It’s time to tell the story of the Guitar guitar. And then give it away, as it’s time it moved on. Read this then if you want it* let me know.
(UPDATE: the guitar has been claimed by Jim from Stuporhero.)
In early 2002 I was in a band of sorts with a couple of dudes including Scott Schickler on drums. I knew Scott from a very short-lived Delusions side project that we’d both been in, and of course Scott was the drummer in seminal Sub Pop signee Swallow.
About the time our band broke up Scott gave me this guitar:
and then told me what happened.
The guitar had once been black and belonged to a Tom W, who kept it in his dorm room at Terry Hall in the early 80s. Scott and future rock star Mark A. would visit and rock out on it. Then Tom stripped and shellac’d it, so now it’s shellac’d. Very much so. The original make and model are no longer discernible, it has been rebranded “Guitar.”
I used to think it was a Harmony Meteor from the early 60s, and it might be, or a Silvertone of some sort, or who knows. Do you know?
It came to me with a ratty nut so I cut and installed a replacement. It was dirty and the strings were rusty so I cleaned it and replaced those. And the rear strap button was broken off. The only major flaw I can see in it is that the fretboard has split from the neck a little and someone tried to fill the gap with wood glue (probably me).
For a minute there I thought this would be my main squeeze instrument, but I think I gigged with it exactly once.
You can see I’m really feelin it there. After that I recorded it for one song on my first album. I recall micing it while also playing it through an amp and micing the amp.
I recorded it again for bits of another song on the next album. Probably miced it the same way because it just seems like the thing to do.
Then later I thought I’d try improving the Guitar so I swapped out the Bigsby with a stationary tailpiece. Not sure why I thought that would help.
And now years later it’s today, and I don’t ever play it, and I don’t feel like finishing the restoration (remounting the fretboard). I don’t even have a case for it, it’s just waiting to fall over onto something hard. I asked Scott if he wants it back, and he doesn’t. So who wants it?
* and you live nearby, and you’re not crazy, and I know you already
