Tom's Guitars Manila

Tom's Guitars Manila
Vintage and rare guitars!

Friday, November 28, 2014

Tom's Guitars Manila

From Tom's Guitars Manila's FB page:

432)   GIBSON USA orig.1947  "LG-2"


into collecting crazy Guitars since1969!!
official FENDER dealer since 1977!! vintage Guitar specialist since 1971!!

we collect mainly USA guitars from 50's 60's 70's...GIBSON GRETSCH FENDER
GUILD MARTIN RICKENBACKER but also NEWER stuffs like TAYLOR LARRIVEE GODIN TACOMA OVATION
pls TRY to Offer me 3544122 anyDay past 1pm..WE PAY TOP$$ if nice piece!!
but also sell some or trade for other items ,if some things nice come along...

Pls CALL past 3pm OR early Evenings 3544122 or 0917-4949777, TXT 0919-2202205 or 0922-4854489, or email

baboocat@gmail.com for inquiries.

https://www.facebook.com/tomsguitarsmanila/


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

What to Look For When Buying a Practice Amp

Are you a guitarist looking for a practice amp that you can use in your bedroom or apartment? Here are features that you may want to look for when shopping for that guitar amp.


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Are You Selling Guitars? Beware of Paypal Fraud


I  posted the warning on my lifestyle blog, but I realized that there are guitarists posting gears for sale in Facebook and in classified ads. Read these articles if you have a buyer offering to pay using Paypal.




Friday, May 2, 2014

The Rare Gibson Moderne

The Gibson Moderne was designed in the late 1950s along with the Flying V and Explorer. However, only the latter guitars made it to production. It is considered the holy grail of guitar collectors simple because there is no authenticated 50s Moderne in existence. Gibson produced a limited run of the Moderne Heritage in 1982, only 143 units allegedly. I would not call them reissues since it is the first production models though. You think there is little chance that you know someone who has a 1982 Moderne? I have a friend has two Modernes in his guitar collection: a white and a natural!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Bye Snark, Hello Son of Snark

My Snark guitar tuner broke. While Snark made affordable clip-on tuners with excellent color displays, its neck design makes it so fragile that some guitarists put them in special containers for protection. In my case, the claw holding the ball joint snapped while I was adjusting the angle. I was able to glue it back, but I doubt it will hold. I can imagine it breaking again and I can no longer locate the missing part. It is time to find a replacement.

Snark SN-1

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

My Search for My Son’s Acoustic Guitar


Kids cannot be forced to learn musical instruments. That is why I waited years for my son to ask that he be given lessons in guitars. That day finally arrived. Watching me jam with his cousins encouraged him to study guitars, finally. I made him try my dreadnought, but it was too big for him. My telecaster is thinner and has a small neck width, but he complains that it is heavy. He knows what he wants – a small-body acoustic guitar of his own. Thus, my search for an acoustic guitar appropriate for a small, ten year old kid began.

Friday, March 28, 2014

The Internet and the Guitarist


March 29, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Internet in the Philippines. We have come a long way from dial-up lines to DSL and mobile Internet. To the guitarist, the Internet is a mixture of good and evil. Used properly, it can help you choose the best gears available, but be wary of being infected with a communicable disease called G.A.S.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Why I Bought a Powered Speaker as my Acoustic Amp

My first acoustic amp was a 4-channel Peavey KB2. I sold it to get funds for a tube amp, and then bought a Samson Auro D210 powered speaker when I needed an acoustic amp again.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Drum Thrones Are For Guitarists Too


A few years back, my former boss and office band drummer sold me a drum throne. He offered it very cheap so I bought it even though I have no immediate use for it. Several years later, it remains as my favourite all-around seat.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Guide to Acoustic Guitar Transducers


Acoustic guitars require transducers to amplify the sound. This article discusses the different options commonly available.


Sunday, March 23, 2014

How to Sell a Used Electric Guitar


With so many guitars in the classified ads, it is getting more difficult to sell guitars in the used market. Here are a few tips to get you started should you decide to sell your guitar.


