The Virtuoso Thread

[DarrenD]

These are some Virts known to be made:

Red sustain block with slanted single coil:

Jim O'Connor painted celestial with a Floyd:

Snakeskin with a Floyd

Natural quilt with Floyd:

Black with sustain block and slanted pup:

Red/Purple sparkle with Floyd:

Lefty Multicolor with Kahler:

Marble with Floyd(sorry for bad pic):

Here's a red one with Floyd:

Supposedly around 24ish are made. Anybody else have more goodies?

[Shark]

No pics or info to add but indeed really cool guitars!

[Rodan]

Never saw that red sparkle one before! Blammo!

[DarrenD]

The marble virt was recently sold for around 3k after being on the market for a while. The multicolor was sold by Ed Roman. The black one was listed here a few years ago, as the red sparkle.

The other 20 are most likely hidden in a few closets and under beds. I remember there being a guy on youtube playing a red one with a floyd.

[Jason01]

Didnt someone here have a white one, and a korina one that had the last couple frets knocked off?

[Feynman]

Let's not forget our HFC's own Robslobb...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoK28h2-fs

[mathman]

Let's not forget our HFC's own Robslobb...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoK28h2-fs

36 frets and only using 5.... Even I use 7 and I've only got 24.

[DarrenD]

Thanks for the video. Any pics of it floating around?

[cmatthes]

The multicolor was sold by Ed Roman.

Actually, Ed copied the pic from here. I don't believe he ever held/sold that one! As far as I know, that one is still in the Midwest.

Got to see a REALLY cool Virt today...#5 999, I think.

I'll post a pic when I get back tomorrow.

[ton13]

็็How long the neck scale of Vertuoso as 36 frets ? Is it master of 27 frets Right? It can make triple octave for this guitar. Who ever use this model in studio album yet? COOL.....

[DarrenD]

็็How long the neck scale of Vertuoso as 36 frets ? Is it master of 27 frets Right? It can make triple octave for this guitar. Who ever use this model in studio album yet? COOL.....

The virt had a 26.5 scale length, so frets 24-36 were much easier to access than the standard 25.5 scale.

I used to have a Washburn EC36 (another amazingly crafted guitar by Steve Davies and Washburn) that I modified to an Uli Roth style by removing some of the higher frets and making them whole notes because frets 29-36 were virtually unplayable. I will post a pic when I find it.

[RacerX]

The multicolor was sold by Ed Roman.

Actually, Ed copied the pic from here. I don't believe he ever held/sold that one! As far as I know, that one is still in the Midwest.

Got to see a REALLY cool Virt today...#5 999, I think.

I'll post a pic when I get back tomorrow.

You were lookin' at the number upside down....

More like 0005 in my view from the drivers seat

Mark

(however I don't have a photo so maybe it never happened...)

[cmatthes]

Right you are, Mark!

It is a very cool one at that...

[veatch]

One from the Chicago festivities. Mr. Hamer brought this one along (sorry for cell phone camera pic. Maybe someone else will have a better one to add later...):

[cmatthes]

[serial]

Definitely more than two dozen of those were made. The korina one of Paul's was made out of korina from the Gibson factory that had been there since the fifties.

[tobereeno]

here's mine (in two of the four pics):

[mc2]

Yeah....I sold the marble one off (not much of a whammy user...but tracking down four was quite a feat.) Notice the one on the left has ALL small dot markers, unlike all the other Virts. The SN# pre-dates the original run of ten Sustain Block Virts and the scalloping is a lot deeper than any other one, so I'm guessing it might be a prototype?

Some tool hacked off some of the upper frets on it too in a brilliant move

[cmatthes]

Jon - is the HB original in that Korina Virt?

I thought it had a SC-sized pickup in there originally.

That's a great collection!

[mc2]

Jon - is the HB original in that Korina Virt?

I thought it had a SC-sized pickup in there originally.

That's a great collection!

Oh yeah....same clown must've done that too. It had a cream DiMarzio in it when I got it and the volume would drop on bends, so I put in the double blade PUP (with a varitone) to solve that. I think it looks better now too.

Despite all that...it is actually my fave Virt of the bunch. I was thinking of having the missing frets/fingerboard put back on so it looks correct.

I just love when someone takes a rare guitar and hacks it up.

BTW...I like Virts because I have really big hands and the scallops also make me play lighter, not because I really need 36 frets.

[cmatthes]

Reminds me of that '58 Les Paul that somebody hacked a second cutaway out of.

(shudder!)

[Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame]

Can I use these pictures in a blog post on cool guitars?

How do I do attribution properly?

[robslobb]

here is a pic of my virtuoso !! this is the only ever made with the full 36 frets not angled like the rest the pickup is hot rail splitable it has tone and volume all the others where made with just volume knob this has over 2 ounces of mother of pearl custom inlays the body was slimed down and more of a strat style the neck is the only one made with a ebony board it is only scalloped from the 12th frett up !! there is no other one like it in the world!!! the body is bookmatched tiger striped with transparent burst and headstock painted to match the body the neck is three piece glued tiger striped as well and is natural finish !! it has a kahler 2700 spyder trem as well !!

[DarrenD]

Rob - I don't see anything. Sounds pretty cool and can't wait to see a pic.

[robslobb]

I try to put in add attachments dont know never loaded pics on here dont seem to work !! well if ya can tell me how to post pics here id be happy to post I have tried I have hit file attachments hit add and nothing comes through !!