G&L’s:
G&L 1980 F-100 Transparent Green – G000643 – Neck: Oct 2, 1980 Body: Aug 11, 1980 (Maggie)
Maggie is one of the earliest dated G&L guitars, from the very first batch. (Note that G&L’s serial numbers in the early days were not sequential, they were batches. They would get a box in of numbered bridges, and later numbered neckplates, and just grab. So G&L serial numbers can get you within a year or two, but you really need to pop the neck off and check the dates to be sure.) Supposedly, this baby used to be turqouise and has faded, as G&L didn’t offer a forest green back then. However, the color is so luscious on this one, it’s almost hard to believe this wasn’t some custom color. Nevertheless, under the neckplate…turquoise. So my assumption is that this is just a very lucky guitar to have the faded laquer have faded into something so beautiful.
I wanted this guitar for a long time, and went back and forth with the seller for a few months until he finally offered me a price I couldn’t refuse. The name Maggie is a long story. My most beloved G&L was a 1995 green S-500 that I obtained in my younger days, and had to sell when my son was born with various medical issues that needed to be paid for. I have searched for that guitar for nearly a decade with no success. The closest I have found is another S-500 from close to the same time period, which I named Sister Mary Clarence, as they are sister guitars and I love Sister Act as all good ’90’s kids should. That would then of course make this much older green one…the Reverend Mother, played by none other than Dame Maggie Smith. Hence, Maggie. Or sometimes…The Reverend Mother.
G&L 1980 F-100 Transparent Turquoise – G002538 – Neck: Oct 28, 1980 Body: Oct 10, 1980 (Alpine)
This F-100 belonged to a Las Vegas musician who sadly passed away, and his daughter was looking for someone to “fix it up and make it sing again.” She had taken it to a local shop apparently, and it still didn’t work properly, so I couldn’t pass up the deal and told her I’d fix it up and do my best to make it sing again. It ended up needing a new nut fashioned for it as the plastic one the repair shop had used cracked immediately when she simply moved it for photos. I also unblocked the trem they had said it needed to stay in tune, but with the correct truss adjustment, it stays in tune just fine. This is one of my most batttle-scarred guitars, having whole chunks of wood out of it in places, and random holes, some of which I’ve stuck old NAMM show buttons in.
The F-100’s were incredibly interesting designs by Leo. They are his famous PTB knob system, for passive treble bass, and then a volume control. However, in these guitars, the treble knob is defeated when the pickup selector is in the bridge position. As on most of these, that makes the switch a little finnicky in the bridge position….I have to resolder often. They also have a “coil split” switch, which emulates the sound of a single coil with circuitry, and doesn’t actually split the coil. And lastly they have an out-of-phase switch that switches you to both pickups on, no matter where the pickup selector is.
This one I named Alpine because it comes from Vegas near the Eastern Sierras, where I love to hike the alpine lakes, and its turquoise blue look is almost exactly what the water in alpine lakes looks like.
G&L 1981 F-100 Tobacco Burst – G005674 – Neck: Jun 5th, 1981 Body: Dec 5th, 1980 (Sequoia)
This baby was just a good deal that I couldn’t pass up, in my quest to find a guitar that looks close to my Dad’s, that was stolen was I was just a little kid. I know it was some sort of brown burst, and I know it had only two pickups, and was probably obtained somewhere between 1975 and 1985. And knowing my dad, he didn’t pay a whole bunch for it. And also I just love F-100’s and think they’re beautiful. This particular one has incredibly fast and low frets, whether by original design, or from years of refinishing them without replacing them.
Named Sequoia because it reminds me of my dad, and our family spent lots of time in the sequoias. And its finish looks very woodsy and almost sequoia type reddish brown.
G&L 1985 Broadcaster (maple neck, signed) – BC00732 – September 24th, 1985 (Lone Pine)
My Broadcaster, one of only 869 hand-signed by Leo Fender in the neck pocket, and only one of 369 to have a maple fretboard. These were to be G&L’s flagship before Gretsch sued them for the Broadcaster name yet again, and they changed it to the ASAT. As such, this baby plays impeccably and seems built strong enough to withstand the coming apocalypse. The neck is perfectly balanced, straight yet relieved, and the action is wildly fast while still being ringy. Possibly the perfect guitar.
