Awesome Fender 69 Mustang in Placid Blue with Competition Stripes and Matching Headstock

Well. It's all in the title: Awesome in placid blue with competition stripes and matching headstock.

Or almost. A few more interesting points about this really gorgeous vintage guitar, from the eBay posting:

• VERY RARE 21 FRET + 22 INCH SCALE NECK
• COMPETITION RACING STRIPE and MATCHING HEADSTOCK
• ORIGINAL SILVER HARD SHELL CASE

I really like Mustangs and their quirkiness (the shape, the electronics...) and I have a thing for stripes so I would totally reinvest my Google Adsense revenues in that guitar.... if they only amounted to the $3,479 asked for this vintage beauty. In the meantime, feel free to click on a few ads :)
Note that this guitar is not "mint condition" at all (massive impact on the side). Keep that pic for reference, relic pros :)





Other Mustang I covered in this blog

Les Paul Tribute Model vs. the real deal from early 50's

Gibson is launching a Les Paul Tribute model which will be a limited run of 564 guitars based on the iconic '52 Les Paul model - the original Gold Top Les Paul.

I just found out through my friend Jeremy's blog:

Fantastic! All stamped as prototypes!

· Based on the Original LP 1952 model
· Trapeze tailpiece corrected to match Les Paul’s Patent
· Limited Run - Only 564 guitars will be produced
· All will be hand numbered 1915 A , 1915 B, 1915 C….. 1916 A 1916 B and so on
· All actual 1952 LP’s were listed as prototypes so these will be stamped prototype also
· Authentic P-90 pickups
· Gold top nitro-cellulose finish with natural mahogany back and neck
· Engraved Tribute truss rod cover
· COA included

Not sure what the privilege of getting one of those straight out of the factory is gonna cost you. It seems from the Certificate of Authenticity cover on the flyer that this is gonna be a Gibson USA model, not a Custom Shop as I would have expected of Gibson. It'd be a nice touch from Gibson if it means this is an "affordable" guitar - I mean below $2,500.

I also wanted to see if you could find the "real deal" on eBay.

So I found this . Not too bad at a buy-now price tag of $19,500 (not sure what the catch is). And it has the option of leaving an offer.



There is also this nice , so without the trapeze tailpiece. This is one is for grab for a mere $42,500. But it looks awesome with the finish cracking just as it should, without any green rash that you often find on old gold paints. I personally love those white P90 pickup covers. Very classy.

Another coupon: 10% off at Music123.com

Another one bites the dust. Music123.com is offering 10% Off Value Brands (coupon: VALUEME, exp: 8/31)

As it says, this only covers certain brands (no Fender and Gibson this time). But friend of Queens, rejoice! Brian May guitars are covered.

Save up to 90% at MusiciansFriend.com!

Quick tip. MusiciansFriend.com is having an anniversary sale up to the end of the month. I really like that it includes Fender, Gibson and Epiphone gear among others. Check it out now: Save Up to 90% on Almost Everything at MusiciansFriend.com (exp: 8/31)

Multicolor SG Zoot Suit by Gibson USA

So, this "rainbow SG" which I was announcing last week is in fact the Gibson SG Zoot Suit which launched today.

I'm on a vacation this week but I had to break radio silence for this one because it is a special guitar with high "iconic guitar" potential IMO.
It's not as good looking / breathtaking as I expected because I find the layers in the center are a letdown. But maybe each model is going to be unique and some will have more appeal (like the Fender Splatters). If not, Gibson still provide a choice of finishes: rainbow (at least I got that name right!), black & red, black & natural, black & orange, red & blue.
That being said, it delivers on its most unique specs (most of which I guessed right from the original picture leaked on twitter - tada!):

Body and neck made of multiple layers of wood

This is the most interesting part: Several layers of birch are glued together to create this unique appearance.

The body of the Zoot Suit features a brand new body built with multiple birch wood laminate pieces (each one approximately .075” thick), each dyed with a different color then compressed and bonded together to form one solid block of wood. No paint is used. Each body is given two coats of satin nitrocellulose lacquer.

Same is true of the neck.

Transparent controls and pick ups

The pots and pickups of the Zoot Suit are transparent. What is especially cool is that the pickups trim ring and the coil forms are clear plastic because you can see the magnets and wiring of the 496R and 500T pickups.

The rest is very classic Gibson USA SG hardware specs - or not far from it (like the Grover tuners).

This is not a Limited Run Series apparently but it will be interesting to see for how long this will stay on Gibson's catalog. While I am not as in love as I thought I would be, I still think this is a great guitar, maybe the most exciting new offering by Gibson this year. Let's see what the actual price will be -Gibson's site has the MRSP at a wobbling $1,999.

