polara Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Earl Slick was selling some gear (accompanied by letters from him that he was the owner) at a shop near his house. I did a bored "white guitar" Reverb search because white guitars are RAWK. This was one of the results: I don't generally care who owned something but it looked beautiful and the reputation for Framus quality is great so I put in a low offer, which was accepted. It's a Framus custom shop Tennessee model made for Slick in 2009 when he became an endorser. I guess when Framus' custom shop is told to make a guitar for Bowie's guitarist, who is the new face of the brand, they do good work. Total Mercedes-Benz quality top to bottom. There's no spec sheet but the satin white finish with black binding, uncovered pickups, and aged finish on the TonePros bridge and tailpiece are not usual. Neck is ovangkol, unfinished, 25.5" scale and 12" radius with a striped ebony fretboard. I guess the body is mahogany (full hollowbody routed from a solid slab) and the top is solid maple, with a German (duh) carve. With the opaque finish it could be anything. I didn't take the pickups out but they normally came with Duncan SH-1 and SH-4. The only negative was that I guess Slick kept this in a cool, dry room as the neck wood has shrunk enough that there is a hint of subterranean fret sprout in a couple places (they file the tangs so they're invisible behind the wood) and even with the truss rod completely slack there is zero relief. I've seen this happen before in really dry conditions: the neck shrinks a little, the truss rod does not, and so the neck goes "ugh." I guess a spring in Atlanta will gently ease it back to health. It clearly had been played by Slick but not abused. Pick marks and a little funk here and there, a couple small dings and strap rubbing. It is a flat-out freaking joy to play. Unfinished necks (this feels like rosewood) can feel great, and it has that hollowbody thing happening, with vibrations and overtones and controllable feedback. The volume knob is in exactly the right place, the output jack is on a heavy chrome plate, it stays in tune like a champ with its slight headstock tilt and nearly-straight string path, and all three pickup positions are great. Funny how the ol' Duncan JB and 59 can sound so different in a hollowbody. I've been tracking for our next album with this guitar all week and am very satisfied. Yes, I did have to immediately play "Rebel Rebel" when I got it, but as Slick famously played on Station to Station, I need to learn the riff from "Stay." An yes, I did name it the Thin White Duke. I kind of hope this guitar was somehow on The Next Day, which was recorded four years after he got this guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Haynie Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 That guitar looks great, and I hope you think of that guitar as a necessity instead of buying too much last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Ooh... I like it! congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.bandini Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 If anyone else wants an Earl Slick-owned guitar, check out Spindrift Guitars, in New London CT. The guys who run the shop are great. Edited to add: Nice guitar! Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polara Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 12 minutes ago, a.bandini said: If anyone else wants an Earl Slick-owned guitar, check out Spindrift Guitars, in New London CT. The guys who run the shop are great. Edited to add: Nice guitar! Congratulations. Yep, that was the place. Very nice people to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceM Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Dibs. Roadtrip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew816 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Very cool axe, I dig it providence and all. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeboy Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Very cool. The best part is that is sounds great and plays very well. Congrats on a great guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottcald Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Sorry, have to do it.......that's a Slick looking guitar. Love the fretboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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