Here is some information on your dad's guitar.... have seen many people asking about this brand while I have read much that is erroneous or plain wrong although a number of people have managed to get to the bottom of this enigma, it has not been publicised. Basically, the music dealer Beare & Son Ltd of London, with a branch in Toronto for many years, is an old-established instrument dealer-now over 150 years old and still going strong. Back in the 1930s this company was a big Gibson dealer in London and Toronto- it is featured in Paul Fox's book "The Other Brands of Gibson". Like many retailers of that era- Selmer in London, which created the "Columbian" brand for US imports, Beare & Son Ltd or B & S L as it says on the badge created "The Michigan" as its own US import brand. There was a huge guitar boom in the UK in the 1930s and banjos were being tossed aside to be replaced by guitars- and American guitars had that extra appeal- that's where the music was coming from. In the 1930s from what I can deduce, these guitars were made in Chicago- Regal, Harmony and Kay. A little oval badge was nailed on the headstock and a sticky badge that was the same was also inside. The badge also stated "SOLE AGENTS" and "MADE IN USA." Now, a number of people have connected this brand with Beare & Son Ltd but plenty of people, it seems think that because it was The Michigan then there must be a Gibson connection. This is not the case- obviously, Michigan was the home of Gibson and the choice of that state as a brand name was redolent Big Time with a certain well-known instrument maker! Beare & Son retailed Gibson brands in the UK and Canada but unlike Francis,Day & Hunter with its FDH Special, did not sell Gibson instruments under its own brand- or so it seems. I have seen a Harmony archtop from the late 1930s with a carved plastic headstock veneer that features the company's trade mark of the "cat and fiddle" a very impressive headstock, for sure and the cat & fiddle is still the company's logo. If you want to see him, there's a Beare & Son Gibson catalogue from 1936 that can be found via Google and he's on most pages with a big rendition towards the back. World War Two stopped this business and after the dust cleared and the pound sterling had sunk, guitar imports from the USA were a distant memory and the firm imported guitars from Europe- mostly the Eastern Bloc. The badge was the same but the MADE IN USA had gone. Quite often, The Michigan branded guitars from the 1930s show up on ebay, and the sellers do not know what they have. Most of these guitars are clearly exactly the same as the Regal, Kay and Harmony originals but the name throws people. Attributing guitars to Gibson is not unusual when you do not know its origin and with a brand like The Michigan it is assumed that the guitars were made in that state- so, they are from Gibson. Now, if Beare & Son Ltd had called the brand The Illinois, this would not happen- or less often!Anyway, I hope this clears up matters and helps people to ascertain the true maker of these guitars and the odd mandolin, as well. To conclude, I have a date stamped Harmony H1265 Valencia sold as a Michigan- it's not a Gibson- it's a Harmony guitar, and no matter how hard I try, I
This channel is so much more interesting with Captain and Pete leading the charge. The Captain has always been very relatable, and now his playing has come a long way. Pete has that pure child like joy that just makes him so enjoyable to watch. Both seem like really cool dudes.
In the early '80's I took a semester of guitar in High School. I bought myself an inexpensive Harmony western for the class from the local music store. The store owner was also the music teacher for our high school, so I got even more of a deal since it was for his guitar class. It was nice enough, and everyone said it sounded really good considering its price. But there was one kid in this class using his dad's Martin. Wow. Night and day. Even the teacher/store owner said it was the nicest sounding one he'd ever played, and he owned a pretty nice Martin as well. I'm not really an acoustic fan, but your story reminded me (35 years later) that if I was ever to buy quality acoustic, it would have to be a Martin.
Hey Cap I was overwhelmed with your personal guitar history when you got to your D-35. I owned for 40 odd years a 1972 D-35 and had it refurbished by Martin after traveling and gigging with it for many years. It was in pretty rough shape when I sent it to Martin and they had it for almost a year. When it returned it was incredible. A full neck reset and repair of cracks in the ebony were just the beginning of what they did and it was all for free. They also returned it with a new case which wasn’t charged for or requested. What a company. Anyhow I had to sell mine a few years ago and I have regretted it ever since and seeing yours somehow made me feel better like one had found a good home. Cherish it dude and don’t sell it even if you need the money.
When he says, he’s an advocate for your always good enough. So basically if you can sfford expesnive and want it get it. Doesn’t matter how good or bad you are. That is the sort of attitude you want from someone! Top dude lee!
2 years later, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this solo setup you have here. Very watchable. if you ever need an idea for a video, just do more of this. By yourself, talking to camera. Lovely.