This one has much less of a fun story. I really wanted a Broadcaster and waited until Chicago Music Exchange had one at a good price. I named it Lone Pine because it’s in such great condition that it’s like a time machine, and Back to the Future came out in 1985 just like this guitar, and Lone Pine Mall is not only one of my favorite easter eggs in the film, but also one of my all time favorite places to climb and adventure.
G&L 1985 Broadcaster (ebony fretboard, signed) – BC00191 – October 2nd, 1985 – Neck Sep 24, 1985
G&L 1985 Invader
G&L 1985 S500 Natural Gloss – G017474 – Neck: Dec 13, 1985 Body: Oct 17, 1985 (Dutch)
Dutch is a 1985 S-500 that consistenly outplays everything else I have. It’s a very unassuming guitar, both in looks and tone, and I’ll often put it down for weeks at a time. And then when I’m tracking or playing out and just can’t seem to get happy with my sound, I’ll pull out Dutch and he cures it. Every time.
Named Dutch because its neck date is my dad’s birthday, and he was Dutch. Plus it has a very old world look with that finish. Found collecting dust in the back of a Guitar Center used section.
G&L 1986 Skyhawk White – G018605 – Neck: Mar 13, 1986 Body: Aug 8, 1986 (Eva)
This Skyhawk is probably my most slinky-feeling, strat-sounding, strat-playing, easy to play, joy to play guitar. I have set other guitars up trying to replicate the feel of this one exactly, and it just never happens. Very special feel to this one. Also found languishing in the back of a Guitar Center used section. No one wanted to even pick her up because of that weirdly repainted headstock.
Named Eva because, well, it looks just like Eva from Wall-E, which for a while was my son’s nonstop movie, and the name made him very happy. It also does the classic 80’s slinky strat sound so well, and that kind of matches Thomas Newman’s and Wall-E’s ’80’s style.
G&L 1986 Skyhawk Sunburst with Kahler – G019343 – Neck Nov 15th, 1986 (Dec 5, 1985) Body: Jan 10th, 1986 (1986 / The Time Capsule)
This was a pawn shop find. In almost untouched, straight out of the dealer in 1986, condition. Guitar is perfect and seems unplayed, hang tags, price, receipt, strap, case candy, delaer candy, unopened 1986 strings, it’s perfection. It’s like it’s 1986 when you open this thing. I could not believe my eyes. Got a decent price because the owner of the pawn shop said it didn’t play well after he set it up and believe him he knows guitars, and then every single string was in the wrong spot. And not just one off, like all over the place. Changed the strings, gave it another setup, and it’s gorgeous in every way.
I simply call it “1986” or “Time Capsule.”
G&L 1986 L2000 bass Translucent Blue – B015669 – Neck Sep 4, 1986 (Aug 6, 1986) Body: Jun 22nd, 1986
G&L 1987 SC3 body only –
G&L 1988 Skyhawk Transparent Blue – G023057 – Neck Apr 13, 1988 (Nov 25, 1987) Body: Feb 25, 1988 Trem: 3-16-88 (originally from Park Ave Guitarz, Illinois) (Ultramarine)
G&L 1988 ASAT faded maroon – G023539 – Neck: Aug 18, 1988 & Sep 28, 1988 Body: no date (Maple Rose)
I probably get more comments on this unassuming guitar than any other. There is something about the simplistic ASAT look coupled with that faded maroon body that just works. This is often my go-to guitar. It plays perfectly and will make everything sound better. I found this on the wall at The Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach. Played it and couldn’t put it down. I checked the serial number and it came up with an email address. I spoke with the gentleman, and it turns out that this was one of Dale Hyatt’s favorite guitars in 1988. I still don’t know whether it was a custom order with that color, or something he had built for himself, or just a really special off the line guitar. But when G&L was going through their lawsuits, this is the guitar the lawyer who represented them bought, on the day he and Dale hit it off, Dale realized he was a lawyer, and asked him for representation. So kind of a cool history to this one too. The lawyer owned it for three decades and then finally moved states circa 2020 and pawned this to the Guitar Shoppe in Laguna.
