Chitara (Replica) 2000 / 4000 B.C. (Mesopotamie - Africa)

A lot of Guitar related books start with a story about

the instrument and its' history. As a young guy, more 

interested in electric guitars I tend to overlook those

chapters but in fact they are interesting as well in the 

development of the guitar as it is to these days.

The "soundbox" consists of a turtle shell that has been

covered with what most likely was a goat skin. The neck

already was a "neck thru body" construction as it holds 

the 3 strings as well. In this case the strings are nylon

ones but in history they must have been made out of gut.

The strings can be tuned but weren't ment to be fingered

on a neck like this

And the tuning machine heads!

• The carvings as have been done on this neck have a mere 
• ornamental function and probably different each time and 
• in correspondance of a certain tribe that made them.
• 
  
• 

The bridge construction consist of a simple wooden bow that

has been been carved for the support of the three strings.

In the Forderer collection an identical example can be found 

on youtube however the "soundholes" made here are not present 

on that instrument. Probably a new invention later in time? 

As the Oud is a more well known predecessor of the guitar, 

I figured this simple instrument deserves a place here.

Augustin Claudot Romantic Guitar / Manuel Contreras 2A Concert guitar

This french early romantic guitar has been built
by Augustin Claudot who was a member of the
well known Claudot Family of violin makers at
Mirecourt. Though affected by wood insects this
particular instrument still has a wonderful sound.

The back of this Augustin Claudot guitar has been
done with maple as are the sides of this instrument.
This whole instrument has been treated with
Gamma rays in order to kill eventually existing
insects. It should last now for the future.

I allready published these pictures though the wood insert
haven't been made to the surrounding colours yet.
The effect of the first darkening of the wood may
last for one or two years. It is better to fix
the colourmatch after that period.

As on his violins Augustin Claudot allways stamped or branded his instruments.
His violins are said to be made with nice woods and great craftsmanship.

Manuel Contreras 

This is a 1983 non signed label premium concert guitar from
the workshop of Manuel Contreras, that is, as we do have
to believe the label. When a Contreras label says Guitareria
it most likely is a student or intermediate guitar. The other
labels say: Constructor de Guitarras (older labels) and
Luthier or Lutherie and those are the handbuilt ones but
by who?? Ignacio Rozas built a lot of guitars  at the
Contreras workshop (Calle Mayor) but most people
who have been there hardly ever saw Manuel Contreras 1
on the workbench being busy. He is said to be lazy...
Cedar topped guitar, ebony fingerboard, 655 mm scale.

The beautiful back of this guitar that shows us the Rio 

wood used for sides and back. That is a bit of an odd 

thing for a 2A concertmodel. As the plantilla also differs

from the later doble tapa models suspicions are there

that this guitar has been built in another workshop

though definately by hand!

On this picture the beauty of the wood is apparently but
also the outer heel is visible that it less sharp than on
his later models. We still have to compare this Contreras
to other, earlier models as it could well have been that 
Contreras changed the plantilla (model of the soundbox)
together with other minor details such as headform and

outer heel when he changed to the doble tapa models.

The center inlay in this head is the same as on the 1A models

but the outer edges aren't that sharp. Of course genuine

Fustero tuners that are hand engraved from Barcelona.

The label of this guitar.

On this picture the rosette and the playing marks are

obvious. Moreover the guitar has a repaired crack behind 

the bridge. This guitar was equipped with some self

cut scratchplates that in fact killed the sound a bit.

I removed them and also made a better fitting bridgebone.

The result was a much deeper and richer sound of

the lower strings and a very pleasant brightness of

the higher strings.

A nice shot of the sides and the great playing action.

The Contreras guitars are known for their comfortable

ease of playing. This one is no exception. As for the

sound it is typical Contreras and as saxophone players

often do but guitarplayers hardly ever: Play your

instrument pointed towards a wall about 1 meter away. 

The sound will be reflected and you are able to hear

and experience the guitar the way a listener does.

Epiphone "ES 230 TD" Casino (More photo's - more details)

Being the model John Lennon used to play and later on Noel

Gallagher this particular model remains popular among collectors.

It should be all original. This one came to me in a bad condition.

There were deep carvings in the neck and back. At that time it
seems to be cool behaviour to treat your guitar this way and
having placed DiMarzio's on it! On this guitar they did some 
work on the cavity for the bridge pick up but it is not visible
at the outside at this moment

Though not original I refinished both neck and back.

This instrument now has the old ease of playing again.

