2/20/15 7:34 PM

Andy is a "Neckbeard" to funny.

2/20/15 7:51 PM

Original humbuckers, or did it fall prey to Dimarzio SD HBs like all my LPs did in the day? ;)

Sweet BTW.


While we are at it, except I sold it in 1982 or so, me @ 19 with my 1st LP. As to a beard, I had zero whiskers until years after that. ;)

2/20/15 8:19 PM

What you see is entirely hanging on around the chin edges. I was 30 or so before I could grow a proper beard. There was no neck involvement whatsoever!

2/20/15 8:22 PM

Those are the originals. The whole guitar was an Alembic copy, so they tried to make even the potted pickups look Alembic-like.

The preamp I built in was from a column in Guitar Player, and it did awsome things for the sound.

I sold the guitar in '81, preferring to keep my books when I moved to Chicago. If I had known then what I know now, I would've kept the guitar!

2/20/15 8:58 PM

f you calculate in the inflation for what I sold the LP custom for to today, it is probably worth about twice that today. ;)


You may remember these from about the same time period.
I had a MPC Outlaw made by Electra [pic left] which had the rear cavity accessed plug in effects modules. It had a peace sign emblem below the Stop tail piece on the lower bout...


Made in Japan and looked like this googled pic. This must be a different year than the one I had, although same finish. I do not remember the peace emblem on the headstock, but rather a car like metal peace emblem screwed right onto the face of the guitar...


Right pic was my 1st Electric. A Guild Thunderbird with a stand built into the back so it could stand by itself. ;)
Earlier period, more like mid 60s on the Thunderbird. Mine got El kabonged out of existence, or rather into toothpics.

Both today are rare vintage and pretty valuable axes.


<img src="https://reverb-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/a_exif/v1421690823/cno1kxmpsoxwrkbioxzr.jpg" width= 328>

2/20/15 9:35 PM

That Guild looks like something Bo Diddly would play!

Personally, I always wanted to try a Gibson RD (with Moog electronics) or an Ovation Deacon (nothing says Axe like an Axe).

Ah. Youth is wasted on the young, money on the old.

What was the second toggle on the MPC for? And do you know whether that was the same MPC that produced plastic models in the '60s and '70s? There were quite a number of huge conglomerates that did things like that...

2/20/15 9:42 PM

Back in 1977, this bad boy cost $1,700. Case and power supply included.

Alembic Series 1:



BTW, an interesting note. They put the point on the bottom not just for looks, but to force the player to use a stand (instead of leaning the guitar against an amp). I guess having built the neck all the way through the body, Alembic didn't want to have to do a lot of headstock repairs.

2/20/15 9:52 PM

Toggles one each on/off for the 2 module popped in the back. Two pots were vol/tone and the bottom 2 pots blended in the wet module signals IIRC, which I may not. Rotary was the pickup selector including some out of phase choices IIRC.

No idea about MPC & Plastic. The line were Electra made , the model Outlaw MPC. 'Modular Powered Circuit' some Gooling shows is what the MPC stood for. I was going to guess it meant Module something. ;)

"Back in 1977, this bad boy cost $1,700"

In 79 my LP Custom was less than that by a margin. ;)

Last edited by Sparky on 2/20/15 10:24 PM; edited 1 time in total

2/20/15 10:12 PM

Here is a pic of my 84, The Paul. I got it in Nashville cracked by the pots and jack for dirt 2006-7ish. I glued it up and never refinished. A refinish won't make it sound any better. I was just happy the scarf joint at the neck was intact, most of the early Gibsons have suffered headstock breakage. Well an awful lot of them. The reason I sold my 79 in the day was because someone who was not supposed to be playing it broke the headstock. It cost like $300 bucks of 1980 dollars to be repaired and refinished properly. He paid, I sold, got LP #2, and was pissed for a long time about it!.

The 84 'The Paul' has installed in it the original T-Bobbin LP Pickups I pulled out of my 79 Custom in the LP pic I posted above, which I have had for decades.

As I said earlier, Dimarzio SD HBs went in everything back then. So the pulled original Humbuckers are in this Firebrand Mahogany 84 'The Paul' Gibby. It now sits in an original 1984 Historic series case which cost used about 1/2 as much as I paid for the cracked guitar. ;)

It is a lot lighter than the full LPs, which I doubt I would tolerate the weight of being older now.

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/ThePaul84.jpg"width=325>

2/20/15 10:28 PM

While I am rambling, here is one of my early hand builts with 10 years worth of playing. Also a nice light axe, 6 lbs or so IIRC.

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/Green%20Thinline%20with%20wear.jpg" >

2/21/15 4:52 AM

I love transparent finishes over grain.

c. 1978 or so, I was in a music shop and there was a The Paul made entirely (IIRC) out of Walnut. It had a carved top, sort of an oiled finish, no binding, and all of the hardware (IIRC) was black. I remember it as being very nice.

But I have always been drawn to the "unconventional" in electrics. I don't like bindings and inlays much.

