Hi to all out there 😀
After all these years - fame, at last. LOL. 😁
It seems I am listed under number 50, in The Best 100 Guitar Blogs and Websites 2025. WOW!
Well worth a look, there are some great Blogs and Websites that I have never come across before.
Back with more images of Reeve instruments.
Cheers. 😊😊
Mr Lee is a 4 and 6 twin neck and has been featured on here several times.
Mr Lee also inspired me to do research on Reeve Guitars and I went on to post several articles about Reeve and the instruments they made.
I have been lucky enough to be contacted by the original owner, who being a big Rush and Geddy Lee fan, commissioned his tribute twin neck.
Over several emails, he sent me this image.
Here’s something from ancient history… a student band competition from 1986, both twins were mine at the time. We had a 20 minute slot and as a reaction to all the other bands playing six three minute pop ditties we performed one 20 minute epic. We didn’t win 😊
I’m still a huge Rush fan of course, I was at the last ever show in LA and was lucky enough to chat to Geddy at his (fairly) recent book signing events. After enduring no end of nagging from various friends who had heard some of my stories, I’ve even written a book about my various travels over the years to see them (andyfaulkner.net if you’re curious enough to take a look).
On the last tour Geddy pulled out a couple of Rickenbacker double necks for the first time in decades, and that triggered something in me again, finding your blog again was the final piece slotting into place.
Some more info you might find interesting, the 6/12 doubleneck also came from Reeve. It’s a Japanese something or other (I’ve either forgotten or never knew what!) and was being restored at the same time that Mr Lee was being made. I watched them both coming together and ended up falling for this one too so when the time came to collect Mr Lee I brought them both home. Eventually I sold it to the guitarist in my first proper gigging band (Walking on Ice) but again, this was forever ago, and he passed it on at some point (and now can’t remember what happened to it at all!).
You might be interested in this,
https://www.facebook.com/andy.faulkner.3114/posts/pfbid0vn77BCGLpwhzxHNLdARdRpUipJruxVZPCS9LA2Pbhb1Pm2mZZdyMYRoL7WxwaZi1l
Something I posted a few years ago on facebook when I was going through my basses
Another of those strange coincidences happened some years ago too. Do you remember me saying that the only other Reeve guitars I had seen belonged to the guys from Twelfth Night? I think you posted a photo of Clive Mitten with his doubleneck at some point. I was a huge Twelfth Night fan in the 80s (still am to be honest), I saw them dozens of times at the Marquee and all around the country. Well, in late 2011 I was introduced to Andy Sears, the Twelfth Night singer, by a mutual friend (Clive Nolan of Pendragon & Arena). Andy was looking for a bass player for a solo album he was working on and Clive kindly recommended me. The album never materialised in the end, but a week or two after we met (and based solely on Clive’s recommendation) Andy contacted me again saying Twelfth Night had been asked to play a festival in America and Clive Mitten was unable to do it, would I be interested? I didn’t take too long to think about it! So I ended up doing a couple of shows with TN, including a fabulous prog festival in Pennsylvania – no doublenecks involved but it was one of the greatest weekends of my life.
https://twelfthnight.info/?people=andy-faulkner
I’ve since spoken to Clive Mitten about the Reeves, the guitarist Andy Revell still has the explorer (although I believe he’s since passed it on to another mutual friend and it’s been stripped and refinished) but Clive’s doubleneck disappeared somewhere along the years. A real shame as I would have been very tempted to put an offer in for it if he had still owned it!
I’ve rambled on a bit here, but I get the feeling you like some of the background info 😊. Feel free to use whatever you want on the blog, including any of the links and maybe you could mention the book (https://andyfaulkner.net) as it’s kind of Geddy related.
Magic!!
I have more images of Reeve guitars and basses, that have been sent to me.
I will be doing those over the next couple of posts.
Cheers. 😎
Happy New Year to all you Guitar and Bass enthusiasts.
2025 already, how time flies.
Over the festive break I have freed some old friends from their cases and gig bags.
