CL Search Words

Some are colors, some are specific brands, some are models.  But all are Craigslist search words I've used in the past 6 months.

Stratocaster, Strat, Jaguar, Jag-Stang, Mustang, Jazzmaster, Surf, Daphne, SC300T, Talman, Jazz Chorus, Tube, Fiesta, Parker, Ultra, MIM, MIJ, Japan, Japanese, Delonge, Olympic, body, neck, v-neck, Jazz Bass, Vox, Anniversary, Reissue, Gretsch, Pedal, Pedalboard, Flextone, Tweed, Lake Placid Blue, Italia, Danelectro, Tempest, Wilshire, Pelham Blue, Tokia, AC15, AC30, Midtown, hollowbody, hollow-body, Mosrite, Seafoam Green, Stargazer, Telecaster, Tele

Not What It Used To Be

A visit to Guitar Center isn't a simple as it used to be.  A couple years ago, the kids would just grimace as soon as I announce that I will need to do a quick stop to pick up guitar strings or parts.  Now that I have a full rhythm section formed by both kids, Guitar Center had moved from category of something-only-dad-likes to yes-we-want-to-go.  Even on vacation, Sam wanted to find the local GC because he gets this sudden urge to play some drums.  And yesterday, after dim sum in Arcadia, our planned GC Pasadena pit stop turned into an all-afternoon West Hollywood expedition -- hitting the Sunset Blvd GC, the Sam Ash Drum Shop just to the east and the Sam Ash Guitar Shop across the street.  Although we didn't find the EMG PJ bass pickups we were looking for, we did find some drum practice pads -- both items in the shopping list of my rhythm section.  I walked away without buying anything for myself but with the satisfaction that a visit to Guitar Center is more fun than it used to be.

Rationalization Of An Acquisition

Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (G.A.S.) starts out innocently enough.  About the only thing that doesn't qualify as a G.A.S. purchase is probably that very first instrument -- that one that you will learn how to play on.  Just about every other rationalization is one step closer to G.A.S. at an epidemic pace.  Here are some thoughts on how I got here.

Rationale #1: I need to acquire a backup guitar.  In most cases, the new instrument replaces the previous one as the primary instrument.  A backup guitar, a backup electric, a backup stratocaster, a backup HSS strat. You get the point.  Except at some point, both guitars become primary and you therefore, need a "real" backup.  Another guitar, that is.  And it goes on and on and on.

Rationale #2: I need to get a different guitar for playing a different kind of music.  Remember that first hollowbody?  Why?  I need to play jazz comps properly on a jazz guitar.  Of course, it's easy to lose interest in playing that type of music once the guitar is in hand.

Rationale #3: I need to find another guitar with a slightly different sound or tonal quality.  Different pickup combination, different acoustic body shape, different neck construction.  I needed a set-neck guitar to get a better sustain when playing solos.  Right, Carlos Santana.

Rationale #4: That guitar would pair up perfectly with one that I already have.  A matching Lake Placid Blue Stratocaster would sure look nice next to my Lake Placid Blue Telecaster.  Aesthetically, a pair that is meant to be deserves to be together.  A good argument to use with our spouses -- not that we should compare guitars with spouses.  I'm just saying.

Rationale #5: I am buying this guitar because it is an upgrade to my current model.  Who wouldn't replace their MIM strat with a Made in USA strat?  I, for one, wouldn't think twice about replacing my 5000 series Gretsch with a 6000 series.  There is a school of thought that says if you get the most expensive model you can afford, you will not want to upgrade.  I did this with my Taylor 414 Grand Auditorium but somehow, I needed a Taylor dreadnought after a couple years.

Rationale #6: I need that guitar because I don't have it.  Probably the worst case.  When we get to this phase, all bets are off.  A 12-step program is in order.  But then the trade is "Do I pay for that 12-step program?" or "Do I spend the money on a Gibson Midtown Custom?"

Fender Jaguar Blacktop

This is one of two guitars I bought at Best Buy when they were closing out their music department.  I've seen this Fender Blacktop Jaguar with 2 humbucker pickups at the Duarte store hanging up on the wall (about 10 feet above ground) for the past couple years.  I didn't even bother trying to play it because the $499 tag was just a lot more than what I was willing to pay for an HH Jaguar.  Until last week, when I visited the store three times to look at what deals were available.  I ended up paying half the street price which is easily still a hundred below typical asking prices on Craigslist.

This is also my first black guitar and it was definitely a challenge photographing it as dust, smudges and fingerprints show up really nice.  The HH combination almost makes it sound non-Fender like.  Perfect for long solos or overdriven power chords, this Jag has everything but twang -- which is just fine.  I have a whole wall of twangy axes if that's what I wanted.