It has a maple body and rosewood neck, a wood combination that tonally just really works for this guitar. G&L in the ’80’s were possibly the only company doing maple bodies and I believe it helps give them their signature sound, along with the MFD pickups. So, maple body and rosewood board…Maple Rose.
G&L 1988 ASAT with tremolo – G007901 – Neck: Sep 29th, 1988
G&L 1989 ASAT III sunburst – G024740 – Neck: Jun 11, 1986 (second date in green 1989) Body: Feb 6, 1989
G&L 1989 L5000 5-string bass – B018968 – Neck: Feb 20, 1989 Body: Nov 4, 1989
G&L 1990 Comanche V Signature natural – G026623 – Neck: Dec 12, 1990 Body: Nov 16, 1990 Trem: 11-22-90 (Golden Years)
Absolutely no fun found story with this one. I had wanted a Comanche since the year 2003, when I was first introduced to G&L’s at Buffalo Brothers Guitars in San Diego. They were gorgeous, unique, and at the time period all had gun oil tint Birdseye maple necks. Add that to the lore of Leo Fender, and I was hooked. But of course, the Comanche was Leo’s last design circa 1988, and finding one from 1988 to prior to his death in 1991 is no small task. Very few Comanche’s exist from those three years, and even fewer Comanche V’s exist in those three years. There was also the Comanche VI, with six mini toggles for a variety of combinations. But it has a thinner sound, and it was a George & Dale invention that Leo never liked, reportedly. So I wanted a Leo-Era Comanche V. This baby showed up online and before I could pull the trigger, it was gone. I was super bummed. And then about a year later, it showed up again, at a lower price, and the seller accepted an even lower offer. Too sweet to pass up. I bought it within minutes of it listing.
It’s name is Golden Years, because I started wanting a Comanche in my young golden years of playing guitar, and its neck date is the date we buried my father, who always used to tell us that now our the golden years. Your current life, your present moment…these are the golden years. And 1990 was a beautiful year for me with lovely family memories. So, Golden Years it is.
G&L 1995 George Fullerton Signature – GF0191 – Neck: Mar 27, 1995 Body: Mar 22, 1995 (San Francisco)
An extremely special one. These George Fullerton Signatures are built to be in every way as good as George perceives a 1954 Fender Stratocaster to be, complete with alnico pickups instead of MFD. This particular one has one of the most stunning finishes I have ever seen. G&L spared nothing on these. This one was being sold for incredibly cheap on Craigslist in San Francisco. I just happened to be be going out there for a work trip, so I drove up, picked up the guitar from the nicest human on the planet (thanks Dave!), and then drove to the airport to pick up this girl I had just started dating. She is now my wife. And she has asked me to please never, ever sell this guitar. Well Love, San Francisco will always be ours.
G&L 1995 L2000 Bass modded – B026963 – Neck: Apr 6, 1995 Body: Apr 6, 1995
G&L 1996 S-500 Blueburst – G048789 Neck: Nov 16, 1996 Body: Oct 29, 1996 (Pacific)
Ah, Pacific. I love blue and green guitars. And I love wood grain in my guitars. This is one of the guitars I always wanted. Translucent blue, figured maple fretboard, 1996 (a very good year for the new style G&L’s), and an S500 with the expander switch. It is fast, it is tuneful, it is pretty close to perfect.
Named Pacific after my favorite painting Pacific by Alex Colville, which inspired one of my favorite films Heat, which has a lovely blue tint and water theme to the film throughout.