335 indeed, that nitro finish is spectacular! Thanks for keeping me entertained! Really great seeing someone model the correct behavior during these crazy times!!! Top notch! PS super glue the nut if it’s cut to deep, as seen on The Guitologist.
I've just this moment finished watching the video. Lee, thankyou. Thankyou for the stories behind all the guitars. I totally agree with you on the acoustic, it has to be a Martin. I'm in the market for an acoustic at present and I always have the martin sound in my head when I try one, I cant afford a martin at present, but I listen for what's closest. Once again Lee, thankyou.
Do a blind speed dating where rob, the captain and Pete all get given the same guitars at different times and have 10 seconds to play a guitar then get swapped to the next one and have to decide which one they like the most Do a guitar olympics. Different rounds like fastest guitar string change or quickest pedal and amp dialling in, quickest pedal board build
I totally get what he means when he says that sometimes something you don't really dig will sneak up on you and then you realize that you like it. For me its rosewood boards and big head stocks on a strat, I used to really dislike both but they've really grown on me lately.
That dark purple ("black") 70s Strat is quite possibly the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen. Hearing it was all a weird chemical reaction ("accident") only makes it better.
Great playing and tone on the 335 at the start of this! The guitarist from Floral plays a Daisy Rock Les Paul and he plays some awesome, super technical stuff on it. Definitely underrated guitars!
Oh the joy of year of birth guitars. Bought a red 1977 Yamaha SF-700 last year for exactly the same reason. To be honest, chances are fairly high it's a 1978 (serial numbers are not 1000% certain in those years) but that's an excuse I'll only use when I spot another 1977 guitar I lust for.
Ahoy Skipper ! Another good presentation ! The Michigan ? My first guitar of which I have two black & white photos only taken 1967... It was (is ?) a JAZZ Hollow Body with One Neck Pick-Up... Two f's in the style of Hofner... or Gretsch... Left it with a good friend and never obtained it back during world travels... He died (RIP) and took the Guitar... or secret... or both, to the grave with him ! and 'Skipper'... Looking through the window from 'outside' the house (diff focus) ... If I had to rush into a burning house for one of your guitars, then I would grab the Martin... Great Tone... Irreplaceable ! Oh ! and Second comment.. I have been "Joined-at-the-hip" to my 1972 ESTON 'Made in Italy' by EKO for the Australian market... We are now both 'Vintage' together !! Which of the seven guitars of mine would I burn my fingers for ??????? The Lot !!!!!!! 🤠...
Oh man, another hour of the Captain’s Guitars. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s guitar habit is so bad that I have guitars that I forget I even own.
Daisy Rocks sold great at the store I used to work at. I didn't find they were too gender specific -- sold a lot more of them to guys because they enjoyed how light and easily playable they were for stage or live-playing guitar. It was a nice blast from the past to see the Captain has one!
Lee, for restringing the bigsby, hook the ball end on, put tension on the string and clamp it down with a capo while stringing the tuners. Learned this after putting a bigsby on my firebird.
Lee, that '79 is your best sounding strat. It's so fat and squishy.. sounds huge. Even better than your sunburst custom shop. At least on this recording.
Hi lee In my humble opinion, I think your right on the button with the 3 guitar choice. In some cases It can take a lifetime to acquire your dream guitar. I’m lucky I have my 3 Gibson SG Standard 2003 Fender telecaster 2019 And a absolutely beautiful epiphone DR 500 MCE Masrebuilt And there is not enough time to give these the time they all deserve.!! Love the vids Lee. Muz
I agree with the Fender, I agree with the Gibson, but I gotta say to me I prefer a Taylor. IDK what it is about it, but I just really can't get enough of the sound of a good Taylor. Thanks for sharing Cap'n!
I recognize that the Martin Dreadnaught (and its sound) represents one of the classic acoustic guitars, however, there are fair number of others whose appearance and tone are of equal renounce and quality. The Gibson ‘Nick Lucas’ comes to mind readily as does Django’s Selmer. In the end though, your tour of you guitars is a breath of fresh air, open, honest and entertaining. Thank you much for you graceful contribution to quarantine palliatives. My ‘gotta have that’ moment brought me my Gibson L130, a short-lived run of genius grand concert instruments. If you ever get a chance to play one, take it. Whenever I take it out in the world, it draws attention.
i love my 5120! it was donated to me by an amazing human being that upgraded it with a set of GFS Surf 90 pickups and some good locking tuners. the locking tuners definitely make string changes easier with the Bigsby, but i also have a little tip/tricks for anyone struggling with Bigsby restringing: magnets. i just take the smallest strongish magnet i can find from the ol' fridge, slip the ball end over the Bigsby string post, and cap it with the magnet. i actually thought of the idea when restringing a banjo and mandolin with loop end strings in one sitting for a friend. after about the 6th frustrating mandolin string i had the magnet idea, and it makes life so much easier! 💚
Johnny Resin Great idea! You can buy small super strong magnets on eBay very reasonably! I use a magnet to cover the trem hole on my Strat when I remove the trem arm to stop the tension spring falling out! Works a treat!
