-1 and it's one fine
guitar for blazing lead work. With a list of $1149, extremely reasonable
for a guitar of this quality, and a street price of $799, this one is flawless and unplayed, set
up to perfection, and just $539.
- 2008 Jackson DK2M Dinky - Candy
Apple Red. Never retailed and immaculate. All features and specs
are the same as the black model above. With a list of $1149, which is
almost in the Korean range, and a street price of $799, this one is flawless and
unplayed, set up to perfection, and just $539.
- Jay Turser JT-55 SG Special
Copy, (pic2), (pic3),
(pic4). Here's excellent proof that
you don't have to spend $500 to get a superb playing guitar with quality
tone. When this came in it was a mediocre player, probably stock factory
setup but with a little tweaking and we've got this one playing as nice as most
of comparable Gibson models I've had. I thought about putting some
DiMarzio's in here but after playing it for over an hour, I really don't see the
benefit. These stock soapbars sound excellent. Notes ring true with
none of the "ghost" notes you sometimes get on high gain
settings. Nice lightweight feel, Abalone dot inlays and headstock inlay,
good quality hardware, and perfect high gloss black finish. At $239 this
would be a good value for any type of guitar but for a set-neck model, that's
truly a remarkable deal on a guitar that plays and sounds this nice.
- 1960's Kay SG Copy, (pic2),
(pic3), (close-up).
From the electric guitar boom in the 60's when copies of Gibson and Fender were
flooding the country like locusts. Many of them, such as this Kay, did a
pretty good job of copying the look if you don't look to closely, but upon
closer inspection you'll easily see that they aren't particularly nice
instruments. Other makers, such as Ibanez, were building very good quality
guitars during the timeframe, guitars that had the look AND quality. With
a plywood body and multi-laminate neck, this guitar wasn't built for the
accomplished guitarist and while it's not a killer player the tone is actually
pretty cool and these "wide-slice toaster" pickups have a unique tone
and even if you don't make this your #1 player, the pickups and Bigsby style
tremolo and Gretsch-inspired roller bridge are worth the money if you want to
build your own project guitar. A quick look around the web indicates that
this is a higher end model compared to this "K-1"
which is a single pickup model without the tremolo, unbound neck, dot inlays, no
white trim on headstock, and single piece pickguard. This guitar had
a badly cracked control plate pickguard but Brian hand cut a new one out of
single ply plastic and it fits perfectly and looks good. The other
pickguard with the Kay logo is original and intact. This isn't the
greatest neck ever made and because of that it's only going to be a fair player
with medium action and buzzing in spot - or we can set up with high action and
no buzz. Want to play slide? No problems there. Overall
condition is good with the top being much cleaner than the back. If
you look at the woods, hardware and electronics, you'll see similarities between
this Kay and certain Teisco, Kent, and others. A single factory in Japan
would crank out 100's per day, and would be branded appropriately. If
you're a collector of off-the-wall guitars, it's right up your alley and while
prices on many of the obscure Japan models have gone way up, this one is still
very affordable at $175 and, again, worth it in parts alone in my
opinion.
- Jon Kammerer "Iris Special Edition",
(pic2). All Kammerer's are rare but this one
is #2 of only 2 made of this model - the result of a joint project with GuitarX
that fell apart after the 2nd one. Completely hand-made and the
difference in a hand-made guitar will strike you as soon as you pick it
up. Absolutely incredible attention to detail and Jon's construction
techniques are very innovative, yielding a very comfortable and tunefull guitar. Super thin body - but a nice thick
piece of flamed maple on top - Neck is superior to most anything out there and
no scarf joints or finger joints here - one piece my man.
If you're unfamiliar with this maker, check out his site here: http://www.jonkammererguitars.com/.
A current, similar model, without the Ltd. Ed. factor and the inlay, retails for
$3250, discounted to $2250. If you want one of the best hand made guitars I've played in a long, long time,
buy this one, for just $1599.
- 1985 Kramer Vanguard,
(front/back), (headstock),
(pickups), (Floyd
Rose), (Schaller PU's), (original
case). This is an absolutely *killer* playing guitar and like
the Voyager I posted 2 days ago, here's another collector's condition vintage
Kramer, although with a slightly different body shape. Originally released
in 1981 as a Flying V shaped body, thus the "V"anguard name, in 1985
it was changed to the popular half-V shape popularized by Randy Rhoads and his
signature Jackson model - while the headstock changed from the chicken-beak, AKA
"Classic" to the more popular hockey stick seen on this model. I
believe this to be the most desirable year with all the best features, i.e.
Rhoads shape with hockey stick, dual hums, and Floyd - and '85 was the only year
it came with these features. In '86, its last year, it was produced with
the pointy headstock. Finished in Metallic Blue with a gloss finish that
still shines like new, it's also equipped with the original Gotoh tuners with
the set screw at 6 o'clock angle. Other notable features: headstock
has the brown stain around the edge, found on around 1/2 of the necks from the
hockey-stick era; Floyd is in very clean shape; Schaller pickups which I believe
are "Golden 50's", sound excellent; frets are in great shape and
action is low from the first to the top fret. Worst flaw (shown
here) is a rub on the end of the headstock, not visible from the front, only
worth mentioning because the guitar is otherwise in spectacular shape.
Even the points, notorious for having finish chips even on a lightly played
example, are in clean shape (shown here).
I owned this guitar years ago and the owner recently traded it in on another
guitar he wanted more. Again, it's in extremely clean shape, and easy 9+
with no issues, plays as well as any Kramer you've seen. While it may not
have the flash or rarity of the Lightning Bolt Voyager I just got in, it's
priced within the range of more players and it would be great to see this fall
into the hands of a working guitarist, someone who can appreciate it night after
night. Made from the era when Kramers really were American, it's a
super buy at just $679.
- 1983 Kramer
Voyager - Lightning Bolt,
(front/back), (headstock),
(contoured edge),
(Floyd/Schaller), (case).
Very desirable year for a Voyager as it's the first year they used the Floyd
Rose and the first year they offered dual pickups. In '85 they went to the
longer, pointy wings which makes an '83/'84 the only years with Floyd Rose trem,
dual pickups, and the shorter rounded wings. This one is finished in a
desirable "lightning bolt" graphic which actually started in '81 with
the first run of Strat-headstock Voyagers with vintage tremolos. This one
is in beautiful condition, around a 9.5 and definitely collector's grade.
Features include original Schaller pickups, "classic" headstock with
Voyager logo, B-serial plate with correct strap pin in the center, Gotoh
tuners, original Floyd Rose tremolo and nut, maple neck with skunk stripe,
master volume and tone with mini-switch 3-way selector, side mounted barrel
jack. The one mod to this guitar, and one which players will appreciate,
is the back of the neck was professionally sanded which gives it a very sleek,
natural feel, and doesn't get sticky when you sweat like the poly finish.
For Kramer fans, this is a pretty exciting find: a genuine USA Voyager
with the best features in spectacular condition, cool graphic, and excellent playability.
Includes original Kramer case at $850(HOLD-Mike 10/6).
- 1986 Kramer American Pacer Custom, (front/back),
(headstock), (pickups),
(Floyd). Here's one for the
player looking for a nice playing vintage Kramer, with loads of actual playing time
on it. Finished in Flip-Flop blue, which looks blue, purple, or even red,
depending on lighting and angle, with the surface mounted (non-recessed) Floyd
Rose that allows for around two half-steps of up-pull. Features include
individual pickup selectors which allow for any combination of pickups, original
Schaller tuners, Floyd Rose locking nut, Allen key holder on headstock, slanted
bridge humbucker and single coils in neck and middle. Chrome covers have
been added to the middle and neck which looks cool but we can remove them at
your discretion. This guitar is not recommended for anyone concerned with
cosmetics, as there are plenty of dings on front and back as well as some
finish chips on the back edge (shown
here), buckle wear, etc.. The back of the neck is worn nicely, with a bare wood feel and
that worn look that you get from a 1000 hours of playing time. This is a
guitar that has fulfilled its design - it has been played. If you've ever
noticed, good guitars tend to get played and many lame guitars find their way
into collections where they remain pristine for decades. With the benefit
of a nice refret job, however, this guitar still plays wonderfully and it's good
to go for another decade before it needs any work. There aren't any
structural issues such as cracks to the body or neck; 100% sound. Tonally,
this guitar sounds great. Bridge pickup has been replaced with a DiMarzio
Super Distortion - neck and middle are original Seymour Duncan Vintage
Staggered. This guitar is worth more in parts than as a whole guitar but a
good playing '86'-89 is hard to come by so it's offered for the player - at the
player's price - just $399(SOLD-Martin V AU) and includes one of the nice "pleather"
Kramer gigbags. Note: If you're looking an 80's Kramer,
except in near pristine condition, check out the '87 F-6000 (pic
here) I posted a few days ago for the same price.
