For some players, nothing says āhot rodā like a
souped-up Gretsch, tweaked for looks and revving
to full throttle, just like a hot-rodded ā57
Chevy.
This G6120SSC Brian Setzer Tribute comes
to us from Fullerās Vintage Guitar. One of only 59
being made, it is a replica of the hot-rodded ā59
Gretsch 6120 that Setzer used on his early Stray
Cats albums, and still uses on tour today. This
cat is Trestle-braced and almost all maple (back,
sides, top, neck) with an ebony fretboard (9.45ā
radius) and 22 frets. It has a 24.6ā scale length,
with a 1-11/16ā width at the nut. It has Schaller
machine heads, a āchop shopā pickguard and a
bent output jack. Two TV Jones Classic Pickups
are controlled by a 3-way pickup selector and
three volume knobs (individuals and master).
The
Bigsby is a B6CB and the Space Control bridge is
custom fortified with double-sticky carpet tape.
The empty hole by the pickup selector is where a
tone knob is supposed to be. In addition to exact
replicas of the skull, black cat and āLucky Ladyā
stickers on Setzerās original, the guitar also features
two dice for pickup volume knobsānot just
any dice, but Monopoly dice. These guitars have
been selling for around $25,000.
Before Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, marketing was done through business cards. A well-done business card demands respect and attention. Case in point: Patrick Bateman in American Psycho shriveling when his business card was outdone by his colleagues. For luthiers, itās a bit more complicated than logo placement, font selection, and what background color exudes more confidence. Their business card is their axe, and the most beneficial way for a luthier to exchange credentials is by getting their guitar directly into a proās hands. Thatās exactly what Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars did when given the chance.
In early May, Currie received an out-of-the-blue call from friend Rob Timmons of Arcane Pickups, notifying him that Queens of the Stone Age were rehearsing nearby and he should stop over. āI couldnāt go over empty-handed because Iām a guitar builderāthatād be embarrassingāso I grabbed a few pieces that I recently completed to introduce myself and my brand,ā Currie remembers. āI met Josh, we shared a laugh, and I welcomed him to try out one of my guitars.ā Homme was immediately taken aback by the Downtowner Custom Koaās beefy neck size (he has a tough time finding necks to fit his hands) and its feedback-resistant P-90s. Homme asked if he could borrow them for a few days to show the rest of the bandāCurrie excitingly obliged.
The next week during tour rehearsals, Homme pulled Currie aside and told him that he, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Dean Fertita were all interested in buying guitars, but only one of the guitars was available for purchase. So Currie agreed to build Troy his own model. āThatās when Joshās eyes lit up and he asked me to build him a custom model, too.ā Van Leeuwenās guitar was fairly easy because Currie had an idea in his head and the templates were based on the Trisonic he found in Leo Fenderās shop while working at G&L. But Hommeās guitar was custom from the ground-up.
āI had no safety net or platform to go off of because of the organic nature of this build. I usually have the benefit of knowing the design and how itāll balance tonally with all the different woods and pickups.ā confesses Currie. āSo other than the aged-neck timbre and the body-chambering, I had no actual knowledge of how the end result would sound, just a familiarity with all the pieces individually.ā
Currie and Homme had several conversations about feel, look, vibe, tones, body size, shapes, pickups, and playability. After hearing the custom Gold Coil in the neck position of Currieās ā59 Custom model, Homme insisted that it be part of the equation. For the bridge position, Currie went with a customwound Arcane UltraāTron. Homme wanted a big neck profile so Currie based it on his early ā59 double-cut Les Paul Jr.āabout .098" at the nut and .115" at the 13th fret. āI like to do a 1938-style āsoft Vā carve and roll it into a ā59 āDā carve at the 9th fret so that it feels natural and fills your hand but remains playable for long gigs,ā Currie says. āItās carved from a 200-year-old piece of Honduran mahogany that came out of the Los Angeles library and the fretboard is old-stock Brazilian I had stashed.ā
For his custom builds, Currie uses old mahogany he amassed while working in the historic restoration of old buildings around Los Angeles and Southern California. āAll of it is very old, very mature, very dry, and very bell-like,ā he says. āI started using it for two reasons: One, because it was old, stable, and resonate. And two, because it was readily available and the best way to get a new guitar to feel, behave, and sound old."
