More Nostalgia - Guitarist Magazine Feb1995

guitars4you

So had a look at an issue of Guitarist in Feb 1995 so a few comments below

Review and/or ads

Redwing Guitars - Anyone remember them - Patrick Eggle had an involvement in this - If I recall he acquired parts and assembled them 

Phil Norsworthy Custom Built Guitars - Sorry but can't recall him/them

5 pages of readers ads - How e-bay, gum tree etc has killed this

9 pages of the small classified ads in the rear of the mag - Including my former business Mark Hopkin Guitar Gallery in Derby - I had a used Ricky 330/12 listed at £899 and a used/1976 LP Deluxe listed at £850

guitars4you

So what about these dealers - all with adverts in that issue yet all have now dissapeared

Tempo  -  Chandlers  -  Ivor Marriants  - Machine Head Music -- Eddie Moors  -  Sheehans  -  Holiday Music (although aren't they now effectively one of the mail order strings businesses  ?  - Scheeres  -  Rock around the clock in London  - Percy Priors  - Tiger Music  -  Zebra Music (might be still in business)  - Sounds Great  - Fat Ricks Guitar Emporium  -  Acoustic Centre and Bass Centre  -  Sound Control  - Academy of Sound  -  MM Music  -  Soho Soundhouse  -  John Clover Music in Birmingham  -  Humbucker  -  Herford Music Centre  -  JC's Guitar Workshop in Newcastle  -  Mark's in Ipswich  -  Project Music in Hounslow (think now in the SW of the country)  -  Kingfisher  -  ABC Music  - London Rock Shop  -  Rea Sound  -  Bang on Music in Brum  -  Electro Music  -  Whirligig Music  -  Eric Lindsay  - Axe Mail  -  Monkey Biz (partly morphed into PMT)  

guitars4you

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies - I bet @HarrySeven recalls these and has parts in his collection

Seen a review for Retrotec amps - can't recall them at all - Looks a bit like a Sessionette 75

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:

Redwing Guitars - Anyone remember them - Patrick Eggle had an involvement in this - If I recall he acquired parts and assembled them 

I'd completely forgotten them, but as soon as I read the name I remembered what they looked like - Strat and Tele style, but with a rounder body and shorter horns - a little bit like a Starfield, but offset.

guitars4you said:

Phil Norsworthy Custom Built Guitars - Sorry but can't recall him/them

I can't remember his guitars, but continuing the Eggle theme, he was one of the succession of people who became head designer at Patrick Eggle Guitars after PJE left.  Not sure if that was before or after they hooked up with Levinson-Blade.

guitars4you

Philly_Q said:

guitars4you said:

Redwing Guitars - Anyone remember them - Patrick Eggle had an involvement in this - If I recall he acquired parts and assembled them 

I'd completely forgotten them, but as soon as I read the name I remembered what they looked like - Strat and Tele style, but with a rounder body and shorter horns - a little bit like a Starfield, but offset.

guitars4you said:

Phil Norsworthy Custom Built Guitars - Sorry but can't recall him/them

I can't remember his guitars, but continuing the Eggle theme, he was one of the people who became head designer at Patrick Eggle Guitars after PJE left.  Not sure if that was before or after they hooked up with Levinson-Blade.

I didn't know about Phil and Eggle

Ref Redwing - I had a couple in stock back in the day - Pick-ups were hand built in the UK - Think from the SW area but can't recall name - Think he died a few years ago - Not sure if PJE actually built the bodies on these, but somehow recall he assembled the guitars from parts and even somehow recall maybe 'assembled' in California - It was a fairly short project - Yes I had a couple of Straty based models and not the hybrid version

WezV

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies - I bet @HarrySeven recalls these and has parts in his collection

Seen a review for Retrotec amps - can't recall them at all - Looks a bit like a Sessionette 75

I got my first telecaster kit from them, as well as a bunch of old random parts.

The kit actually had a really nice body and neck.

guitars4you

WezV said:

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies - I bet @HarrySeven recalls these and has parts in his collection

Seen a review for Retrotec amps - can't recall them at all - Looks a bit like a Sessionette 75

I got my first telecaster kit from them, as well as a bunch of old random parts.

The kit actually had a really nice body and neck.

recall the ads and they always looked cool - But don't think I've ever played any assembled parts o caster etc 

Redlester

Nice one. Love these threads. 

Yes, I have a feeling holiday music are still going as you describe. 

ABC Music had stores in SW London/ Surrey, but a quick google suggests they’ve closed now. They had a branch in Kew down from Chandlers. Both gone now. 

West London had its shops too- Flying Pig, Unplugged, and my fave Peter Cooks. 

Readers’ ads- how times have changed. The classifieds always were a big feature of those mags. 

Any interviews of note in that mag? Interesting to see that they had gear on the cover by 95. In the earlier  days of Guitarist it was always a player (see previous ‘Larry Carlton’s jumper’ thread!). 

guitars4you

Redlester said:

Nice one. Love these threads. 

Yes, I have a feeling holiday music are still going as you describe. 

ABC Music had stores in SW London/ Surrey, but a quick google suggests they’ve closed now. They had a branch in Kew down from Chandlers. Both gone now. 

West London had its shops too- Flying Pig, Unplugged, and my fave Peter Cooks. 

Readers’ ads- how times have changed. The classifieds always were a big feature of those mags. 

Any interviews of note in that mag? Interesting to see that they had gear on the cover by 95. In the earlier  days of Guitarist it was always a player (see previous ‘Larry Carlton’s jumper’ thread!). 

