1977 Greco EG700 Les Paul Copy

 

This guitar plays great, sounds great, and looks great.  Yet, I still find myself trying to make friends with it.  The only problem with this guitar is the neck is not quite substantial enough for me.  The nut is wide enough, but thickness (especially near the nut) is lacking a bit for my taste.  But isn't that the great thing about guitars, I know some people who love these slim tapered necks.  I am far from being a great electric player, but the neck on a guitar is important to me.  I love a beefy neck!  I think this is because I have spent so much of my life with acoustic guitars.  All of which have had thicker necks than most electrics I have played.  Plugging an electric guitar in at a music store is not even necessary for me.  I can tell if it's for me by simply sitting down and feeling its acoustic resonance as well as feeling like the neck has that chunkiness I enjoy.

Nonetheless, this guitar is a keeper because it sounds great.  You can get a lot of different tones out of it.  I believe these Grecos are a great bang for the buck.  There are models out there with thicker necks.  The Les Paul is the ultimate rock and roll guitar, but the pricing prohibits someone like me from owning an actual Gibson.  Even the current models are ridiculously priced.  If you are looking for a much cheaper option that still has a vintage vibe, I would recommend these lawsuit era Grecos.  That era is generally defined as being around 1980-1981 as you can see from this posts title, this guitar pre-dates that by a couple years.  I would like to get my hands on one of those 80's instruments to see if it feels any different.  If you like a light instrument, this may not be your thing, it has some heft to it.  Otherwise, it's all there.  Good sounding pickups, intonatable bridge, stop tailpiece, set neck, and good tuners.  Quite a nice copy.

The first two numbers of the serial number on these Grecos indicate the year it was made.

Greco(as well as most of the Japanese makers) all made models that have bolt on necks.  They don't have the same feel to me as these set necks.

Teisco ET-320 Electric Guitar

 

This guitar is a bruiser!!  Big, fat, muscular tone.  A heavy, thick necked, offset guitar that is a really pleasant surprise in every way.  It stays in tune, the neck is straight, the electronics work, the tremolo works and the guitar is generally in excellent shape for its age.  This guitar embodies what I always hope for, to find inexpensive diamonds in the rough, guitars that don't break the bank and are not only very playable, but smile inducing. 

Its no fast flyer like your perfectly set up Strat, but this guitar plays really well and I haven't even had it set up yet.  It also provides certain tones that you would never be able to conjure from more so called -elite- instruments.  I love the look of it as well, can't beat that retro vibe.  But damn those rocker switches for pickup selectors.  With all that Japanese ingenuity you would think they could have just settled on a Strat or Tele-like selector switch.  Though they are working fine, these switches are a pain in the ass and tend to fail.  Teisco made a number of different configurations of this model.  It seems the ones with the 4x2 tuner setup on the headstock like this one are all beefy, cool guitars that can still be found at bargain prices.  Make sure they have a truss rod and an intonatable bridge and you should be able to set it up to your liking. 

I generally don't get into wild headstock designs, but this one is rockin'.  It totally works for me!

1960's Kay Acoustic Guitar with Maple Back and Sides

 

This guitar is terrific.  It was given the once over by Ben Thiry of Seven Wards Guitar in Minnesota.

I can now highly recommend his work.  Ben re-braced the guitar, neck work, fret work, new bridge, saddle, nut...the whole nine yards.

It plays and sounds incredible now.  This Kay is probably from the mid to late 60's and sports a spruce top with maple back and sides.  This is a pretty rare wood combo for Kay.  I think I have only seen one other example of this model.  Maple lends to a brighter tone.  I was concerned about that as I am not a fan of bright tones in either acoustic or electric guitars.  In this case, the maple excels at simply knocking the mud out of the mids and lows.  Chords and single notes are crystal clear.

I believe this Kay came from a little later in their history.  A time when they were trying to compete and stay relevant against the Japanese invasion of cheaper instruments.  I think it dates to this time because of the wood combo, open back Grover tuners, and those sexy inlays on the neck.  A little more upscale than the usual dot fretboard inlays in an attempt to woo some customers.  Great neck on this one with a slightly flatter radius, terrific tone and playability.

A few wham-o's on this guitar, but that never hurt anyone.  I like 'em like that!

I forgot to mention the maple neck as well.  Super rare choice for Kay guitars.

Willie Nelson - Gear Talk

 

I bought this painting a number of years back.  I think it is the absolute best representation of Willie Nelson that I have ever seen.  Take a minute to look online and you will find nothing but craggy faced paintings of Willie that barely pass for him.  This painting captures what Willie is all about more than any other piece of art that has attempted to represent him.  It might very well be my favorite possession.  You can see that the frame needs a quick repair, but I don't even want to take it off the wall for that.