It was more of a reacquaintance with some I haven't seen for a while and some that I haven't seen for some time. Ibanez Musician and SB70, along with RB650 and a later Blazer bass, in festive red. Aria SB 900 and SB404, which is one of the later built basses that I think boxes above it's weight. Gordy headless, so light and comfortable and finally a Peavey Foundation, a gold one, first generation "Line around head". I have three of these, the gold one, a fretless in sunburst and the white one, which is the the one I call Roger, after Roger Glover. Playing the gold one for 10 minutes reminded me of how good these basses are. Slim, fast neck and Super Ferrite pick-ups. Roger, who was known for various mods on basses, left his as stock - as it came from out of the box. Surely a big thumbs up for the early Foundation.
It seems that a lot of you have had a relax over the holiday and been searching for guitars and basses on line, as views/reads increased a lot, just over yesterday.
So, if you were one of them, Welcome Aboard.
All the best for 2025.
Cheers. 😎
Hi to all you patient readers. 😀
As we are coming towards the end of 2024, I thought I would put finger to keyboard.👍
I have been collecting, on and off for fifty years and still have instruments from that period.
I started this blog on October 6th, 2009. That is just over fifteen years ago.
There was a slow start. . . very! It was April 2010! First up was some of my T Series Peavey Basses.
After that, another 55 posts in one year! Those were the days. In 2010, there were another 58 posts and then I got busy with other things.
Any regular reader would already know that, but I carried on.
Features on Peter Cook, the guitar builder, who was also Gibson's man in the UK and also the work he did with The Who. There was also an extensive feature on Peavey T-40, T-60 and Chip Todd and Hartley Peavey, which I really enjoyed doing.
The thing is, although many think I have. . . . I haven't finished on all of them. There are still ones that I haven't done, so my aim in 2025 is to try and finish it.
Sit tight, I'll do my best.
Cheers. 😎
Well, what a small world - a full circle story, Julius saw the Firebird before I did and is still kicking himself! 😐😕
As I said in part one, Julius is mainly known for historic car racing.
That said, his following email was also very interesting, with little mentioned about the cars.
What a colourful past he has! 👍
More from Julius. . . . . .
I did the COYS ROCK sales for a couple of years. I have always bought and sold guitars, more as a hobby than a business – trading up and down on various finds.
Actually, I am not a player at all. My first ‘kit’ Fenton Weill got me interested in the construction of guitars and that went through a few modifications before parting with it with a ‘Dixson’ headstock logo (Family name). Sold to a guitar shop in Putney for £24.00. So, it was the engineering of guitars (or lack of it in many cases) that interested me.
Being in and around Ealing, I also knew the late, great, Chris Eccleshall and commissioned a guitar from him – a double cut Les Paul Special body with a single John Birch pickup. I never actually took possession of it as It was spotted by a member of ‘MUD’ or ‘THE SWEET’ (memory fails me as to which group) whilst still with Chris and I was able to pay back the bank loan that I had taken out to buy it!
Later I worked at Photogram Studios in Marble Arch. Spurred on by my close mate from Ealing, Bob Potter, who was a recording engineer/producer at Island Records. Bob worked with a wide and eclectic range of artists from Jimmy Cliff, Marianne Faithful to Paul Kossoff’s Back Street Crawler Albums. I sat in on many historic recording sessions back then thanks to Bob. Not sure what happened to Bob, sadly we lost touch a few decades ago. Whilst at Photogram, I too worked with a wide range of artists. Bo Diddley, the original ELO, Wizard, Elton John, Stephane Grappelli and even Val Doonican! Great days!
I have attached a few more photos:
Bob Potter – where is he now?
Does anyone know where Bob Potter is now??
I am pretty certain that Julius would appreciate any help. Google Julius for an email contact and drop him a line, if you can help.
Ned Callan SG work in progress with Brian and Mike Eastwood.
Finished result is testimony to the Eastwoods’ magic.
