Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Philadelphia Guitar Show HighLights: 11.8.2013 - 11.10.2013

Hello All Guitar Fans in GuitarLand,
The Philly show was a banger and there was plenty of the wet, weird and wild!  It was a smorgasbord of all things guitar; the screaming highs, the thumpin' lows and the ice-pic mids.  Here are some pics of the Garrett Park booth:



The most amazing thing besides the throng and gaggle, was bringing home a stunning…absolutely stunning…(pause for effect) 1951 Tele.  Check out this baby:


The Telecaster was "perfected after two years of development—and a name change or two—the Telecaster debuted in February 1951 and began its steady ascent toward stage and studio indispensability. Ingeniously engineered and heard loud and clear, it was a marvel of simple design elegance and workhorse utilitarian function. It is perhaps fitting testimony to its essential original rightness that the Telecaster has hardly changed ever since."

Call for more details:  410-571-9660
www.gpguitars.com

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

BIG Time Acquisition: 2003 PRS Dragon 2002 Single Cut #41 Red


Hello Again All GuitarFans out there in GuitarLand,
As always, we hope that everyone is having a great Monday, but doesn't have a case of the Mondays...It's always sunny in Annapolis, as they say.  And, who are 'They' anyway?  - The omnipresent 'They', vicariously dictating and influencing our lives.

Well 'They', in this case meaning the GuitarGods, have decided to bestow upon us lowly retailers here at Garrett Park, a guitar of guitars; A guitar spawned in the very bowels of GuitarHeaven; A guitar  brought forth by the unholy visions of a lunatic mind, mister Paul Reed Smith; Nay, I dare say to some, the Holy Grail of guitars!

Before you read further into this tantalizingly luscious blog post, here is a glimpse at this beautiful piece:








These guitars are so beautiful, that they have even been featured in museums.  Here is a picture of the neck inlay and a brief description taken from the National Museum of American History's website about the instrument they have on display there:



This electric guitar was made by Made by Paul Reed Smith (PRS Guitars) in Annapolis, Maryland in 1993. It is serial #3 1557 and has a composite solid-body maple top and mahogany back and neck, all stained green, and features two humbucking pickups. This Dragon I model is distinguished by its distinctive mother-of-pearl dragon fretboard made from 201 pieces of abalone, turquoise, and mother of pearl. It had a limited production run of 50 guitars.
When he started building his instruments, Paul Reed Smith was steeped in the traditions of the classic electric guitars of the 1950s and 1960s. Ted McCarty, the past president of Gibson and designer of the Les Paul model, was his mentor. In 1994, Paul Reed Smith's company, PRS Guitars, launched the McCarty model as a tribute to this electric guitar pioneer.

Here at Garrett Park, we are humbled to be able to have not one, not two, but THREE of these instruments of Heavenly Delights here on Earth, in our store at the same time.  Wow...(insert awed and reverent silence).  Here is a hand-held picture of our case containing all three:


Please call 410-571-9660 or visit us on the web, www.gpguitars.com for more information.

See you all around 'The Park'!



Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Local Lutherie: WOW, what a knockout guitar!

Salutations to all GuitarFans out there in GuitarLand!
This week, we are featuring some local traditions.  Specifically, local custom guitar builders, also called luthiers.  Luthiers are a rare breed of skilled, intelligent, creative people who have a passion and drive to produce some of the rarest, most unique and beautifully crafted instruments in the world.  In fact, rare one-of-a-kind instruments are often intrinsically more valuable than a leading brand instrument due to the level of detail, care and attention that is inherent in the hand craftsmanship.  Up tonight for your inspection, is an example that is no exception.  It is was built by a local named Tim Bram.  He frequents the Garrett Park Guitar store and always brings fresh insights and knowledge with his presence.  Below you will find some specs., processes and photos of his creation...IT'S ALIVE.  Kudos to Tim and all of his hard work.  Keep on keepin' on.  In this world of hum-drum generic-ness, it is refreshing to find a gem. Thanks Tim.  

The Piece is humbly named,  The Tribute Archtop:
    25.5" scale with a 1 11/16" nut (standard Fender)
    Rosewood fret board
    Maple back, sides and neck
    Douglas fir top
    Ebony nut, bridge and tailpiece
    Kent Armstorng floating humbucking pick-up
    Schaller tuners
       
Tim was looking for a new challenge beyond another solid body guitar and says this about his process:

"I read Robert Bennedetto's book and some articles from the American Lutherie Magazine for guidance and inspiration. I used the general Telecaster body shape as a starting point.  I did change it's shape because I thought of using the look as a tribute to the "Tele" rather than a copy of it.  The lower bout is extended to 15 inches and rounded to increase it's acoustic volume. The body is built as a traditional archtop, with heat bent sides and hand carved top and back.  I purposely built the guitar without bindings on the neck or body to achieve the clean simple look that the"Tele" is known for.  The goal was to build a real archtop that is smaller and more comfortable than a traditional 17" or 18" model and offer alot of versatility as an acoustic or an electric."

