Guestbook
Thanks for visiting The Guitar Collection!
If you would like to leave a comment for the Guestbook contact me: guy@theguitarcollection.org.uk
Stephanie De-Sykes
Hello Guy,
I wonder if you’d be kind enough to like my new Facebook music page? I hope you’ll find it more interesting in the music department as time goes on!
With very best wishes,
Stephanie X
Guy's Response:
Hello Stephanie,
Thank you for your message. I’ve always liked your music as you know and I’d be delighted to like your page! I’ll also add a link, on my website, to the new CD, which you’ve been involved in, “Not in Our Name” which I know means a lot to you and I support too: www.peaceinourname.com.
Best wishes,
Guy.
Stephanie’s response:
Thank you for your kind words, Guy, and for adding a link to NION….you’ve no idea how much that means to me. The continuing project goes on…just wanted to let you know.
Thank you again-very, very much,
Stephanie X
Solid 7 by Rosetti Guitar
Hi Guy
I don’t suppose you’d have any information on this guitar I’ve come across?
It says on the body SOLID 7 by Rosetti and under that it just says “foreign”. No other markings at all.
I think it is from around 1959??
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Dave
Guy's Response:
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your message. This is an easy one for me to ID as its actually an Egmund Solid 7 built in Holland in about 1963. Rosetti is the brand name mainly used in the UK – see the Egmund on my website which is almost identical to yours. The interesting fact about this particular guitar is that the earlier model with 3 a side headstock was identical to Paul McCartney’s first electric which he played upside down as he was left handed!
All the best,
Guy.
The Burns Double Neck
Hiya Guy
My name is Matthew, and I’m the owner of the Burns prototype, from the 60s that you’ve seen on Facebook, it’s very nice that you have shown some interest in my guitar!
As you can see it is a very unique one, I know of only one other that I have found, and it is in very poor state of condition in comparison to mine.
The way I came about to aquiring it was, a gentleman was selling it after his father had passed away, and the guitar and case was found in his father’s house after his passing.
I have attached some photographs for you to look at, I would love to hear what you think of it.
Best Regards,
Matthew
Guy's Response:
Guy asked Paul Day for a second opinion:
Hi Paul, I’d be interested to know your comments on this… which I came across on Facebook on a little used profile.
All the best Guy.
Paul Day’s reply:
Hi Guy
This particular one-off example has unfortunately crossed my path on numerous occasions during the past 30 or so years. I’ve known several of its owners, most of whom believed they were in possession of a real Burns rarebird, while one or two others were, in my opinion, dealers more than willing to support such a belief and elevate the selling price accordingly! As I’ve always told anybody and everybody who has come into contact with this instrument this is NOT what it appears to be, i.e. a prototype double-neck made by Burns, as in this respect it is an out and out, 100% fake, although I don’t believe it was originally built with any such deception intended.
The instrument incorporates some serious concept flaws that any builder with basic knowledge would have avoided, while design and construction has little in common with that employed by Burns at any time. Some of the components are obviously genuine Burns or Baldwin parts, but these were readily available after Baldwin ceased all production in 1970.
Please do feel free to pass my comments, if you wish, but I’d also be happy to speak in more detail to the present owner – if he’d like to contact me.
All the best,
Paul
Mo Foster’s Book Launch Party
Hi Guy
I’m gathering pictures from my book launch party to put on my website (which is being rebuilt) I noticed you have one of Frank and Paul – could I use it? Perhaps you could let me know what other pics you have?
Ta
Mo
Guy's Response:
Hi Mo,
Thanks for your message – good to hear from you.
You are welcome to use anyphotos on my website. If you have space I always appreciate a reference to either me or my website but no problem if you haven’t.
I think there are about 8 photos from your book launch party (which was a really great evening, thank you again!) on my website but I’ll check my photos and see what else I have but I may have to put them on disc as my email attachments are not working very satisfactorily just now.
All the best,
Guy.
P.S. I’m now also the proud owner of a Dallas Tuxedo Bass! There are some good pictures of it in Paul Day’s Guitar & Bass magazine article – see the media page.
Mo replies:
Hi Guy
I finally decided – after 54 years! – to make my Dallas Tuxedo playable. Martin Petersen at the Gallery is doing fine work. He has also just restored my Alembic which came back to me after 30 years (the whole story will be in Bass Guitar Magazine).
I’ve attached a photo for you from my book launch party. And if there’s any way you can send me the photos you took then of my with my Tuxedo Bass and the one of Frank Allen and Paul Jones, I’d appreciate it as I’d like to add them to my new website.
