I opened Guitar Gallery in Old Pasadena, 20 years ago today.

While I enjoyed the previous six years I spent
at Voltage Guitars, this was my baby, for better or worse...



I believe this image was taken (by me) the day the carpet was installed,
which was two days after we opened for business.

The guitar/amp combo was used in the artwork that appeared on our
first t-shirt designs. (1953 lefty Les Paul and Gibson amp.)

I miss that shop, our great customers, and that guitar, to this day.

Tags: Anniversary, Gibson, Les Paul, Lefty, Gold Top

As we're on the guitar show theme, I'm posting images from other shows. Oh, those were the days of real vintage guitar shows, not new Gibsons and PRS guitars in vintage dealer's booths...

I'll re-post with a better/larger scan when I track down the original negative...

Instruments on table (left to right):

1. (Partially cropped) 1964 Rickenbacker 366/12 - Reported to be a prototype for the 6/12 Convertable models, it is a 1964 360-12 retrofitted with the converter comb assembly. Left the factory in the early 1980's.

2. 1963 Rickenbacker 360/12 - The first twelve string built by Rickenbacker.

3. 1957 Rickenbacker Combo 800 - Original or ancient refinish in sparkle blue. Double coil "horseshoe" pickup.

4. 1957 Gibson Les Paul Standard - Gold Top. Earliest and cleanest example of a lefty with humbucking pickups.

5. 1969 Rickenbacker 381 - MapleGlow.

6. 1968 Rickenbacker 381/12 - FireGlow. Only known 3 pickup version. Thinner body, thinner German carve than on standard 381's.

7. 1957 Rickenbacker 330 Capri Prototype - Dark sunburst (Autumnglow).

8. 1970 341/12SF - Roger McGuinns slant fret light show 12 string. Now residing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

9. 1986 Rickenbacker Model 325/12. Short scale 12 string.

10. Mark Lacey Premier Archtop - Blonde. Mark still makes some of the best instruments you would ever hope to play.

11. Mark Lacey Empire Archtop - Sunburst.

12. 1967 Epiphone Riviera - Cherry Red.

13. 1968 Gibson ES-335 - Cherry Red.

14. Dobro... unknown (memory failure)

15. 1965 Fender Jazzmaster - Seafoam Green with matching head. Mint condition with deluxe "rifle" case.


16. 1932 National Style "O" - Etched palm trees...


Instruments on floor (left to right):

1. 1965 Rickenbacker Model 330 - Fireglow.

2. 1963 Rickenbacker Model 625 - Fireglow.

3. New Rickenbacker Model 370/12RME1 - FireGlo. Roger McGuinn Limited Edition model.

4. 1963 Rickenbacker Model 460 - Fireglow. Rare model. "Full Face" pickguard, deluxe inlay, body and neck binding.

5. 1970 Rickenbacker Model 360 - Fireglow. Unusual bound headstock model.

6. 1964 Rickenbacker Model 615 - Black.

7. 1954 Gibson ES-140. 3/4 scale, deep body.

8. 1950's plastic Macaferri. Unsold stock.

9. 1965 Vox Phantom XII - Black. Early English made version.

10. New Custom Schecter "Strat-style" - See-thru White. (Yes, yes, "Strat" is a registered trademark of Fender something or another...)

11. 1968 Gibson SG Standard - Cherry Red.

12. 1961 Danelectro Longhorn Model 6 String Bass - Copperburst.

URL Links: Lacey Guitars • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum

Tags: Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker , Epiphone, Lacey, Danelectro, Roger McGuinn

In recognition of the passage of 20 years since we opened the shop in Old Town Pasadena, here are a couple of shots from our first guitar show appearance. I have more, and will be adding them soon.

Instruments in image above (left to right):

1. 1964 Fender Jazz Bass - Sunburst. Left handed.

2. 1959 Fender Stratocaster - Three tone sunburst. Left handed.

3. 1961 Gibson EB-2 Bass - Left Handed. I bought this bass in 1986 from a music store that had it stored in the original Gibson shipping box in the back. It got one ding in the finish while on display, so they put it away and forgot about it. Still smelled new. This was one of my personal instruments for many years.

4. 1958 Gretsch Duo Jet - Black top. Left Handed.

5. 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel Custom. Sunburst. Left handed.

6. 1966 Gibson Byrdland - Honey Sunburst. Left handed.

7. 1960 Model 360F - Fireglow. Factory original unsold stock.

8. 1986 Rickenbacker Model 325/12. Short scale 12 string. Unsold factory stock.

9. 1960 Gibson Les Paul Special - Cherry Red. Left Handed. One of two I have seen. The other was one serial number later than this near mint example. Featured in "The Les Paul Book" (Bacon & Day).

10. 1967 Epiphone Riviera 12 String - Cherry Red. Left handed. The cleanest guitar I have ever seen in my life. I bought this guitar in 1983, and very much regret selling it in the early 1990s.

11. 1965 Epiphone Sheraton - Blonde. Left handed. Only known blonde lefty. My baby. This guitar was in my collection for 23 years.

12. 1967 Rickenbacker Model 360/12 (Behind Steven) - Left Handed, FireGlow. One of my personal guitars, and twin to the guitar to the left. Internal routing includes block for Convertable assembly. Unsold factory stock.

