Skip to content

Sol Philcox-Littlefield Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour

Search

Latest Stories

Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: King Mother-of-Pearl

A classic-shaped 6-string catch of the day.

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: King Mother-of-Pearl
This King Les Paul-shaped, dual-humbucker guitar isn’t simply shiny. It also plays well and sounds good enough to make it a keeper—and an eye-catching hit at jams.
Will Ray
By Will RayNov 26, 2018
Will Ray
Will Ray is a founding member of the Hellecasters guitar-twang trio. He also does guitar clinics promoting his namesake G&L signature model 6-string, and produces artists and bands at his studio in Asheville, North Carolina. You can contact Will on Facebook and at willray.biz.
See Full Bio

I love unusual guitars. That's a given. And from my vantage point, there's no shortage of unusual guitars out there. Just when you think you've seen it all, one will surprise you. This guitar came up when I looked at a favorite seller's items on eBay. It's a Les Paul-shaped guitar made by King, a company I wasn't familiar with.

The guitar's entire top is mother-of-pearl pieces, in a circular mosaic pattern, similar to some old Zemaitis guitars from the 1960s. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It just seemed bizarre, more than anything else. But every time I looked at it (every day or so), it intrigued me more. The seller wanted $325 in a fixed-price auction. The seller had great feedback, and it seemed like a reasonable price, but for whatever reason I was not able to pull the trigger.

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: King Mother-of-Pearl (January 2019)

I kept an eye on it, though, and it went through several no-bid cycles. Then, the seller added "or best offer" to the fixed-price auction. I got to thinking about it and figured to offer $50 less. So I sent an offer of $275. To my surprise, he immediately accepted my offer and I PayPal'd him.

Sometimes selling an included hardshell case that you don't need can lower your price on an instrument enough to make a good deal into a great deal.

​Bottom Feeder Tip #207:

If a seller's item hasn't sold after awhile on eBay, he or she may entertain best offers. That's opportunity knocking for you as a buyer. You have nothing to lose if you send your best offer. It can be accepted, rejected, or met with a counteroffer. But keep in mind that once your offer is accepted, you just bought it and must pay for it. It's legally binding, as they say.

The mother-of-pearl pattern on this instrument is ornate and thoroughly plotted—even on its headstock, to the extent that the company's name appears on the back rather than interrupt the visual vibe.

I received the guitar a week later. It's stunning up close. The mother-of-pearl really pops. It came shipped in a brand-new hardshell case. I'm not into hard cases, so I promptly sold the case for $50, which brought my actual price down to $225—where I'm more comfortable as a bottom feeder.

​Bottom Feeder Tip #688:

Sometimes selling an included hardshell case that you don't need can lower your price on an instrument enough to make a good deal into a great deal.

Normally a P-90 fanatic, Will Ray nonetheless found this axe's humbuckers very articulate and mud-free—making his final $225 cost a Bottom Feeder bargain.

How do I like the guitar? Well, it's an interesting piece—that's for sure. The intonation is good, the neck is straight, the action is easy to play, and the humbucker pickups are very articulate without being muddy. I have other guitars that can do the same thing, but they don't look like this one! I still get a kick out of eyeballing it.

So, is it a keeper? Yeah. I'll probably keep it around for a while. It's always fun to show people, and it never disappoints at a jam.

[Updated 8/19/21]

humbucker-equippedlp-stylewhats-newpro-advicefeatured-storiesjanuary-2019will-rays-bottom-feederguitarsgear-blogspecial-featured-storiesgearles paultoiletmother of pearlgibson les paulbottom feeder

The Latest

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Rescuing a Yard-Sale Gibson SG Special
Will Ray's Bottom Feeder

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Rescuing a Yard-Sale Gibson SG Special

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Epiphone ES-339 “Blem” Guitar
Will Ray's Bottom Feeder

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Epiphone ES-339 “Blem” Guitar

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Fender “Bluesbird” Telecaster
Will Ray's Bottom Feeder

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Fender “Bluesbird” Telecaster

Bottom Feeder: My $81 Les Paul Special
Will Ray's Bottom Feeder

Bottom Feeder: My $81 Les Paul Special

More for you

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: A European Budget Axe Swings American

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: A European Budget Axe Swings American

I always keep my eyes and ears open for new gear. A few months ago, I was conversing via email with fellow PG contributor Dirk Wacker, who writes the Mod Garage column. He was telling me about a European company called Harley Benton that makes good, inexpensive guitars. So I started searching eBay for that brand. After a while, I found this guitar, which looked interesting. It was a TE-90 FLT SB Deluxe T-Style that had Roswell Filtertron pickups, a reverse headstock, an S-style bridge, a Mary Kay-type finish, and a maple fretboard. It had a “Buy It Now” price of $195 plus $55 shipping.