The reclaimed Honduran mahogany body of Hommeās guitar is a chambered, one-piece slab. āWe didnāt chamber it simply for weight-reduction. We agreed during our conversations that the tone of a semi-hollow instrument has the best warmth and growl without the howl [laughs].ā The top is a 300-year-old burl walnut (the knots still have moss and earth in them) and it was outfitted with a trapeze-style tailpiece like one from a very rare ā50s Kay guitar. The headstock is made of nitrate celluloidātortoiseshellāwith a custom-made sterling silver crow skull inlaid in the center. The tuners are aged nickel, pre-war-style, 18:1-ratio Grovers.
āJosh freaked when I finally gave it to him the night they taped the KCRW special in L.A.,ā says Currie. āIt was great seeing him playing it that night at the showcase and it sounded better than I hoped and planned because of its round, creamy articulation. Iāve been a big fan of the band and Iām honored to get the unusual request from an artist like Joshāthatās the type of guitar building I live for.ā
A special thanks to Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars for allowing us to feature this fine piece of gear and its story.
Before Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, marketing was done through business cards. A well-done business card demands respect and attention. Case in point: Patrick Bateman in American Psycho shriveling when his business card was outdone by his colleague's.
For luthiers, it's a bit more complicated than logo placement, font selection, and what background color exudes more confidence. Their business card is their axe, and the most beneficial way for a luthier to exchange credentials is by getting their guitar directly into a pro's hands. That's exactly what Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars did when given the chance.
The reclaimed Honduran mahogany body of Homme's guitar is a chambered, one-piece slab. The top is a 300-year-old burl walnut (the knots still have moss and earth in them) and it was outfitted with a trapeze-style tailpiece like one from a very rare '50s Kay guitar.
In early May, Currie received an out-of-the-blue call from friend Rob Timmons of Arcane Pickups, notifying him that Queens of the Stone Age were rehearsing nearby and he should stop over. "I couldn't go over empty-handed because I'm a guitar builderāthat'd be embarrassingāso I grabbed a few pieces that I recently completed to introduce myself and my brand," Currie remembers. "I met Josh, we shared a laugh, and I welcomed him to try out one of my guitars." Homme was immediately taken aback by the Downtowner Custom Koa's beefy neck size (he has a tough time finding necks to fit his hands) and its feedback-resistant P-90s. Homme asked if he could borrow them for a few days to show the rest of the bandāCurrie excitingly obliged.
"We didn't chamber it simply for weight-reduction. We agreed during our conversations that the tone of a semi-hollow instrument has the best warmth and growl without the howl [laughs]." The headstock is made of nitrate celluloidātortoiseshellāwith a custom-made sterling silver crow skull inlaid in the center. The tuners are aged nickel, pre-war-style, 18:1-ratio Grovers.
The next week during tour rehearsals, Homme pulled Currie aside and told him that he, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Dean Fertita were all interested in buying guitars, but only one of the guitars was available for purchase. So Currie agreed to build Troy his own model. "That's when Josh's eyes lit up and he asked me to build him a custom model, too." Van Leeuwen's guitar was fairly easy because Currie had an idea in his head and the templates were based on the Trisonic he found in Leo Fender's shop while working at G&L. But Homme's guitar was custom from the ground-up.
"I had no safety net or platform to go off of because of the organic nature of this build. I usually have the benefit of knowing the design and how it'll balance tonally with all the different woods and pickups." confesses Currie. "So other than the aged-neck timbre and the body-chambering, I had no actual knowledge of how the end result would sound, just a familiarity with all the pieces individually."
Currie and Homme had several conversations about feel, look, vibe, tones, body size, shapes, pickups, and playability. After hearing the custom Gold Coil in the neck position of Currie's '59 Custom model, Homme insisted that it be part of the equation. For the bridge position, Currie went with a customwound Arcane Ultra'Tron. Homme wanted a big neck profile so Currie based it on his early '59 double-cut Les Paul Jr.āabout .980" at the nut and 1.15" at the 13th fret. "I like to do a 1938-style 'soft V' carve and roll it into a '59 'D' carve at the 9th fret so that it feels natural and fills your hand but remains playable for long gigs," Currie says. "It's carved from a 200-year-old piece of Honduran mahogany that came out of the Los Angeles library and the fretboard is old-stock Brazilian I had stashed."
