Another big gap in posts! Sorreeeee, so busy these days but I'm back on the case. No pun intended!
Other Reeve owners have been in touch and this is the gallery of the ones I have. There is one missing, a Red Long Horn Strat type, which I'm sure I had the images but can I find them? If you are the person who kindly sent them to me, please send again and I will include them.
Here we go!
As you can see a varied mix of styles. The bass has the same hardware as mine, although that is a single pick-up, mine is two.
The green Vee shaped guitar, as the owner said, is much played and much modded - unusual shape.
The black LH Strat style, has some interesting switching - all on, all off or any perm you can get! The Burns type scroll was a special request by the customer.
Finally the last one shown has "aged" and again, has some interesting controls.
The position markers and very much in the Hofner style of things.
If anyone else has a Reeve Guitar, please drop me a line.
contactflateric@gmail.com
Next time, the pics of my finished Reeve Headless bass and then I'll move onto something different.
Cheers. :)
More Reeve!
Bit of a delay - still got lots going on.
Val sent me another picture she had found, showing
that the Brian May Red Special I posted up, was inded
a Reeve, made for Adrian - who Val remebers very well
but has lost touch with him.
Feast your eyes on this Very Accurate replica!!!
Another absolute Cracker from Reeve.
I would live to know where this is now!
Next time I am going to post up images of Reeve guitars,
that have been sent to me by readers of this blog.
Any more Reeve owners??
Drop me a line:
contactflateric@gmail.co.uk
Back soon.
Cheers. :)
The next instalment from Val Reeve.
Off we go again!
After the excitement of the eighties, things began to quieten down
and we settled into a routine of making instruments and also began to
do a lot of repairs.
Eventually we were doing all the guitar repairs for a music shop in
Dunstable.
The recession was beginning to bite and orders began to dry up.
Our accountant told us it was time now to revert back to 'hobby status'.
We had tried but it was no longer viable to run Reeve Guitars as a
business so Ges (the only one who was working full-time in Reeve Guitars)
had to find a job and we went back to how it had been originally, working
evenings and weekends.
In the late nineties, my son, Michael wanted a guitar made.
This was a break through, Michael had always considered that nothing
could better his Les Paul!!
The consequent result of a gleaming white guitar was totally superb.
Michael and Mike had worked closely, Michael explaining exactly what
he required and with Mike's considerable electronic expertise,
the guitar could produce every sound that Michael wanted and of course,
the bodywork created by Ges was second to none.
The ultimate praise came when Michael said the Reeve Guitar was far
superior to his Les Paul!
More about Reeve next time.
Cheers. :)
Val continues with the Reeve Story.
"Hi Eric
Hope you have had a good week.
Anyway, on with the story.
During this period Ges just could not cope with working
full time and the amount of guitar work coming in so he
decided to try to make Reeve Guitars a full time business.
At that time it certainly looked as though Reeve Guitars
could be a going concern.
I had the unenviable task of preparing the accounts ready
for audit when the accountant took over.
I drew the short straw yet again!
Mick was still teaching and keeping a low profile but the
long school holidays were a bonus, and I also had the the
school holidays.
Totally out of the blue, we were contacted by a guy in
America who expressed interest in buying instruments on
a regular basis.
He had obviously been monitoring our progress through
the regular reviews in the music magazines.
He had also contacted an amplification firm in this
country with a view to them making and shipping out
amps to America.
Our first reaction was of disbelief, quickly followed by a
wildly excited "This is It"!!! Obviously we had to check
that he was bona fide.
The Overseas Branch of our local Bank were brilliant
and ran a check on this guy.
Apparently he had financial backing and everything
seemed ok.
Although on one visit from an adviser from the Bank's
Overseas Branch , I was told that we should not as much
as purchase a screw until the finances were completely
watertight.
Of course, with deadlines already being given that was
not possible and full production went ahead.
Ges and Mick were working flat out because all these
instruments were custom built.
I was in contact with a shipping company who had
supplied me with prices on packing and shipping out
the instruments and I also had a lot of contact with the
amplification firm.
Gradually we began to get very anxious as the money
had not been transferred and despite repeated phone
calls to America when we were assured it would be
happening very soon, loud warning bells began to ring.
The amplification firm were also very worried and they
sent a representative to America to check out the situation.
I was in contact with the Overseas Branch of our Bank and
it was the Bank, through their sources in America, who
notified me that this guy's financial backers had withdrawn.
And that was it! The Dream was over.
Although we had about a dozen bodies ready, we were ok
because over time, these were used in the making of other
instruments.
I dont believe the amplification firm were so lucky."
So, it seems that Reeve could have gone international but
unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
Back with more of the Reeve Guitar story, along with some
more images.
Any Reeve owners out there??
Drop me a line.
Contact me here
Cheers. :)
Another long delay - Sorry about that - loads on, at
the moment! :)
The next part of the story, which Val sent to me a few
weeks ago, I put down onto a memory stick, which I have
left behind, somewhere!!
Think I know where it is, so no panic.
In the meantime, some more picks of Reeve.
The one below is my first Reeve - "Mr Lee"
Val has sent me some more from her archive, including
this one, which Ges called Patchwork Guitar, as it was
used as a demo for all the timbers he could offer.
Bit of a Brian May looking trem, there which brings me
to the "mystery guitar", shown below the Patchwork.
This is a bit of a mystery to me and Val.