Friday, March 21, 2014

How to Buy a Used Electric Guitar


The choice between buying a used electric guitar against buying new is a personal taste. Here is a simple guide for those who prefer the former. This article assumes that you already know the guitar model that you want to buy.



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Gears for Jamming


You do not need to be in a band to jam. Sometimes, a simple weekend jam with friends and neighbors can be fun without the hassle of forming a band. Let them bring their own gear.  If your company’s management will allow it, you can even jam after office hours! This is a good alternative to those missing their college bands.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Bayabas Nights


Bayabas is the Filipino word for guava, but this is not a fruit-eating spree. If you want to see Filipino musicians having fun while having a gear shootout and review, then this video series is for you.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Neo Modular Active Polyphonic Pickups


After a long wait, I was finally allowed to blog about Joel’s latest toy, the Cycfi Neo Modular Active Polyphonic Pickups. Yes, Neo pickups are from the creator of the Cycfi carbon fibre guitar.




Monday, February 10, 2014

The Guitar Speaker


Changing the stock speaker can result in a significant change in tone. However, you need to understand the specs before attempting to buy a replacement speaker for your guitar amp. Similarly, you cannot connect a head amp to an external cabinet without knowing the rating first.


Saturday, February 8, 2014

The Guitar Amplifier


Next to the guitar, a good amplifier should be your next major investment in the guitar signal chain, if you want to improve your tone. Here are few things you need to know when buying a guitar amp.

 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tone is the Root of all GAS


All you wanted was to learn the guitar to impress your friends. Yet, several guitars and upgrades later, you are still looking for the one that will end all purchases. The search simply never ends.
G.A.S. is defined as Gear Acquisition Syndrome. It is a communicable disease among guitarists. The more you listen to those afflicted with GAS, the more you are likely to be one of them. The more you read what people buy, the more chances you are to believe that your current gear need an upgrade. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Apps for the Modern Guitarist


Today's guitarists are quite lucky. Having a gadget like an iPad can help improve your playing, if you have the perseverance to learn. Compare that to thirty years ago when learning a new song means playing the tape recorder repeatedly until you get the riff right. Here are some apps that I stumbled on lately.

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Guitar Signal Chain


Electric guitars are instruments that convert your guitar playing to electrical signals, which are then amplified and converted to sound by guitar amplifiers. Tone is a result of several factors, starting from the guitarist to the speaker. This is the guitar signal chain.


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Guitar Model Numbers and Old Guitar Catalogs


When buying a used guitar, it is common to find sellers who cannot provide information on the model number. These are useful in determining the quality of the guitar as compared to other models released in the same period. Higher models typically use less wood pieces, premium flamed tops, and better pickups. Some MIJ guitar models indicate the selling price at the time. For example, an EG-700 model was sold at 70,000 yen. If you know the model number and year of manufacture, you can check the catalog to validate how it should look like.


Friday, January 24, 2014

Guitar Buying Guide


This is the day! You are going to buy that guitar, take it home, and jam all night. Armed with nothing, you will go to the store or meeting place, take a quick look at that beautiful guitar, excitedly pay for it, and take it home. Only to find faults the next day.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

What to Check Before You Buy a Guitar

While browsing through the ads, something caught your eye. You see your dream guitar at a price within your budget. What do you do next? Before you call and arrange to buy that guitar, here are things that you should do.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Checking the Guitar's Wood


Understanding the following concepts are key to knowing if a guitar for sale is a probable bargain or otherwise. This is especially useful if the exact model is unavailable, as in the case of lawsuit-era guitars.



Sunday, January 12, 2014

Guide to Luthiers and Guitar Techs in the Philippines



Are you looking for someone to repair, set up, customize, or upgrade your guitar in the Philippines? Check this list of luthier and guitar tech in the Philippines!





Saturday, January 11, 2014

Made for Metal Guitars

Guitars made for metal have double cutaways to allow access to the entire fretboard, and slim necks for faster licks.
Ibanez



Cycfi Guitar: Proudly Phillipine Made!




More than sixty years ago, the electric guitar was born. Today, we see the same guitars, albeit, with a few cosmetic changes. Most guitars still use the same, tested tone woods. Only a few dares to deviate from the norm.