- 1982/3 Kramer
Floyd Rose Signature, (front/back),
(headstock), (tuners/strap
pins), (Schaller pu's), (Floyd
Rose). Fairly rare model from Kramer, in common red stain finish,
commemorating the significant contribution Floyd made to the incredible success
of the young Kramer company. I don't know if Floyd designed this himself,
I have a feeling he did, but it's basically a Pacer Imperial with a different
body. Overall pretty nice vintage shape cosmetically with only one area
through the finish (on back of neck), all other flaws are in the clear coat only
and not through to the wood - worst flaws are shown
here. There is also some wear on the edge of the fretboard as well as
a few finish check lines. This guitar came in with horrible action and intermittent
electronics. Again, Martin did his magic and turned this into a shredder's
dream. The action is insanely low, with just a hint of string buzz audible
only acoustically, or we can raise to factory specs if that's your preference
without any buzz. I wouldn't touch a thing since right now this guitar
seems like it plays itself. The neck isn't one of the thinner ones that
appeared in '84 or so, but fairly substantial. Other features
include: Classic (chicken beak) headstock with Floyd Rose signature logo,
original model non-recessed Floyd Rose tremolo and locking nut, Schaller
humbuckers with 2 volume and master tone, gold Gotoh tuners with rounded buttons
(aka "San Dimas" tuner) and straight mounted set screws, and brass
"large head" strap pins. This guitar appears all original, with
the exception of missing one of the back plates (repro's available at minimal
cost). This is sort of an oddball guitar in the Kramer line but it's
small body and light weight make it a joy to play. It's not clean enough
for collectors of near mint examples for others, a killer player in nice vintage
condition. These are hard to come by - first one I've had in 5 years - and
a quality real American Kramer for $679. I got this
without a case or bag but will include a free gigbag or a used hardshell case
for $59.
- Kramer Focus 3000,
(front/back), (headstock).
Almost identical to one that sold last month; very cool ESP-made Kramer. Players who know about
these guitars don't let the Focus name scare them. They're quality Japan-made
Kramers - just like the "Kramer Americans" that followed a few years
later. Unlike the ones a year or two earlier that features a Floyd Rose
without fine tuners (what a fiasco), Floyd had it nailed by the time this one
was built and with the addition of fine tuners, the "Original" Floyd
made it's debut. This double-locking Floyd Rose is the same model found on
the Pacer series from this era and became the standard by which all other
locking tremolos were measured. This one's in very clean shape (as
shown here) and works great. These are good sounding pickups,
some of the best you'll find on an import, controlled by a 5-way blade and
mini-toggle to split the bridge humbucker. You get anything from Strat
tones to fat metal tones and it sounds very good on every setting. Nice
shape, with a killer setup and every bit as good as the "Kramer
Americans" (where were ESP Japan guitars) which followed. Priced at
$429 with original Kramer case. If
preferred, we can substitute an "Kramer American" pointy headstock
neck for $175 more, with trade of old neck covering the labor and set up.
- Les
Paul Copy by Karera , nicely flamed maple top, set neck design and a
very cool sculpted heel that allows easier access than any other LP I've
played. Gold hardware, good sounding humbuckers, and absolutely new
condition with protective film still on the plastic and a nice playing
guitar for $199.
- Line 6 Variax 600 Modeling
Guitar - Vintage White,
(front/back), (headstock),
(features dial),
(gigbag), (footswitch/acc.).
I was impressed with the VG Strats I've had recently in terms of versatility and
a rather convincing modeling tone but the Variax takes it 10 steps further with
loads more guitar models and tuning options. It's like having 25 guitars
in one! For a complete listing, click
here for Line 6 site. For many of us setting up for a gig means
lugging at least two electrics and probably a 12-string and an acoustic.
Imagine a single guitar that plays fantastically, that can cover all the bases.
Ladies and Gents, the Variax. With a seeming endless variety of
sounds from classic acoustic and electric tones all the way to sitar and banjo -
plus without magnetic pickups, your notes come out crystal clear without any
noise whatsoever. Variax also allows you to plug into a computer and customize
your tone or apply alternate tunings to any of the 25 presets. Line 6's
exclusive Variax Workbench software lets you fine-tune all the details of each
tone, or change your tuning to Open G, DADGAD, D-MODAL, Drop-D, or any tuning
you can imagine, without ever needing a tuner. It also integrates
seamlessly with POD XT Live and Vetta II - not only powering the guitar but also
letting you control the entire signal chain right at your feet. It can
also run either on batteries or by the included phantom adapter - or receive
power from Vetta II, PODxt Live or POD X3 Live. Other features include
Comfort-contoured basswood body, one piece maple neck, 22 medium profile frets,
25 1/2" scale, 9.5" fingerboard radius, custom L.R. Baggs tremolo
bridge, standard 1/4" guitar output jack plus digital I/O jack for PODXT
Live, POD X3 Live, Vetta II, and Workbench connectivity, volume and tone
controls, included XPS A/B footswitch selects between two outputs: 1/4"
standard guitar output for connection to any guitar amp or XLR balanced output
for sending acoustic sounds to a separate amp or PA. This is a very
impressive sounding guitar, especially at an $1119 list price. This used
one is in mint condition, plays exceptionally well, and priced at $679.
Includes a very high quality gigbag, footswitch with power supply, stereo cable,
XLR to USB cable, and manual.
- OLP MM-1, (front/back),
(headstock). Red Metallic - perfect
condition. These MM-1's are a super value in my opinion and licensed by
Musicman, the OLP MM-1 has the look and feel of the EVH or Axis at around
1/8th the price. Great feeling natural neck with a very rounded
profile and custom contoured radius – fans of Axis, Wolfgang., and EVH models
will find it immediately familiar 4+2 tuners on matching headstock,
good sounding humbuckers that are mounted right to the body, and vintage
tremolo. I think OLP's license with Musicman has ended; they've definitely
discontinued this model though. This one is in perfect shape, set up
to super playability that's better than factory, and excellent value in an
EVH style at just $179
- 1977 Ovation Viper, (pic2), this
are very cool guitars and one of the best values in vintage USA solid bodies.
The Viper is one of Ovation's less radical solidbodies, coming from the company
that produced whack-o models like the Breadwinner and Deacon. The Viper is
loosely based on a Les Paul style, featuring a single cutaway, large mass
Schaller bridge with brass saddles, huge radio-type knobs, and a pair of single
coil pickups, with the bridge pole pieces in a stair-step pattern.
This one also has a very nicely flamed maple neck (headstock&fretboard).
This guitar has seen its share of playing time with normal player's wear plus a
worn area on the arm area on the front, plus pickguard has a piece glued on (both
pictured here) but it does include a new pickguard that you can install if
desired. Again, the Viper is one of the best values in an extremely
well built American guitar, perfect for the player who's looking for his/her own
signature tone and look. Good player with cool tone and at $575, a good
deal on a 30-year old USA guitar. Includes original Ovation
case in rough shape.
- ca. 1964 Panaramic
Triple-Cutaway, (front/back), (headstock,
3-pc neck, low action), (bridge, pickup,
3rd cutaway). Very near museum condition - Italian design at its best.
It's been a while since I've had any cool old Italian guitars in stock, other
than a few vintage Vox's which are in a different category altogether. Vox
rose to great fame through some major artist endorsements, such as Paul Revere
and the Raiders, appearing daily on "Where the Action Is". While
Vox may have stolen the limelight, there were many other Italian brands, which
never got the publicity they deserved. Guitars such as this Panaramic,
made by the Crucianelli accordion company, which also made guitars bearing the
Vox, Elli-Sound, Elite, Tonemaster, etc., are very well crafted with quality
components and, inevitably, feature some cool innovation and/or pure wackiness.
This guitar sounds great, looks as cool as any Fender surf guitar from this era,
and the setup in absolutely incredible with remarkably low action and a
excellent neck. One of the quality features of this guitar is the neck
joint, which is so tight fitting it looks more like a set neck, as if you
could remove the screws and it would stay in place. A precision fit like
this is an indication of the overall quality craftsmanship on this guitar.
Controls are simple on/off sliders for "All, Treble, Bass, Off" with a
master volume and master tone. Good quality nickel tuners with nickel
buttons and treble clef engraved on the back, zero fret, 21 fret neck, near
immaculate sunburst finish that is close to Fender's Sienna Sunburst, with a
transparent yellow finish in the middle, with brown on the edge - neck and
headstock have the same sunburst finish, bound neck, bound headstock, raised
metal logo over headstock veneer. Overall this guitar is
exceptionally clean, especially for 40+ years with around 4 major check lines on
the back and a few smaller ones on front, but in terms of actual player's wear
this guitar looks like it was played for a month or two after the Beatles first
appearance on Ed Sullivan - and then put away in a closet, where it stayed until
last week. Remarkably, this guitar has action that rivals any high-end
guitar you'll find, with a perfectly straight neck, obviously, that will sustain
this type of setup. Fetishguitars.com has some great info on vintage
Italian guitars such as this Panaramic (link
to identical model), with loads more info including this page (click
here) dedicated to similar triple-cutaway models built under Panaramic,
Ellis Sound, Crucianelli, etc. definitely worth bookmarking it. This guitar is
obviously of interest to collector's of Italian or European vintage guitars but
I could see a player making this their main stage guitar and to that end you
would definitely break out from the masses of Fenders, Gibson, and their clones.
Fabulous guitar in all regards, better than nearly any Vox I've ever had, but
priced less. Just $599 for this beauty.
