31 Oct 2025

October 2025 – Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part II – CRAVE Effects

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, Observations, Opinion | 0

HI Y’ALL GOOD FOLKS. HOW ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE? The CRAVEman bids you a warm welcome and hopes all is as well as it can be, wherever you are on our precious shared planet. It is kinda a rhetorical question intended to encourage one to consider, albeit very briefly, the importance of one’s own health and wellbeing. I am not expecting responses. Honest. Well, here we are, heading irretrievably towards winter in the northern hemisphere. Gracious greetings once again, it’s fab to have you along in the abstruse alliterative arena of CRAVE Vintage Guitar Gear. I thank you, sincerely, for your attendance – it is genuinely and humbly appreciated. I’m sure you probably have much better things to do than join me in my repetitively random rants and ramblings.

Just a short up‑front re‑statement in support of my on‑going cultural campaign to promote humanity’s desperate need to bring peace and harmony to our divided, embittered world. Amity is not only about stopping existing conflict but also about preventing future hostilities. True and lasting peace can only be achieved through unceasing efforts to stimulate genuine understanding, co‑operation and tolerance. Reconciliation and peaceful collaboration should be a collective imperative for everyone on our only world. War is ignorance. Peace is wisdom. Simple. Apologies but this is my only platform to disseminate that vital message.

“Authoritarian societies are inherently corrupt, and corrupt societies are inherently unstable” – William Gibson (1948‑)

Prelude

Last month’s article looked at ‘Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part I – CRAVE Guitars & CRAVE Basses’. This month, we have the sequel, based on CRAVE Effects, which delves into the weird, wonderful and occasionally wild dark side of vintage gear to explore what vintage effect pedals are, what they do and why they might be of interest. Vintage effects are a bit of a niche interest and can often be overlooked by the mainstream ‘collecterati’, so they are by default of interest to your humble host.

Upfront, I really love old analogue effect pedals. I’ve owned some of my favourite pedals since the late 1970s and they are still going strong. It is probably needless to say that modern digital effects provide pristine, crystal clear tones, low noise levels, consistent and reliable power supply, and feature seemingly limitless combinations of control. Call me old school but the excellent new models lack that grubby, grimy imperfectness that makes the oldies the goodies. Some manufacturers recognise this and, alongside their modern DSP (Digital Sound Processing) based ‘computers’, companies reissue and/or (try to) replicate the vintage classics. However, from my perspective, these modern effects can be considered ‘too good’ in comparison, lacking a bit of warmth, soul and charm. An analogy may be like comparing a clapped out old Citroën 2CV with a brand new Bentley Continental. I’d actually go for the cheaper and decidedly more eccentric Deux Chevaux.

As with last month, this article’s featured quotes bring a few carefully selected thoughts about human ‘perception’ to the proceedings. As usual, no AI was used in the writing of this article, just the tired and worn out brain cells of your mentally atrophied author. Apologies for intellectual standards falling short of real intelligence. I did, however, use AI image creation for The CRAVEman image towards the end of this article.

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” – Henry David Thoreau (1817‑1862)

Previously… on Collections and Collections within a Collection

There is little point in reiterating the original idea on which this article is based. If you wish to view/review CRAVE Guitars articles on the compulsion of vintage gear collecting and guitar/bass collections within a collection, those blogs can be accessed by following the links below (each link opens a new browser tab).

May 2025 – The Compulsion to Collect Vintage Guitars
September 2025 – Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part I – CRAVE Guitars & CRAVE Basses

Last month, guitars and basses were grouped by other criteria for an alternative perspective. Sadly, there aren’t enough CRAVE Amps to justify a similar treatment, so there won’t be a Part III. However, effect pedals just cry out for a different method for appreciating their vintage charm, hence this article.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is — infinite” – William Blake (1757‑1827)

Effect Brands

Since the 1990s and particularly since the beginning of the 21^st Century, there has been an explosion of interest in, as well as supply of and demand for, effect pedals. The massive proliferation in effect pedals (way too many to mention here) is effectively excluded from this article on vintage pedals, as CRAVE Guitars has an arbitrary cut‑off of 1989. All the effect pedals featured herein all come under the heading of CRAVE Effects.

For the purpose of this article, a good starting point is to define the effect brands featured on the CRAVE Guitars’ web site. The ‘big four’ and ‘the rest’ are:

Electro‑Harmonix (EHX)
MXR
BOSS
Ibanez
Other – Colorsound, Dallas Arbiter, DOD, Dunlop, Jen, Marshall, Pro Co, Sola Sound, VOX

On the CRAVE Guitars’ web site (as CRAVE Effects), effect pedals are organised according to the de facto ‘standard’ way of cataloguing vintage gear brand. Like other vintage guitar gear, effects are usually referred to by brand, model and date. This is how effects are grouped on the web site features and galleries. It is also how I tend to keep track of the pedals in which I’m interested. Therefore, I am assuming that this standard methodology of curatorship is a given and I won’t expand on this further.

As mentioned on the web site, not all these brands are American. CRAVE Effects is the only part of the ‘collection’ where I extend the boundaries to include brands from across the globe. The reason is that these pedals were integral to the cultural zeitgeist of, particularly, American and British music from the 1960s onward, possibly more so than instruments. While I am usually pedantic about such things, I am flexible in this regard. ‘They’ say there is always an exception to a rule. ‘They’ also say that rules are there to be broken. ‘They’ should really make ‘their’ mind(s) up.

There are some notable effect brands missing from the above list, for instance Binson, Digitech, Maestro, Maxon (who made effects for Ibanez), Morley, Musitronics, Roland (who make BOSS), ROSS, Shin‑Ei, Thomas Organ, etc. The simple reason is that this article is focusing on CRAVE Effects and the ‘collection’ doesn’t have any of these effect brands (yet). As with instruments, the scope has to be limited, if only for my sanity. The point will, nevertheless, hopefully be made anyway.

For clarity, there are no rack effects featured here, even though some were common during the period covered (for instance from Roland and MXR). Also, there are no digital multi‑effect units or software effects, as these tended to appear more recently than vintage pedals.

“Everything hinges on how you look at things” – Henry Miller (1891‑1980)

Effect Types

The standard methodology, as you may have gleaned from last month’s article, isn’t the only way to look at things. Even more than instruments, effects fall relatively easily into an alternative, convenient set of groupings. It is this that I’ll be using for the rest of this article. This might prove interesting because it isn’t easy to view this perspective on the web site.

There are plenty of resources on the hinterwebby thingummy that suggest a variety of different effect types. I analysed these and I don’t necessarily agree with any of them. In the end, I went with my own intuition and came up with the following broad categories, noting that some pedals fall across or between these groups (for instance, compression and EQ often feature a clean boost and hybrid effects such as octave/fuzz, wah/fuzz and wah/volume pedals are commonplace). There are also some effects that could be classified entirely within a different category, for instance compression, which doesn’t easily fall within any category.

Gain Effects (e.g. clean/treble boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz)
Modulation Effects (e.g. phaser, flanger, chorus)
Time‑Based Effects (e.g. reverb, echo/delay)
Filter Effects (e.g. wah‑wah, envelope follower, ‘synth’, ring modulator, EQ, talk box)
Amplitude Effects (e.g. tremolo, volume, swell, compression, limiter, noise gate)
Pitch Effects (e.g. vibrato, octave, pitch shifter, harmonizer)
Speciality Pedals (e.g. tuner, channel switch, buffer, power supply, effect loops)

Breaking the above groups down, there are around 30 different sub‑types, which provide a seemingly obvious way of looking at effects differently, something that I have not previously done with CRAVE Effects.

You may well argue that pedals grouped under #7 above aren’t effects at all and you’d be right. However, they are more or less, integral to many musician’s pedalboards, so for this article, they are included as an additional category. There are also some effects often used by guitarists/bassists that don’t fall into any of the above categories, for instance drum machines and loopers.

CRAVE Effects currently doesn’t have some effect sub‑types, for instance analogue synth, ring modulator, tremolo, limiter, noise gate, pitch shifter, etc. That means that there are some gaps at the time of writing. My aspiration is for the collection to become more comprehensive over time.

Phew! That’s even before we get started for real. Fewer words from here on in, mainly images – ‘they’ (again) say an image speaks a thousand words, so that’s what I’m banking on. Enjoy the colourful world of diminutive floor‑based stomp boxes with the following 7 headlines and 15 mini‑collections, each with an introductory section explaining what the grouping means for the sounds we hear.

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality” – Tim Burton (1958‑)

Mini Collections 1 – Gain Effects (16)

Gain effects work by boosting the signal to varying degrees in certain ways. At its simplest, a clean boost will simply amplify a signal, making it stronger (louder). Used carefully, it can be used to overload the input stage of subsequent effects or (valve) amplifiers, causing then to start ‘clipping’ the signal – effectively flattening off a normal sine wave signal. In itself, an average clean boost doesn’t clip a signal. Overdrives take the principle a bit further by intentionally overloading circuits to force them into ‘clipping’, intended to produce a warm saturated valve‑like sound. Distortion effects inherently create a definite ‘clipping’ as an integral part of their circuits and present these already distorted sounds to whatever follows them. A good distortion effect will retain the core signature of the signal it receives. Fuzz pedals take the effect to logical extremes by forcing a sine wave signal into a brutal square wave signal, creating a wall of heavily distorted sound that can, if pushed, even obscure the original signal altogether.

Boost Effect Pedals (2)

Left‑right: 1976 Electro‑Harmonix LPB‑2, 1980 MXR Micro Amp

Overdrive Effect Pedals (4)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1980 BOSS OD‑1 Over Drive, 1985 BOSS SD‑1 Super Over Drive, 1981 Ibanez TS‑808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro, 1981 Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Distortion Effect Pedals (7)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1975 MXR Distortion +, 1981 BOSS DS‑1 Distortion, 1985 BOSS HM‑2 Heavy Metal, 1983 Ibanez SD9 Sonic Distortion, 1984 Ibanez SM9 Super Metal, 1989 Marshall The Guv’nor, 1988 Pro Co RAT

Fuzz Effect Pedals (5)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Big Muff Pi, 1978 Electro‑Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, 1975 Colorsound Supa Tone Bender, 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, 1976 Sola Sound Tone‑Bender Fuzz

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are” – C.S. Lewis (1898‑1963)

Mini Collections 2 – Modulation Effects (21)

Modulation relies, in theory, on a time‑based effect but they produce a distinctive sound. First of all, they retain the original signal. A phase effect will copy a signal and put it through an analogue delay circuit called a bucket brigade device (BBD). A BBD will store the original signal and delay it very slightly. Then it does the same again to the delayed signal and so on. This creates a delayed signal that is out of phase and mixed with the original signal – hence phasing. Controls usually feature rate and depth (strength). Flange takes the concept and extends it, producing a second audio signal and mixing it with the original, causing a swooshing or ‘airplane engine’ sweep across frequencies. Chorus works by layering multiple copies of the original signal and slightly detuning and delaying them, thereby creating what was intended to sound like multiple instruments. Chorus is often used to thicken and deepen the overall sound.

