Used & Vintage

Vital Stat's

• SN. 6046
• Weight: 6.6 Pounds (9.6 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2006 (First Year)
• Condition: Excellent+
• Street Price New: $5670.00

Condition

I-35 Deluxe #46 shows absolutely no wear on its finish or frets. It just barely misses the 'Mint' rating due to some mild patina on the nickel tuners which we actually find attractive. If desired, this patina could easily be removed with a mild metal polish. We like the way it looks so we'll leave this decision to the guitar's next owner.

Fat Sound's Take

An exceptional example of a first year, I-35 Deluxe. As with all early Collings Electrics, I-35 Deluxe #46 (yep, that's the 46th I-35 built) has a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and headstock overlay. The increasing scarcity of Brazilian led Collings to switch to Madagascar a couple of years ago and while Madagascar is an excellent wood with very similar tonal properties to Brazilian, the Brazilian board combined with the first year production and low serial number makes this an exceptionally desirable piece. Adding to this guitar's appeal is a fantastic curly maple top and the preferred Dot Inlay, Double Bound body and neck spec's.

Bill Collings, one of the most talented luthiers alive today, builds some of the finest Acoustic Guitars, Archtop Guitars, A and F style Mandolins and even Ukuleles that you'll find. His Electric designs are equally impressive in terms of absolute perfection in fit and finish, overall style, ease of playability and balance and, of course, tone.

The mahogany back and neck woods, maple tops and Brazilian rosewood fingerboards are meticulously chosen to resonate perfectly together allowing the guitars to breath and be incredibly lively with tremendous natural acoustic qualities.

Collings also uses very thin, nitrocellulose lacquer finishes which not only take on a beautiful patina with age, but allow the woods to continue to mature while increasing resonance and warmth. This is a guitar that will continue to improve year after year.

Features and Specifications

• Nitrocellulose Lacquer Tobacco Burst Finish
• Highly figured, quilted maple top
• Straight Grain Mahogany Back
• Mahogany, long-tenon setneck with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard
• Brazilian headstock overlay
• Double Bound Body
• Double Bound neck and headstock
• Gorgeous, grained ivoroid pickup rings, truss rod cover and knobs with rosewood rings fabricated in-house by Collings' craftsmen
• Grained Ivoroid tuner buttons
• Dot fingerboard inlays
• Lollar Imperial Humbuckers
• Tone Pros Bridge and Taipiece
• Original Hardshell Case
• And that difficult to quantify feature.....TONE!!!! You will be stunned!

Dimensions

• Body Length: 17 5/8"
• Body Depth: 2"
• Lower Bout Width: 15"
• Total Length: 40"
• Scale Length: 24 7/8"
• Fingerboard Radius: 12"
• Standard Nut Width: 1 11/16"

Vital Stat's

• Serial Number: 7 181
• Year of Production: 2007
• Condition: Excellent
• Original Selling Price: $5799.00
   

Fat Sound's Take

We sold this guitar when it was new in 2007. It's the 181st I-35 Deluxe that Collings built. We feel it is one of the finest examples of Collings' I-35 that's ever come through our shop. We've sold a ridiculous number of Collings Electrics between their initial release in 2006 and today and yet we clearly remember this particular guitar....such was its impact on us as very picky guitarists and somewhat jaded purveyors of high-end instruments. Not only does this piece exemplify the goal that Collings strives for with each I-35 they build, but the vintage-style nature of the top on this piece makes it a true stunner from a visual standpoint.

The maple top has that eastern maple style figuring found on the more highly figured Gibsons from the 50's. Surf over to Collings' website and navigate to their I-35 Deluxe page. Notice they chose to showcase an I-35 with a very similar style of maple.

Both the fingerboard and headstock are modestly figured Brazilian Rosewood, of which Collings' supply has since gotten so sparse that they no longe include it on current guitars. Brazilian as standard was nice while it lasted, but those days are long gone. The back and side, which are milled from a solid piece of Mahogany are nicely striped lending a subtle, but meaningful amount of character to the backside of the guitar which provides and ideal complement to the figuring of the guitar's solid maple top.

Our "take" on this guitar is simple: if you've been looking for a used Collings I-35, prefer a vintage look to a more modern aesthetic and are willing to pay a premium, though still a nice savings over the same model purchased new; if you insist on having an I-35 that ranks as top-shelf both sonically and visually, then this is your new guitar.

And, as always, we back our assessment, while taking into account the subjectivity of tone, with our 72 hour approval period.

This piece is Highly Recommended!™

Features and Specifications

• Premium, Eastern Michigan Maple Top
• Semi-Hollow Mahogany Body
• Tobacco Sunburst Finish
• High Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish
• Inset Maple Center Block
• Fully Carved Top with F-Holes
• 24-7/8" Scale Length
• Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
• 1-11/16th" Nut Width (Bone Nut)
• Small Dot, Pearl Fingerboard Inlays
• Brazilian Rosewood Peghead Veneer
• Pearl Collings Logo Inlay
• Imperial Humbucker Pickups by Jason Lollar
• Grained Ivoroid Binding with Double Binding Option (Black/White Purfling)
• Custom Ivoroid Knobs and Pickup Rings
• 12" Fingerboard Radius
• Hand Set Mortise and Tenon Neck Joint
• Tone Pros Bridge and Tailpiece
• Closed Back Nickel Tuners with Vintage-Style Buttons
• Original, Custom Fit, TKL Hardshell Case

Dimensions

• Body Length: 17 5/8"
• Body Depth: 2"
• Lower Bout Width: 15"
• Total Length: 40"

Vital Stat's

• SN. 2569
• Weight: 7.6 Pounds (9.6 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2010
• Condition: Excellent+
• Original Street Price: $2799.00

Features and Specifications

BODY:

• Wood: Alder
• Color: Black Base Coat with Cherry Metallic Top Coat
• Finish: Nitrocellulose lacquer

NECK:

• Medium Large Roundback in 1-Piece, Clear Maple (straight grain with no figuring for greatest strength) with hand-rubbed oil finish
• 10" radius
• 1 5/8ths" nut
• German Jescar fretwire in 6150 size

PICKUPS:

• Lindy Fralin P-90 set.

HARDWARE:

• Goto 510: Vintage style, 6 point, bent metal saddle tremolo bridge with push in trem arm, Locking vintage Kluson style tuners.

PLASTIC:

• Black pickguard
• Black pickup covers
• Black speed knobs

Fat Sound's Take On The Electrajet Model

Vital Stat's

• SN: 21
• Weight: 8.8 Pounds (12.8 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2010
• Condition: Excellent+
• Original Selling Price: $2879.00

From LMG's Website

The T's body, as with all of our guitar bodies, starts as a solid block of 6061 T6 Aircraft Aluminum and is then hogged out until we have the perfect body thickness. This is way denser than wood and the plucked string's energy stays intact much longer. This ultimately makes for a clearer, more pure sound.

The machining on the outside of the body is left intact for a somewhat industrial look, to allow an appreciation of the material which is bringing you this amazing energy.....and amazing tone! You can definitely see the patterned tool marks, but they look intentional and catch the light in such a way as to give the guitar a rippled look.

The machined body is coated with the latest in scratch resistant clear coat just developed by Akzo Nobel for use on ultra luxury cars. This gives the machining a sense of depth, it is an amazing 3d look with an absolutely stunning luster.

Again, with all our guitars this is a feature that is unique to metal, you can't do this machining in wood, you cant do this clear coat in wood and you can't get this same fine sound in wood.

The Pickups

• Seymour Duncan LMG Custom Wind “Phat Cat” Pickup in neck position, creates a beautiful buttery tone.
• Seymour Duncan Special Billy Gibbon’s ‘ lil 59, 16.k alnico 5 magnet over wound bridge pickup that takes full advantage of the body’s unique characteristics.

The Guitar

• Body machined from a solid block of aircraft grade 6061 T6 Aluminum to proprietary thickness. Top and sides are contiguous, which creates a rigidity to the body that creates our amazing warm tone and note bloom.
• Machined marks design to create a look that is unique and pleasing. It is a finish is unique to metal, it simply cannot be duplicated in wood.
• Body clear coated with a exceptionally hard, high gloss, scratch resistant clear coat that enhances the depth perception of the machine marks on the body.
• The neck is made of Canadian hard rock maple. There are 8 steps in the sanding process:
• The rough cut neck is hand sanded with 600 grit to find the neck's shape. The next steps use 800 grit sand paper and the last 4 steps utilize 1200 grit for an end result that is incredibly smooth.
• Finally, a clear satin sealer is applied for an extremely natural and fast feel that offers protection from dirt and moisture while feeling like highly sanded, raw wood.
• It just feels good to hold and play.

Specifications

• Ebony fingerboard 12" fingerboard radius.
• 25.5 inch scale.
• Frets - starts with .50 X .100 hard alloy frets that are then extensively finished/dressed. We are extremely proud of our fret work and believe that it truly stands out.
• Stainless dual-action truss rod, silicon seated and rods sheathed.
• An 8 degree headstock angle puts the perfect downward tension on the strings behind the nut. No String Tree.
• Gotoh's 510 mini tuners in chrome finish, with a 1:18 gear ratio and height adjustable posts to add to the string tension.
• Bigsby B5 Vibrato system bolted flush on body.
• Effective Gotoh “LMG tweaked” roller bridge system that allows the guitar to remain in tune with Vibrato use.
• Self lubricating nut to improve tuning stability while eliminating all tuning "ping"
• Precision filing of nut slot depths, so that the intonation, creates a perfectly playable guitar.
• Graphtech String Saver Saddles which are a unique combination of materials made to enhance tone and dramatically reduce string breakage.
• CTS 500k Pots.
• Switchcraft Jack.
• Shielded Braided Old School Wire.
• Switchcraft Right Angle 3 position switch.
• LMG custom machined Unique LMG Tone and Volume Control Knobs.
• Custom fit, hardshell case included.

Free Shipping!

Vital Stat's

• Serial Number: 10024
• Weight: 5 Pounds, 0 Ounces
• Year of Production: 2010 (Summer 2010 NAMM Guitar)
• Condition: Excellent+
• Current Selling Price (new): $2699.00
• Original Street Price (2010): $1999.00

Fat Sound's Take

Test Rig:

• Large Room Amplifier - Dr. Z Z Wreck Head / Matching 212 Open Back Cab (Celestion Gold / Celestion Blue)
• Home: Mesa Mini-25 Recto Head / Matching 112 Closed Back, Slant Cab (Celestion Vintage 30)
• Cable - Lava Blue Demon
• Effects - None
• Pick - V Pick

The headstock of this Serpentine model says 'Guitar Mill', but apparently Mario realized at some point that rather than just being a manufacturer/supplier of necks and bodies or....a guitar mill.....he could actually use his talents to greater, or at least equal, advantage by building his own, dedicated guitar models which, reasonably enough, should bear his name on the front of the headstock rather than the back. The earliest Mario Martin guitars, like this Summer NAMM 2010 piece, were branded "Guitar Mill" on the headstock with "Mario Martin EDITION" on the headstock's backside.

This pseudo-vintage looking, off-set body guitar is unassuming, but, once you get to know it, which takes all of 10 minutes, proves to be an absolute killer! I found it to be visually appealing due to its 1950's Duo-Sonic-esque shape, a Fender® "student" model I've always been fond of, and very nicely applied, very thin 'Gun Metal Metallic' nitro finish. With a ridiculously lightweight body, Mario's Serpentine model could certainly be worn comfortably all night while delivering a wide range of inspiring tones from its single TV Jones Power'Tron pickup. Despite the extremely low weight of this guitar it balances nicely with none of the neck heavy problems that often make lighter guitars problematic when played strapped-on and standing.