- 1999 Parker Fly Deluxe
- Majik Blue, (front/back), (headstock),
(case). Another killer Fly
Deluxe in Majik Blue - identical to the last ones I've had. Perhaps the
most innovative guitars in the past 20 years, and at just 5 lbs., these USA
Fly's are like no other guitar ever built. Although built 95% of wood, the
composite finish adds exceptional strength and allows the guitar to be extremely
thin, thus the light weight. Other features include custom wound DiMarzio
pickups, an Active Fishman Piezo system that's one of the best piezo systems
ever and specifically designed for the Fly, a 3-mode tremolo bridge (hardtail,
down bending, and full floating) that changes at the flick of a switch,
stainless steel frets that are impervious to wear, Sperzel locking tuners, and
super thin contoured body that fits the human frame like a glove. Output
jack is stereo/mono switchable via small red button beside jack. With the
button out signal is stereo and humbuckers and piezo can be routed to
separate amps - with button in, output is mono and with a standard cable both
signals are routed to the same amp. After a few year break Parkers are
back up and running but, of course, you'll still hear hype about
"original" Parkers being more desirable. They're as pricey as
ever, selling new for $2399 discounted price ($3199 list). This one's in
exceptionally nice condition, plays perfectly, and electronics are flawless -
for just $1579(HOLD-Greg H 8/24).
- 2005 Parker PM10 Hornet,
(front/back), (headstock).
The PM10 delivers the first new shape in the Parker line-up since the Parker Fly was first introduced
in the mid-90's and is basically the same silhouette as the USA Fly Mojo Single
Cut (shown here).
PM10 is a single cutaway design with a solid one-piece mahogany body and mahogany set
neck, outfitted with a pair of custom wound Parker Stinger Alnico humbuckers,
controlled by a 3-way selector plus push/pull pots
on both the volume and tone knobs. Other features include 25.5"
scale, 1.65" nut width, Ebony fretboard with nickel/silver frets,
10-13" compound radius neck, "fat" neck profile that's similar to
PRS wide-fat, and Grover tuners with 18:1 ratio. This is a lightweight
guitar at just 7 lbs. and is ergonomically and well-engineered guitar, perfect
for playing multiple sets with minimal fatigue. The set-up is fantastic
and it's one of the nicer guitars you'll find in the under $1K list price
range. With a list of $799, this model sells new for $559 and is one of
the better made imports at that price. This beautiful used one is just
$375 and includes a quality gigbag.
- 1983 Peavey T-30, (pic2),
(pic3). See the T-60 above some
background on the T-series. The T-30 is more of a scaled down model, with
simpler electronics and hardware, and an ash body with only a sealer coat.
The quality of construction however was as good as the T-60 and this is a well
made guitar and one of the biggest bargains on the used/vintage market.
Features a trio of single coil pickups with standard 5-way selector, master
volume, and master tone. The bridge is an effective but simple compensated
bar and like a Les Paul Jr. is adjustable forward and back - up and down.
Tuners are Klusons style Peavey "Truelock". It features a
tilt-adjust neck attachment to easily set the neck angle. It has a thin
and comfortable neck with an excellent setup and, as you might expect, very much
a Strat tone. Includes the original plastic
case and in my opinion a steal on a 24-year-old USA guitar at $399.
- 2002
Peavey EVH Wolfgang Custom Deluxe - Rosewood Board, (front/back),
(headstock), (figured
neck), (case),
(box).
Wolfgang's are some of the most collectable guitars in recent years,
destined to eventually follow the pattern of the Musicman EVH in my
opinion. For collectability, the four major considerations are rarity,
condition, condition, and condition. This beautiful Custom Deluxe
archtop hardtail features a very attractive flamed maple top, finished in
blue, which is much more rare than the common colors such as amber, red,
green, and sunburst. Another rare feature that you'll notice right
away, is the rosewood fretboard. Rosewood boards are as rare as hen's
teeth on Wolfies and they weren't even offered until the Wolfgang Custom
Shop opened in 2002. Rosewood wasn't stock for a Wolfgang so many
people believe that all R/W's are automatically custom shop guitars, in fact
the model name of this one, "Custom Deluxe" instead of
"Standard Deluxe" would indicate custom shop production. I
think the truth is actually that Ed didn't like the R/W board and refused to
allow Peavey to use it on production guitars. Peavey got around this
by producing them in the custom shop where it was agreed that customers
would be allowed to order rosewood board - or any other option they could
dream up (press
release). So is it a custom shop guitar? Well, yes and no, but I
don't think it was a custom order, rather just a Standard NT built with a
different fretboard. Regardless of what you call it, I have to think
that no more than 1% have this feature. In addition to the R/W
board, add to that nicely bookmatched blue maple stain and one of the most
attractive birdseye maple necks you'll find, and you've got a very rare
guitar. As far as condition, it can't get cleaner. The guitar is
virtually unplayed and includes similarly mint case with checklist, manual,
tools, etc., and even the original box. List price on a Custom Deluxe
started at $2399 and some are already fetching that, or more, between
collectors. This one is priced around what it cost new since,
essentially, its like a brand new guitar, and at that price feel free to
take it on the road as your #1 axe - or for a collector, stow it away and
wait for the years to go by. At $1799, I don't see how you can go
wrong, especially for a guitar that plays superbly and is definitely one of
the nicer sounding Wolfie's you'll hear. Note: I have a custom
shop special with graphic finish on my "Electrics"
page.
- 2000 Peavey EVH
Wolfgang Special TR FMT #215, (front/back),
(headstock/neck), (side/binding),
(case). The USA Special
FMT is my personal favorite of the Wolfgang series and 10X more rare than
flametop Standards. This Special TR (tremolo) FMT (flamed maple top) is the
model that most closely resembles the Musicman EVH from which it was derived -
with a flat figured maple top with maple binding rather than the carved top of
the Standard. This one's in very nice shape, with just a few light
scratches on the top in the clear coat only, no buckle scratches, and frets
are perfect. We steel wool'd the fretboard but left the back alone since
nothing beats the feel of a broken in natural finish neck. It's all
original except for added Dunlop strap pins. Frets are perfect and, of
course, it's a killer player with low action, no fret out, and trem stays in
tune through heavy dive bombs. Prices on Wolfgangs began to rise as soon
as Ed's contract with Peavey ended and many original owners have sold them for
more than they cost new. If you've priced the new Fender/EVH Wolfgang, its
no surprise that the Peavey models are getting good money. It's been my
prediction that the early quilt top Standards, and these maple top Specials are
going to be the hottest ticket in years to come. Throughout the years I've
gotten in around a dozen Standards for every Special Flametop. This one is
$899, $100's cheaper than a flametop Standard, although it's much, much more rare.
Includes original Peavey case, trem arm, and installed D-Tuna.
- 1999 Peavey EVH Wolfgang
Standard, (front/back), (headstock),
(fretboard), (case/acc.).
Beautiful world class axe and remaining a very hot ticket on the used guitar
market as an alternative to the pricey Musicman EVH. Quality control on
USA Wolfgangs is perhaps the highest I've seen on a regular production model and
I've yet to get in one that had any issues at all, with great necks that never
fail to deliver the ultimate perfect set up. This one is in beautiful
shape, owned only by two collectors, with no discernable flaws anywhere.
Neck is beautifully figured with plenty of birdseye that I would rate above
average figuring for this model. Flame is evenly figured left to right;
top to bottom. Frets are near perfect, 99%, and the setup is superb.
The "NT" (non-tremolo) models are an example of superb engineering,
with both the tailpiece and bridge recessed into the body for maximum transfer
of energy from the strings to the body. These guitars consistently rise on
the used market and you'll see a few Ebay dealers who specialize in Wolfgangs
relisting them until they get $1600-$1800 for a Wolfie like this. At
$1299, this one is priced less than it sold for new so in my book that's a
decent deal on a guitar that has shown consistent appreciation over the past 4
years. Includes original case, factory check-list, manual, polishing cloth, and
fretboard protector (not pictured).
- 2002 Peavey EVH Wolfgang
Special FMT TR, (pic2) (maple
binding). This is the only one of these I've ever seen, and it's just
been traded back in after a long absence. Very rare Special FMT in
*black*. At a quick glance you'll think it's just a regular Special but
the maple binding is a dead giveaway and this guitar in fact has a maple cap.
Offered in mint condition - even the unfinished maple neck is clean - and 100%
original except pickups were changed to Seymour Duncan Phat Cats, which are
P90's fit in a humbucker route - and then we changed back to EVH pickups,
although now with pickup rings. Also includes a white Tone knob and tip
(installed) EVH style, but the original black Vol knob and tip are in the case.
It sounds absolutely amazing, but I'm a big P90 fan. This is probably the
most rare EVH Special I've had and the new owner will be delighted - as if they
went back 6 years and bought a brand new guitar. At $1099, it's nicely
priced for a such a rare and pristine Wolfgang. Shown in this
pic with the Phat Cats installed as well as Wolfgang case, inspection sheet,
manual, etc. Offered with your choice of EVH or Phat Cat
pickups.