Phaser Effect Pedals (10)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1980 Electro‑Harmonix Bad Stone, 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Small Stone, 1976 MXR Phase 45, 1977 MXR Phase 90, 1982 MXR Phase 100, 1979 BOSS PH‑1 Phaser, 1981 BOSS PH‑1r Phaser, 1978/79 Ibanez PT‑909 Phase Tone, 1981 Ibanez PT‑909 Phase Tone, 1982 Ibanez PT9 Phaser

Flanger Effect Pedals (5)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Electric Mistress, 1982 MXR Micro Flanger, 1981 BOSS BF‑2 Flanger, 1981 Ibanez FL301‑DX Flanger, 1982 Ibanez FL9 Flanger

Chorus Effect Pedals (6)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1981 Electro‑Harmonix Small Clone, 1980 MXR Micro Chorus, 1982 MXR Stereo Chorus, 1980 BOSS CE‑2 Chorus, 1981 Ibanez CS‑505 Chorus, 1984 Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are” – Anaïs Nin (1903‑1977)

Mini Collections 3 – Time‑Based Effects (8)

Delay effects fall broadly into two general types. The subtler of the two is reverb. It works by delaying the original signal very slightly so that the resulting sound creates a feeling of space, as if sound waves were reflecting of surfaces and gradually decaying. Reverb recreates sound wave reflections reaching the listener at slightly different times, for example in a large open space, such as a church, cathedral, cave, hall or empty venue. Echo effects basically do what they say on the tin. It copies the original signal and replays it one or more times with a delay that is sufficient for the brain to process it as a separate sound wave from the original. Originally tape loops were used to record, play back and then erase the signal. Solid state analogue BBD circuits superseded tape but are limited in clarity and the time between repeats. However digital delays can create very long delays with crystal clean echoes. The ultimate extreme of delays is used as the basis for modern looping effects.

Reverb & Delay/Echo Effect Pedals (8)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1987 BOSS RV‑2 Digital Reverb, 1977 Electro‑Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, 1978 MXR Analog Delay, 1986 BOSS DD‑2 Digital Delay, 1982 BOSS DM‑2 Delay, 1984 BOSS DM 3 Delay, 1982 Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay, 1980 DOD Analog Delay 680,

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty” – David Hume (1711‑1776)

Mini Collections 4 – Filter Effects (10)

Filter effects effectively add or remove certain frequencies within a signal thereby changing the tone of the signal. They generally do not affect the volume or pitch of a signal, just the amount of bass, middle or treble. The simplest of these is the equivalent of a passive tone pot on a guitar or bass being used to shape the sound. Putting a tone pot in a treadle and operating it with the foot creates a filtered tone sweep (the crying wah‑wah effect) when the signal is changed continuously or, if kept in a fixed position, create a sound with an emphasis either on bass or treble characteristics of the original signal. An envelope filter, derived from analogue synthesiser technology attempts to recreate the wah‑wah type sound electronically without the need for the player to control the signal manually. EQ (short for equalisation) can be a straightforward ‘graphic equalizer’ with different controls for different parts of the signal, meaning that the sound spectrum can be shaped very accurately. EQ can also be parametric, where one control selects a certain frequency and a second control varies the tone around that frequency (often found in recording studio desks). Counter‑intuitively, low cut filters preserve high frequencies and vice versa (also slightly more sensibly called high and low pass filters).

Wah‑Wah Effect Pedals (3)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1977 Colorsound Supa Wah‑Swell, 1980s Dunlop Original Cry Baby GCB‑95, 1980 Jen Cry Baby Super

Envelope Follower Effect Pedals (5)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1976 Electro‑Harmonix Doctor Q Envelope Follower, 1980 Electro‑Harmonix Zipper Envelope Follower, 1978 MXR Envelope Filter, 1985 BOSS TW‑1 T Wah, 1981 Ibanez AF 201 Auto Filter

EQ Effect Pedals (2)

Left‑right: 1981 MXR Six Band Graphic Equalizer, 1981 Ibanez GE‑601 Graphic Equalizer

“Though we see the same world, we see it through different eyes” – Virginia Woolf (1882‑1941)

Mini Collections 5 – Amplitude Effects (7)

Put simply, amplitude effects change the volume of a signal. They generally do not affect the tone or pitch of signals. Amplitude and frequency affects are often confused, for instance, tremolo (affects the volume) and vibrato (affects the pitch). They are fundamentally very different things. At its simplest, a swell pedal puts a volume control in a treadle that can be foot operated, giving the same result as a volume control on a guitar or bass. A swell effect is actually very hard to replicate electronically. Tremolo provides a ‘throbbing’ or ‘pulsing’ sound by increasing and reducing volume in a predetermined cycle and was the first on‑board effects in vintage valve amps. Compression generally falls into this bracket and works by boosting low level signals and cutting (or limiting) high level signals thereby ‘compressing’ the dynamics of a signal that can vary from slight to significant. Compression can be used to smooth, warm, thicken and sustain a signal, often very useful for guitar signals that are usually dynamic with sharp attack, rapid decay and short sustain. Noise gates work in the opposite way, by eliminating low level signals including extraneous noise.

Volume & Swell Effect Pedals (3)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1970s Colorsound Swell, 1960s VOX Volume/Expression, 1979 BOSS SG‑1 Slow Gear

Compression Effect Pedals (4)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1980 MXR Dyna Comp, 1980 BOSS CS‑1 Compression Sustainer, 1981 Ibanez CP‑835 Compressor II, 1982 Ibanez CP9 Compressor/Limiter

“There is no fixed physical reality, no single perception of the world, just numerous ways of interpreting world views” – Deepak Chopra (1946‑)

Mini Collections 6 – Pitch Effects (3)

Pitch effects do what they say, they affect the pitch of a signal without changing the tone, tempo or volume. Pitch effects can be used on their own, such as a simple octave generator which mixes the original signal with a tone that may be one or more octaves up or down. A harmonizer is more complex in being able to shift the pitch by degrees, e.g. thirds, or fifths up or down, creating a harmony that depends on the key of a piece of music. Some of the simpler pitch effects are often combined with other effects, particularly octave and fuzz being a popular option thanks to one James Marshall Hendrix. The MXR Blue Box below is an example of a combined fuzz/octave effect pedal.

Octave Effect Pedals (3)

Left‑right, top‑bottom: 1976 Electro‑Harmonix Octave Multiplexer, 1975 MXR Blue Box, 1985 BOSS OC‑2 Octave

“Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic” – Edward de Bono (1933‑2021)

Mini Collections 7 – Speciality Pedals (2)

As mentioned above, speciality pedals may or may not affect the overall sound effect at all but can be vital for guitarists or bassists as an integral part of a pedalboard.

Channel Switch Pedals (2)

Left‑right: 1970s Electro‑Harmonix Switch Blade Channel Selector, 1986 BOSS PSM‑5 Power Supply & Master Switch

“It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view” – George Eliot (1819‑1880)

Yet Another Alternative Perspective

As always, there are different ways of looking at ‘collections within a collection’. To be exhaustive would be gruelling and extraordinarily dull, so I will use just one example, grouping by model series, rather than effect.

During the early days of Ibanez pedals, they released a series of effect pedals commonly known as the Ibanez ‘0’ series pedals – with the ‘0’ being the middle number of the model designation (puzzlingly except for the CP‑835 Compressor II). The most famous of the Ibanez ‘0’ Series pedals was the iconic TS‑808 Tube Screamer Overdrive Pro. The ‘0’ series pedals were distinguished by the unique square footswitch.

In reality, the ‘0’ series did not last long and was really a transitional model. It was replaced by the completely restyled Ibanez ‘9’ series pedals, with the ‘9’ being the last number of the model designation. For instance, the TS‑808 became the TS9. The most obvious design change is that the ‘9’ series pedals replaced the square footswitch with a more traditional large (BOSS‑style) treadle‑operated footswitch.

These two ‘mini collections’ clearly show the evolution of effect pedals during a short and very prolific period for stomp boxes. While there are many other permutations, this comparison makes the point quite clearly that other approaches can be taken. Say no more.

“Perception and reality are two different things” – Tom Cruise (1962‑)

The CRAVEman’s Pedalboard

Many people get confused about the general sequence in which effects should be placed in the signal chain. ‘The conventional wisdom’ (NB. Commonplace beliefs that are generally accepted to be true without critical questioning – a term often credited to Canadian/American economist John Kenneth Galbraith in ‘The Affluent Society’ (1958), even though it might originally date back to c.1838) suggests the following sequence:

Instrument –> filter effects –> amplitude effects –> gain effects –> modulation effects –> time‑based effects –> amp.

This sequence is only a guide, not a diktat. Many guitarists change it up to create a different type of soundscape that suits them. No surprise, I prefer a different effect pedal order that I developed over several years playing in a band. Even so, it still doesn’t mean that it’s fixed in perpetuity. What I learned was, ‘do your own thing’ to suit you and create your own signature sound.

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else” – Fred Rogers (1928‑2003)

The CRAVEman’s favourite effect pedals, regardless of brand, represent a back‑to‑basics approach and may provoke a debate based on opinion. For me, in order of favourites, it was/is #1 echo, #2 fuzz, #3 flangers, #4 envelope followers. The CRAVEman’s least favourite effect pedals #1 phasers (too common), #2 chorus (ditto), #3 overdrive (others do it better), #4 pitch shifters (inconsistent tracking). May I be cast into the abyss of Tartarus in the underworld to suffer eternal torment, such is the extent of my judgemental wickedness! However, I stand by my heresy and shall not repent.

Unlike many contemporary musicians, my preferred pedal line‑up is very simplistic. I do play around with it but I keep coming back to a core that suit my playing style and musical leanings. They are all classics in their own right and are all very analogue. The creative possibilities with this set can be quite ‘out there’. It also has the advantage that pedals from the same manufacturer are also more likely to work together than a mix‑and‑match approach. Are there better examples of each effect from other brands? Undoubtedly, but not for me. Here’s my go‑to line up…

Electro‑Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Electro Harmonix Bad Stone
Electro‑Harmonix Electric Mistress
Electro‑Harmonix Zipper Envelope Follower
Electro‑Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

I also use a combined wah/volume pedal but no specific model. You notice I have a soft spot for EHX effect pedals. There is no particular reason, it’s just that they sound and behave the way I like. Admittedly, they were also the first serious pedals I used, alongside Dallas Arbiter/Colorsound/Sola Sound pedals. Others come close, for instance the MXR 100 phaser, as well as the MXR and DOD analogue delays. There are plenty of newer exceptional effect units (e.g. Line6) but this article is about vintage pedals, so that’s where I’m focused. While undoubtedly excellent, most Japanese pedals (e.g. BOSS/Ibanez) just don’t do it for me, which is a bit weird.