Similar in stripped down simplicity to a mid-50's LP Junior or Fender Esquire, but with a unique tone that's familiar yet left me uncharacteristically at a loss to truly define, my time spent with Mario's Serpentine convinced me that, easy to define or not, it's one very, very cool guitar. Passing the if-I-could own-them-all test, the Serpentine was a whole lot more than I expected going in and I found myself surprised by how much time passed during my play test. Always a good sign for someone who wants nothing more from the precious moments spent playing guitar than a mindless and relaxing break from the 21st Century stresses of reality.

The more airy, but not overly bright nature of the Paulownia body is nicely balanced by Mario's 24" scale length choice. I have to assume that the Serpentine's shorter scale was chosen to add a thickness to the Paulownia's tone since fast growing, warm climate trees tend to produce lightweight wood, such as Southern Swamp Ash, that makes for fairly spanky sounding guitars. Most of us generally equate ultra-light, swamp ash Telecasters®, for example, with an abundance (sometimes over abundance) of top-end and therefore would expect a 5 pounder to simply sound thin, but that's not the case with this guitar.

The 24" scale also means most players would be comfortable playing this guitar strung with a heavier string gauge than their norm; a trick that also adds meat to the overall sound of any guitar.

Inspired by the kind of overall tightness of the lower registers and fairly complex midrange and upper frequencies, I spent far too much time indulging myself by mindlessly riffing in an unstructured, open E minor rhythm thing without really going anywhere. But, I wasn't paying for studio time or being paid to be creative (yeah...like that would happen!) so I just laid back and enjoyed every minute of my own aimless droning!

The thick, moderately overdriven rhythm available via my Z Wreck rig and a fairly aggressive pick attack, aided by my preferred, unyielding, V-Pick, could be easily morphed into a very sweet, percussive and full clean tone by simply laying back on the attack. The Serpentine is a very dynamic guitar that responds beautifully to player input.

I've found many of the best single pickup guitars to be more versatile than expected, but even so, the wide range of tones and gain levels available via Mario's Serpentine model was a very pleasant surprise.

Ultimately, I concluded that this is a very, very cool guitar with a comfortable, beautifully carved neck, clean fretwork, surreal, yet balanced, lightness and a wildly broader range of tones and overall versatility than I expected going into the play test.

With the Serpentine model, Mario Martin has created a guitar that will work for a very wide range of musical styles. It should be equally at home providing world class Country, Classic Rock, Blues or Punk tones.

Yep.....I definitely enjoyed spending the time required to get to know and review this guitar. As impressed by this guitar as I was, I admit to being surprised by the current asking price of $2699.00 for this model. The 2010 introductory price of $1999.00 is still just a bit of a stretch, but pretty much in line with what I'd expect for a relatively simple, but excellent sounding and playing guitar with top-shelf build quality and tone.

While the current street price seems a bit of a stretch, a very clean, used piece like this one at $1549.00 seems almost a bargain or at least a pretty reasonable bang-for-the-buck. I can't think of too many guitars in this price range that match the quality and overall vibe of Mario's Serpentine.

- Stu Carter, Fat Sound Guitars - Tone Consultant

Features and Specifications

• Body wood: Paulownia (see info below)
• Finish: Non-Aged Inca Silver Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck Wood: One Piece, Flamed Maple
• Neck Carve: Soft, Medium V Shape
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
• Fretwire and #: Dunlop 6105 / 21 Frets
• Scale Length: 24"
• Pickup: T.V. Jones Power’Tron
• Tuners: Sperzel Staggered Solid Pro
• Bridge: String-Thru, compensated, 3-Saddle Hardtail - Duo-Sonic meets Telecaster
• Controls: Volume / Tone
• Tone Circuit: "Lard Bucket"
• Case: Heavy-Duty Levi's Gig Bag
   

Paulownia

Admittedly this was a new one on us, but our hands-on analysis tells us that this wood has resonant and sonic properties very similar to a combination of Alder and Basswood and was most likely chosen as an optional wood by Mario for a variety of reasons. A quick Google search reveals that Paulownia is a domestically sourced, renewable wood. It comes from a relatively new species of genetically engineered, fast growing, warm climate tree which helps explain its light weight as well as its open, resonant similarity to Southern Swamp Ash

Vital Stat's

• SN. 08 139558
• Weight: 7.4 Pounds (6.4 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2008
• Condition: Excellent+ (scratches on pickguard)

From PRS

Similar in spirit to the double cutaway Mira model introduced at Experience PRS 2007, the single cutaway Starla® has many vintage themed appointments and is PRS Guitars’ first solidbody electric guitar featuring a standard Bigsby B5 tail piece and a Grover Tune-O-Matic bridge. The guitar also includes exclusive Starla Treble and Bass pickups.

The solid mahogany Starla® body is accented with a 24.5” scale rosewood fingerboard, a solid mahogany neck and dot inlays or optional bird inlays. Proprietary Alnico magnets incorporated into the pickup design contribute to the guitar’s unique clean and crisp sound, but these pickups are also capable of rich harmonic overtones when driven. Other features include a uniquely shaped black plastic pick guard, tone and volume pots and a three-way pickup selector.

Features and Specifications
 

• Solid Mahogany Body
• Vintage Mahogany Finish
• Solid Mahogany Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• Wide-Fat Neck Carve
• Dot Inlays
• 24.5" Scale Length
• B5 Bigsby Vibrato Tailpiece
• Grover Tune-O-Matic Bridge
• Starla Bass and Treble Pickups
• Volume and push-pull Tone controls with 3-way blade switch
  
• Vintage-style Tulip Tuners
• Original Hardshell Case

Vital Stat's

• Serial Number: 0319
• Weight: 9 Pounds
• Date of Completion: October 2010
• Condition: Excellent
• Original Selling Price: $2600.00
• Kirn's Current, Aprox. Lead Time: 8 Months

Features and Specifications

• Body: 1-Piece Ash
• Finish: Inca Silver Nitro-Lacquer
• Neck: 2-Piece Maple
• Carve: Soft "V"
• Neck Finish: Buffed Satin
• Fretwire: 6105
• Radius: 10"
• Fingerboard and Side Position Inlays: Abalone
• Nut: Bone
• Scale: 25.5"
• Neck Pickup: Stephens Design Ice House Supercaster
• Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates for Tele - Straight Mount
• Controls: Standard Tele - 3-Way, Volume, Tone
• Bridge: Glendale Strate Plate Bridge w/ Glendale Outlaw Saddles
• Tuners: Gotoh Locking
• Case: Custom Cedar Creek Black Alligator

Vital Stat's

• Serial Number: 8989
• Weight: 7 Pounds, 6 Ounces
• Year of Production: 2008
• Condition: Excellent +
• Original Selling Price: $3089.00

Features and Specifications

• Body Wood: Mahogany
• Top Wood: Curly Koa
• Finish: Natural Gloss
• Neck Wood: Mahogany
• Fingerboard Wood: Pau Ferro
• Neck Carve: 60's Vintage Medium (.830" x .950")
• Radius: 10"-14" Compound
• Nut Material / Width: Tusq / 1.650"
• Frets: Medium Stainless Steel
• Buzz Fieten Intonation
• Bridge: Gotoh 510 Tremolo / 2 Post / Solid Saddles
• Tuners: Sperzel Locking
• Electronics: Volume / Tone / 5-Way
• Neck Pickup: Suhr JST SSV
• Bridge Pickup: Suhr JST SSH+ Bridge
• Case: Original Suhr hardshell

Vital Stat's

• SN. S/S-008
• Weight: 7.8 Pounds (12.8 Ounces)
• Completion Date: April 2010
• Condition: Very Good (standard nitro lacquer grain sink)
• Original Selling Price: $2820.00

Features and Specifications

• Body: 2-pc, slip=matched Korina
• Finish: Trans Cherry Red
• Finish Type: Super-Thin Nitrocellulose Lacquer.
• Neck & Fretboard: Quartersawn Hard Rock Maple
• Neck Finish: Hand-Polished Tru-Oil
• Radius: 10"-14" Compound
• Neck Carve: Medium/Thin "C" - .820/.900
• Fretwire: Jescar Jr-90 Hybrid (.047 x .096)
• Number of Frets: 22
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Nut Width / Material: .670" / Tusq nut
• Inlays: Abalone Firesun at 12th and headstock logo
• Bridge: Thorn Tremolo
• Tuners: Gotoh HAP (Height Adjustable Poles - no string tree required)
• Pickups: Bridge - Padadena '80 / Neck and Middle - Pasadena '557
• Switching: 5-way
• Hardware Finish: Nickel
• Rear Loaded Volume, Tone & 5-way switch
• Premium electronics by Bourns, CRL & Switchcraft
• Deluxe G&G hardshell case

Construction Details

• "Precision Lock" custom dove-tail lap neck joint
• 2+2 ferrule & neck-plate configuration with contoured heel
• Stainless Steel machine screws and neck inserts
• Headstock truss-rod adjustment
• Fully shielded electronic cavity
• Hand-polished frets with hidden fret ends
• Rolled fingerboard edges

Vital Stat's

• Serial Number: 17204
• Weight: 7 Pounds, 6 Ounces
• Production Date: November 2011
• Condition: Mint

A Very Rare Find

Ordered 2 Years ago and delivered to its owner three weeks before we received it, the instrument on offer in this listing is an exceptionally rare find. The original owner has two other Callaham guitars, both with 60's style rosewood fingerboards. Having been fortunate enough to have Bill Callaham accept his reservation for a third guitar, the original owner decided to go with a 50's style, maple neck/fingerboard model in the interest of trying something different than what he already owned. Fortunately for some lucky buyer, after a 24 month wait for this guitar, the original owner quickly decided that the maple board just wasn't his thing.

This guitar was purchase for $2860.00. The inflated price of $3600.00 takes into consideration how difficult it has always been to even get on Bill Callaham's waiting list, the fairly consistent 24 month wait once you've been lucky enough to get in line...which has historically put the resale value of Bill's hand-crafted instruments at $3400.00, minimum, if in mint or near mint condition.....and finally, the word having just come down that Bill is no longer taking reservations period.....and the reasonable assumption that he no longer has the time to build his guitars even on the very small production level for which he's notorious. This recent anouncment by Bill accounts for the slightly higher price for #17204 versus the previous market value for used, clean Callaham Guitars. We feel confident that within a few years, $3600.00 wiil seem an extraordinarily great deal for any Callaham regardless of condition.

As Bill's parts business has become more and more successful and demand for his hardware has skyrocketed the assumption is that he no longer really has the time to build guitars. This is a major loss to the guitarist community. On the positive side, anyone fortunate enough to already own a Callaham possesses one of the most revered guitars of this style with the added bonus of owning an instrument with a very strong potential for continued appreciation. Fortune smiles twice on the player who buys this guitar because not only will they own an amazing, ultra desirable guitar, but they won't have had to deal with the standard 2 year wait.

This guitar is stunning in Copper Metallic with a beautifully figured maple neck! The nut is so perfectly cut, neck pocket so tight, overall alignment so dialed-in that combined with Callaham's popular Vintage Synchromatic style tremolo offers incredible tuning stability even under the kind of severe use normally reserved for locking tremolo systems. Callahams Vintage Enhanced Tremolo Block and Stainless Steel, Virtual Pop-In Trem Bar also provide a slop free, direct connection for precise vibrato control.

