Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Made by Tiesco for Decca Home Products circa 1967(Johnny Depp said his 1st guitar was a Decca). I traded 3 plastic ukuleles for it.I love those "Ry Cooder" pickups

haha, I used to have one of those. Picked it up at a swap meet for $25, and I was totally ripped off.

If you like vintage cheapies, there's a shop in my town where you'll think you're in heaven. Very trippy and cool old electrics, Harmony and Kay archtops, steels, ukes, mandos, etc. I'm such a snob or I would have cleaned him out already. As it is I love to look at them, always reminds me of being fifteen again ...

haha, most of the early sixties cheapos (non-big names) are all very cool, but hardly a real instrument. Some are great for playing slide.....because the necks are borderline unplayable, in my experience. It seems that cheap student guitars got much better by the early 70s, at least playability-wise. (One huge exception is Danelectro....for some reason those things play like butter, and sound great despite being cheap student guitars made of throwaway materials).

But the Decca is certainly cool, and different--if you're looking for something off the beaten path.

kiramdear wrote:If you like vintage cheapies, there's a shop in my town where you'll think you're in heaven. Very trippy and cool old electrics, Harmony and Kay archtops, steels, ukes, mandos, etc. I'm such a snob or I would have cleaned him out already. As it is I love to look at them, always reminds me of being fifteen again ...

'Zat the place on B or C Street, Kira?

I poked my head in once, but got a verrry unfriendly vibe...so I haven't been back. Seems like he wasn't interested in selling anything...

jingle_jangle wrote:

kiramdear wrote:If you like vintage cheapies, there's a shop in my town where you'll think you're in heaven. Very trippy and cool old electrics, Harmony and Kay archtops, steels, ukes, mandos, etc. I'm such a snob or I would have cleaned him out already. As it is I love to look at them, always reminds me of being fifteen again ...

'Zat the place on B or C Street, Kira?

I poked my head in once, but got a verrry unfriendly vibe...so I haven't been back. Seems like he wasn't interested in selling anything...

Yeah, that's it - Player's Guitars. JIm's kind of sullen by nature, these days. Some health problems and such, I believe. But he's very honest and unpretentious and does low-cost workmanlike repairs for the kids (like me) in town. I've known him a while and stop in regularly, but I know what you mean - it's hard to get him to sell me anything. If you can talk him into it, though, the price will be right. His taste is unique in shops for this area.

Good to hear that you know him, Kira. I had the distinct feeling of "time warp" when I stopped in there. It was like being in 1975 again; most of downtown SR has gone Marin Yuppie or NoCal Hispanic, but a dozen or so gems remain. Jim's place sounds like one and it's good to know that he's still capable of bonding.

Another local attraction is Amazing Grace Music on the Miracle Mile. I don't get out there very often, but they have a nice assortment of fine acoustic instruments and a nice no-BS non-attitude to go with it. They do very nice repairs as well, I've heard.

Yeah, at one point I lived near there on West End. Nice folks!