The painting was created by an artist named Sloan.  His focus was spot on.  He didn't elect to create another tired facial image focusing on the braids, the wrinkles, and the outlaw/stoner hero.  Instead, he used his talents to portray the item that helps Willie create his art.  Of course, the painting is of Willie's guitar - Trigger.  It could be easily argued that there is no other instrument so intrinsically tied to an artist in the way that Trigger is to Willie.

Trigger is a 1969 Martin N-20 nylon string classical guitar.  Only 262 of them were made in 1969, and thus are fairly hard to find.  They fetch a pretty penny these days.  One can only imagine the type of money Willie's actual guitar would command.  I am not sure anything could be referred to as priceless these days with the ridiculous amounts of money that seem to be floating around out there, but Trigger comes close.  Trigger is as culturally and musically significant as any modern instrument you can think of.  A Smithsonian worthy museum piece that is priceless in the sense that there is only one of them, and there will never be another.

Trigger came into existence when the Baldwin C800 acoustic guitar that Willie used to play was stepped on and broken by a drunk at Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas.  The guitar was beyond repair and Willie was offered the Martin N-20 for $750.  That was a boat load of money for a guitar back then.  To make a comparison, you could have purchased a '59 Les Paul Burst for around $500 in the late '60's.  That guitar, in some instances can fetch over $500,000 today.  

The Baldwin Prismatone pickup in that Baldwin C800 was salvaged and fitted into Willie's new Martin N-20.  This pickup has since been replaced many times.  They've been sourced from late 60's Baldwin acoustics and stocked to have replacements.  Willie also remained faithful to his Baldwin C-1 solid state amp from 1969.  He apparently has 8 of these.  So, here is the signal chain...a 1969 Martin N-20 nylon string classical guitar that has never had a fret job and has a huge hole worn into the soundboard after 54 years of road work is fitted with an antiquated Baldwin Prismatone acoustic guitar pickup and plugged into a 1969 Baldwin solid state amplifier that is fitted with 2 - 12" speakers.  It can't be forgotten that Willie uses a flatpick when playing Trigger.  He wanted to get close to the sound his hero Django Reinhardt obtained by using a nylon plectrum, often a button from a shirt or coat.  Under the direction of a lesser man you can bet that this rig will almost always sound like shit.  

But we are talking about Willie here.  He has cultivated that rig into one of the most distinctive tones in the history of any musical genre.  How has he done this?  The answer is found in the word "tone".  Tone comes from within it doesn't come from a wire.  The guitars, the pickups, the amps, the electronics are all simply tools that you and I and Willie are in charge of.  They do what we direct them to do.  The "Trigger Rig" is simply an extension of Willie.  When he has both hands on Trigger the tone circuit that begins with his fretting hand, travels through his body to his picking hand and back around again is complete.  

Willie has played Trigger exclusively for over 50 years.  What a terrific lesson for us.  You see these big time rock stars with massive guitar collections and they can't even come close to the cultural significance that Willie has established with just one guitar.  I have no doubt that a '59 Burst sounds and feels amazing.  I am also pretty sure that in the wrong hands that guitar could be made to sound like any Silvertone, Harmony, or Kay out there.  Willie and his "Trigger Rig" are constant reminders that tone doesn't come from expensive, rare gear, it comes from the heart and the hands.

1962 Regal Branded Harmony Meteor R272 Archtop Electric Guitar

 

Love this instrument.  It is basically a Harmony Meteor that has been rebranded under the Regal name.  The history gets a little confusing.  These guitars were still being made by Harmony but being distributed by Fender.  Fender was trying to diversify their product line a bit as they were obviously famous for their solid body guitars, but at the time (until the Coronado came along) they didn't have any semi-hollow or hollow body products.

I have divulged this little secret before - I believe these Regal branded instruments are better than their Harmony branded counterparts.  I don't know why this is.  They just feel better in my hands and sound better to me.  I used to own a Harmony Meteor and had to sell it.  Loved the way it sounded, but the neck was terribly skinny.  The neck on this guitar is way more substantial and comfortable to play and it provides a great tone as well.  The same goes for the Harmony Sovereign acoustic line.  The Regal branded Sovereigns have always sounded and felt better to me.  Again, a lot of this has to do with the bigger necks these Regal branded guitars were sporting.  I have featured a couple of these Regal Sovereigns before in these pages.