G&L 2003 Tribute S-500 Black – 03093045 Neck: AUG 03 Body: AUG 03
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G&L 1983 S500 – G011907 – Neck Feb 8, 1983 Body: Jun 15, 1982
G&L 1984 Skyhawk Kahler – G016542 – Neck Oct 19, 1984 Body: None
G&L 1985 Invader Red – G016883 – Neck: Apr 11, 1985, Body: Mar 18, 1985
G&L 1986 ASAT dark sunburst – G018032 – Neck June 3rd, 1986 Body May 12th, 1986 (Redwood)
G&L 1990 ASAT Cherryburst – G026153 Neck March 7th, 1990 Body January 9th, 1990 (Sunset)
G&L 1993 Legacy Translucent Turquoise
G&L 1994 Legacy Special black –
G&L 1995 S-500 Blueburst – G043222 – Neck June 13th, 1995 Body June 10th, 1995 with Fralin pickups
G&L 1996 S500 Translucent Green – G049825 – (humbucker, s500 switch, ASAT knobs)
G&L 1996 Legacy Black – G049078
G&L 1998 S500 Green – CL05113
G&L 1998 ASAT Z3 Semihollow Translucent Red – CL06748 – Neck June 4th, 1998 Body June 29th, 1998 (Buffalo)
G&L 2007 ASAT Z3 Semihollow Sunburst – CLF45726
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1959 Harmony Meteor – 5597H70
1960 Fender Duo Sonic – 50458 (all original except for old white refinish over original red)
Found online. Searched and searched for one I could afford and then this one popped up at a ridiculous price. I was sure when I got it, it would not be all original, but turned out every piece is original save the body finish. These old Pre-CBS Duo Sonic’s had Stratocaster pickups. It’s the biggest kept secret in vintage guitars. The sound is absolutely to die for. What’s more, the slightly smaller scale is great for jazz chordings, and the middle switch is wired in series, not parallel. So you get a humbucker sound in the middle position. This was my very, very first authentic Leo-Era Fender, and I love it.
Years later, it has yet to be named, as it hasn’t yet told me what it wants to be called.
1963 Fender Jaguar – L19884 – Neck August 1st, 1963 (all original except for 1990’s racing green finish & Mastery bridge) (Spartacus)
Pride and joy. 1963 Pre-CBS Leo-Era Fender Jaguar, all original except for a body refinish that I meant to change but somehow fell in love with the weird green and red Christmas in a 1960’s surf movie vibe. This one even has the flat pole pickups, which were an accidental feature in these that sounded better than the staggered pole ones. (Has nothing to do with being flat or staggered, but with the fact that they just happened to wind the flat pole ones differently.) I absolutely love Jaguar’s. Many people are unaware that the Jaguar was actually Leo’s last invention at Fender, he considered it his final mastery of guitar design at the time, and it was Fender’s highest priced retail guitar. They of course didn’t sell as well as the Stratocaster or Telecaster, but at their birth they were the “jaguar” of guitars, outpricing everything else. The vibrato system alone is absolutely perfect, allowing for a solid guitar while still having full control of the vibrato, even dippier than a through body vibrato.
I searched and searched and searched for one of these that I could afford from this era, and racing green was the one. Again, I was sure it wouldn’t be all original or flat pole pickup’d, but it is. That was a fun hunt. Named Spartacus, after That Thing You Do. And there is very little thing guitar can’t do. From the second bout circuit for deep jazz, to the throttle switch for band blending and Strat-like quack, to the lovely vibrato, to the subtle Tele-like steel vibrations of the strings, there is nothing like a Jag.
1966 Framus 5/110T Atlantik hollowbody redburst – 13143 (Mia)
This is Mia. Found at the little guitar shop in Sunset Beach, played better than anything else in the shop, at a fraction of the price. These were German-made in the ’60’s, really bare bones, but the play is great on these. Circuitry takes awhile to get used to as you can easily mute your output if you’re not careful. Named Mia after La La Land, as City of Stars was the first thing I played on this one.
1969 Fender Telecaster Classic Natural Butterscotch originally blackguard – 279713 Neck Code: 3 22 017 B
Ok, story time. 1969 (maybe) Fender Telecaster. I was at a vintage guitar show (I love vintage guitar shows…look forward to them like Christmas 1993), and strewn on the floor in the back of the most thrown together booth at the place was this little beauty. In her original case too. Tucked into the strings was 3×5 index card that simply said, “70s?” But a quick look at the neck not being a maple cap, but solid maple, next to that transitional logo, would mean ’60’s. So I picked it up. It did not even play below the 12th fret. So meedly meedly only.
