Welcome to the VintAxe Forum

[VintAxe]

Hi All,

It has been suggested by a few Forum members that it would be useful to provide a place for new members to introduce themselves and established members to share their background with the community.

So, if you are new to the Forum, here's a great place to get started posting. Let the community know your collecting interests, musical background or anything else you feel like sharing.

If you are already a contributing member to the Forum, tell us a little something about yourself. I think reading through posts is more enjoyable if you know a thing or two about the background of the people involved in the discussions.

A picture of you as part of your introduction is welcome. If you need help with posting a picture, see the "Posting Pictures on VintAxe" instructions in this section of the Forum.

I want to thank all Forum members for their contributions to this valuable vintage guitar information resource. I've learned a lot participating in this Forum and I hope members and visitors feel the same way.

Let's keep the Q&A rolling,

Steve

[Say No To Vorderman]

Here goes then

I'm in Newcastle Upon Tyne in North East England, famous for its Brown Ale, The Angel Of The North, The Animals, Lindisfarne, Sting and many others.

I'm an old Punk Rocker...well..I mean I'm old and I used to play in Punk bands back in 76-80

Here's a link to the Myspace page I set up for my old punk band

http://www.myspace.com/harryhackandthebigg

I started back at school in the early 70s with a cheap Zenta Bass which i used to play through an old 50W Echolette (sp?) cream coloured thing and an 18" speaker, used to play stuff like The Faces and old Rock and Roll classics..after leaving school...I bought a Shaftesbury copy of a Rickenbacker semi acoustic Bass which i really liked but got stolen after a gig in Gateshead like this one..



...I'd moved on to an H&H 100W amp and a 2 by 15 cabinet..and replaced the Shaftesbury with a Dan Armstrong Perspex Bass...which looked superb but sounded shite



that made way for a beautiful 67 Precision Bass which to my eternal regret I sold in about 84 after having a child

fast forward to this April...and I found a gorgeous 78/79 Precision in a charity shop..bought it straight away...then bought a Trace Elliot 100W Bass Combo from Ebay...then a few weeks ago I got a nice Les Paul copy from Ebay..then a Non Reverse Thunderbird Bass (pics of all these are on the show and tell thread)..and last weekend a cheap guitar which vintaxe has helped me identify as a Top Twenty...and today a 64? Hagstrom Futurama arrived ... I have the bug I'm about to order an Italia Maranello Bass from the USA..just waiting for a few more Ebay sales so I'll still have paypal cash for any bargains that appear.

I worked for 20 years in rock band merchandising and book and magazine distribution...company went bust last summer and I'm about finished training to be an advisor with the Citizens Advice Bureau which is far more fulfilling.

I still live my Rock and Roll dream through my son who is in a band..he plays Guitar and Bass and sings..,he was playing a beautiful old Les Paul Roland Synth guitar a friend of mine gave me for him (used to belong to Status Quo) and a Fender Jazz..but the Roland wasn't reliable enough for flying and touring so he now uses a Gretsch guitar and has started using a cheap Peavey Bass for live shows. his band are pretty good....well...damned good imho..they're signed to Fierce Panda for Europe and Canada and they've signed to Sony Japan for the far east. this is his myspace page

http://www.myspace.com/shitdisco

I want loads more guitars and am held back only by money, girlfriend and space I dream of owning a nice old Rickenbacker and just about all of the guitars on Fetishguitars

[VintAxe]

I guess as primary moderator for the VintAxe Forum, it is my duty to jump in early on the introductions.

I got my start on guitar around age 12 when my sister decided to give up the guitar (it hurt her fingers) and my parents allowed me to take over her lessons. Now decades later, I still love the instrument both for the sounds it can produce and the aesthetics of it's construction.

I don't really know how many guitars and basses I currently own but I can tell you it exceeds 200 by a healthy margin. Of course, half that number would not be recognized as "real" musical instruments by accomplished guitarists since they were originally produced as beginner or intermediate grade student guitars. Although these budget guitars do have their faults, I find that they are a rich source of new tones and musical inspiration.

I've played bass in my current band since the year 2000. We are not much of a gigging band; in fact our last gig was almost 6 months ago. We spend most of our time writing, rehearsing and recording original music. You can visit our band page via the link on the VintAxe homepage if you are curious about what we are up to.

VintAxe.com was born out of my frustration with the lack of information available on "Catalog Guitars" and the web skills available to me from my friend Don. Together, we decided to create a site that emphasized non-mainstream guitars since there was plenty of information available on more popular instruments. From the humble beginnings of a few online guitar photos, VintAxe has grown into one of the most valuable guitar resources available for people seeking information on less popular guitar brands. A quick visit to the Catalog Section of VintAxe will give you an idea of the range of instruments we cover.

I don't really consider myself a guitar expert since I'm a hobbyist, not a professional dealer. However, I have spent a considerable amount of time perusing vintage guitar catalogs and reading guitar books published by the experts. If you post on the VintAxe Forum I will certainly do my best to give you a constructive response. I may not know the answer, but I might be able to steer you in a direction that helps you find an answer.

Ok, that's more than enough about me. Now I'd like to hear from current Forum members as well as new members. I know this smacks of those uncomfortable introductions you had to do on the first day of school, but after you get started it's not so bad.

So, comon' now, let us know - Who Are You?

Your faithful moderator,

VintAxe

[mrblanche]

I'm a better guitar mechanic than a player. In fact, in years of trying, I've never progressed above the "rank amateur" standing. Just not musical enough, I guess. But I do love good machinery!

I live in Texas, and I'm a truck owner/operator. Currently I'm leased to a company that delivers groceries to Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs.

I learned to plunk on the guitar in college. I don't even remember what brand my first guitar was, although it may well have been a late 60's red Fender strat. Too bad I didn't keep it! In the beginning of a long series of trades/sales, I traded it for a banjo.