Due to the scratches and carvings the neck didn't

had a nice feeling anymore and I figured it

had to be playable in the first place! The back of
the body has been provided with some layers of
clear lacquer so no staining process.

As this guitar has been put up for sale I will describe it as 

securely as possible. The back of the head with its' original

tuners. As for the screws: I don't know....

As I stated earlier the neck has been refinished and also the

stain had to be removed so this spot might be interesting to

potential buyers. For collectors it all comes about originality.

And another shot of this neck / body construction. Be aware!

This is the original neck and NOT a replacement. The number

on the back of the head is a match with the sticker inside.

This is a real player and if someone is planning to make 

it "road worn" - It looks a bit like a pity to me!

The back really wasn't that bad and then 

the original staining process still is there.

Another possible issue could be the neck / body angle

which can result in a too low bridge placement. To my

opinion in fact too high in order to have the magnetic

poles right under the strings so I placed a plastic ring

underneath the metal caps of the pick ups in order to

get a stronger signal.

The angle is a good one as this picture proves.

And here the neck pick up and the distance to the strings.

I haven't played this guitar that much though I know

that about the lowest 5 to 7 frets have been replaced.

The neck bindings however are intact! Width of the

nut: 41 mm what in fact makes it too narrow for 

me as a mainly classical guitar player. Never any 

damage there as a repaired neck is not uncommon.

The front of the head that has been refinished 

as well. Original truss rod cover and topnut.

It might be another issue: I'm not sure wether if all 

knobs are out of 1967. The switch is from 1967 as are 

the capacitors and pots. A lot of these guitars lost their

scratchplate and the prefix on it: "E". It is all still

there on this example.

This guitar came with a frequensator tailpiece in fact not 

uncommon on these type of guitars. In order to have less

tension in the higher strings once tuned, a player could

change the two parts. Original bridge and pick-up  caps.

This old lady aged gracefully so some traces in 

the lacquer are inevitable. It "crazed" a bit.

  

Therefore another spot that shows this effect.

The original blue label and the number of this guitar.

At that time the Kalamazoo workforce was responsible

for these guitars. Original model nr. E230TD. This

number corresponds with that printed on the back

of the head.

Fender "Precision" Bass guitar

This instrument is one of the so called L-series Fenders 

that are known for their qualities. Not all guitars of this

period (1960-1965) are of equal quality but this is one of

 them. Apart from the refinish job that has been done on

this instrument, it is fully original apart from a newly 

added scratchplate though the old one is still there. The 

old plastics used at that time are producing some 

destructive "gasses" while deteriorating. As a result

 the hardware oxydizes!

The tuners on these instrument are known for their reverse working.
This one is a nice player with that really old Precision sound.

Fender Strat plus

The Stratocaster plus was at first designed to be the

Jeff Beck Signature model. He finally got another one.

On this model Fender introduced the lace sensor pickups.

Though they are quiet they do not resemble the pickups of

the old days. This one has a Gibson 1968 humbucker added.

Serial number dates it to be at the end of the eighties.

The drilled holes for the strings in the backplate

disappeared and this model was fitted with more

deluxe Sperzel tuners as can be seen on this pic.

Fender Stratocaster Hard Tail

This is a hard tail version (non-tremolo) of the seventies

stratocaster. Still the uneven polepieces but a new scratch-

plate and of course the wide headstock. The seventies strats 

are known for being very heavy. This one is light as a feather 

(alder) but it's sound is awesome. The best sounding strat 

I ever had, even among the L-series I played in the past.

Quality control was quite poor during the seventies at

Fender. Note the strange way the bodypieces are matched.

Also the spraying on this instrument is of an average

quality. Yet the neck to body joint has been very tightly

done with no give due sometimes to the three-bolt 

tightening and the sloppy neck post routing.

Fender "Telecaster" 1968

This 1968 Telecaster came to me in an unoriginal orange colour.

Later on it has been white but black suits this one better.

Equipped with a Gibson Humbucker (1968!) and of course the original

single coil pickup in the bridge position.

A CBS- era Fender with new Schaller tuners added.

The back of the neck on this instrument clearly

shows the playing marks. The neck has been refinished

Too much modifying so not of interest to collectors but
in the future another player certainly will have a lot of
fun with this guitar. The F stamped neck plate can
be studied better by clicking on this picture.

Fenix Stratocaster - Lipstick pickups / Fenix Les Paul / Fenix Telecaster TC-20

This guitar came to me in parts though I think the neck
belonged to the body. These Korean made instruments 
made in the Young Chang factory are not bad at all.

I fitted some parts I had left here and there.