Features and Specifications

• Body: 1-Piece Alder with 50's Style Deep Contours
• Body Finish: Copper Metallic, Pure Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck: Highly Figured, 1-Piece Maple with Walnut Truss Rod Channel "Skunk Stripe"
• Neck Finish: Ultra Smooth, Proprietary Oil
• Neck Carve: '54 Club (Soft V-C Shape)
• Fingerboard Radius: 10"
• Fretwire: Dunlop 6105
• Number of Frets: 21
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Nut Width: 1.650"
• Nut Material: Bone
• Tuners: Gotoh Vintage Style Kluson
• String Tree: Callaham Custom, Stainless Steel, Mid-50's Round
• Tremolo: Callaham Vintage with Enhanced Block
• Saddles: Callaham Stainless Stell, "CG" Bent Metal Saddles
• Trem Arm: Stainless Steel, Traditional 6" Virtual Pop-In
• Neck Plate:: Custom, Vintage Style, Satin Finish Stainless Steel
• Pickguard: Single Ply, 8 Hole Parchment with Stainless Steel Screws
• Pickups: Custom Callaham "Special Wind" Set by Lindy Fralin. Cryongenically Treated. Reverse Wound Middle, Base Plate on Bridge Pickup
• Controls: 5-Way / Master Volume / Master Tone / Blender Pot
• Potentiometers: Hand Selected CTS (250K). Factory Grease Removed And Wiper Spring Tension Adjusted for Smooth and Fast Feel
• Tone Capacitor: Zoso .1 mfd (Made in America)
• Pots (CTS), 5-Way Switch (Switchcraft), Output Jack (Switchcraft): All Cryongenically Treated in-house by Callaham
• Case: Traditional, Rectangular in 50's Correct Tweed with Plush, Red Lining and Internal Side Accessory Pocket

Callaham On His Hardware, Pickups and Overall Philosophy

Special Wind Pickups by Lindy Fralin
Callaham Special Wind. This is an ALNICO V magnetic, 42 formvar wire done to our specs. We have measured from original Pre-CBS pickups. They have a full clear bass response, a thick strong treble and a very wide frequency response and will challenge the best original vintage pickups you can find.

Cryogenic Treatment - Pickups, Hardware, Pots, Switch, Jack
The Cryogenic treatment we use is a industrial process which stress relieves and modifies the molecular structure of metal to a far more uniform grain alignment. We have been using it since 1996 to increase our cutting tool life and on all our electronic components. Nearly all major manufacturing industries use this process on their tooling to increase performance of their products. Every major NASCAR team treats their engine components and parts of their electrical system for added horsepower.

Cryogenically treating our pickups has made such a difference that now I cannot listen to untreated pickups without it bothering me. We can measure an 18% increase in output but more importantly the tone especially overdriven is smoother and has more sustain. Overtones are produced in tune and thus create a fuller rounded sound. Overtones from untreated pickups are dissonant and create a beating that drives me crazy especially when playing overdriven.

Tremolo Blocks and Trem Arm Designs
All of our tremolo blocks are machined from cold rolled non-leaded U.S.A. steel and threaded for 10-32 English threaded arms.

When the vibrato bridge was first designed in 1954, it had a machined steel inertia block for the simple reason it gave the instrument the required sustain and harmonic content. Over the years, manufacturers have continuously made this part more inferior in order to cut costs. We have been making trem blocks for more than 20 years. It started so that people with valuable guitars could replace their damaged blocks with an exact replacement. Steel is the only material that should be used for the block. But not just any steel. The steel can not contain any lead. Lead dampens the frequency response and reduces both sustain and clarity. We are the only company machining all our blocks from a cold rolled non-leaded U.S.A. steel.

The original design of the synchronized tremolo although revolutional at the time has several flaws. These flaws have never been addressed by the company who designed this tremolo system. The problem is the .205 DIA x 3/16 long counterbore in the top of the block.

The counterbore creates a tremendous stress riser on the first thread of the trem arm, the weakest section of the arm, because the arm is completely unsupported at the top of the block. The forces developed when using the trem are applied directly to the threaded section of the arm. It doesn't matter if the arm is made from high strength materials, it will eventually fail right at the first thread. The counterbore also reduces the leverage over trem springs. Fender arms also have significant play in the threads making the bridge very slow to respond and making subtle vibrato effects difficult. The Fender solution is a heavy spring in the bottom of the block. This spring causes the threads to gall and suddenly the arm is locked in the block and the only way to remove it is to break it off. Most people loss this spring without even knowing it, which is good. But trying to replace it is a mistake.

To correct these flaws we are now making all our blocks with a zero clearance fit Delrin bushing that will support the arm all the way to the top of the block.

The arm we will use in our bridge assembly and the one I suggest you use with our enhanced blocks is the Callaham "64" Virtual Pop-in" stainless steel arm. We call it a virtual pop-in because the threads on the end only serve to keep the arm in the block when in use. A true 3/16 pop-in arm could be used but you could pull it out if you are using the arm aggressively. But any traditional 10-32 threaded 3/16 arm can still be used and you gain the advantage of supporting the arm on its major diameter and taking the stress off of the thread.

The other advantage to this change is the arm will have zero play and will have more leverage over the springs. This will make the tremolo extremely touch sensitive, controllable and smoother.

Date of Production: March 2008

Weight: 6.2 Pounds (3.2 Ounces)

Current Lead Time for a New Underwood: Aprox 6-8 Months.

One of Chad's simply fantastic creations, this '56 styie Esquire has a truly authentic look, sounds amazing, weighs nothing and plays beautifully. One of the most amazing Esquires we've played.

From Chad Underwood

Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Chad Underwood has been quietly cementing his reputation as the bolt on builder of choice for the likes of David Grissom, Paul Reed Smith (yes that Paul Reed Smith, who currently owns several of Chad's guitars), Texas blues legend Anson Funderburgh, Matte Henderson, Rob McNelley (Delbert McClinton), as well as several other extremely talented high profile players.

What sets Chad's instruments apart from the pack are his tireless attention to the most minute details, coupled with a deep knowledge of and passion for the classic '50s to mid '60s Fullerton masterpieces. The burnished quality of an Underwood will feel immediately familiar and second nature to even the most demanding vintage fanatic. Rounded fretboard edges, effortless playability, extraordinary resonance, low end response and seemingly endless sustain are the hallmarks of Chad's guitars. Chad's patented nitrocellulose lacquer based finishing process lovingly and faithfully recreates the feel and visual appeal of a played in 54 year old guitar.

Features and Specifications

• Lightweight Swamp Ash Body
• Perfectly aged Inca SIlver in nitrocellulose lacquer
• Aged White Pickguard
• Don Mare, custom, hand-wound "0038 1950 Broadcaster" bridge pickup
• Traditional, Fender 3-Piece brass saddle bridge
• Skunk Stripe, One-Piece Maple neck
• 25.5" Scale Length
• Soft V Neck carve (.965" / 1.090")
• Dunlup 6105 Fretwire
• 10" Radius
• Includes original hardshell case.

About the Don Mare pickup. From Mr. Mare's Website:

• The 0038's 1950 Broadcaster "Wire 43"
• Also found on the early Lap Steels
• Uses smaller wire 43 and AlNiCo III
• 11.5k Bridge output.
• A very much-favored 1950-1951 Broadcaster era set of pickups! (for early Broadcaster Tone)
• Used for a brighter, K. Richards like rock and roll tone.

Highly Recommended!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. 10456
• Weight: 8.2 Pounds (3.2 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2010
• Condition: Mint
• Original Selling Price: $4589.00
• Warranty: Full Factory

Features and Specifications

• Amber Burst in nitrocellulose lacquer body
• Highly-Figured, Curly Maple top over carefully selected Mahogany for light weight and excellent resonance
• Mahogany, long-tenon setneck with Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard
• Ebony headstock overlay
• Double bound body, neck and headstock (w/b/w Ivoroid purfling - $100.00msrp option)
• 24 7/8ths scale length
• Gorgeous, grained ivoroid pickup rings, truss rod cover and knobs with rosewood rings fabricated in-house by Collings' craftsmen
• Grained Ivoroid tuner buttons
• Small Dot fingerboard inlays
• TonePros Tune-o-Matic bridge with Stop Bar tailpiece
• Lollar 'Imperial Plus' Humbucker Set (Overwound Bridge. Wax Potted)
• Super Deluxe, heavy duty, custom fit Ameritage hardshell case
• And that difficult to quantify feature.....TONE!!!! You will be stunned!

SN. 07 022

Weight: 7.8 Pounds

Year of Production: 2007

Condition: As New

Street Price New: $2349.00

Savings: $360.00

General Description

As with all Fano guitars, neck and body cut via CNC in Japan to Fano's specifications and assembled in the US by the talented crew at Fano Guitars.

This instrument definitely has some Jazzmaster qualities due to the mildly underwound Fralin P-90's and body shape (yes, body shapes affect tone), but without the unuseable JM style tremolo and complicated switching/tone circuitry. Shimmery, open and complex with fantastic bloom and sustain that mirror the Jazzmaster's style tonally while an added low end girth nicely balances the frequency range.

If your idea of a perfect guitar is one with meatier Jazzmaster qualities to the tone, the neck feel of a vintage Strat, but with a more modern radius and fretwire combined with the right hand palm rest position and logical, 3-way pickup selector of a Les Paul then this will be your dream guitar. It's a fantastic concept and one that is extremely well executed!

Specifications

• Body - Swamp Ash with front and back contours
• Finish - Honey Blond nitrocellulose lacquer
• Aging - Artifact
• Neck - Maple
• Fingerboard - East Indian Rosewood
• Radius - 7.25" - 9.5" Compound
• Nut Width - 1 5/8th"
• Fretwire - Dunlop 6105
• Profile - 60's "C" Shape
• Tuners - Gotoh Klusons
• Bridge - Tone Pros Tune-O-Matic & Stoptail
• Hardware Finish - Gold
• Pickups - Custom Wound Fralin P-90's
• Controls - 3-Way pickup toggle, Master Volume, Master Tone
• Case - Levy's Gig Bag

Vital Stat's

• SN. R47761
• Weight: 7.3 Pounds (4.8 Ounces)
• Condition: Mint
• Original date of Purchase: 1-22-2010
• Street Price New: $4200.00
• Savings: $500.00

This is a Wildwood 10, '59 Relic® Stratocaster® with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, buit by Custom Shop Master Builder Jason Smith.

Specifications

• Model: ’59 Master Built Relic® Strat®
• Color: Faded Ice Blue Metallic
• Wood: alder
• Finish type: nitorcellulose, thin skin laquer
• Construction options: Sort for lightweight wood
• Neck wood: Unfigured maple
• Fretboard wood: Brazilian Rosewood
• Neck shape: '59 Large C (.856" x .973")
• Radius: 10"
• Fretwire: Dunlop 6105
• Neck finish: Thin Skin Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Hardware color: chrome
• Nut: bone
• Tuning keys: vintage nickel
• Bridge: vintage sync trem strat
• Pickup setup: s/s/s
• Pickup switching: 5-way
• Pickups: John Cruz Master Design
• Includes Black tolex Custom Shop hardshell case and all original case candy
• Certificate of Authenticity

SN: R 1712

Weight: 7.6 Pounds (9.6 Ounces)

Build Date: 3-27-2997

Condition: Very Good (open position fretwear)

Neck Stamp: John Cruz (Current Custom Shop Master Builder)

The early Relic® Custom Shop Fenders from the mid-1990's still command high selling prices due to a combination of things that make them particularly desirable. John Cruz's neck stamp alone sets these apart as guitars more along the lines of current Master Built pieces. John is currently one of our go-to builders for any Master Built Relic® order.

And then there's the Vince Cunetto finish and parts aging that gave rise to an entire "Relic®" movement.

This is a truly incredible sounding guitar. Sonically it is very accurate to the tones produced by a particularly outstanding example of an original, pre-CBS guitar.

