“All original” is a desired trait in a vintage guitar, but what if that guitar is essentially unplayable?
“But is it original?”
This question is raised about everything in, on, and around a vintage guitar, from tuners to tailpieces to all parts in between. For those who play their vintage guitar only casually, acquiring the exact match for a missing tuner can be a fun treasure hunt. For guitarists who want their older instrument to play as well as a new one, the quest is often more problematic. How can you improve the function of your vintage guitar without compromising its originality, and thus its value? Just because those lightweight WWII-era tuners are original doesn’t mean they allow you to tune effectively, and you can’t plead originality when your jam mates are always waiting on you. There are some solutions that involve only a small compromise, but sometimes the very best solutions for the serious player require some real “play or preserve” decisions.
It’s unfortunate that some of the most desirable guitars come from periods when the metal parts on those instruments—tuners and tailpieces, for example—were not of the same quality as the woodworking. During the 1930s, this was often due to an attempt to keep prices down on lower models during the Great Depression. A few years after that, war-time restrictions meant higher-model Gibsons and Martins were often equipped with flimsy parts that wouldn’t be found on even the cheapest imports today.
The conflict between originality and function often goes beyond the instruments themselves. Demand for original cases (and the importance of keeping one, no matter how flimsy) brings up an interesting dilemma for those whose living accommodations do not include lots of unused square footage. Sure, you were delighted the original chipboard case came with your vintage J-45, but you’re probably not going to carry your $5,000 guitar around in it. And when you buy a real hardshell case, you then have to store the old one. In many climates, storage in a basement or garage won’t do that cute and old cardboard case any favors. If you have two or three (or more) vintage guitars with original cases, even a modest guitar collection can take up a lot of space. So what do you do? Only collect guitars that are all the same size so you just need one modern case that actually gets used?
The tuners on old acoustics are the component that is most likely to prompt vintage-guitar enthusiasts—at least those who are also players—to “go modern.” That said, adding extra screw holes to the back of a headstock can be a major turn-off to future buyers, so it’s a wise move to save the original gears and add better ones without leaving a trace. Thankfully, you can do just that with a little extra effort. Waverly, Gotoh, and other tuner manufacturers produce excellent 12:1 ratio open-back tuners that are essentially contemporary knockoffs of the iconic Grover G-98s—the tuners gracing the headstocks of some of Martin’s and Gibson’s best models during the “golden age” of American steel-string guitar production.
Alas, not all Grover tuners that look like G-98s are of the same high quality. Early Grover versions used on 16" Gibson L-5 models and on Martin’s 1932/’33 OMs have only a 6:1 ratio, and often have cogs that are soldered in place and can’t be adjusted. Such tuners can frustrate anyone who’s grown accustomed to smooth-turning sealed tuners with a 12:1 ratio, such as Schallers and similar modern-guitar gears.
Many of the single-unit tuners Martin used on its lower models do not have the same spacing for the mounting screws as newer tuners, but as you can see in Photo 1, there is a modification to the new tuner plates that will allow you to use the new gears without adding more holes to the back of your vintage guitar’s headstock. While the elongated holes on the new tuner plates are visible when the gears are installed, the screwhead still tightly grips the modified gear and you have modern functionality for your vintage guitar (Photo 2). On top of that, you still have the option to remove the new tuners and re-install the originals should you wind up selling the instrument to a “gotta be original” buyer.
Photo 2 — Shown here is the altered Waverly tuner alongside the original tuners which no longer function smoothly.
Waverly offers this same gear with oval-celluloid buttons, making a full set an authentic-looking solution for this
vintage Martin 000-18.
By slightly relieving the edges of the backing plates of the new gears as well (where they come in contact with the headstock), there’s little chance there will be any telltale scars. Similar slotted mounting holes can be used for tailpieces on archtops. Especially during WWII, some archtops were shipped with cheesy lightweight-steel tailpieces that have often succumbed to rust, or pot-metal castings that weren’t up to the job. While you may be able to eventually find the right tailpiece in good condition, you might as well enjoy your guitar during the search by using a new, modified version.
Whether an old guitar in need of improvement is an acoustic or an electric, this is now the formula that the vintage-guitar market’s obsession with originality requires: Improve if you must, but be sure the instrument can be returned to stock specifications with no sign of previous upgrades. As for the question of whether that original, moldy cardboard case is worth keeping, however, you’re on your own.
Stompboxtober Day 29 is live! Enter today to win a pedal from StewMac—more chances to win tomorrow!