OK. Now back to my last day of vacations and a quiet evening on the porch of my Cape May rented house, downing a Corona while the evening thunderstorm passes.

UPDATE: Two interesting things about the Zoot page on GuitarCenter.com (here:
Gibson Zoot Suit SG Electric Guitar Black and Red):
1. its actual price is $1,199.
2. Now I have an explanation for the weirdo name:

The word zoot is jazz slang meaning extravagant style—certainly an apt description for the Gibson USA Zoot Suit SG electric guitar

Order one now online:
Gibson Zoot Suit SG Electric Guitar Black and Red

Rainbow SG to be next Gibson Limited Run Series Guitar?

The Gibson Lifestyle Twitter account just released this interesting picture of a rainbow-colored electric guitar which clearly looks like a Gibson SG.

(original here)

I am wondering if they are trying to create buzz. Like they created buzz -probably unwillingly- for the Gibson Shark Fin by keeping it a secret to this date with no picture or announcement when it is supposed to be available just one week from now.

Back to this intriguing SG-like Gibson which colors look like a beautiful tribute to the Gay Pride. It seems to have transparent plastics for the knobs but most interestingly the pick ups which have no cover and display the copper wiring. This is insanely gorgeous.

The controls are minimal with only a pair of volume/tone knobs and a 3-way toggle switch.

The most amazing part remains the color which seems like the result of dying each vein of the wood (I'd guess maybe maple not mahogany to obtain this finish).

The rosewood fretboard looks like there is no inlays. Maybe there could be dot inlays which we don't see since the pic barely shows the 16th / 17th fret. Could be that this is just a prototype.

I am really eager to discover more about this exciting guitar which really reminds me of Eric Clapton's famous Fool SG and its psychedelic multicolor paintjob (notably used on Disraeli Gears).

This is definitely THE Gibson I would buy right away this year because it is truly unique and will be a collectible. Maybe I'm getting over myself when this is just a pic posted through Twitter but I'll definitely check GuitarCenter.com and the Gibson Products section for leaks like the Shark Fin.

UPDATE: This guitar is in fact the Gibson SG Zoot Suit, which I have covered in full in this post. You can now order it from Guitar Center (here:
Gibson Zoot Suit SG Electric Guitar Black and Red
)

Gibson Customer Appreciation Mega Sale in the Line of Fire?

Not sure whether Gibson wants to offload any unsold Darkfire guitars at their Customer Appreciation Megasale. But they are under serious fire from bitter fans on their forum who are angered by the sale being held only "in the physical world" at their Nashville, TN and Memphis, TN showcase stores. Of course everybody is expecting an online sale, maybe with an auction system or at least some kind of price list to set expectations before you embark on the road trip to buy your next cheap Gibson.

I wonder how this will turn out. In the meantime, some entertaining comments from their post:

no pictures ,no pricing, you want me to drive to Nashville and hope to score on prices better than GC? pftttttt.

What i'd like to know is the price of the guitars. I don't want to make a 3 hour trip just to find out that it is 10% off retail, so i hope that Gibson releases some more infomation soon.

what good is this if I can't view and purchase any of these offerings on line? don't bother promoting such events on line when they are impractical and unreachable on line. you only succeed in disenfranchising your consumer base.

And to sum up the spirit of fans in California, Florida (or any non TN-contiguous state) as well as Spain, Australia and UK:

fuckkkk that. I live in new jersey. I am not going out to tennessee to buy a guitar. shitt thats an extra 300 dollars for a plane ticket... do they think everyone lives in tennessee or sumtin ?

Then you have the dreamer. Who is angry too. Or maybe the author of this comment is French and was expecting a first class flight on Air France with Champagne and Petits fours to go visit the unionized comrades of the Gibson Factory:

Gibson should provide bus or train tickets for people who live far away and they should guarantee everything for at least five years, strings included. and they should sell everything on the internet with free shipping. and they should offer a 45 day return. and what about the list? you must have a list? If you don't comply, I'm not going and my friends aren't either. I'm not going anyway because now I'm really mad about this mega sale. BIG deal and you won't even tell me. Where is the Beef???

But in the end, none of this matters to the true hardcore fan:

True believers will find a way to get to the motherstore. My bike is packed. I ride at dawn. Through the pansies and onward to the motherstore. Some people don't deserve to get a chance to take part. Some do. I do. I am a believer. I owned an original FT-79N that I got in 1969. And many others that will remain dear to me. I'll see you other believers in Nashville by Monday. The rest of you pansies......stay home........and whine!

Not sure how you bike back home with an Explorer hardcase, but I like the spirit!

And there is still the opportunity to visit GuitarCenter.com or check their Gibson Products selection and prices... online. :)


Oh, if you see this shop, park the Harley. You're there :)