This guitar is Highly Recommended!!™

Features and Specifications

• Body - Alder
• Finish - Cunetto Aged, Olympic White nitrocellulose lacquer
• Neck - Flame Maple / East Indian Rosewood in mid-1990's "60's C Profile" (.800" / .960")
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
• Fretwire - Vintage
• Bridge - Vintage Fender® Synchromatic Tremolo
• Tuners - Vintage, Nickel, Klusons
• Pickups - Custom Shop '57/'60 Single Coil set
• Pickguard - Aged 3-Ply Mint
• Case - Original, Tweed, Hardshell
• COA - N/A
   

Vital Stat's

• SN. R37491
• 1/100 Built for Winter NAMM 2008
• Weight: 7.0 Pounds
• Condition: Mint
• Production Date: 12-3-2007
• Original Selling Price: $3300.00

Features and Specifications

• Model: '59 Esquire
• Body: Alder
• Finish: Lake Placid Blue
• Finish Type : 'Thin Skin' Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Time Machine™ Level: Relic®
• Binding: Top Bound
• Neck wood: One-Piece, Non-Figured, Flat Sawn Maple
• Postion/Sidemark inlays: Black Dots
• Neck Carve: '59 Esquire C Shape
• Radius: 9.5"
• Fretwire: Dunlop 6105
• Neck width: 1 5/8ths Scale: Standard
• Neck finish: Nitrocellulose lacquer
• Neck aging: Standard Relic® with amber tint
• Hardware color: Chrome/nickel
• Nut: bone
• Tuning keys: vintage nickel
• Bridge: Vintage 3 Brass Saddle String Through
• Pickup: Seymour Duncan BG 1500 Esquire (designed for Billy Gibbons)
• Switching: Mike Eldred Esquire 3-way
• Case: Original Tweed Hardshell
• Certificate of Authenticity: Included
• Case Candy: Bridge Cover, Strap, Cable, Paperwork

Eelctronics

• Seymour Duncan BG 500 Esquire - Designed by Seymour in conjunction with Fender's® Custom Shop for guitars built at the request of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbson. Featuring an overwound, dual coil design with a fat output in the 13K range.
• Eldred Esquire Wiring - Named for Mike Eldred of the Fender® Custom Shop. Rear position of 3-way selector sends the pickup to the volume pot and then straight to the guitar's output jack for the hottest and brightest tone. Middle position brings in the guitar's tone circuit giving the player access to tweak the overall presence of the tone via the guitar's tone pot which is wired with a .05 capacitor. This setting reduced the capacitance of the pickup's output slightly even with tone full up for a starting point that is already slightly different, a tad warmer and slightly lower output, than the rear position. This will essentially give you the standard, bridge pickup tone of a Telecaster. The front position, rather than being wired for the traditional Esquire setting which would have the guitar's tone knob rolled all the way off for a very muted sound not overly useable for today's styles, brings in a second capacitor for a very vintage, 50's style tone that sounds that replicates having rolled the guitar's tone pot back to a pre-set sweet spot.
  Ultimately, this wiring configuration give you 3 distinct and very useable tones from a single pickup.

SN: L94419

Weight:

Condition: Excellent

Date of Production: November 8th, 1965

Neck Stamp: Nov. 8 65 B

One of the cleanest examples we've seen in many years, this 1965 Mustang® is completely unmolested and 100% original. It is a one owner guitar. Received December 1965 as a Christmas present from the original owner's father.

The Mustang® was introduced just one year prior to this guitar's construction in 1964 as the model intended to slot between the student model DuoSonic and the professional Telecaster®.

Features

• Alder Body
• Blue nitrocellulose lacquer. Original finish
• Brazilian Rosewood veneer board
• 24" Scale length
• "F Style" tuners
• Two Slant mounted pickups with covers
• Two on/off switches, one for each pickup
• Master Volume control
• Master Tone control
• Original Hardshell Case
• Original guitar cord
   

SN. 7 2121

Weight: 8 Pounds, 3 Ounces

Condition: Exceptional - Given the age of this instrument it would be rare to find one in as good a condition as this piece. It is 100% original, shows minimal finish checking with mild and minor dings here and there. Frets are a bit worn; especially in the first few positions.

What we have here is an extremely clean example of an all time great rock-n-roll machine from the heyday of Gibson.

This 1957 Les Paul Special is the most desirable singlecut variety in the most desirable color.........."TV Yellow" so named as it was designed to offer great contrast and "pop" when used during performances on black and white Television.

Every aspect of this guitar is original from the nitrocellulose TV Yellow finish down to the Bumble Bee tone capacitors, wraparound tailpiece and tuners.

Original pickups measure strong:

Bridge P-90: 8K
Neck P-90: 7.75K

Mark Kane in our repair and setup shop has given this guitar a clean bill of health and has just completed one of his famous setup jobs so that the guitar currently plays its absolute best.

The guitar would benefit from a refret from a playability standpoint, but since the current frets are original and the guitar is still playable with the current frets we will leave this up to the buyer. if you will be using this guitar as a player piece  we will be happy to quote you on a refret with the wire of your choice.

The case is the original "Built Like A Fortress" Lifton case (which ironically has some duct tape here and there to help hold it together) and the original strap is also included.

The last one of these we had sold for about $6800.00 5 years ago (with non original tuners and more finish checking) so obviously there is some great investment potential here.

Specifications

• Slab Honduran Mahogany body
• Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard - bound
• 24.625" scale length
• 1.680" nut width
• 22 frets
• Dot inlays
• Dual P-90 pickups
• Wraparound tailpiece
   

Highly Recommended!!™

SN. 929462

This is a steal!

All original, very clean 1959 Les Paul Junior. One of the all time greatest sounding guitars ever built.

Mild patina on all hardware, mild checking on finish. Couple of nicks and dings here and there, but easily the cleanest I have seen in 15 years or more.

Many more, detailed photo's available via email upon request.

Includes recent appraisal by George Gruhn. 

Strike now while the vintage market has softened a bit and you get an amazing sounding guitar that is sure to double in value over the next 15 years.

Vital Stat's

• SN. 174021
  
• Weight: 8 pounds
  
• Year of Production: 1963
  
• Condition: Very Good
  

With the exception of having its neck pickup recently rewound by Lindy Fralin in order to revive its full ouput, this is an all original 1964 Gibson Firebird III reverse headstock in very good and otherwise unmolested condition....from a 48 year old vintage standpoint it's actually in excellent condition.

This is one of the all time greats and while a very nice investment piece at a relatively reasonable price it's also a great player's guitar. The sound is truly amazing and reaffirms the widely held belief that there really is no substitute for old wood!

An excellent example for collector or player!

Includes original hardshell case, adjustable trem bar and hangtag.

Vital Stat's

• SN: 8 9922
• Weight: 8.8 Pounds
• Year of Production: 1999
• Condition: Very Good

History and Documentation

Brad Whitford and his long-time guitar tech, Greg Howard, auctioned this Les Paul in 2008 via eBay as part of a fundraising effort to help launch 3 Monkeys Amplifiers. We've been told that this piece was almost pulled from consideration for the auction due to Brad's reluctance to part with it.

While a Custom Shop model, Les Paul #9922 has spec's typically found on Historic models. The neck carve is R8 Historic spec' as is the long-tenon neck joint. The assumption is that this guitar was built by the Gibson Custom Shop to Brad's specifications, but this is not documented.

The original tuners had developed a fair amount of play and as a result have been replaced, without modification to the headstock, with correct spec' vintage Klusons. Original tuners are included.

Original '57 Classic pickups have also been replaced with Gibson Burstbuckers that were rewound by Wolfetone to their Dr. V neck spec's and Marshallhead bridge spec's. Original pickups are included.

According to Greg Howard, Brad not only owned this guitar for nearly a decade, but was very fond of it and used it regularly. All player wear was acquired during its stint as one of Whitford's guitars.

Authentication materials include a certificate of authenticity signed by Brad Whitford, photo of Brad with the guitar, a laminated "stage pass" from the eBay auction and a few of Brad's guitar picks. A faux leather folder, embossed with the Aerosmith logo in silver holds all materials.

Original Gibson Custom Shop hardshell case is also included
 

Vital Stat's

• SN. 6 3125
• Weight: 8.6 Pounds (9.6 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2003
• Condition: Excellent

Specifications and Features

• Color: Goltop with Natural Toned back, sides and neck
• Body Type: Solidbody
• Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck Wood: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: '50s rounded profile ( x )
• Top Wood: Maple
• Back Wood: Mahogany
• Machine Heads: Vintage "tulip" tuners
• Scale Length: 24.75-inch
• Fingerboard: Brazilian Rosewood
• No. of Frets: 22
• Position Markers: Perloid trapezoid
• Pickups: Two P-90 single coil
• Controls: Two volume, two tone
• Pickup Switching: Three-way toggle
• Bridge/Tailpiece: Tune-o-matic with stop tailpiece
• Hardware: Nickel
• Custom Shop hardshell case included

Vital Stat's

• SN: 7 5137
• Weight: 10.4 Pounds (6.4 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 1995
• Condition: Excellent
• Current MSRP: $6821.00
• Current Street Price for a new, VOS 
  version of this model: $4499.00

Fat Sound's Take

Does this Les Paul have The Look or what? Very sweet example of the 'Black Beauty' Les Pauls and remarkably clean for a black guitar that's 16 years old. The looks alone draw you in. I'm having a hard time walking past this one without grabbing it for a few minutes.

As modern Historic or Custom Shop Les Paul reissues go this particular 'B7' is definitley on the heavy side. Of course, this almost certainly indicates that this guitar has a solid, non-weight relieved body and is also par for the course for vintage Customs. The newer VOS models with their weight relieved bodies never seem to have the same thickness of tone that the solid mahogany Customs are known for. If you want light and airy look elsewhere; this guitar is all about thick and meaty.

Sonically this is one Bad Boy! This guitar definitely leans towards the thicker, creamier side of the Les Paul spectrum. It plays extremely well with an excellent neck carve, no fret wear and impressive sustain.

A very clean, excellent playing and fantastic sounding example of the 'B7' or '57 Black Beauty Les Paul.

Features and Specifications

• Color: Ebony
• Body Type: Solidbody
• Finish: Gloss
• Binding: Custom style on Body, Neck and Headstock
• Neck Wood: Mahogany
• Neck Shape: '50s rounded profile
• Neck Joint; Long-Tenon (verified)
• Top Wood: Mahogany
• Back Wood: Mahogany
• Machine Heads: Grover
• Scale Length: 24.75-inch
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• No. of Frets: 22
• Position Markers: Real pearl
• Pickups: Two '57 Classic Humbuckers
• Controls: Two volume, two tone
• Pickup Switching: Three-way toggle
• Potentiometers: CTS 'Dimple"
• Bridge/Tailpiece: Tune-o-matic with stop tailpiece
• Hardware: Gold-plated
• Case: Brown hardshell with Pink lining and Pink dust cover. 'Gibson USA' on exterior
• Certificate of Authenticity: Gibson was not yet issuing COA's in '95

Vital Stat's

• SN: 7 3414
• Weight: 8.8 Pounds (12.8 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2003
• Condition: Very Good to Excellent

This is, of course, The '57 Reissue every player wants, one of the Brazilian fingerboard models which were built only from January through May 2003 and specifically with serial numbers ranging from 7 3001 - 7 3707. To kick it up to Les Paul perfection, the guitar also has about $600.00 worth of aged Tom Holmes humbuckers; considered by many to be the best humbucker pickups you can buy today and currently about 6 weeks backordered. Original pickups are included. This guitars has also been upgraded with the RS Potentiometer and Capacitor kit. Original parts are included.

The strap that holds the lid of the case open has broken so the lid will go all the way back rather than stopping at a roughly 45 degree angle, but is otherwise in decent condition with a scratch/scuff or four on it's Black "Custom Shop" stamped tolex.

This is a one owner, rarely played piece with the perfect amount of minor patina to the ABR-1 bridge, pickup covers and pickguard brace.

