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Guitar you didn't buy and still kicking yourself...


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ok, my biggest regret... Brad Whitford of Aerosmith was unloading lots of his guitars/amps year or two ago. All stuff of course was on ebay and attracted high bids, so I gave up... to find out later that one Daytona went for 900$, which was nice guitar by itself and owned by one of my most favored band's member. Jeeez, I'm still feel kinda stupid I stopped looking at the list of gear...

Now guys you tell something more interesting. like not taking Zakk Wylde's instrument he generosly offered for free if you buy him a beer in the pub where he was already having too much, or something ;)

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Sunburst Strat w/ clay dots on a rosewood board. Could have gotten in used in '66 for $50; I was 16 and my finances were directed more towards the great American ritual of car dating ($ spent on gallons of Brut, etc.).

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1987: Left-handed white Greco Firebird in Boston's Guitar Garage. D'OH!

(The reason I am still kicking myself was the realization there's no time to "ponder" buying a unique lefty instrument... and I have been "paying" for that ever since.)

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that sweet ass candy apple red Tele I was watching on the bay...THE one owned by Elliot Easton-I talked myself out of it, and I think it bid out at 2300-2400 bucks....it haunts me, but I did discover Tom Anderson afterwards(I bought a drop top Hollow T to make up for my remorse,and I am very happy!)

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It was around '83 or '84. It was new in the GC in Chicago (back when GC was a real store) for something like $650 or $700. Don't have a pic of the actual, but it was really similar to this. I seem to remember the one in Chicago had sharkfins, too, but i could be wrong on that.

jimmy-detleft.jpg

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That list is way too long. If I had to pick one; the Mickey Baker Model 1958 Les paul Custom at The Guitar Shop in Orlando Florida in 1984. I think it was $3,200. The case was stripped and painted black. I remember that being the deal breaker. Idiot.

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To tell the truth, every one that I've missed something better has come along.

+1

Back when I only had one Hamer, I missed out on a black Newport. I really wanted it, but decided to be patient and wait for the next one to come up. I didn't realize they were rare at the time! And, I couldn't wrap myself around liking anything colored "Transparent Sparkle Orange". Sounds like the color on a pimp's car in a 1970s movie.

The Newport I eventually got was BUTT CHEAP. I put in an ebay bid on a whim, totally lowball, and got it for $150 less than the lowball max bid I'd entered.

It was almost perfect. It is the most versatile guitar I own, TSO is a hell of a lot classier in person than you'd expect by the name of the color, and it gets played to death.

I still dig the black, but missing it led me to a monster deal.

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I had a nagging feeling that I had one of these in my past but couldn't put my finger on it until the parlor guitar thread reminded me.

Nine years ago my neighborhood vintage shop, Guitarville, had a 1904 Washburn parlor guitar with all the cool inlays of the time, a nice boat neck, ebony board, Adirondack spruce (the best-sounding spruce) top, and Brazilian rosewood body and neck. It was in excellent condition and played and sang beautifully. They marked it down to $999 and while I was thinking it over for a couple of days it sold.

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Several...

'64 SG Special that the guy offered up for $400. I really wanted that thing, but since I was so broke at the time, I didn't even get near it for fear of falling head over heels for it.

'68 Tele that had relic'd into this odd orange/white Holstein cow pattern. At the time, I didn't have any appreciation of Teles.

'61 SG/Les Paul Junior that this older gent traded for a new MIM Strat with FLOYD ROSE. I shamed the salesman for that transaction. Anyhoo, as I checked it out, the old man warned me not to play any music on it that was "Unsanctified". So I waited til he left & started blasting Black Sabbath riffs with it.

All of these happened back in my early 20s when I was in college, at the time if it woulda cost me a nickel to poop, I'd had to throw up instead.

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Non-Hamer:

In 1994, Dave's Guitar Shop in Lacrosse had a 1982 Heritage Series Flying V in Candy Apple Red - all original and truly MINT w/OHSC. $995.

Hamer:

The first Electraglide at the Washington, DC (3Bees) Guitar Show in 1990 or '91. A dealer from WVA had it tagged at $650. I had just bought a beautiful Mary Kaye Strat and was low on cash, but the guy said he'd hold it for me until the next day. I pulled it out of the booth and snapped a couple of pics and then he put it back in the case.

Came back the next morning and it had been sold to a Jpns dealer who just pointed at things and loaded them on pallets. An HFC'er "rescued" that from the Land of the Rising Sun a few years back in a commando mission, so it's back in the States.

I've never gotten over that one!

I know we're limited to just one, but I'll take the loophole and add a 4-digit, single-X2N Flametop Standard bass in Chuck Levin's used section back in '95. $300, and they'd deal on it. That one sold locally for less than the asking price, and I'm still waiting for it to show up on a local Craigslist or in the CityPaper...

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My beloved '78 Explorer...I had the chance to buy it back in 1986 from the dealer who bought it from me, but I was still too poor to get it...

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Korina Eclipse.

-Jonathan

I know they exist because DaveH had one. I remember it vivdly because he got a bargain. It had some electronics issues when he got it and he tried a couple of different pups, but overall a very cool item. He's a Korina whore in general, and most of his favorites are made of it, so he couldn't pass it up.

I can't find a pic of it right now, but it's out there somewhere.

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pick only 1? that's easy for me... in 1985 i was fresh out of college and my son was just 5 years old and i had a chance to buy a 59 Les Paul that was then just 26 years old (like myself). and folks, let me tell you... this thing was almost MINT... nicely faded to a burnt orange, just beautiful... price? well, what was THEN a whopping price of $8,500. i chose not to do it... i was a single parent at the time and that was a lot of money to spend (though i had the money)... but i felt like i really shouldn't spend that sort of coin when i had a young son to raise.

kicked myself many times over that one... need i say more?

but... who knew?

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