PSA: Billy Gibbons "Especial" 1980 on UK eBay - for real?

[velorush]

57 minutes ago, kizanski said:

Calling that a "five-figure" price tag is a little misleading. That's dangerously close to six figures.

Whether it's "worth it" or not, who knows?
Urban has to pay taxes, too, and who knows what he has lying around that makes it expendable.

Okay, let's round up.  Six figures.  Good.  At either rate, having also visited Gruhn's earlier that day, not a shocking price for a Lester of that vintage in that condition. 

My only point was there were myriad guitars (more than ten) in that store that day with "owned by Keith Urban" on the tag leaving at least me, with now demonstrably flawed logic, to the conclusion he, a noted collector, had tried out many and culled these.  But you're right, maybe he was just low on cash.

 

ETA and back to the OP: I think the Special is great, but wouldn't put $0.02 in the claims of ownership.  Of course, I might be willing to pay a small premium if the Reverend Billy G. called me up, told me it used to be his and that it had been that guitar and not Pearly that had been played on every ZZ Top album since it was built for him in 1980.

[Studio Custom]

Ask Jol.  

[scottcald]

Let's be realistic.  If it wasn't owned by Billy Gibbons, would it have a truss rod cover that said "Billy"?  

[crunchee]

40 minutes ago, scottcald said:

Let's be realistic.  If it wasn't owned by Billy Gibbons, would it have a truss rod cover that said "Billy"?  

 

 

[nichd]

Come on guys... he's been an ebay member for 3 days. 

Has to be legit with that kind of history!

[santellavision]

With stories like this I just go back to B.B. King...
"Nobody loves me but my mother, And she could me jivin` too."
 

 

[Andrew]

I know of the guitar,.

It was made for Billy Bremner of Rockpile and you see him play it in a video or two from 1981; and it has faded badly - it used to be a cobalt blue.

(Eg: Teacher Teacher Live 1980)

[Hamerica]

12 minutes ago, Andrew said:

I know of the guitar,.

It was made for Billy Bremner of Rockpile and you see him play it in a video or two from 1981; and it has faded badly - it used to be a cobalt blue.

Doc Large, that is cool and I believe the videos have been posted here before.  Cobalt Blue was a cool color or colour if you prefer.

 

Hamerica

[Steve Haynie]

Why was there not a name on the headstock under the logo?  That would be consistent with Hamer history, and more significant than a plaque stuck on the control cavity cover. 

[cynic]

20 minutes ago, Steve Haynie said:

That would be consistent with Hamer history

Joliet Jake says the only consistent thing in Hamer history is the lack of consistency.  

 

[velorush]

2 hours ago, Andrew said:

I know of the guitar,.

It was made for Billy Bremner of Rockpile and you see him play it in a video or two from 1981; and it has faded badly - it used to be a cobalt blue.

(Eg: Teacher Teacher Live 1980)

Wow!  Beautiful guitar and it sounds perfect in the song.  Gosh, the true story seems compelling enough.  Why trash it up with the BFG fiasco?

[velorush]

So, doing a little research, it appears Billy was playing a bound & crowned Sunburst in a very well documented (on YouTube) appearance in Hamburg, January 1980 (bassist is playing a very cool red eight-string Hamer). 

ETA: this was just too interesting, so I spent some time on Google.  Here's an ad with the bass (also on p.66 of The Book)

And of Billy Bremner with the Hamers:

[Andrew]

Look what I found! Actually, that "Billy" TRC belongs on this guitar and not the Special.

[kizanski]

3 hours ago, velorush said:

Why trash it up with the BFG fiasco?

Because, besides us, who's ever heard of Billy Bremner?

[nichd]

This actually turned out to be a pretty cool thread!

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                So it WAS actually owned by "BILLY"....................just not THAT "BILLY"..............cool guitar! Regardless! Now if the price was better...............we always wish the price was better don't we?..............that is unless WE are doing the selling.

[conorb]

Too much fun.

An interesting story for sure.

[pablo]

Im calling my friend billy G , he dont answer me now, i think its to early. I'll try later

[Hamer Dave]

On ‎9‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 0:15 PM, velorush said:

Wow!  Beautiful guitar and it sounds perfect in the song.  Gosh, the true story seems compelling enough.  Why trash it up with the BFG fiasco?

That is this one. No scripted TRC...

 

[cmatthes]

The scripted truss rod cover was apparently switched with his '79 "Dan Armstrong" headstock Sunburst.  I seem to recall Serial/Steve chatting with Billy B. over a decade ago, and Billy mentioned a blue Special that he used to have.  Steve probably has the notes around somewhere...

I think Doc Large recently posted an old Rockpile video of Billy playing the Sunburst above, but with the "Billy" TRC affixed.

 

[serial]

On September 24, 2016 at 11:15 AM, Steve Haynie said:

Why was there not a name on the headstock under the logo?  That would be consistent with Hamer history, and more significant than a plaque stuck on the control cavity cover. 

Because until 1984, they didn't do that, but rather inscribed the truss rod covers.

[cmatthes]

2 hours ago, serial said:

Because until 1984, they didn't do that, but rather inscribed the truss rod covers.

For most of them.  There were a few earlier ones that had an artist's name in smaller Bookman Bold Italic font on the headstock (Mick Ralphs' Standard, Nick Lowe's 8 string bass, a couple others I can't recall right now...).

 

[hamerhead]

STOP IT YOU TWO! Don't make me come down there.

[cmatthes]

DAD!!! Bob broke your beer!!!

 

 

[kizanski]

Whatever you do, do not engage him in a physical altercation. 

It would look too WEIRD!