This guitar is in really nice shape and is all original except for the pickguard.  It doesn't need much, but I might think about raising the pickups a little to hopefully increase output a bit.  Could lower the bridge to achieve this, but I like the current action.  Might think about a compensated bridge and tweaking the tuners a bit, but overall, I couldn't be happier.  These are all solid wood guitars with spruce tops.  I have been looking for one of these for a long time.  They are pretty scarce.  The Harmony Meteors are way more abundant.

Terrific Dearmond pickups!

I have always loved that Harmony products were dated.  As you can see here this is dated F-62, with the model number (272) next to the date.  Much to my surprise when you look inside you can also see that box with what looks like my name in it(Ed).  Guess we were meant to be together!  Lets not forget the Made In The USA stamp.  You don't see that very often anymore.

1950's/60's Harmony/Stella 3/4 Size Guitar

 

I'm on the job, driving a truck for work, and I roll through a little town just a few towns northwest of where I work.  It was this past fall and they were having a townwide garage sale.  I take it slow while driving to see what I could see, and low and behold, there's a guy with a little tent set up with some instruments in it.  This little thing caught my eye.  I picked it up and it played great.  The neck was straight, it stayed in tune, and the action was low.  The proprietor of the tent monkeyed around with guitars and other instruments, getting them in good enough shape to play.  He was more of a hobby luthier than someone completely committed to the craft.  He sees me in the tent and walks over to tend to me.  I ask him how much, and he says 50 bucks!  I couldn't get the money out fast enough.  I know, this doesn't exactly rate with finding a '56 Tele under grandmas bed, but I think it's a good story.  I could have sworn he would say $200-300 when I asked the price.  Hell, the tuners alone on this thing are probably worth 50 bucks.

Date is stamped on the inside, as they are with most Harmony guitars.  Problem is, it is a little smudged and hard to make out the year.  Most likely 50's-60's.  One of the best little knock around the house guitars you will find. 

 

Silvertone 1457 Amp in Case Electric Guitar

 

Is this guitar going to flip anyone out because of its rarity?  Nope.  Nonetheless, how can you look at this thing without muttering to yourself how cool it is?  The materials, the design, the vibe.. you gotta love it.

Of course, this is the amp in case model.  There were numerous models produced by Danelectro that came with a guitar case that had a built in amp.  This guitar didn't come with the amp, which I wasn't too concerned about.  In all original condition, it's also in terrific shape for its age.  Born in the mid 60's, the design befits the era and gave birth to a whole slew of future rock and rollers.  

Is this guitar going to be your number one road guitar?  Probably not...unless you are Buddy Miller!!  But these old, funky, Danelectros and Silvertones do things that your Strat or Les Paul can't.  They are in studios all across the country because of their ability to catch a vibe that the big name players can't.  They also happen to catch that vibe at a fraction of the price.

Check out the appointments - Lipstick pickups, concentric volume and tone knobs, skate key tuners, tiny slab of rosewood for a bridge. cutaway design and funky build materials.  There is a ton of info on these out there.  I won't waste your time with descriptions.  Enjoy a couple of photos.

Dan Penn holding a Harmony Sovereign H-55 acoustic/electric guitar

 

Here is one of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite people.  Dan Penn is seen here holding a Harmony Sovereign H-55 acoustic/electric guitar.  I would put this photo in the late '50's/early '60's.  Dan is 80 years old now and these guitars were made between 1958 and 1971.  You do a little math and it lands the photo in this era.  He looks like a fresh faced 20 year old and his future and significance in the world of music was all to come.  To think that at this time he probably had no idea he would be part of one of the greatest era's and one of the greatest studios in music history is a trip.

Dan Penn is songwriting royalty(at least to me).  He co-wrote many classics, including the soul standard "Dark End Of The Street", "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", "Cry Like  Baby" for the Box Tops and my favorite. "I'm Your Puppet"(which he wrote on a 12 string Stella acoustic.  His connection with this blog continues to grow).  He also produced The Box Tops biggest hit, "The Letter".  Here is a video of him performing "I'm Your Puppet" with the great Spooner Oldham who co-wrote the song with Dan.  Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham - I'm Your Puppet (HQ) - Bing video

Dan and Spooner just kill it on this version.  It's so beautiful.  What a wonderful career.  Dan was able to create hits and stay in the background without being inundated with attention.  Seems like the best of both worlds to me.  Can you imagine having to teach Aretha Franklin how to sing one of your songs down in Muscle Shoals.  I bet he could tell a few stories.