- 2001 Peavey EVH
Wolfgang Special TR FMT #931, (front/back),
(headstock), (trem),
(case). Another Amber FMT
Special! The USA Special
FMT is my personal favorite of the Wolfgang series and 10X more rare than
flametop Standards. This Special TR (tremolo) FMT (flamed maple top) is the
model that most closely resembles the Musicman EVH from which it was derived -
with a flat figured maple top with maple binding rather than the carved top of
the Standard. This one's in very nice shape with no noteworthy flaws,
overall an easy 9.5+. Fretboard has typical discoloration that we can steel
wool if desired but it feels best just like it is now. Like virtually all
of these, a killer player with low action, no fret out, and trem stays in
tune through heavy dive bombs. Prices on Wolfgangs began to rise as soon
as Ed's contract with Peavey ended and many original owners have sold them for
more than they cost new. If you've priced the new Fender/EVH Wolfgang, its
no surprise that the Peavey models are getting good money. It's been my
prediction that the early quilt top Standards, and these maple top Specials are
going to be the hottest ticket in years to come. Throughout the years I've
gotten in around a dozen Standards for every Special Flametop. This one is
$979 which is lower than a non-flametop hardtail Standard, although it's much, much more rare.
Includes original Peavey case, trem arm, installed D-Tuna, factory checklist,
manual, etc.
- 2002 Peavey EVH Wolfgang
Special TR (USA),
(front/back), (headstock),
(case). I've written so much
about Wolfgangs over the years that anything I say will simply be repeating
myself. Bottom line though is I've found them to be the most consistently
outstanding playing guitars made. They have a roundness to the back of the
neck that most players comment as a perfect fit to their hand. The tremolo
stays in tune perfectly, and the D-Tuna makes dropping down to a "D" a
cinch. I've probably had over 50 of them in the 13 years since they
were first released and I've had to have a mediocre one, or one that failed to
set up with outstanding action. So...here's another one. Finished in
gloss black in very nice shape overall with typical sight discoloration to the
unfinished neck and just a few very light milky spots on the edge; overall a
solid 9 condition. Frets near immaculate. Nice sustain, quality tone
on all 3 pickup settings and oddly enough, my favorite tone on these guitars is
the neck pickup with its rich tone and fatness that cover up some of the less
than stellar playing on my lead lines. If any Strat player ever wants to
venture out and asks my opinion of a dual humbucker guitar that costs less than
an American Standard, my first thought is always a Wolfgang. This one's
just $679 with Peavey case; $625(Tent. Hold - Tim 10/18) with gigbag.
- Peavey Wolfgang Special NT
with recessed straplocks, (front/back),
(headstock), (recessed
Dunlops). Not coming in as fast as in years past but I'm still finding
a few Wolfgangs from time to time. I've hyped them for years as what I
believe are the most consistent production guitars made. I've never had a
bad one and these Specials with flat top Basswood bodies are the best value as
you get the Wolfgang tone in what many believe are a more comfortable
guitar. Also, there's the simplicity of a single volume control with a
minimal circuit. Peavey and Ed designed this guitar very well, with the
bridge and tailpiece recessed into the body, right against the wood, which
provides better transfer of energy than sitting up on studs. This one's in
overall nice shape, around an 8.5 with one pretty cool mod - recessed Dunlop
strap locks (includes the "male" end as well). Set up to
perfection and just $650 with gigbag; $699 with Peavey case.
- 2002 Peavey Custom Shop
Wolfgang, (pic2), (pic3).
Here's one for the collectors, a one-off Custom Built, offered in pristine
condition. This actual guitar was featured on Peavey's web site as an
example of the variety of graphics their custom shop was capable of doing.
What immediately strikes you is the custom finish, blue and green stars on a
field of black but look closely and you'll also notice the fretboard...it's
Rosewood, which was another custom option that was featured on only a handful of
Wolfgangs. You'll be tempted to gig with this guitar since it's an
absolute killer player, but there's definite investment potential on Wolfgangs,
especially custom built models such as this. It's definitely the rarest
Wolfie I've had, among the 50 or so I've sold over the years and it would look
extremely cool under the stage lights. Be the only kid on the block - or
in the world - with this custom Stars finish. This is truly one for the
player who wants something that's truly unique, and it's priced
accordingly. $1699. Accessories
include Wolfgang case, fretboard protector, check list, manual, warranty,
tools.
- Peavey
EVH Wolfgang EXP, 2003, only the 2nd Exp model I've had and it's a great
guitar in it's own right. Beautiful quilted maple veneer top and the
rest of the Wolfie features you know and love including nicely rounded neck
with wheel adjustment at the base, double-locking Floyd licensed tremolo,
D-tuna, and great sounding Wolfgang humbuckers. This guitar is mint
and could be sold as new. Like all Wolfgangs, they've gone up almost
monthly since Eddie's contract expired and they had to quit making them, but
this beauty can be yours, with original Peavey
case, for just $650.
- Peavey
Raptor Strat copy, good quality Strat copy in nice shape, nice set-up
and highly recommended for a beginner - or skilled player who wants a good
playing 2nd guitar, $145.
- 2007 Reverend Manta Ray HB-FM, (front/back), (headstock),
(case). Reverend is famous for making great gear, whether it's guitars, amps, or effects, at remarkable prices. This is the first year run import model
which I understand is more highly sought after than the later models. It's
a semi-hollowbody, finished in Tobacco Sunburst, with a body built of solid mahogany
- no plywood on this guitar - including solid mahogany top, with a very
attractive flamed maple veneer. Other features include: Set
neck design with 1-piece mahogany neck with tilt-back headstock, 22 fret
rosewood fingerboard, pearloid dot inlays, 1-11/16" nut width, 24-3/4"
scale, Reverend's custom volume & tone, bass contour & 3-way toggle
switch, 2 calibrated Reverend covered humbucking pickups, Tuneomatic-style
bridge with stoptail, black pickguard, chrome hardware. Roughly speaking,
this guitar is Reverend's take on the original 335 Dot, but some enhancements
have been made which for many players make this a better playing guitar.
It's lightly beveled in the deep cutaways for easy access to the top frets, the
single F-hole design is more resistant to feedback, and the volume control,
mounted on the pickguard, is close enough to do volume swells with your pinky
finger. This guitar is nearly impervious to feedback, has a wonderful
tone, and superb playability. For full specs and a video/sound sample, click
here for Reverend's site. It's definitely one of the nicest
import semi-hollow's I've seen in terms of overall construction and
engineering. This Manta is flawless in all respects and with a new one
running $878, it's a sweet deal at just $599 and, again, is supposedly a better
guitar than the new models. Includes quality wood/tolex Reverend/TKL Canadian-made case.
- 2006 Schecter C1 Plus, (front/back),
(headstock), (side),
(string-thru body). We've been very
impressed with these higher-end Diamond Series and this is another of these
killer imports with drop dead looks, quality construction and parts, excellent
tone, and perfect setup. Features include Violin sunburst finish, flamed
maple top over Mahogany body, set neck design with mahogany neck, Abalone and
pearl "Vector" fretboard inlays, Grover tuners, Duncan Designed HB102
humbuckers controlled by volume and tone with push/pull pot for single
coil/humbucker tones, jumbo frets, Tonepros TOM bridge with strings thru body,
and cream binding all around - headstock, neck, and body. The top is
beautifully carved with a sharp arch, as well recessed knobs and switch.
This guitar feels, looks, and plays like a guitar that costs well over its list
price of $869. Sells new for $599 but this one has barely been played with
no discernable wear of any kind and is a smoking deal at $450 with a setup
that's guaranteed to please. Includes used gigbag - used C-1 case (pic
here) available for $39 in good condition other than one corner took a
hit and tape covers damage.
- Schecter C-1 Classic,
(front/back), (headstock),
(3/4 view), (vine
of life inlay). This is one stunning guitar. From the perfectly bookmatched flamed
maple top, to the flamed maple binding, to the intricate vine of life inlay, to
the gold hardware, it's a definite head turner. Thankfully Schecter
engineers quality components into their guitars so they're just not works of art
and this one has quality parts in addition to great cosmetics. Starting
with a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers, with a JB Bridge and SH-2N Jazz neck,
you're guaranteed quality tone and a good variety of tones as well.
Hardware is top notch as well, with a TonePros locking bridge and quality Grover
tuners in brushed gold. From a design aspect, it's made for excellent
sustain with a neck-thru design of Maple with Mahogany wings, strings-through
body for good string to wood transfer, and the area where the neck joins the
body is nicely beveled to make playing the upper frets a breeze. Other
features include 24 jumbo frets, slightly substantial maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard,
creme fretboard binding, 25-1/2" scale, and Schecter locking tuners.
I'm not sure what they call this finish but it's a dark tortoise shell, although
the official name might be Antique Amber. Regardless, it's stained in such
a way that the figured maple is very pronounced, which isn't always easy on
darker stains. For over 100 ratings where it scored an overall 9.4 out of
10, click
here for Harmony Central. This guitar plays superbly and sounds as
good as it plays. With the quality of the high-end Korean guitars, players
can finally get a top-notch guitar for well under a grand. A new C-1
Classic is running $799 without gigbag ($1119 list) but this one is virtually
flawless and a smoking deal for the intermediate to advanced player at just $599.
Includes used gigbag - used C-1 case (pic
here) available for $39 in good condition other than one corner took a
hit and tape covers damage.
