Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Been sniffin' the paint fumes to long if you ask me, I find both him and his website annoying.

dedgoat-- Hey man, I'm right there with ya. And I don't doubt Jeffrey's word for a second that Roman probably changed it.

I spoke with him once on the phone when I was thinking about selling my 4001cs and all I got was an attitude. I would never buy from the guy, it's not worth the effort to deal with him.
And that's about all I have to say in this thread.

I also think he's a bit overpriced too.... I called once- it felt like I was calling a travel agent, on hold for 8 minutes for a sales person...

Melvyn Hiscock, in his luthiery tome, "Make Your Own Electric Guitar", says that that log started out life as a "railway sleeper".

Seems Creosote is both heavy and noxious-smelling. Accounts for the 20 # nicely. Bet it had zero sustain, though.

Garry

Ummmmm.... above posts say Les Paul's log was the first electric guitar, when, I'm pretty sure, it was in fact the Frying Pan in the earliest days of the Rickenbacker company that was the world's first electric guitar. Not to mention the bakelite spanish guitars, also (I think) around before Les Paul's log.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe Les Paul's "Log" is considered the first solid body "Spanish" style guitar. Gibson's web site does indeed confirm that the material in question was a railroad tie. What mental process would lead you to pick a tie for use in a solid guitar over, say, almost anything else?

Didn't Brian May and his father destroy their harth to make Brian's custom axe?

I'm not sure if it was originally a hearth, but I seem to recall that it is made of oak and has a knitting needle for a whammy bar, buttons for fret markers, etc. I wonder what Mrs. May said when she got home?

Les Paul made his log in 1941 and George Beauchamp perfected the frying pan in 1932, Rickenbacker was known as Electro String Instrument Corp. when they sold this and other electric instruments.

BTW, yesterday was Les Paul's 89th (?) Birthday

Happy Birthday Mr. Paul.
Lindsay & Corey: Brian May & his father did indeed use wood for the neck of "the Red Special" from a fireplace mantle that was about 100 years old.

Thanks Eddier. Not to put a damper on the origin of the neck of May's guitar, I have always enjoyed his smokin' performances. Additionally, I have marveled at the manner in which Brian's fingers just "flue" over the fretboard.

Hehe...Peter, you should write material for Ron Maclean