What's "Instant Karma" Gonna Get You?

Take the average guitar person round any guitar store or guitar show and chances are what they will see is a lot of guitars with some blokes (and they invariably are largely male) stood behind them. In reality what we have there is a market and a behind the scenes largely undercover market at that.

What most people will not realise is that the high end of guitar dealing is like a combination of a poker game and a giant game of chess with guitars moved around like poker chips or chess pieces. Take my mate John (not his real name) who deals a certain type of guitars. Whilst John is likely to have guitars from all periods in stock, what you are likely to find at his house (if you even get invited) is some lovely turn of the century handmade European guitars. John deals almost exclusively with and within the trade and I only met him through a deal I did for him on some rare German bone tuning pegs I had acquired in the bottom of a box of junk. John only buys with an eye on the eventual buyer and his address book is bulging with names of dealers across Europe. He will buy guitars which appeal specifically to buyers in certain markets and I have known him to travel the length of the U.K. for a rare Italian "parlour" guitar just because he knew he had a buyer in (obviously) Italy. John rarely sets foot in guitar shops and only occasionally do I see him at guitar shows. He keeps himself to himself and is always discrete in his dealings, never boasts or brags about his victories, and takes any setbacks quietly on the chin.

In a world of the impatient and hasty, John is a gent of the first order, he will wait on buying guitars sometimes for months and has the patience that I personally lack (I recently blew a deal on a 1972 Martin because with hindsight I was too hasty). John buys on merit and his knowledge of what is a fairly minute sector of the total guitar market is second to none, but here dear readers is the moral of this piece. John never buys on price...he never tries to get a guitar as cheaply as possible. When I once asked him about this, his cryptic reply was "Karma young man...Karma".

Over coffee at his house, he told me the tale of going to buy an early Gibson archtop when a young dealer, and deciding to settle at the price in the newspaper advertisement, £275 in those days I kid you not! Having met the seller, an elderly widowed gentleman who had once owned a music shop and played in Dance bands in the 1930's. John was treated to afternoon tea and the deal was done in a civilised way with no haggling. On leaving the old bloke told John that he needed a tuning peg for a Maccaferri type "Django" guitar. John left his card and sent him the tuner a few days later.

John never heard from the old boy again until he received a phone call 18 months later from his daughter to let John know that the old lad has passed away and that he wanted her to sell his "guitars" to John as he seemed like an honest bloke. John went round to the house and in the upstairs bedroom was stacked around 30 or so cases which contained early Gibsons, Epiphones, a Selmer Maccaferri and some nice early Hofners amongst others all priced up at what John now refers to with a wink as "the right price" for that time. John paid again in full, never haggling and left happy his car stacked to the roof with some lovely collectable and saleable guitars. So its a clear choice dear reader.... a quick and easy buck today or establish a relationship with both buyer and seller as see what transpires. As John says.... Karma! and not necessarily the "instant" kind!

The Top Five Guitars We Like This Week

1. The Mark Simon Terraplane (Looks like a bin lid! Fabulous!) http://www.marksimonguitars.com
2. 1964 Red Fender Jazzmaster ( At Newcastle Show! Nice!)
3. Michael Kelly Valour ( Dig those celtic rune control knobs!) http://www.michaelkellyguitars.co.uk
4. Eastwood Saturn 63 (C'mon Bill Nelson plays one!) http://www.eastwoodguitars.com
5. Dean Michael Schenker Performer MSP (wwwwwhat!)

Until next time fretheads!

Newcastle: A Canny Guitar Show

Thanks to all concerned with the Newcastle Guitar Show this last weekend. What a great show, and loads of enthusiastic guitar obsessed fretheads attended. Loads of chat with some very friendly folks from the north east, guitar fans all. I sold a nice Gibson SG Standard and there was a lot of interest in books, pedals etc. Great to catch up with stall holders and contacts especially Hayden from Matamp, Geoff from JJ Guitars and Andrew Rothwell of Rothwell Audio who is a great character and a comic genius, sometimes without knowing it, well he makes me laugh anyway! There was a friendly Geordie welcome at the Federation brewery and some nice stuff on display from all the stall holders. Oh and Big Jim Sullivan was there playing a blinder!

All in all a cracking show!

See you next year!

The Top Five Guitars We Like This Week!

1960's Gibson SG Standard
1972 Rickenbacker 4001 Left Hander (One of ours In stock now!)
1969 Fender Stratocaster Olympic White
1979 Gibson RD Artist ( I know! I know!)
1961 Gretsch 6120

Stratocasters Telecasters and the Great Leap Forward!

