I have a problem. If a guitar is less than $50, and I see the ad for it, and have even the slightest interest, I tend to buy it.
However, some of my favorite guitars I play have come to me this way. A couple years ago I bought a used Yamaha FG-JR1 3/4 scale kids guitar for my travel guitar. And I kind of got hooked on knocking that thing around and putting it in the overhead bin of the Denver to St. George UT flight I'm on quite a bit.
Well, I found a Mitchell (Guitar Center's store brand) 3/4 scale solid spruce top MDJ-10 for $10 that a local early 20 something was selling. Had Ron-Jon surf shop, Van's stickers on it, hand painting etc. I bought it. It fit the baby taylor case I had picked up for the Yamaha. After lots of elbow grease cleaning it, it sounded like 3 times better than the Yamaha. Sold the Yamaha.
Then I found a 1970 Sears & Roebuck (atomic logo) equivalent of a Harmony Stella for $20. Saddle piece was some kind of dyed black basswood - strings had cut through it like cheese. I fashioned a compensated saddle from a Home Depot Hickory flooring sample (cut the tongue end off the sample, and a little chiseling and you can make a crap Harmony guitar sound really nice and intonate just fine.
Then another guitar came up for 6$ and I went and checked it out. It was another S&R but this one was made in Japan, 1969. I told the lady that it might be worth more.
She wanted it gone.
Then my guitar closet came to overflowing. Time to sell. I put the Stella S&R up for sale for $125 and after some waiting a local slide blues player paid that straight up. I told him I had the other S&R (which was in not so good shape, but it had a sort of banjo-like honk to it that made it pretty rock and roll) and he said he wanted to check it out. He strummed it for just 15 seconds or so, said 'Hell yes!' and handed me another $125.
Latest is a $25 very beat up body Squier Bronco bass. This is a 30" scale bass with a crappy single coil pickup in it. The neck on it is get this: solid maple and probably the nicest neck on any guitar I own. It's also very light - solid Agathis body. As an aging player, I made a decision that I was going to turn this into my main 'playing out' bass. So, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder P-bass pickup that I had in my former gigging bass came out and is going to make a new appearance in the Bronco. I'm thinking of adding a belly cut and forearm cut in this body but I want to play it so bad. I had to fashion a new pickguard and I've had a stack of HPL samples that I wanted to try making pickguards out of so I picked the wildest one I had. Note to others - HPL is a pain to work with. Anyways, here's a picture of tonight's work on it which was doing a full shielding fit of some sheet copper.
What guitarist hasn't got GAS? I figure it's an occupational hazard.
Before COVID-19, I'd cruise the local pawn shops, but never got deals like you! I was mostly looking for spare instruments, so I'd have something I could leave at church that was playable.
At this point, I really don't need much of anything, other than to start playing what I've got.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
The key takeaway here is that your account of the collection included the word "SOLD". I buy them but never sell them. I bought a Yamaha Pacifica (which doesn't fit the "cheap" aspect at $300) and it sounds good and plays really well right from the box. I will probably do some buffing on the frets but other than that it's fine. I also bought a Roxio Blueburst Strat from Monoprice, JUST because it's pretty. It is also sounds and plays acceptably, though it will eventually get a tremolo upgrade and better tuning machines.
The fun one now is a no name Strat I bought for $60 from a Craigslist guy. He painted it purple for his grandkid but the kid lost interest in like 47 seconds. I am currently stripping it to bare wood and will get some gel stain that comes close to matching the yellow-ish stain on the fretboard. And here's the fun part.
In order to get my name and identity off of Facebook, I created a parody account named "Dick Steubig" after a character from a mid 90s video game, and then deleted my real account. I then found a guy who makes water slide decals, so the formerly purple Strat will proudly the bear the name "Steubig" on the headstock, a guitar made just for me, by my people!!
It's easily explained: "one man's trash is another man's treasure". This is great, there's always someone to look after and cherish something, long after the previous owner has lost interest. Nothing wrong with that, ever.
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I have a different project guitar that I will get to after this bass. It’s a Squier strat, full thickness body, that I’m turning into a two lipstick pickup Danelectro type guitar. Using a telecaster wiring kit with a 4 position switch (4th position puts both pickups into series wiring). The big surprise on that one is that I made a sort of varitone circuit with a big 6PST rotary switch with a bunch of different tone caps wired in.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Looks like a fun project!
What guitarist hasn't got GAS? I figure it's an occupational hazard.
Before COVID-19, I'd cruise the local pawn shops, but never got deals like you! I was mostly looking for spare instruments, so I'd have something I could leave at church that was playable.
At this point, I really don't need much of anything, other than to start playing what I've got.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
Yeah the pickup on the Bronco is lightweight. But the neck! Oh man it’s perfect. Solid maple with spot on fret work. I have some pretty expensive acoustic guitars and the neck on this Bronco is the best in my fleet of stringed instruments. Fretwork is absolutely amazing. To buy a neck that is this nice from Warmoth or elsewhere would be several hundred dollars.