Of all the strats you have played, I like the sound of your (Lee's) black (blotchy) one the best. Just goes to show everyone likes something different.
Recently had experience with my 1st acoustic (1996 Simon & Patrick SP6) recently picked it up from my parents where it was stored after probably 15 years of not being used, to find the neck was pulling away, bridge lifting and needed complete refretting and decided it was too sentimental to leave in its state, so I got it refretted and repaired and can honestly say it's like when I first got it and has become my most played guitar again. I'm a sucker for buying guitars for milestones in my life....
When you change those strings on those bigsbys just get a velcro strap or even a bit of tape to hold the string tight on the fretboard. Then get everything at the top sorted.
That ghost-fog black strat may not turn your crank, but from out here, it is seriously impressive. The deep warm bass counterpoints the treble nicely, especially on the neck pick-up :) Yes, I have had that moment. My wife owns a Framus B50 arch back student guitar which she bought as a teenager. It got partially run over by a VW bus back in the day (1970's sometime) and was very modestly repaired. She played it and I messed around on it, but always liked my acoustics better. And one day a few years ago she said it did not sound all that good, so it was going on the stand as display only... A few months later we hear a bang in the middle of the night. Next morning the strings and bridge are hanging off ... So I took it upon myself to reset the bridge. I used epoxy as it had to sit on the previously repaired top which was a bit uneven. I worked at it carefully and got it all done, strung it up, and BINGO - that thing came alive :) So then she would not let me play it any more (I was hogging it ...), so I found another Framus arch back, and the saga continues. Hers has a more playable neck. Mine is a bit more modern and needs a bridge reset too, but once done I know what it will do :D
I know i'm kind of young for this to happen but i recently bought a guitar made in my birth year as well. I bought a 1992 PRS CE3 a few months ago. I got a great deal on it and it was cheaper than a new ce-24 by a mile. kind of beaten up but i figure i will be before long too. wanted to jump on it before all early 90s have collectors prices on them. It's perfect and means a lot to me, money well spent. This is my house on fire guitar.
Came for the blue/black strat and you damn well know it! I do love that Grey Emperor too though! One of my strats has to have something in the nut to stop the low E from buzzing that I just can't seem to fix with the truss so every time I change strings I put a little piece of stem from some good weed in the nut and no more buzz, been doing it for years!
Hey Lee, You say you are having problems restringing bigsby guitars. Try using a Vibramate String Spoiler For Bigsby Vibratos, this makes for an easy install onto the bigsby. It should also make restrings a lot easier.
"B & S L" could well be Beare and Sons Ltd., British music distributors who had a Toronto branch office. Here's an AllExperts posting (hiya, Jim!) on a Beare and Sons Ltd. mandolin, with a similar "Sole Agents" label. Beare and Sons were distributors, not manufacturers, and they supplied stringed and brass instruments with their own label -- and probably with other labels. The source Jim G quoted on AllExperts mentions that the company imported and sold European instruments (German, Czech) in the UK and presumably in Canada, so the guess of European manufacture seems pretty reasonable. So continuing to speculate, "Michigan" might have been a Beare and Sons "house brand," with a variety of manufacturers making instruments under that label to be sold through the B & S L distribution network. Alternatively, it might have been a special "export" label of a larger European manufacturer, to which B & S L acquired UK/Canada distribution rights. I've looked at several Framus and Hofner older tenor banjos on-line, and can't find one with the individual resonator flange segments that the Elderly banjo has. So the manufacturer -- if there was a single one -- still seems obscure, at least to me.
Enjoyed that Lee! Great selection. Like you, I had a 79 strat that decided to peel too. Mine was white with black plastics. I read somewhere that an experimental water based primer reacted with the finish or something. I loved the sound on mine but it was so heavy that it gave me a frozen shoulder for a year or so. I could hardly stand up in some gigs by the end 😅 Sold it for £150.00 in 82ish 😬😬😬
Loved it. I could watch these for hours if you had even more guitars, especially those with sentimental value and stories about them. Let’s have some others do a similar thing. Great entertainment. Take care everyone. I must pay Andertons a visit when all this is over 👍
A trick for stringing a Bigsby is to pre bend the strings to curve around the bar first. The string will tend to stay on the pin while you connect the other end.
