Gretsch Corvette

Exhibit I:  1967 Gretsch Corvette

Just the Facts

The Gretsch Corvette was Gretsch’s entry level solid body. Gretsch was primarily known for large hollow body guitars, but periodically made a few solid bodies with various results. The Duo- Jet, which looks kind of like a Les Paul was pretty successful and was played by George Harrison, but most successful Gretsches were hollow bodies.

The Corvette was introduced in 1961 and finally discontinued in 1978.  Quite a few were made, but it is rare to see them in original condition, because a lot of guitar players bought them cheap and then modified them with different pickups, different tuners and so on.

The particular guitar is a 1967 Corvette.  It has Hi-Lo Tron single coil pick ups and a Bigsby Vibrato.  Originally it had a build in treble booster, but that had already been removed when I got the guitar.

It sounds pretty good, and is very light.  I don’t really like the shape of the neck at the low frets. It feels too clubby in my hand. 
   
Where and When

 I got this guitar at Trade Up Music  in Portland in 2002.
   
Why it’s Cool

The coolest thing about this guitar is the way it looks and the fact that it is a vintage Gretsch.


On the Other Hand

It is really not that comfortable to play and the sound, while adequate, is short of spectacular.

Gibson ES 345

Exhibit H:  1966 Gibson ES 345

Just the Facts

The Gibson ES 345 was manufactured between 1958 and 1981, when it was discontinued. Based on the famous
ES 335, the 345 was designed to be slightly more upscale and had a couple of “improvements“.  One was stereo wiring, and the other was the inclusion of the Varitone.  The Varitone was a circuit which offered a six position selector and changed the tone making it increasingly thin and more Fender like.  However most guitarists didn’t think any of the settings actually improved the tone, and almost everybody leaves the Varitone on the first setting.  Stereo, also, is something that never really caught on in guitars, and most 345 players have the guitar re-wired in mono.

Like the 335, the ES 345 is semi hollow with a solid center block and two real “F” holes.  In the early sixties the stop tail piece was replaced with a trapeze tail piece which changed the tone slightly.  Most players prefer the stop tail piece for sustain, but the trapeze tail piece seems to make the tone a little more open and alive.  Which is better is really in the ear of the player.

Where and When

I got this guitar at Sagebrush Music in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1983.

Why it’s Cool

This is a great sounding guitar, and it was my main guitar for a lot of years.  Throughout much of the fifties and sixties, semi- hollow body guitars were the instruments of choice for many guitar players.  If you watch old you tube videos, especially of the British Invasion bands you’ll see a lot of these guitars.  Then in the late sixties and early seventies, Les Paul type solid bodies became the most popular guitars.  In the late seventies and early eighties, the Stratocaster suddenly exploded in popularity.  Guitar Player did a cover story on “Strat Mania” and the Strat has tended to be the most widely played electric guitar ever since.

On the Other Hand

In the late eighties or early nineties, I switched to Fender style guitars, mostly Tele’s .  It just seemed to be easier to get the tone I wanted.  However, this Gibson ES 345 is a great guitar, and I still play it quite a bit.

Fender Jaguar

Exhibit G: 1963 Fender Jaguar

Just the Facts

In the early ‘60’s the Jaguar was Fender’s top of the line instrument.  It was introduced in 1962 and was similar to the Jazzmaster in shape and appointments.  However it had a shorter 24” scale, and two newly designed single coil pickups.  It also had a sophisticated two channel tone system with four switches and two sets of pots, a floating tremolo system and a spring loaded mute.

While Fender Jaguars did not have the lasting impact of Strats and Teles, they were quite popular for a while especially with country guitar players and surf bands like the Astronauts and the Surfaris.  Both Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Buddy Merrill of the Lawrence Welk orchestra sometimes played a Jaguar, as did session legend Billy Strange.  More recently Jaguars have been played by  punk, grunge, and alt performers including Johnny Marr and  Kurt Cobain. Fender used Cobain’s highly modified Jaguar as inspiration for the popular Jagstang model.

Where and When

I got this guitar in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1983.  It is in really good shape and came with a period correct case. 

Why it’s Cool

It has a kind of a thin, percussive sound that is great for retro music, especially surf and rock-a-billy. I used to play it quite a bit in several groups that specialized in fifties and sixties rock and roll

On the Other Hand

Some people don’t like the short scale and small frets.  Also the tone tends to be thin and percussive and it does not sustain as much as some other guitars. 

All in all It’s a great guitar and a lot of fun to play.

Charvel Surfcaster

Exhibit F: 1991 Charvel Surfcaster


Just the Facts

    This is a 1991 Surf Green Charvel Surfcaster.  It was made in Japan by the Charvel Jackson company and is sort of a cross between a Danelectro, a Rickenbacker and a  Fender Telecaster Thinline.  It has a semi-hollow basswood body with one real F hole, maple neck and rosewood finger board.  The pickups are Chandler lipstick pickups. There is a three position selector switch, and master volume and tone controls.  The tone control has a push pull switch that combines the two singles into one hum bucker reducing noise and increasing the punchiness of the tone. There is a very nice non locking tremolo which works great.

    This guitar was targeted  at country players who wanted a great clean tone, and for retro players who might want an alternative to a Fender Jaguar or Jazzmaster.  It really is a good surf guitar and is great for all these applications.  It is a lot like a telecaster, only different, and has quite a bit of appeal for a tele player. The Surfcaster model in  various incarnations was marketed by Jackson until about 2005.

Where and When

    I got this guitar at Guitar Crazy in Portland on New Year’s Eve, 1991.  I had recently read an article in one of the Portland papers talking about Jim Mesi’s Surfcaster.  Jim Mesi is one of Portland’s premier blues and rock performers.  He is an amazing musician, and a local legend.

    At the time I had two Peavey T-60’s, one with a maple finger board and one with a rosewood fingerboard.  I liked the rosewood one better and decided to see if I could trade the other one. 

    I asked Bob at Guitar Crazy about the Surfcaster and he said that this particular guitar was actually  the one that had belonged to Jim Mesi. Jim had used it for a while and then had traded it for  a Strat.  We made a deal and I traded the Peavey and some cash for Mesi’s Surfcaster.  Later I was in a band that was playing on the same bill as Mesi’s band. Jim and I had a discussion about guitars and he told me he wished he had it back.

Why it’s Cool

    It is a great sounding and easy playing guitar.  At various times I have played this instrument at  surf rock and fifties gigs and have enjoyed it very much. Plus it is neat to have a guitar that was owned by Jim Mesi who is one of my favorite players of all time.

On the Other Hand

    The tremolo needs to be tightened with an allen wrench if you want it to stay in one position, and that sometimes seems like too much trouble.