Specifications

• Nitrocellulose lacquer Goldtop finish
• Solid Mahogany body with no weight relief.
• Maple body cap
• Mahogany neck with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard
• Aged, pearloid Trapezoid inlays
• Tune-o-Matic, Stopbar tailpiece
• Kluson Deluxe tuners
• Original pickups included (see below)
• Original, black hardshell case

Additional Features

• RS Guitarworks Les Paul wiring kit installed. Original pots and caps included
• $600.00 set of Tom Holmes, aged cover PAF pickups currently installed
• Certificate of Authenticity
• All original case candy included
• Push-Pull tone controls for coil tapping (easily reversible, but works very well)

Highly Recommended!!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. 07 01269
• Weight: 9.2 Pounds (3.2 ounces)
• Year of Production: 2000
• Condition: Excellent

Fat Sound's Take

Oh this one is good.......I mean really......really good. Sounds absolutely amazing with my old JMP-50 (shown in some of the photos above). Worth noting, R7 #01269 doesn't have the typical R7 Historic neck carve.....the big shouldered, U-like shape that is so common on this model and not particularly popular. This particular piece has a much more comfortable carve that I'd rate a Medium-Large with faster shoulder fall-off than the clunkier feeling neck shape we're used to finding on R7's.

Tom Murphy's light distressing combined with truly exceptional Les Paul tone and a surprisingly excellent neck carve make this R7 a true standout.

Yes, I Highly Recommend this guitar!.......and no.....you can't have my amp! '-)

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

General

In 2000, Gibson took one of our favorite Les Paul models, The 1957 Historic Reissue Goldtop model or "R7" and had ex-Gibson Custom Shop finish master Tom Murphy age a limited run of guitars.

There are a couple of companies around today that do some mighty nice Les Paul aging, but Tom Murphy is the most highly revered and the only one actually associated with Gibson. A Murphy Historic is the only way to own a factory original, aged Gibson.

Over the years we've had a few "Murphy" Historics come through and I am always impressed with the degree of attention he gives to each of his master pieces.

This is a fantastic guitar with a few meaningful upgrades.

Also noteworthy is that while the vast majority of R7's seem to have a fairly clunky, almost 'U' shaped neck carve, this R7 has a much nicer feeling neck shape with faster shoulder fall-off. We've played a few R7's with this neck carve, but not many. It makes this piece much more comfortable in our opinion

Specifications

• Tom Murphy aged nitrocellulose lacquer Goldtop finish
• Solid Mahogany body with no weight relief. Nice straight grain with no runout.
• Maple body cap
• Mahogany neck with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard
• Medium Large carve. Not the Huge U-like shape that plagues many of the R7 models.
• Aged, pearloid Trapezoid inlays
• Tune-o-Matic, Stopbar tailpiece
• Kluson Deluxe tuners
• Original pickups included (see below)
• Lifton Case

Additional Features

• Dr. Vintage potentiometers and capacitors
• Sheptone Tribute Humbuckers with aged nickel covers.

Highly Recommended!!™

SN. 07 0637

Weight: 8.9 Pounds

Year of Production: 2000

Condition: Excellent

General

In 2000, Gibson took one of our favorite Les Paul model, The 1957 Historic Reissue Goldtop model or "R7" and had ex-Gibson Custom Shop finish master Tom Murphy age a limited run of guitars.

There are a couple of companies around today that do some mighty nice Les Paul aging, but Tom Murphy is the most highly revered and the only one actually associated with Gibson. A Murphy Historic is the only way to own a factory original, aged Gibson.

Over the years we've had a few "Murphy" Historics come through and I am always impressed with the degree of attention he gives to each of his master pieces.

This is a fantastic guitar with a few meaningful upgrades.

Specifications

• Tom Murphy aged nitrocellulose lacquer Goldtop finish
• Solid Mahogany body with no weight relief.
• Maple body cap
• Mahogany neck with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard
• Aged, pearloid Trapezoid inlays
• Tune-o-Matic, Stopbar tailpiece
• Kluson Deluxe tuners
• Original pickups included (see below)
• Original, black hardshell case

Additional Features

• RS Guitarworks Les Paul wiring kit installed
• RS Guitarworks tru 60's Humbuckers with aged nickel covers built to RS spec's by Lindy Fralin and based on an original PAF set.

HIghly Recommended!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. DBR 073
• Weight: 9 Pounds
• Year of Production: 2002 (Limited Run of 55 guitars*)
• Condition: Excellent

Gibson Guitars' Press Release - July 18th, 2001

The new Dickey Betts '57 Redtop Les Paul from Gibson's Custom division offers guitar aficionados the opportunity to own a replica of one of the most recognized and revered guitars in rock music history - the guitar Betts used to create the fluid, lyrical solo lines on such Allman Brothers Band records as "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica."

In the early 1970s, during the height of the Allman Brothers Band's popularity, Betts' red-top Les Paul was his main stage instrument, and it was immortalized in 1975 when Charlie Daniels sang about "Richard Betts picking that red guitar" in his tribute to southern rock, "The South's Gonna Do It Again."

Betts' red-top Les Paul is a 1957 model that originally had Gibson's standard goldtop finish, but the top oxidized so badly that Betts stripped it down to bare maple. He then applied a red finish carefully and professionally, using an alcohol-base stain and the same nitro-cellulose lacquer outer coat that Gibson puts on every new guitar.

The vintage and historic experts at Gibson's Custom, Art & Historic division have painstakingly matched the red top finish on Bett's original to create the Gibson Dickey Betts Red-Top '57 Les Paul. Only 55 of the new instruments will be produced.

Fat Sound's Take

Other unique Redtop attributes are a belly carve on the guitar's back and Concho style output jack and pickup toggle switch plates. *While Gibson claimed to have limited the run of these RedTop guitars to no more than 55, rumors persist that closer to 90 were built. The serial number of this piece, DBR 073 would seem to back these rumors up by suggesting that this was the 73rd Redtop built.

Features and Specifications

• Top wood: Carved Maple
• Back wood: Scarfed, Solid Mahogany
• Binding: Single-ply cream on top
• Finish Colors: Dickey Betts Red (translucent)
• Neck construction: 1-piece mahogany
• Fingerboard wood: 22 fret rosewood
• Inlays: Pearloid trapezoid
• Binding: Single-ply cream
• Neck Profile: Dickey Betts Custom (.889-1st fret x .992-12th fret)
• Scale length: 24 3/4”
• Nut width: 1 11/16”
• Pickups:’57 Classic humbuckers
• Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch
• Hardware color: Nickel Bridge/Tailpiece: ABR-1/Stopbar
• Custom Concho jackplate and switchwasher
• Tuner style: Vintage tulip Collateral:
• Black 'Custom, Art & Historic' hardshell case
• Certificate of Authenticity signed by Dickey Betts

Highly Recommended!!™

SN. 061672

Weight: 7.8 Pounds (12.8 ounces)

Condition: Excellent (some factory stock patina on hardware)

Year of Production: 2006

Street Price New: $3099.00

Savings: $700.00

General VOS Info

Vintage Original Spec series instruments receive a special nitro-cellulose finish treatment yielding the patina of a gently-aged vintage guitar while handcrafting enhances comfort and playability. Each VOS model has a solid mahogany back; historically accurate long-neck tenon for strength and sustain; and period-correct neck profile, hardware, and electronics.

Specifications

• Solid mahogany body
• Historically-correct features
• Slightly aged nickel hardware
• Slightly aged finish
• ABR-1 bridge and Maestro tremolo tailpiece
• Set one-piece mahogany neck with long tenon
• 22-fret rosewood fretboard
• 24-3/4" scale length
• Acrylic trapezoid inlays
• Single-ply cream binding
• 1960 slim-taper neck profile
• Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups
• Holly veneer headstock
• Vintage tulip tuners
• 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector
• Includes Custom Shop case,certificate of authenticity

 Highly Recommended!!™

SN. 370105 (2)

100% original guitar.

Shows some age as you would expect, but certainly one of the cleaner guitars from this era that I have seen in a very long time.

Nicely checked cherry finish over solid mahogany.

A great player, but also a worthwhile investment with great appreciation potential.

Neck size: .835" at first fret. 1.101" at 12th fret

Weight: 7.65 pounds

The (2) in the serial number denotes this guitar as a "second". This was most likely due to some finish blem that has long ago been made irrelevant due to the natural aging of the guitar's finish. It has zero impact on the guitar's desirability, value or appreciation potential.

If I was buying this guitar to play I'd probably replace the frets, but the frets are original and in fair condition so if you are considering purchasing this guitar primarily as an investment I'd say just leave it as is and enjoy playing it on an occasional basis.

original hardshell case.

SN. 01255

Weight:

Condition: Very Good

Year of Production: 2002

Street Price New: Aprox $4700.00

Fat Sound's Take

This is a pre-PBG Glide hand-built by Saul Koll in his workshop in Oregon.

Specifications

• Eastern maple carved top finished in Black Burst nitrocellulose lacquer
• Honduran Mahogany chambered back
• Honduran Mahogany neck
• Ebony Fingerboard
• MOP Humback fingerboard inlays
• Bigsby B-3
• Waverley open-gear tuners
• Celluloid nitrate bindings, multi layer.
• Nitrocellulose lacquer
• Amber tint over bindings.
• 24.625" scale
• 12" radius
• 1 11/16" nut
• TV Jones filtertrons neck and bridge with Duncan Lipstick middle pickup
• Clear, acrylic pickup rings
• CTS/Switchcraft electrical components.
• Custom shaped TKL hardshell case with case candy including strap

Switching

The toggle on the upper horn switches between the TV Jones' pickups. The toggle near the volume/tone controls turns the Lipstick pickup on/off/or allows it to work in conjunction with the TV Jones' pickups. Momentary Kill button on Treble side horn.
 

Vital Stat's

• Weight: 7.4 Pound (6.4 Ounces)
• Year of Production: Unknown
• Condition: Mint

John Mayes, best known for his stunning acoustic guitars, has, with the Bombshell Standard, built a perfect LP Junior style guitar with the exact dimensions of a '58 Junior. The workmanship is flawless, the guitar aesthetically stunning and the attention to detail is as good as it gets. This is easily one of the finest Juniors we have ever played and the price, for a hand-made, limited run guitar is unbelievable.

Specifications

• One piece Honduran mahogany body.
• Full gloss TV Yellow finish.
• Tor-Tis pickguard
• One piece Honduran mahogany neck.
• Long Tenon neck joint
• Typical '58 style, large roundback carve
• 12" fingerboard radius
• 24.625" scale
• 1.68" nut width
• Madagascar rosewood fingerboard with pearl dots.
• Ebony peghead overlay with pearl logo.
• Gotoh vintage style tuners.
• Badass wraparound adjustable bridge.
• Jason Lollar overwound soapbar P-90 bridge pickup.
• NOS paper in oil tone capacitor with vintage cloth wiring.
• Professional arched top hardshell case.
• Two way adjustable truss rod.

Vital Stat's

• SN. G47506
• Weight: 7.8 Pounds (12.8 Ounces)
• Year of Production: 2010
• Condition: Mint (unplayed - Artist Relations guitar)
• Street Price New: $2800.00
• Savings: $350.00

This guitar came to us still in the original box having never been unpacked. This is an Artist Relations guitar being offered as used, but that has never been played by anyone other than Fat Sound's owner during the ispection and review process.