Regarding the '70s black finish on Fenders. Yes....it can/will revert back to black! My '78 P-bass went "marbley" - and was like that for some years. Now, it's all black again!
Now Pete's collection, and then Ben's collection! I'd be interested to see his since he's more of an acoustic player, but I'd also be curious to see what (if any) electrics he has.
Lee use a capo when you restring that bigsby gretsch. That’ll help so you can then string through machine head without losing the tension on the ball end side! Great second collection! I knew you had to have more! 😊 part 3 coming soon?!!!
Lol, I used to use the paper under the string at the nut when I was about 14 years old. I had a candy apple red Lotus flying V that my parents bought me as my 1st decent guitar. After maybe 2 years my a string started buzzing like that so I think I actually figured out on my own to stick a piece of a cardboard match stick in the nut slot. Of course it had to be changed every time I changed strings. But hey, it worked just fine. I used a similar technique to fix loose volume/tone knobs. Shim it on up baby!
A bit late, but it looks like your dad's guitar was from a company called Beare and Son Ltd. The Michigan was a parlor model from somewhere around the 1930s from what I can find. Very cool
“Never ever, ever think that you’re not good enough for something”. I like that Cap’n, thank you.
I read your comment at the same time he was saying it 😂 weird
I like that a lot too. Getting something you don’t feel “good enough” for can also inspire you and push you to improve 🤷♀️
Kate Brittain that’s it! That’s what I did with my Les Paul
Do a Danish Pete's Guitar Collection.
Stay tuned... We will see what we can do! 😉
@@andertons 😍😍😍
But... it would just be his tele...
Just watch his Captain meets episode
Great idea!
Here is some information on your dad's guitar....
have seen many people asking about this brand while I have read much that is erroneous or plain wrong although a number of people have managed to get to the bottom of this enigma, it has not been publicised. Basically, the music dealer Beare & Son Ltd of London, with a branch in Toronto for many years, is an old-established instrument dealer-now over 150 years old and still going strong.
Back in the 1930s this company was a big Gibson dealer in London and Toronto- it is featured in Paul Fox's book "The Other Brands of Gibson". Like many retailers of that era- Selmer in London, which created the "Columbian" brand for US imports, Beare & Son Ltd or B & S L as it says on the badge created "The Michigan" as its own US import brand. There was a huge guitar boom in the UK in the 1930s and banjos were being tossed aside to be replaced by guitars- and American guitars had that extra appeal- that's where the music was coming from. In the 1930s from what I can deduce, these guitars were made in Chicago- Regal, Harmony and Kay. A little oval badge was nailed on the headstock and a sticky badge that was the same was also inside. The badge also stated "SOLE AGENTS" and "MADE IN USA." Now, a number of people have connected this brand with Beare & Son Ltd but plenty of people, it seems think that because it was The Michigan then there must be a Gibson connection. This is not the case- obviously, Michigan was the home of Gibson and the choice of that state as a brand name was redolent Big Time with a certain well-known instrument maker!
Beare & Son retailed Gibson brands in the UK and Canada but unlike Francis,Day & Hunter with its FDH Special, did not sell Gibson instruments under its own brand- or so it seems. I have seen a Harmony archtop from the late 1930s with a carved plastic headstock veneer that features the company's trade mark of the "cat and fiddle" a very impressive headstock, for sure and the cat & fiddle is still the company's logo. If you want to see him, there's a Beare & Son Gibson catalogue from 1936 that can be found via Google and he's on most pages with a big rendition towards the back. World War Two stopped this business and after the dust cleared and the pound sterling had sunk, guitar imports from the USA were a distant memory and the firm imported guitars from Europe- mostly the Eastern Bloc. The badge was the same but the MADE IN USA had gone.
Quite often, The Michigan branded guitars from the 1930s show up on ebay, and the sellers do not know what they have. Most of these guitars are clearly exactly the same as the Regal, Kay and Harmony originals but the name throws people. Attributing guitars to Gibson is not unusual when you do not know its origin and with a brand like The Michigan it is assumed that the guitars were made in that state- so, they are from Gibson. Now, if Beare & Son Ltd had called the brand The Illinois, this would not happen- or less often!Anyway, I hope this clears up matters and helps people to ascertain the true maker of these guitars and the odd mandolin, as well. To conclude, I have a date stamped Harmony H1265 Valencia sold as a Michigan- it's not a Gibson- it's a Harmony guitar, and no matter how hard I try, I
When did they add chapter descriptions directly to the timeline? That's amazing.