“All our knowledge is the offspring of our perceptions” – Leonardo da Vinci (1452‑1519)

Final Thoughts on Effect Collections within a Collection

I hope you enjoyed the colourful selection of CRAVE Effects’ stomp boxes viewed from a slightly different perspective. In one sense, they all look alike, while on closer inspection, they are all very different aesthetically. Although ‘new’ acquisitions are currently in abeyance, I have become besotted with vintage effect pedals, for better or worse. Vintage effect pedals represent quite a convoluted playground, fostering much confusion, misunderstanding, debate and conjecture.

I have finally given up the fight and I now concede that I am a small‑scale, limited ‘collector’ of vintage guitar gear. I think that this and the previous articles tend to cement this unfortunate conclusion. Yup, I have become something I have tried hard to avoid becoming. Darn it! I refuse, as far as I am able, to go full ‘collecterati’ though.

Even though a single effect pedal doesn’t take up much space, collectively, they do. The CRAVEcap (the constraint of space and funds) currently in place means that any ‘new’ acquisitions to CRAVE Effects may be a while off yet. It may come as a surprise that some rare effects can cost more than vintage guitars, basses or amps, including several pedals featured herein and on the web site.

“Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all” – Arthur C. Clarke (1917‑2008)

One thing, though, does ‘bother’ me about the whole world of vintage effect pedals. One of the fundamental principles of vintage guitar tone is to keep the signal chain as short and as direct as possible. Vintage gear enthusiasts will often spend (many) thousands of pounds/dollars on expensive vintage guitars, basses and amps because of their undeniably unique and attractive tonal characteristics.

Then what do we go and do? Those same enthusiasts buy a cheap little box crammed full of transistors, resistors, capacitors, pots, ICs, switches, circuit boards and wiring, and then we put them directly in the signal path. A few older effects may be passive, while most others are battery driven (usually one or two 9V 6LR61/MN1604/PP3 blocks), which has proved to be an unreliable power source dependent on charge levels. The alternative is to use AC power transformed into DC, often with variable voltages and currents as well as polarities. In addition cable attenuation is also a problem – lots of pedals use lots of interconnects. Pedal circuit boards, components and cables usually comprise budget items originally ordered in bulk quantities for mere cents/pennies per unit. Older circuits were often also hand assembled using whatever was lying around and often constructed with variable soldering quality. All things considered, consistency and quality control certainly weren’t manufacturing strong points in the 1960s and 1970s.

Open up some older pedals and one can be amazed at the crude nature of the assembly. Open some of the newer pedals and there are massive amounts of components, often with multiple IC (Integrated Circuit) chips suddenly placed directly into the signal chain, seemingly intent on corrupting it. When analysed, many electronic circuits are inherently ‘noisy’, often with unintended audio effects, which we can hear. There can be profound issues with mixing and matching ‘true bypass’ effects with buffered effects, as well as issues combining analogue with digital effects. A complex pedalboard can also be very sensitive to the order in which effects are used. Many modern amps have an effect send/return loop between pre and power stages, rather than the traditional method of effects feeding directly into the pre‑amp’s input stage.

Bottom line, there has really been nothing fundamentally new in the last 65 years of effect pedal development since the early days of innovation. Many modern pedals are copies of classic pedals or just variations of tried and tested themes. The old ways of specialist analogue pedals have been superseded by an overwhelming multiplicity of layered digital complexity. However, the principal aims and core characteristics have remained largely unchanged.

“Perception is a mirror not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)

Nowadays, inline effects and amps are not always needed and guitarists rely on DI (Direct Input) into studio/stage digital audio processors, weirdly set to mimic vintage analogue gear. Then we also add in wireless signal transmission. All of these factors can affect the tone of the rest of the signal chain, often very significantly. Problems are frequent and often hard to identify and eradicate.

Yet, we continue to adore and admire these miniature miracles of electronic bits and pieces for destroying the very things we so desire from the rest of our vintage equipment. Go figure! This dilemma completely blows my mind when I stop and try to rationalise it objectively. Am I alone in contemplating this peculiar incongruity or is it a widespread understanding? I have absolutely no idea; the whole gamut of convolutions is not straightforward to resolve.

When I rejuvenated my guitar playing in the 1990s, I tried a multi‑effect unit but found I was spending more time working out how to use the seemingly unlimited and not very intuitive controls, rather than to focus on what mattered, playing guitar. The multi‑effect was soon ditched and I reverted back to a mix‑and‑match approach of separate pedals. This soon changed again, by replacing new effect pedals with vintage ones and the rest, as ‘they’ say, is history.

Believe it or not, digital effects started appearing in the early 1980s, supplementing rather than superseding analogue ones. Some of these early vintage digital stomp boxes are included here (I’m not prejudiced!). Digital processing started appearing, mainly in delay/echo pedals and reverb effects (reverb can’t easily be replicated using analogue circuits).

Another question. Are some effect reputations worthwhile? In my opinion, sometimes but not always. Some highly regarded pedals are good but overrated, often hyped by artist association, rather than by their inherent characteristics. Others can really surprise because they ‘fit’ with a particular situation. Some will swear that a script logo MXR Phase 90 sounds better than a block logo one, even when the internals are identical and the change is purely cosmetic. Some models will sound different from pedal to pedal, even if the circuit design is the same. Some circuits behave differently from pedal to pedal, for instance anything with an environmentally sensitive germanium resistor. Some seemingly identical pedals used different components from one to the next due to component availability and/or price at the time. Some commentators will also swear that component ‘a’ sounds great while component ‘b’ sounds like total garbage, while to the average user, the differences are so slight as to make no audible difference, especially in a band setting. Does it really matter or does snobbery fit the bill (again)?

What I’m really trying to say is, go with your ears and instincts, rather than brand name, effect specification and hype. The best way to sound unique is not to go with the flow but to do your own thing. Be creative and experiment not only with the pedals you use but also in the order they are used. It is way more fun creating the unique way you want to sound, rather than trying to sound like someone else. Inspiration can be found in these marvellous and magical miniscule machines (Ed: alliteration still alive and well then).

The effects featured here aren’t the only effects owned by CRAVE Guitars/Effects. I have a number of newer (i.e. non‑vintage) pedals, as well as a number of studio rack effects. Hunting down vintage effects, though, has become my main focus. The non‑vintage effects are excluded from this article.

“People only see what they are prepared to see” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803‑1882)

Some vintage effect pedals are ubiquitous and can be picked up for very little money. Others however can cost astronomically silly amounts. This may be because they are highly regarded and much in demand, for instance, early Dallas/Colorsound/Sola Sound Tone Benders, Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faces, and Ibanez Tube Screamers. Others are just very hard to come by, especially in good condition (remember these things are used on the floor and tend to get a lot of physical abuse). Some others are pricey because they were niche products only produced either for a short time or in very small numbers (or both), for instance the BOSS Slow Gear featured.

One of the reasons I got into vintage pedals in the first place was during a period of austerity lasting many years. During that time, I couldn’t afford or accommodate guitars, basses and amps but effects were relatively cheap and didn’t take up much space. Thus, they became a serious part of the CRAVE Guitars/Basses/Effects/Amps family. The fascination with these little bits of gear heritage suffer from the same GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) that affects most guitarists. This means that ‘collecting’ vintage effect pedals can be seriously addictive – be warned!

Will traditional single‑effect pedals be replaced by modern digital modelling ones? Probably, but not just yet. Studio DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software has already gone a long way down that path in many home and pro studios and there is plenty of scope for further improvement. In fact, one might wonder where AI will take effect pedals and digital plug ins in the future. For many, the AI‑influenced future will look very bright. Me? I’m defo old skool. Personally, I think the archaic noisy, temperamental, analogue effects have a certain allure and charm that no end of digital meddling will ever be able to replace (a bit like our enduring love for real valve amps and vinyl records).

As of 2025, the effect industry is largely alive and well and still thriving (within the overall operating environment of a declining music industry), especially in the rarefied realms of boutique pedals. It seems that guitarists and bassists can’t get enough of these tone mangling monstrosities. Love ‘em. When it comes to the crunch, these are serious toys with which a creative musician can extract great fun and satisfaction in our own inventive sound pits. Enjoy.

“Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world” – Nikola Tesla (1856‑1943)

A Seasonal Message From The CRAVEman

This section has nothing to do with vintage guitars. However, it does take a brief look at a different aspect of western society’s cultural heritage. Apologies.

At the end of October each year, we tend to celebrate Halloween on the 31^st of the month. The traditional roots of Halloween go back some 2,000 years ago (or more) with Irish and Scottish Celtic harvest festivals signifying the beginning of the dark half of the year and the onset of winter.

Celebrations around this time of the year and the origins of Halloween as a mystical event derive from the festival of Samhain (NB. translated as ‘summer’s end’ from Old Irish), with its roots in pagan custom for honouring dead ancestors. It was believed that the veil between the living and the dead of the Otherworld was at its weakest, allowing spirits to manifest and roam in the world of the living. Believers would set bonfires to ward off evil spirits and wear masks to avoid being recognised by ghosts.

In Christianity, All Hallows’ Eve (from where we get the word, ‘Halloween’) on 31 October is the holy day before All Hallows’ Day (All Saints’ Day) and All Souls’ Day on 1 and 2 November respectively (NB. The noun ‘hallow’ means a saint or holy person and the verb means to honour as holy). The relative timing of such festivities led to a blending of pagan, Roman and Christian traditions over the centuries.

In Mexico, ‘el dia de los muertos’ (literally, the day of the dead) festival coincides with the end of October/beginning of November every year, when families gather to remember and pay respect to those that have died. This suggests that paranormal revelries at this time of year have become widespread across many countries.

Incidentally, the film, ‘Halloween’ (1978) is one of the author’s favourite cinematic masterpieces, directed by the legendary John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. A great horror film for a Halloween party/film night. Great soundtrack too.

It therefore seems appropriate to conclude this seasonal message with a fittingly festive “Happy Halloween” from your favourite Stone Age guitarist and founder of CRAVE Guitars, The CRAVEman. Rock On!