“The Roswell Filtertrons didn’t exactly sound like the Gretsch versions, but they sounded really good and seemed to have their own personality.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted it, but after several days I pulled the trigger. After taxes and shipping, the total was $268. It wasn’t a great deal, but it was okay. Then the seller informed me that he was going to remove the neck for shipping. I almost threw a fit over that, but finally reasoned that if I was meant to have the guitar, it would be fine. Bottom Feeder Tip #367: Make sure you read the fine print on an auction.


Note the additional hole our columnist drilled through the Wilkinson ashtray bridge he installed, to allow more fluid movement of the B-string without snagging or popping off the saddle.

It arrived a week later from California, and it looked stunning. I quickly assembled the neck, put on a set of strings, and, I have to confess, it really had me at hello. It felt solid in my hands, stayed in tune, and played easily. I plugged it in and it did not disappoint. The Roswell Filtertrons didn’t exactly sound like the Gretsch versions, but they sounded really good and seemed to have their own personality. After a few hours playing my new 6-string, I made a decision reserved for only a select few guitars: I was ready to slap on a Hipshot B-Bender.


Here’s a close-up of the reverse headstock, with two double-string retainers and chrome hardware.

So, I took the strings off, shimmed up the pickups with stiff foam rubber to be closer to the strings (there are no springs), then went to my bridge drawer and grabbed a Wilkinson half-size T-style ashtray bridge with 3-way compensated saddles. It’s a handy bridge to keep on hand for all kinds of projects, because it can work on top-loading as well as bottom-loading guitars.


The contoured rear body is a nice ergonomic touch. The semi-transparent, pink, Mary Kay-type finish also nicely displays the grain of the ash.

I could’ve used the existing hole for the B string, but since the angle over the B-string saddle is critical, I like to drill a second, higher hole in the back of the ashtray for tuning stability. Too steep an angle and the string tends to hang up, not going back down to pitch properly. Too little angle and the string will pop out of its slot on the saddle, especially if you use a pick and fingers like I do. Finally, installing the Hipshot was the easiest part.

Everything took about three hours from start to finish, but I wound up with a nice playing and sounding guitar with a bender. So, is it a keeper? For now I’d say it is. The guitar really feels solid, sounds great, and is fun to play. What else do you need?

Keep ReadingShow less

Most Popular

PG Perks Exclusive Bud SIX Giveaway
PG Perks

PG Perks Exclusive Bud SIX Giveaway

Win a KERNOM MOHO Fuzz and Octave Pedal
PG Giveaways

Win a KERNOM MOHO Fuzz and Octave Pedal

Peavey Debuts New Cirrus Bass Models
News

Peavey Debuts New Cirrus Bass Models

4 Pedals For Pro Acoustic Tones
Gear Roundups

4 Pedals For Pro Acoustic Tones

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Scoring a King T-Stang

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Scoring a King T-Stang

I was surfing on eBay a while ago and checked out some of the auctions that a favorite seller of mine had going on. My seller is a Cozart dealer and specializes in China-made instruments. This month’s guitar caught my eye. It’s kind of a cross between a Tele, a Mustang, and a Les Paul Special. It has a mahogany body and neck, a T-style headstock, and an ashtray bridge with a 3-way adjustment. The bridge is top-loading and has a T-style single-coil pickup, and the controls are mounted on a T-style chrome control plate. The neck pickup is a P-90 (Oh yeah, mama! My favorite flavor!), and the guitar has a Mustang-like body shape. The headstock says “King.” I’ve bought a few King-labeled guitars before, with good luck, so I bookmarked it and kept an eye on it.

Usually 5 to 10 percent lower than asking price is still in the ballpark. What do you have to lose?

After a few days, I started thinking more and more about this guitar. You know how it is. A guitar starts speaking to you in your dreams or something. There was a buy-it-now price of $189.99 with free shipping, but the listing also said, “or best offer,” so, being the bottom feeder I am, I made an offer of $165. The bid was automatically declined, so I inched my way up to $170. Declined again. So, finally, having only one bid left, I said $175. That seemed to be the magic number. The offer at that point was sent to the seller, who accepted it within a few hours, and the deal was made.


Photo 2 — Note the Will Ray signature Helle-Bender, the standard T-style control dial plate, and the ashtray bridge with 3-way adjustment. Despite the latter, fret-filing was required to knock out this guitar’s buzzing upon arrival.