I'd say, 'Goal Achieved!'  See you all around 'The Park'
-Jan Eden





Tuesday, October 8, 2013

***REPOST***This Week at 'The Park'


Hi All you Guitar Fans out there in GuitarLand.  Greetings from your favorite local guitar shop, Garrett Park Guitars.  We have lots to update you on.  We had the PRS Experience last week, Rick took a trip to New Jersey and there are about 50 new guitars in the store at the moment!

  • First of all, the PRS Experience.  This is an awesome event where the factory opens up to let vendors and customers tour the facilites.  It is like the Wall Street of guitars where people are buying and selling new PRS on the open showroom floor.  Really cool thing.  There was lovely weather, over 3000 attendees and entertainment by PRS Endorsee's including: David Grissom, Nicky Muroch, Davey Knolls, Lance Lopez, Mothers Finest and many more.  The rain held out until after the sales floor was closed ensuring PRS of another successful event.  Rick said it was great to see old friends and catch up on what PRS is doing now.  
  • Rick took a trip to New Jersey to look into a veritable vault of guitar history.  A private collector opened up his house, posthumously I might tragically add, to our humble commander in chief.  Rick was given the opportunity to work directly with the estate and brought back a wealth of A-Ma-Zing new stock from one of 'The Park's' former customers.  This is truly a 'must see to believe', kind of situation with the cornucopia of instruments that this guy collected.  Rick left early on Sunday morning to pick up the guitars and is in the process of evaluating over 45 guitars including some rare and unusual PRS, Fender, Japan, Heartfield and Elan, some Ibanez, and a few others.  Please stay tuned to our website for updates.  
  • New Arrivals: Yellow Gibson LP SpecialSuhr Guitar, Musicman Bass, 88 PRS CE85 Fender Robben Ford67 Fender Princeton88 Fender Champ89 Fender Champ94 Fender Deluxe58 Fender Tweed Case, Warmoth JMaster body

***REPOST***'Naptown Music, Music on the Grow!

Hi All you Fans out there in GuitarLand, It's another week gone by here at the 'Park', and all is going swimingly. Tons of new stock in the store right now. Make sure to head on over to www.gpguitars.com to check it out.

Everyday is a new day and everyday there's a new guitar to play! In fact, this week, there are so many guitars being played in Annapolis, MD, that I had to give a quick shout out.  'Naptown Music is an all original initiative by a good friend of 'The Park'; Jeni Parris Brady. It is an amazing new collation of all the great artists and venues in the area and so much more. With twitter updates, in-depth and comprehensive blogs, information on all the hottest local venues and artists; it IS the one-stop shop for all things music in Annapolis. We are proud supporters and partners of 'Naptown Music and look forward to seeing you all at the show.

Here is the infos:

naptownmusic.net

https://www.facebook.com/Naptownmusic 

See you all around 'The Park'!

***REPOST***Gibson Makes a Big Deal out of their custom shop!

Hi all you Fans out there in GuitarLand, There has been a lot of talk about the new Gibson Custom Shop guitars being back to old form. In fact, a local luthier by the name of Tim Bram was in the shop the other day and he was commenting on the topic. In everyone's opinion that lays eyes on our new Custom Shop stock (www.gpguitars.com/(410)571-9660 for more details), they are making great guitars. For a period of time, Gibson was using synthetic materials and highly processed production methods. There is now a renaissance of some sorts happening that is bringing the old ways back. A harkening back to a bygone era, where hand-crafted merchandise was the staple. In Gibson's case, they are using some rather unique and interesting modern methods, and combining it with vintage ideas and materials. In fact, here you can read a description of one of their 2013 signature models where they talk about painstakingly measuring the fret boards and other details to accurately reproduce a timeless, what I would call, work of art:

Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy" Some guitars are highly prized for their vintage; others are desirable for their associations with major artists; very few are both. Now Gibson Custom brings together George Harrison and Eric Clapton, two of the greatest rock legends of all time, with one stunning instrument—the Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy." This historic Les Paul is a strictly limited edition of just 100 guitars worldwide and is offered exclusively by Guitar Center in North America. Thanks to the painstaking research undertaken by guitar writer Andy Babiuk (author of the book Beatles Gear), the Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy" arrives at a time when the full history of this well-traveled guitar is finally known. The music world knows this guitar best as the red Les Paul that George Harrison used on so many Beatles recordings in the final years of the band's career, but the guitar—originally a 1957 Goldtop with Bigsby vibrato, with the serial number 7–8789—passed through the hands of three other major stars before landing with Harrison in 1968. Babiuk traced the first notable ownership of "Lucy" to the Lovin' Spoonful's guitarist John Sebastian. It went to guitar-legend Rick Derringer around 1966, and it was Derringer who had it refinished to an SG-style cherry red, and the Bigsby removed, at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo some time shortly after. The only trouble was, the guitar just didn't feel the same to Derringer after the work, so he swapped it for a sunburst Les Paul at Dan Armstrong's guitar shop in Manhattan, NY... where Eric Clapton purchased it shortly after. According to Mal Evans in The Beatles Monthly, Clapton gave the Les Paul to his good friend George Harrison in early August of 1968, but it first made Beatles history back in Clapton's hands again on September 6 of that year, when Harrison invited the Cream star to record the now-legendary solo to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," for which he used his recent gift to the Beatle. After a further hiccup in the ownership of Lucy—involving the theft of the guitar in a burglary of his Beverly Hills home and its convoluted recovery from an owner in Mexico—this refinished 1957 Les Paul stayed with Harrison throughout his career, appearing on several solo recordings and performances. The Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy" has been painstakingly recreated by Gibson Custom through intimate examination of the original, thanks to the generous cooperation of the George Harrison estate. Notable details include a plain-maple top with off-center seam (a feature of many '50s Goldtops) now visible through its transparent Cherry Red finish; a one-piece lightweight mahogany body; a nylon nut; and two Custom Buckers with lesser-seen Alnico III magnets, wound to closely match the specs and tone of Lucy's original 1957 PAF pickups. The playing feel of this legendary Les Paul is further retained in Lucy's neck profile, a full, rounded '50s shape that measures 0.907" at the 1st fret and 0.980" at the 12th, which has been taking from precise measurement of the original. Telltale modifications that Lucy received over the years—a set of nickel Grover™ kidney button tuners and a replacement '70s truss-rod cover engraved "Custom"—complete this stunningly accurate recreation. In addition to the several details specific to the recration of this special guitar, the Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy" also benefits from Gibson Custom's 20th Anniversary Specifications, newly adopted for 2013. These include a one-piece rosewood fingerboard, hot-hide neck glue, a Historic Truss Rod assembly with no tubing, and accurate body and fingerboard binding color. The entire guitar is hand-aged by Gibson Custom to match Harrison's original Les Paul as closely as is humanly possible, and available in a strictly limited run of 100 guitars. 50 of these are available exlusively through Guitar Center in the USA and Canada, with 50 more available through authorized Gibson Custom dealers around the World. Every Harrison-Clapton 1957 Les Paul Standard "Lucy" includes an Eric Clapton hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity encased in a white leather bound and embossed folio which includes a 180 gram vinyl copy of the Beatles' White Album, owner's manual and adjustment literature, and coverage by Gibson Custom's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

Congratulations Gibson on a massive return to form!!

***REPOST***New Additions at Garrett Park Guitars


Hi Everyone out there in Guitar Land,
A cordial hello from your friendly local guitar retailer, Garrett Park. There are some awesome new changes that we have been experiencing over here at the store that we would love to share. First of all, we are the proud new owners of a brand new Gibson Custom Shop Authorized Dealer Contract. WOO HOO! The first shipment arrived and these guitars are Schweet! Call or email for all the juicy details:
(410) 571-9660
gpguitars@gmail.com
www.gpguitars.com

We have been shredding up the frets and cooking up some new melodies on our new Gibson Custom stock, really righteous stuff. These instruments look and feel great!
Secondly, we would like to introduce our new personnel. And by we, I mean me! My name is Jan Eden and I have been working at the store for over a month now and L-O-V-E, love it. What a cool place. Garrett Park is a guitar player's dream, seeing all of these great collectible instruments all in one place. I go to bed every night with dreams of Super Strats and R9's in my head, and playing luscious licks in front of stadium crowds.
Keep your heads up for some killer updates coming in the near future. I will be on the line and hitting all you audiophiles out there in Guitar Land up with some knowledge and curiosities in the coming months. Be musical!
Jan

***REPOST***PRS Article in The Capital






















Monday, October 7, 2013

***REPOST***Welcome to the new gpguitars.com!


Welcome to the new Garrett Park Guitars website!

We have been working on the site for months now and special thanks go to Will McCracken and Jacob Seaton for their hard work on getting this done. We would love to hear your feedback so let us know what you think! We will be displaying lots of our great gear on the site and will start adding videos with John Bell in the very near future. In addition you will be able to purchase many of our products online simply by creating an account and adding your purchase to your shopping cart! 

Thanks for visiting gpguitars.com the Internet home of Garrett Park Guitars serving you online since 1995!

We appreciate your business, and are happy to celebrate 20 years in business this past October as we look forward to 20 more years!

Please call Jacob Seaton, or me for any questions regarding buying selling or trading great gear!

Thank you for logging on and thanks for your patronage,

We appreciate it!

Rick Hogue