Guitar
But I admire the 'throw it in a gig-bag and go' flexibility and durability of Fender's classic designs, not to mention the snappy attack and weirdo upper-mid eq bump (it's always somewhat amazing to me that such bizarre instruments became the industry standard). For some years my goal has been to somehow beg, borrow or steal a Broadcaster-style tele, but reality (ie. pots of money I don't have) keeps getting in the way of that plan, so the bell-like chime and gnarly sting of that classic design has been out of my grasp.
Then I spotted this oddball home creation listed on Craigslist and I had a gut feeling. Armed with a beefy maple-board neck and TV Jones Filtertron pickups, I felt that the guitar had a chance of being the twang-machine I've been looking for, whilst offering humbucker-y flavours in rolled-back-tone-knob settings.
Seeing the thing for the first time, I had a sinking feeling; it photographs better than it looks up close, and there's some pretty wacky and/or sloppy workmanship (sanding/painting, string ferrule install, chopping up vintage three-on-side open gear strip-style tuners to fit on a six-on-a-side headstock with the result that the tuners all work backwards). It's, uh, rustic... But the sound. The neck. Those Gretsch-like pickups.
Picking it up I was immediately struck by it's loud, proud acoustic voice; even strung with extra-lights, it had a lively, authoritative snap'n'clang. The intonation needed a minor tweak, but was pretty good overall. The maple board neck is beefy and comfy. Plugging it in you get surprisingly traditional tele tones. The TV Jones filtertrons are airy and touch sensitive with just a hint of humbucker thickness to compliment their jangle and clank. The tone controls roll off evenly and musically, allowing some faux-Gibson tones in the neck and middle pickup positions and attenuating any excess spankitude with the bridge p/u. I took it out to my buddy's jam session and was immediately delighted by it's pointy, but rich tone. I also quickly learned that the tuners weren't quite up to the new set of .11 strings I'd strapped on it. I think I bruised my thumb trying to crank 'em up to pitch.
So was it the best deal ever? Hell no. But I think with a little work (new tuners immediately!) it'll be a great gig-bag beater, the go-to axe for jumping on buses. It will also be a good alternative voice to my Gibson ES-335 in the studio. I half expect to see the old Tokai for sale as a collector's item, and I know I could have held out and sold it outright for a reasonable chunk of change, but I don't really wheel and deal. I'm also of the opinion that one Fender is as good as another, and that no strat or tele should cost more than three hundred bucks. That people pay thousands for two chunks of machined wood that are bolted together and supplemented by a few bits of hardware is utterly mysterious to me.
The Garnet stencil head was a bit of a deal-maker as well. I sold the old Garnet Rebel piggyback amp I had for a song and always regretted it, so I'm looking forward to getting this one working and enjoying some of those gnarly, unrefined Winnipeger-tones. It runs on a two 6L6's with a 12AX7 and a 12AU7 tube in the preamp. Currently it needs a fuse holder and I suspect the tube sockets need to be tightened up a bit, as everything seems a little wiggly back there. I'll keep you all posted.
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Here it is! I hinted at it last week, and due to the generosity of a benefactor (a little bit surprise to be asked for her humble kitchen appliance), I managed to put my hands on a second hand (with vintage patina) Ikea butcher block...
- Fender 1980 Lead Ii Usa Guitar In Portland For $300
Here is a very nice deal on a cool player though not really a collector guitar. The Lead II is not well known. They were Fender's last attempt at making a full-size USA made lower cost student guitar before creating the...
- Frankentele Cabronita - Post-op
Cheap, cheerful and chock fulla' happening tones, the Frankentele Cabronita reborn! I believe that if you're not a cork sniffing, six-figure-a-year guitar collector type, you can still get all the classic Fender tones (and a few more besides)...
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The echo and trem remain elusive, whirlwind ineffectual, but the fuzz, ooh, the fuzz. Oh dear, my ears are ringing from too much time mixing demos under the headphones. It's really a terrible way to mix, but my boy is asleep in a room...
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My slide ride - Dano '63 Every time I do studio work, I come to the same realization: things just don't work out the way I think they will. This is a good thing. I did a session today for my good friends the East Vamps,...
Guitar
His Latest Flame
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| Cabronita frankentele, a vibey little number. The other night I made one of the weirdest gear decisions in my long history of making weird gear decisions. I traded a perfectly desirable '82 Tokai Goldstar Sound '60's strat copy for a kinda' hilarious home built tele Cabronita, an old Garnet stencil head (and a little dough to sweeten the deal). The thing is, I hadn't played the Tokai on a gig or a session for over two years; I'd put it on perma-loan with my brother after he'd so kindly and sensitively given me his Danelectro '63 reissue, which I've gotten a lot of mileage out of since. I can't connect with stratocasters anymore (or ever again, I suspect). The strat has always been a reliable and flexible guitar, easily repaired or replaced, but sonically, has always sounded like someone else's guitar to me. I've had a few and played a whole lot more and they always sound like strats, except when they don't, and then I don't like 'em even less. I just don't groove on 'em. I can get good sounds out of 'em, but they just aren't the sounds I'm looking for. |
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| The old Tokai. I'm just over strats. |
Then I spotted this oddball home creation listed on Craigslist and I had a gut feeling. Armed with a beefy maple-board neck and TV Jones Filtertron pickups, I felt that the guitar had a chance of being the twang-machine I've been looking for, whilst offering humbucker-y flavours in rolled-back-tone-knob settings.
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| TV Jones Filtertrons highlight the spank and chime. |
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| Oh dear! |
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| Formerly six-on-a-side tuners, chopped and ass-backwards. |
The Garnet stencil head was a bit of a deal-maker as well. I sold the old Garnet Rebel piggyback amp I had for a song and always regretted it, so I'm looking forward to getting this one working and enjoying some of those gnarly, unrefined Winnipeger-tones. It runs on a two 6L6's with a 12AX7 and a 12AU7 tube in the preamp. Currently it needs a fuse holder and I suspect the tube sockets need to be tightened up a bit, as everything seems a little wiggly back there. I'll keep you all posted.
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| Isis the cat inspects the Garnet stencil head. |
- Ikea Birch Wood Butcher Block, An Ur-telecaster...
Here it is! I hinted at it last week, and due to the generosity of a benefactor (a little bit surprise to be asked for her humble kitchen appliance), I managed to put my hands on a second hand (with vintage patina) Ikea butcher block...
- Fender 1980 Lead Ii Usa Guitar In Portland For $300
Here is a very nice deal on a cool player though not really a collector guitar. The Lead II is not well known. They were Fender's last attempt at making a full-size USA made lower cost student guitar before creating the...
- Frankentele Cabronita - Post-op
Cheap, cheerful and chock fulla' happening tones, the Frankentele Cabronita reborn! I believe that if you're not a cork sniffing, six-figure-a-year guitar collector type, you can still get all the classic Fender tones (and a few more besides)...
- More Updates And Ephemera
The echo and trem remain elusive, whirlwind ineffectual, but the fuzz, ooh, the fuzz. Oh dear, my ears are ringing from too much time mixing demos under the headphones. It's really a terrible way to mix, but my boy is asleep in a room...
- Expect The Unexpected
My slide ride - Dano '63 Every time I do studio work, I come to the same realization: things just don't work out the way I think they will. This is a good thing. I did a session today for my good friends the East Vamps,...