Greetings Twang Kings and Queens

The Fender Stratocaster, you see it everywhere. Ask any man or woman in the street to draw a guitar, chances are they will draw something Strat like. This ubiquity is unsuprising considering its looks, history and impact on rock history. Personally I will leave the hyperbole to others because lets face it we have heard it all before. But what about the more humble Telecaster? Telecaster sales and vintage values have always lagged behind Strat's and the humbler Tele is increasing in popularity. My personal view is that the Tele has always been more of a guitar for the purist. Whilst Strat players often chop and change with other guitars, Tele players are Telecaster players through and through, Wilko Johnson, Joe Strummer, Roy Buchanan, to name a view are iconic and look well...just plain wrong with anything else.

To this end I am starting to wonder if the Stratocaster was the design great leap forward that guitar historians say. Perhaps we have all just been indoctrinated to believe that it was, but those who are fans of the way of the Telecaster know better? On that bombshell...until next time fretheads!

Edwyn Collins....Absolute Bloody Hero!

I have just watched a sensitive documentary on BBC 4 about Edwyn Collins - he of Orange Juice and 'A Girl Like You' fuzzed out guitar solo fame - and his road to recovery after suffering a brain tumour and a stroke! Vintage guitar fans will know Edwyn from features in guitar magazines outlining his superb taste in vintage guitars, amps and effects. Despite problems with his right arm it was great to see Edwyn making his first steps towards recording again. What an absolute bloody hero...It was very emotional watching Edwin using Fender and Gibson name games as part of his speech therapy...and all of my very best goes out to Edwyn and his family. In Edwyn's own words.

"How are you? You're Well? Good. Let's start with guitars. I like guitars. I have loads of guitars. The Gretsch, The Levin, The Rickenbacker,the Gibson and the Fender. So many possibilities. Some times I look at them with excitement! The trouble is my hand doesn't work at the moment but it will do in time. Give it time"

As I said...absolute bloody hero!

Check out Edwyn's own site and myspace page

http://www.edwyncollins.com/

http://www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomedwyncollins

Misnomers of the guitar world unite.

Some product names and advertising straplines are just plain wrong! Whilst there are classic brands with classic advertising slogans, sometimes the admen, and I count myself as one such adman in a former life, just get it plain wrong. It doesn't matter what the brand or product some items are just plain misnamed or maladvertised. One of my former clients were the company that made British soft drink from the 1960's Tizer and one of the advertising slogans historically used for that brand was "The Appetizer"! How? Why? How did a pinkish coloured drink apparently made from sugar and fruit flavourings increase any consumers' appetites? In the world of cars too we can laugh at the Morris Marina, presumably because it let a fair amount of water in through rusty side panels and you got your feet wet, and the Austin Allegro which wasn't either Italian, musical or quick! Even luxury cars have strange names Testarossa, Countach or Ghibli Spyder anyone?

Well we can laugh, but in the guitar world, we who buy and sell guitars are not immune from ridicule, indeed the guitar world has offered up its fair share of howlers! A Gibson Grabber anyone, Grab what? What does the Gibson Grabber actually Grab, answers on a postcard please; and who can forget the can opener like Corvus. Having put Corvus into Google (OK I was a little bored this afternoon) I came up with an international global investment company, a hooded crow and a specialist weeding tool. Well you could use a Gibson derived Corvus for the final task but other than that no linkage. Just plain weird product names!

Other companys are not immune, the Fender Jazzmaster, was anything but jazzy and no real master of the jazz arts worth his salt would go anywhere near one. But perhaps the saddest most misnamed guitar is the Gretsch White Penguin. OK I know its a rare and collectable guitar, but without wanting to spoil the party or be labelled a pedant, Penguins aren't white, and it has to be the oddest name for such a beautiful guitar. Same for the Teuffel Birdfish, now that is a really weird product naming concept. Both Heritage and PRS both have had the sense to pick a more majestic bird in their Golden Eagle guitars, whilst I cannot see anyone clamouring to name their guitar the Dodo anytime soon. So dear readers even we in the guitar world get it wrong occasionally in the product naming and advertising stakes. A Modern Guitars Budgiecaster anyone?! You never know it might just catch on!

The Top 5 Guitars We Like This Week

1. Gibson Les Paul Heritage 80
2. Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique
3. Rickenbacker 330 Blueboy
4. 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior
5. Teuffel Birdfish