Some of you already know that while I can get by playing the trumpet my real instrument is guitar. Loud and noisy Rock ‘n’ Blues type guitar. I’ll let you into a secret, guitar players are generally far bigger hoarders than trumpet players. Guitarist don’t have two guitars, they have 10 guitars! Don’t believe me, talk to a few, it’s a bit of an obsession. While I have the usual array of stock off the shelf but very nice ones, a first edition Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Blackie (when they were Custom Shop! That’s a good few years ago now), a more recent Gibson Nashville Custom factory 335 (I love playing that one), a 1964 Gibson Firebird, a 1984 Fender Strat (this was the last year Strats were made in the USA and production went to Japan). All those are factory axes, nothing to out of the ordinary and easy enough to google up pictures if you’re that keen.
It’s the fun of making specials out of bits that I’ve enjoyed particularly. Ok, I can cheat a bit as we have good workshop facilities here to make, alter, reshape and refinish most parts if we need to. This means we can create a professional job and still have fun with it. The pictures are of some of these creations. Some of the ones in the pictures I’ve kept, some I’ve sold on to fund the next one, you know how it goes. It would be stupid of me to get all possessive and say they are all keepers, I’m in the musical instrument trade, so if something catches your eye and you fancy it for yourself then they all have a price. And a lot cheaper than having Fender Custom Shop make you one!! You’ve only got to ask. I still have about a third of these.
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