The heart of this guitar are now the 1967 original

lipstick pickups, still great sounding.

This instrument has been equipped with Sperzel tuners. 
It is a post lawsuit Korean made guitar. These pick ups 
were taken from some 1967 Coral Firefly guitars.

This Fenix has been equipped with ESP saddles 

and an old Fender String tie tremblock.

Fenix added their own headstock somewhat later as 

well as the so called "Lace sensor" look alike pick ups 

though the serial number still starts with the prefix "E"

Not present on the Telecaster here beyond but on 

this Stratocaster  jumbo frets have been mounted.

In fact a more graceful move than Fender is doing:

The backplate "sinks" into the wood surrounded.

Not original but great tuners: These Sperzels that

are locking the string and they have different lengths

regarding the wrap around axises.

Fenix Les Paul Standard copy

A very nice and early example of the Fenix

Les Paul standard copy that between 1989 and

1992 was produced at the Young Chang factory

with the 'near' Gibson headstock and the

mahogany body with maple cap and a

mahogany neck. Same weight as the original.

This picture of the back makes it clear that even the
tuners, that were originally the Kluson tuners, are
carefully copied. A nice piece of mahogany can be
seen here though the cap on the front exist of about
4 parts but nicely done woodwork anyway.
Fretwork and rosewood fingerboard are also
real close to the original. These models can withstand
the comparison with a genuine Tokai Love Rock
though to my believe the electronics in the Tokai are
of a higher quality. The pots are mediocre as are
the pick ups. This guitar deserves better!

The headstock that is close to the Gibson headstock.

The abalone Fenix inlay looks good and the nut and frets

are put in with care! A future collectable!

Sold to a pupil of mine but as it is informative

I decided to keep it on my blog.

Fenix Telecaster TC-20 M

This is a high end Telecaster copy from the Young Chang

factories, made around 1990. Difference between a TC-10 

or a TC-20 simply is the bound styled body. The TC-30 is 

a Telecaster Thinline model with an F shaped hole. The 

addition of the prefix"R" stands for a rosewood fingerboard 

This guitar was delivered with gold hardware and had 

bindings on front and back. Retailprice around that time 

was 795,- in Dutch Florins, about 375 USD. Young Chang 

had to change the "Fender" headstock around 1900 / 1991.

The attention to detail is good: A very nice and narrow

neck fit, good fretwork and a neck made out of one piece

of maple and regarding comfort no less than an Americain

made neck. Unbranded Gotoh tuners. The former owner

upgraded the electronics with new pots and a USA pick up 

selector switch. He also copper shielded the electronics

cavity. The fingerboard is not an extra maple cap but

the frets have been placed directly into the one piece

maple neck. We've compared this guitar with a later one:

On that guitar also the back was equipped with a birds' 

eye maple look as opposed to this example. The three

piece body can be clearly seen.

Fenix changed their logo from time to time and besides

their logo, a serial number can be found on the headstock

just above the logo presented here in this picture. Mind you:

It is hardly readable! Here the serial number starts with an 

"E" and then 1036854. Maybe produced in 1991? They

also claim the topnut to be bone. The Fenix guitars are

no longer in production: In fact, regarding the Fenix brand,

 production stopped in 1994. They are still producing guitars

but now for Paul Reed Smith a.o. The width of the topnut

on this one is 44 mm. The other example measured 425 mm.

As can be seen here closed tuners, most likely 

from the Gotoh company. Anyway, good quaity.

A slight mismatch in my opinion is the placing

of the neckplate: A bit too low. Regarding the

body wood, a remark should be made as Young

Chang made cheaper copies for Fender but used

plywood for the bodies in their Squier series at 

that time. But mind you! They also produced

the now "iconic"  JV Squier series!

The bridge saddles have been upgraded as are the 

pick ups. I've had only experiences with the Lace-

sensor look alikes regarding sound. Not bad at all.

The pots and pick up selectors are mostly from

a poorer quality. This guitar has two Seymour 

Duncan pick ups fitted now. The top of this guitar

could be a birds eye veneered one but it is also

known that they sometimes photoshopped this

on the front of the body. As birdeye maple often

"disturbes" the lacquer surface, close inspection

learns that it is a least a layer of veneer and not

done with a photographical technique as opposed

with the later Fenix version of this model. 

Though this guitar came with a decent single coil pickup

in the neck position I mounted a mini humbucker with

a coil tap switch in order to make it more versatile.

I've filled the holes that were there for the Bigsby vibrato

arm that was a later addition as well by the former owner.

The holes for the screws have been filled and repainted.