13. 1963 Rickenbacker Model 365 (Steven is holding) - Blonde. 'Double bound' body. Unsold factory stock.

14. 1971 Rickenbacker Model 331 'Light Show' - Burgundyglow.

15. 1969 Rickenbacker Transonic 200 Series amplifier - Used by Led Zeppelin on their first U.S. tour.

16. 1969 Rickenbacker Transonic 100 Series amplifier - Combo model. (peeking over top of table)

17. 1959 or 1960 Rickenbacker Model 345 Capri. Factory original unsold stock.

18. 1968 Rickenbacker Model 370F - Dark FireGlow. Unsold factory stock.

19. 1967 Rickenbacker Model 360F Prototype - German carved top (like model 381, but not as deep.) Control knobs on semi-circular control plate. Separate plate for pickup selector switch. Unsold factory stock.

20. 1960 Rickenbacker Model 360F (Partially hidden) - Blonde. Unsold factory stock.

21. 1968 Rickenbacker Model 360F - Black. Unsold factory stock.

Persons in photo (left to right):

Steven Miller - Steven worked for and with me at Voltage Guitars, helped me set up my shop, and following this show worked for me for several years. Sadly, Steven passed away in 1996 (the same day I closed my retail store. It's not a coincidence.)

Cesar Rosas - Guitarist/singer/songwriter with 'Los Lobos'. A fellow lefty, he has been an acquaintance for many years. In this shot he is tuning up my 1959 Fender Stratocaster.

Elliot Easton - Guitarist for 'The Cars'. Elliot is a long time friend (us lefties tend to stick together.) In this photo Elliot is playing my 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel Custom. This instrument later ended up at his place... not sure how that happened.

? - I can't recall who this is. I believe he was there with Cesar.

Instruments on table (left to right):

All are Rickenbackers

1. 1982 Model 4002 Bass. Unsold factory stock.

2. 1959 or 1960 Model 345 Capri. Factory original unsold stock.

3. 1967 Model 370 - Blonde. Factory original unsold stock.

4. 1967 Model 375 - Blonde. Factory original unsold stock.

5. 1968 Model 360 - Fireglow. Factory original unsold stock.

6. 1968 Model 365 - Fireglow. Factory original unsold stock.

7. 1960 Model 360F - Fireglow. Factory original unsold stock.

URL Links: Dallas Guitar Shows

Tags: Guitar Show, Rickenbacker , Lefty

Guitar Gallery. Old Town Pasadena, California. Prior to the name change.

Here are a couple of shots I found in a drawer. I do not know the exact date they were taken, but based on the instruments it is sometime in 1990.

This was my favorite shop of the four I was involved in. It was the closest to my need for a space that works as function integrating form. It was featured in Japanese magazines (an article of which I will post as soon as I can get a translation,) and in some Japanese tour books for the L.A. area. There is some pride there...

Top Image: The front instrument is the first Rickenbacker 12 string, built in July of 1963, 5 months before the one acquired by George Harrison was completed. We sold it for the original owner, Suzi Arden, who was a friend of Rickenbacker’s owner F. C. Hall. She headlined a western review in Las Vegas at the time, and Rickenbackers were featured prominently in her act. At the time these images were taken we restored for her what was likely the first 4001 bass produced, replicating the original headstock, grafting the new one to the instrument, and matching the original FireGlow finish. (I still have the original headstock around here somewhere.)

The instrument on the bottom right is Roger McGuinn's (The Byrds) slant fret(!) 'Light Show' 12-string - designated as a model 341-12SF - which our tech restored for Rickenbacker prior to it's return to Roger. The body was severely cracked at the tailpiece bracket, back seam, and neck/headstock. The back of the headstock was veneeered and blended in to the neck to make it stable. Our guy, Tom Smith, did an amazing job. Contrary to another web site’s history of this instrument, it was not refinished to JetGlo. The finish applied to the repaired areas was painstakingly matched to the original BurgundyGlow. This guitar is now on display in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

The three lefties are unsold stock from 1967, purchased new by me for my own collection, from the CEO of Rickenbacker, John Hall, in 1989. The one on the left is BurgundyGlow, not black (JetGlow) as it appears in this shot. All three of these instruments feature the internal routing consistent with a ‘Convertible’ model, although no lefty 366-12s were ever produced.

The center instrument is a beautiful 1958 Combo 600 model in Cloverfield Green, also unsold stock from the Rickenbacker factory warehouse.


I have additional images in the archives of all of these instruments, with the exception of the combo model. I will be posting entries on each of them in the future.

Bottom Image: This shot contains vintage Vox amps, Rickenbackers (including a Banjoline and a 456-12), Fenders (notice the lefty 1966 Electric XII,) etc. We were a PRS dealer at the time. This was before he made lefties (don’t get me started on Paul Smith.)

There we have it for today’s look into the past.

Scott


URL Links: Roger McGuinn • Rickenbacker • Rock Hall • Suzi Arden

Tags: Guitar Gallery, Rickenbacker , PRS, Lefty, 12 String, Vintage, Roger McGuinn, Celebrity