IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Apr 26 2018 03:11 PM
This is an amazing guitar, but it's got a VERY chunky, thick neck, making it unplayable for me anymore. I've kept it basically as an investment for the past four years, but it's just sitting in the case, and that doesn't seem right. So, I thought I would offer it for sale to the SG101 community.
It looks like the spitting image of Dick Dale's The Beast (except for the matching headstock), with the chartreuse/gold sparkle paint job and 1960 specs. Unlike most Custom Shop guitars, it's got vintage-size frets. It also has BEAUTIFUL figured maple neck, truly stunning, with an extremely low action. The whole guitar is in mint shape, and hasn't had any modifications done since I bought it. It even still has the original strings, which are 10s. I never upgraded it to heavier gauge since it played so amazingly nice with 10s, and I never intended to play it out. But it ended up not getting almost any play time at all in these nearly four years despite it being a stunning guitar in every way and deeply playable. The problem was the neck thickness, which I simply can't handle.
BTW, the guitar has a very unusual serial number: M11. I bought it used from Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI, and it came from an estate sale. Based on what my friend at Elderly told me when I bought it, it was special-made for Matt Umanov's store in NYC, and it's extremely rare. You can see 'Umanov' written on the back of the neck in a below photo, as well as the name of Art Esparza, one of the Custom Shop's masterbuilders. The guitar comes from the pretty early days of the Fender Custom Shop, which started up in '87.
I'm asking $3000 for it. You can email me at ivan@themadeira.net if you're interested. (I do have the Custom Shop certificate, too, just don't have a photo of it right now. I'll try to post that later.)
Thanks very much for checking it out.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
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Last edited: Jul 10, 2018 10:51:03
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Apr 26 2018 06:24 PM
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on May 04 2018 12:40 PM
You weren't kidding; what a gorgeous neck. And one of the prettiest sparkle jobs I've seen. Good luck amigo!
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 10 2018 07:18 AM
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 20 2018 12:58 PM
Bump. Not in any hurry or eagerness to sell this, but I will post it on eBay at some point this summer. I'll keep it exclusively here for a while longer, though.
Just to point out, this is a pretty unique guitar, I've never seen another like it. It is more than a regular Custom Shop '60 NOS Strat - it dates back to the earlier days of the Custom Shop, it's built by a single Custom Shop craftsman, it's pristine, completely MINT, it's got completely vintage specs including vintage fret wire (most CS '60 Strats have bigger frets, which I personally do not like as much as the vintage-style ones), and it's got a highly flamed maple neck (which is definitely NOT a regular feature on CS '60 Strats) as well as the extremely rare gold sparkle finish. The whole thing was built by one guy, Art Esparza - his name is on both the body and the neck. I believe Custom Shop today calls those kind of guitars (all built by a single guy) "Master Built". This one seems to be from before the Custom Shop used that designation, but it's the same thing.
BTW, the closest I've been able to find to this guitar is this one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5ME4iWZ6E8
This guy bought Joe Bonamassa's gold sparkle Strat (you can see Joe playing it in some YouTube videos) through Eric Clapton's Crossroads auction in 2010. It says 1993, so I'm thinking it might be part of the same limited run - though this one doesn't have the matching headstock.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: May 20, 2018 13:06:35
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 20 2018 01:05 PM
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Matt22
Joined: Feb 15, 2007
Posts: 2813
Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Posted on May 20 2018 09:49 PM
OMG is that Strat OOOOOmazing! 
I am usually against a matching peg-head on a Strat, but THAT LOOKS FANTASTIC!!!! What a GREAT price, too! Someone snatch this one up, quickly!!!
— Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 28 2018 01:23 PM
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JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 858
New York City area
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Posted on May 30 2018 03:31 PM
Ivan,
All meant with the best intentions:
Your market for this Stratocaster may be a bit “compressed” because:
• You admitted the neck was too big and chunky for you. Potential buyers may come to the same conclusion and not pursue purchase by that statement.
• While the gold sparkle may look nice and it obviously appealed to you when you bought the guitar, it’s perhaps a bit too gaudy for today’s player. Most players I know like solid colors. I think even your last Stratocaster build was solid gunmetal gray. Bluntly put, gold sparkle just isn’t too “butch”.
• From viewing your photos, the neck grain is nice but the rosewood finger board is nothing to write home about. It’s not all that close grained or that uniformly dark; there are lighter color streaks in it – not something a lot of buyers want to see in a $3,000 guitar.
