Tag Archives: Telecaster

Hahn Guitars / Model 910 / Demo / NAMM Show / Vintage & RareTv

Once again we went to NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA in January.

One of the cool things about NAMM Show, besides meeting lots of our partners and friends, is the chance you get to discover lots of new great gear. Hahn Guitars was one of the highlights. Especially the 910 model that the builder, Chihoe, makes became one of our favourite hand built guitars on the show this year.

Hahn Guitars can be ordered directly on Vintage & Rare here

Here is a demo of the 910 model.

Interview with Chihoe Hahn

1) Chihoe, Tell us about your background

 – Well I’ve been building guitars for over 16 years and professionally for about 10. Before that I was involved with several start ups, before that I was a lawyer, and throughout I’ve been a musician.

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John 5 and his telecaster obsession

John Lowery, more commonly known as John 5, famous for his work as guitarist for Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth Band and Rob Zombie is not only a blessed guitar player, but also an avid guitar collector, with an obsession for Fender guitars, and especially Telecasters.

Already falling in love with guitars at the tender age of 7, John 5’s career began in earnest when he was 17 years, when he became member of the band Alligator Soup, and not long after that he joined the group Sun King, recruited by Rudy Sarzo of Whitesnake fame. A few years later on John 5 began his real breakthrough when he became the next guitarist to join the David Lee Roth Band. Like most other guitarists that have been part of David Lee Roth Band, John 5 experiences great publicity and fame, earning a reputation as a true guitar virtuoso. During the same period of time John 5 also played with Marilyn Manson. During the mid 2000s John 5 left Marilyn Manson on good terms and put a temporary hold on his collaborations with David Lee Roth, and began a more focused work on his solo career as well as forming the group Loser all the while he also joined as guitarist for Rob Zombie. Though Loser quickly disbanded John 5 have had quite some success with his solo career and even more as part of Rob Zombies line-up. Known for his mixture of country picking and wild guitar shredding, his solo albums features a variety of styles, yet all show his talent in equal measure.

When it comes to guitars John 5 have been collecting them for many years, beginning as early as in his teens, and made his first real venture into collecting guitars when he sold his large collection of KISS posters in order to fund his guitar shopping-needs. Having always been a fan of the Fender Telecasters, his collection soon became a reflection of this fascination, and most of his collection is now composed by various Fender models. Though for most people the collection might seem abnormally large while at the same time quite narrow, it seems it is John 5’s dream to have a copy of every Fender model ever released. Though it might be an almost be a bit too much it appears that John 5 is well on the way to reach that goal. Though he for a period of time he played Ibanez models instead when turing with Marilyn Manson, the Fender guitars have always been his favourite and as shown in the video above most of the time his touring rig consists almost exclusively of Fenders. While for some it seems strange when musicians play their own signature guitars, for a fan as John 5 it makes a lot of sense that the most used guitars on his tour are all signature models from is own series, even the custom made double-neck guitar is a version of his signature series guitars. Sadly though last year John 5 was burglarized and lost 5 very precious guitars from his collection, and as far as we can tell the perpetrators and the guitars have yet to be found. We here at Vintage & Rare hope that this will not stop John 5’s collection adventure, and we are happy that it didn’t put a stop to the production of his newest album Careful With That Axe, which was released last month.

For more John 5 information go to his website here.
For more from Guitar World or Premier guitar, visit their youtube sites here and here.

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GuitarPoint Interview with Detlef Alder from GuitarPoint

Detlef Alder talks about the challenges of being a vintage guitar dealer, the oddest vintage guitars he`s had in his shop, his favorite guitars and his advice for players looking to purchase a vintage guitar.

Hi Detlef, thank you for taking your time to speak to us. Could you please tell as a little bit about GuitarPoint? Where are you located?
We are located in the little town called Maintal near Frankfurt. I opened GuitarPoint about 10 years ago, GuitarPoint has quickly become a good address for guitar players, enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world. From the beginning we specialized in Highend-, Customshop and Vintage Guitars, from this year on we strictly deal with Vintage Guitars only!

What initially motivated you to set up a vintage music shop, and when was that?
We´ve always been dealing with vintage guitars, even though the High End & Custom Shop gear was our main business. My plan was to concentrate on the Vintage Business only, the last years before my retirement. As I decided this year not to sign any contracts with major brands anymore, it was close and the decision was easy for me to reopen GuitarPoint as a “Vintage-Only” store. We´ve already had the gear and we already had the knowledge.