Cheers
Mo
Guyatone/Vox guitar
Hi Guy,
It’s been a while but I hope you’ve been keeping well?
I wondered if you could help with a bit of guitar detective work!? I have received an email from Nate DeMont, who’s just purchased a Guyatone-built guitar, labelled Vox. It looks a bit like an LG-50 but with some discrepancies.
As you know, the Guyatone LG-50 and Antoria LG-50 were both built in Japan, the latter re-branded Antoria for the UK market.
My understanding is that the Vox Shadow (their LG-50 copy) was certainly constructed at Stuart Darkins & Co. in Shoeburyness, around 1962 before outsourcing to the G-Plan factory in Hemel Hempstead in 1963, giving way to the revised Shadow body shaping.
However, Nate’s Vox looks different to the LG-50 in some respects. It was purchased on eBay in the States as a 1958 Guyatone built Vox.
Do you have any information on this particular guitar? I will certainly pass it on, if you have. Is this possibly a Guyatone-built early Vox ‘Shadow; (their LG-50 copy) built at the Guyatone factory prior to the Darkins-built guitar? It’s different from the 1962 Darkins Vox Shadow illustrated here: www.voxshowroom.com/us/guitar/lg50.html
I’ve attached photos of Nate’s guitar.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Steve
Guy's Response:
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your email – good to hear from you. Actually the LG-50 was sold in the UK branded as a Vox and also Guyatone and Star as well as Antoria. The guitar pictured is the single pick-up version of the LG50 and would date from about 1958-61 I would guess (then the headstock changed). Annoyingly I can’t immediatly turn up the Guyatone number but as a Star it was the EG1590. And of course they were all built in Japan.
This was Vox’s first entry in the solid elecric guitars but quickly followed by the early Shadow and Stroller which were very basic with “Guyatone shaped” bodies – see the example in my guitar collection website.
All the best,
Guy.
Steve replies:
Hi Guy,
I’ve passed the info onto Nate, who’s delighted with the ID and some of the history associated with the guitar. It’s a nice addition to his already large (and reputedly the world’s largest) collection of vintage Guyatones! I’ve attached a photo which gives an idea.
All the best
Steve
Burns Guitars
Dear Guy,
Thank you for your interest in my home made guitar and thank you for the offer. I will certainly bare you in mind if I decide to sell it.
However, this currently not under consideration as I want to renovate it and maximise its playing potential, given that I was 15 when I made it in 1961 and did not really know what I was doing.
It was my first electric guitar and made while I was at boarding school in Hampshire and coupled to my school band (The Problems), it was the thing that kept me sane, though obtaining some of the guitar parts involved surreptitious trips to London involving great cunning and deception…etc etc.
Needless to say I always enjoy visiting your guitar collection. It is a great site.
Kind regards
Harry
PS: while I am writing this, you might have some thoughts on who might have squirreled away some 1961 to 1963 Burns Bison Ultra Sonic pickups. I am looking for four…(actually I have two projects on the go and so I need 7 but 4 would be a start!!!). I live in hope that some may turn up because I have on 5 or 6 occasions seen 4 & 3 pickup Bisons with non original pickups…If you could keep your eyes open for me on your travels it would be appreciated.
Guy's Response:
Hi Harry,
Thanks for your message. I really didn’t think you’d want to part with it but, just in case you did, I thought I’d just put myself forward as a potential buyer! I liked the look of it because it seems to sort of fit in with the Supersound look and the BW Superstreamline instruments. Also I think you did very well making such an interesting looking guitar at a time when UK built electrics were very much in their infancy! Would you mind if I add your picture to my Guestbook?
I remember that I tried to build a canoe at school but I could never get the wood to bend from one end to the other (can’t remember why!) so it was abandoned! My parents were not happy as I recall!
If I come across any of the pick-ups that you are looking for I’ll let you know. But I don’t hold up much hope of being able to help.
All the best,
Guy.
Harry replies:
Dear Guy,
I am flattered that my 1961 guitar effort warrants global exposure on your amazing site and am happy to accept having the picture added to the Guestbook.
Certainly the headstock shape and scale was copied from a Hofner Club and the body shape was a composite effort with some input from a school chum, which I recall was suggested after he had seen a particular guitar. What that was is open to conjecture.
The physics of the Mk1 vibrato were a failure…the arm bent but did not shift the tone, either up or down, so I abandoned it and never attempted a Mk2. However, the jack socket was a great success and involved the use of a recessed sliding door handle made from brass…an obvious reference to Hank’s Strat…!