“There are misfortunes in life that no one will accept; people would rather believe in the supernatural and the impossible” – Alexander Dumas (1802‑1870)

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’

In keeping with the theme of this month’s article, I thought I’d delve into one of the landmark American bands that went to extreme lengths to introduce inventive soundscapes to their music. The band in question made extensive use of heavily modified guitars, alternative tunings and abused effect pedals to produce oodles of off‑the‑wall clamour. The band I’m talking about is Sonic Youth from New York who went out of their way to sound like no other band around at the time. They formed in 1980 and, sadly, after over 30 years, they disbanded in 2011. During those three decades, the main three audio terrorists of the band were Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo (both on guitar) and Kim Gordon (on bass). They had a string of highly regarded studio albums including ‘Evol’ (1986), ‘Sister’ (1987), ‘Daydream Nation’ (1988), ‘Goo’ (1990), ‘Dirty’ (1992) and ‘Washing Machine’ (1995). However, my choice is not one of these but it is a personal favourite…

Sonic Youth – Sonic Nurse (2004): Sonic Nurse was Sonic Youth’s 13^th studio album released in June 2004 on Geffen Records, comprising 10 tracks over an hour’s running time. The cover was designed by renowned American conceptual artist Richard Prince (1949‑). Despite being a lot less well known that their peak period albums, Sonic Nurse is close to where the band would eventually end up. This album was the middle one of a later career resurgance including, ‘Murray Street’ (2002) and ‘Rather Ripped’ (2006). Track one (6:33) is clearly influenced, fittingly so, by acclaimed American‑Canadian author, William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel, ‘Pattern Recognition’ (2003).

Basically, any of the albums mentioned here can provide a great insight into what the band could do and fans will all have their own favourite. It just so happens that Sonic Nurse is mine. Even their very early albums (not mentioned here) have a great deal going for them. Naturally, there are inconsistencies but, over their career, those lesser albums were also better than most others in the experimental alternative noise rock genre. Turn up the volume and listen to the aural mayhem on show at your peril.

Alas, Sonic Youth fell apart in October 2011 following the separation of Moore and Gordon, after 27 years of marriage. The band’s influence and legacy has been profound in modern rock music and they deserve to be admired and respected for ploughing their own unique furrow throughout their career, rather than capitulating to studio mundanity for the sake of commercial success. Despite the hopes of many loyal fans, the band has, to‑date, not reunited and its status is officially ‘in hiatus’.

BELIEVE IN MUSIC!

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses” – Abraham Lincoln (1809‑1865)

Tailpiece

As usual, I’m at a loss for what to do next month but I’m sure I’ll think of something. It is getting harder to come up with different material, so I hope you’ll bear with me. Once the quality starts dropping off, I’ll have to call it a day but I don’t think the time has come just yet. You may think otherwise, of course! I don’t want to outstay my welcome. That’s it. No more in the way of dreary diatribe for this month. The holidays are a‑comin’. Yay!

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. The CRAVEman, signing off for now. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “Always have great first thoughts, then you’ll never need to have second thoughts”

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30 Sep 2025

September 2025 – Vintage Guitar Gear Collections Within A Collection: Part I – CRAVE Guitars & CRAVE Basses

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, Observations, Opinion | 0

Prelude

AHOY THERE MULTITUDINOUS MERRY MATIES! Welcome back to the wild world of CRAVE (Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric) Guitars. I trust that all is well with your part of the world. After a slight summer sabbatical from writing about vintage guitars, you may be pleased to know that we are suitably refreshed, refuelled, and redeployed on what matters this month. The trusty telescope of titular topics is fairly and squarely focused not just on vintage guitars but on CRAVE Vintage Guitars.

At this point, I often spout polemic on the sorry state of ‘humanity’ and the global Anthropocene tragedy entirely of our own making irrevocably unfolding in front of us. Well, I think I’ve made my point often enough for regular visitors. So this month, I will just point you towards the CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’ at the end of this article which, in my view, sums up the whole sorry mess in one short sentence (for a change).

Hopefully, not too many words and lots of images this month. If you are interested, the underlying theme of this month’s quotes is about perception. As always, no AI was used in the writing of this article.

“It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves” – Carl Jung (1875‑1961)

Collecting and Collections Revisited

Going back to May 2025, CRAVE Guitars published an article about, ‘The Compulsion to Collect Vintage Guitars’. That article kicked off thoughts not solely about collecting but also about what constitutes a collection and how we might think about things slightly differently. If you wish to go back to the previous article on CRAVE Guitars’ collecting and collections, follow the link below (opens in a new tab).
May 2025 – The Compulsion to Collect Vintage Guitars

Like most other sources, whether retail, curatorial or showcase, CRAVE Guitars tends to group vintage guitars by brand (e.g. Fender, Gibson, etc.), then by model in (e.g. Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, SG, etc.) both in alphabetic order and by date (e.g. 1965, 1972, 1984, etc.). Fundamentally, brand, model and date tends to be the standard methodology for categorising vintage guitars, at least on a broad level. The same catalogue system also applies to basses, effects and amps. CRAVE Guitars is no different. Take a look at the feature or gallery pages on the web site and that is exactly how vintage gear is listed. It makes sense and is widely accepted. It is also how I search for vintage gear in which I might be interested. Take a look at other web sites or library resources and it’s the same. For instance, check out, ‘Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars’ (1999) or the annual, ‘The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide’ and it is the primary method of presentation.

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream” – Edgar Allan Poe (1809‑1849)

Collections within a Collection

So far, so good. However, it isn’t the only way of looking at things. Back in June and July this year (2025), I posted a series of CRAVE Guitar (and CRAVE Basses) montages on social media, which I described at the time as ‘collections within a collection’. Some of these selections were very obvious, others less so. One approach was to look at variations in a particular model over the years. Another was to look at similar types of model (but different name). It became the entry point into alternative perspectives that formed the catalyst for this month’s article. As a quick reminder, here is the entire, small but perfectly formed, CRAVE Guitars’ ‘collection’ as of 2025.

The permutations shown in this article do include some repetition because models may appear in more than one grouping. Fair enough. Go with the flow and I hope it will make sense. I have stuck fairly and squarely to CRAVE Guitars – it would be more coherent to stray into non‑CRAVE Guitars but that approach attracts many other issues, such as copyright and a significant broadening of scope.

I could go on, pontificating about the whys and wherefores, but that almost seems redundant, as the best way of explaining it is with the images themselves. That’s also good for me in that I can spare some time for writing other things.

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception” – Aldous Huxley (1894‑1963)

Mini Collections

So, what constitutes a mini‑collection? More than one of something. Simple. There are probably innumerable permutations of mini collections within the overall total. CRAVE Guitars, at the time of writing, has a number of guitars, basses, effects and amps (don’t ask, I don’t keep track). Most of those are vintage (ditto), depending on how one might define ‘vintage’. However, that particular conundrum is not the subject of this article.

Social media is where this idea started and it will unfold here as a sequence of steps. It isn’t practical to wade back through hundreds/thousands of social media posts, so this makes all that previous effort more accessible and in one place. So, without further ado, time to get pictorial with twenty four ‘collections within a collection’. I hope you enjoy the show…

“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit” – Ansel Adams (1902‑1984)

Fender Brand Mini Collections

Some of you might know my predilection for student guitars and also single pickup guitars. The relevant Fender model names don’t help with coherency, so I found a way of bringing them together. By the early 1980s, Fender had replaced its core ‘student’ guitars (first generation) with other budget models (second generation). Not a popular move with enthusiasts or collectors. These are sometimes labelled, the ‘forgotten Fenders’.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Student Guitars (First Generation) (4) – Top‑bottom: 1959 Fender Musicmaster, 1965 Fender Duo‑Sonic II, 1965 Fender Mustang, 1971 Fender Bronco

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Student Guitars (Second Generation) (3) – Top‑bottom: 1981 Fender Bullet, 1982 Fender Bullet H2, 1981 Fender Lead I

That initial notion led onto collating a brace of Fender’s wonderful high‑end offset guitars (currently oh‑so popular with indie and alternative guitarists) and then Fender’s often‑overlooked (criminally so, in my view), semi‑acoustic electrics. NB. Yes, I know that some Fender student guitars (see above) are also offsets but there is enough to differentiate them for this article.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Offset Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1966 Fender Electric XII, 1965 Fender Jaguar, 1965 Fender Jazzmaster

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Semi‑Acoustic Electric Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1966 Fender Coronado II, 1975 Fender Starcaster, 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline

Going back to Fender’s student guitars, there are some more obvious model groupings that demonstrate evolution of the instruments over time.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Musicmaster Guitars and Bass (4) – Top‑bottom: 1959 Fender Musicmaster, 1965 Fender Musicmaster II, 1978 Fender Musicmaster, 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Mustang Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1965 Fender Mustang, 1972 Fender Mustang Competition, 1978 Fender Mustang

Then, I strayed into Fender’s core ‘pro‑level’ guitar models – Stratocasters and Telecasters, which also demonstrate evolution of the instruments over time.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Stratocaster Guitars (4) – Top‑bottom: 1977 Fender Stratocaster, 1979 Fender Stratocaster Anniversary, 1983 Fender Stratocaster ‘Dan Smith’, 1983 Fender Stratocaster Elite

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Telecaster Guitars (5) – Top‑bottom: 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline, 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe, 1974 Fender Telecaster Custom, 1983 Fender Telecaster Elite, 1988 Fender Telecaster American Standard

Not wishing to leave out CRAVE Basses, there is only one collection‑within‑a‑collection.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Fender Bass Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1989 Fender Jazz Bass American Standard Longhorn, 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass, 1977 Fender Precision Fretless Bass

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth” – Marcus Aurelius (121‑180)

Gibson Brand Mini Collections

Having pretty much covered most of the Fender variations, I turned my sights onto Gibson guitars, starting off, again, with their underrated student guitars that, once more demonstrate evolution of the instruments over time.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Melody Maker Guitars – Top‑bottom: 1961 Gibson Melody Maker D, 1964 Gibson Melody Maker, 1965 Gibson Melody Maker, 1967 Gibson Melody Maker SG

Gibson’s long history started off with acoustic and then semi‑acoustic guitars categorised by the company as Gibson’s ES (Electric Spanish) models. Over the years, the ES lines evolved.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson ES Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1947 Gibson ES‑150, 1963 Gibson ES‑330 TDC, 1985 Gibson ES‑335 Dot

Gibson’s entry into solid body electrics started with the Les Paul Model, so here are CRAVE Guitars’ Gibson Les Pauls. In addition, there were also several Gibson models that used the Les Paul outline but weren’t actual LPs.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Les Paul Guitars (4) – Top‑bottom: 1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard, 1977 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top, 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard, 1989 Gibson Les Paul Custom

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Les Paul‑shaped but non‑Les Paul Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1961 Gibson Melody Maker D, 1977 Gibson L6‑S Deluxe, 1981 Gibson Sonex‑180 Deluxe

In the early 1960s, Gibson replaced the Les Paul with the devilishly pointy‑horned SG (Solid Guitar).

