This is my third year covering the Amigo Guitar Show in Nashville.
It’s actually south of the city by half an hour in an agricultural exposition center, so the floor is dirt.
They do a good job flattening it before covering it with carpet, but you can still feel variations in the soft floor as you walk.
None of that dampens the mood.
Everyone, buyers and sellers alike, are happy to be there. I spent a few hours seeing everything at least twice, and ran into several friends.
It was a good way to spend a Saturday.
Most of the guitars and gear on display are used.
Sorry about that, Amanda.
Not “used…” …make that:
“Vintage.”
Some guitar dealers specialize in buying and selling vintage collectibles. These are guitars that are too valuable to play at your local dive bar.
There’s no sense in risking a beer getting spilled on this 1980 Rickenbacker 4080 double neck. It’s part bass, part 12-string, and it can be yours for $25,000.
There were a lot of double necks this year, and most were really expensive.
Take this 1966 Gibson EBSF-1250:
With one bass neck, one guitar neck, and a built in fuzzbox., it’s a rare model priced at $49,995.
This one from the same year was marked down to $26,500, probably because the lacquer finish was cracked all over.
That doesn’t affect playability or sound, but it isn’t pristine, and therefore not as collectible.
These two double necks were tagged as the Gibson model EMS-1235, but the 1969 version has a tenor guitar neck and the 1959 has a mandolin neck. The reason they have the same model number is that it was a special order item.
You could ask for any configuration you wanted, though most had a mandolin neck. There are various shapes and colors because they were each made to order.
The asking price for the 1969 was $69,995.
The 1959? Not for sale at any price. It was still cool to see.
This much more recent Danelectro 12/6 combination was a much more affordable $1,350. It looked to be brand new.
Speaking of Danelectros, there were a lot of Longhorns.
The thing that surprised me was how many guitars with sparkle finishes there were this year.
From this silver Fender Telecaster I saw as soon as I walked in…
… to these two by Fellows guitars.
That’s the Pathfinder bass in Outer Space Burst sparkle and an F3 Standard guitar in purple sparkle. There’s also two other F3s in Arctic White and Cherry Metallic.
This adorably pink ESP Eclipse can be yours for only $5900.
This Cort Manson Matt Bellamy Signature guitar is not only sparkly, it has some mind-blowing built in features.
The touchpad is a MIDI controller, which means you can run the guitar through any MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) compatible device and change its settings using the touchpad.
It has lots of other features, including the ability to sound like a regular ol’ electric guitar. For more details, watch this video. Surprisingly, depending on the model, they’re under $2,000.
In addition to sparkles, there were a lot of other decorated guitars.
This Biasibetti Hot Rod Telecaster has a stained glass top and lights up from the inside.
The builder calls it “Glass On Fire.”
From L.C. Guitars comes this Telecaster with a paisley design done in 24k gold leaf.
Fans of the Grateful Dead will recognize their lightning bolt on this D’Angelico semi-hollowbody.
These two Telecasters have tops covered in real cow hide.
They’re furry.
In the celebrity guitar category, there’s this Jazz Bass signed by Jimi Hendrix’s bassist Noel Redding. It’s a 1991 model so he didn’t play it with Hendrix, so it can be yours for only $1800. Had it been his original bass from the 60s, the price might be ten times that.
“Do not rub the signature. Thanks!“
Speaking of the 60s, this guitar was painted by Peter Max, who sold a lot of posters back in the day.
It’s hand painted so the $39,000 asking price makes sense.
Our last celebrity guitar was owned and played by J. Geils. However, I got so busy talking to my friend Andy T. who was working in the booth that I neglected to take a picture of it.
I found this one online.
The story goes that Geils bought it second hand and had his name inlaid into the fretboard. The guy he bought it from got angry about the modification, so Geils modified it even more. He had it painted white and the hardware replaced with distressed brass. It was his main guitar for years.
Finally, some miscellaneous guitars:
The Airline Map was called that because it vaguely looks like the continental United States
However, if you really want a map guitar, there’s this from Epiphone.
And if you’re going on a road trip cross-country?
There’s no better car than a 1950s Cadillac with tail fins, like so.
In my Musical Inventors series, I wrote an article about George Beauchamp, and I talked about Hawaiian guitars. Here’s an example.
Note that the neck is too thick to grasp. That’s because it’s a lap guitar. You play it with a slide while it rests on your lap.
In that same article, I talked about how the Rickenbacker Frying Pan lap steel. There was one at the show.
And finally, there was something I’ve never seen in person before.
This is the biggest member of the mandolin family, the mandobass.
If only it would fit in my car…
As I wandered the floor for the third or fourth time, I ran into another friend of mine, the very talented Michael Ryan Vance:
We talked for a while and he suddenly burst out laughing. I hadn’t said anything funny, so he explained that there was a kid in a booth behind me playing Vince Gill licks.
And Vince Gill was in the next aisle chuckling.
That’s the friendly, down-to-earth, ‘everyone’s-a-star’ atmosphere this show always has.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these instruments as much as I loved seeing them.
I didn’t buy anything other than some parts for a bass I’m putting together, but I had a blast seeing all these goodies. If there’s a guitar show anywhere near you, check it out even if you’re not a musician.
It’s bound to have a good vibe.
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Those are some awesome-looking instruments, Bill! And I love the story about Vince Gill … well-told. Have a great weekend.
Agree with Chuck, some impressive looking instruments. Except the bright green Matt Bellamy. The sparkles I’m fine with but the shade of green is a turn off.
It also comes in gray, for you more traditional rockers.
I neglected to include a video of my friend Andy T, who I mentioned above. Here he is with the late, great Nick Nixon on vocals. There may be a familiar looking bass player there, too.
https://youtu.be/ZZYMkR_TD5g
Sure do miss BSB&BB. Got to get out somewhere to see that bass player soon.
(Hint: 4pm this Sunday at Brown’s Diner, 6pm Saturday the 12th at The 5 Spot, almost every Wednesday at Papa Turney’s)