We had seen a few comments requesting for our longer videos to be broken down into chapters, glad to see you're enjoying the new feature! 🤘
@@andertons Really brings your production quality to a whole new level, and it was already setting the bar ! Love the extra effort !
That's appeared on some of my videos where there are timestamps in the description - think it's a YT thing!
TH-cam started interpreting timestamps as chapters. Happened on my album-length videos, it's a very good feature on their part.
35:26 *FINALLY AFTER 12 YEARS ON THIS CHANNEL.*
Clapton did have a 70s sunburst strat that looked like brownie.
That Daisy Rock sounds GOOD with the crunch.
It really does
Just wanna say Lee’s playing is SOOO GOOD. Proof that practice and learning gets results. His playing has significantly sky rocketed within the year.
This channel is so much more interesting with Captain and Pete leading the charge. The Captain has always been very relatable, and now his playing has come a long way. Pete has that pure child like joy that just makes him so enjoyable to watch. Both seem like really cool dudes.
In the early '80's I took a semester of guitar in High School. I bought myself an inexpensive Harmony western for the class from the local music store. The store owner was also the music teacher for our high school, so I got even more of a deal since it was for his guitar class. It was nice enough, and everyone said it sounded really good considering its price. But there was one kid in this class using his dad's Martin. Wow. Night and day. Even the teacher/store owner said it was the nicest sounding one he'd ever played, and he owned a pretty nice Martin as well. I'm not really an acoustic fan, but your story reminded me (35 years later) that if I was ever to buy quality acoustic, it would have to be a Martin.
This feels like a therapy just watching these guitars, hearing a story about em! the type of content i live for. awesome
That Reverend guitar sounds awesome.
Hey Cap I was overwhelmed with your personal guitar history when you got to your D-35. I owned for 40 odd years a 1972 D-35 and had it refurbished by Martin after traveling and gigging with it for many years. It was in pretty rough shape when I sent it to Martin and they had it for almost a year. When it returned it was incredible. A full neck reset and repair of cracks in the ebony were just the beginning of what they did and it was all for free. They also returned it with a new case which wasn’t charged for or requested. What a company. Anyhow I had to sell mine a few years ago and I have regretted it ever since and seeing yours somehow made me feel better like one had found a good home. Cherish it dude and don’t sell it even if you need the money.
When he says, he’s an advocate for your always good enough. So basically if you can sfford expesnive and want it get it. Doesn’t matter how good or bad you are. That is the sort of attitude you want from someone! Top dude lee!
It makes a difference for me if someone who sells guitars, also loves them as much as i do. Great presentation, thank you for that!
I like hearing Lee talk, it's like hearing the father I never had.
I like the cheeky smile as he says "I like this guitar" it just felt wholesome
2 years later, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this solo setup you have here. Very watchable. if you ever need an idea for a video, just do more of this. By yourself, talking to camera. Lovely.
That Martin sounds freaking awesome!
I had the "thats the one" feeling when I picked up my Taylor acoustic in a shop 4 years ago. Still love it.
The captain alone in the Andertons shop gives me depression.
Would it make you feel better to remind you that he's not in the shop?
"I know Lewis doesn't drive for Ferrari..." Nice save there Lee!!!!!!!
😉
Lewis Hamilton does own a ferrari fyi lol
Lee making that 4 year prediction
@@NightPwnGaming I forgot about these comments and now I'm dead.....
I love the story behind your Gray Guitar emperor!
Wow, more colours, not only amber and sunburst 🤣
Ive never been a big 335 fan , but that red slightly flame top at the beginning of the video is stunning .
Nice to see some colour and sparkle. Guitars are fun to play, so why no be fun to look at? You need a G&L in one of their incredible glitter finishes.
Asat w/silver flake and the enormous p 90s
Would also love to see Beas collection!
335 indeed, that nitro finish is spectacular! Thanks for keeping me entertained! Really great seeing someone model the correct behavior during these crazy times!!! Top notch! PS super glue the nut if it’s cut to deep, as seen on The Guitologist.
I've just this moment finished watching the video.
Lee, thankyou.
Thankyou for the stories behind all the guitars.
I totally agree with you on the acoustic, it has to be a Martin.
I'm in the market for an acoustic at present and I always have the martin sound in my head when I try one, I cant afford a martin at present, but I listen for what's closest.
Once again Lee, thankyou.
Ahhh..🤘😎We needed this .This is breath of fresh air . Especially with everything going on in the world.Thank you so much for sharing,mate.🤘😎
21:25 the moment we were all waiting for
I love how he jokes about throwing himself out for playing Smoke On The Water lol
I bought a Daisy Rock for my daughter. Build quality was quite good.