She can't remember if Ges built this Brian May Red Special
or if it was just in for repairs, as there are no shots of the
rest of it or the head.
I have tried to look for signature details on this - is it a Burns,
or a Guild? I don't think so - any comments, would be very
welcome, from those in the know.
This is another one that Val sent to me - a very 80's take on
a Strat - one pick-up in the "screaming position" and one
control, Volume!
Loud or off!! :)
I'll be back in a couple of days, honest. . . Promise!!!
Any Reeve Guitars out there?
I'm going to do a complete gallery of the ones that
owners have sent me, at the end of this feature.
Back soon.
Cheers. :)
More about Reeve - A Cottage industry in Bedfordshire!
Val Reeve with a Bass & Guitar Twin Neck.
Val is helping me out with the story of Reeve, which relies
on her detailing the story and finding old photos to scan.
So, after sever emails, we are off and running again.
Over to you Val!
Off we go ...... Back to the eighties which, for Reeve Guitars,
was a time of excitement and promise.
In 1983, we were mentioned by a mutual acquaintance to
Pete Tulett who at that time was Managing Director of
Musicians Direct Supply Co producing the Alligator P.A.
Pete was interested in bringing out an Alligator Guitar and
Bass to celebrate the company's first anniversary.
He came to meet Ges and Mick and decided that these two
were more than capable of producing exactly what he wanted.
Pete designed the shape, colours (green) and timbers while a
guitarist and bassist helped out on the more technical aspects.
These instruments would appear as a limited edition (6 guitars
and 6 basses) to begin with.
Each instrument had First Anniversary engraved on the neck
plate and of course 'Alligator' on the headstock.
It was never revealed who had produced these instruments,
only that they were British made.
Ges was a bit 'miffed' at this and each instrument carried a
well-concealed 'Manufactured by Reeve Guitars' engraved plate.
I think over the years, it did leak out.
Obviously the instruments were checked regularly by Pete and
his colleagues to make sure all was proceeding to plan.
Pete had called us 'a cottage industry' and I guess we probably were.
But this 'cottage industry' could produce the finest instruments and
also provide a strong cup of tea!!!!
During this time, Ges had to rent the use of a Carpentry Shop
(at Dunstable) for a couple of days a week because obviously
this offered a range of facilities our workshop did not have.
How I ever found time to go to work I do not know.
I worked in a school and the Headmaster was well into our
guitar-making.
Several times, he waved me off saying ' Off you go, go and do
what you have to!!' Imagine that happened now!!!
The instruments were very positively reviewed in the
International Musician and Recording World (Nov 1983),
Music UK (Dec 83) and Guitarist (June 84).
But after a triumphant debut, the Alligators seemed to
gradually peter out.
Part II of this episode next week.
Anyone out there got an Alligator Bass or Guitar??
contactflateric@gmail.com
When I bought my first Reeve, I never thought I would
end up getting the whole story.
After much research and putting out requets, my call
was finally answered.
Many thanks to Andy Gilbert, who slotted in the missing
piece of the jigsaw!!
Cheers mate! :)
This is Val and Ges Reeve!
Val has made contact with me and is very happy to tell
the story of Reeve Guitars.
A story that is much bigger than I ever imagined it would
ever be!!
Val, take it away!!
Hi Eric
Right here we go.
It all started in the late seventies. Mick had been raring to
make a guitar, Ges more reluctant.
One day Mick came in to us from school with a piece of beech
saying 'here's the body'.
He had retrieved the lid of a school desk that was being dumped
at the school.
They were totally inexperienced but this was a music household,
my son having his own band.
Mick having his own musical connections, able to play both lead
and bass plus being a whizz kid at electronics and Ges becoming
involved so they both knew their way round a guitar.
In actual fact it turned out brilliantly so that was it, Reeve Guitars
was born.
Both Ges and Mick in their own fields were very very talented,
each complimenting the other in their craftsmanship.
Because we were involved in the local music scene, word quickly
got round and orders started to come in.
A huge selling feature was that the customer could call in regularly
to check the progress of the instrument and also we could produce
whatever the customer wanted.
We made instruments for The Wellington Bootles, a local band
who had a certain amount of 'fame' at the time.
Obviously by this time, the garage which had become a workshop
had been extended, part soundproofed and now housed a lot of
very impressive wood working machinery.
Ges and I went to Nottingham to order one particular beast.
We found a very reliable supplier Cass Music in Eastbourne,
it was a lovely man there, Jeff Frost who ordered all our
Kent Armstrong pickups, some made to a definite specification.
The dining room was turned into a customer receiving room.
Sometimes the place was packed with would be customers or just
guitarist mates of my son, Michael (or Mike).
Michael was the most talented guitarist. Sadly he died in March 2001
I did all the ordering, correspondence, phoning etc and during 1983,
we put our heads together because we needed to project our profile
and I came up with contacting Melody Maker magazine.
I was in touch with a Mark Jenkins who ran a couple of reviews in
Melody Maker on Reeve Guitars.
Ges and I had taken one of our guitars to his home for him to try.
Mark also got Snowy White (famous guitarist then) to write a review.
The publicity sure paid off - we were away!!!
There is more to come from Val and more from the contacts
I have made along the way - owners, their Reeve Guitars and
their stories.
My headless is almost complete, so will be gettting some final
shots of that, soon.
More to come next time.
Cheers. :)