The shorter 24-inch scale makes chord transitions in the first five fret super fast.  The downside is solos at 15 and above are not as clean because of the closer fretwires.  The other feature I like about this is the fixed bridge -- not a big tremolo fan so this suits me just fine.  The guitar came setup with 9 and it feels a bit light given the shorter scale as well.  I'll leave it with the factory strings until I decided to change them -- at which, I will try the next higher gauge.

The guitar is made in Mexico but has all the quality features of Japanese Jags.  I played it 2 hours the first night I took it home and the light strings and lighter weight body effectively eliminated any fatique from playing the instrument.  Overall, the guitar is definitely worth the price I paid for it.

Representing Guitar Producing Nations

I finally hung all my red guitars in the studio and only after putting them up, did I realize that each one of them is made in a different country.  From left to right: Yamaha SC300T (Taiwan), Fender Mustang Pawn Shop Special (Mexico), Italia Maranello (South Korea), Peavey Falcon (USA).  One red short of a flush.  What's missing?  A red Japanese-made guitar.

1993 Fender Precision Bass (Post-Restoration)

Not much to say other than this bass had the good bones that I had originally suspected.  Fully functional and tuned.  About the only thing I wasn't able to fix cosmetically was the broken off pickup housing.  The epoxy I used to put it back together is holding but there is a small crack (see last photo collage, upper left) that show.  The pickup works perfectly.  Also, the tone pot is a bit noisy so if and when I replace that, I might upgrade the pickups as well.  We'll see.

This bass plays just fine.  Not as perfect as one made in Corona, California but it meets my needs.  It had stayed in tune after a day of playing and plugged in, it has enough of the mid-range I'm looking for.  Also, at some point, I might try flat-wound strings but that'll be a while.

1993 Fender Precision Bass (Pre-Restoration)

This is a Fender P-Bass that is made in Korea (denoted by the serial number beginning with "CN").  I got this bass from some kid who advertised on Craigslist and it did not come with any strings.  From my internet research, the 3 in the serial number denotes the date of manufacture, around 1993 that is -- which puts this guitar at 20 years old.

It comes with Schaller tuners on the matte finish headstock.  The bass was in a pretty ratty condition as evidenced in the photos below.  But I recognized that this bass has some pretty good bones and most of the stuff are cosmetic in nature that I can fix up with some simple cleaning.

What's a used guitar without a sticker right?  The pickguard is in excellent shape and the oxidized screws give it some character.  During the restoration process, I will keep the original screws but definitely will remove the sticker.  The pickup (closest to neck) housing is cracked and busted so I needed to work some magic with epoxy to piece it back together.

The bridge is in good shape with no rust, just dust.  This was the fairly easy to clean but I had to undo the five screws that hold it so I can check the grounding wire.  Obviously, the springs to preload the string saddles are in good condition as well.

Underneath the volume and tone knobs were small pieces of the original pickguard plastic covering.  I had to clean remove the pots and output jack anyway so I can wash the pickguard thoroughly.  I some point, I will need to replace the pots, as the volume one has some noise when turning it up or down.

There are hardly any deep scratches on this 20-year old cream body.  In fact, after cleaning it, the body is somewhat flawless.  Again, I had to look past all this when I decided to buy the guitar.  And finally, to really give it an aged look, I buffed the body with chrome polish -- which easily removed these surface-only scratches.

Next post...photos of the restored instrument.

Italia Maranello

This is one of the more unusual guitars in my stable.  Visually, it definitely has a 60s surf guitar vibe but that's just part of the story.  Italia is a guitar maker that started putting out these retro-looking axes in the early 2000s.  This particular model I have is the Maranello and looks very much like the Hagstrom Standard 80 -- a 60s era guitar.  Very few of these Maranellos come up for sale in the used market in LA and when the ad for this one came up, I jumped on it within a couple hours.  Thankfully, the seller is from Glendora -- only about 4 miles from my workplace.

The sparkle red finish is nicely complemented by the art deco tailpiece and an antique white plastic pickguard that houses two Alnico V Wilkinson humbuckers.  The guitar setup wasn't too bad when I got it but I'll probably experiment with a couple string gauges before I decide on what to use on it long term.  The neck is larger than a standard Strat c-neck and plays almost like my Tacoma acoustic.

The back side of the Maranello is just as beautiful as the red sparkle top.  A pearloid finish from headstock to neck to body is quite impressive and like no other guitar I've seen. The country of origin (Korea) is probably the only reason this guitar sells for only $779 (MSRP).  It sells discounted online for about $579.

This guitar is also featured in the book "Guitar" by Michael Heatley as shown in the photos below.  And finally, the one other unique feature is the orientation of the output jack -- which, unlike every other electric guitar I own, points up, toward the strap button.  The idea is to use the guitar strap as a strain relief for the instrument cable as most everyone does playing live.  The one thing I am hoping for is for all pearloid surfaces to yellow over time, thereby giving this guitar a really unique look.