Bottom Feeder Tip #377: Since eBay allows you to make a total of only three offers during the auction cycle of an item, I try not to offend the seller with an offer that is too lowball. Usually 5 to 10 percent lower than asking price is still in the ballpark. What do you have to lose?


Photo 3 — This instrument’s exact origins are a bit unclear, but it’s ostensibly made in China and it’s not the first King in the Bottom Feeder collection.

I received the guitar about four days later. I was excited to unpack it. It had a cool look. I did a quick setup. The King T-Stang played very well, but there were a few high frets that bugged me. I kept adjusting the bridge and truss rod to minimize the problem, but the buzzing still continued to bother me.


Photo 4 — With its bolt-on neck, mahogany body, and poly finish, this instrument appears to have gotten some genuine love on the production floor.

I finally made the decision to email the seller and explain the problem. I made a suggestion: How about a $25 partial refund so I could get the problem addressed by a good guitar tech? To his credit, the seller immediately PayPal’d me the $25 and we were both happy campers. I decided to work on the buzz problem myself by filing down the high frets in a couple of areas, and then I slapped a Hipshot bender on the guitar—a sure sign that an instrument is a keeper. I can’t explain it, but this King is just a fun little guitar to play. Listen to my MP3 online and hear it sing!

Keep ReadingShow less

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Bohemian “Old Glory” Oil-Can Guitar

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Bohemian “Old Glory” Oil-Can Guitar

I don’t know why, but for some reason I’ve always been fascinated with guitars made out of big metal cans. The first can guitar probably started out when some mad scientist—or an African street musician—decided to make a guitar out of a gas can.

I spotted this baby on eBay about five years ago, made by Bohemian Guitars, a reliable maker. It had a humbucker in the bridge position and a Strat pickup in the neck. I ended up getting it for $160 including shipping. When I received it, it was unplayable. The action was really high and the neck had a large bow to it. The truss rod allowed me to eliminate the bow, but the action was still a little high, even with the bridge maxed out.

Don’t be a dumbass. Make sure you know how to solve a problem before you sign off on a guitar.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep it, so I emailed the seller with my concerns and offered a solution of a $30 partial refund to compensate me for my time and trouble of working on the guitar. Otherwise, I was happy to send it back. They PayPal’d me the $30 and I was happy.

Bottom Feeder Tip #189: If you receive a guitar that is different from the description, you can either send it back or ask for a partial refund. Sellers usually choose the partial refund to avoid problems with the next buyer.


Photo 2 — This close-up shows this oil-can guitar’s basic controls: a 3-way toggle with volume and tone pots.

I figured I could probably just shim the neck and that would solve the problem, but I was wrong. When I first opened it up, I saw three big bolts that I assumed were holding the neck on, but the neck was actually glued onto a wooden plank and the bolts were for securing the bridge to the guitar’s top from underneath.

Bottom Feeder Tip #201: Don’t be a dumbass. Make sure you know how to solve a problem before you sign off on a guitar.


Photo 3 — Simple machine, simple wiring—and the three large bolts hold the bridge in place. The neck is glued onto the center wood plank.

I ended up solving the action problem by simply removing the two thumb-adjustment screws from the bridge. Just that little bit of height reduction made it easy to play. In fact, after a few weeks the neck settled in and I ended up putting the thumb screws back in to raise the action, and that’s where it sits today. It’s still easy to play, too.

After I solved the playing issue and used the guitar for a few weeks, I started thinking about better pickups. The neck pickup was weak and weenie sounding, and the bridge humbucker was very microphonic and howled when the amp was turned up.


Photo 4 — A set of six screws holds the back plate in place, providing easy access to the electronics cavity, which is large enough to carry a couple sandwiches to the gig.

I searched my boxes of pickups and found an Epiphone humbucker and a G&L S-500 pickup that were perfect. I now have the guitar where I want it. It plays nice and sounds great.

So, is it a keeper? Yeah, I’d say it is. I’ve named it “Old Glory,” because I love the flag motif. It was definitely a journey worth taking. Metal-can guitars are pretty fun to play, and they have their own sound.

Keep ReadingShow less

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Vintage Icon V132

Will Ray’s Bottom Feeder: Vintage Icon V132

I first became aware of the Vintage brand around 2012 at the NAMM show in Anaheim. My Hellecasters bandmate Jerry Donahue was endorsing them at the time, and I stopped by the booth to check out the guitars. I really liked the way they played and sounded, and later I ended up getting one of their T-style and S-style guitars, and since then have been impressed with Vintage instruments.

“I don’t just check asking prices. I also check what the guitars have actually been sold for.”