-
2008 Schecter
Hellraiser C-1 FR and 2008 Schecter Classic C-1 - both new, old stock, and
immaculate. Schecter's high-end C-1 Series with upscale appointments like
quilted maple top, real Duncan pickups and Tonepros bridge (Classic) and EMG
Active 81/89 and Original Floyd Rose bridge (Hellraiser FR) - both are neck-thru
models with stunning Abalone appointments. Along with PRS and Brian Moore,
these are the finest Korean imports on the market in my opinion. If
purchased separately, the top-quality hardware and electronics alone on these
guitars would run you $400-$500. Details include:
-
Schecter Hellraiser
C-1 FR front/back, (headstock),
(2 push/pull knobs), (appointments/features).
A remarkable guitar in terms of features, playability, and looks, at an
incredible price. The C-1 FR Hellraiser features high-end EMG active
pickups (EMG81TW and EMG89), both with coil split via dual volume knobs; an
Original Floyd Rose tremolo with original Floyd locking nut; stunning
Abalone inlay along the entire edge of the top; Abalone bound headstock;
Abalone Gothic Cross inlays, black chrome hardware, neck-thru design with
"ultra access" design for easy playing to the top frets, 24 extra
jumbo frets, 25.5" scale, mahogany body with 3-piece mahogany
neck-thru. For a quality made Korean neck-thru, with top-quality
hardware and EMG's, the Hellraiser C-1 FR retails at a remarkable $1299,
currently clearance priced online at $899. Better still, this one has
never been retailed and is immaculate, with our killer in-house setup, for
just $729. Includes used gigbag - used C-1 case (pic
here) available for $39 in good condition other than one corner took a
hit and tape covers damage.
-
Schecter Classic
C-1 front/back, (headstock),
(inlay/close-up), (maple
binding). A remarkable guitar in terms of features,
playability, and drop dead good looks, at an incredible price. The C-1
Classic features *real* Seymour Duncan pickups (JB bridge, SH-2N Jazz neck),
5-way switching for a choice of humbucker and single coil tones, Tonepros
Tuneomatic TOM bridge; string-thru body tailpiece, black chrome hardware,
neck-thru design with "ultra access" design for easy playing to
the top frets, 24 extra jumbo frets, 25.5" scale, mahogany body with
quilted maple top in Blue Transparent, 3-piece mahogany neck-thru, maple
bound body edge, cream binding on neck, bound headstock, and most notably,
an intricate Abalone "Vine of Life" inlay running the entire
length of the fretboard. For a quality made Korean neck-thru, with
top-quality hardware and real Duncans, the Classic C-1 retails at a
remarkable $1119, currently clearance priced online at $749. Better
still, this one has never been retailed and is immaculate, with our killer
in-house setup, for just $599. Includes used gigbag - used C-1 case (pic
here) available for $39 in good condition other than one corner took a
hit and tape covers damage.
- Schecter
USA Custom Shop "Vargas Girl" Tempest, (front/back),
(headstock), 2003. Here's another
one for the discriminating collector - a one-off created for the 2003 NAMM Show
with a hand-painted masterpiece by Chris Compston featuring his rendition of the
Vargas Girl (close-up). The
original Vargas Girls rose to fame in WW-II as very risqué' (for the time)
pin-ups, serving as a morale booster for troops serving overseas. The
artist for which these type paintings have become synonymous, Alberto Vargas,
was never given the true credit he deserved. His pictures, taped to the
inside of countless lockers, or kept in shirt pockets and unfolded a thousand
times, served of a constant reminder to the troops of what they were fighting
for: freedom and beautiful women. Okay, on to the guitar...
Made in Schecter's Burbank CA Custom Shop so it's an impeccably made guitar in
its own right, and the fact that it was a NAMM show display model is further
assurance that it was checked out very closely before it was presented to
America's musical instrument dealers. Specs include: Solid Mahogany body
with TV finish, bolt-on 22-fret maple cap neck with jumbo frets - one piece with
NO scarf joint, 12" neck radius, 25.5" scale, Tempest 3/3 headstock
with Sperzel locking tuners, bone nut - 1.673", neck width -
2.032" at 12th fret and 2.193" at end of fingerboard, Wilkinson
bridge/tailpiece - adjustable, Seymour Duncan pickups - P-90-1B and 1N, and dual
volume with master tone. This is an excellent playing guitar with a very
meaty tone, without the usual noise level associated with P90's. Another
observation - the tone control on this guitar is very effective. Rather
than on/off, the way most tone controls seem to work, this one affects the tone
in a more dramatic fashion, with a differentiation in tone at every number tone
control changes at every I've always been a fan of the single wraparound
tailpiece, despite their usual shortcomings, because they are perfect for string
muting and just feels "right" with my right hand resting on it.
Unlike the old style wraparounds though, this one features intonatable 2/3rd
string and 4/5th strings, allowing for near perfect intonation. Offered in
immaculate condition, other than a few scratches on the pickguard which we can
probably buff out if desired. Includes Schecter certificate and hang-tag,
showing it's selling price as $3495 (shown
here). This is a cool find for the collector looking for the
truly unique, one of a kind guitars - but at this price - most players can
afford this and actual make it a working guitar. Just $1799 and includes
original Schecter/G&G custom-fit hardshell case (picture).
- Schecter Sunburst
PT w/Duncan,
excellent player and upgraded with a killer Duncan Hot
Rails bridge pickup. Has seen almost no playing time and the top is
very clean (some reflections in picture) and the only noteworthy flaw is a small
touch-up on the back edge (pic here).
This model is an evolution of the Tele style Schecter that Pete Townsend used to play
(thus the PT moniker) and is an excellent quality import Tele copy.
Set-up is superb and any Tele fan should be happy with this beauty. Just
$275 with gigbag.
- Schecter
Omen-6, 2001, Electric Blue, body very similar to my USA Sunset Classic
with sleek lines and carved top, features straight-ahead setup with dual
humbuckers, 3-way switch, tone, volume, stop-bar with tune-o-matic bridge,
mint condition with plastic still on back plate, quality Grover tuners,
looks-sound-plays great, looks identical to the ESP Ltd H-100 above, list
price in ’01 was $469 but this used one is perfect with nice setup and
just $225.
- Schecter Omen-6, another
Diamond Series and features the same body shape and headstock of the C1+ above,
in a scaled down, more basic model. Advertised as a great metal axe,
I can easily recommend this to any entry-level or intermediate metal head.
Excellent setup, good pickups, and killer looks in a gloss black with carved
top. With a list of $499, this one's like new but the price isn't - just
$239.
- Schecter PT, (pic2),
a classic in Schecter's history and a recent Diamond Series version of the
Tele-style made famous by Pete Townsend. Features a pair of Duncan
Designed humbuckers with coil tap tone pot, strings-thru-body design, bound
Alder body with gloss black finish, Grover tuners. Beautiful shape with no
notable flaws - looks good - sounds good - nice player all around. A nice
PT for $325(SOLD-Geoff P 10/1).
-
Silvertone Paul Stanley's - Kiss Fans: Life size Paul
Stanley Standup with his signature Silvertone guitars. Original dealer
display and great for you Kiss fans. $79
-
SILVERTONE PAUL STANLEY MODELS: KISS FANS and other Collectors: After years with Ibanez and later Washburn,
Paul Stanley has signed with Silvertone (dist by Samick) for manufacture of his
signature model guitars. I have a very
limited selection of the entire line of electrics which are two different
set-neck models and two bolt-ons. The bolt-on’s feature Agathis bodies with sculpted Maple necks, 14” flat radius
fretboard, dual high-output humbuckers, and die-cast tuners. The set-necks feature sculpted Mahogany
necks set into Agathis bodies, 14” flat radius fretboard, Grover tuners, and
Seymour Duncan-Designed humbuckers. I
wouldn’t waste your time—or mine—by posting them at normal store prices.
Very limited quantity so grab one
quick.
- 2003 Suhr Carved Archtop
Standard - solid Brazilian Neck, (sheer
beauty), (front/back), (headstock),
(neck), (solid
carved maple top). One of a kind Brazilian neck - with
no plans to ever produce another. Perhaps the must visually stunning Strat
style I've ever had but it's so much more than looks. This guitar has
remarkable sustain and it's so lively, you'll feel almost like you're playing a
thinline acoustic. As I've mentioned before, I consider Suhr guitars on
par with Fender Masterbuilt with impeccable craftsmanship and tone woods that
are always top notch. I've yet to have a Suhr that I considered only
an "excellent" guitar; they're simply in another league when compared
with regular custom shop and most other makers. Looks and craftsmanship
aside, there is still one aspect that sets this guitar apart from any other Suhr
ever built: the neck is solid Brazilian rosewood. Confirmed with
John Suhr that this is the ONLY solid Brazilian neck he ever made and, further,
there are no plans to attempt another. Initially 3 were built but the
other two never made it out of the shop for unknown reasons. Brazilian is
a fine tonewood, but importing ceased in 1969...forever. How much
difference does it make in tone? I personally think that it's a negligible
difference, at least to my ears but the vibe of this wood is undeniable.
