Relic Prices Falling...at last

Current prices on Fender Custom Shop Relics are starting to soften but only by about 3 -4% but you heard it here first folks!

The Cult of Personality

I am always puzzled by the signature model, artist developed or artist tribute guitar market. If the whole notion of playing a musical instrument is motivated by freedom to create and 'do your own thing', I am left puzzled as to why people would buy a guitar made to another person's specifications. The guitar industry seems particularly prone to this form of product enhancement. After all I do not have the same hand shape or size as Eric Johnson, can't play the way Yngwie Malmsteen does (I wish!) or want a seven string like Steve Vai. I am always therefore left puzzled when folks contact me trying to sell me a signature model, I turn them down and they react well... 'badly'! Sellers tend to get very defensive - well its an 1982 Blind Albert Ollerenshaw Whammycaster by Jukeson they huff and puff! Nope sorry still not interested mate. The economics I am afraid stack up like this. The seller is Albert Ollerenshaw's biggest fan. Firstly they often get the guitar signed somewhere by the great Albert! Big mistake! unless its non permanent and can be cleaned off the guitar. Secondly I am not a huge Blind Albert Ollerenshaw fan neither are 96.24% of the guitar buying public. Of the remaining 3.76% of people who have heard of Blind Albert Ollerenshaw about 1% might be motivated to buy the signature guitar lovingly machine crafted by Jukeson. Therefore its a bad buy and a hard sell. You can stretch the numbers out for Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani etc but not by much! Let's put this into the real world now. Mr. David Grissom is a great guitarist and as far as I know a wonderful human being. Mr Paul Reed Smith makes lovely guitars and the two of them have got together to produce the DGT model which as with all PRS instruments is crafted to an exceptionally high standard. Originally these instruments of wonder retailed before discount, at between £2000 and £3000 for Standard and Custom models. I initially set my buy in price at around £1000 - £1600 depending on the model and condition. Now here is the shock of the signature guitar 'curse'; I have recently been involved in deals with customers where I have been offered PRS DGT's one in a solid block colour with no flame at £800 and the other a rather nice Custom with a lovely top at £1250 against a 70's Fender I was moving on for a client. This means that market value on DGT's is way off the premium a PRS should sell at... or to put it another way below PRS non signature Standard and Custom model prices! The huge clue is the structure of the trade. Mr David Grissomfan of Twang Terrace - Guitarville wants to chop in the instrument of his "lifelong" hero for a 1976 Fender Stratocaster. 'My music is heading in a different direction' says Mr Grissomfan. The subtext is clear - he bought the DGT plus possibly an amp and pedals in the style of Mr Grissom of Austin Texas in the vain hope that this would, could and should confer the talent and ability of said Texan guitar maestro on our humble fan. It rarely happens that way and people get fed up of trying to be Mr Grissom or Mr Malmsteen etc. The signature guitar is simply a bad buy from retail down to me the humble dealer. It doesn't, to misquote Ronseal 'do what it says on the tin'. You aren't going to be Vai, Malmsteen, Grissom or Blind Albert Ollerenshaw and buying their signature guitar isn't going to change this. When this penny drops the instrument becomes 'persona non grata' in your guitar collection and needs to be 'moved on' for something that allows you to be you. Buying all of the gear of your fave guitarist isn't a smart idea and players tastes change and they move on to something else; although I did once turn up to a house to buy a guitar where the guy had lovingly recreated the complete Eddie Van Halen rig in his front room. no I don't know why either he wasn't even in a Van Halen tribute band! Footnote: the deal went wrong anyway as my client wanted a cash only sale and I was not interested in being left holding the DGT! I can only suggest one thing that despite the DGT being a wonderful instrument David Grissom being a fearsome player with an amazing track record of achievement he is known to only the most focused fan. The curse of the signature guitar has struck again dear readers! Obviously guitar companies the world over see the signature instrument as a marketing ploy. You should see it only as that - a marketing ploy and buy something in the first place that lets you be you! A nice 75 Telecaster I have just bought in - step this way Sir , Madam! Until next time fret heads and twang kings!

Eric Johnson Strat Market Tracker Value?

Much as I like the Eric Johnson Stratocasters, and I do like them especially in Lucerne Aqua, their status as signature guitars makes me very very nervous when parting with cold hard cash! Here however is the anomaly in the current market place. An Eric Johnson Strat retails for upwards of £1800+ which is not too shabby in anyones book. Dealers in the secondhand market are putting them on Ebay and in their stores at around £1100 -£1200. Modern Guitar's market tracker valuation has them at £1220. The issue is this; dealers who lets face it like to buy at 50% of what they sell at, won't be stocking the Eric Johnson for quite some time unless there is a major market correction as the dealer expected price is currently way less than the s/h classified price. There may be a story here in terms of how vintage and second dealers are being squeezed out of the market by internet classifieds and Ebay. Perhaps even more significant is the price rises that Fender seem to be pushing on US made product at the moment. It can't just be a strength of the dollar issue can it? Until next time Fret Kings and Twang Kings! Adios!

From Elephants to ...Pig's Noses

Hello again Fretheads!

From my last post's talk of Marshall Elephant Tolex to another animal themed post. The Pignose Amp. I bought two of these wonders recently. I am talking about the original Pig Nose Amplifier with the Metal Pig's Nose Volume Control on the front...what is now referred to as the P7-100. A design so simple for a battery amp...the open and close mechanism is the tone control...Now that is an uber cool design idea dontchathink?