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson SG Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1965 Gibson SG Junior, 1968 Gibson SG Standard, 1967 Gibson Melody Maker SG

From the late 1950s, Gibson went through a highly creative phase, including their innovative alternative ranges, including Flying Vs, Explorers and Firebirds…

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Flying V Guitars (2) – Top‑bottom: 1980 Gibson Flying V2, 1984 Gibson Flying V Designer Series

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Explorer Guitars (5) – Top‑bottom: 1979 Gibson Explorer E2, 1982 Gibson Explorer CMT, 1983 Gibson Explorer 83, 1984 Gibson Explorer Custom Shop, 1984 Gibson Explorer Designer Series ‘Union Jack’

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson Firebird Guitars (2) – Top‑bottom: 1966 Gibson Firebird III, 1976 Gibson Firebird Bicentennial

Through the years, Gibson also strayed into other creatively designed models, some more radical and aesthetically pleasing than others.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gibson ‘Oddity’ Guitars (4) – Top‑bottom: 1983 Gibson Corvus II, 1982 Gibson Moderne Korina Heritage, 1981 Gibson RD Artist, 1983 Gibson USA Map

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing” – Camille Pissarro (1830‑1903)

Other Brand Mini Collections

Having covered the main two major competitors, there are some of the other well‑known vintage guitar brands. For instance, during the 1950s and 1960s, Danelectro made guitars under their own name as well as for Sears, Roebuck & Co, under the Silvertone brand name.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Danelectro‑built Danelectro and Silvertone Guitars (3) – Top‑bottom: 1963 Danelectro Pro 1, 1959 Silvertone 1304, 1964 Silvertone 1449 ‘Amp In Case’

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Gretsch Guitars (2) – Top‑bottom: 1962 Gretsch 6120 Double Cutaway Chet Akins Hollowbody, 1965 Gretsch 6135 Corvette

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Music Man Stingrays: Guitar and Bass (2) – Top‑bottom: 1976 Music Man Stingray I, 1978 Music Man Stingray Bass

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage Paul Reed Smith (PRS) (2) – Top‑bottom: 1989 Paul Reed Smith Classic Electric (CE), 1988 Paul Reed Smith Standard

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for” – John Lubbock (1834‑1913)

Other – Best of the Rest Mini Collections

Finally, all CRAVE Guitars are Made‑in‑USA, it only makes sense that some manufacturers would want to promote their country of origin in guitar form. CRAVE Guitars is fortunate enough to have not just one but two vintage guitars made in the outline of the lower 48 United States (sorry Alaska and Hawaii).

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage USA‑shaped Guitars (2) ‑ Top‑bottom: 1983 Gibson USA Map, 1962 National Glenwood 95

That leaves some other CRAVE Guitars not easily grouped, e.g. Epiphone, Guild, Kramer, Ovation, Peavey and Rickenbacker. Kudos to these great vintage guitars. However, for the sake of completeness, here are what was left over from the initial concept. A non‑collection‑within‑a‑collection if you will.

CRAVE Guitars’ Vintage ‘Best of the Rest’ Guitars (6) ‑ Top‑bottom: 1966 Epiphone Olympic, 1984 Guild X‑79 Skyhawk, 1974 Ovation Breadwinner 1251, 1979 Peavey T‑60, 1974 Rickenbacker 480, 1983 Kramer ‘The Duke’ Deluxe Bass

Wow! That is pretty much it for this article. I am certain that you may be able to think of other ways in which these great guitars can be viewed. I think you will agree that this perspective goes to demonstrate and showcase a wide range from the classic conventional and traditional to the freaky, weird and wonderful, celebrating the novel diversity of CRAVE Guitars.

“One moment the world is as it is. The next, it is something entirely different. Something it has never been before” – Anne Rice (1941‑2021)

Final Thoughts on Vintage Guitar Collections within A Collection

My main comment at this point is that CRAVE Guitars’ total collection probably isn’t large enough to make this a really interesting topic, for which I apologise. The capacity of The CRAVEcave is severely limited, so the collection has reached its maximum size for the time being (The CRAVEcap). This isn’t through lack of ambition on my part, simply the inevitable practical constraints of space and funds. Darn it.

Looking at things in this way, it confirms that I have a particular penchant for Fender Telecasters and Gibson Explorers, of which there are five each. These were followed by Fender Stratocasters, Gibson Les Pauls and Gibson Melody Makers of which there are four each. Unsurprisingly, that fits pretty well with my own feelings about favourite guitars. I would (obviously?) like a few more ‘obscure’ American guitars. Who wouldn’t? Every guitar addict needs that irresistible next fix. So many gaps to fill, so, so many! Sadly though, any expansion of brands and/or models is going to have to wait for a while.

As a reminder, there are full features on the web site for each of the CRAVE Guitars and CRAVE Basses featured here. Also on the web site are separate features on all the brands featured here. There are simply too many links to list in an article, so you’ll have to do a bit of work for yourself if you want to delve deeper into the brands and/or the models.

“There are no facts, only interpretations” – Friedrich Nietzsche (1844‑1900)

The groupings featured in this article are just a few permutations of how collections can be viewed. There are many more ways of doing it. For instance, they could be grouped by:

Decade – 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc.
Model type – Custom, Standard, Junior, Special, Deluxe, etc.
Tone wood – Mahogany, maple, alder, ash, composite, etc.
Fingerboard type – rosewood, ebony, maple, composite, etc.
Pickup type – single coil, humbucker, other, etc.
Colour – sunburst, blue, red, gold, white, black, natural, etc.
Provenance – guitars with known owners

As far as CRAVE Guitars wider reach and influence goes, there are also themed image series based around photographic style, including:

Instagram vignettes (x2 series)
Floorboard guitars (1x series)
US flag guitars (x2 series)
Close up guitars (x2 series)

I tend to use these alternative image series on social media as a counterpoint to the web site images. They don’t appear on the web site (just to mix things up a bit). All these different perspectives supplement and complement the standard ‘signature’ purple background guitars used for consistency of presentation on the CRAVE Guitars’ web site. The collections within collections featured in this article also don’t appear on web site pages.

In conclusion, there many different ways of looking at the same instruments, way too many to cover without going full nerd. Given the small scale and scope of CRAVE Guitars, to do all that would become highly repetitive and dull, so I know when it’s time to stop.

The same approach can be taken for CRAVE Effects and that will form the basis of Part II of this mini‑series next month. As far as CRAVE Amps go, there are simply too few to make something from it (at the moment).

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions” – Stephen R. Covey (1932‑2012)

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’

Regular readers will know that over many years, I have become increasingly enamoured with reggae and, particularly dub and roots reggae. While these genres peaked in the mid‑1970s, they are still alive and well in the 21^st Century. I covered the musical history of reggae in my August 2023 article, ‘Dub Reggae Revelation’ for those who might be interested in exploring reggae and its context on the global stage. This month’s accolade is from the mainstream of reggae and remains readily available…

Johnny Clarke – ‘Rockers Time Now’ (1976): ‘Rockers Time Now’ was the 8^th studio album released in 1976 by the Jamaican singer and musician Johnny Clarke (1955‑). While a lot of Clarke’s material during the 1970s flirted dangerously close to the scourge of pop reggae, rather than deeper dread or conscious roots, ‘Rockers Time Now’ has an abundance of great reggae tracks that have stood the test of time. I am not going to apologise for appreciating this album and it gets regular repeat listening. Clarke often gets dismissed by reggae snobs, unjustifiably so in my opinion. I admit that there is some ‘easy listening’ filler amongst the great Rastafarian reggae tracks. I hope history re‑appraises Johnny Clarke at his best. Great music for summer chilling and worth tracking down.

It may not be the greatest reggae album of all time but it’s one that helped me get through the summer of 2025. Equally interesting is another Johnny Clarke studio album from the same year, ‘Authorized Version’ (1976). There are several reggae artists that I include in this particular domain, including the late, great Keith Hudson (1946‑1984) – a personal favourite. While Johnny Clarke will often be associated with other popular reggae artists such as Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor and Gregory Isaacs (all three a lot better than their popular chart hits might suggest), he does stand out for his material.

I have found that reggae music in all its diverse forms is a great genre to have playing in the background while thinking and writing. This is probably the last reggae ‘album of the month’ for this year as we head into cooler, darker times, although I believe it can raise the spirits at any time.

BELIEVE IN MUSIC!

“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” – Oscar Wilde (1854‑1900) NB. Often incorrectly attributed to Florence McLandburgh.

Tailpiece

There you go, back to vintage guitars, at least for this month. I hope you enjoyed this particular cabinet of curious CRAVE Guitars, which you’ve seen before but not perhaps in this format. Next time, we’ll return to the overall theme of this article but with the focus on CRAVE Effects. I hope you’ll come back for the floor‑based sequel.

Without further ado, it is time to move onto other things, nothing more to see here. For now. Have a great October 2025 folks, as the autumn season sets in for this year (at least up here in the northern hemisphere).

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. The CRAVEman, signing off for now. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “The only obliteration justified by war is the obliteration of war itself”

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30 Jun 2025

June 2025 – Challenging Vintage Guitar Snobbery: A Cautionary Tale

by CRAVEGuitars | posted in: History, Introduction, News, Observations, Opinion | 0

Prelude

GOOD TO ‘SEE’ YOU HERE AGAIN DEAR READERS and thank you for popping in. Well, obviously, I can’t actually ‘see’ you but you hopefully get the spirit of the idiom. So, half of the year two thousand and twenty five according to the calendar of Pope Gregory XIII (1502‑1585). One criticism about his modifications to the preceding Julian calendar from 46BCE (thanks Gaius Julius Caesar 100‑44BCE) is that the pope didn’t ‘fix’ the date of Easter. It would have been easy to pick a suitably theological date and stick to it. Staying on topic, the world welcomes the new Pope Leo XIV (1955‑) to the head of the Catholic Church. However, I don’t think that the date on which Easter falls each year is a core part of his doctrinal manifesto. He probably has just a few other things to deal with. A missed opportunity, maybe. It does make a refreshing change to pass comment on religion instead of politics. I am certain that Pope Leo will add his influential voice to the masses praying for peace across our sadly savagely scarred planet.

Vintage Guitar Snobbery

This month’s subject is a pervasive and distasteful trait amongst the vintage guitar community, the ornery subject of snobbery. Few will admit to being a vintage guitar snob; they put their opinions down to years of experience and therefore their rhetoric is valid and credible while, at the same time, putting others down for their ignorant inexperience either directly or indirectly. Now, whether intended to be ironic or not that, to me, is a prime example of snobbery. How to spot a vintage guitar snob…

It may be straightforward snobbery, i.e. “mine’s bigger than yours”, “mine’s worth more than yours”, or “is that all you’ve got?” Other clear examples are the sweeping generalisations such as, “anything made after 1965 is total crap”, claiming that the only guitars worth bothering with are pre‑CBS Fenders or pre‑Norlin Gibsons, thereby dismissing everyone who can’t compete in their elevated circles as hoi polloi (NB. Greek meaning ‘the many’) scum. Mention a 1980s Gibson Sonex‑180 to one of these self‑proclaimed elitists and you will not be taken seriously. Ever. These ultra‑competitive, and usually ultra‑rich, snobs won’t accept anything other than a museum‑grade 1958 Gibson Explorer as worthy of their precious attention. Snobs want to stop someone else having something as much as they want something no‑one else can have. Whatever.