Can we get a Danish Pete Guitar Collection video pls? I think I speak for all of us: we need it
Do a blind speed dating where rob, the captain and Pete all get given the same guitars at different times and have 10 seconds to play a guitar then get swapped to the next one and have to decide which one they like the most
Do a guitar olympics. Different rounds like fastest guitar string change or quickest pedal and amp dialling in, quickest pedal board build
That 1979 Strat actually sounds amazing... Another video Idea... Please do a comparison between all your strats.
I guess the Strat at 33:00 is where they got the inspiration for the Dark Knight strat
I was just thinking that
Absolutely loved this, thanks for sharing - Love the 70s Black strat !
Those are some great guitars. now we need pete's collection
His playing honestly sounds better and better every single video, great stuff!
I own an Epiphone Dot .... for the price vs. the Gibson, it plays really well too....Keep up the great videos...stay well, stay safe.
I was going to shop for Gibbo full fat 335, returned home with Epi Dot, as it feels like more fun to play 🤷
Check Eastman if you're ever in the market again for a Gibson style guitar. Honestly never played a better guitar for the price than an Eastman.
Regarding your dads guitar- B&S is Beare & Sons. They used to make a lot of banjo's and ukelele's as well
This has to go to the Caps eyes.
I totally get what he means when he says that sometimes something you don't really dig will sneak up on you and then you realize that you like it. For me its rosewood boards and big head stocks on a strat, I used to really dislike both but they've really grown on me lately.
Thank you for entertaining us during lockdown!
That dark purple ("black") 70s Strat is quite possibly the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen. Hearing it was all a weird chemical reaction ("accident") only makes it better.
Who else got scared when the Daisy Rock guitar almost fell off his lap? LOL!
Yeah I saw it slipping too and was like oooooh shit!
Al Dee 27 I was hoping it would drop
came here looking for that
That was an instant YIKES for me too! I like that neo-metro axe!
I started to move to catch it, silly me
That's the coolest daisy rocks guitars I've ever seen lol that's a great color
Great playing and tone on the 335 at the start of this!
The guitarist from Floral plays a Daisy Rock Les Paul and he plays some awesome, super technical stuff on it. Definitely underrated guitars!
That Grey sounds great! That might be your perfect studio recording electric guitar.
WE WANT PETES COLLECTION
hopefully I was loud enough to convince him
I really liked the Gray Guitars Emperor, especially the sentimental value of it.
And that Martin story is awesome!
Oh the joy of year of birth guitars. Bought a red 1977 Yamaha SF-700 last year for exactly the same reason. To be honest, chances are fairly high it's a 1978 (serial numbers are not 1000% certain in those years) but that's an excuse I'll only use when I spot another 1977 guitar I lust for.
Such a cool collection. That black Fender reissue sounds bold. That's the tone I'd go for in a blues/rock strat.
Ahoy Skipper ! Another good presentation ! The Michigan ? My first guitar of which I have two black & white photos only taken 1967... It was (is ?) a JAZZ Hollow Body with One Neck Pick-Up... Two f's in the style of Hofner... or Gretsch... Left it with a good friend and never obtained it back during world travels... He died (RIP) and took the Guitar... or secret... or both, to the grave with him ! and 'Skipper'... Looking through the window from 'outside' the house (diff focus) ... If I had to rush into a burning house for one of your guitars, then I would grab the Martin... Great Tone... Irreplaceable ! Oh ! and Second comment.. I have been "Joined-at-the-hip" to my 1972 ESTON 'Made in Italy' by EKO for the Australian market... We are now both 'Vintage' together !! Which of the seven guitars of mine would I burn my fingers for ??????? The Lot !!!!!!! 🤠...
The story about the Martin was worth waiting for.
That Reverand looks like a 5-year-old describing a telecaster to a sketch artist.
@G. V. Q With very bad reception !
...i left my tele in the back-window of the car syndrome...i thought it sounded pretty nice though...
I bought a second hand Taylor 914ce from you guys and fell in love!! Got it for a steal! Pure heaven!,,
Oh man, another hour of the Captain’s Guitars. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s guitar habit is so bad that I have guitars that I forget I even own.
That 70s Strat !!!! I thought it was blue over black. I absolutely love it
Daisy Rocks sold great at the store I used to work at. I didn't find they were too gender specific -- sold a lot more of them to guys because they enjoyed how light and easily playable they were for stage or live-playing guitar. It was a nice blast from the past to see the Captain has one!