Time was you couldn't open up a copy of Beat Instrumental or International Musician without seeing the guitar greats we all looked up to backstage or in the studio with a "Piggy" in tow. Oh look there's Frank Zappa at his Cailfornia Studio with a Piggy on the mixing desk. There's Peter Frampton or Joe Walsh or Alex Lifeson or Jeff Beck all with a "Piggy" in the vicinity. Imagine my shock when the current price list came out and the P7-100 is now £129.95!!!! More ominously I haven't seen any for sale secondhand for ages. It looks like they are the kind of iconic original items that have now found their way into everyone's collection and supply has dried up and this is reflected in the price of the new item. If you have one stick hold of it I will be hanging to the two I already have as I sense a great future for the humble "piggy".

Orange, Red and Purple Elephants and Levants

Hello Fretheads we are of course talking about Marshall Tolex. Marshall and Park products produced in coloured tolex are on the whole worth more than their plain black counterparts.



This cool little Park 6 watter was one of those made by Marshall for Grattan's catalogue in the late 60's and early 1970's. Between 1967 and the mid 1970's Marshall offered Red, Orange and Purple amps like this little Park right up to the mighty 200w PA amps. This included such cool amps as Mercury's Capri's and of course the so called Plexi's and Master Volumes which makes them pretty collectable indeed. The earlier less pronounced grained Tolex from the late 60's is called Levant, the one with the deeper grain was named naturally 'Elephant'. All in all I think they look pretty cool and def have that retro 60's and early 70's vibe.

If you want to check out the little Park amp its on my website



Until next time fretheads!

Flying V's over Leeds

Hello again Fretheads!!!

Well over to Leeds for the annual Wars of the Roses Guitar Show in which I a Lancastrian attempt to tell a Yorkshireman but clearly I can't tell him much! Not a bad show on the whole but I am somewhat at a loss at the Leeds show as I never seem to do well sales wise and end up buying more than I sell. Some lovely stuff on show including some nice old 60's Strat's and an early 60's SG Les Paul.

I did spy on one stand a very nice 70's Flying V but the price was realistic rather than profitable. I DO like the Flying V's and I think this goes back to a mate of mine having one in the 1980's when I had a humble and rather badly made three bolt neck Strat. Yes even during that terrible period in Fender's history I bought the worst example. A hardtail Sunburst one with an unsteady neck. Anyway back to the Flying V! I do love the Flying V shape as I do all the Gibson Modernistic models. I suppose those modern shapes fit in with the vintage retro modern aesthetic of Modern Guitars.

The limited number of V's produced between 65 and 70 and the obvious Hendrix connection mean that values of these guitars have rocketed (if you pardon the pun) in recent years. The change in body design on the 65 and later models to the 'slope shoulder' pattern is, to me, more pleasing to the eye. 1970 to 1974 Gibson V's known as the Medallion Models due to the 'Limited Edition' medallion (in reality a sticker) being added to the front of the body are also becoming sought after. 1975 -1980 V's are less rare and less valuable but still have resonance with players and collectors. After 1980 there were a whole range of designs ending with the V2 (yes you can have V shaped pickups Sir!). Since then the more sought after have tended to be Custom and Historic models recreating the original 1958 Modernistic designs and some signature models.

V's are great guitars that can span blues and metal, They are sought after by collectors and players alike and at the right price represent a bargain....I have seen them sell for as little as £650 for an early 1980's model as people 'fall out' with the shape and go for something a little less 'radical'.

Until next time Fretheads!

Tonewoods Part 1

Hi there Twang Kings and Fret Queens

There is much speculation about the way that Ash and Alder bodies affect tonality. In fact masses have been written about the subject in vintage guitar books and magazines. The often neglected tonal/tonewood element is however, the neck and board. Maple Board on Maple or Rosewood Board. The added snap and bite from a maple neck isn't always a given. Neither is the "truth" that rosewood boards are somehow mellower. I have had strats and teles with maple boards that have been how shall we say quite "refined" tonally. Laid back almost!...Equally I have had rosewood board guitars that are lively and have an incredible tonal "snap" to them. You may have noticed the use of inverted commas as my opinions are highly subjective and therein lies the problem. One guitarist's twang heaven is another player's "shrill hell".

Until next time Fret Heads!

Arrive Durci!

Fender Built by Mexicans Played by...Snobs!?

Hi there fret heads...

I have been keeping my eye on Mexican Fender's at the moment. I have recently had one offered and it is/was a truly lovely guitar... foam green. I have to admit to being a US Guitar snob and certainly with sales and buys pretty thin on the ground in these recessionary times I have "stuck to the knitting" with regard to US Instruments.

One guitar recently changed my mind. I have bought in a cream coloured maple board California Series Telecaster with Humbucker at the neck. A 1990's one....regular readers will know my love of 1980's and 1990's Fenders in custom colours. But this is great!!!! A real knockout! The Cal series guitars are a bit like the Road Worn ones now....made in Mexico but they were assembled in the US and have that all important Made in The USA mark on the headstock. Apparently the bodies were routed and sprayed in Mexico then a cross border switcheroo meant they were assembled in the good old USA ...mine has a Corona Neck plate too...bonus!

After all anyone who has read any of the histories of Fender's early day will note Abigail Ybarra, Tadeo Gomez and a host of other Mexican names working at the Fullerton plant. So I guess you can say that the best Fenders have always been made by Mexicans!

This one has an AMXN serial number and is a true players guitar that wont lose its value but will give good service with that great Humbucker at the neck a la Andy Summers....pictures up on the website soon....

Until next time Los Twang Wrestlers!