Features and Specifications
 

• Body Wood: Basswood with bookmatched figured maple top and mahogany Tone Block
• Body Finish: High gloss poly in Trans Black
• Back and Sides - Opaque Black
• Body Bindings - Cream
• Bridge - Music Man® Floyd Rose licensed locking tremolo with fine tuners; lowers pitch only
• Scale Length - 25-1/2"
• Neck Radius - 10"
• Frets - 22 - High profile, medium width
• Neck Width - 1-5/8" at nut, 2-3/16" at last fret
• Neck Wood - Select Birdseye Maple
• Fingerboard - Select Birdseye Maple
• Fret Markers - Mother of Pearl dots and BFR inlay at 12th fret
• Neck Finish - Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
• Headstock - Matching with Trans Black Quilted Maple overlay
• Tuning Machines - Schaller M6LA with pearl buttons
• Neck Attachment - 5 bolts - perfect alignment with no shifting; Sculpted neck joint allows smooth access to higher frets
• Electronic Shielding - Graphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and aluminum lined control cover
• Controls - 500kohm volume pot
• Switching - 3-way toggle pickup selector
• Pickups - Steve Blucher designed DiMarzio custom humbucking
• Case - Original Hardshell "Ball Family Reserve Case"

All original paperwork and tools included.
 

SN. 08 152214

Weight: 7 Pounds, 0 Ounces

Date of Production: August 4th, 2009

Condition: Mint

Original MSRP: $7816.00

Street Price New: $4658.00

Savings: $259.00 (Highly sought after, collectible and 100% as new condition)

"One of the absolute sweetest sounding PRS, or dual humbucker guitar of any sort for that matter, I have ever played and also one of the very best looking.....hands down. In fact. Having just sold my Murphy aged R7 for similar money, if this one is still here in a week or two it will probably be coming home with me. IMO, this is the coolest, best spec'd Limited Run that PRS has done to date!"

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Features and Specifications

Body

• One Piece Lightweight Mahogany Back
• Bookmatched Carved "Private Stock" Flamed Maple Top
• Beautiful "Black Gold" Color
• Ultra-Thin Nitrocellulose Finish
• Control Cavity Cover Signed and Numbered by Paul Reed Smith
• Extra Cover Included for Daily Use

Neck

• One Piece Peruvian Mahogany Neck
• "Select" Rosewood Fingerboard
• 10" Fretboard Radius
• "Wide Fat" Neck Profile
• PRS Low Mass Locking Tuners with Ebony Buttons
• New Abalone and Mother of Pearl "Ring Moons" Inlays
• 22 Frets
• 24.5" Scale Length
• Coco Bolo Headstock Veneer

Bridge

• Nickel Plated PRS Adjustable StopTail Bridge

Pickups/Electronics

• PRS "59/09" Humbucking in Bridge Position
• PRS "59/09" Humbucking Pickup in Neck Position
• Brushed Gold Pickup Covers stamped "59/09"
• Three-Way Pickup Selector
• Master Volume and Tone Controls
• Coil Tap on Tone Control

Case and Accessories

• PRS Paisley Covered Modern Eagle Rectangular Hard Case
• All Papers and Hang Tag Included

Highly Recommended!!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. 09 154423
• Weight: 7.4 Pounds (6.4 Ounces)
• Date of Production: September 14, 2009
• Condition: Excellent+
• Original MSRP: $7816.00
• Street Price New: $4658.00
• Savings: $259.00 (Highly sought after and collectible)

"One of the absolute sweetest sounding PRS, or dual humbucker guitar of any sort for that matter, I have ever played and also one of the very best looking.....hands down.  IMO, this is the coolest, best spec'd Limited Run that PRS has done to date!"

-Stu Carter, owner Fat Sound Guitars

Features and Specifications

Body

• One Piece Lightweight Mahogany Back
• Bookmatched Carved "Private Stock" Flamed Maple Top
• Beautiful "Black Gold" Color
• Ultra-Thin Nitrocellulose Finish
• Control Cavity Cover Signed and Numbered by Paul Reed Smith
• Extra Cover Included for Daily Use

Neck

• One Piece Peruvian Mahogany Neck
• "Select" Rosewood Fingerboard
• 10" Fretboard Radius
• "Wide Fat" Neck Profile
• PRS Low Mass Locking Tuners with Ebony Buttons
• New Abalone and Mother of Pearl "Ring Moons" Inlays
• 22 Frets
• 24.5" Scale Length
• Coco Bolo Headstock Veneer

Bridge

• Nickel Plated PRS Adjustable StopTail Bridge

Pickups/Electronics

• PRS "59/09" Humbucking in Bridge Position
• PRS "59/09" Humbucking Pickup in Neck Position
• Brushed Gold Pickup Covers stamped "59/09"
• Three-Way Pickup Selector
• Master Volume and Tone Controls
• Coil Tap on Tone Control

Case and Accessories

• PRS Paisley Covered Modern Eagle Rectangular Hard Case
• All Papers and Hang Tag Included

Highly Recommended!!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. 09 152798
  
• Weight: 7.2 pounds (3.2 Ounces)
  
• Year of Production: 2009
  
• Condition: Excellent+
  
• Original MSRP: $8138.00
  
• Original Street Price: $4879.00

2009 PRS Modern Eagle II in nearly unplayed condition. No fretwear. No scratches, dings, gouges or other signs of player wear to finish or neck. Very mild player patina on hardware. Charcoal Finish. Very lightweight.

Specifications

• Modern Eagle II in Charcoal finish
• Carved, ME Grade maple top.
  
• Solid mahogany back
  
• 25" scale length, 22 frets
  
• Select Dalbergia (Black Rosewood) Wide-Fat neck
• Dalbergia (Black Rosewood) fingerboard
  
• Green Abalone outlined Bird inlays with Paua heart centers
  
• PRS low mass locking tuners
  
• PRS tremolo
  

Electronics:

• 57/08 Treble and Bass pickups
• Volume and push/pull
• Coil tapping Tone control
  
• 3-Way pickup selector toggle
  

Paisley Presentation Case

SN: 10 159236

Weight:

Year of Production: 2010

Condition: Mint

Street Price New: $4247.00

Savings: $1018.00

Features

The 25th Anniversary PRS Modern Eagle II Electric Guitar builds on the tradition of the Modern Eagle with premium grade wood, classic Modern Eagle frets and a Modern Eagle wide fat neck. Stunning 1957/2008 pickups and a very hard and thin finish complete the Modern Eagle II guitar.

Additionally, the PRS 25th Anniversary Modern Eagle II is embellished with shadow bird inlays, an anniversary headstock eagle and a bound rosewood fretboard. The Modern Eagle II guitar's combination of quality woods with desirable 1957/2008 pickups delivers great depth of tone.

The MEII 25th also includes a deluxe, hardshell case specific to this model in White Tolex.

Specifications

• Mahogany body
• Carved figured maple 10-Top
• Nitro finish in Satin Sapphire which is one of 6 Limited Colors in which this model was offered
• Select dalbergia (rosewood) neck
• 25" scale
• Wide-Fat neck shape
• Bound select dalbergia (rosewood) fretboard
• 22 frets
• 25th Anniversary shadow birds
• Eagle headstock inlay
• PRS 14:1 low-mass locking tuners
• PRS-designed, lightweight, wraparound, nickel bridge
• Pickups: 57/08 Treble bridge, 57/08 Bass neck with brushed gold covers
• Volume and push/pull tone control
• PUSH-PULL DOWN POSITIONS - Position 1: Treble Humbucker, Position 2: Both Humbuckers, Position 3: Bass Humbucker
• PUSH-PULL UP POSITIONS - Position 4: Bridge Single Coil, Position 5: Both Single Coils, Position 6: Neck Single Coil
• 3-way toggle pickup selector
• 25th Anniversary specific , Deluxe hardshell case in White Tolex

SN. 08 141887

Weight: 7.4 pounds (6.4 ounces)

Production date: 10-22-2008

Condition: Very Good (one ding represented in photos above that we can drop fill at your request for an additional $50.00)

Original MSRP: $3610.00

Original selling price $2249.00

Savings: $360.00 (The value has held well on these due to the Brazilian fingerboard)

McCarty in Vintage Natural over Korina. This is the limited version with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. While the McCarty Korina is a new permanent PRS model, the Brazilian board edition will be limited to 500 pieces which, IMO, makes it destined to be a very nice collectible piece! And this one is *very* lightweight!

Specifications

• Solid Korina body and neck
• Vintage Natural finish
• Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard (part of a limited run used to launch this model in 2008)
• Bird Inlays
• 22 frets
• Lightweight aluminum stoptail bridge
• Wide-Fat neck profile
• McCarty pickups in neck and bridge
• Original hardhshell case with a couple opf small tolex tears
• All original paperwork and hangtag

As mentioned above, there is on ding pointed out in the photos. We can drop fill this ding so that you can't feel it and it will be difficult to see for an additional $50.00. Alternatively you can contact the PRS PTC center for a quote to have it completely repaired, but it's not a particularly big deal in our opinion so we'll leave this up to the buyer.

Highly Recommended!!™

Vital Spec's

• SN: 10 163761
• Weight: 6 Pounds, 6 Ounces
• Year of Production: 2010
• Condition: Excellent
• Original Selling Price: $3245.00

Only 35 were built in each of the six colors offered. The run was limited to a total of 300 pieces. A very rare and fantastic offering from PRS featuring a chambered, semi-hollow body with carved, flame maple "10" top over mahogany back and sides with PRS tremolo, 57/08 pickups and Old School, solid bird inlays.

Features and Specifications

Body

Semi-Hollow, Single F-Hole, Double Cutaway
Top Wood: Carved 10-Top with Single "F" Hole
Finish: Fire Red Burst Limited Color
Back Wood:  Mahogany

Neck

• Number of Frets: 22
• Scale Length: 25"
• Neck Wood: Mahogany
• Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
• Neck Shape: Wide Fat
• Fretboard Inlays: "Old School" Abalone Birds

Hardware and Electronics

• Bridge: PRS Tremolo
• Tuners: Gold PRS 14:1 Phase II Low Mass Locking Tuners
• Hardware Finish: Gold
• Treble Pickup: 57/08 with Scuffed Nickel Covers & Gold Screws
• Bass Pickup: 57/08 with Scuffed Nickel Covers & Gold Screws
• Pickup Switching: Volume and Push/Pull Tone Control with 3-Way Toggle
   

SN. 08 134755

Weight: 7.4 pounds (6.4 ounces)

Condition: MInt

Year of Production: 2008

One of the last PRS guitars to be produced with the Artist Package option. This has been an incredibly popular option due to the tremendous upgrade in maple quality as well as the higher-end case, Rosewood headstock overlay and brushed gold hardware. It offers a tremendous bang-for-the-buck and assures you receive a gorgeous guitar.

To get close to this quality of maple and options you are now left with the ultra-high dollar Private Stock guitars.

This piece is lightweight, has an amazing, wide flame top, new bird inlays and all other Artist Package upgrades.

The SC245 is already our most popular PRS model and this one is truly a standout.

Dark Cherry Sunburst wraparound finish.

Highly Recommended for the player or collector.

Specifications

• Dark Cherry Sunburst
• Scraped Edge Binding
• Wide-Fat Neck Carve
• SC245 pickups
• Brushed Gold hardware
• New Bird Inlays in Paua Shell
• 24.5" scale length
• Includes hantag and all original paperwork

Artist Package

• Artist Grade Maple top
• Paua Bird Inlays
• Brushed Gold hardware
• Rosewood Headstock Overlay
• Upgraded, form-fit, leather covered, hard-shell case

Vital Stat's

• SN. 8183
• Weight:
• Date of Production: Jan. 2008
• Condition: Mint
• Current Street Price: $2719.00 (4-5 month lead time if not in stock)

Fat Sound's Take

Purported to be the very first Suhr Modern ever built. We have no documentation to back this up, but this guitar is well-known throughout the Suhr Player's Community and Suhr Guitars should be able, willing and more than happy to confirm if interested. Since this is The Candy Orange Metallic Modern featured on Suhr's website we feel fairly confident that this information is correct.

