We walked in and were not quite ready for what we saw -- an original 1963 Strat!  Bought by a friend's father in 1963, this is an all original specimen.

We originally thought this was a Relic reissue, but when the story came out, we about fainted.  A fabulous playing and sounding guitar!

Be extremely careful what you buy on eBay!

There are lots of guitars around Graceland, but this was by far the coolest.   A doubleneck SG with a six-string bass on top and six-string guitar on the bottom.   This guitar appeared in Elvis' 1966 movie Spinout, as did a bunch of hotties like Shelley Fabares...and some very cool Shelby Cobras!

Take a trip to Memphis if you get the chance!

Here is a 1979 Les Paul Custom with a Fender-like sunburst from the factory.  I've never personally seen one of these -- this photo came from the Internet.

I recently saw a new Custom Shop Les Paul Custom with a finish similar to this one.  It had a "killer top", and the sunburst was very, very attractive.  It was very similar to this one -- of course, the new Les Paul was supposed to have been "one of a kind."

Again, keep looking in those closets, guitar collectors!

Well, check this out.  A 1958 Les Paul Custom with an original sideways tremolo like those found on the SG/Les Pauls three years later.  This one was authenticated by Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, so I have no reason to doubt that it is original. Note:  Click the photo to see it full-size.

Just when you think you're an "expert" something like this pops up.  Keep looking in those closets, guitar collectors!

For those of you too young to remember, Ibanez used to be the Japanese company that made killer copies of Gibsons and Fenders -- and the Iceman, of course.  This poster from the mid-1970's (probably 1975) shows some of the models they used to make.  Any of them look familiar?

You'll hear a lot of folklore about this lawsuit and that lawsuit.  I just think Ibanez got tired of copying Gibson and Fender...click here for more info.  Good thing, too, because their guitars in the 80's and 90's were great -- look for a sunburst double-cut Artist with a great top.

I wanted to buy a Destroyer (an Ash Explorer clone) when I was in high school and my dad said it didn't look like a real guitar.  Bad move. 

What you have here is, of course, a double-neck Yngwie Strat.  What makes this one wild is that the neck on top sports nylon strings and a Mike Christian piezo bridge.

It should be standard issue for Metal Gods!  It would be cool to play while standing in a blanket of dry ice fog and the blue lights are shining down from behind.  Dude!

Ryan bought this Gibson Q4000 from a Gibson factory rep at the 1985 Sheridan Hotel Music Show in Nashville. Ryan contacted the Gibson historian three years ago to learn more about the guitar.   He found out that the guitar is a prototype, and Gibson changed the name to Q400, added a bolt on neck instead of neck through the body, removed the center pickup and sold it as a cheaper model.  Supposedly Gibson made four of these guitars:  two in red, and two in black.

Ryan would like to learn more about the guitar.  Please email us if you have any information on it.

It has a bolt-on maple neck with a Rosewood fingerboard, a double-bound body (alder or basswood -- not too sure), and a Strat pickup scheme with Tele-like controls.

I had the opportunity to complete a setup and rewiring on this guitar.  It is a fine instrument equipped with Duncan pickups and Fender hardware.   I almost made an offer on it because it played and sounded so great.

We'd like to hear from any St. Blues owners out there!

This guitar did not sell at auction -- the max bid at the end of auction was less than $500.   I recommend buying one of these if you see one.

Update, February 2006:  I got an email from the gentleman who bought this guitar.  He did the research with Gibson and confirmed that this rig is basically a Les Paul '55 with humbuckers, built with leftover parts and a bolt-on neck instead of set.  That's the "55" part of the name...the GK stands for "Guitar Kalamazoo", to differentiate it from their regular Les Paul lineup.

This is a cure for stripped-out neck holes!  The only thing I don't like is the position of the truss-rod adjustment!

I had examined a number of late-50's Les Pauls, and it was clear that the MOP was inlayed directly into the headstock veneer.  There are some pretty wide differences in the old inlays (particularly with the dot over the "i"), but these photos show why all of the new ones are the same.

The MOP is cut with a CNC router and is glued into an ebony "surround".  The surround is glued into the headstock veneer, which is cut to size with a CNC router also.  Why, you ask?  Simple -- gluing the MOP inlay into the veneer is as easy as it gets, and doesn't require skilled labor!  By the way -- examine your Historic Reissue.  Chances are the MOP inlay is not historically correct at all.  Most all I've seen have this stock MOP inlay that is sprayed with yellow-gold toner to make it look old.

The top photo shows an MOP inlay glued into a very thin maple headstock veneer.  The bottom photo shows the same veneer glued onto a heavily damaged Les Paul Standard I repaired.