That first lick was great :) great job Captain. I am starting to look up to you as an inspiration now!
Fun stuff! Thanks Lee
Lee, for restringing the bigsby, hook the ball end on, put tension on the string and clamp it down with a capo while stringing the tuners. Learned this after putting a bigsby on my firebird.
Lee, that '79 is your best sounding strat. It's so fat and squishy.. sounds huge. Even better than your sunburst custom shop. At least on this recording.
Hi lee
In my humble opinion, I think your right on the button with the 3 guitar choice. In some cases It can take a lifetime to acquire your dream guitar.
I’m lucky I have my 3
Gibson SG Standard 2003
Fender telecaster 2019
And a absolutely beautiful epiphone DR 500 MCE Masrebuilt
And there is not enough time to give these the time they all deserve.!!
Love the vids Lee.
Muz
I agree with the Fender, I agree with the Gibson, but I gotta say to me I prefer a Taylor. IDK what it is about it, but I just really can't get enough of the sound of a good Taylor. Thanks for sharing Cap'n!
I recognize that the Martin Dreadnaught (and its sound) represents one of the classic acoustic guitars, however, there are fair number of others whose appearance and tone are of equal renounce and quality. The Gibson ‘Nick Lucas’ comes to mind readily as does Django’s Selmer. In the end though, your tour of you guitars is a breath of fresh air, open, honest and entertaining. Thank you much for you graceful contribution to quarantine palliatives. My ‘gotta have that’ moment brought me my Gibson L130, a short-lived run of genius grand concert instruments. If you ever get a chance to play one, take it. Whenever I take it out in the world, it draws attention.
Peeeeeete do one of these already please
The 335 is a beauty. Love a Strat but that 335 sounds stunning.
...correct me if i'm wrong but, omg that Gretsch !!!!! and a beautiful story to accompany it...
i love my 5120! it was donated to me by an amazing human being that upgraded it with a set of GFS Surf 90 pickups and some good locking tuners.
the locking tuners definitely make string changes easier with the Bigsby, but i also have a little tip/tricks for anyone struggling with Bigsby restringing:
magnets. i just take the smallest strongish magnet i can find from the ol' fridge, slip the ball end over the Bigsby string post, and cap it with the magnet.
i actually thought of the idea when restringing a banjo and mandolin with loop end strings in one sitting for a friend. after about the 6th frustrating mandolin string i had the magnet idea, and it makes life so much easier! 💚
Johnny Resin Great idea! You can buy small super strong magnets on eBay very reasonably!
I use a magnet to cover the trem hole on my Strat when I remove the trem arm to stop the tension spring falling out!
Works a treat!
cecil stolberg magnets are magic!
The finish on that black strat is sick it looks like a navy blue guitar that someone tried to colour in with a sharpie
also what you should be playing on it is freaking out the neighbourhood by mac demarco
Great stay at home content 👍👍
Love the finish on the 70s black strat. Definitely a unique guitar for sure!
Of all the strats you have played, I like the sound of your (Lee's) black (blotchy) one the best. Just goes to show everyone likes something different.
I’ve really been looking forward to this. Kids in bed and free to enjoy
Recently had experience with my 1st acoustic (1996 Simon & Patrick SP6) recently picked it up from my parents where it was stored after probably 15 years of not being used, to find the neck was pulling away, bridge lifting and needed complete refretting and decided it was too sentimental to leave in its state, so I got it refretted and repaired and can honestly say it's like when I first got it and has become my most played guitar again. I'm a sucker for buying guitars for milestones in my life....
That Gretsch sounds great!
You need a Vibramate String Spoiler for that Bigsby. Makes changing strings super easy.
That Martin sounds truly amazing. Good year ;)
Those Bigbsy's are a swine to restring - recommend the Vibramate String Spoiler, makes it a doddle.
When you change those strings on those bigsbys just get a velcro strap or even a bit of tape to hold the string tight on the fretboard. Then get everything at the top sorted.
That ghost-fog black strat may not turn your crank, but from out here, it is seriously impressive. The deep warm bass counterpoints the treble nicely, especially on the neck pick-up :)
Yes, I have had that moment. My wife owns a Framus B50 arch back student guitar which she bought as a teenager. It got partially run over by a VW bus back in the day (1970's sometime) and was very modestly repaired. She played it and I messed around on it, but always liked my acoustics better. And one day a few years ago she said it did not sound all that good, so it was going on the stand as display only... A few months later we hear a bang in the middle of the night. Next morning the strings and bridge are hanging off ...