A Watkins Rapier. No: 1380. Fixed neck. No truss rod. Bought
covered completely in thick white gloss house paint. When removing the paint, I
found the hippy doodles on it and managed to preserve them. Scratch plate and
pickup make by the Eastwoods to my order. Will surely annoy Watkins enthusiasts
with OCD for originality, but I think it works well. 😉
Dallas guitar from my archives. I’ve owned a couple in the
past.
Hope that this
feedback is of interest.
Do pass on my best wishes to Peter when you next speak to
him.
My biggest regret in collecting old guitars was not buying a
mint, cased, Peter Cook double-neck at a Northern Guitar Show for £750.00!
Have been kicking myself ever since! 😉
All the best,
Julius.
So the Peter Cook connection is a strong one. Tom Newman, The Tomcats, Ted McDowell and of that era, Sid Watkins.
There may be a sort of part III to this, so I may add something to it.
So, Best sit tight and I'll come back to you as soon as I can
Cheers. 😎
Well, this is indeed a bumper packed post!!
I know of Julius Thurgood from a classic car perspective and on the racetrack, as well as his involvement with The Historic Racing Drivers Club.
I had a contact from him regarding a Ned Callan and the following email contained some very interesting content and details. Well written and entertaining, I got a second one with even more info and images.
I asked if I could post it up on the blog, as I knew there would be interest in his story and images. . . . so here we go. . . . take it away, Julius! 👌
Hello Eric.
Good to make contact with you.
Have always enjoyed your blog!
NED CALLAN
I was brought up in West London and consequently hung around with the likes of Ted McDowell who occasionally played with Tom Newman and the Tomcats (Ealing Town Hall gigs) and worked for Peter Cook.
Tempo Music in West Ealing was a regular haunt and that’s where I saw the early Ned Callan guitars (including a green Les Paul that Peter Cook had made). Hence my interest in ‘Ealing’ guitars.
I always wanted to add to my small Fenton Weill collection (I bought my first Fenton Weill guitar as a schoolboy from Henry Weill in ‘kit’ form for £5.00. Fenton Weill’s emporium was close to my school), as Peter Cook has always been a bit of a guitar hero.
I later went to work for Sid Watkins at Watkins Electrical Music (a short-lived employment!).
I’ve owned the Ned Callans for a quite few years and the SG-shaped version has just been restored by Brian Eastwood, having previously been modified with twin humbuckers and a horrendous Perspex custom scratch plate. We took a lot of care to restore it correctly and Brian has made a lovely job of it.
The Salisbury has survived in original condition. However, it is currently in storage and I do not have better photos of it to hand.
I used to run the ‘COYS ROCK’ guitar sales.
Notable guitars were one of the John Entwistle Fender Jazz basses and the ex-Duster Bennet / Peter Green / Eric Clapton / BB King / Muddy Waters 1952 Gold Top Les Paul, which I think is now in a French Collection.
My collection has been considerably thinned down as my son swapped quite a few in a deal to obtain his stunning 1963 Gibson 335. But I drew the line at my Ned Callan and Fenton Weill guitars going in that deal!
All the best,
Julius.
Cheers. 😊
Hi to the thousands of you who are dropping in!😊
Currently exceeding over 500 views a day.
In terms of numbers, a long way from the likes of Taylor Swift but loads of folk seem to be interested in many of my posts that date back in some cases, ten plus years!
So, if you are new to my Blog, Welcome aboard. 😊
I played one of my 1970s Canadian Odyssey Basses on Thursday, not been out of the case for a while but once plugged in, we bonded instantly. What a truly great bass, in my opinion. For a passive bass, so much power and so much tone, from the DiMarzio Double P set up - I just love it. . . and it's brother, to bits.
I also dug out my Greco GOBII 750, in anticipation of the next get together and whilst I was there. . . my Aria Pro II "Rickenbacker Tribute" which didn't get selected this time around but it was great to see the old fella again.
While I think about it, my setup on this blog has a search box. So, type in make or model or persons name, for the likes of Peter cook, Chip Todd, Hartley Peavey etc, in there and see what you come up with.
Good Hunting.
Back soon. . . .
Cheers. 😁
