At one time I had three Strats in my workshop: a 1963 sunburst worth 9.000 Euros, A 2001 white Custom Shop, master-built by John English, worth 5600 Euros, a 2004 Mexican ‘Buddy Guy’ signature strat, worth 600 Euros.
They all needed a fret leveling job, and they all needed new strings and a proper set-up.
All three are built to exactly the same design, and they all had alder bodies, and Maple necks. They were all fitted with three single coil pickups each, and sported a vintage-style Fender Synchronized tremolo bridge The Buddy Guy had a maple fretboard, the two others had rosewood fretboards.
Which one did I like the most? Not an easy question to answer, since I am four ‘I’s.
I like listening to guitar playing, I like playing guitar myself, I like teaching guitar, and I like working on guitars. To each guitar, I am audience, user, instructor, and caregiver.
Each guitar that comes in, gets plugged into the dry channel of my Roland Jazz Chorus.
It is not the most musical of amps, but it is plain honest. Tube amps are instruments in their own right, that is why I find it difficult to distinguish between the sound of the guitar, and that of the amp. It is like tasting a Frankfurter, wrapped in a bun, embedded in tasty Sauerkraut and with French mustard on top. You can say you had a great hotdog, but you can’t really say much about the Frankfurter inside it, that way, right?
Interview w. Cristian Mirabella at Holy Grail Guitar Show 2015.
We had the pleasure of meeting up with luthier, Cristian Mirabella, of Mirabella Guitars from New York in Berlin during Holy Grail Guitar Show 2015. On this video Cristian tells us a little bit about the history around him as a builder and also tells us a bit about one of this unique creations that he brought to the show. Guitarplayer, Ratko Zjaca, was kind to lend his time to demo the guitar.
“Mirabella Guitars and Restorations specializes in the creation of fine stringed instruments, the recreation of exact reproduction vintage pick guards and parts, as well as custom one of a kind parts and inlay work.”
Def Leppard is a band known to most people, not at least guitar-enthusiasts due to the bands unique sound of playful melodies and powerful guitar riffs and solos. Rising to prominence in the early to mid 1980s the band was part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, however the bands sound is not so easily contained by specific genres, and Def Leppard can with no doubt in their voices claim to have a sound completely unto themselves. This is in no part due to the hard workmanship of the various guitarists that have blessed the band with their talents through out the years. Currently the role of main guitarist of Def Leppard is shared between two people; Vivian Campbell and Phill Collen. Front singer and founder Joe Elliot also provides guitar from time to time and so does bassplayer Rick Savage, but currently the real guitar talent resides with Campbell and Collen.
Both guitarists have more than two decades of experience behind them, and as during their extensive time of playing guitar at a highly professional level have both gone through a host of guitars of different kinds, brands and wild looks. Campbell appears to perhaps be the more populist or classicists guitar player of the two in regards to brand as he have a long history of playing mostly Gibson Les pauls guitars, however for extended periods of time Campbell have instead favoured playing on the number of custom made guitars he have made for him or have come by during his years of playing, including a three-colour (pink, red and yellow) Rand guitar, handmade by Rand Havener and a guitar built for him by luthier Buddy Blaze. These instruments was however more featured during his time with DIO and Whitesnake, while his Les Pauls have come more into play once again during his time at Def Leppard.
Phill Collen on the other hand uses the less popular Jackson Guitar brand almost exclusively. Formerly known for being one of the most exquisite brands when it came to custom made heavy metal guitars the brand have fallen out of favour since the 1990s, and a now a subsidiary of Fender Guitars. Collen still stands by them however and for almost all of his recording and turing work he exclusively uses Jackson guitars, and more specifically PC1 models. Some of them are modded to suit particular needs while other are left more or less in the state they were in when first bought. Collen having have a unique and self sure sounds for many years, and though his talent and personal flavour is part of this, some of this is also due to the way that his PC1s are equipped. All of them feature Dimarzio which is not unusual in any way, however the fact that almost all of his guitars are also fitted with Floyd Rose Sustainer pickups and the fact that most of them also feature Floyd Rose tremolos makes them stand out from other Jackson PC1s.
In every way a truly iconic band with a unique sound, Def Leppard continues to play and deliver fantastical songs with great splendour, in no small part due to their fantastic and hugely talented guitarist, and for that we are very grateful!
For more on Def Leppard, visit their website here.
For more Premier Guitar videos, visit their youtube channel here.
And don’t forget to visit Vintage & Rare on the other parts of the web:
Steve Vai, guitarist supreme, a man who was called a “little Italian virtuoso” by Frank Zappa, is a man who if any, has an intimate relationship with his guitars. In the mid 1980s Vai struck a deal with guitar production company Ibanez, a relationship that have lasted ever since, and which have spawned a series of guitars that have since become the staple for many guitarists around the world, from happy amateurs, to serious collectors and heavy metal super stars.
The story of the relationship between Steve Vai and Ibanez all starts in 1985 when Vai joined the supergroup David Lee Roth formed after his departure from Van Halen. Vai was to be the main guitarist in this group and his sudden explosion on the world guitar scene as one of the most famous and recognized faces made it clear that he needed some newer and more flashy gear. Having played for a couple of years with hand build prototypes, Steve gave each of the guitar companies that wanted to endorse him a specific set of plans for the guitar he wanted. Only Ibanez complied with a guitar build almost exactly to Vais specifications, and within months the Ibanez JEM series was born as a result. Officially released upon the world in 1987, the Ibanez JEM series featured a number of unique elements that was not to be found in other guitars at that time, from the unique whammy bar, the way the pickups were arranged, to the handle cut in the body work; lovinging referred to as the monkey grip.