Which makes my AS73 an odd thing for me to own, but it was cheap ($125 used) and it plays well. BTW, I found out why it was so cheap--a very noisy jack, which (since I have large hands) is hard to fix through an F-hole! I solved the problem by removing the nut and washer from the jack (which is on the lower side of the instrument), pushing the jack back into the guitar, then using a wood-boring bit to make a larger hole where the jack used to be. I hooked the old jack with a hanger, pulled it through the hole, and replaced it, then mounted that to a bit of aluminum sheet, pushed all the wires back in, and screwed the aluminum panel to the guitar. No change in sound (none was really expected) and the noise is GONE.

Hacking is fun! I had to restrain myself from adding a phase switch or preamp...

2/21/15 4:55 AM

My Marauder looked exactly like this one, ugly white plastic and all:



But the neck pickup was SOOOOO good.

2/21/15 5:00 AM

Ovation Deacon:


Gibson RD (the originals, from '77 or so, had longer scales; the reissues had standard Gibson "short-scale" necks)

2/21/15 8:02 AM

IN response to Andy's #5

Get an app or use a laptop (assuming you are are part of the 21st century). Paper all over my family room was unruly and made a mess.

Plus your eyes will find reading a bright screen to be easier from a distance when compared to type font on paper. You need the info a distance from you because you have the guitar in the way as you read and learn.

I iPad is perfect for this. My laptop is not the best thing. A desktop is a waste and paper is last.

2/21/15 9:04 AM

If it works for you, do it. I like tossing stuff to learn into the case, under my guitar. Technology ruins the finish.

2/21/15 9:46 AM

I'm totally blown away by the great responses! It's going to take a while for me to digest all the information. (I'm a total newbie and now I understand the looks people give me when I start talking bicycles!)

A coworker of mine is in a band, so he is who I'll be taking with me to look at anything. Plus when I spoke with him today he said he has an acoustic guitar just sitting around that I can borrow before buying anything to build callouses! (just like you guys said).

Erik, what app do you recommend? I have laptops, iPad, Android phone, Samsung galaxy tab 4 (actually my daughters) So I can pretty much get anything, besides a Mac, and if it's not too expensive.

Plus I can always print out something!

2/21/15 11:05 AM

"Plus I can always print out something!"

On Paper ?? ;)


@ Andy

How do you like this Tribute 1948 Tele Prototype I cobbled in 2009? I had put a modern neck on it to facilitate playing it.

The more correct snakeheadstock neck is waiting for me to fret it, then the axe will be a pretty good copy of the 1948 Telecaster Prototype, The old case makes for a cool timeline look as well. ;)

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/48-Proto-in-case.jpg" width=480>

2/21/15 1:26 PM

Just the basics--and the foundation of one of the world's most enduring guitars!

Are you working from photos? If so, you should post one for a comparison. But it sure looks lovely!

2/21/15 1:35 PM

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/CS-RI-48%20Proto.jpg" width=384>

By eye, except I have made a body template form a real Tele for all these I have cobbled, I am up to 10 finished and another 15 or so in the works.

I went even more tribal on mine than the original. Only a Volume control, no tone. The jack right next to the Vol Pot and as little running wire as is possible. I call it my SnarlCaster due to the nasty grind it can attain with the 15k crazy hot Broadcaset pickup. [Dimarzio Pre-B1]

I plan to amber clear coat the white when I get the neck done and put on. I will be using jumbo frets, a departure from being too close to the orig spec, but my plan if for it to be a nasty grindy players axe.

Link to Fender's Limited edition Re-issue for $6k.

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/6250/Fender-Custom-60th-Anniversary-Limited-quotSnake-Headquot-Telecaster-Prototype/

2/21/15 2:01 PM

A couple Walnut ones I have ready for final holes and finishing in case you want to see some pretty wood.

The top one is from the same 90 year old wood as the bottom one. Only a few pieces were crotch wood, thus some figure. That is a 5/16" thick drop top I book matched on top of a Clear 1/4 Sawn Cedar Core.

See the difference a little yellow tinted sealer has on the Black Walnut.

<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/Before-After-yellow%20wash.jpg">


And my version of the George Harrison Rosewood Tele. Mine is Black Walnut and White Ash center stripe instead of
the Original being Rosewood with Maple Stripe. I use what wood I got. ;)


<img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/20140627_155352.jpg" width=384><img src="http://coupekiss.host-ed.me/images/tdpri/20140627_155328.jpg" width=384>

Last edited by Sparky on 2/21/15 2:14 PM; edited 1 time in total

2/21/15 2:09 PM

Ultimate Guitar Tab on your iPad. Pay the $.

Same for a web site but the app is better. A bazzilion songs
to get there.

On a Mac pay the 5 bucks for the rookie guitar class in garage band. You can learn chords with ease. Get an USB adapter for your guitar cable. No amp required.

2/21/15 2:39 PM

"Ultimate Guitar Tab"

Is it a browser app too? or web page? Or only app for phone? Andriod and i*.* device et al?

2/21/15 2:59 PM

Web page but much like an app. It is well done.

iOS app also.

2/21/15 4:49 PM

I like yours much better than the Fender version!

You build some nice guitars!

2/21/15 6:12 PM

I hope for it to be good retirement coin, when I get up to 30+ I hope they are good enough for big coin too. ;)

Thanks for the complements...