Complete specs are here but, briefly,
they include mahogany body with incredibly flamed maple carved top in aged
cherry burst finish, 1-piece Brazilian neck with 60's C-shape profile and heavy
frets, 1.650" nut width, 10" to 14" compound radius, standard
tremolo with steel block, gold hardware including Sperzel tuners, no pickguard -
rear mounted controls, volume - tone - 3-way selector, side-mounted output jack,
Suhr DSV humbuckers (cream and zebra), scraped binding, f-hole, abalone inlay on
face and side dots, and abalone headstock logo. Includes G&G
custom form-fit case that hugs the body and support the neck the entire
length, dual combo locks, plus fretboard protector, dealer order form, and
manual. This guitar is of interest to the discriminating collector with a
fancy for one-of-a-kinds and, equally, guitars with exceptional tone and
playability. Again, this is the only Brazilian neck Suhr in existence and there
will likely never been another one made. As outfitted with these options,
this one-off is priced LESS than what you will pay for a new Carved Top Standard
with Brazilian fretboard only. Yours for $3800(HOLD-Carlo 10/20).
- Switch Stealth, (front/back),
(headstock), (detail).
Only the second Switch I've had and like the last one, very impressive guitar
for the money. Switch uses alternative materials in building their
guitars, namely a Vibracell® body and neck, which is a synthetic material that
has tonal properties that, to me, are extremely similar to wood. They're
not the first company to experiment and I remember the original Dan Armstrong Plexiglas
bodies as far back as the 60's. The Stealth, whether intentional or not,
has a vibe very much like a Parker, specifically, the Parker PM10 Hornet.
Features include a pair of Switch humbuckers, bi-level headstock with Grover
tuners, nicely beveled body - especially in the cutaway areas. The guitar
is also beveled around the entire body, providing a thin, comfortable edge,
contoured to a regular thickness toward the middle. Electronics are simple
with a volume, tone, and 3-way. Finish is a charcoal metallic. Nice
playing guitar with good tone and for a set-neck axe, a good value at
$239.
- 2009 TTM Guitars
Devastator, (front/back),
(headstock), (double-locking
trem), (bound body/neck).
A shredder's delight at a remarkable price. I don't know they do it, but
TTM imports their parts but then custom builds their guitars in the USA and puts
them out on the street at prices that are comparable to regular imports.
You can custom order any parts your heart desires - it all depends on how much
you want to spend. This guitar is stock with perhaps the top being the
only upgrade, but you can order this same guitar with Sperzel tuners, Wilkinson
trem, EMG's, etc. This model, and the brand in general, is aimed at hard
rockers - the harder the better - and the have a client list of some very big
name shedders. Beautiful looks, with a perfectly bookmatched quilted
maple veneer over a bound basswood body, it features a pair of very hot
humbuckers that actually sound very good, 5-way pickup selector, 24 medium jumbo
frets, bound maple neck with rosewood board, fretboard inlays that spell
D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-O-R, reverse headstock, and Wilkinson tuners. The fit and
finish on this guitar is excellent. Check out the neck fit (click
here), which is as tight as a set neck. You couldn't fit a cat hair between
the body and neck. Click
here for a few reviews from guitargearheads.com and for a good
YouTube demo, click here
to see a young dude absolutely wailing away on his Devastator. Is this
guitar as good as a USA Jackson? No, but it's 80% as good - and at
25% of the price. I would love to try out one of their more upgraded
models but for the money, you're not going to beat this for a very heavy metal
axe. Just $399 for a guitar that was actually built in America.
Amazing.
-
TTM SLAYER GUITARS: I just got in 3 models of some of the
best vintage style guitars I've seen for the money. They arrived with a
very good setup, the fit and finish is excellent, and they are made with quality
hardware and electronics including a Wilkinson vintage style tremolo with
"pop-in" trem arm and Allen-screw tightness adjustment, Sperzel USA
locking tuners, and TTM's own Palladium Series pickups. All of these are
HSS which gives you a very fat humbucker tone on position 5, or the traditional
Strat tones on positions 1-4. These are supposedly made in the USA but I
don't know the details. My take is that these are likely Korean bodies and
necks, assembled and perhaps finished in the USA but I don't know this to be a
fact. I only know that they bury all of the competition in the under-$500
price range AND these also come with a nice quality Canadian made case, instead
of a cheap-o Chinese case or flimsy gigbag. Right now I only have one of
each but depending on response, I might be getting in a freight shipment of
25-30 more pieces. Read more about the Slayer and TTM at TTM's
Site Here. Currently in stock are:
-
TTM Slayer Deluxe,
Olympic White with Rosewood Board, (front/back),
(headstock), (hardware),
(case). $399 with case.
-
TTM Slayer
Ultra, 3-tone Sunburst with gold hardware and Maple Board, (front/back),
(headstock), (hardware),
(case). $449 with
case.
-
TTM Slayer
QMT, Red Quilt top with Rosewood Board, (front/back),
(headstock), (hardware),
(case), (add'l
pic/top) $449 with case.
- Tokai Love Rock '59 Les Paul
Style, (front/back), (headstock).
2003 model which I believe is an ALS70. Although crafted in Korea, the
quality is unmistakable, much like the famed lawsuit "Love Rock"
model of the 70's. Very attractive flamed maple cap with just enough
figuring to be a real example of a 50's, finished in dark burst. Specs
during this era called for solid Alder rather than mahogany but looking
inside the cavity, this one appears to be mahogany, with a mahogany set
neck. Quality fretboard inlays that look much more like the originals
than most Epi's or other imports. All stock except upgraded with a
Duncan Zebra JB in the bridge. A especially nice player with a classic
Paul tone and I actually slightly prefer the stock neck humbucker to the JB,
as it has a very full tone with a singing quality that makes the guitar
sound huge. Neck profile is not a thin taper like a '60 Classic and is
slightly more substantial than a Les Paul Standard. This is a very
clean guitar, with a killer setup and tone, and an excellent value at $499
with gigbag.
- Tokyo Guitar Company (aka
Kent, Guyatone) Strat Style, (front/back),
(headstock), (pickups/switches.),
(scale/bridge). Looking for a
lightweight full scale guitar? This one is...4.8 lbs.! Although
there's no brand on the headstock it's most likely identical to a Guyatone or
Kent model, which were also made by Tokyo Guitar Co. This
pic shows a Guyatone along side this guitar where the only difference is the
Guyatone-branded one has dot inlays, smaller bridge/cover, and non-painted
headstock. Tokyo Guitars were one of the very first guitar builders in
Japan, and this one was probably made in the early 60's. Overall insanely
clean condition for 45 years old but it does have one finish chip on the back
edge and prior owner's i.d. engraved in numerous places (as
shown here) including neck plate and neck, pickguard, badge on back of
headstock, etc., most of which aren't very visible. This is a full scale
at 24", same as a Fender Jaguar and actually the overall vibe is not unlike
an early Jag with an exaggerated Fender headstock, two tall single coil pickups,
dual 3-position rocker switches, and an anodized metal pickguard. All
original except for knobs. Other features include string-retainer
tailpiece, plastic intonated fixed bridge, thumbprint inlays, dual single coil
pickups, dual volume and master tone, large bar string retainer on headstock,
sunburst finish including back of neck. This guitar plays great and, remarkably,
the electronics work fine. I think the rocker switches are: off, on
in-phase, on out-of-phase. It has a very cool tone and isn't overly
noisy. It has an extremely thin finish which we're guessing is
nitrocellulose. A great guitar if you're looking for a David Lindley type
tone or Teisco Del Ray vibe. Just a very lovely guitar that's totally
playable and a good example of a very early Japan electric. All this for
$175.
- U.S. Masters Vector,
(front/back), (headstock/neck),
(neck joint). Beautiful
blue quilt with incredibly figured neck. A little known secret in fine
American Guitars. U.S. Masters has been building quality guitars and
basses in Middleton, WI, for many years. Not just another builder of
cloned Strat or Les
Pauls, they have always designed guitars that were distinctly their own,
incorporating unique and practical innovations such as
their hand-fitted Captive Neck Joint and their Ever-Tru necks with Extended
Uniform Neck Profile and Contoured Flex Truss Rod, developments that
specifically enhance resonance, tuning, durability and playability as compared
with conventional designs. For hardtail fans,
it doesn't get better than this: Master's bridge, USA made, has the most contact with the body and allows for strings to run through the
body, with a large mass base plate mounted in the back of the guitar. This bridge is made
of quality metals for sound and durability, with polished stainless saddles
which are made correctly so that the height adjustment screws rest below the saddle so they do not stick into the palm of
your picking hand. The rest of the hardware is
top-notch as well, with Sperzel tuners, Dunlop strap lock pins, and little
details such as stainless steel jackplate that will never corrode and provides a
better ground than plating. Pickups are custom wound for Masters by
Bill Lawrence. The top is a thick slab
of nicely figured and bookmatched maple that's very pleasing to the eye and,
likewise, the fingerboard and neck are superbly figured as well. This is a
top quality guitar, immediately noticeable when you strum your first
chord. It's very warm sounding, but with nice clarity in the high end, and
the 5-way selector yields an excellent selection of single coil and humbucker
tone. With 14 year in business this is only the 4th 'Masters I've had and
without exception, each one has been a truly fine guitar. Includes a super deluxe Ritter gigbag (shown
here)
with 5 storage compartments on front alone, and very well padded. Click
here for specific info on these fine guitars, click
here for specs on this model, as well as price
list. This beauty is in near pristine condition, buffed out with any
fine scratches removed and a high gloss finish, with the only real flaw being a
miniscule finish touch up on the back edge, overall 9.8 condition. The Vector carries a $2500 list
price. I consider this a true bargain on the
boutique guitar market, nicely priced at $779(Hold - Gene S AU).
