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Your favorite guitar (And the one that got away)


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Hard to pick a favorite of the ones I currently own, but if I have to I'd probably say my CS356.  I love the way it looks, and it plays and sounds great to me as well.

RKnKRPk.jpg

As for acoustics I really like this Taylor that I got a few months back, but honestly I haven't played it that much.

SiOQVDk.jpg

As to the one that got away that would be the LP Goldtop that I had for about 25 years.  Bought it used in 1970 ($300) and there was a lot of confusion about what year it might have been.  For a long time I thought it was a '58 (and had no idea how valuable a true 58 would have been).  When I got it, it had soapbar  P90s but in 1976 I had the top routed out and put some humbuckers in it.  Again I had no idea what I might have had, and just wanted a different brighter sound.  I gigged it another 20 or so years and was always complimented on its tone.  But the best part of it was the neck.  Straight as an arrow, almost no relief, super low action and wide flat frets and I swear in 25 years I never adjusted the truss rod - that neck was like a rock.  About '95 or '96 I traded it even up for a brand new ES175, so I thought I did alright.  Paid $300, played it for 25 years and  traded for a $3K guitar.  I think it was really a '68 re-issue of a '58, but not sure, might have left $50K on the table?

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On 7/2/2019 at 11:30 PM, Twang Gang said:

...there was a lot of confusion about what year it might have been.  For a long time I thought it was a '58....When I got it, it had soapbar  P90s......I think it was really a '68 re-issue of a '58, but not sure, might have left $50K on the table?

 Can you remember if the guitar had an ABR-1 and stop-bar tailpiece? If so we can narrow it down quite a bit. This arrangement took over from the McCarty Bridge (i.e. the one-piece bridge / stop-bar) in 1956. P-90s were dropped from the Gold-Top after '56. From '57 they came with humbuckers so it couldn't have been a '58. The Gold-Top did come out in '68 with P-90s so it's quite likely that yours was one of these. Here's a snap of one;

68-goldtop.jpg

Pip.

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14 hours ago, Twang Gang said:

Maybe it was just a plain '68 then.  I just saw on Gibson's site in the Custom Shop section a re-issue of a '68 with P-90s and it looked just like that with the little crown inlay on the headstock.

Yeah, totally possible.  '68s are rare too -- not worth the super-high values of the holy-grail 1959 and 1960 models, of course, but still super valuable.  I bet it was a great guitar too.  Nice.

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My Goldtop did have an ABR-1 (with the retaining wire) and a stop bar tailpiece.  It did not have reflector knobs, but plain amber top hats (of course those are so easily changed).  At the time I bought it (1970) and at the time I traded it there was little if any internet access.  There had been a lot of confusion about serial numbers as Gibson changed their methodology a few times.  I had been told that the first number and the last number in the serial designated the year (don't think that was ever really the case) and mine started with a 5 and ended with an 8.  The serial number was not stamped in ink, but rather almost carved into the back of the headstock, like a die with the numbers had been pressed into it, then in the indentations some gold paint was used.  When I got it in my head to trade it I took it around town to a couple different "experts" at guitar shops who might be able to determine the year.  None of them looked for dates on the caps though, only the serial number and the original pickups which I still had in the case. 

None of them came up with a definitive answer but the one guy who seemed most knowledgeable thought it was a '68.  I just never trusted them all that much as they knew I was looking to trade, and that I wasn't sure what it was, so even if they thought it was a '58 they probably wouldn't tell me.  But if Gibson didn't put P-90s into '58s that pretty much solves it.  (although we've all certainly seen plenty of examples of one-offs and odd balls coming out of a Gibson factory over the years).

I used to have a little slip of paper with the serial number written down it, but I can't find it now.  With all the info that is available on serials numbers now I wish I still had that so I could be certain.

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I see that FZ Fan sold his Lucille (he'll regret that one).

I sold this Lucille to a fellow in Canada who was gracious enough to sell it back to me a year later.  It's the one that got away and then came back.  

It won't be going anywhere ever again as long as I'm around.

lucille1.jpg

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On 7/5/2019 at 7:12 PM, Twang Gang said:

My Goldtop did have an ABR-1 (with the retaining wire)... and a stop bar tailpiece....

I had been told that the first number and the last number in the serial designated the year (don't think that was ever really the case) and mine started with a 5 and ended with an 8.  The serial number was not stamped in ink, but rather almost carved into the back of the headstock, like a die with the numbers had been pressed into it.

 

It's becoming more and more likely that it was a 1968, T-G.

First-off ABR-1s from the '50s didn't have the retaining wire. Secondly the inked serial number practice was ditched in 1961 in favour of the stamped number. Lastly - even taking into account that serial numbers from this period were frequently duplicated - in his book on the Les Paul Tony Bacon lists very large batches of 6-digit serial number sequences beginning with a 5 (starting from approx 501000 and going up to 599999) as dating to '68.