StewMac International House of Overdrive Pedal Kit, With Bare Enclosure
The IHOO is based on the Crowther Hot Cake, an overdrive that became available around 1976. It was one of the earliest hand-made boutique effects pedals available. The circuit was designed to be what is now referred to as a “transparent” overdrive. An effect that enhances the player's sound while keeping the original tone intact.
This circuit has undergone many changes since its inception, and we have further expanded on the design by returning to an earlier version most revered by players and removing the buffer, which resulted in a reworked circuit that is true bypass but still retains the charm of the design.
We also include the original LM741 IC chip found in the originals, as well as the TL071 that is found in later versions so you can experiment with which IC best suits your playing style.
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is one of the loudest guitarists around. And he puts his volume to work creating mythical tones that have captured so many of our imaginations, including our special shoegaze correspondent, guitarist and pedal-maestro Andy Pitcher, who is our guest today.
My Bloody Valentine has a short discography made up of just a few albums and EPs that span decades. Meticulous as he seems to be, Shields creates texture out of his layers of tracks and loops and fuzz throughout, creating a music that needs to be felt as much as it needs to be heard.
We go to the ultimate source as Billy Corgan leaves us a message about how it felt to hear those sounds in the pre-internet days, when rather than pull up a YouTube clip, your imagination would have to guide you toward a tone.
But not everyone is an MBV fan, so this conversation is part superfan hype and part debate. We can all agree Kevin Shields is a guitarists you should know, but we can’t all agree what to do with that information.
This episode is sponsored by Fender.
Learn more: https://www.fender.com./
The masterbuilt limited-edition John Frusciante Stratocaster is a meticulously crafted replica of Frusciante’s beloved 1962 sunburst Strat.
“Frusciantes’ Strat is right up there with the most iconic Fenders of all time; being able to work on his first-ever Signature model was a true privilege,” said Paul Waller, FCS Master Builder. “Recreating this instrument’s many beautiful imperfections was no easy feat, but behind every ding and dent is a story and it’s our job to make sure that this guitar’s narrative is told in full, stunning detail. For an instrument this heavily reliced, it still retains so much of its original beauty. A ton of work went into this one, and while much of that can be reflected in its visual components, the whole team is tremendously proud of how this thing plays. The neck has that singular worn in quality that is usually only attainable with a pre-owned vintage guitar and the Abby hand-wound pickups really speak to Fruscinate’s expressive, crystalline tone.”
While Frusciante has been known to wield a number of different Fenders, his 1962 Sunburst Stratocaster is by far the most well known. Much of Frusciante’s style can be attributed to his tremendous technique and otherworldly fusion of punk rock intensity and complex funk rhythms, but the Stratocaster® guitars unique voice informed his playing and signature sound. While many players might relegate themselves entirely to the bridge or neck pickup, Frusciante taps into the Strat guitars true potential by frequently switching between all five pickup combinations. Thanks to the bridge pickup’s midrange bite and robust output, his solos cut through both on records and live. With the flip of the switch his tone seamlessly turns crystal clear, delivering lush rhythm lines with all the roundness and warmth one could hope to expect from a neck pickup.
To honor the indelible mark that John Frusciante has made on the musical stratosphere, the Fender Custom Shop™ has spared no expense in recreating his beloved 1962 Stratocaster. The unmistakable reliced finish is expertly cast onto a two-piece alder body that is as comfortable and lightweight as it is deeply resonant. The early-60s style “C” shape rift sawn maple neck and slab rosewood fingerboard harken back to the prized trappings of the Stratocaster guitars golden era—this will leave Fender obsessives jumping for joy while players across all skill levels will revel in the neck’s comfort and playability. A set of three '60s-style Strat pickups handwound by legend, Abigail Ybarra, sing with profound dynamic range, versatile frequency response and sheer sonic power. An Ilitch Electronics Hum-Canceling system allows players to experiment as wildly with gain effects pedals as Frusciante himself without the need to worry about excessive noise.