- VALLEY ARTS
!!!
The authenticity of the guitars below is without question. As many of you
know, my world-class luthier (the man who sets up the fine guitars we ship
out) is unquestionably one of the world's top authority on these guitars
as he was General Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing for VA until
the sale to Samick. These are true “hand-made” guitars and each
body was contoured, painstakingly, by hand. Check
out the tremolo cavities and the gentile slope on all edges – real works
of art. These are all the real deal VA's, built by the original VA
craftsmen and all original down to the last screw. VA
was the original “boutique” builder of solid body guitars and they used
only the best woods, electronics, and hardware. Other than the
M-Series, a fine guitar in its own right, these are all considered
"real deal" VA's, either built entirely before the sale to Samick,
or "transition" models which carry the same pedigree, but happened
to be one of the 400 or so guitars already in progress when the sale
occurred. These transition guitars have no Samick influence and bodies
and necks were built before the sale and they were completed by the same
pre-Samick employees. Transition era guitars are unremarkable except
to the uninformed. By all measures they are indistinguishable from the
earlier models and the ONLY difference is Samick had begun buying the
company. As months passed the actual turnover took place and then
you'll begin to see the Samick influence with easily recognizable features
such as the new "Studio City" logo and names like "California
Pro".
- Valley
Arts USA Custom Pro Bent T, (front/back),
(headstock),
(neck).
Trans red flame top that looks much more stunning in person and is better shown
in these close-up pics (neck
pocket) and (pickup
cavity). Serial 2029 placed it as a transition model, made by the old
VA employees with existing parts and signed by Mike on the neck,
body/neck/neckplate serials all match. The Bent T (as in "Tele) is a
Gibson scale with a 7/8 size body and a joy to play. With the small body
and featherweight 6 1/2 pounds, there's
absolutely no fatigue during long nights of gigging. Features include
nitro-finish Alder body with a nicely figured maple top that's "bent"
on the corner for comfort, exceptionally figured birdseye maple neck with a
thinner profile than most VA's plus a sleek Ebony fretboard. Other
features are Seymour Duncan pickups and gold hardware. Overall condition
is nice, around an 8.5, and the set-up is unbelievable. There are a few
scratches, not through the lacquer and as with all of these gold logo over red
headstocks, the lettering has bled into the red. This is an exceptional
guitar and, unlike later models, is truly hand-made. Priced at just $1399
with case, well below its new price . Letter of authenticity from former
Gen. Mgr. of Valley Arts USA included upon request.
- Valley Arts
USA Custom Pro
, (pic2), (pic3),
(pic4), Swamp Ash finished in Yellow and
verified to be the first Swamp Ash ever made by VA. Custom made to the
customer's specs, called a "Custom-Custom" by VA employees, easily
recognizable by the customer's name on the neckplate, in this case, one of
the VA employees. Serial 304. Features of this world-class
guitar are swamp ash body with nitro finish, Kahler Pro locking tremolo,
original Tom Anderson pickups (HN2+
and two SK1's) with individual 3-way selectors, each selectable as single
coil, off or double coil, which, doing some quick math, is at least 18
combinations. The last switch is an Anderson-inspired "blow" switch
for the bridge humbucker only - going straight to the output jack.
Fans of skinny necks will appreciate this as it has one of the thinnest
profiles of any guitar from this era I've ever felt. I believe the fretboard is probably
Brazilian rosewood as shown
here. This guitar is of definite interest to the collector by virtue
of its unique features, early lineage, and beautiful condition.
Includes
original case, Kahler manual, and VA fretboard protector (this idea was
later copied by other makers). An exceptional VA for
$2199. Letter of authenticity from former Gen. Mgr. of Valley Arts USA
included upon request.
- ca. 1990 Valley Arts Standard
Pro, (front/back),
(headstock), (tremolo).
Another REAL DEAL pre-Samick VA. Serial 0282, well before the sale to
Samick at serial #1014. This guitar has been played and, thus, might not
be of interest of collectors but it's still a killer player thanks to a neck
that's perfectly straight. Despite the fact that it's had at least one
fret dressing, it still sets up with low action and doesn't fret out on
bends. It has it's share of scratches, rubs, and dings (shown
here), but no cracks, just normal wear and tear. Note also in the
preceding picture, it has a green undercoat and since they did the Standard Pro
in this green, it's either a pro refin or just as likely repainted by the
factory before it shipped out. On a guitar of this age it's not possible
to tell the difference and since it's a player, it's pretty much a moot
point. As I've mentioned before, my man Martin was the International Sales
manager during the 80's and he is, without question, one of the world's
authority on VA's. The Standard Pro was VA's 7/8 size body with 24
3/4" scale - just a really fun guitar to play. The original run of 40 or so pieces had a natural
headstock and this one is from the next run which all had black
headstocks. Pickups are EMG 85 humbucker with a pair of EMG-SA's so you
get a good choice of humbucker and Stratty type tones, all crystal clear and
quiet. Tremolo is an excellent quality German-made Schaller, VA-stamped
Kahler, Licensed by Floyd (how's that for a long name?). Bottom line is
the Schaller Floyds are top quality and it stays in tune forever. VA didn't spare any expense in building
their guitars during this time, even on the lower end models such as the painted
Standard Pro's - which is reflected in the high selling price of $1595 15
years ago, with minimal discount from dealers. Again, the playability
of this guitar is fantastic, although with the action this low there's a bit of
string rattle. If preferred, we can raise the action to medium. If
you're especially finicky about your setups, it wouldn't hurt to invest $175 in
a pro refret but, again, it's very playable as is. One other
option: I happen to have an actual NOS VA Standard Pro neck. There's
no logo and the headstock is unpainted, but it's a real-deal pre-Samick Standard
Pro neck with a low serial number. Playability
and tone are excellent and the German Floyd Rose stays in tune perfectly.
In light of the very few pre-Samick VA's ever made this guitar does have some
historical significance but priced well within reach of the player at around 1/2
of it's price 20 years ago - just $850.
- Valley Arts USA
Custom Pro, (pic2), (pic3),
(pic4), black HH
configuration. Tom Anderson pickups, Wilkinson bridge, Grover locking
tuners, and feather weight swamp ash body - top notch guitar in all
regards. This VA was built after the sell-out in '92 but still a USA model
with the same specs and parts as the pre-sale models. These are some of
the best values on the used market, selling for well under their new price in
the early/mid 90's. This one is a killer player in very nice shape.
Looking under the guard I noted a few mods which indicate the pickup selector
had been a 3-way and was enlarged for a 5-way blade, the neck pickup route was
enlarged for a full-size humbucker, and it originally had a tone control.
Pickups are Tom Andersons with a H1 in the neck, an H2+ in the bridge, wired to
a 5-way selector for a good choice of humbucker and single coil tones.
Excellent feeling neck with a sealer coat only, 24 medium-jumbo frets, rosewood
board, Abalone dots, fairly flat radius, and a medium profile that's similar to
an American Series Strat. For the player looking for bang-for-the-buck,
this is a fantastic USA VA that sounds great, plays great, and looks great, and
a nice value in a USA guitar at just $850.
- Valley
Arts California Pro, (pic2), (pic3),
USA, very good quality Super Strat, with the sexy
contours VA was known for and shredder-approved features such as HSS pickups
and double-locking licensed Floyd Rose. Pickups have been upgraded a Gibson PAF humbucker in the bridge, and a pair of
Duncan 1/4 pounders in the middle and neck. This thing sounds GREAT,
plays great, and is in very clean shape with no major flaws anywhere and
barely any player's wear. Quality features include recessed back
cover, recessed output jack, hand-contoured body edges and tremolo route and
quality double-locking Floyd-licensed tremolo. There is considerable
confusion about this era in VA history. My main man Martin was with VA during the
sale to Samick and he states that these guitars were made in the exact same
Hollywood shop, by the same employees,
with the parts leftover from the pre-Samick days. The main distinction is
that Samick owned the company when this guitar was built but it is a genuine USA model,
but built after Samick bought the company. A VA in this nice condition, had
it been made before the sale to Samick, would be a $2K+ guitar today, but
because it was owned by different investors--and that's basically the
difference--it's a fraction of that price. Just $529 with a gigbag; $579
with hardshell case.
