Posted on 05/04/2007 4:13:21 PM PDT by Bean Counter
My wife made a mistake. For my birthday in February, she bought me a calendar from the Fender Custom Shop. I hung it on the wall directly behind my desk, right in my range of vision, and I have been gazing longingly ever since at beautiful guitars. My longing stayed within reason until I turned the page to April, and saw the Engraved Thinline Telecaster in flame maple. The clumsy copy below the calendar proper says "both nice to look at and a dream to play."
"A dream to play" has been ringing in my head ever since, the way a phrase from ad copy will do. And two weeks ago, I drove to the nearest Guitar Center and sat down and started playing electric guitars for the first time in 30 years.
Beautiful Telecaster notwithstanding, I played only Stratocasters on that first visit. I have always been a Strat man. Here is a picture of a very nice one, from the current Fender website.
MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME MY FIRST STRATOCASTER when I was in junior high school, in about 1961. Those of you who know the marque will share my chagrin that I do not still have that model, now known as a "vintage" Stratocaster, and much desired. It had belonged to a country western musician, whose big belt buckles had torn up the sunburst finish on the back. I got a Fender Concert Amp with it, and instantly became a popular guy with the two other serious guitar players in my school, Roger Johnson and Bob Cohen. They used to invite me to play with them, mainly so they could use my amp, which was bigger and better than the ones they had.
**SCHNIPP**
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
No, he strung it upside down so it would be just a mirror of a right-hander.
Acch. Dammit. I stand corrected - just watched a clip of him at Woodstock, playing his famous rendition of the national anthem. He kept the thin ones low, indeed.
I didn’t mean to take up your sweet time.
:)
Give it right back one of these days.
Is there a recording equipment equivalent of GAS? I’m currently obsessing over a perceived need for a mike optimized to record bass drum. Never recorded a drum kit in my life, but gotta have one. Weird!
(speaking of coincidences, I happened to BUY that cheap Steinberger bass knock-off at Elderly Instruments’ brick-and-mortar store in Lansing, MI — from whence you linked your graphic)
You can go to the youtube link on my tagline and see my D-41. :)
1971 Kustom Bass Amp & 1966 Hofner Bass.... Schlitz Beer can and 3 year old son.....
That’s a beauty. ....and in excellent shape. Amazing how much pre-CBS Fenders have appreciated in value over the last decade or so.
Jimi did, but Otis Rush didn't. He just turned that 335 of his upside down and left the strings as is. Amazing blues player.
:) That’s an award winning picture!
Try a Mexican strat or Tele, Jeff. Since you don’t like the tremolo, just put five springs in the back of the strat and take the whammy bar off. It’s how mine are set up.
I bought this and a same year Fender Deluxe Reverb amp from a friend back in the 80’s for $400. Wonder what they are worth now?
I love that flame maple!
That’s the very definition of GAS. You don’t need it, but you’re obsessing over it. Way to go!
Of course there is. GAS encompasses all areas of music gear and technology.
Try an Audix D4 or D6. I’ve had good luck with the D4, which is a bit cheaper than the 6.
ps - they work well for recording bass amps as well.
Good lookin’ setup! I bought my EB-3 new in ‘69. I seem to remember the fretless one being available as an option.
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