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Why
Guitar Horror?
Guitars can be like acquaintances - if you
haven't seen them for a while you can simply
forget all about them. I've owned a lot
of guitars in my time and while you do form
attachments to some of them and actually
regret not still having them in your arsenal,
for various reasons some others have been
forgotten about entirely. Guitar Horror
Story #442 is one such never-ending saga
- and, as just reported by the observant
Stephen Ramsay, there's an epilogue. The
very same guitar's now up for sale on Gumtree!
Read on.. |
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1)
Bill with his two stripped loves
2) The Precisions' headstocks
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Bill's
Precision bass story
20.12.07 - Once upon a time
(1972) Mike and I went to check out
an Aussie made Leslie speaker box, somewhere
in South Yarra. On entering said premises,
I noticed the headstock of a bass guitar
sticking out from a pile of rubbish
in the corner. After carefully removing
the instrument I went weak at the knees.
It was a 1963 Fender Precision. From
memory I think the band payed $200.00
for it. Many happy years followed -
that bass played on everything Spectrum
and Ariel recorded from 1972 through
to 1979 when I stupidly sold it and
got stuck into six-stringed instruments.
I heard on the bass grapevine that it
had been sold again (and painted RED
- almost a criminal offence). Then,
here we are in 2007, and at a gig last
week, in walks Paul with my old bass,
no longer red and back to its beautiful
old self. |
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is the original story
and subsequent correspondence relating to
two of my ex-guitars (one literally 'ex'
as you will read), as it appeared in the
March 2005 Stop Press. I've recently had
some more correspondence from a past owner
of the mystery 'red guitar' that started
this flurry of conjecture and nostalgia
for alluringly-shaped pieces of painted
wood with some basic electronics, fret wire,
strings and other essential accoutrements
that are attracting prices far beyond their
actual worth in today's ridiculous Culture
of the Collector. |
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Mike
and the pink Strat' at the Mushroom
concert
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Guitar
Horror Story #442
6.3.05
- I got an e-mail a few days ago from
a Peter Gordon who'd just recently discovered
this site. He wrote:
I have a red strat that I bought in
the early 80's from a music store in
Boronia (i think... possibly Bosnia).
I was in the store at the time and told
the guy he had a crap array of guitars
on offer, with which he said "check
this baby out". In almost the same
sentence he said it was previously Mike
Rudds guitar.
To be honest i nearly laughed at the
sight of this thing, it had all that
Roland synth stuff built into it (it
was the 80's) and had a teak neck.
I plugged 'Ol Bluey' in....and was staggered
by the sound. Not the synth..the
guitar. It still sounds awesome to this
day. It has had a significant overhaul...in
fact I have spent $2,700 on her. New
neck, rip out the synth gear and god
knows what else....but those pickups!!!
Unfortunately when I took it in for
the rebuild Jim and Merv Cargill thought
they would do me a favour and repaint
her for me....and replace the pickup
covers and guards. I hate them now...just
kidding.
However, I have always wondered if it
was in fact one of Mikes. If not, I
am sure he probably wishes it was. Whats
more he no doubt doesnt give a rats. |
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thought I'd remember
if I had ever owned a red Strat, and
told Peter so. But there's a twist
to this story. You'll remember Spectrum
played at the McWilliams Winery a
couple of weeks ago. I didn't mention
it at the time, but Paul Murphy approached
me at the gig with a DVD of the Mushroom
Evolution Concert. The Heaters played
a couple of numbers at the concert,
including a version of I'll Be Gone
(what else?) with Ariel's Harvey James
and Glyn Mason as guests. For some
time now, Paul has been attempting
to put together the definitive pictorial
history of Spectrum, Ariel et al.
There's quite a bit of it around,
but it's difficult to pin down, and
some eras are pretty light on for
images. The Heaters aren't particularly
well represented and Paul thought
the footage from this concert would
fill in the last major gap. (Hopefully
I'll have more news on Paul's DVD
soon).
I put the DVD in my gig bag and promptly
forgot about it - that is, until last
night at the Nighthawk Blues gig when
I rediscovered it. So, this evening
I put it on - and bugger me! There
was I, as large as life and hirsute
as anything, playing a red Strat with
a teak neck !! (pic)
The Roland synth stuff I'm not owning
up to, mind you. But, given that I'd
completely erased the red Strat from
the memory banks, anything's possible.
So, I'm calling on all you guitarists
out there - give me your weird and
wonderful guitar stories and I'll
print 'em right here on this website.
I'm sure I've got a few more stories
myself - if only I could remember
them..
In the meantime, here's more about
that red/pink guitar.. |
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More
from Peter Gordon
Gday
Mike,
For the sake of posterity and closure..
and for the reason that I took this
picture for insurance purposes, please
find attached 'that' guitar in its current
form.
Also, oddly...one of my other strats
is a vintage lake placid blue, rosewood
neck and Seymore Duncan...(see attached
also) Funny aint it?