- Warmoth DIY
Special: Fender Strat Style
DIY Warmoth Strat -
Warmoth Body&Neck and all top notch
parts--all brand new--including everything you'll need down to the last
screw. Warmoth Body (pic) is
Swamp Ash with nicely flamed koa top, routed for dual hums and 2-point fulcrum
tremolo. Neck (pic) is Warmoth's
Conversion Neck, which can be used on any body which will automatically be
"converted" to Gibson scale (24 3/4"). You'll notice better
ease of play, more dramatic bends, and difficult chord shapes are easier to
finger. You'll also notice an unusual headstock, originally a Strat, but
at the request of the owner Martin carved it down to be something truly
unique. For the remaining components (click
to enlarge) you have a pair of DiMarzio's (PAF Pro and Steve's Special),
Wilkinson fulcrum tremolo, and choice of Sperzel locking or Steinberger
"Banjo" type tuners - plus every other part needed to complete the
project including stacked CTS pots with stacked knobs so you can have dual
volume and tone with just two pots for a cleaner look, control plate, tremolo
cavity plate, neckplate with plastic base, humbucker rings, 5-way switch, and
football output jack. Not shown but included are all the little screws
you'll need to complete the project. Original owner had this entire
project designed and over the course of a few months assembled all the
parts. By the time he had assembled all the parts, his interest had
changed and he sold this entire "kit" to finance his new guitar.
If you have the mechanical ability of the average 12-year-old, and some simple
soldering skills, this will be an easy project to complete and in the end you'll
have one extremely nice, high-end guitar. He has over $1200 invested in
these parts and this is a steal at $699. If you really want to go over the
top, substitute with this Trilogy Bridge by Hipshot TMB3
for just $125 more.
- Washburn
Dime 32 Camo, signature model 2004,
for the late, great Dimebag Darrell (RIP) and features Limited Edition Camo
finish, strings thru body tuning, good quality Washburn WB630 pickups,
Grover 18:1 tuners, and jumbo frets. This isn't your $2K custom shop
model but for the price, it's an excellent playing guitar with nice tone and
solid Metal vibe - a nice tribute to Dime for a nice price. List was $599 on
these but this one is like new and includes original Camo padded
gigbag for just $325.
- Washburn KC-70V, excellent
quality rock/metal axe with all the necessary features from the metal days
including an excellent quality licensed Floyd Rose,
thin profile with flat fretboard radius, HSS Washburn pickups, volume and tone
with push/pull pot, and 5-way selector. The body is extremely comfortable
with contours in the cutaways to allow easier access to the upper frets.
Setup is great, with the low action these guitars are famous for, stays in tune
perfectly during whammying, and the tone is rock solid. This model got
incredible reviews on Harmony Central (click here), where it scored an
impressive 9.3 overall rating. Not a cheap guitar back in the day and when
you play it you'll note the quality. This one's not clean enough for the
collector with some paint touch up's here and there, but the frets are perfect
and it's seen little actual playing time I would guess. A nice axe for
just $325.
- 1998 Washburn Paul Stanley
Signature PS500, (pic2), (pic3).
Has its roots going back to Paul's Ibanez Iceman series, with the same body
style and similar headstock and tailpiece. It was a very radical design
when it came out in the 70's but despite the looks it is a very well balanced
guitar that hangs very comfortably, and allows extremely easy access to the top
frets. The PS500 is a set-neck guitar that's bound
on every edge - body, neck, and headstock. The "star"
tailpiece seems to work well in transferring energy to the body and the
humbuckers sound good. Quality Grover tuners keep it in tune nicely.
One thing that must be mentioned is the quality of this
case. It's your usual higher quality case with tolex covering and
white piping, with a form-fit interior that hugs the body all around but most
notably, it's the heaviest case I think I've ever had. The case alone
weighs over 22 lbs., which is the weight of many of the boxed guitars we ship
out, including guitar, case, box, and packing material. The wood must be
twice the density of a standard G&G case. Suffice it to say it
provides excellent protection. This guitar is exceptionally clean, plays
fantastic, and is a nice choice for the Paul Stanley or Kiss fan, or anyone who
wants a quality set neck for a nice price. List price was $1249 - this
beautiful barey used one, $599. Includes original form-fit
case.
- 1993 Washburn Steve Stevens
SS-40, (pic2), (pic3).
This is a pretty cool signature model, and the only guitar I can recall with
dual slanted humbuckers - sort of like the Baretta idea with a slanted bridge
pickup and single volume pot - but with an additional slanted neck pickup and
3-way selector. Factory original non-covered trem cavity (pic)
so no holes are present. Rather elegant look with gloss black finish and
gold hardware which is good quality with a double-locking licensed Floyd Rose (pic)
and Grover tuners. This guitar is being sold "as is" and could
really use a new neck. We've tightened the truss rod all the way and the
action is still quite high in the middle. It's actually at a height that a
few players like but higher than 98% of my customers would be happy with.
Use the parts and build your own Super Strat - or simply get another neck and
you're up and running. Was $350 - marked down on "as is" sale to
$199(Tent. Hold - Jeff T 1/13).
- 80's Washburn G-IV Baretta Style,
(pic2), (pic3),
(accessories included). Borrowing
from the insanely popular Kramer Baretta, Washburn got onboard with this model,
with defining features such as single bridge humbucker and single knob (volume
control), 6/side pointy/angled headstock, black headstock veneer, and Floyd Rose
licensed tremolo (pic). A few
upgrades on this guitar including DiMarzio Tone Zone pickup (original will be
included) and Dunlop strap lock system including strap. The Kahler-style
locking nut is included but, as shown in the pics, isn't required since this
model has the Kahler-style nut/locking nut combination. We will install it
at no cost if the new owner wants it installed. This guitar is in really
nice shape with no major flaws. Body will be buffed out prior to shipping
and will shine like new. Speaking of the body, it's a smaller (aka Dinky)
size, around 7/8 of a standard Strat style. The setup on this guitar is
fantastic, easily on par with the higher end shred guitars from this era, with
low action at the nut - all the way to the top frets. With this DiMarzio
installed, this axe has a screaming lead tone that cleans up when you back off
the volume a bit, making it more versatile than you might expect from a single
humbucker guitar. Includes original gigbag and other accessories pictured
and is an excellent quality guitar for a modest price, $229.
- Windsong Les Paul Copy, WSLP-300, excellent quality Korean and
made in the same factory as Epiphone. Most of you may not be familiar with
Windsong, but a local store is the sole importer of them and they offer
classic Gibson styles, built with the quality of an Epi (which today is very
good indeed) at a very nice price. There are slight differences in the
silhouette, mainly the headstock and cutaway are slightly different - but all
cosmetic features such as binding and inlays - and all electronics - are exactly
the same and, in fact, are made by the same hands as Epi craftsmen. Click
here for a link
for specs. I sell mint Epi LP flametops $350-$399 and I consider them
a good value for the money - but this guitar is 100% as good, dead mint, and has
an absolute killer setup, for just $299.
- Yamaha
RGS-121, very good quality starter guitar and highly recommend for
players who like low action. Action low at the nut and stays low all
the way up the neck. Good selection of single coil and humbucker tones
with some pretty authentic Strat tones in positions 2 and 4. Headstock logo was removed but is otherwise original and in very nice shape.
Set up and ready to ship and priced like a beginner guitar, but it
definitely plays better than your average starter guitar. Nice axe for
just $99. If you want to get goofy, we can install a logo for $20 or
so but we don't have any Yamaha logo's so it would have to be a different
brand.
- 1980 Yamaha Studio Lord
SL500S, (front/back), (headstock),
(Pleather Bag). Excellent
quality Les Paul copy from the fine Nippon Gakki factory. In case
there's any doubt as to which guitar it was copying, you'll notice the
"Studio Lord" is written in a script that's a dead ringer for
"Les Paul Model." Yamaha made the Studio Lord series both as a
lower-end bolt-on neck - or higher end models such as this set-neck SL500S,
which also features the requisite maple cap/mahogany body. 1980 was right
in the middle of the golden era of Japan copies and brands such as Yamaha,
Greco, Edwards, Burny, Ibanez, Fernandes, and others, were building guitars that
were on par with, and many would argue, better than, their American
counterparts, . Overall very nice shape, especially for 28 years.
The only non-original aspect appears to be two filled holes where the strap pin
has been relocated (pic).
Includes brown "pleather" gigbag which is original equipment for most
Japan guitars from this era. This is an absolutely killer playing guitar
with insanely low action (shown at 12th
fret), good quality pickups, quality hardware, and excellent fit
& finish. Compare this to a Gibson from the same era and this Studio
Lord is a bargain at 1/3 the price - but equal in quality. Just $650 for
this golden era Gakki model.
- 2006 Zemaitis GZV300 Flying
V, (front/back), (headstock),
(bridge/tailpiece), (case/acc.),
(cert.). The ultimate in killer
looks in a V-style guitar. Tony Zemaitis was a guitar building legend,
working alone in his London shop. Although Tony is no longer with us, his
spirit most definitely is, in the form of Zemaitis Japan, the company that
bought the Zemaitis name after Tony’s passing and Greco has been making
high-quality guitars that offer the same unique character as Tony's
originals. Features include 2-Piece Mahogany body, 1-Piece Mahogany neck, Ebony fretboard, 25" scale, Schaller M6 tuners, DiMarzio pickups
(PAF Pro neck and bridge), GZ-BR Zemaitis Original Solid Duralumin Bridge, GZ-TP2 Zemaitis Original Solid Duralumin tailpiece.
It's hard to find any of the new Zemaitis guitars here in the states but if you
can find a GZV300 it's going to cost over $2800. This one is immaculate,
with no waiting time, and nicely priced at just $2199. Includes original
case, certificate, and all paperwork. For full specs, click
here for Zemaitis' site.
