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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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I 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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