For his custom builds, Currie uses old mahogany he amassed while working in the historic restoration of old buildings around Los Angeles and Southern California. "All of it is very old, very mature, very dry, and very bell-like," he says. "I started using it for two reasons: One, because it was old, stable, and resonate. And two, because it was readily available and the best way to get a new guitar to feel, behave, and sound old."
The reclaimed Honduran mahogany body of Homme's guitar is a chambered, one-piece slab. "We didn't chamber it simply for weight-reduction. We agreed during our conversations that the tone of a semi-hollow instrument has the best warmth and growl without the howl [laughs]." The top is a 300-year-old burl walnut (the knots still have moss and earth in them) and it was outfitted with a trapeze-style tailpiece like one from a very rare '50s Kay guitar. The headstock is made of nitrate celluloidātortoiseshellāwith a custom-made sterling silver crow skull inlaid in the center. The tuners are aged nickel, pre-war-style, 18:1-ratio Grovers.
"Josh freaked when I finally gave it to him the night they taped the KCRW special in L.A.," says Currie. "It was great seeing him playing it that night at the showcase and it sounded better than I hoped and planned because of its round, creamy articulation. I've been a big fan of the band and I'm honored to get the unusual request from an artist like Joshāthat's the type of guitar building I live for."
A special thanks to Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars for allowing us to feature this fine piece of gear and its story.
Since the vintage craze of the last two
or three decades began, we certainly
havenāt heard the highest of praise about
the instruments Fender produced from
late 1965 to 1985, when it was owned by
the Columbia Broadcasting System conglomerate.
Stratocasters, Telecasters, and
Jazz and Precision basses from the ā50s and
early ā60s sell for far more than CBS-era
guitarsāsometimes fetching as much as an
exotic sports car or a comfortable middle-class
home.
Perceived design flaws introduced to
models during the CBS years include Strats
and Teles that went from 4- to 3-bolt neck
construction, and a larger headstock with
an exposed ābulletā truss rod. Later in the
ā70s, cost-saving measures, such as using ash
rather than alder for bodies, and finishing
necks in polyester, were seen as missteps.
And cosmetic, finishing, and/or consistency
issues such as misaligned fret markers struck
many as a sign that Leo Fenderās innovative
outfit had lost its way.
However, plenty of everyday playersāboth now and thenāthink collectorsā
derision of CBS-era Fenders is just
nitpicking. For instance, in 1973, David
Gilmour took his late ā71 bullet Stratās
pickguard assemblyāincluding the middle
and neck pickupsāand put it in his
prized black Stratocaster. U2ās the Edge
used a black ā70s Strat on early hits like āI
Will Followā and āWhere the Streets Have
No Name,ā and R&B session and touring
guitarist Josh Sklair jammed on the ā71
Strat pictured here with legendary musicians
like Etta James, Roy Orbison, and
Bo Diddley.
āI grew up on my ā61 SG/Les Paul, a
ā70s Les Paul Custom, and an ES-175, but
I was always a stone-cold Jimi Hendrix
disciple,ā says Sklair. āLiving in Hollywood
in the ā80s, I decided it was time to get a
Stratocaster. So I bought one out of the
Recycler for $300.ā His ā71 Strat had a natural
finish, Schaller tuners, and the bullet
truss rod. Sklair wasted little time customizing
the axe to make it his own.
First, he took it out to his backyard and
let loose with a can of white spray paint.
Then he enlisted the expertise of guitar
guru John Carruthers (Carruthers Guitars,
Fender Custom Shop, Yamaha, G&L), who
re-fretted the guitarās neck, installed a midboost
feature, converted the neck joint to
a 4-bolt array, and added copper foil and
shielding paint to minimize hum from the
pickups and controls. Carruthers also added
a new 5-way switch and reversed the polarity
of the middle pickup to make the second
and fourth positions dead quiet.
āI took it on tour with Dick Clarkās
Good Olā Rock ānā Roll Show,ā Sklair recalls.
āIt was my go-to guitar when I joined up
with the amazing Etta James in ā85, and
was used all the way until she retired in
ā09. I even used it on the recording of Roy
Orbisonās āCareless Heartā in 1988.ā
Even though Sklair revamped several
aspects of his Strat, he never dreamt of
altering one thing. āWhat brings me back
to this little Strat is its neck. By industry
standards, itās not a great neckābecause
itās fat and not very wide. But it has been
really comfortable for my average-sized
hands, and I believe the big headstock
adds an almost Gibson-like mellowness to
its tone.ā
While Sklairās beloved ā71 Recycler find
is special to him because of how it plays
and sounds, as well as the countless memorable
performances and sessions heās played
with it, itās also special because on the
back it bears the signatures of five rock ānā
roll greatsāRoy Orbison, Dick Clark, Bo
Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Del Shannon.
