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This model, which Gretsch advertised as having both acoustic and electric capabilities, was introduced by the manufacturer in 1955 as an option for acoustic players who were hesitant about going down the electric guitar path.

Photo by Madison Thorn

In the early days of electric guitar production, blunders by those in the industry were not uncommon. Here’s the tale of one unsuccessful model and a young employee’s unfortunate experiment.

Here at Fanny’s House of Music, there’s a lot of virtues we hold dear. We try to be kind to everyone, and treat folks the same regardless of their experience level. But if I had to pick a character trait Fanny’s values most highly, it would be a willingness to learn. Possessing a willingness to learn means infinite potential. It means you can be anything you want to be if you try. It also means humility. Saying, “I don’t know the answer, but I’ll try to find out for you,” tells folks you respect them enough to not make stuff up. There’s a lot of power in admitting you don’t know everything.

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John 5 in 2019 with another of his flashy Teles.

Photo by Tyrel Snowden

This Tele looks flashy, but its unique wiring scheme is simple and easy to recreate.

Hello and welcome back to Mod Garage. This month, we will explore the Fender John 5 Ghost Telecaster wiring and how you can adopt it for your own Telecaster. Fender recently released this signature Telecaster in a limited edition of 600 pieces, and they quickly sold out. Before many serious musicians could grab one, collectors with big purses bought them all. So, your only chance to get one now is to look for a used one, or hope that Fender will have mercy and build some more. Or, you can read on to learn what’s inside and how to build your own version of this guitar.

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We’re almost finished with the aging process on our project guitar. Let’s work on the fretboard, nut, and truss rod cover, and prepare the headstock for the last hurrah.

Hello and welcome back to Mod Garage. This month we’ll continue with our relic’ing project, taking a closer look at the front side of the neck and treating the fretboard and the headstock. We’ll work on the front side of the headstock in the next part, but first we must prepare it.

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