This guitar is much like the Harmony h-1203 except it has the added addition of a built in pickup placed in the last fret just before the soundhole.  I believe each of those poles can be adjusted and you were provided with a volume and tone knob.  As with many of these Harmony's the tops were spruce and the back and sides were mahogony, all solid woods.  I have heard that the pickup placement disallowed for proper bracing to be fitted across that section of the guitar.  This may have caused a little sinkage around the soundhole.  I am sure a competant luthier could remedy that situation and for my money it would be worth it.  These are very cool guitars.  I think this iteration of the pickup has a p-13 type of sound to it.

Search around and spend a little time with Dan as well as his friend Spooner.  Humble Alabamans(or Alabamians depending on who you ask) who deserve continued listening.

Conrad electric baritone guitar model 1247/Conrad electric guitar

 

Shouldn't be hard to look at this photo and tell which is the baritone.  Scale length differential is very apparent.  Its like a sibling photo where the big brother towers over the little.  As with many of these Japanese guitars it is difficult to nail down their birthplace and birthdate.  It is believed that these two guitars were Matsumoku products and wholesaled by a distributer out of Chicago.  Depending on the wholesaler as well as the company that was doing the retail these guitars came under a variety of names including Aria, Domino, Electra, Lyle, etc.  These Conrad guitars were distributed between the mid 60's to the late 70's.

On the left you have a baritone that I had fixed up by James Ralston.  This thing sounds crazy now, like you are plucking on piano strings!  It is tuned b to b and aside from giving you some incredible ethereal sounds it also gives you that great tic tac bass sound that Nashville was employing in the 50's.  James had to get the neck straightened out(which is a requisite repair on just about all of these Japanese wonders) and added a compensated saddle to help out with intonation.  It plays great now and is already providing inspiration in the studio.

These rocker switches were the low point of engineering on these guitars.  They have almost always been problematic and while James got these cleaned up and working pretty good, I am still searching for a better switching system that will fit the bill.  

It is tough to see, but there is a little treble boost switch east of the neck pickup - fender jaguar style.  These types of switches might be the answer to replacing the rocker switches.  

A little closer look at the pickups.  These pickups were seen on these offset models.  I have seen these Conrad guitars have anywhere from a one to four pickup configuration.

Many of these came with a straight metal bar saddle.  It was hell on the intonation, especially when you put a whammy bar into play.

Big, honking headstock!

The baritones little brother on the right came with an intonatable bridge and is all original.  Again, the rocker switches are less than desirable, but this guitar has some spunk and a chunky neck that I always personally desire.  Still in the process of dialing this one in and hoping to use it more once I do as it is a fun instrument to mess around with.

Harmony H72V Electric Guitar

 

Some might say..."Why didn't you just go for a Gibson ES-335."  I would bet that the 335 feels a little more hefty in your hands and is the right choice for Larry Carlton, but as with all these Harmony and Kay guitars, so much of it comes down to vibe.  I am not a road guy so I don't need the reliability and something as easily replaceable as a 335.  Vibe counts, and this guitar has tons of it.

This is a Harmony H-72V.  It is the brother of the H-72.  The only difference is the H-72V has a Bigsby, which is pretty high cotton for a Harmony.  I am still in the process of dialing in the setup on this guitar, but it has already found its way into some recordings.  Those Dearmond pickups are where all the vibe exists in this guitar.  They are killer.  Crunchy or smooth, they are pretty versatile.  I have yet to experiment much with their smoothness, but was able to get some Stones like crunch on a recording, and therein lies the vibe.  

Some of the features on this guitar include an intonatable bridge which helps with the Bigsby.  The body and neck are very slim, and as stated earlier, the 3 position switch and those pickups make this a very underrated and versatile guitar.  What I wouldn't give for the neck to be nice and fat on this one, but it is about as slim as any electric neck I have ever played.  It is funny that many of the Harmony acoustics have big, fat necks and just about all of these semi hollows have really slim necks.  The Harmony Meteors also have real slim necks.  This is the trade off a guy like me has to make for that cool tone.  These were made between 1966-1971 and though there are a couple of them around, they are not that prevalent, especially with a Bigsby.

 

This guitar looks in pretty damn good shape, doesn't it?  That's what the seller led me to believe.  He took pictures from every angle except for the angle that showed how the guitar had been dropped at one time on the instrument jack.  He never mentioned it, and when I confronted him on it he said he didn't see it and that it happens to him all the time(being sold a bill of goods).  What a fucking douchbag!  Many of the guitars you see on this sight have been sold.  Never in a million years would I not describe an instrument as perfectly as I could.  I truly believe we are caretakers of these instruments, not shyster salesmen trying to make a buck at every turn.

You tell me if you wouldn't have noticed that!!  Oh well...I just don't know how some people sleep at night.

Fenderish headstock is a unique feature on these instruments