Your main guitar and its story.

jd0272

Yellow one

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/jd0272/IMG_6329_zps0d732059.jpg

John at JXG made it for me. Big neck, made proper, crushing guitar, hugely versatile despite appearances. 

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/jd0272/Gitfiddles/IMG_3555_zps630b919d.jpg

Then the Esquire. CS '59 Relic. Got it for £1400 used. Somewhat more battered now and a Blackguard. Less chunky neck and a Piledriver pickup. Keeper. Rocks.

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/jd0272/Gitfiddles/IMG_4251_zps2da55201.jpg

Home-made bakelite guard.

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/jd0272/Gitfiddles/Gretsch6128T1957Reissue015.jpg

Then the 6128-57 TV, which I never really use/used until we added slide filled tracks (recently), so it's now me slide go-to. It's simply effortlessly pretty however    

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/jd0272/Gitfiddles/R6018.jpg

Then that 'un, '93 Pre-Histroric R6/1960. Was my main gitfiddle until the Yellow One was made. Got that for a song from Ebayer Meestursparkle in Japan. Superb guitar, been on fire, headstock break'd, refinished top, Shed Zeppelin's in it, wonderful. Neck's too thin tho for me.

jd0272

Sorry!!! No real 'story' per se other than buying stuff I want. Other than the Jnr which was to my spec, old wood, Braz board, requested pickup and wraptail/studs, and kicked in finish. And birthday serial number. 

koneguitarist

I am not sure you have the idea about your "main" guitar, nice guitars though. Which is the main one ?

jd0272

koneguitarist said:

I think Rickenbackers are like an Alfa Romeo they do look completely different to any other guitar, a class of its own. Part of me would like one, knowing full well I will almost certainly get rid of it within days. Looks exotic though.

I'd LOVE a black Ricky ala Pete Buck style, but the boards seem to be too damn light in colour, and I hate that. Saves me a bit of dosh mind you so perhaps that's a good thing. And a Wife Headache.

Gassage

Not quite the easiest to play, but a flat fretboard, lovely thick deep neck with loads of flame and the best seperation I've ever had on my guitars....SSL1C and 2 red dot CS pups.....

1996 Custom Shop Cunetto finished, 1956 RI Mary Kay masterbuilt by J. W. Black.

I went to the CS in 1996, courtesy of Kent Armstrong who I knew quite well. he intro'ed me to Jay. Jay took me around CS (on his skates!) and showed me the new relics. I ordered one there and then but, because of Fender's policy, had to buy it via Musical Exchanges (sadly defunct now). I asked for it to be very heavily reliced as above, and Jay built it for me- it's signed in pencil in both the neck pocket and the neck heel but standard FCS logo on back of head.

It's pretty much as I got it, save for it has a 'real' 1954 backplate on the trem cavity (I just found it somewhere, honestly can't recall where) and it has a replacement SSL1C bridge pup and a shorter trem.

It's been gigged, abused and used. I played the Le Mans 24 hour race once and we played for as long as we could. At the end I knew every scratch in the neck!

One interesting feature is they 'aged' the tweed case, which was the original intention for the relics but never happened due to cost.

it's let me down once- severing a b string in twain during the opening bends to the CNumb outro solo......

You can hear it here:

meltedbuzzbox

I have just moved on to this, I loved the tone and the looks of a JM so I took a blind punt on a guitar from Ishibashi.

Love it. Pickguard has been changed to white, pickups are mojos and the all important witch hats have been installed too 

My previous number one was an Ibanez RG470. Its battered and has had all its electrics replaced.

It has been played so much I have managed to work through the poly finish on the back of the neck and it has grey spots.  

Its on loan at the moment but I will get some pics up of it at some point 

jd0272

koneguitarist said:

I am not sure you have the idea about your "main" guitar, nice guitars though. Which is the main one ?

In order of appearance chap. Thus Yellow first. 

jd0272

As often use different ones for different things per gig. But main one the rep'. Feedback/squealing allowing tho.

Gassage

Have a wow. Kindly post further way from my guitars in future though.

jd0272

Gassage said:

Not quite the easiest to play, but a flat fretboard, lovely thick deep neck with loads of flame and the best seperation I've ever had on my guitars....SSL1C and 2 red dot CS pups.....

1996 Custom Shop Cunetto finished, masterbuilt by J. W. Black.

I went to the CS in 1996, courtesy of Kent Armstrong who I knew quite well. he intro'ed me to Jay. Jay took me around CS (on his skates!) and showed me the new relics. I ordered one there and then but, because of Fender's policy, had to buy it via Musical Exchanges (sadly defunct now). I asked for it to be very heavily reliced as above, and Jay built it for me- it's signed in pencil in both the neck pocket and the neck heel but standard FCS logo on back of head.

It's pretty much as I got it, save for it has a 'real' 1954 backplate on the trem cavity (I just found it somewhere, honestly can't recall where) and it has a replacement SSL1C bridge pup and a shorter trem.

It's been gigged, abused and used. I played the Le Mans 24 hour race once and we played for as long as we could. At the end I knew every scratch in the neck!

One interesting feature is they 'aged' the tweed case, which was the original intention for the relics but never happened due to cost.

it's let me down once- severing a b string in twain during the opening bends to the CNumb outro solo......

Just gorgeous matey! Want. (Wallet's otherwise engaged tho  ). Sit just nice with my Esquire that would.

Do tell re; Le Mans tho..... Go on.