What do you consider the biggest challenge for dealers of vintage music instruments today?
It is very hard to keep your Shop inventory always on a high level with instruments of excellent and mint quality. It was much easier in the past to call the distributer and order another dozen of Custom Shop instruments when you´ve sold them.
It’s also a challenge to make customers feel comfortable to buy vintage instruments.  A lot of customers would like to buy a vintage instruments, but are afraid of fakes, as they don´t have the knowledge to proof the authentic.

Do you play music yourself? If so, what do you play, for how long have you been doing it?
I´ve been playing music all of my life, I started playing clarinet in a marching band at the age of 6. Later I learned keyboard and finally I got stuck playing the guitar.

How do you choose what vintage guitars to carry?
I personally choose the vintage instruments for my store. There is a certain demand from our customers, which I have to serve, mostly for the classic Vintage Instruments such as Strats, Teles, Les Paul etc. But I’m always interested to stock some not so famous, but rare instruments nobody else carries. Sometimes if a not so desired vintage instrument is extremely clean (mint) and comes with an interesting story and complete documentation makes me buy it.

What is the oddest vintage guitar you’ve ever sold?
A ´70s Blond Rickenbacker doubleneck ? Maybe a ´60s Hofner Violinbass-doubleneck? We´ve sold a lot of odd stuff already …

Do you have any personal favorite vintage guitars in your shop? If so, why is said guitar your favorite?
Actually I´m a Les Paul guy, but the guitar for the lonely island would definitely be a Telecaster. There is a ´59 mint 6120 I could go crazy for at the moment, and that gold ´52 ES-295 I just bought as well …

Given that this is for a blog, what role has technology (the internet, your website, etc.) played in the success of your business?
Especially nowadays it is very important to show your gear to an audience worldwide. Many people don´t mind driving far to check a nice variety of Instruments, but they need to know it´s worth it. The WWW helps bringing your showcase out to the world.

Is there a general trend to the people who purchase from you, in terms of how skilled or experienced they are?
No, not really. There is the collector, there is the skilled player, there is the “normal” family guy who just fulfills a dream he couldn´t afford when he started playing. There is also the investor as well, most of them play pretty damn good by the way!

What advice would you give to somebody looking to purchase a vintage guitar?
It’s important to buy from a well-known source. Checkout the people who are selling the guitars, if you´re not experienced in vintage guitars, definitely have some expert help you checking the instrument of desire for authentic. Our company sells all instruments with a COA and a checklist of all parts. Furthermore we include a DVD with up to 50 detailed pictures of the instrument.

Famous Vinyls Covers: Guestblog by Vinylstall.com

Vinyl records have been popular during most of the 20th century. These recordings are played using a record player called phonograph. Vinyl recordings are once a favorite in the entertainment media. Over the years, the music industry has innovated and produced modern technology from cassette tapes to CDs and digital music players. Old types of music recorded on vinyl are now being revived with the integration of musical instruments. Audiophiles are into vinyl record collection because they love this vintage music format. Even the new generation musicians and music lovers are becoming interested in this old time disc recording.

Vinyl record enthusiasts have never ceased using and collecting this form of music medium. In fact, some artists and small label companies release their music using vinyl. DJs also play and spin these records in the clubs and bars because of the good sound quality. Vinyl has survived the innovation of technology and has influenced the music industry over the years. During the middle to the late years of the 20th century, there are a lot of famous vinyl covers that have been produced and distributed in the market. How can we forget the famous cover of the Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers? Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the legendary Beatles has been considered the best cover of all times. For decades, label companies have also integrated famous instruments on their vinyl record covers.

During the vinyl record era, covers are very significant to express the theme of the artist’s songs. Some use their personal profiles and pictures or musical instruments like guitars, piano and saxophones.