After the Grosh Guitars Sunset '79 Model this is our second favorite guitar of this style. There are things we like about each of these two competitors. We personally prefer Grosh's Sunset '79 specific Modified D neck carve, 21 fret neck and Blown '59 Humbuckers, but can't help being equally drawn to the sexy contours of the Suhr Modern. At this price (versus $3K+ for a Grosh Sunset which are extremely difficult to find used), Modern #8183 is a no-brainer for anyone interested in either of the two greatest guitars of this style that are available today. And, this model equipped with these pickups is much more versatile than you might think.

These things are highly subjective and we are talking about two of the most talented designers and builders alive today so for players who feel about Suhr Guitars the way we feel about Grosh Guitars or anyone seeking this style of guitar for a reasonable price, Modern #8183 would be the clear choice and is guaranteed to thrill and inspire you.

Regardless of the fact that the Sunset '79 is our top choice in this genre, Suhr's Modern is an extremely worthy competitor. A great guitar in every respect and this particular piece is most definitely a fantastic sounding and great playing beauty!

Highly Recommended!!™

Specifications

• Body Wood: Alder
• Finish: Candy Orange Metallic
• Neck Wood: Flat Sawn Maple / East Indian Rosewood
• Neck Carve: Modern Elliptical (.780-.830)
• Radius: 10-14" Compound
• Nut Width: 1.650"
• Frets: 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel
• Buzz Fieten Intonation
• Bridge: Gotoh Floyd - Recessed
• Tuners: Sperzel Locking
• Electronics: Volume / Tone / 5-Way
• Pickups: Suhr JST SSV Humbucker (neck), JST SSH+ Humbucker (bridge)
• Options: Painted Headstock Match with Laser Logo
• Case: Original Suhr hardshell

The Pickups (From John Suhr's Website)

SSV Neck Pickup - If you need authentic vintage humbucker sounds, there is no need to look any further than our SSV humbucking pickups. Used by top pros who need to duplicate the great classic sounds of a bygone era, the SSV pickups have a broad sonic aperture with very little compression artifacts that afflict typical high-output pickups. Go with the SSV for more honk and snarl. 30 years of research and development by John Suhr assure you the quality of experience and workmanship behind each one of our pickups.

SSH+ Bridge Pickup - Our SSH+ pickups are our popular standard high-output pickups. Choose the the SSH+ with a single row of screws and single row of slugs for a brighter and cutting sound. From warm and clear clean sounds to classic rock to high-energy jazz-rock fusion to 80's metal/shred to modern high-gain sounds, the SSH+ covers a broad musical base with musicality, punchy authority, and tone. Using highest grade hand-selected Alnico magnets and premium components, these pickups complement the characteristics of the woods in your guitar.

The Gotoh Floyd (From John Suhr's Website)

In our estimation, this is simply the best double-locking tremolo system on the market today. The construction quality is second-to-none while producing a big tone with plenty of bottom end that is not normally found in bridges of this type.

The arm mechanism is solid with no clunking whatsoever. It feels extremely smooth and stable, allowing you to dive bomb deep into the sonic subterranean regions as well as pulling up those squealing high harmonics into the stratosphere. The beveled saddles also provide more comfort when resting your palm on them. This is the ultimate Floyd and we are very pleased to offer this bridge on our instruments.

The Modern Elliptical Neck Carve (From Suhr's Website)

Modern Elliptical - A new shape for the 24-fret Modern, this shape can be viewed as a half of an ellipse. It is a fast and sleek shape yet has enough girth for you to really grab onto when you want to dig in for wild string bends or playing chords.

SN. 6467

Weight: 7.4 Pounds (6.4 Ounces)

Condition: Excellent +

Street Price New: $3459.00 at 20% off MSRP

Savings: $960.00

Specifications

• Body Wood: Alder
• Finish: Shoreline Gold Metallic
• Neck Wood: Flat Sawn Maple / East Indian Rosewood
• Neck Carve: '57 Soft V 
• Radius: 9-12" Compound
• Nut Material / Width: Tusq / 1.650"
• Frets: Medium Stainless Steel
• Buzz Fieten Intonation
• Bridge: Wilkinson Vintage 6 Screw 
• Tuners: Gotoh Kluson
• Electronics: Volume / Tone / Tone
• Pickups: Suhr Fletcher/Landau
• Options: SSC Silent Single Coil system (built-in). Middle Tone is push-pull to activate.
• Case: Original Suhr hardshell
• Pickguard: 3-Ply White

SN. 5171

Weight: 7.4 pounds (6.4 ounces)

Date of Production: 2006

Condition: Excellent to Mint (minor scratches on pickguard under strings and on backplate.....flawless finish and frets)

Original msrp: $4230.00

Street Price New: $2959.00

Savings: $860.00

Specifications

• Model: Classic S
• Body: Alder
• Finish: Charcoal Frost Metallic ($150.00 msrp upcharge)
• Neck Carve: Even C Slim (.800-.880) Suhr's personal favorite and their best seller
• Maple with East Indian Rosewood fingerboard
• Frets: Medium Stainless Steel ($100.00msrp upcharge)
• Nut Width: 1.687"
• Buzz Feiten intonation system ($50.00 msrp upcharge)
• Fingerboard radius: 10"-14" compound
• Tuners: Sperzel Locking
• Hardware: Chrome
• Bridge: Wilkinson Vintage 6 screw, bent saddle
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
• Electronics: Volume, Tone neck/middle push pull (combines neck and bridge), Tone Blend, 5-way switch ($50.00msrp option)
• SSC (Silent Single Coil system - $700.00 msrp option)
• JST V60's SIngle Coil LP pickups in all three positions
• Back of headstock signed by John Suhr
• Original Hardshell case and paperork

SN. 9474

Weight: 6.8 pounds

Production Date: March 16, 2009

Condition: 100% As New

Original MSRP: $4,370.00

Street Price $3269.00

Savings $670.00

This used, 2009 Suhr is in 100% flawless condition

•Weight: 6.8 Pounds

•Swamp Ash Body

•Highly Quilted Maple Top

•Bengal Burst top with Natural back with scraped binding

•3 saddle Vintage T bridge

•1 piece Birdseye Maple neck 60's C Vintage Standard (.810"-.930")

•10"-14" fingerboard radius

•Jumbo fretwire

•Tortoise Shell Shorty pickguard

•Chrome Neck T pickup, Classic T Bridge

•Factory Plek Job

•Factory Feiten intonation system

•Includes original hardshell case and all paperwork

SN. 10840

Weight: 7.8 pounds (13 ounces)                            

Condition: MInt

Production Date: 10-29-2009

Original MSRP: $4760.00

Street Price New: $3569.00

Savings: $770.00

From John Suhr's Website

"The Carve Top came to being originally when John Suhr built the now famous Pensa-Suhr guitar that Mark Knopfler played through most of the late-80's and the early-90's.

A deluxe version of the Custom Standard with the ¾" thick figured Maple top, the extra thickness adds a little more weight to the guitar but also punch and brilliance to the acoustic tone.

The carving on the top is truly something to behold as it adds a luxurious element while bringing out the natural beauty of the top. We don't build many of these as the cost of the thick figured Maple can be prohibitive to many, but for those who have the means, nothing but a Carve Top will do."

Specifications

• Body Wood: Basswood
• Body Options: 1 Piece 3/4" thick, Quilt Maple Top
• Finish: Faded Honey Burst - Black Back
• Neck Wood: 1 Piece Quartersawn Maple with
• Neck Carve: Soft Medium V (.840 - .920)
• Fingerboad Radius: Compound 10"-14"
• Nut: Tusq
• Frets: Medium Stainless Steel
• Bridge: Gotoh 510 2-Post Solid Saddles (steel block)
• Nut Width: 1.687"
• Hardware Color: Chrome
• Tuning Gears: Sperzel Locking
• Pickguard: No Pickguard - Rear Rout
• Electronics - Volume, Tone, 5-Way
• Input Jack: Side Jack
• Knobs: Chrome
• Neck Pickup: JST Aldrich Neck Humbucker with Nickle-Chrome covers
• Bridge Pickup: JST Aldrich Bridge Humbucker with Nickle-Chrome covers
• Binding: Scraped Flame Maple
• Headstock Logo: Abalone Logo with Gloss Headstock
• Case: G&G Custom harshell form-fit case

All paperwork included.

 

Vital Stat's

• SN. 7 0206
• Weight: 8.4 Pounds (6.4 Ounces)
• Production Date: 2/28/2007
• Condition: Very Good+
• Original Street Price: $3650.00 (These guitars are no longer available with only a limited number having been built)

From Ron Thorn

Early on it became evident to us that the combination of solid Black Limba and a pair of P-90s resulted in an absolutely incredible instrument. Complex, rich, lush and smokey tones in a guitar that lets you feel each note ringing in your hands and resonating against your body. It digs as deep as you do and responds to the player like nothing else.

This is what led us to the creation of the Junior Ninety. A guitar crafted by guitarists for guitarists. No fluff. No nonsense. Just unbelievable tone.

Fat Sound's Take

I need to remember to ask Ron why he decided to put this model on "Hiatus". The Junior Ninety is a guitar with fantastic spec's, loaded with some of my favorite pickups and, in the instance of the guitar on offer here, with Thorn's fantastic tremolo. Thorn's impeccable build quality is a given.

The thick slab of Korina from which the Junior-90's body is carved, combined with Ron's set neck design and split-the-difference scale length sets the stage for an incredibly meaty sounding instrument. When combined with a pair of Thorn GT-90 'Staple Top' pickups you have a very thick tone with a fantastic low-mid rumble along with loads of sustain yet the articulation and clarity for which P-90 style pickups are loved.

The reverse control plate means that volume swells or tone control manipulation is just a short reach for the player's pinky while the pickup selector is still readily accessible.

We're also big fans of Ron's tremolo and love it in this application. Not only does it have very sweet action, but it stays in tune exceptionally well. It's actually a treat to be able to add subtle vibrato and/or swells to chords while getting a mid-50's, Special-esque tone. It really adds a welcomed added dimension to the expected abilities of this style of guitar.

Ron offers several excellent neck carves, but his Medium-Fat is certainly one of his biggest crowd pleasers. It's meaty enough to fill out most hands for a relaxed grip that won't easily fatigue the muscle between thumb and forefinger while shapely to the point of virtually disappearing in your hand. The expertly rolled fingerboard edges only add to the comfort of this neck giving it a played-in feel.

This is an outstanding example of Ron Thorn's work. It looks fantastic in its super thin 'TV White' nitro finish, plays beautifully and sounds fantastic!

Features and Specifications

• Korina body
• TV White - super thin nitrocellulose lacquer
• Setneck design
• Contoured heel design allows effortless upper fret access
• Honduran rosewood fingerboard
• Thorn Jr-91 staple-top P-90 pickup in the neck
• Thorn Jr-92 staple-top P-90 pickup in the bridge
• Volume / Tone & 4-way switching
• RS Superpots and RS Hovland Guitarcap
• Sperzel locking tuners with straight string-pull
• Thorn one-piece tremolo
• Kevlar reinforced Delrin nut ~ 1.670 wide
• 10”-14” Compound radius fretboard ~ 25" scale
• Medium-fat neck carve .840 - .930, with rolled fretboard edges
• 22 hand-polished frets with hidden fret-ends
• German nickel silver fret wire (.095 wide x .047 tall)
• Nickel hardware
• Electro-socket with Switchcraft jack
• Dunlop dual-purpose strap buttons
• Deluxe leather bound G & G hardshell case (included)

Thorn GT-90 Staple Top Pickups

The GT-90 is Thorn Guitar’s take on the rare and classic alnico P-90 staple-top from the 50’s. This pickup is the perfect blend of traditional style and Thorn innovation. A balanced output that retains warmth and drive without being overly distorted or midrange-heavy.