Gassage

Le Mans....this is rather plutocratic....I was playing in a covers band put together by Porsche GB. It was called Suzy and the Boxsters (groan!)

Learned 40 'driving type' songs (about 20 of them Eagles fucking songs as our drummer was Don Henley's number one fan- being absolute renegades we even changed the words to Take It Easy to "It's a girl my lord, In a flat six Porsche" and other such cliched tomfoolery) and played them almost on a revolving basis. I think we did 3 hours straight x 2 with a 30 min ciggie break!!

viz

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab217/Vizzage/Gear/image_zps3c3b682e.jpg

These were made by the South African luthier Kerry Callaghan. He became very well known in South Africa's guitar-playing community in the 80s and 90s and was renowned for his meticulous workmanship and perfectionism. He spent 6 months on each guitar and rarely had more than 2 or 3 on the go at any time.

He made 27 guitars of which quite a few were bought by notable players. The one on the right is number 27, the last one he made before his workshop was destroyed and he packed it in. He originally made it in 1993 for Mike de Jager with whom I played in a duo called Double-Whammy in various dangerous lesbian and gun-totin' bars. I didn't have a guitar with me out in South Africa so I used his Callaghan 27. I absolutely fell in love with it and after 18 months of me imploring him, Mike sold it to me.

I brought it back to England and decided to hunt down all 27 guitars and make a fb page devoted to them. I managed to track down the elusive Kerry who helped me. Many guitars had been stolen, destroyed, burned or traded, so it took a while. After a year, we'd found 26 of them, but we just couldn't locate number 23. Then after another year or so, I found it. It was under a bed in spain, waterlogged and ruined. I was utterly delighted. I bought it off the guy for the cost of shipping, had it brought over and restored it. Now it's as good as new and will last longer than me. It's the one on the left.

Kerry still owns number 26, and his son David owns number 25. Interesting story about David. When he was 16, there was a competition/event held in Durban called 'Guitars for Africa'. All the best jazz and rock guitarists performed, including at least 2 Callaghan owners. Kerry pleaded with the organisers to let his son have a spot, telling them that David was simply the best guitarist they were likely to see, ever. And they said yes he could play a song even though he wasn't officially on the list. But as the event went on, it got later and later and more and more behind schedule, and David was sitting in the corner backstage looking more and more dejected. Kerry pleaded with the organisers but they said there'd be no time. Kerry asked if he could at least play in the interval. So they let him, and he played Paganini's Caprice number 24. Everyone had gone to the bar but they rushed back to the auditorium to watch this kid with a bright yellow guitar playing this solo piece, note perfect at breakneck speed. And when the voting happened at the end, he won the first prize even though he wasn't officially part of it. And so they asked him to play it again as an encore to finish the night off. So he did, but this time he played it with his left hand over the top of the fretboard.

Gassage

Didn't Ray Pirrie have one of those?

jd0272

Gassage said:

Le Mans....this is rather plutocratic....I was playing in a covers band put together by Porsche GB. It was called Suzy and the Boxsters (groan!)

Learned 40 'driving type' songs (about 20 of them Eagles fucking songs as our drummer was Don Henley's number one fan) and played them almost on a revolving basis. I think we did 3 hours straight x 2 with a 30 min ciggie break!!

Ah! Still, it's gotta have been a bit better than playing the Sh*te and Wa*k in the middle of flamin' nowhere town!!!! And nobody to comment on the mistakes!!! Bargain.

koneguitarist

jd0272 said:

koneguitarist said:

I am not sure you have the idea about your "main" guitar, nice guitars though. Which is the main one ?

In order of appearance chap. Thus Yellow first. 

Ah I see said the blind man !

Gassage

We didn't get paid for it but we got the trip and week free from PCGB which was lovely.

Because it's an intense time, we got a few people come and see us and said we were OK (until the drummer, as was his custom, murdered Desperado time after time in tearful dedication to his missus).

the only bad thing was a guy called Henry, who is a tool of the highest order and owns 911Virgin.com a used specialist, getting very pissed in front of us and getting a little lary and being removed from the 'venue'.

I'm still in touch with Suzie as she's a great singer and a lovely lady. She sells airport security systems and is minted.

viz

Gassage said:

Didn't Ray Pirrie have one of those?

Phiri from the cannibals? Might well have bought one - I don't think Kerry made one for him specifically.

jd0272

koneguitarist said:

jd0272 said:

koneguitarist said:

I am not sure you have the idea about your "main" guitar, nice guitars though. Which is the main one ?

In order of appearance chap. Thus Yellow first. 

Ah I see said the blind man !

BUT, has anyone actually seen him saying it? Hmmmmm............

jd0272

@Gassage drummerist murdered Desperado for the Mrs, love it!!!

I'm sorry to hear Henry was a cock tho, nearly (several years ago pre-wedlock/jam eaters, advertised in AutoMarques if I recall?) bought a C4S from him, seemed 'canny' online. Pesky interweb.

Gassage

jd0272 said:

@Gassage drummerist murdered Desperado for the Mrs, love it!!!

I'm sorry to hear Henry was a cock tho, nearly (several years ago pre-wedlock/jam eaters, advertised in AutoMarques if I recall?) bought a C4S from him, seemed 'canny' online. Pesky interweb.

He's pretty much hated in the Porsche world for his bullshit sales antics and basically illegal pricing methods (selling without statutory 3 month warranty.) Cridfords are a much safer bet.