• $3,000.00 buys a nice high end Gretsch, Gibson, Guild, dare I say Mosrite, used Pensa-Suhr, perhaps even an independent custom build. At 3 grand, you would have to find a rather serious buyer for a Stratocaster – even if it is a custom shop model. Ivan, Stratocasters are all over the place. It's one of the most copied guitars in the world. There’s a lot of product competition out there. All you really have going over a conventional Stratocaster is perhaps some better wood material and the 60s specs. Speaking of which.. Is it nitro-cellulose or poly for the finish. If it's poly, that eats int the 60s specs aspect. Of note - I’ve gotten used (your guitar is used, BTW) Fender custom shop guitars in the $1500.00-$2000.00 (tops) range. Yes, yours is a bit more different and special but I'm not sure that would translate to $3000 worth of special.
For your consideration:
Have you considered just replacing the neck since the neck you have on it is too big for your playing comfort. WARMOTH will build you any kind of neck you want. They may even gold sparkle the headstock for you. I believe they are also licensed by Fender. It’s easy enough; take measurements or send them your most comfortable neck from another Strat. Get your new one bolted on by luthier or otherwise; save the original; restring, retune and pick on.
Try this in the privacy of your own computer:
Hit the Vintage Guitar dealers - Gary's Classics, Elderly, Rudy Pensa here in NYC. etc. Get a price offer from them. Typically, the rule of thumb I use is 170%-200% of a bonafide offer or 140-145% of a consignment sale price they suggest. If it a reputable dealer, you'll get a reasonable sale price figure.
I hope it goes your way. Ebay and it's fees will eat into your sale if your asking price is firm. So you have to jack up the price. If the guitar didn't sell at 3k, 3K+ probably won't work, either.
Happy sales to you..
J Mo'
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jun 01 2018 11:05 AM
Hey John:
All meant with the best intentions:
Of course! 
Your market for this Stratocaster may be a bit “compressed” because:
• You admitted the neck was too big and chunky for you. Potential buyers may come to the same conclusion and not pursue purchase by that statement.
True, people may have come to that conclusion, but as I mentioned above, I've unfortunately developed problems with my left hand in the past couple of years, allowing me to only play the thinnest of necks comfortably. So, just because it's too thick for me, it doesn't mean that'll be the case for everybody or even most. Also, there ARE a lot of guitarist out there that prefer a thick neck. I'm on a Stat FB page and many voice that preference often. In fact, I believe due to public demand Fender last year increased the average thicknesses on their new vintage ("Original") line to where they're far too thick for me to play comfortably. So, I would think some people would greatly appreciate a thick neck, though of course it won't be everybody's cup of tea.
• While the gold sparkle may look nice and it obviously appealed to you when you bought the guitar, it’s perhaps a bit too gaudy for today’s player. Most players I know like solid colors. I think even your last Stratocaster build was solid gunmetal gray. Bluntly put, gold sparkle just isn’t too “butch”.
Ha! Well, you go on and tell Dick Dale that he's insufficiently "butch"! 
• $3,000.00 buys a nice high end Gretsch, Gibson, Guild, dare I say Mosrite, used Pensa-Suhr, perhaps even an independent custom build. At 3 grand, you would have to find a rather serious buyer for a Stratocaster – even if it is a custom shop model. Ivan, Stratocasters are all over the place. It's one of the most copied guitars in the world. There’s a lot of product competition out there. All you really have going over a conventional Stratocaster is perhaps some better wood material and the 60s specs. Speaking of which.. Is it nitro-cellulose or poly for the finish. If it's poly, that eats int the 60s specs aspect. Of note - I’ve gotten used (your guitar is used, BTW) Fender custom shop guitars in the $1500.00-$2000.00 (tops) range. Yes, yours is a bit more different and special but I'm not sure that would translate to $3000 worth of special.
Just looking at the prices of other Strats made by Art Esparza out there, and they do fetch $3K+. He's one of the original Fender Custom Shop guys, and this guitar IS pretty special in multiple ways, it's not a regular Custom Shop Strat. Even if the market for something like this may be very thin, I'm just looking for one person that will fully appreciate what this guitar is. I'm in no hurry to sell it, so I don't at all mind being patient.