Instruments featured in Vinyl Record Covers:

a. One of the most acclaimed albums during the 50’s is the Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins. The award winning album was recorded and released in 1956 by Prestige Records and was considered the best albums issued by this recording company. The cover shows a man playing his saxophone in a blue background. It is a jazz album containing five tracks, three of which are Johnny Rollins’ compositions.

b. Another remarkable vinyl record cover is the album “Eric Clapton Slow hand” by Eric Clapton. This album includes lyrics of all songs and some art clips and photos. The front cover photo shows neck, turning keys and head of a guitar. A body of the guitar being strummed by a man is illustrated in the back cover. The album was produced in 1977 by Glyn Johns.

c. Jerry Lee Lewis also known as “The Killer” pioneered rock and roll music through a distinctive style in piano playing. His album “Who’s gonna play this old piano” released in 1972  contains eleven tracks including the hit songs “She’s Reachin For My Mind” and “Who’s gonna play this old piano”. The vinyl record cover shows an old grand piano with some lyric sheets on top of it.

Vinyl record covers were of great help to market and sell albums. The concept depends on the genre and the performer’s type of music. Most of the covers show profiles and pictures of the singer or bands. Covers for vinyl records also show musical instruments used by performers. Albums with famous musical instruments like guitars, pianos and saxophones are incorporated in the back or front cover of the musician’s album.

Vinyl is one of the greatest medium in the music industry. There is a need for us to protect and promote vinyl records to preserve the music of the past generation. You can find rare vinyl records for sale online, with the free vinyl search on http://www.vinylstall.com/

Video blog: Fender 1949/1951 Telecaster Broadcaster Nocaster Prototype Vintage Guitar

Here we have Dan from Chelsea Guitars in his shop in New York. He is talking about a Fender 1949/1951 Telecaster Broadcaster Nocaster Vintage Guitar.

Sam Hutton was the guy who worked for Fender building amplifiers for 35 years. He had a guitar that he would test the amps out with. George Fullerton one day came and said to Sam that the guitar was really valuable and he shouldn’t leave it hanging on a nail with a string; he should put it in the will for his son. So time goes by, Sam passes away and his son has this guitar. This was in 1998.

It is hard to believe now that very few people knew about really early Esquires or Fenders. The first ones where made of pine. Also they don’t have a trussrod so they are really interesting. Dan thinks that there where maybe five guys in the USA that knew something about these guitars. This guitar is really unusual 0009, it is probably the six one made. This one is really unique, it doesn’t look like much. When Dan got it he was thinking about repainting it. The color is 1950’s Studabaker Red.

They figured out that Leo Fender used this one as a test-ban. First five guitars basically are Esquires, either red or black, pine body, no trussrod. Gibson was coming out with the gold top with two pickups. So Leo decided to do something. That is why Leo made this pickup which is very handmade looking. This is one of the first guitars that has two pickups.

For the rest of the story, watch the video below. Enjoy!

Chelsea Guitars, USA

If you love old, classic guitars you owe it to yourself to check this place out. The place is tiny; basically what you see in the display window is most of what they got. Go inside and it’s like dropping in to a friend’s apartment, albeit a tiny apt. But it’s cool; Dan and whoever else is there are just hanging out. If you need help, they’re glad to do it but if you just want to hang, they’ll give you space.

Would you like to add something more? Please leave a comment…

Fender Stratocaster 1963 Jimi Hendrix owned

This Fender Stratocaster serial L14985 was manufactured in 1963. It  was owned  and used by Jimi Hendrix, and comes with a notarized letter from his brother, Leon Hendrix, which indicates, that Jimi had this guitar at his home in Benedict Canyon, L.A, in 1968, and that he used it in Juggy Sound studios in New York.

Check this incredible guitar out here

The package also includes an additional letter from Leon with more info: that the guitar was subsequently given to the studio owner and was used as an in-house instrument until the owner’s passing. Furthermore it also comes with photos of Leon holding and playing this guitar. This is a real “insider” guitar with an unique provenance, signed and notarized, from Jimi’s own brother, Leon Hendrix.

It’s the real deal!

George Gruhn on vintage and rare guitars

George talks about vintage, rare and modern electrics & steel string flattops guitars.
He shares his thoughts and perspectives about the differences between playing vintage guitars and new ones.
George also talks about some the most collectible guitars and what to look for. Examples from the 1940´s to present.
Good words and interesting views.

Make sure you stop by Gruhn.com. Here you can find a large selection of fine guitars for sale and useful information. Find more about Gruhn on Facebook or on Twitter.
The video is done by our friends over at GearWire.com. Check them out! They produce a lot of great material.

Happy new year, all the best.
Nicolai & V&R Team