Alternatively, there is the case for inverse snobbery, a simple and dogmatic repudiation of the classic guitars hailed by the ordinary ‘pro‑snobs’ (see above), stating that anything that pristine, that rare and costing that much must, by default, be overrated and unattainable – instruments way too exclusive for a mere mortal to pick up and play, so must be imprisoned in a climate controlled vault. These so‑called ‘anti‑snobs’ are likely to reject the big American brands and proclaim that there is nothing better than a U.S.S.R.‑made ‘Ordjonikidze Tonika EGS-65’ from the late 1960s. To them, the accepted mainstream is no‑go zone. These snobs like playing in their own little sandpits, looking over at the big boys with bitter, resentful distaste. Whatever.

I realise fully that the last two paragraphs may provide prima facie proof that I am also a vintage guitar snob, even though I don’t fit neatly into either description. I have to confess that, unintentionally, I fall foul of vintage guitar snobbery from time to time but please don’t tell anyone about our dirty little secret. That in a (large) nutshell, dear friends, is what I’ll be exploring this month. Right. To work.

“There is simply no limit to the tyrannical snobbery that otherwise decent people can descend into when it comes to music” – Stephen Fry (1957‑)

Let’s get a simple definition out of the way first. A snob is a person with an exaggerated respect for elevated social position or overstated wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and who rejects or looks down on those regarded as socially inferior or less wealthy. A snob is someone who believes that their opinions and tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people. Snobbery, put quite simply, is what snobs do.

“We must never confuse elegance with snobbery” – Yves Saint Laurent (1936‑2008)

With the complicated world of vintage guitars, there are the musicians, enthusiasts, the ‘collecterati’, dealers, investors, onlookers, tyre‑kickers, etc. Each of these sub‑categories have their fair share of pro‑ and anti‑snobs. If one assumes that the ‘snobbery scale’ (Ed: good one) is a continuum from an absolute snob at one end to a genuine guitarist with integrity at the other, we are all somewhere along the scale, which, if plotted on a chart, the numbers would probably follow a standard deviation bell curve (a.k.a. a normal distribution).

It is all too easy to start off with a rational objective view about vintage guitars and then slip and slide imperceptibly down the slippery slope of snide snobbery (Ed: love the alliteration… for once). For those of us self‑aware enough to recognise the risk, we occasionally need a short, sharp reality check to bring us to our senses and restore our sense of perspective.

Well, recently, I undertook such a quick self‑examination. Then, after I did that, I did a quick check to see where I might be on the vintage guitar ‘snobbery scale’ (heehee). I am sad to say that recently I may have succumbed to one aspect of vintage guitar snobbery. That realisation brought my failings into rapid focus. Darn it!

“England is the most class-ridden country under the sun. It is a land of snobbery and privilege, ruled largely by the old and silly” – George Orwell (1903‑1950)

Is it OK to be a snob and keep it a hidden away? Well, yes and no. Psychologically, humans are inclined to believe that we are far better and far more sensible than we actually are. Basically, we are all biased and prejudiced to some degree, however slight. With pride (the bad sort) and self‑righteous indignation, we might well argue that we aren’t skewed. But we are. All these examples are in themselves a characteristic of a snob. None of us would stoop that low… would we? C’mon, be honest.

So, in an act of rampant redemption, I am confessing to the sin of falling into a trap of self‑denial. How on Earth did that happen and why did I not pick up on it sooner? The answer is that we don’t want to admit our own shady shortcomings, however small, to ourselves, let alone to anyone else. As I’m not a Catholic, so I don’t know how many ‘hail Marys’ to which I will now be condemned.

“It’s the people who transcend their backgrounds who are interesting to me. I have got a bit of inverted snobbery” – Viv Albertine (1954‑)

Where is all this leading you might well ask? Be patient, I’m just setting the scene in front of which the arch playwright’s tragedy will ultimately unfold. Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides would be proud. So, what are the capital vices of which I speak? You have a choice of seven (NB. lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride – a.k.a. the Catholic Church’s seven cardinal sins). Well, recently, I faced a moral dilemma, a quandary and a predicament when considering a vintage guitar purchase. That conundrum exposed my own vintage guitar snobbery which, after considerable soul‑searching, resulted in having to make an economic decision. How well did I listen to the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other? Which persuasive ‘voice’ did I eventually succumb to, and which side of the fence did I eventually fall off? Time to find out…

“Ah, beware of snobbery; it is the unwelcome recognition of one’s own past failings” – Cary Grant (1904‑1986)

Vintage Guitar Refinishing

Before we get to the specifics, what do I mean by a refinish? It may seem obvious but it is worth a quick clarification. At its simplest, a refinish means to apply a new surface covering to an object. The application may mean over‑spraying an underlying finish, for instance to obscure or protect the original surface. Alternatively, it may mean removing the entire original surface coating and replacing it with a new one. A finish may be ‘natural’, for instance a transparent lacquer to show the underlying wood grain, or painted in any colour – translucent or opaque. The superficial material used to refinish most guitars may be nitrocellulose lacquer, polyester or, more rarely, wax/oil finishes (usually only on bare wood). A refinish may attempt to mimic an original finish or it may be used to alter its appearance completely. A refinish may be purely cosmetic or it may be used to cover up damage or evidence of a previous repair.

For vintage guitars, a refinish may be on the body only (common with bolt‑on neck guitars), neck only (ditto) or a complete body and neck refinish (more common on set‑neck guitars). While the intention may be to restore or improve an object’s condition, it generally results in a reduction of the object’s value (for instance antique furniture). For many collectors, a refinish is therefore of economic as well as historical significance.

This article is essentially a story of three vintage guitars, all of which have been part of the CRAVE Guitars family over the years. As you might have guessed by now, the theme connecting these three instruments is the thorny subject of ‘refinishing’. The examples below comprise two full refinishes and one body‑only refinish. In each example the decision‑making process about whether to refinish or not was different, thereby giving a different perspective for each one. Convenient, eh?

Example Number One: 1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard – Regular readers will probably be aware that CRAVE’s 1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard was originally tobacco sunburst. When I bought it second hand c.1978 it had extensive buckle rash and I wasn’t over keen on the tobacco sunburst, so I had it refinished in natural nitrocellulose. Years later, being dissatisfied with how the natural finish was aging, I had it refinished again to its current dark cherry sunburst. At the time, it wasn’t an issue because it was still relatively new and I had no intention of keeping the guitar. I now cherish that refinished 1975 Les Paul, even though its value is probably between 30% and 60% of what it would be worth if it still had its original finish. In fact, it has become CRAVE Guitars’ chosen signature instrument despite its history.

1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Refinish)

In retrospect, had I been aware of how things would turn out, I probably wouldn’t have had it refinished. Mind you, its original condition would have deteriorated further over time. I’ve also kinda come around to tobacco sunburst, although I won’t have it refinished for a third time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I now know that once it had been done, it is permanent.

So it was that, with the creation of CRAVE Guitars as a serious concern, I vowed that I would avoid purchasing refinished instruments, regardless of whether there were justifiable and defensible reasons for doing so. I also vowed that I would not be guilty of refinishing any instruments while in my care. Until now, that 1975 Les Paul has been the only refinished guitar belonging to CRAVE Guitars.

For this example, the decision to refinish the Les Paul was mine to make. Regrettably, I took the decision to refinish and did it (twice!). Doh!

“Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them” – Frederick Buechner (1926‑2022

Example Number Two: 1984 Gibson Explorer – This tale starts off with what may seem a fairly straightforward question. What would I say now to someone now who wanted to refinish a vintage guitar? The immediate reaction would be to say, “don’t do it”. Simple? Nah. Shades of grey, as usual. As it turns out, this isn’t just a hypothetical situation. Such a circumstance actually occurred only a couple of years ago.

I reluctantly sold a black 1984 Gibson Explorer to fund another. The buyer was a Metallica fan and he wanted a ‘cheap’ 1984 Explorer which he said he was going to refurbish and refinish to match James Hetfield’s cream one. The original black finish was in reasonable condition with a lot of nitro crazing. As it wasn’t pristine, I sold it at less than it was worth (I’m not a dealer). A refinish was not an imperative and everything else was 100% original (including the case). I mentioned to the buyer that a refinish would be irreversible and it would significantly reduce its value on the vintage market. Originality wasn’t his priority, so he went ahead and did it anyway. It wasn’t my place either to tell someone what (not) to do or to refuse to sell it on those grounds. Once it was his, he was free to do whatever he wanted with it. I’d done my bit by giving him the information and he could use it (or not) to make an informed decision. The refinish was done well and he was pleased with it. Personally I wouldn’t have done it but, as Mark Twain said, “You pays your money and you takes your choice!” (from, ‘Huckleberry Finn’, 1885).

Unlike example number one, the decision to refinish the Explorer was not mine to make. The person who bought it took the decision to refinish and did it.

Example Number Three: 1966 Fender Electric XII – Now… rolling the clocks forward, in February 2025, I was confronted by a vintage guitar opportunity, which put me in an awkward decision‑making situation. It is also the example that prompted this article.

I purchased a 1966 Fender Electric XII. With my hyper‑modest income and lack of disposable capital, the only way I could afford this uber‑cool and rare item was to purchase a refinished example at between a third and a half the price of a similar model with an original finish. The vast majority of Fender Electric XIIs were in sunburst finish and the one I bought was a very fetching faded Olympic White. At first, I thought it might be original and a bargain, as it wasn’t advertised as a refinish. Once I had ascertained that it had been refinished, I found myself in a bit of a Catch‑22 because, in principle, I would not buy a refinished instrument (see above). It is an old refinish and the quality of the work is (just about) adequate. Although it might benefit from it, I am not tempted to refinish it again. Generally speaking, I appreciate a guitar’s originality and believe that instruments are better for proudly showing the scars of their trade. A refinish, arguably obscures its visible journey through time but that just starts a new period of its existence.

“Snobbishness is the desire for what divides men and the inability to value what unites them” – Joseph Epstein (1937‑)

So… I accepted that, if I wanted to own a vintage Electric XII, this was the only way I could realistically do it and I would have to revoke my own long‑held prejudicial principle. The dilemma was resolved and the Electric XII is now part of the CRAVE Guitars family. Having taken the plunge, I felt that I needed to challenge previously held bigotries and attempt to justify the refinished Fender Electric XII’s addition to CRAVE Guitars. It is only the body of the Electric XII that has been refinished. The neck retains its original natural finish.