1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard natural blonde – 00235692
1978 Fender Stratocaster all black – S907407 Pickup Code: 202878 bridge, 202878 middle, 202678 neck (Reese)
1978 Music Man Stingray Bass Natural – B002174 – Oct 11, 1978 (Landers)
1982? Fender Stratocaster neck only – sanded markings, may only fit a G&L now without shims
1984 Aria Pro II Transparent Blue – 4060458 (Blue Bear)
1998 Gibson Les Paul Special Humbuckers deep natural finish – 92668378
1998 Squier bass (Dad’s)
1999 Squier (Dad’s) – CY98123126 (Perris)
2001 Fender MIM Strat (Dad’s) – MZ0251935
2001 Brawley A122 Brownburst (Polar State)
2003 Gibson Les Paul Studio Wine Red – 02343464 (Cranberry Dream)
2008 Prairiewood Hard Top Greenburst with Wolfetone pickups (Wolfey)
2022 B3 Telstar Desert Sand – 22.024
2022 B3 Phoenix Natural – 22.034
2022 Trailblazer Telecaster recycled pine with custom etching (Wild Honey)
2023 Paradise Partscaster Telemaster turquoise relic (Real Life Relics body, Musikraft Fender licensed neck) with Lindy Fralin pickups (Fralin)
2024 Squier Bass VI new – ICSL23009040 (Ruby)
2025 B3 (Gene Baker Custom) Telstar Translucent Daphne Blue – 25.006 (Special Order)
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1939 Barnbuild Archtop natural finish (Minnesota)
1966 Gibson B4512N 12-string – 383749 (Walnut)
1997 Taylor 714e – 970325138
2007 Seagull Artist Mosaic – (Old Trusty)
2010 Martin GCPA3 – 1525980 (Evergreen)
2011 Taylor 114e Mexico – 2110111057 (Joshua)
2022 Breedlove Oregon Concerto Limited Green – 27220
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1977 Fender Jazz Bass yellow/blonde – S737031
2001 Epiphone PR1000
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2023 Cigar Box Guitars by Rich Hubcap guitar (Chevy)
2023 Cigar Box Guitars by Rich Cigar Box guitar (Darlene)
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1966 Fender Bassman blackface with 1967 15×12 cabinet 15” 1973 Eminence and 12” Oxford
And with Guild Thunderstar 1966 cabinet with Weber 15” (15F150A)
1967 Gibson Falcon with Celestion Alnico Gold 22x18x10
1970 Silverface Twin Reverb chassis (to be fixed)
2001 Danelectro Nifty Fifty
2004 Matchless Nighthawk Reverb with Scumnico
with 2008 65 Amps cabinet with Scumnico and Celestion Alnico Blue
2006 ZVex 1/2 Watt Amp Nano (3-4-06) with modern Orange 1×8 cabinet with Weber 8” 8A125 20 watt, 8 ohm
2006 ZVex 1/2 Watt Amp Nano (11-2-06) with modern Orange 1×8 cabinet with Weber 8” 8A125 20 watt, 8 ohm
2007 ZVex 1/2 Watt Amp Nano (9-19-07) -1041- with Vox 1×10 cabinet with Weber 10” California
2009 Matchless Clubman Reverb with 1970 Fender Twin cabinet with original speakers
2010 Vox AC4 (chassis only)
2012 Mesa Boogie Mark V 25 with 2008 65 Amps cabinet with Scumnico and Celestion Alnico Blue
2014 Mesa Boogie Mark V combo
2014 Vox AC4TV
2015 ToneKing Falcon Grande
2015 ToneKing Falcon Grande
2016 Vox AC4TV Special Mini 6.5”
2022 Tone King Imperial head
2023 Fender Acoustic Go
2024 Fender Acoustic Go
2024 Coffee Cab 1×12 with Weber 12F150A
2024 Coffee Cab 1×12 with Scumnico