A few months ago I saw this Vintage V132 from their Icon series on eBay and was curious about how the company’s foray from Fender-style guitars into Gibson territory would fare, so I kept an eye on this one. I did some research and a short time later snagged it for $264 including shipping. It’s a set-neck LP Special-style guitar with two P-90 pickups, a wraparound compensated bridge, a mahogany body and neck, and a classic TV yellow finish, which looked more like butterscotch to me.


Our columnist became a fan of the Vintage brand after checking out the company’s booth at NAMM and purchasing some Fender-inspired models.

Bottom Feeder Tip #466: Research is always important when you buy a guitar. Before I pull the trigger on an instrument, I always do my homework. I look on eBay, Reverb, and other sites to see what that particular guitar is going for. I don’t just check asking prices. I also check what the guitars have actually been sold for. This model was selling for $250 to $499, so I knew going into battle how much I was willing to pay, and how much was too much.

It arrived about a week later, and I was really taken with the color, which I’ll call TV butterscotch. It plays very similar to a Gibson guitar, with a 12" radius fretboard, so Gibson fans will feel quite at home on one of these. I’ve always liked Trev Wilkinson’s pickups, and the two P-90s do not disappoint on this baby. They’re beefy with a nice musical high end that reminds you why P-90s are revered so much in the guitar world.


Much like the historic Gibson models that inspired it, this guitar has a set neck and switch and control backplate covers.

The compensated bridge seems able to keep the intonation pretty close to the accuracy that a Tune-o-matic would provide, but some players may want more precision and opt for a wraparound bridge with six individually adjustable saddles. For me, it’s fine as is. I’ve played this Icon model through a variety of amps, and I’m always able to quickly and easily dial up my sound without any problems. If you’ve played through P-90s before, you’ll know how to adjust your amp for this V132.

So, is it a keeper? Yeah, I’d say it is. I especially like the finish, which gives the guitar a kind of cool, aged look. Plus, this guitar has a nice blues personality.

Keep ReadingShow less

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Bending the Rules with a Gretsch G2655

Will Ray's Bottom Feeder: Bending the Rules with a Gretsch G2655

A while back, I wrote about a fat-bodied Gretsch Streamliner jazz guitar I acquired pretty cheap. That purchase started me on a Gretsch odyssey. One thing I’d never done with a Gretsch was to install a Hipshot bender. Most Gretsch models have either a Bigsby or trapeze-type tailpiece, which would prevent using a bender. But a few models have a kind of V-shaped stop tailpiece, a few inches from the bridge, and that got me thinking. I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but I was committed to at least trying to mount a Hipshot on a Gretsch.

The first step was to find a guitar cheap enough to experiment on. So I scoured eBay and found this red G2655 for $350, including a hardshell case. I’m a gig-bag guy, so I figured I could sell the case for $50 on Craigslist and that would drop my price to only $300, which seemed like a good deal. So I pulled the trigger.


Hipshot units include a Teflon tube that routes the B string through the tailpiece to the B-bender.

I received the guitar a few days later, unpacked it, and was immediately struck by how light it felt. The first thing I did was raise the V-shaped stop tailpiece to create a less severe angle for the strings going over the bridge, so the bender string would not get hung up and go out of tune. Then I took off the rear strap button, slapped the Hipshot on, and threaded the B string through a small Teflon tube going through the stop tailpiece. After playing a few moments, I discovered that the B string would not stay in tune because the bender shifted around too much at the strap button.

The beauty of the Hipshot is that you don’t have to rout out large sections of the body to install it.

Even a minuscule tilt of the Hipshot will cause tuning problems, but luckily the Hipshot comes with two pre-drilled holes that straddle the strap button, just for such an occurrence. So, with the top of the Hipshot pressed as tight against the guitar body as I could hold it, I drilled two small holes into the body using the Hipshot holes as a guide. Then I anchored the Hipshot tightly against the guitar body at the strap-button end using two small flat-head screws. Voilà! I was in business and it only took about 15 minutes.


And here’s the bending mechanism: The piece that extends past the guitar body holds a rod, which you press against your hip when you want to raise the B string. A knurled screw at the front of the unit’s “telegraph-key” lever lets you adjust the fine-tuning.

Now the Hipshot stays perfectly in tune because it no longer moves around. The beauty of the Hipshot is that you don’t have to rout out large sections of the body to install it. Also, if you sell the guitar down the road, you can simply unscrew the Hipshot and take it with you. And most people won’t be bothered by any small holes that the strap hides, anyway.

By the way, I ended up selling the hardshell case on Craigslist for $65, reducing my cost of the guitar to $285. Not bad! Man, this guitar is so much more fun to play with the Hipshot. And, believe me, you won’t find too many Gretsches out there with benders.

Keep ReadingShow less