āIām not much of a signature guy
because I donāt want to be creepy,ā Sklair
laughs. āI never asked Etta for hers because
it just didnāt feel right, but I did get a few
rock ānā roll heroes to sign it. It reminds me
of where this guitar and I have been.ā
It all started when a drum shop owner couldnāt get rid of three pesky guitarists. If it werenāt for those meddling kids and their gosh-darned guitars, Jim Marshall might have made a name for himself selling drums. The pesky guitarists in questionāRitchie Blackmore, Big Jim Sullivan [the subject of PGās February 2013 Forgotten Heroes feature], and Pete Townshendāwere dissatisfied with their rigs. They yearned for more volume, more distortion, and the right sound. Marshallās success in addressing those needs sealed the Lord of Loudās legacy and forever changed the world of guitars and music.
In the early 1960s, after deciding to build handwired amps that rivaled Fenderās current stock, Marshall and his two closest cohortsāKen Bran, a shop repairman, and Dudley Craven, an 18-year-old apprenticeābegan building Fender amp clones that used 5881 power tubes. Other small changes included Celestion 15-watt speakers compared to Fenderās preference for Jensen 15-watt models. After working with higher-gain preamp tubesālike the ECC83āand learning how different filters and capacitors had a transformative impact on the tone, Marshall heard a sound he knew guitarists would crave. Thus was born the iconic JTM45āwhich got its initials from Marshallās son Jim Terry Marshall. A few years later, Marshall switched to KT66 tubes to create the even louder 100-watt Super Lead 1959. In 1968, the company dialed back the decibels with the unveiling of a 50-watt, small-box head that would be called the JMPāan acronym for āJim Marshall Products.ā
āWhat really makes this ā68 JMP unique among its brethren is that it was built in early 1968 and was one of two early prototypes that the company used to tweak things making the amp more efficient to build and still keeping it handwired,ā says Gene Sinigalliano, owner of Ultra Sound Studios and Amp Sales. āSince the amplifier was a prototype, it is very likely that Jim Marshall or one of his top guys actually labored and constructed this specific plexi.ā According to Sinigalliano, this particular Marshall model was an original designāa departure from the companyās first Fender Bassman-based amplifiers. Some of the long-lasting design shifts away from Marshallās original recipe were the use of EL34 power tubes, a solid-state rectifier tube for more gain, and two separate channelsā bright and normal. Guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and countless others would eventually blend the two channels to get some of the most iconic guitar tones of all time.
āThis particular plexi has Mullard EL34s, Mullard 12AX7s in the input, Amperex Bugle Boy and Mini Watt ECC83s,ā says Sinigalliano. āAll these tubes are similar to what was originally installed in this amp.ā The 1968 straight-front 4x12 has Celestion pre-Rola G12-30 speakers with 041 cones, as well as its original basket-weave grille.
Aesthetically, 1968 marked the first year Marshall switched to using white-script logos instead of gold lettering. That year also marked the first time front panels bore the JMP (rather than JTM) designation. Further, ā68 saw one more Marshall evolutionā the complete switchover from fret cloth to the basket-weave cab covering that had been partially instituted in late 1967.
A special thanks to Gene Sinigalliano and Ultra Sound Studios and Amp Sales for the opportunity to feature these fine pieces of gear and the story.
"The 1969 Custom models switched to a three-piece mahogany body with a maple cap and a three-piece mahogany neck. The rest of the features on this seminal reissue are a direct nod to the 1957 CustomŃexcept the reissue had gold Grovers while the original Ń57 had Deluxe Kluson tuners, the headstock pitch is 14 degrees instead of 17, and it has amp-style volume and tone knobs. According to 1968 Gibson shipping ledgers from Kalamazoo, this model was one of the first Ń68 Les Paul Customs made available to the public following their introduction at the June 1968 NAMM Show in Chicago. Gibson only built 433 of these particular instruments. The Black Beauty and Fretless Wonder were nicknames given to this instrument because of its rich, contrasting body color and low, nearly undetectable frets. Its original price tag was $325Ńa whopping $100 more than the Les Paul. "