Masterbuilt Paul Waller John Frusciante Stratocaster® Heavy Relic®
After joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1988 at the age of 18, John Frusciante was quickly embraced by fans thanks to his unique blend of intricate, funky, soulful playing and unmistakable tone. Over the next three decades, Frusciante’s 1962 Sunburst Stratocaster became his go-to guitar. For this limited run, Fender Custom Shop Senior Masterbuilder Paul Waller painstakingly replicated this cherished guitar—from the faded and beautifully aged lacquer finish down to the heavily worn body contours. All the dings, dents and scars that cover this infamous Strat give players the feeling of holding a true piece of rock and roll history in the palms of their hands. The highly-resonant, select two-piece alder body, early-‘60s “C” profile rift-sawn maple neck and slab rosewood fingerboard are perfect examples of prized golden era Stratocaster appointments. The combination of those quintessential pre-CBS specs and the trio of Abigail Ybarra Hand-Wound Stratocaster pickups, with an Ilitch Electronics Hum-Canceling system, gives players the same warm, clear and expressive tones that are the foundation in Frusciante’s signature sound. Other premium features include 7.25” (184.1 mm) radius, 21 narrow tall (6105) frets, Vintage Strat wiring, 5-way switch, vintage-style synchronized tremolo, vintage-style tuners, bone nut, wing string tree with metal spacer and certificate of authenticity. Available in 3-Color Sunburst
He’ll forever be remembered for his unparalleled mastery of the Telecaster, but Roy Buchanan kept an open mind when it came to his guitars.
Perhaps you’ve read something where an artist or a brand is dubbed “authentic.” It’s marketing hype that’s both real and manufactured, but I assure you it can be both a legit and important concept. The problem is when it gets used in the first person. Who judges whether something is authentic or not? Critics? Magazines? The internet? A brand itself? What does it mean to you? We often refer to things as the “real deal,” so is that the same? Not exactly.
The real deal can be something that is what it purports to be—like a working cowboy. But if you see his hat brand in a store in New York, is that authentic? If you think this is splitting hairs, you might be right. We’d like to think that when we choose a guitar to play, our desire for playability and sound is at the forefront of the decision-making process, and mostly it is. But that blacked-out, pointy axe with the studded strap just won’t fly in your bro-country cover band, so you glom onto a paisley Telecaster, even though it doesn’t feel as good to you. Does this make you authentic? Personally, I’d love to see some chicken pickin’ on that pointy fiddle. Busting down barriers and breaking rules is the spirit of expression and creativity, and that’s authentic.
There’s no shame in honoring tradition and nodding in reverence to your influences, but you don’t have to bow down so low that you can’t be yourself, too. I used to think I was a “Gibson guy.” To a large extent, I still am, but many of you know my love of the Strat and Tele. My music room is full of other brands that I adore and use for certain applications. I believe that you have to use an instrument, effect, or amplifier to get what you need for the situation you’re in, no matter what the social connotation is.
“If Roy freaking Buchannan can rock out on a Les Paul or a Hamer Standard, you can break some rules, too.”
One night in the late 1970s, I answered the phone at the Hamer Guitars factory, mostly to see who on Earth would call at that late hour. To my surprise it was Roy Buchanan, the original master of the Telecaster. He wanted to chat about our Sunburst model that was fairly new to the market. His questions revolved around scale length, fretboard width, fret size, and weight. When I asked why he was interested in our guitar when he was known for playing Telecasters, he told me that he already had one of our Explorer-shaped Standard model guitars! I found this even more puzzling than the fact that Roy Buchanan had cold-called our office at night. Roy went on to say that in the studio he used a lot of different guitars, including a Les Paul with P-90s that he liked a lot. He used the Tele onstage, he said, “because people expect me to do all those Telecaster things.” He didn’t ask me to ship him a guitar for free or inquire about an artist discount. He said he’d check one out at a dealer. I recommended one near him, and we said goodnight. I began to wonder if it was a crank call.
I’d forgotten the whole episode until recently, when I saw a newspaper photograph of Roy Buchanan with his young daughter, Jennifer. I thought about how happy they looked and how sad it was that his death had stolen that little girl’s father from her. And right there in that photo, he’s playing that Hamer Standard. I’m not gonna lie and say that I didn’t cry.
So there it is, folks. If Roy freaking Buchanan can rock out on a Les Paul or a Hamer Standard, you can break some rules, too. I’m certain that he was most comfortable onstage with that beat-up old Tele, but it wasn’t his only love. It’s just the one that people think of when they imagine the authentic guy.
Songwriters often say they strive for connection through authenticity in their music and lyrics. And at the very core, that’s what it’s about—human connection. If you love that cowboy hat and live in Philadelphia, I’m not going to criticize you—just go ahead and wear it, dude. It’s about wearing the hat for its intended purpose, not putting it on to hope it makes you authentic.