I started with a L50 in poor shape. I looked for quite some time to find a real beater that had all the original hardware and original bridge. I needed a guitar from the correct time period to have reasonably been fitted with a CC pickup when these pickups were available new.
I found this 1937 L50. The top is in 5 pieces. The back is in two but has 5 cracks that I counted.
The wood on the back was in such poor condition, from prior repairs, I would have been smarter to just replace it and make new braces. In fact this guitar was actually MISSING brace #2. No evidence of any glue, the back had never been removed and it could not have been removed through the f hole as it would have been too big.
Back reconstructed with new #2 brace. This L50, like the original ES-150/CC, has a hybrid construction. The top is carved, but the back on both is a flat piece of wood bent over slightly curved braces. The later Non-CC ES-150s have carved front and back pieces.
The CC pickup reproduction was special order and took 3 weeks to arrive. In the mean time, I cleaned up the rest of the guitar and made the bound ES-150 style pickguard. Attachment 27395
Since this will be a 'player' instrument, the neck angle had to be 'playable.' It was just marginal with the original bridge. I wanted to keep the original bridge. I improved the neck angle when I re-fitted the back. I got an extra degree or two. This was actually a big deal and a little stressful... not knowing if the guitar would be playable until the back was glued on.
That's freaking awesome, man! Great job and a real labour of love. You made something useful and desirable out of a forgotten guitar. And I approve of the groove in your video.
I think what joebonni was referencing was these promotinal video's Bucky made for D'angelico https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diPEAsPbBxs .Of course Bucky would have sounded good playing a cigarbox...
Here I forgot one thing maybe I got the one off that was made better than some of the other EXL-1’s. That’s why I bought this guitar it blew out all the other jazz boxes in the shop. This could be...
I too have a Zephyr Regent; 1998 vintage. It's a great guitar. I also have an Emperor like yours although mine was made a few years later than yours and it has the Joe Pass name added to it. I...
You can think of the attenuator in a TM Twin as a knob to select several different wattage “models” of a Twin. A tube Twin can break up at very high volumes. The attenuator feature allows you to...
There’s one for sale in Omaha that is cosmetically horrible—prior owner literally scratched his name on the back plate—though plays well—for $1500.
I would sure consider it if I needed another...
I've had an EXL-1 for about 7 years now. It's a nice guitar for the money, better than a Korean Epiphone, for example. It superficially LOOKS like an original New Yorker, but that's about it. Plug it...
Bloody Brexit! Your price attracts, but less after shipping and the 24% Finnish VAT on border. That BTW will increase to 25.5% soon. Second to Hungary's 27% only in EU!
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Grant Green, What is This Thing
Today, 01:59 PM in Ear Training, Transcribing & Reading