However the story doesn’t end there. With the JEM series being a signature series, most of the various versions of the JEM guitars are in limited numbers, with a few series being the exception, most notably a cheaper Korean version. However what is most interesting are the versions of the JEM guitars that are truly rare and unique. The two most famous versions of the JEM guitars is most likely the JEM2KDNA and Steve Vais personal go-to guitar the EVO. The original JEM777 series was the first ever JEM series available, with 777 models released, however stranger and more exclusive version of the JEM have since been created. Among those are the JEM2KDNA guitars, of which only 300 were only made. Though the guitar in an off itself is just a classical JEM guitar in regards to the parts that it is constructed of, however the paint is truly unique, as it is made from 1:8 parts of Steve Vais own blood, and painted with a dip and drip method; ensuring that each guitar is truly unique, as well as creating a (albeit slightly weird) bond between the owner of the guitar and Steve Vai.
Finally there is the JEM EVO guitars, of which only 100 were released, and steve way being in possession of additional 2 more models; the original, and one of the clones. We say clones because this series of JEM guitars are all made to be as identical as possible in any way to Vais own original EVO guitar, his longest lasting JEM guitar, which have seen use at countless live shows, recordings and so on. 100 copies were made, all hand signed by Vai, and released for collectors to seek out.
Though most of the JEM guitars differs mostly from each other in their looks more than in the way they sound, there are notable differences between the older and newer models, with changes having been made both in regards to the wood and other materials used to produced the body of the guitars as well as different types of pickups used for various series of JEMs. However this is all part of the plan, as Vai’s wish have always been to have a series of guitars available, that will sound more or less the same, no matter where you pick up a new model. For the same reason, almost all of the JEM guitars uses Dimarzio pickups, and have the same fret arrangement and whammy bars.
And even so, sometimes there is need for something completely different. In 1990, Ibanez released the very first Ibanez Universe guitars, also made in close collaboration with Steve Vai. What makes the Universe series markedly different from the JEM series, is that even though it resembles the JEM series closely there are two defining elements that really sets the Universe apart: first it lacks the signature monkey grip of the JEM guitars, and second it boasts a second string, making it a 7-string guitar, a feature that at its release was highly unusual.
Since then a number of different JEM and UNIVERSE series have been released, and both of these brands of Ibanez guitars are still going strong, proving that the partnership between Steve Vai and Ibanez have produced more than just a couple of beautiful guitars, they have also produced a high quality series of instruments, for musicians and collections around the world to enjoy.
At Copenhagen Guitar Show 2013 we came across a very beautiful, rare and highly sought after 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard Burst, Serial #02170. At the time it was for sale through swedish vintage guitar dealer Anderson Anderson. Anders has been collecting Bursts since the 70´s and is known as one of the premier vintage guitar dealers in Scandinavia for highend and collectible vintage guitars.
The 1958 – 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standards are the most collectible guitars within electric solidbody category.
Hope you will enjoy the pics and the video we did with Anders on this guitar from the show as well. The video starts with Anders showing us the 1960 Burst
See more beautiful vintage guitars on Vintage & Rare here
In June OPorto Sound Shock will once again be opening the doors for their music market in Portugal. Sound Shock is an event where musicians and music lovers can acquire, promote or trade musical matter & material. It happens inside an old market at Oporto’s historic city center. Music can be explored in different ways and one will always find something inspiring to take home.
Pedals With A Cause is the world´s first fundraising community for pedal manufacturers from all over the world, coming together and donating pedals for great causes. And Vintage & Rare is so proud to be a part of this!
The first auction being held, is a fundraiser for blues guitarist Walter Trout who is in urgent need of a liver transplant. We are very sad to hear about the condition of our dear friend and have decided to be a part of the Pedal With A Cause eBay auction, to raise funds for Walter in this critical time.
With the support of 17 pedal manufacturers from all over the world, we have now gathered 20 amazing pedals. All 20 pedals are being listed as one single auction! So here is your chance to grab 20 incredible pedals in one go and support a great cause.
We recently stumbled across this great documentary, Everybody Here Wants You, about the life of Jeff Buckley. It was made by BBC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1pO9d1uPJc
Born in Anaheim, California, Jeff Buckley was raised around music, his mother being a professional cellist and pianist.
He was introduced to bands such as Queen and Led Zeppelin by his stepfather. At age 12 he decided to become a musician and he received his first professional guitar. He spent years afterwards playing many styles in different bands until he was contacted by his father’s former manager with an offer to help him record his first demo of original songs. Thus he recorded his only studio album: Grace.
The next 2 years he toured to promote his album and in 1996 he stopped at some point, planning to record his second album. The album was never finished as he died on the 29th of May 1997, drowning in Wolf Rive Harbour after a spontaneous swim.
Vintage & Rare had the opportunity of making a transaction possible together with Chelsea Guitars, for Jeff Buckley’s Fender Telecaster from 1983, so this documentary means a lot to us, especially because that guitar is featured in it.
Here is a Video about the guitar:
Our friends over at Guitar World recently made this great video with Metallica frontman James Hetfield visiting Guitar Center in San Francisco. At Vintage and Rare we are Metallica fans, so it was a great experience for us to hear James sharing his stories. We hope it will be the same for you.
James Hetfield shared a lot of stories, varying from his first cover band, first professional instrument, all the way to his decision to become a musician and his career with all its consequences.
He also talks about his new ESP Iron Cross signature model, getting quite deep into its technical details and also plays a few riffs during the video.
For more details about his New ESP signature model please go to espguitars.com.
For more videos from Guitar Center visit their YouTube Channel.
