21 Jun 2015

June 2015 – From then to now (and back again)

by craveguitars | posted in: Opinion | 0

What is the story of your journey from the first guitar you owned to the most recent? Mine was probably pretty typical. It was never a conscious adventure towards a clear destination. I was in my early teens when my father gave me a second hand, no‑brand classical guitar, complete with nylon strings – he got it in lieu of a debt, I think. I gave it a go and, for some unknown reason, decided to persevere with it. It was the early ‘70s, so maybe I too could dream of being like Marc Bolan or David Bowie! It was a chore at first with lots of sore fingers and clumsy fumbling while learning basic chord changes and scales. Oh, and the ‘joy’ of ‘striking the pose’ of course!

For all my efforts, I wanted the reward of getting a proper, shiny, loud electric guitar. I was lucky enough to get a cheap package of guitar and amp but they didn’t last long before they were, erm, ‘adapted’! After a period in my mid-teens, during which my playing failed to improve greatly, I rose to the giddy heights of owning generic far eastern Les Paul copies (horrible things). I wanted to play in a band and had great fun learning to make music with others, including a few poorly‑attended live appearances. Oh well. In the late ‘70s, I went to work for a music distribution company, just to be part of the business. Then, at last, I got my hands on the real thing. After a Fender Mustang, I bought a ’77 Fender Stratocaster and a ’75 Gibson Les Paul, both of which I still have to this day.

I even dabbled with bass guitar, I still have them too. My playing though, sadly, did not progress with time and, after much soul searching, I came to the painful realisation that I needed to reassess my expectations and priorities. So, I reluctantly became a traditional ’grown up’ with a family, a mortgage and my unrequited dream of becoming a lycra-clad, global Rock God with big hair, recreational substances and limitless groupies was regrettably relinquished. As a result, the guitars got used less and less, until they were put away for a decade or more.

By the time I was old (in my forties!), I went into a well-known guitar shop in Cardiff and fell for an ‘88 Black Fender Telecaster, which I still have. That started the ‘gear acquisition syndrome’ (a.k.a. GAS) all over again. A rapid proliferation of diverse, newer instruments was halted when I came across a lovely black ’89 Gibson Les Paul Custom in Brighton, which I… (you see where this is going). I began an intense quest of finding cool and rare vintage electric guitars, importing several from the States. During a particularly horrendous period of my life, I was forced to cut back on all but my most prized Gibsons and Fenders, which had to be put in storage for temporary safe keeping.

Now, I am looking to the future and starting to rebuild my more-than-a-hobby. I am not at all wealthy (understatement!!!) but I am an enthusiast. I play the guitars at every opportunity, that’s what they were built for after all. My playing, well, you can guess. I still find it fun and it is very therapeutic. That’s my story… so far. I wonder where it will go from here. This web site is part of sharing my addiction with whoever wants to respect the awesomeness of these crazy lumps of wood, plastic and metal that we call vintage electric guitars. I am convinced they must have used some kind of magic hippie dust when they were made. Until next time…

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6 Mar 2015

March 2015 – Last and Next

by craveguitars | posted in: Opinion | 0

What was the last guitar you bought and what do you think your next one might be? Here’s my take. As mentioned in previous blogs, after a hiatus period of about 8 years, I am back into the whole vintage guitar thing. In the last year, I have bought just 4 guitars (and sold none). My most recent purchase is a stunningly gorgeous 1968 Gibson SG Standard.

It was sold to me as a ’67 but after careful examination, I reckon it’s a ’68. Barring the clichéd Angus Young references, it is a stunning instrument. Crawling over it with a fine toothcomb, it has new tuners, although the replacements are modern versions of would have been fitted originally. It has one tiny screw on the Lyre tailpiece cover missing but that’s it, the rest is untouched. It has been played and is not museum grade but lovely nonetheless. The finish is a deep, dark unfaded cherry (of course) over a single piece mahogany body. It has the ‘batwing’ scratchplate which suits it, even though aesthetically I prefer the earlier small scratchplate. It plays wonderfully and sounds amazing, as you might expect.

I bought the vintage version, so that I can sell my newer 1999 SG Standard. It allows an interesting like-for-like comparison that only reinforces my bias that I prefer older guitars. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with the 16-year old model (guitar! Pay attention please!); it’s a perfectly good instrument. Now that I’ve got an old one, I can move on to my next acquisition. Why? Please don’t ask, it’s not rational or logical. Some newer ones will have to go to make way and help fund my addiction. Like many enthusiasts, I have a (long) ‘most wanted’ list. I won’t go through these here but it is a mixture of replacing newer instruments with vintage ones and/or filling in gaps in the ‘collection’. The exciting bit is not actually knowing for sure what the next purchase will be and whether I can actually afford what I might like! I want to add more Fenders to balance the brands but there is less choice from the big ‘F’. I quite fancy a Fender Starcaster or a Bass VI but they are now getting way too expensive (sadly). I quite fancy a familiar model but an interesting esoteric version, like an ‘80s Fender Strat Elite or Tele Elite, or even a Bronco. Purists may grimace but, heh, it’s my obsession not theirs. On the Gibson front, I quite fancy the idea of a non-cutaway ES-150 archtop with a P90, historically significant and different from just about anything available now. I’m missing a ‘proper’ Flying V and quite fancy an ES-355, a Les Paul Recording or RD Artist. I would love a ‘50s single-cut Les Paul Junior or double-cut Les Paul Special but they too are out of my reach at the moment. The list goes on.

I might even be tempted to stray from the CRAVE path (shock, horror) and look at a Gretsch or a Rickenbacker, let’s see. Part of the fun is doing the research, finding worthwhile instruments that fit the ‘cool & rare’ criteria. I hope to add to the CRAVE portfolio in 2015. Watch this space…

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31 Jan 2015

January 2015 – Old Versus New Guitars

by craveguitars | posted in: Opinion | 0

The question – are vintage guitars better than new ones? Simply… nope. They are just different. There is no doubt that many modern guitars are better designed, constructed, more reliable and consistent. New instruments are generally in great condition and far less risky to use on the road. You can certainly get aged new guitars that have all the look and feel of a well-used old axe, so that removes much of the visual question. New ones are (often much) cheaper to buy, eminently practical and often manufactured to exacting and very high standards. So, it’s not necessarily an issue of material quality. They are all tools for playing music, however much they cost.

Why then, the passionate attraction to and fascination with vintage instruments? Do they really sound that different? Some say it’s the way that the wood ages; others say it’s the way pickups are put together. Boutique pickups emulate the old ones pretty well these days. Looks? Well, the basic designs haven’t changed in 60 years! Maybe it’s the patina that can only come about through natural age and use. How they feel in use is not easily measurable in a purely physical way, so playability is subjective and value-laden. Additionally, at what point does a guitar become vintage? Some (usually with a vested interest) say the moniker applies only to pre-1965-ish instruments; others set the bar at 25 years old (i.e. before 1990, well into the modern era).

Who likes vintage guitars? Well, there are musicians, enthusiasts, dealers, collectors, historians, investors, speculators, to name a few. Some are worthy, some not. Which label applies to you (hint: they aren’t mutually exclusive)? Why is the value of an early Stratocaster multiple times that of a Jaguar of the same age? Is it simply economics allied with a collective (deluded) perception of value? It isn’t necessarily rarity or historical significance, brand identity, where they were made or what they were made of. Whatever the hell it is, it is ultimately down to personal choice and a whole bunch of irrational desire for something that is uniquely and fascinatingly indefinable. Just remember, all vintage guitars were shiny and new once! Discuss…

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