Guestbook

Playing with my new Telecaster

Date: 28th March 2014
Name: Ake
Number: 259

Hi Guy,

I thought you might be interested to see and hear my new telecaster: New Telecaster

Regards,
Ake.

Guy's Response:

Hi Ake,

Thank you for your message and, as you know, I always appreciate recordings that you send on to me.

I agree your new Tele sounds fantastic and I hope you wont mind me adding this clip to my guestbook.

Best wishes and please keep in contact.
Guy

ZZ Top Drum Kit

Date: 5th March 2014
Name: Judy
Number: 258

(Click on the photo to the right for a larger version.)

Hi Guy,

I’ve just seen for the first time, ZZ Top, and they are an amazing band. Knowing your interest in drums (and guitars too) I thought I’d send you this picture of Frank Beard’s drum kit – what a contrast to the drums kits used in the early days of rock ‘n’ Roll!

And if you haven’t seen ZZ Top, don’t miss them. They are a fantastic band and Frank Beard never missed a beat all evening!! Oh yes, and their guitars were amazing too!!

Love and best wishes from Tampa,
Judy.

Guy's Response:

Hi Judy,

Thank you so much for sending on the picture and, no, I’ve never seen ZZ Top but if they come to the UK I’ll make sure that I will!!

What a fantastic picture and, you are absolutely right Frank’s kit is amazing!! I just hope you don’t mind me adding your message to my Guestbook as, completely by chance, it arrived the day after I’d added the picture of the Al Kline Five!! What a difference 55 years has made in rock drumming!

Great to hear from you from sunny Florida – we could do with some of your weather here in the UK right now!

Best wishes,
Guy.

Al Kline Five and Early Burns Guitar

Date: 3rd March 2014
Name: Guy Mackenzie
Number: 257

(Click on the photo to the right for a larger version.)

Alan Klein sent me this picture of him and his band, the Al Kline Five, about 18 months ago. I then added his email and the picture but only of him with the early Burns guitar which he bought in either late December 1958 or early January 1959. Its identical to mine!

When I was going through my old emails I looked at it again and decided to add it to my Guestbook as it’s a great vintage picture with 2 wonderful Hofners and a Framus Star bass, again, identical to mine. And for any drummer reading this…who needs more than a snare and bass drum to play rock ‘n’ roll?!!

Alan’s original email:

Hullo Guy

A photo has turned up of the Al Kline Five featuring the elusive early Burns guitar. Thought you might like to see it.

Best Regards
Alan Klein

Satellite 65/T

Date: 9th February 2014
Name: Phil
Number: 256

Hi,

The first guitar I ever owned was a Satellite 65/T. I bought it off a guy in the back room of a petrol station when I was 15 for £20. That was 25 years ago and I have progressed to a proper Strat since then, but I suddenly go the itch to fix up that little guitar and make it playable.

Here’s the problem; the IDIOT I bought it off had taken off the bridge and replaced it with a different one – not knowing that the distance between the nut and bridge is set in stone, he just screwed it on anywhere that looked about right. This is the reason why when I would put on new strings and tune the guitar, as soon as I laid a chord on, it didn’t sound right. I fought with the Satellite for about a year before figuring this bridge problem out, and upgrading to a little Encore.

So now I have the urge to restore it, I looked online to see what sort of bridge it should have, and that’s when I came across the photo of your Satellite 65/T. Damn. That doesn’t look like a bridge that’s going to be easy or cheap to find. Do you even know what that bridge system is called so I can look online for one, or failing that, do you know where I can get one?

I know these are little cheap guitars and I’m really only doing this for a project (and nostalgia), so I’m not going to spend a fortune on it, but any help you can give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Phil

Guy's Response:

Hi Phil,

Thanks for your message and an interesting story!

Actually you should be able to get a suitable bridge quite easily and cheaply. There are lots of guitar parts on ebay and this would be a good place to look. Alternatively you could try asking Alan at Project Guitar Parts (see my Links page) as he always has a host of spares and if he can’t help I’m sure he would point you in the right direction.

All the best,
Guy.

Fenton Weill

Date: 5th February 2014
Name: Mark
Number: 255

Hi Guy,

Was hoping you might be able to help me out.

I am going to spray the Fenton Weill I asked you about last year. The guitar is missing its headstock badge as the one pictured.

I am going to try and get one made up but can’t really tell from the picture if the writing is engraved in or just printed on, also if it is plastic? And is the black edging part of the decal?

I have seen that you have this decal on your Fenton Weill so hope you don’t mind me asking. I have the size as there is a visible outline left on my guitar.

Thank you
All the best
Mark

Guy's Response:

Hi Mark,

Good to hear from you again!

The headstock decal is made of plastic and the lettering is engraved. The correct colour is an off white – if you can get it! And the black border is not part of the decal.