I realised that these internal machinations might possibly make for an interesting debate in the public domain, hence this article. Would I reaffirm my dogma (NB. called confirmation bias) or would I be pragmatic, contest my own predisposition and come to terms with, and accept, the outcome? Furthermore, would I be content with the Electric XII despite it being abundantly obvious that it is not all‑original?

“You must not judge hastily or vulgarly of snobs: to do so shows that you are yourself a snob” – William Makepeace Thackeray (1811‑1863)

Beneath the surface (sic!) there is no doubt that the Electric XII is a fascinating and innovative guitar for its time and is experiencing a renascence in the 21^st Century. Its heritage is not in doubt, even though it was not a great success once the 12‑string craze ended in the late 1960s. Therefore, if one accepts that it is a legitimate guitar and the only difference between this and an all‑original Electric XII is the thin layer on the surface. Does it really matter? Should a paint job be the deciding factor? It also made for the crunch question of why a refinish devalues a guitar by c.50%.

I don’t usually talk about filthy lucre but it may help in this instance. To put it in absolute terms, my 1966 Fender Electric XII cost me £3,000GBP. Converting $ to £ is approximately 1:1 once exchange rates, fees, custom charges and taxes are taken into consideration. The ‘The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2025’ (a bible for vintage guitar owners) values an original example at $8,500‑$12,000USD for an original common colour (i.e. not sunburst but also not a rare custom colour). Original sunburst examples are valued at $6,000‑$7,500USD. A guide, however, is only that, a guide, despite the level of research involved.

To compare market prices on Reverb, eBay and specialist vintage guitar retailers, equivalent Electric XIIs with original sunburst finish vary from £5,000‑£8,000GBP and rare custom colours up to c.£12,000GBP.

So, on the face of it, £3,000GBP is still a bargain, even with its refinish. I have long stated that monetary value is not a prime motivator for CRAVE Guitars and that remains true. However, such an ‘investment’ is still a considerable commitment for a single instrument, given my low fixed income, so purchase price is a relevant economic factor in this situation. Recognising that I would have to forgo other important things to get this one, the sacrifice was duly made.

“It’s a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money” – Albert Camus (1913‑1960)

There are a couple of other factors affecting the price of this particular example. The tuners are replacements, the 4‑way Daka Ware pickup selector switch knob is not original and old ones are very hard to source (NB. Daka Ware is a type of compression moulded phenolic material and trade name for Davies Moulding in the 1960s). It also doesn’t have an original hard shell case, which is a shame, as they are unique (and therefore pricey) because of their odd size. However, £3,000GBP still seems worth it prima facie – I was getting a great guitar at a good price – what’s not to like?

My excitement about getting my grubby mitts on a cool and rare vintage Electric XII was tinged with apprehension about how I would connect with it, given my (warranted or not) judgemental predisposition about refinishes.

You can probably tell from this lengthy preamble that the issue is still galling me and, perhaps by openly articulating it, I can reconcile the polarising perspectives and achieve some peace of mind. This is clearly a first world problem. If that is all I have to worry about, then things can’t be too bad, eh? Time to apply some rational objectivity and criteria to test the issue.

Unlike either of the previous two examples, the decision to refinish the Electric XII was taken by someone else long before the guitar came into my possession.

“It is impossible, in our condition of Society, not to be sometimes a Snob” – William Makepeace Thackeray (1811‑1863)

Analysis

Given the trilogy of examples, it seemed to make sense to look at what difference a refinish really makes to a vintage guitar. For this section, I am using only the Fender Electric XII as the example. However, many of the observations against each of the five criteria may well apply equally to all three guitars covered here.

Functionality – Not affected. This Electric XII has been a working guitar, belonging to the owner of a London recording studio. It has had to earn its place, so it has been looked after. The Electric XII has always been more popular in the studio than on stage or TV. Given its primary role, it was vitally important that it was able to perform effectively whenever called upon. Less of a priority were its looks or originality. I have long said that vintage instruments should be played and this one clearly fulfils that particular criterion. Why it was refinished, I do not know but it certainly wouldn’t have affected its use as a pro‑grade guitar in a working environment. Its studio role may well explain the tuner replacement too, although it isn’t clear when it was done. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was common practice to ‘upgrade’ tuners for supposed tuning accuracy and stability. The same might also go for the original pickup selection lever.

Working professional instruments are often modified to ensure they are fit for purpose. Many ‘celebrity’ owned guitars that go to auction and reach six figures are often heavily modified to suit the owner’s demanding requirements. Those high profile mods don’t seem to affect provenance values, so why isn’t it the same for everyday workhorse vintage guitars? My predetermined principles may be crumbling under my fingertips. Does the refinish relegate a ‘collectable’ guitar to a ‘player‑grade’ by default? It seems so. In conclusion, the refinish does not negatively impact functionality.

Playability – Not affected. The guitar plays well for an almost 60‑year old 12-string electric. Such an instrument has compromises, although those compromises are more acceptable for a 12‑string Electric XII than, say, for a Rickenbacker of the same age. The maple neck is solid and the original frets are in very good shape (suggesting that it hasn’t been abused or over‑used). Nuts can be a problem accommodating 12 strings and, while this one has been well cut, strings can jump from slots if subjected to heavy‑handed use. That isn’t unique to this example, so we can discount that as an issue. The 4‑way selector switch can be a bit confusing but one just uses one’s ears (as one should). The shape of the selector switch helps with positioning.

Before Leo Fender sold his company to CBS in 1965, he had designed the Electric XII from the ground up, including its unique 12 saddle bridge and its equally unique split coil pickups reminiscent of a Fender Precision bass. So, in conclusion, the refinish does not negatively impact playability.

Tone – Not affected. The signal chain from the fingers, through the strings to the the tuners & bridge, neck & body, and ultimately to the pickups, selector switch, volume & tone controls and the output jack are completely original. Now there are many vintage guitar snobs who will tell you that the finish affects tone. They profess that a thin nitrocellulose finish is far superior to, say Fender’s 1970s’ polyester finish. In practical day‑to‑day terms for a professional working guitar, I believe that to be hogwash and there are plenty of other factors that affect tone more than the type or age of finish on the body, so I am proclaiming an element of ‘emperor’s new clothes’ in this instance. So, in conclusion, the refinish does not negatively impact tone.

Looks – Varies depending on taste. There are probably only two main reasons for refinishing a guitar. One is to cover up something egregious and the other is to improve its looks. Going back to the Les Paul in c.1978, it was to improve its looks. While I have no insight into why the body (only) of the Electric XII was refinished, I can only assume it was for a similar reason. There does not appear to be any damage or ill‑advised irreversible modifications being obscured. Everything else (bar tuners and switch knob) are original, so it appears to have been done for aesthetic reasons. Whether it is better or worse than the original finish (I don’t know what colour it was) is moot – it is what it is. It has been done. It can’t go back. The finish isn’t wonderful; it was clearly stripped, painted and lacquered but not to a thick shiny flat surface. It looks pretty old and well‑faded. The studio owner had the guitar for 30 years and it was done before he got it, so it makes sense that it is an old refinish. Because of this, I don’t want to double down on the ‘issue’ by refinishing it again. Its refinish is part of this guitar’s story and it should stay that way.

I don’t know what you think but I reckon it is best left alone. However, as it doesn’t affect other aspects of the guitar, so the refinish can best be described as cosmetic only. Whether the aesthetic negatively impacts looks is up to each individual to decide. In conclusion, the refinish does fundamentally affect the physical appearance of the guitar body (and thereby, the whole instrument).

Value – Disastrous. As mentioned earlier in the article, a refinished 1966 Fender Electric XII in a non‑sunburst colour has significantly devalued the instrument for the purist collector. However, as you may have gathered over the years, I am not your conventional ‘collector’. Where I struggle at this point is, if the refinish is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect functionality, playability or tone, why is so much value lost.

Looking at a different category altogether, classic cars and motorcycles, while an original finish may be rare and important to some, many vehicle collectors place a high value well‑restored vehicles, so why not guitars? I can understand why a guitar refinish may be considered less preferable but it doesn’t make a guitar less than half as good, just because of a thin coat of paint. In many ways, it could be argued that it might improve a guitar (but I can’t say that because it is heretical and potentially seditious). Now, I cannot do anything about the entire vintage guitar collector market, so I have to accept that CRAVE’s 1966 Fender Electric XII has been corrupted irreversibly. I have to conclude that the refinish substantially affects value.

“Inverted snobbery is just as dangerous as snobbery itself, you know – that pride in having nothing” – Pete Doherty (1979‑)

A Famous Example: Jeff Beck’s ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul

Heck, if Jeff Beck can live with a refinished guitar, who am I to be snobbish about it? Beck’s famous Gibson Les Paul was originally a 1954 Les Paul Model Gold Top. According to legend, the original owner of the guitar had it modified by replacing the original P90 pickups with humbuckers, re‑profiling the neck and swapping the nickel metal parts with gold plated bits. It was also refinished in a ‘deep red’ (‘oxblood’) opaque colour to help hide repairs and modifications. The guy who commissioned the changes apparently didn’t like it, so it went up for sale. Beck was apparently unfazed by the changes and bought it in Memphis, TN in 1972. The guitar became a principal guitar for Beck, featuring on many recordings and touring with him. The modifications certainly did not appear to affect Beck’s ability to make great sounds from it. In addition, the guitar was featured on the album cover of Jeff Beck’s album, ‘Blow By Blow’ (1975) – see below.

As a testament to the fact that refinishing may actually add some mystique (and value) to an otherwise standard Les Paul Gold Top, Jeff Beck’s original ‘Oxblood’ sold at Christie’s auction on 22 January 2025 for a record‑setting $1.3m. OK, so it was refinished and modified but that didn’t stop it making its mark and positioning it as an iconic part of vintage guitar and rock music heritage.

Jeff Beck’s ‘Oxblood’ guitar has since been re‑issued as signature Epiphone, Gibson and Gibson Custom (2009 limited edition of 50) models. Coincidentally, Fender issued a press release on 25 June 2025, just a few days before this article was published announcing. “His heavily modified 1954 Les Paul, known to millions as the Oxblood due to its unique chocolate brown/oxblood finish… Now, Epiphone, in collaboration with the Jeff Beck Estate and Gibson Custom, is very proud to introduce the Jeff Beck Oxblood 1954 Les Paul, based on his iconic 1954 Les Paul”. How’s that for timing?

“Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died” – Peter Ustinov (1921‑2004)

Another Famous Example: Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Gibson Les Paul

Neil Young’s famous ‘Old Black’ is another icon of rock music. It was originally a 1953 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top, which had been refinished (before Young got it) and has been extensively modified over the decades. Apart from the refinish, ‘Old Black’ was fitted with a Bigsby vibrato, a Gibson Firebird bridge mini‑humbucking pickup, ABR‑1 bridge, a bypass selector switch, Schaller tuners, aluminium parts and a maple ‘pin‑stripe’ to the back of the neck. Neil Young acquired the Les Paul in c.1968 from Jim Messina of Buffalo Springfield in exchange for a 1958 Gretsch 6120. ‘Old Black’ has long been Young’s go-to guitar up to the present day. Neil Young’s headlining set at Glastonbury 2025 featured ‘Old Black’ along with other guitars. This guitar is so well known it even has its own Wikipedia page.