I buy mostly from Facebook Marketplace. In a city the size of Colorado Springs, there’s usually a couple guitars that are posted with something like ‘Needs a string’ in the description. Those are the ones I go for. Missed out on a Squier with an SG body last week for $20. Those are supposed to be pretty solid guitars for Frankenstein builds
Yes, for many years I acquired a lot of guitars. Not all were bargains.
Then I got a Tom Anderson. Certainly not cheap but not as much as I payed for a vintage Les Paul.
All my guitars set in the case except for the Anderson. I could have never imagined what I was missing before I got the first Anderson.
I do sometimes play the Les Paul because nothing else sounds like it. Trouble is it is like pulling the anchor on my boat...way to heavy for a old guy like me...lol
These "addictions" are problems of prosperity...lol If we had grown up in the former Soviet Union we would have been overjoyed to have any playable guitar!
I must say the best acoustic I ever had my hands on I got in a pawn shop for $35 dollars. Just a nothing guitar from Holland. I think everything just fell in place and the stars aligned when that guitar was made. It is seriously better than any high dollar Martin I ever played. After some years of playing it I gave it to a pro musician friend of mine because I wanted it to be in the hands of someone who could bring it's value to life.
So, buying $50 guitars could turn out to be something exceptional.
Cheers,
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 08/12/2003:21 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
I'm a bottom feeder. I have a number of inexpensive guitars. I have a few SX guitars, a SX bass, a Hadean acoustic 12 string, and a Valencia nylon string acoustic all from Rondo music. I have a couple of old Kramer guitars.
I got some great deals on a Danelectro 12 string, a Dean acoustic bass, a Squire P bass, and a couple of other acoustic guitars. I have a Jay Turser and a Harley Benton jazz boxes.
But more importantly I have a wife who doesn't object!
Last edited by MarioD; 08/12/2004:17 AM.
I haven't lost all of my marbles but there is a small hole in the bag someplace!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I recently bought what is probably a Kay 6 string. Previous owner modified the label to say Kay. I am thinking a Kay Truetone. Oddly, the strings fold down under the saddle.
With the guitar came a 1950s Wizz Comicbook with an early appearance of Captain Marvel.
I am very happy with the whole purchase. And, I have no interest in the comicbook except for resale.
This is my latest find. A 1930's Regal dobro for $30.
Over the last 50 years I've had some stellar finds but they aren't less than $50.
I'll mention the absolute once in a life time best find I've made. In 1974 I read an ad in a local paper regarding an old Gibson guitar for sale. I get to the house and the guy pulls out a tweed case from under the couch. That sets off all my alarms. He cracks it open and I see the pink plush lining -- oh man! And he pulls out one of the 90 odd original Gibson Fying V's. Yes, really. I buy it for $300 and sell it a year later to a vintage dealer in Atlanta for $5000 thinking I made out like a bandit. Eventually Stephen Stills ends up owning it ... so I was told. I know he has one. Today? $200,000 or more. Regrets? Yeah, but I would never have held on to it for 45 years. Or at least that's what I tell myself. I have some Martin stories too but I'll spare you. Suffice it to say Janice plays a 1943 D-18! Those were THE days for old instrument hunting.
Bud
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Well..... not really. I mean, yeah I like buying guitars as much as anyone but.... they have to be decent guitars.
I have bought a few cheap guitars through the years. Kinda wish I still had my first electric harmony guitar. No truss rod and I sold is to a neighbor when I got my Gibson SG and he left it out in the backyard shed where moisture got to it and the neck looked like a bow you could shoot arrows on.
I stopped at a yard sale where I glimpsed a case laying on one of the tables. It was a puke green something or other. Had a bunch of switches and knobs and 3 pickups and came with a case for $20. I thought cool... this is gnarley. Took it to the gig that night and used it for 2 songs.... put it down and played my Gibson the rest of the night. As soon as I turned it up, it went to howling with high pitched feedback. Cheap pickups. I sold it that night to the sound guy for $25.
At a customer's home, they were having a yard sale and in the corner was a red strat copy.... I asked and they actually gave it to me. It's essentially unplayable due to the neck... I guess I could open tune it and use a slide.... action is waaaaay to high to try to fret it comfortably. I tried adjusting it. Nope.... sounds halfway decent otherwise. Currently, it is wall hanger art in my studio.
Everything else I own is a quality instrument. I like what Bud said..... I like buying expensive guitars cheap.
If you are on Face Book... there is a group called Awesome Cheap Guitars ...specifically for people who love the cheap stuff and the yardsale finds.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 08/12/2007:09 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Many moons ago I served as import agent for Kiso Suzuki Instruments of Japan famous for their violins ( The Suzuki Method ) and they made fantastic copies of Gibson guitars. I put a lot of miles on a Hummingbird copy and a Dove 12-string. Both excellent instruments. However, they couldn't make a spider and cone assembly to satisfy Dobro player Mike Auldridge' discerning ear which left our joint venture stillborn.
You wonderful folks have probably heard, ad nauseum, that I jammed regularly with Bob Zimmerman ( Dylan ) in HS in the late '50s. Bob didn't have a guitar at that time. We traded off playing my arch-top, f-hole Sears Silvertone which played like a fencepost and sounded worse.
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