ABC had a few stores in the day - Similar of a 'clean' store like Dawson's, so more mums 'n' pops and less rock - But a big name in the day - Think they had a main branch in Esher

Didn't Flying Pig come out of Tempo ???? - Somehow recall a connection

The kiss of death for Readers Ad was the time scale - You'd place the ad and wait 2-3 months to get a listing - Even the early days of WWW etc kick this option to death - Then add lack of detail and pics - So like Loot and other ad mags it quickly went to the scrap yard

March

Hereford Music Centre became Leominster Music Centre and sort of lives on (Derrick has run them all) as NiLam music (which stands for "Not In Leminster Any More"!).

impmann

Monkey Biz Music... more accurately put out of business by Si and Terry by starting PMT in direct competition.

I used to work at the Bexleyheath store that morphed into Trademart Music after Monkey Biz went belly up.

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:
Didn't Flying Pig come out of Tempo ???? - Somehow recall a connection

Yes, I think they were connected - or maybe I just always get the two mixed up.  I bought a Strat Plus Deluxe (from one or other of them!) around 1989 and the shop owner/manager actually drove to my house and delivered it personally!

Collings

guitars4you said:

Ref Redwing - I had a couple in stock back in the day - Pick-ups were hand built in the UK - Think from the SW area but can't recall name - Think he died a few years ago 

Pickups were David White on some I believe. Eggle also used David white pickups and the LA Classic 22 model. Very well regarded pickups. You are correct David passed away a few years ago.

impmann

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies - I bet @HarrySeven recalls these and has parts in his collection

I had quite a lot of their Hayman parts!

Henrytwang

Collings said:

guitars4you said:

Ref Redwing - I had a couple in stock back in the day - Pick-ups were hand built in the UK - Think from the SW area but can't recall name - Think he died a few years ago 

Pickups were David White on some I believe. Eggle also used David white pickups and the LA Classic 22 model. Very well regarded pickups. You are correct David passed away a few years ago.

I bought a set of David White “Old Glories” in around 1995. They’re great Stratocaster pickups and I’m still using them.

Dodge

Henrytwang said:

Collings said:

guitars4you said:

Ref Redwing - I had a couple in stock back in the day - Pick-ups were hand built in the UK - Think from the SW area but can't recall name - Think he died a few years ago 

Pickups were David White on some I believe. Eggle also used David white pickups and the LA Classic 22 model. Very well regarded pickups. You are correct David passed away a few years ago.

I bought a set of David White “Old Glories” in around 1995. They’re great Stratocaster pickups and I’m still using them.

Dibs please. :-)

He used to wind them on a rig controlled by a Sinclair Spectrum by all accounts.

crunchman

guitars4you said:

Redlester said:

Nice one. Love these threads. 

Yes, I have a feeling holiday music are still going as you describe. 

ABC Music had stores in SW London/ Surrey, but a quick google suggests they’ve closed now. They had a branch in Kew down from Chandlers. Both gone now. 

West London had its shops too- Flying Pig, Unplugged, and my fave Peter Cooks. 

Readers’ ads- how times have changed. The classifieds always were a big feature of those mags. 

Any interviews of note in that mag? Interesting to see that they had gear on the cover by 95. In the earlier  days of Guitarist it was always a player (see previous ‘Larry Carlton’s jumper’ thread!). 

ABC had a few stores in the day - Similar of a 'clean' store like Dawson's, so more mums 'n' pops and less rock - But a big name in the day - Think they had a main branch in Esher

Didn't Flying Pig come out of Tempo ???? - Somehow recall a connection

The kiss of death for Readers Ad was the time scale - You'd place the ad and wait 2-3 months to get a listing - Even the early days of WWW etc kick this option to death - Then add lack of detail and pics - So like Loot and other ad mags it quickly went to the scrap yard

I've got a 62 reissue Strat that I bought in the ABC on the A4 near Hounslow.

The ticket prices were all rrp, but I managed to get about £200 off.

Dodge

guitars4you said:

9 pages of the small classified ads in the rear of the mag - Including my former business Mark Hopkin Guitar Gallery in Derby - I had a used Ricky 330/12 listed at £899 and a used/1976 LP Deluxe listed at £850

I remember that very magazine.

That might have been around the time I bought a Musicman Silhouette from you, although it might have been a smidge later.

I remember driving up to Derby in the snow and nearly crashing on the motorway. Bought the guitar though. It was a light blue burst, maple neck and fixed bridge. Wish I still had it, it was awesome.

Dodge

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies - I bet @HarrySeven recalls these and has parts in his collection

Seen a review for Retrotec amps - can't recall them at all - Looks a bit like a Sessionette 75

Ah, those Brandoni pearloid bodies! They were gorgeously tacky.

Was the Retrotec a black valve combo made in Andover by any chance? I remember reading the review of an amp in Guitarist and wanting it but the company vanished before i had the cash.

SteveRobinson

WezV said:

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies 

I got my first telecaster kit from them, as well as a bunch of old random parts.

The kit actually had a really nice body and neck.

I bought one too and yes it was pretty decent. Mine ended up pale blue, brings back memories!

WezV

SteveRobinson said:

WezV said:

guitars4you said:

Big ads for Brandoni - guitar parts n bodies 

I got my first telecaster kit from them, as well as a bunch of old random parts.

The kit actually had a really nice body and neck.

I bought one too and yes it was pretty decent. Mine ended up pale blue, brings back memories!

Mine had my first oil finish.  

A few years later I took 6mm off the top with a handsaw, hollowed it out and added a spalted beech top.  That was its best incarnation 

Then a few years after that I added a resonator cone, but it was a mod too far and I was never happy with it again