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Wow! Great work Grant!!!

Great stuff, I can't wait to see the neck joint at the rear. That looked like it would be a major mission to fix that. Also, what did you use the maple veneer for? And the what needed drum sanding and bending?

That looks WONDERFUL!

Cheers guys - playing it tonight. I imagined what life might be like in prison should someone fall into it while it was on the stand, breaking it.

How did it go? Great to see such a fine instrument taken care of and back in playing action again.

I can only imagine how bright and resonate that thing is!

Amazing work Grant, '60s SGs are phenomenal!

Hey Clanger...went very well thanks. The sounds were as you say bright and chimey, in a sort of reedy way. The Bigsby adds an interesting tonal signature too. Very resonant.

The bridge pickup is where the action happens, but the inbetweensound is a very convincing funk/spank thang.

Very very happy. Only thing is the action is still too low for me so will raise that up slightly.

Yay for a NOGD

*UNIQUE* wrote:Cheers guys - playing it tonight. I imagined what life might be like in prison should someone fall into it while it was on the stand, breaking it.

if i was you, i wouldn't let me touch it without getting my creditcard details!!!!

Just flick them through before the Tronfest Danny

Godawful.

For Danny.

The neck looks clean with only the dowel showing where there was once screws. Also, the dark piece above the half moon heel gives away the fact that it was once in many pieces there.

The headstock is also clean but under strong light you can see the scars of the battle.

I love the stories that attach to so many of your guitars, Unique. I realise you are an extremely busy man but I reckon there's a great book in your guitar collection. Not just the Fred Gretsch's but things like this and the 335 where so much of you has gone into them. It's a labour of love and I'm sure the wider guitar community would love to share it with you.

Right. There's your retirement sorted......

And if you need someone to write it, I'm your guy. Writing is kinda my job, after all. I'll even let you keep 100% of the royalities in exchange for a certain black Gretsch. [/dreaming]

slowfingers wrote:I love the stories that attach to so many of your guitars, Unique. I realise you are an extremely busy man but I reckon there's a great book in your guitar collection. Not just the Fred Gretsch's but things like this and the 335 where so much of you has gone into them. It's a labour of love and I'm sure the wider guitar community would love to share it with you.

Right. There's your retirement sorted......

Thanks slowy...it certainly is a labour of love. This particular guitar I really felt I had bitten off my than I could handle. It seemed determined to teach me a lesson or two - and it did.

I now realise the economics of these jobs are often false. About a year after I got this broken piece, a 100% original piece came up on eBay with more desirable features. I made myself not enter a final bid and it sold for only a few thousand more than this one cost. With the time and money I'd thrown at this, I shoulda got that one, and sold this off at cost. BUT, I didn't. This SG and the red Firebird...proper f*ck ups in terms of my assessment and purchase. Notwithstanding the great results in both cases, I am now far more considered in my purchases of old gear.

It is a great feeling playing something you've rebuilt...and I'm not precious about playing this one live like I am with some of my pieces.

The Matchstick SG will be at the GearFest!

Economics aside, you've saved this guitar. Fricken awesome.