Peter |
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Shane
and the pink Strat look
meaningfully into the camera
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More
Guitar Horror Story #442
14.12.05 - Assuming you've been
following the story, this'll make
sense, but if you haven't a clue,
check the original story above.
Anyway, Shane Wynn, the original
owner of the red/pink Fender,
has written in and shed a little
more light on the life and times
of that famous guitar.
g'day
mike
i found one of the photos "crikey
i look like paul kelly without
the broken nose" i have some
more somewhere but you know how
it is there is shit all over the
place in my spare room i remember
that i bought it from the music
shop on the corner in ringwood
i think there called troy music
now, the teak neck is definately
a shecktor neck i remember i was
going to buy a fender replacement
neck from Palmi (think that's
how you spell it) from the music
junction in camberwell..but i
changed my mind, cause i thought
it might change the great sound
it had....i used to go and see
Russell Morris and the Rubes everywhere
they played when they were in
melbourne and Joey Amenta was
playing the same coloured one
with a fender neck on it i always
wondered is that my ex guitar
And i think he played for Wendy
and the rockets too, i traded
it in on a fender75 amp (which
was the equivalent to the sob
boogie amp back then) to a music
shop that used to be in canterbury
not far from Maton, the reason
i got rid of it was cause i listened
to much to dire straits and when
ever i jammed i always copped
the you sound like Mark Knopfler,
but when i seen you doing "i'll
be gone" (the classic) at
the mushroom evolution concert
i jumped up and down, i knew it
had gone to a good home...the
70's were a great time..i used
to go over to mal eastick's unit
(flat) over near the bay somewhere
and have some lessons with him
i had a kasuga les paul then it's
a shame about what happened to
Stars i was awe struck by all
the gold records he had hanging
on the wall....i have a lot of
vinyl stacked up in my room i'll
go thru them at some time and
scan the covers and send them
to you i think i have some rare
stuff in there...anyway i hope
i haven't bored you with my rambling..
Shane Wynn 9.12.05 |
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Mike
plucks the pristine L-series
Strat' |
The
L-series sunburst Strat
G'day
Mike
Back in 1983 I had saved up my
hard earned dollars to buy a pre
L Strat. So I headed of to Guitar
Village in Frankston with much
anticipation, and they had two
Strats, one Tele and a couple
of Jazzmasters.
The first Strat had been resprayed
but everything else was bog standard
(it had been resprayed Lake Placid
Blue)
The other Strat was a two tone
sunburst and wasn't as original
as the first. After spending 30
minutes playing each guitar I
opted for the blue Strat. (the
rosewood neck just felt better
to me than the rosewood neck on
the other Strat.
When I parted with my money they
informed me they would swap the
cases over as they agreed the
blue Strat was in the better condition
of the two.
So I walked out the door ecstatic
at my purchase even though the
aluminium flight case was bloody
heavy. When I got home I noticed
the case had Great Keppell Island
and other airline stickers on
it. I also noticed faded yellow
stencilled writing on the back
of said case, and bugger me if
it didn't say Ariel Aust. I went
back to Guitar Village and they
told me the sunburst Strat had
been bought off Bob Spencer, who
confirmed it was your old Strat.
I just wish I could have afforded
that Strat as well but I had a
family of hungry mouths to feed.
Gary Hall 6.3.05 |
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The
L-series sunburst Strat - the Sequel
Gary,
Your story is up on the site. I read
it so quickly the sequence of events
got a bit warped - of course you would've
seen any mods Bob made to the guitar.
I was told he attempted to shave off
the 'wings' and changed the shape
from the classic Strat profile. Was
that the case? Or did it just have
the humbucker mod I got Merv Cargill
to install? And what price were they
asking for it? I sold it to Bob for
$400.00.
Mike.
Mike
From memory the wings had been shaved
down and the pick ups were single
coil in the neck and middle with I
think a Seymour Duncan humbucker in
the bridge possy.
Also the neck had been re fretted
with bloody wide and high wire . The
pickguard had also been replaced with
a ultra bright white one. There were
3 toggle switches which were a treble
boost for each pick up Not that you
need it on a Strat also the neck had
been scalloped from the 12th fret
down (weird)
I also remember when I tried out both
Strats that I played the riff from
Some Good Advice and Worm Turning
Blues- hows that for a coincidence
They were asking $1100 for your old
Strat I payed $1250 for the blue Strat
Gary.
Gary,
Wow! The details are burned on your
memory! So, really it was beyond saving
- as far as a collectable is concerned.
Hmm. I'm pretty sure it could have
been restored when I sold it - in
which case it could have been worth
anything between $7,500.00 - $12,00.00.
Or not. The main thing is that it's
a damn fine story of what might've
been - for both of us.
Mike.
Mike
You're not wrong - the price of vintage
guitars and amps is obscene.
Unfortunately some scumbag stole my
Strat (and flight case) vintage vox
amp and other gear back in 1994 BASTARD
Have a good one
Gary
Gary
Hall 8.3.05 |
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