Not only did it get played in public at various school functions and end of term dances (with girls!), it did honour me with the school handicrafts prize for the second year running. Other than being awarded with my rugby colours (which required me to parade a highly coveted tie and cap complete with tassel), that is the sum total of my school honours other than a handful of O & A levels. (Note by Guy Mackenzie – I never managed to get any “A” levels!!)
It is in need of a bit of TLC, sorting out my rough / first attempt at fret work, intonation (what was that in 1961?) and the wiring messed up when my younger brother got his hands on it. I am quite interested to know what it sounds like. Sadly I have lost all the recordings we made.
Curiously, the unreinforced neck remains straight despite 54 years of tension!
I accept that finding spare Ultra Sonics is unlikely as they are somewhat rare but I live in hope.
Kind regards
Harry
Burns Guitars
Hi Guy
Just to let you know have now returned back from Cornwall. I would thank you so much for the chance to see your collection and discuss them with you. It sure is impressive. My older guitars are mainly Burns from the 60s as I told you but I have been interested in both Weill and Supersound guitars and their relationships with Burns.
I look forward to coming down in November and hopefully spending some more time with you. I tried the Steer I bought tonight and really like it. I also picked up a 12 string revelation to compare to my Double Six.
Cheers for now
Bill
Roger 1963 Guitar
Hi Guy,
I trust you received my previous email with the Burns Double Six pics attached, but I forgot to include that Roger 1963 guitar I mentioned, so here it is, second time lucky. I’m sure we’ll be speaking again very soon.
All the best,
Paul
Guy's Response:
Hi Paul,
Thanks for sending on the picture of the Roger guitar with Burns Weill Superstreamline body supplied by Henry Weill. Here’s hoping one will surface…I’d certainly like to add one to my collection!
All the best,
Guy.
Burns Double Six Prototype
Hi Guy,
I’ve attached some shots of HBM’s Burns Double Six prototype, just to give you an idea of how this deviates from known Burns design of the time.
Creating an accurate copy will be quite challenging, but ultimately rewarding for Colin and myself, as it’s already opened up new avenues of research for me.
All the best,
Paul Day.
Guy's Response:
Hi Paul,
Thanks for sending me the pics of the Burns 12 string prototype…now I’m looking forward to seeing photos of the (or the actual) completed copy – which you are building for Colin Pryce Jones, legendary guitarist of The Rapiers. I’ll also hope to see him playing it one day.
In my opinion, The Rapiers are one of the very best bands around…their Shadows tribute is amazing and not forgetting that they do a fantastic Johnny Kidd show too!
All the best,
Guy.
Found Rellog Guitar in your guitar collection
Hello,
I remember a few months ago, there was a “Rellog Guitar” on ebay UK. I missed my chance to make an offer – now I found a new picture of the same guitar – so you bought it.
I am a luthier/guitarbuilder/guitar maker and a “guitar collector” of german guitars. This musima is an “only export” model, no chance to get one in Germany. Because of the missing “Musima Label” is it nearly impossible to find one on “ebay UK” – because nobody knows how to tag those guitars right.
I have not really much money I can offer you, but I have some guitars you might be interested in to change?
Please think about it and let me know:- Are you searching for special guitars – labels?
If you don’t want to change it – ok.
Thanks for reading this terrible German English
Greetings from Germany Jan Steinbrecher (www.steinbrecherguitars.com)
Guy's Response:
Hello Jan,
Thank you for your message. I’d been looking for a Musima Rellog for several years and I was delighted to be able to buy this one so I really don’t want to sell it. In fact I now have a second one but I don’t want to sell this either! However I would be interested to know what collectable guitars you own.
All the best,
Guy.
More information from Jan:
You have a second one! Red or black or new colour I not know yet?
My collection is small and based on East German Archtop Master Guitars, but some electric and semiacoustic guitars too, all East German. The Musima Electrina and the one/two you own are very nice conceptions – a want these to understand forms and feelings better to build perfect electric guitars. And who don’t want to own such nice historic guitars?
Here are some of my official propositions.
This one is a really crazy contruction, like a candy!!
One of my guitars you might be interested in is a rare Pearl Les Paul Recording, with open book headstock, bordaux.
Thanks for reading this terrible german english
Greetings from Germany Jan Steinbrecher (www.steinbrecherguitars.com)
Guy’s response:
Hi Jan,
Thank you for your email. You have some interesting guitars and if you weren’t so far away I’d like to see them. Especially the Migma Musima Jazz guitar – which is a very unusual shape.
Re. my 2nd Rellog. It is black but is missing the scratchplate but it has the original tailpiece but I don’t really want to sell it. In fact none of my guitars are for sale as I’m simply a collector.
Don’t apologise for your English it is far better them my German!!
Best wishes,
Guy.