The neck pickup produces thick, yet clear, bell-like tones with just enough bottom-end to handle even the heaviest of overdrives or distortions.

The bridge pickup can drive the front-end of your amplifier like a classic humbucker, but still retains note definition with the added girth and grind that is inherent in the sound of a P-90 pickup.

For the player that loves the sound of P-90s but is looking for that extra edge, the Thorn staple-top GT-90 will end your search for the ultimate tone.

Condition

Face of guitar is excellent and there is no fretwear. There are a few jean rivet marks on the guitar's back none of which break the finish. No nicks, dings or gouges. White nitrocellulose lacquer on the back of the guitar's neck has ambered more than the rest of the guitar due to contact with skin.

Highly Recommended!!™

Vital Stat's

• SN. 04-14-08P
• Weight: 7.2 Pounds (3.2 Ounces)
• Production Date: 04-14-2008
• Condition: Excellent
• Original MSRP: $3349.00
• Original Selling Price: $2500.00

Fat Sound's Take

This is one very sweet looking, extremely versatile, excellent sounding and playing instrument at a very reasonable price for a guitar with such high-quality fit-and-finish and 'boutique' pedigree. Ultimately I really fell for this piece. It's not only very comfortable and buttery smooth to play, but is also offers a quality and range of tones I found truly inspirational.

But first, a little history:

From 1993 through 1997 Fat Sound was an early dealer for Tom Anderson Guitarworks. When we first discovered them we were very impressed by Tom's svelte designs, near flawless overall fit-and-finish as well as the general playability of his guitars. After carrying them for about four years and owning a couple myself I started to feel that there was just something, for lack of a better way to describe it, perhaps a bit too perfect about them. While there were many things that I clearly liked about Tom's guitars, I began to feel that, along with their many fantastic attributes, came a clinical sterility that I couldn't seem to shake. At first I figured it was just Anderson's pickups, but after swapping them out for different brands a few times in my own Andersons it became apparent that my issues with these guitars went deeper than their electronics.

This isn't meant to be a knock on Anderson Guitars at all. While I've talked to quite a few players over the past 15+ years who seemed to have come to this same conclusion about Andersons, Tom's guitars also have a very large and loyal following. During that same interval I've probably spoken to a similar number of guitarists who didn't dig one of my favorite guitars. As with most things guitar related, this is obviously just a subjective thing.

Over the years, however, I have, on occasion, played some of Tom's guitars that hit me just right. I've had this experience with a couple of his Cobra models in particular as well as a few of his 'Standard' guitars. Still, based on the bulk of my experience with TA's I approached #04-14-08P tentatively and with a sort of pre-programmed skepticism.

Here's where things started to go in an unanticipated direction:

Of course the first thing most players think about when assessing a guitar is the neck, Anderson's 'Even-Taper' carve, as on this example, is a bit thinner than I like, at least on paper (.810" / .870"). But, while actually playing this profile I was surprised by how comfortable it was. This further reinforced my long-held opinion that the actual dimensions of a neck's depth mean very little compared to the overall feel of the carve. I quickly stopped thinking about the dimensions of this profile once I had warmed to the guitar a bit and really started to feel inspired and just play. Always a good sign. If I forget about the feel of a neck while playing, if I don't experience any left-hand fatigue after 45 minutes or so and as long as I can comfortably pull off thumb-over, low E string fretting, then I know the profile is one I can happily use.

I'm a big fan of this pickup configuration because it provides five, very useable, pickup combinations that are among Fullerton's finest. The original owner 'upgraded' the stock Anderson pickups to some of my all-time favorites: a Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot in the neck and middle (rwrp) positions and Fralin's Blues Special T pickup in the bridge. Pickups with which I am very familiar and a configuration that generally works really well for me.....I had no problem getting tons of fantastic tones out of this guitar. Snappy, percussive yet pregnant and full single notes in the upper registers combined with a nice, meaty low-end thickness on the bottom strings. An excellent detailed shimmer on cleaner setting of my amp (Dr. Z Z Wreck), but also a ballsy, growling overdrive tone when I dug in, engaged my Spaceman Mercury III Boost or simply cranked the amp's volume.

Add the exceptional Gotoh 510 Tremolo, a bridge I've applauded for its excellent tuning stability under heavy use and very direct feeling, compression fit arm, and the result is a guitar that covers about 80% of the tones and functionality I'd want or need from a main instrument.

I also dig Anderson's 'Vintage Fleck' treatment of the Olympic White finish. Not sure what the technique is, but it lends a really nice and truly authentic looking patina to the Oly White which eliminates any hint of the starkness that this color tends to have when new. A very cool twist on the all-too-common Relic-style treatment.

I'm very glad I took the time to fully and objectively assess this guitar by spending a couple hours with it plugged into my personal rig.

After a full day of testing this guitar off and on over a 10 hour period I didn't find anything cold or sterile about it at all. In fact, this piece actually has a beautiful warmth that while not truly vintage is a fantastic, slightly modern Fullerton interpretation. Very versatile, comfortable, good looking and exceptional sounding. I liked it so much I felt compelled to write a relatively lengthy review; perhaps my attempt at making amends for all of the times I've looked at Andersons with unabashed disinterest.......

Highly Recommended!!™

Stu Carter - owner, Fat Sound Guitars

Features and Specifications

• Model - T Classic Contoured
• Body Finish - Olympic White--with vintage flecks
• Body Wood - Alder
• Neck Wood - Hard Rock Maple, Rosewood Fretboard
• Neck Finish - Satin Finish, Tinted Back
• Nutwidth - 1 11/16 in
• Frets - Low-Rise (TA Speak for the extremely popular 6150 wire)
• Back Shape - Even Taper (.810" / .870")
• Buzz Feiten Intonation Method
• Hardware - Chrome
• Bridge - Gotoh 'Vintage' Tremolo
• Pickguard - Aged White
• Pickups - Fralin VH/VH/Blues Special T
• Case - Original Hardshell Case

Pickups

This guitar's pickups have been completely upgraded to Lindy Fralins. The Neck and Middle are two of our all-time favorites, the Fralin Vintage Hots while the Bridge pickup is Lindy's equally excellent Blues Special T style. Versus the original pickups, this set offers a much warmer, more organic and rounder tone and the versatility of this configuration is just outstanding.

Anderson's A-Wedgie Neck Joint

The force that binds the neck to its body is an all-new neck-to-body union known as the A-Wedgie neck joint. This exclusive Anderson-designed, A-shaped architecture is completely revolutionary to the electric guitar industry. A fully-enclosed neck joint (not open on any side but completely surrounded on all sides by body wood) is, technically speaking, a 3-dimensional trapezoidal wedge . It is this 3-dimensional trapezoidal wedge (the A-Wedgie) structure itself that completely locks the body to the neck. Traditional neck-bolts are no longer needed to keep the neck from shifting laterally (sideways).

What this means to the guitar player is a neck that can never move out of perfect alignment, while still maintaining a constant-pressure-union for the ultimate in sonic transfer between body and neck. And, with a larger contact surface than previous neck joints, more sound is undoubtedly invited to travel throughout the length of the instrument.

Since the entire responsibility for immovably unifying this type of neck joint falls squarely onto the shoulders of the advanced structure of the joint itself, two machine screws, located at the sveltely sculpted neck-heel, are way more than overkill for keeping it all together.

SN: 05199

Weight: 6.4 Pounds

Condition: Excellent +

Production Date: September 2005

Street Price New: $3330.00

Savings: $831.00

Features and Specifications

• Body: Mamywo
• Construction: Hollow
• Finish: Candy Orange
• Pickguard: White Pearl
• Neck: Quarterswan Maple
• Carve: Standard '59 (.845" x .975")
• Frets: .110" x .055"
• Radius: Compound 9.5" to 12"
• Nut Width: 1 5/8"
• Tuners: Sperzel Locking
• Bridge: Wilkinson VS50V Tremolo
• Controls: Volume, Midboost, Tone, Midboost preset button, 5-Way selector switch
• Pickups: H/S/S Slanted
• Neck: Duncan Classic Stack
• Middle: Duncan Classic Stack
• Bridge: Tyler/Duncan Custom Humbucker
• Fender branded hard shell case included
   

Vital Stat's

• SN. 04-030
• Weight:
• Year of Production: 2004
• Condition: Mint
• Price New: $3495.00 (with Brazilian fingerboard)
• Savings: $1096.00

The Legato is the flagship model of the Vinetto Line. This three-pickup solid body features Vince's unique Legato three-mode switching system for amazing ease in selecting an almost endless array of extremely useable tones.

Features and Specifications

• Body - Solid Alder
• Finish - Full Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer in Surf Green
• Neck Carve - 60's Series Profile: Classic Full C-shape (.840 to .980)
• Scale Length - 25"
• Fretwire - German Jescar Vinetto Standard (.047" by .104")
• Fretboard - Brazilian Rosewood
• Fretboard Radius - Compound 7.25" to 9.5"
• Width at Nut - 1.65"
• Nut Material - Bone
• Tuners - Vintage Kluson Style Locking
• Bridge - T Style
• Output Jack - Milled billet aluminum "cup" side jack
• Body Features - String through, rear belly cut
• Pickguard - Three layer White
• Pickups - Lollar Vintage T bridge and two Lollar Minihumbucker neck pickups middle nd neck positions
• Control Configuration - Five-way pickups selector, Master Volume, Master Tone and Three-Way Mode Selector rotary switch
• Includes OHSC

Switching Description

The three-position rotary switch (in the second tone control spot) determines how the 5-way lever performs in each mode.

Mode 1: "Classic S"
In the "Classic S" position of the rotary switch, the 5-way lever switch works in the standard way to select the five "classic" combinations of bridge, bridge+middle, middle, neck+middle or neck pickup.

Mode 2: "Bucker T"
"'Bucker T" is the two pickup mode (eliminating the middle pickup) for the player's choice of bridge, bridge+neck or neck minibucker pickup. In this mode, positons 2,3 and 4 on the 5-way switch defaults to the bridge+neck combination. This means easier selection of the middle combination setting, but also lets the player preset the Classic S "in-between" sounds in the 2 or 4 spots for later selection with the rotary.

Note: The Wah activation bar is not nearly as noisy as the one in the video demo posted for this listing. The guitar featured in this demo is not the actual guitar for sale.

SN: 378570

Weight: 7.2 pounds (3.2 ounces)

Condition: Fair (All features/effects are functional, pickguard is warped and there are a few dings here and there with the most notable being on the rear of the guitar as seen in the photos above)

Year of Production: c. 1967

Fat Sound's Take

This super cool, Italian built, Vox guitar would not normally be a guitar we'd recommend as a guitarist's only or primary guitar unless your name is Jack White. On its own it's a bit anemic with minimal sustain, due in part to the zero fret, but does manage to capture that mid-60's British Invasion tone nicely and the on-board effects work very well and make this guitar an incredible partner for musicians who like to create sonic landscapes. Perfect for layering unusual guitar tracks in a recording or ambient fill work in a live band. It's a total blast to play and a very cool looking piece in general. We dig it!"

Features

• Sunburst finish
• Hollow teardrop body
• Bound rosewood fretboard
• Fancy inlays
• 2 Ferro-Sonic pickups
• On-board fuzz (Sounds Amazing)
• On-board wha wha
• On-board Treble booster
• On-board Repeater (tremolo meets delay)
• On-board E tuner which can also be used to generate a low or high E tone over which you can play solos
• Tremolo Tailpiece
• Wah control arm
• Vox tuners
• Original Hardshell case