For your consideration:
Have you considered just replacing the neck since the neck you have on it is too big for your playing comfort. WARMOTH will build you any kind of neck you want. They may even gold sparkle the headstock for you. I believe they are also licensed by Fender. It’s easy enough; take measurements or send them your most comfortable neck from another Strat. Get your new one bolted on by luthier or otherwise; save the original; restring, retune and pick on.
No. I've done that on other guitars, and in fact, I even wrote on SG101 a few months ago about doing exactly that with the Dakota Red '65 AVRI Strat and Eddie Bertrand's 1986 '62-reissue neck. But the above guitar is not a 'player guitar', as far as I'm concerned. It's a collector item and should be cared for as such. I am not interested in splitting up the neck from the rest of it. God knows I have enough Strats for playing purposes. This one is something more special than that and should be owned by someone that will appreciate it as such.
I hope it goes your way. Ebay and it's fees will eat into your sale if your asking price is firm. So you have to jack up the price. If the guitar didn't sell at 3k, 3K+ probably won't work, either.
Thanks, John. Again, I'm not in a hurry, and I just need to find the one buyer that will appreciate what this guitar is. I've done a lot of trading on eBay through the years, and I find their fees pretty reasonable, personally. If I have to eat those fees, that's fine, but I wouldn't be raising the price on it. (In other words, if somebody out there is interested but can't/don't want to pay this price, make me an offer and I will happily consider it.)
Thanks!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 858
New York City area
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Posted on Jun 01 2018 01:39 PM
Ivan,
I hope market forces go your way.
Sorry to hear about your left hand. I hope your high action/heavy gauge string days aren't heading to extinction. I haven't developed any hand or finger problems - yet. I thought I might by now as I cracked my knuckles multiple times breaking boards in Karate which I studied in a misspent youth. I use to have two "hard eggs/hammerheads" over each index and middle finger.
Every so often,I'll tape my ring and pinky together in a ball and just finger the notes with index and middle - like Django Rheinhardt. It's great for legato, note flourishes and it keeps the main digits nimble. You also learn to make the most of a chord.
That's the unspoken gag with guitar - you need strong fingers. There's no way around that yet gadget-wise at Guitar Center.
Be that as it may, I hope you do score your $3,000 for the thing. I'm sure you'll post your sale success.
Again - happy sales to you
J Mo'
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jun 01 2018 02:39 PM
JohnnyMosrite wrote:
Ivan, I hope market forces go your way.
Thanks, John!
Sorry to hear about your left hand. I hope your high action/heavy gauge string days aren't heading to extinction.
Well, they might be. Actually, I abandoned high action quite a few while ago, at least 5+ years ago. At this point I really keep the action quite low (as I discovered DD does as well, the one time in '04 I got to briefly play The Beast). But I've stuck with 12s, and it's definitely had an effect on my current ailment. In particular, it started becoming a problem as I was getting ready to record the Ancient Winds album. There are quite a few songs on that album that feature pretty difficult guitar parts, by far the most challenging I've ever had to play. Practicing those over and over again on my Dakota Red Strat (which I used for most of the recording and which had a pretty fat neck on it) was what pushed me over the edge, I'm quite sure of it - that's when the pain started (though of course I'm sure it's been building up to that for a long time). I'm still sticking with 12s for live playing, but at home I've switched to pretty much only playing 10s. That actually seems to have helped a lot, though there's a bit of a shock when I go to 12s for gigs! But it seems to be working at the moment. I've also been getting fairly regular acupuncture and I think that's helping, as well. Unfortunately, my hands are pretty small, and I've really been pushing them with 12s for 20 years now. It's taken a toll, for sure.
I haven't developed any hand or finger problems - yet.
That is VERY fortunate!
I thought I might by now as I cracked my knuckles multiple times breaking boards in Karate which I studied in a misspent youth. I use to have two "hard eggs/hammerheads" over each index and middle finger.
Yikes! Definitely VERY fortunate that you've not developed any problems!
Every so often,I'll tape my ring and pinky together in a ball and just finger the notes with index and middle - like Django Rheinhardt. It's great for legato, note flourishes and it keeps the main digits nimble. You also learn to make the most of a chord.
Wow! I've never heard of that, though I guess it may be common among the gypsy jazz guys?
That's the unspoken gag with guitar - you need strong fingers. There's no way around that yet gadget-wise at Guitar Center.
Yep!
Be that as it may, I hope you do score your $3,000 for the thing. I'm sure you'll post your sale success.
