So yesterday was interesting...

I was out fixing computers in a part of my town that I rarely get to. All my service calls were done, so I decided to stop in this little pawn shop I'd never been in to check it out.

A good bit of the stuff in this small and packed store was older Kays and Harmonies that, while cool, no one is going to lose any sleep over if they get another ding. The majority of the store's inventory is at the owner's house from what he said. There were quite a few notables, however.

A '67 Jaguar in great shape. An early Mesa-Boogie combo. Loads of old Fender amps. A handbuilt (by the shop) 5E3 clone in blonde. A Les Paul Studio in a really nice stain with Standard fretboard markers (I have no idea!). Two old Gibson combo amps that are calling my name. A Gibson table steel (non-pedal) with its original '58 PAF.

I mentioned that my main guitar these days is a double-cut lp special. The owner starts telling me about the '60 special he recently sold. Then he tells me about the '58 Junior he sold that morning on Ebay. The one that hasn't shipped yet. The one that's in the store.

The one that is about four feet away from me in its original hardshell case.

Needless to say, he didn't have to offer twice to let me play it.

See, ever since I saw most of my guitar heroes playing one, the LP Specials and Juniors have been the model that has that little bit of something extra for me. I was into punk, so sue me.

So here I am, dream guitar in hand. Cherry red finish that is beat to hell and back in all the right places. There's a big gouge just above where the neck pickup would be if this was a Special from some serious playing. Finish worn on the bass side of the neck from third to fifth fret. The neck is a bat, but feels really good to the hand. Frets are worn, but have a few good years left in them. The case was pristine, which I feel is a very good sign.

Even unplugged, "Career Opportunities" never sounded so good.

After realizing that to match the price he got that morning I'd have to start off with, "So, you wanna trade for my car?" I played a few more Clash songs, gently put it back in the case, and bought an old wah for $50.

Anybody else had a fun encounter with a holy grail (personal or otherwise)?

I've got a 59LP Jr. It was my first electric guitar and I've had it since about '68 or so. Cherry on Mahogany. A few years ago I had a local shop put identical tuners put on it and a badass bridge so it plays and stays in tune. I play it on stage occasionally. By todays standards, it looks like a toy. But you should see peoples faces when they hear the fire in that P-90 single coil. Heck, it still blows me away too.

__________________
"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision." Benjamin Franklin

I have played some amazing vintage guitars, including a late 50's LP Jr., a 59 LP Standard, 1964 Strat, an early 50's Tele as well as a few others....through real 60's era AC-30s and Marshalls. Those instruments feel like well settled wood vibrating "correctly". Unless I was truly a rockstar or multi-millionaire, I probably wouldn't play them anywhere except the studio. Authentic vintage guitars can be worth more than sports cars and houses....

That said, the vintage reproduction/relic market has done an outstanding job at reproducing the sound and feel of those instruments. I have a Relic Tele that just delivers that vintage vibe every time I play it.

__________________
THIS SPACE FOR RENT

That's pretty much what I got out of this one. Well said.

And to think, this was the student model!

Thinking about it, this guitar was like playing mine's grandfather (or great-uncle, to be technical about it).

BMiller - what a great experience.
Fuzzbox - I visited your myspace site. Love that photo of you with your 56 LP Jr. That guitar is beautiful!

It's an amazing slice of guitar history. It actually belongs to a elderly family friend. It has the original tailpiece so the intonation is not adjustable, but overall it does fine if I tune it roughly where I plan to play on the neck. It's drop dead gorgeous though.

__________________
"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision." Benjamin Franklin