I currently have about 6 guitars, none of them worth much, although they are all quite acceptable instruments.

Here's a link to a photo of me giving rides in my hot rod yesterday at our club's monthly meeting. It's a 1923 Ford Touring Car, Chevy 350.

[VintAxe]

Welcome to the Forum Say No To Vorderman. I know what you mean about coveting those sparkley Italian guitars at Fetish Guitars, their site inspired me to buy a few myself. As your collection grows, just sell a guitar from time to time and make sure your girlfriend knows you "made a profit" on the sale. If guitars both come and go you can stockpile your favorites and she'll probably never bother to count the pile as it grows.

Good to see you on this thread mrblanche. Don't cars and guitars go together like toast and jam? That is a nice looking Hot Rod you've got there. I'd like to have a vintage car myself but I just don't have the garage space right now. I think I need to get rid of the boat and get the car, at least I wouldn't need to trailer the car to the lake to have fun driving it. Your contributions to the forum are greatly appreciated. sb

[mrblanche]

The good news about a hot rod is that it is probably a better investment than most stocks in your IRA! And with a little judicious purchasing, you can have a fun vehicle for about the price of a well-used Harley.

One member of our club is a pretty good musician. His brother has a grammy, and the member played with the Bangles at one time.

[Say No To Vorderman]

MrBlanche...didn't know you could invest in the Irish Republican Army???

love the Hotrod although i rarely drive these days myself and if i do it's usually a Merc Splitter Van to drive my son's band to some festival or other when they can't get a driver...i'll always do it for them so log as they put me up in a decent hotel i live in a city centre and parking is a nightmare so i gave up my vehicle several years ago so i could annoy car drivers by cycling

vintaxe...where is the link to your band? i couldn't see any obvious link on the webpage?

back to guitars, i think i'm going to order that Italia Maranello from the USA this week. will post piccies when it arrives

[mrblanche]

An IRA is an Individual Retirement Account. Kind of a bet that Social Security won't be there. You either invest before taxes and pay the taxes when you pull it out, or invest after taxes and pay no taxes on the gains when you pull it out.

[VintAxe]

Thanks for showing interest in my band Say No To Vorderman.

There is a link to the Girl For Samson band site on the VintAxe homepage, but here it is:



Here's a link to our myspace page:

[Say No To Vorderman]

cheers...saddo myspace friends request duly sent had a quick listen there...i recognise the influences you quote

[domenjazz]

Hello!

Just wanted to say hello to everybody and introduce myself.
I'm a jazz guitar student from Slovenia (thats next to Italy and Austria..), but i play in 4 or 5 very different bands in range from funk, pop, rock'n roll, blues, jazz, fusion to polka stuff I don't like to limit myself to any particular style as long as the music is good.

I have a weak spot for nice old guitars - not Fenders or Gibsons. My particular interest are old Ibanez Artist-style guitars. I don't have an Artist yet, but I have an Italian Eko M 24 (a very good guitar, cool sound, but heavy as a tank..), and I'm currently lookig at an El Maya EM 1200 - which is how i came to this site. If anybody knows anything about this guitar i would really appreciate the info - how's the build quality and what should be a reasonable price for it. It looks like a very nice guitar to me and I'd really like to buy it so any info on the guitar would be very welcome.

Best, D.

[domenjazz]

oh and i also have a PRS Swamp Ash Special (don't know how i could forget this one..) which is my main axe for almost everything, a Furch acoustic guitar (small jumbo) with built in fishman acoustic matrix 2, no cutaway - this one was hand made in Chezch Republic by Frantisek Furch, and is a very very good guitar, great plugged in and acoustic, great for studio and live gigs. I also have a Burns Marquee Club series which is a nice Strat copy and a crappy Yamaha acoustic. I started on a Squier Strat but I sold it, after that an Ibanez George Benson model (excelent guitar) which i also sold to buy the PRS. I had an Ibanez Jet-king 2 but i sold that one too because it was too heavy and wasn't really that good in the first place.
OK i think that's about it but if i remember something else i'll be back. If anyone want's to see any pictures of my guitars, let me know.

D.

[brewologist]

Hello all, just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I'm a guitarist from Jersey, been playing for about 30 years. I'm a tad embarrased that after 30 years of being a guitar player I haven't really developed an interest for collecting until now. Now that I'll have some extra money (pending my impending divorce I plan on keeping my eyes open for some rare, or at least interesting vintage finds.

My main reason for joining is that I have an interesting guitar I hope someone here could help me figure out. It's a Les Paul replica, and a damn good one too. I've determined, through pot #s and construction features, that it is a 70s vintage Greco Les Paul. I think it may be a copy of a Deluxe. I've posted a picture here, but if you want more info you can check out the page I've made at my .

The issues I'm having are with the headstock. It doesn't match any other Greco I've seen so I'm assuming it's a new neck. The binding on the neck is slightly whiter than the binding around the body. It's a nice repair job though. The guitar plays great and looks great.



Well, that's all from me for now. Hopefully someone can help shed some light on this guitar. Oh, take note of the trim rings round the pickups, tacked on with finish nails. Not common. Anyway, check out the story on the page for more info and feel free to comment on the guitar.

Later,
Drew

[mrblanche]

Isn't Greco one of the brands made by Ibanez? You might do some research on the Ibanez Collectors World web site.

[dunnowho_73]

I am an IT manager... with a passion for music.. I have been playing the guitar for the past 15 years... my passion has taken me far and from swearing not to take any private lessons to being the frontman of a band... I am proud to say --- I SUCK !! lol

This never stopped me from going on .. I have never really taken part in any major forums, but I want to change that.. starting here

Cheers,
M