So I took it upon myself to reset the bridge. I used epoxy as it had to sit on the previously repaired top which was a bit uneven. I worked at it carefully and got it all done, strung it up, and BINGO - that thing came alive :)
So then she would not let me play it any more (I was hogging it ...), so I found another Framus arch back, and the saga continues. Hers has a more playable neck. Mine is a bit more modern and needs a bridge reset too, but once done I know what it will do :D
I very nearly bought a Daisy Rock when I was about 15. They felt pretty good and sounded good for their price range
Thanks for the bodge tip on raising the E string's action. I'm sure that will come in handy soon.
I really like that plum tree fretboard... out of his whole collection I'd probably want that grey guitar
I know i'm kind of young for this to happen but i recently bought a guitar made in my birth year as well. I bought a 1992 PRS CE3 a few months ago. I got a great deal on it and it was cheaper than a new ce-24 by a mile. kind of beaten up but i figure i will be before long too. wanted to jump on it before all early 90s have collectors prices on them. It's perfect and means a lot to me, money well spent. This is my house on fire guitar.
That Greys guitar sounds super meaty
Came for the blue/black strat and you damn well know it! I do love that Grey Emperor too though! One of my strats has to have something in the nut to stop the low E from buzzing that I just can't seem to fix with the truss so every time I change strings I put a little piece of stem from some good weed in the nut and no more buzz, been doing it for years!
Hey Lee,
You say you are having problems restringing bigsby guitars. Try using a Vibramate String Spoiler For Bigsby Vibratos, this makes for an easy install onto the bigsby. It should also make restrings a lot easier.
That Reverand guitar looks & sounds great.
"B & S L" could well be Beare and Sons Ltd., British music distributors who had a Toronto branch office. Here's an AllExperts posting (hiya, Jim!) on a Beare and Sons Ltd. mandolin, with a similar "Sole Agents" label. Beare and Sons were distributors, not manufacturers, and they supplied stringed and brass instruments with their own label -- and probably with other labels. The source Jim G quoted on AllExperts mentions that the company imported and sold European instruments (German, Czech) in the UK and presumably in Canada, so the guess of European manufacture seems pretty reasonable.
So continuing to speculate, "Michigan" might have been a Beare and Sons "house brand," with a variety of manufacturers making instruments under that label to be sold through the B & S L distribution network. Alternatively, it might have been a special "export" label of a larger European manufacturer, to which B & S L acquired UK/Canada distribution rights.
I've looked at several Framus and Hofner older tenor banjos on-line, and can't find one with the individual resonator flange segments that the Elderly banjo has. So the manufacturer -- if there was a single one -- still seems obscure, at least to me.
Enjoyed that Lee! Great selection. Like you, I had a 79 strat that decided to peel too. Mine was white with black plastics. I read somewhere that an experimental water based primer reacted with the finish or something. I loved the sound on mine but it was so heavy that it gave me a frozen shoulder for a year or so. I could hardly stand up in some gigs by the end 😅 Sold it for £150.00 in 82ish 😬😬😬
Loved it. I could watch these for hours if you had even more guitars, especially those with sentimental value and stories about them. Let’s have some others do a similar thing. Great entertainment. Take care everyone. I must pay Andertons a visit when all this is over 👍
Glad you enjoyed the video... Stay tuned as we have plenty more videos to follow! 🤘
A trick for stringing a Bigsby is to pre bend the strings to curve around the bar first. The string will tend to stay on the pin while you connect the other end.
Regarding the '70s black finish on Fenders. Yes....it can/will revert back to black! My '78 P-bass went "marbley" - and was like that for some years. Now, it's all black again!
Now Pete's collection, and then Ben's collection! I'd be interested to see his since he's more of an acoustic player, but I'd also be curious to see what (if any) electrics he has.
Lee use a capo when you restring that bigsby gretsch. That’ll help so you can then string through machine head without losing the tension on the ball end side! Great second collection! I knew you had to have more! 😊 part 3 coming soon?!!!
LOVE that 335 !!!
Beautiful guitars!!! Danish Pete's guitar collection next, please
Lol, I used to use the paper under the string at the nut when I was about 14 years old. I had a candy apple red Lotus flying V that my parents bought me as my 1st decent guitar. After maybe 2 years my a string started buzzing like that so I think I actually figured out on my own to stick a piece of a cardboard match stick in the nut slot. Of course it had to be changed every time I changed strings. But hey, it worked just fine. I used a similar technique to fix loose volume/tone knobs. Shim it on up baby!
A bit late, but it looks like your dad's guitar was from a company called Beare and Son Ltd. The Michigan was a parlor model from somewhere around the 1930s from what I can find. Very cool