In the meantime, I’d appreciate adding your email to my guestbook as it may well be of interest to others.

All the best,
Guy.

Shergold BM (Barnes & Mullins) SG2 (1968)

Date: 2nd February 2014
Name: Peter
Number: 254

Hi Guy,

I was wondering if you have any idea about the value of this SG2 I’ve had since I was 16yrs old – I’m now 60!

I’ve read on your site that’s its very rare with perhaps only one or two others like it (Barnes & Mullins SG2)?

Some images attached for you (to the right).

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Peter

Guy's Response:

Hi Peter,

Thank you for sending on details of your B&M guitar. I can tell you that it is only the second one we’ve ever seen! Of course we now wonder if, in fact, a batch of them were made – possibly half a dozen or so?

Yours, interestingly, has a slightly different headstock logo to mine and it is more in keeping with Barnes & Mullins products of the time which leads us to believe that mine is the prototype and yours may be a production model and, apart from anything else, the tuners on yours have been installed the correct way round…unlike mine!!

It’s all very interesting and hopefully someone reading this may be able to provide more information on this very unusual guitar. As to value… it’s hard to know but it must be worth at least £350 and maybe a lot more to a Shergold collector.

Best wishes,
Guy.

Burns (Baldwin) Vibraslim

Date: 2nd February 2014
Name: Paul
Number: 253

Hi Guy,

I’ve owned a Burns (Baldwin) Vibraslim from May 65 serial 18047 for 30 years. This was made by Burns before Baldwin acquired his company. It’s time to consider giving someone else the chance to own this vintage original.

Regards
Paul

Guy's Response:

Hi Paul,

It’s a really great looking instrument and I’d be glad to add your message to my Guestbook. If anyone contacts me regarding it, I’ll be delighted to pass on their details to you.

Best wishes,
Guy.

Hofner 172

Date: 25th January 2014
Name: Ernest
Number: 252

Hello Guy

The guitar that you show in your gallery as a Hofner 172, is in fact a Hofner Super Solid 2. It looks like one of the pickups is not original. My guess is that you have a 1963 model (as it does not have the later added micromatic bridge), and the bridge pickup comes from a later (1964) model. I had this same model myself in the mid-60s, and more recently acquired the exact same model (for posterity!).

I hope you don’t mind me being pedantic!

Best wishes
Ernest

Guy's Response:

Hello Ernest,

Thank you for your email. I don’t pretend to be an expert on Hofner guitars – so accept that you may very well be correct. I must admit that I always wondered about one of the pick-ups myself but it does look original and I was assured that that was the case. However I did “hedge my bets” on my description and wrote “nearly original” just in case!

I’d like to add your email to my guestbook as I’d be interested to have more comments on this.

All the best,
Guy.

Ernest’s follow up:

Hello Guy

I too, am not an expert on Hofner guitars, but I know this particular model inside out! I attach a photo of my own Hofner Super Solid 2. It is in near-immaculate condition as I got it refurbished by Martin Sims of Ashford a couple of years ago.

The second attachment shows a picture of the Super Solid 3 in the (I think) 1963 catalogue – the Super Solid 2 cost 48 guineas new! Notice the pickups – the same as your neck pickup – your bridge pickup was introduced in 1964.

The third attachment shows the Super Solid 2 in the following years’ (1964) catalogue. This shows the newer pickups, the newer tremelo arm, and the micromatic bridge. The price is now 50 guineas (including case).

Bearing in mind that your guitar has the old tremelo arm and bridge, this leads me to conclude that you have the 1963 model, and that the bridge pickup was replaced at a subsequent date.

Please do add me to your guestbook
Best wishes
Ernest

Framus Billy Lorento Guitar

Date: 10th October 2013
Name: Geoff
Number: 251

Hi Guy

Greg from Rock Star Guitars gave me your email said you might be interested in my old 53-55 Framus Billy Lorento guitar just thought I would make a connection to check this email is correct.

Cheers
Geoff

Guy's Response:

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for your message. Yes I am interested in your Framus Billy Lorento and look forward to hearing from you again.

Regards,
Guy.

Geoff’s follow up:

Hi Guy,

Re; Framus guitar.

I thought you’d be interesting in seeing a picture of my Framus Billy Lorento guitar.

It dates from 53-55 it is in need of a few things doing to it but it is a collectors guitar and about 60 years old.

I spoke to someone in the Framus German Museum he said this one was a special because of the unusual Mother of Pearl inlay on the fretboard and according to him the Billy Lorento are the first signature guitars ever made.

Cheers
Geoff

Hondo H935 Eagle Copy

Date: 3rd October 2013
Name:
Number: 250

Hi,

I was wondering since I only seen I of these guitars if it was a collectors item? Here is a picture of it.

Guy's Response:

Thanks for your message.

It’s an interesting guitar and certainly collectable but not hugely valuable. Guy.