Again - happy sales to you
Thanks again! I may be overoptimistic but then I will readjust down the line. But I do think it's a special guitar and it pains me not to be able to play it. I'm sure one way or another it'll find a good home!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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JohnnyMosrite
Joined: Jun 14, 2006
Posts: 858
New York City area
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Posted on Jun 01 2018 06:56 PM
Ivan,
Wait minute - You're leaning toward smaller necks, lighter gauge strings, low action.. reminds me of something.... Hmmmm..... I know this...
Jesus, Ivan, I'm not a doctor but I know what's creeping up on you.
It's called
MOSRITE-ITIS
I succumbed to it years ago. A slimmer neck, strings in the .009-.010 gauge range, low action/low profile frets. Yep - that's it.
Wanna buy one??
The heaviest strings I use are mostly .011s - .010s only on a Mosrite. No guitar I ever owned ever had high action - even the cheap ones. My Duane Eddy stuff on the Gretsch 6120s is .012 gauge. I don't (make that can't) do your fret board acrobatics on them. Just simple D.E. melodies. I call it 4x4 music - top 4 strings by first 4 frets. The guy made a career of it.
I once played an accurate replica of Roy Buchanan's Telecaster "Nancy". The action was impossibly high but that's how Roy liked it. Figure the state of his hands today had he lived.
Ivan - you may start noticing - starting with a trickle - that the things you achieved and acquired and enjoyed in life start being taken away from you as your years advance. Getting old just really sucks.
So far I've dodged a lot of those "bullets".
Take care of those fingers and hands..
Be well
J Mo'
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jun 02 2018 09:48 PM
JohnnyMosrite wrote:
Ivan,
Wait minute - You're leaning toward smaller necks, lighter gauge strings, low action.. reminds me of something.... Hmmmm..... I know this...
Jesus, Ivan, I'm not a doctor but I know what's creeping up on you.
It's called
MOSRITE-ITIS
I succumbed to it years ago. A slimmer neck, strings in the .009-.010 gauge range, low action/low profile frets. Yep - that's it.
Wanna buy one??
Ha!! Nice try, John, nice try indeed. But you know, Strats come with slim necks and DO take 9-10-gauge strings AND can be set up with low action! Oh, and almost all of my Strats have vintage-style frets, too, very low profile. But I appreciate you trying. 
Can you imagine me with a Mosrite? It would be WEIRD. My path is set - and I like it. Strats FOREVER for me! (This is in no way intended to disparage Mosrites. I LOVE how they sounded in the hands of the Ventures.)
The heaviest strings I use are mostly .011s - .010s only on a Mosrite. No guitar I ever owned ever had high action - even the cheap ones. My Duane Eddy stuff on the Gretsch 6120s is .012 gauge. I don't (make that can't) do your fret board acrobatics on them. Just simple D.E. melodies. I call it 4x4 music - top 4 strings by first 4 frets. The guy made a career of it.
Yep, that's one hell of a trick! And he was definitely capable of playing much more complex stuff. Incredible restraint and discipline.
I once played an accurate replica of Roy Buchanan's Telecaster "Nancy". The action was impossibly high but that's how Roy liked it. Figure the state of his hands today had he lived.
Crazy. I know some people like it that way, but I can't imagine they can keep going like that.
Ivan - you may start noticing - starting with a trickle - that the things you achieved and acquired and enjoyed in life start being taken away from you as your years advance. Getting old just really sucks.
Yep, I know, I've been thinking about those things more and more lately. 50 is pretty close at this point....
So far I've dodged a lot of those "bullets".
You're a fortunate man, John.
Take care of those fingers and hands..
Be well
Thank you! Enjoy those Mosrites!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 09 2018 11:24 AM
Bump. I'm now back home and will be putting the guitar for sale on my FB page, as well. I shot this video two days ago for a friend interested in the guitar - check it out if interested.
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
|
Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on Jul 10 2018 06:50 AM
I don't hear lack of beef from playing 10's at all.
Beautiful guitar & great demo amigo. Good luck!
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 10 2018 10:17 AM
Thank you, Wes! I've got an offer that I will probably accept, just working out the final details now. If it goes through, the guitar WILL stay in the surf music family, which makes me very happy!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 10 2018 10:50 AM
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on Jul 10 2018 11:38 AM
That's awesome news! Congrats to both. (Probably because I was wearing my Ancient Winds shirt...)
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10320
southern Michigan
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Posted on Jul 10 2018 11:41 AM
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