In 2005, Gibson wanted to release a Neil Young ‘Old Black’ signature model. Neil Young refused permission for an official replica. However that didn’t stop Gibson. Although not officially acknowledged, Gibson released a limited number of tribute guitars commissioned by Japanese Gibson dealer Yamano, with certificates describing it as an ‘Aged Historic Reissue’ and a checklist showing ‘LP Neil Young’. The short run was stopped after Neil Young’s lawyers sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter to Gibson. There is plenty of evidence though that a small number of ‘Old Black’ replica models (strangely based on a 1956 Les Paul) reached the market, with an even smaller number of guitars expertly aged by Tom Murphy. These very rare unofficial replica ‘refinished’ instruments have now become highly collectable.

“The educated elite is not without their own actual snobbery. And I kind of an anti‑elitist in that regard” – Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958‑)

Final thoughts on Vintage Guitar Refinishing

As a naïve teenager getting my hands on my first non‑vintage Fender Strat and Gibson Les Paul, did I ever think that some five decades later that I would still have those two now‑vintage guitars and I would still be besotted with the instrument? Nope. Neither did I think that by refinishing the Les Paul, I would be arguing the pros and cons of the practice five decades later. Nowadays, I wouldn’t dream of doing any modifications that aren’t 100% reversible unless it was absolutely unavoidable (e.g. a refret).

The do‑or‑don’t‑do dichotomy has certainly caused a disproportionate level of reflection and analysis. Fundamentally, I have to say that this 1966 Fender Electric XII genuinely remains a wonderful vintage guitar. I like the look of it, although it is a shame that it has been refinished. I like the sound of it, I like the playability of it (for a 12‑string) and it is perfectly functional, so it isn’t all a ‘bad thing’.

A refinish may reduce the value of a vintage guitar by 50% (or more) of what it would be worth if it was all‑original. As mentioned, for two of the three examples, I could not have afforded an all‑original guitar, so a refinish was my only means to acquire them. Yes, a refinish undoubtedly affects resale value but, as I do not intend to dispose of the remaining two refinished CRAVE Guitars any time soon, their value now becomes irrelevant. I did not buy them as an investment looking for profit, so I can live with that aspect. The Electric XII deserves to be cared for as much as any other vintage guitar.

Regular readers will know that I also have an anathema for modern finishes, including faux finishes and distressing (a.k.a. relicing) an otherwise unblemished finish. While it may give a passing impression of being ‘old’, it is not authentic and doesn’t have a genuine patina of having been played for decades. In short, they lack real ‘mojo’. Now that is a clear admission of snobbery. Guilty as charged.

As I was in the process of writing this article, Gibson Custom Select (i.e. the Gibson Custom Shop), announced a series of “painted over” guitar finishes. Essentially, this a base gold top finish followed by solid colour (either Pelham Blue or Ebony) finish applied over the gold, then ‘aged’ (i.e. reliced) by (Tom) Murphy Lab. Gibson are charging a stonkingly high premium price for artificially aged, refinished ‘new’ guitars. Gibson actually stress (sic!) that the main feature of these instruments is “guitar refinishing” (an actual quote from the Gibson press release). Now that is ironic! It is also impeccable timing. Perhaps this fundamental turnaround will provide a precedent for increasing the value of refinished guitars! Hhmm. What do you think?

Just four days earlier than the Gibson press release, Fender actively promoted “The Benefits Of Modifying Your Guitar”, which could open up another whole can of worms about guitar snobbery. As mentioned, the Electric XII has non‑original after‑market tuners, which only adds to its devaluation now it is a vintage guitar. I acknowledge that there are plenty of people out there who delight in modifying guitars, regardless of the long‑term ramifications of doing so. My stance on that is like refinishing, i.e. don’t do it (unless totally reversible). Don’t worry folks, I’m not going to repeat this article focusing on the snobbery towards modifications rather than refinishing. Once again, though, I hope you get the underlying pattern here without me having to be explicit.

NB. Yes, I know that ‘relic’ is a noun and not a verb, as used in the previous paragraphs. Yes, it annoys me too. However, that is symptomatic of the English language being bastardised by marketing departments of the major guitar manufacturers. Please don’t blame me for others’ grammatical transgressions. You can, though, criticise me for reiterating the odious blaspheme.

As mentioned above, the Fender Electric XII may be the ‘newest’ refinished CRAVE Guitar but it isn’t the first and may well not be the last. The Explorer has gone and is now out of my purview. Where does this leave the refinished 1975 Gibson Les Paul Standard? It changes nothing at all; my feelings about the LP remain the same.

Will this period of reflection change my views about refinishes for future CRAVE Guitars acquisitions? Well, it’s made me think very hard about the issues with a more open mind. The conclusion reached is that judgements aren’t as black and white as I had previously considered, meaning that, from now on, I will have to assess each one carefully on a case‑by‑case basis, balancing priority, availability, originality and, of course, cost.

Ultimately, though, vintage guitar snobbery undermined one of my own criteria for selecting a CRAVE Guitar. By doing so, I have had to challenge my preconceptions and have arrived at a state of mind that says, “so what?” It doesn’t affect anyone else, so that’s not an issue. Can I accept it, live with it and enjoy it for what it is? Yep. Is the recently‑acquired Fender Electric XII less than half of a decent guitar because of its non‑original paint job? Nope. Where it really matters, I would say it is 85%‑90% of a great guitar. Perhaps vintage enthusiasts might do well to re‑evaluate such factors and dispense with some of that hyped up judgemental vintage guitar snobbery we so easily fall into. It goes to show that we can always keep learning and it is hubris to think otherwise.

I actually feel a little sad for the Electric XII. Through no fault of its own, it has been irrevocably relegated to a lowly status from which it can never recover, simply because of a thoughtlessly applied refinish years ago. It is now up to me to care for it as best I can while I’m still here. The same goes for the Les Paul.

By sharing this internal debate with the wider public, I will now lay myself open to scrutiny, prejudice, bias, dogma, derision and… yes… vintage guitar snobbery. Others may well look down upon me and scorn me for my misfortune and/or stupidity. That’s their prerogative, even if I may disagree with it.

While I can expose the degree to which snobbery affects vintage guitars, I do not think that it is up to me to place myself within the definition of a snob, as defined at the start of this article. The little bit of me that is a vintage guitar snob might wish that it was an all‑original example but that was never going to happen.

What I can say with some certainty is that vintage guitar snobbery is not a good thing and we should be cautious of falling into its divisive dogmatism. It is tempting and easy to become snobbish. No big surprise there. Personally, I have learned a valuable lesson and have been subject to a timely and appropriate reality check. Am I a hypocrite? It seems that I may well be. Hey, no‑one can be perfect all the time, right? I throw myself on the mercy of the court m’lud. Case closed. For now.

“Hypocrisy is the essence of snobbery, but all snobbery is about the problem of belonging” – Alexander Theroux (1939‑)

In Other News

Amidst uncertain and volatile operating environments, two bits of sad news from the UK music retail industry. The first is the closure of Play Music Today (PMT). All physical UK stores and the online store have been shut down with redundancies after all other options to find a rescue plan failed. All stock was sold to rival chain Gear4Music for just £2.4m. Also, Brighton’s iconic south coast retail store GAK (The Guitar Amp & Keyboard Centre) was also sold to Gear4Music, also for £2.4m. GAK was one of the UK’s largest independent guitar retailers (and frequented often by me). If a guitar shop cannot be viable in a creative music city like ‘Be Right On’ of all places, it is clearly a bad situation.

Can retailers like Gear4Music in the UK compete with the massive online sellers like Sweetwater in the US and Thomann in Europe? Are these recent high street closures one‑offs or further signs of the worrying trend in the decline of bricks and mortar guitar shops located within local communities? I don’t believe in coincidence. Note to all: use them or lose them.

Finally ‘in other news’, a hopefully positive move. The online marketplace Reverb has been sold by American e‑commerce company Etsy to two investment firms in April 2025. Reverb was owned by Etsy for six years between 2019 and 2025. Reverb, originally founded in 2013, is now once again a privately owned, independently operated business. One of the investors, Servco Pacific, is the majority shareholder of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), while the other, Creator Partners, is a minority Fender shareholder.

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Album of the Month’

Given that one of the world’s most recognisable modified guitars is Jeff Beck’s ‘oxblood’ 1954 Gibson Les Paul (see above), it makes sense for this article to give pride of place to a specific ground breaking album by a ground breaking guitarist. Beck’s famous Les Paul is even featured on the album’s front and rear cover art. Cool.

Jeff Beck – ‘Blow By Blow’ (1975): Blow By Blow was the debut solo studio album by the late English guitarist Jeff Beck (1944‑1923), recorded at AIR Studios in London and released in March 1975 on Epic Records. The instrumental album comprises 9 tracks covering 45 minutes. The album was produced by the legendary George Martin. The album includes one of Beck’s most memorable tracks, ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers’ (5 mins 41 secs). The platinum certified album (in the US) reached Number 4 on the American Billboard 200 – not bad for a milestone instrumental rock album by a British musician.

‘Blow By Blow’ may, however, not be my favourite Beck album, that probably goes to ‘Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop’ (1989) but that has a Strat on the cover. Jeff Beck was a one‑of‑a‑kind guitarist and history will probably regard him as a guitarist’s guitarist. He was a genuinely authentic guitar hero for many aspiring guitarists. His exceptional talent is greatly missed and we may never see his like again. RIP Jeff.

“Just ’cause something’s popular, it can still be good. In fact, if more people are buying it, then you must be doing something right. People look down on stuff that sells. What do you call that? Downward snobbery, I guess” – Lemmy Kilmister (1945‑2015)

BELIEVE IN MUSIC!

Tailpiece

Well, that’s another article and the first half of 2025 put to bed. I hope you enjoyed it and it provided a few minutes of distraction from the insanity of real life. Sometimes something that seems so black & white ends up being anything but.

It is now time to move onto another subject and another demanding schedule to get it published by the end of July. For its subject matter, well, you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t ya?

Once I had completed this article, I did have a whimsical moment of reflection. I wondered what would happen if I deleted these c.7,000 words and started over again from scratch, effectively ‘refinishing’ this article. Thankfully, the thought didn’t last long and I am happy to say that this is the original finish. Heehee.

Truth, peace, love, and guitar music be with you always. Until next time…

CRAVE Guitars’ ‘Quote of the Month’: “If yesterday was tomorrow, what would you do differently?”

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