Pip.

Edited by pippy
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Favorite acoustic >  J-185

Favorite electric >  ES -330

One that got away >  An unusual 1948 L-48 acoustic archtop.  Solid pressed mahogany top, mated to a flat braced solid mahogany back & solid mahogany sides (with fabric reinforcement strips).  Purchased in the '70s at a flea market for no more than $25, I've never seen another one like it & the tone was unique.  Used to do all kinds of trading back then &  quite possibly was working on a deal for a new acoustic Guild.

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On 7/9/2019 at 7:24 AM, pippy said:

 

It's becoming more and more likely that it was a 1968, T-G.

First-off ABR-1s from the '50s didn't have the retaining wire. Secondly the inked serial number practice was ditched in 1961 in favour of the stamped number. Lastly - even taking into account that serial numbers from this period were frequently duplicated - in his book on the Les Paul Tony Bacon lists very large batches of 6-digit serial number sequences beginning with a 5 (starting from approx 501000 and going up to 599999) as dating to '68.

Pip.

I think that solves it then - it was a '68.  Thanks for all your help.  

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On 6/23/2019 at 5:41 PM, Dub-T-123 said:

 

I have the 660. It has 1 3/4” nut width.  The 620 is spec’d at a hair over 1 5/8” nut width.

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These are old pics which don’t really do the guitar justice. It looks pretty amazing in real life. Probably my all around favorite sounding guitar. I really enjoy playing it

 

 

Pip I somehow always overlooked the Swinger in that pic. Warmoth sells “Musiclander” bodies and necks with that headstock shape. I think it’s a cool guitar. My friend lent me a ‘64 mustang and the pickups sounded AMAZING but the neck was hideously small. I really would have bought it if I could play the neck

 

oh man... I want one of those too. There is a nice looking fireglo one in GV I've managed to resist for some time. Somebody needs to buy it.

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acoustics.

This is my oldest (surviving) guitar. Its a Fylde Oberon that I bought early 70s from Roger Bucknall himself when I visited his original workshop in Kirkham Lancs (Progress Mill). They held a few imperfect guitars they could not ship to dealers. I choose this one after spending a day playing them.

It has suffered some splits in the top & back over the years, but still plays & sounds ok. 

 

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29 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

 

oh man... I want one of those too. There is a nice looking fireglo one in GV I've managed to resist for some time. Somebody needs to buy it.

What is GV? 

 

What’s the price like on it? I’ve noticed such a wide range of prices on Rics

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59 minutes ago, Dub-T-123 said:

What is GV?

 

My local guitar shop!!  Quite expensive but good, always interesting stock and in a beautiful old wood-beamed building.

https://guitarvillage.co.uk/

This is the guitar ME is talking about which is now 'out of stock' - i.e.  sold

https://guitarvillage.co.uk/products/rickenbacker-660-fireglo

Edited by jdgm
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4 hours ago, merciful-evans said:

This is my oldest (surviving) guitar. Its a Fylde Oberon that I bought early 70s from Roger Bucknall himself......It has suffered some splits in the top & back over the years, but still plays & sounds ok...

 

It does indeed, m-e!

[thumbup]

I didn't know you were from down Farnham way, jdgm.  Guitar Village certainly has some VERY nice stuff. I paid a visit a while back with our old forum mate Flight959 one day when neither of us had anything better to do...

Pip.

Edited by pippy
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9 hours ago, jdgm said:

 

My local guitar shop!!  Quite expensive but good, always interesting stock and in a beautiful old wood-beamed building.

https://guitarvillage.co.uk/

This is the guitar ME is talking about which is now 'out of stock' - i.e.  sold

https://guitarvillage.co.uk/products/rickenbacker-660-fireglo

 

I saw that and was shocked at the super high markup, so I had to look up your import tax rate to try and figure out how that’s possible. Looks like 20%?

 

I think GV is “taking the piss” 

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When I was a kid maybe 6, my mom passed away.dad was devastated.so some old friends started coming over to jam with him on sundays to take his mind off of her.one day jim barbee, a banjo player comes in with a silvertone guitar w/amp in case. i strummed it.jim saw me and says son turn that knob up then try it. wow! that was it.so my dad says you really like guitar? he hands me a uke and a chord book and says when you learn all these chords I'll get you a guitar. about 3 days later he comes home.I say sit down.and played every chord in the book.couple of days later he gives me his dads 1950 gibson es 3/4. I loved it. about 1968 he my brother and I in our first band,dad says we have to get you guys some rock guitars.dad was a gibson man so off we went. cream was big at the time so max at the store says,this is what clapton plays and hands me a brand new 68 sg standard.$359.00. hit hard times in 75 and practically gave it away. not a day goes by I don't regret it.

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