Music Stores in the Philippines


I see occasional questions on where to find specific brands in the Philippines. Here is a short list of guitar stores, along with their supported brands, as of this writing.



Friday, January 10, 2014

Choosing the Right Guitar


It sounds simple, but I still see posts asking for advice on what guitar to buy, as if the best guitar for us is also best for them. Here is a simple guide on choosing the best guitar for you.

  

Saving for Your Guitar Budget




The most expensive guitar is not necessarily the best guitar for you. Your dream guitar should be the best that your budget could afford. However, a guitar that you will be afraid of using for fear of being scratched is not a good guitar, unless you are just a collector and not a guitarist.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Semi-hollow Body Guitars

Rickenbacker 
The Rickenbacker, as popularized by The Beatles.
 

Fender Guitar Models


The Telecaster is the first commercially successful solid-body electric guitar. It was originally named Broadcaster, but Gretsch claimed that they own the trademark so it was renamed to Telecaster. 


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Gibson Guitar Models

Les Paul Standard 
The Les Paul model is one of the most popular electric guitars of all time. It is Gibson’s first solid-body electric guitar and was an answer to Fender’s Broadcaster (early name for the Telecaster). Gibson worked with Les Paul, a guitarist and inventor, though his contribution to the design is unclear. The standard Les Paul model has a mahogany body and a maple top. It uses humbucker pickups that results in less noise and fuller tone. 


Gibson and Fender in Japan



If you do not like the lawsuit-era guitars because they were not licensed by Gibson and Fender, but you cannot afford the US originals, then these are the next best thing.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Lawsuit-Era MIJ Guitars


Lawsuit-era guitars refer to Gibson and Fender Japanese replicas made in the late 70s to the early 80s. These quality-instruments look like the real thing when viewed from a distance. Look closer though and you will see labels like Greco, Burny, Tokai or Fernandes.  

Gibson Les Paul
Greco Les Paul
How close are they to the real thing?
These guitars have very good build quality and workmanship, generally comparable to the US-made originals. The difference lies in the materials used, notably the use of Asian wood, which is readily available in Japan. The machines used to build these guitars are usually metric-based so replacing the hardware with US-made parts may require some drilling. Electronic parts, specifically the pickups, are generally not at par with the US-made pickups. Change them to US-made pickups though, and you have a killer guitar that may match an original Gibson or Fender. However, not all guitars from the same manufacturer have the same build quality so checking the guitar thoroughly before buying is necessary.


Does the aged wood of lawsuit-era guitars affect tone?
It is believed that naturally aged wood sounds better than fresher wood. There are even suggestions that wood vibrations caused by using the guitar helps improve the tone of old guitars. However, does aged wood really affect the guitar tone? To answer this, we have to understand a few things.
When a wire is passed over a magnetic field, electric signals are produced. This is how electric generators work. This is also how electric guitar pickups work. These pickups have magnets (one per string) that are placed close to the strings. Similarly, electric guitar strings have strong magnetic properties. When strings vibrate, they cut through the magnetic field and electric signals are produced in the pickup wires, which are then passed to the amplifier to make the sound louder. Electric guitar pickups are not designed to produce electric signals from wood vibration.

Pickups play a major role in the electric guitar tone. However, I believe that the top still contributes to the overall tone. Raise your iphone and tap it. Next, put your iphone on top of a table and tap it. Then, put it on top of the sofa and tap it. They sound differently because the material where the iphone is placed affects the tone. I believe that the same is true with guitar bridges and frets—the tone produced is affected by the materials beneath them, though not in the same scale as the pickup. This is just my personal opinion. Perhaps I will try to do some experiments when I have the time and resources.


Guitars from the late 80s and early 90s
Later guitars are not exact replicas of Gibsons and Fenders, mainly due to changes in headstock shapes and truss rod covers to avoid lawsuits. The build qualities are still there, but they are not as valuable since people buy replicas because they look like the real thing. In addition, some guitars bearing the same brand are made in Korea and are not from Japan.


Guitar dating and pricing
Most of these guitars have the year of manufacture indicated in the first few digits of the serial number, if available. If the first digit is zero, the guitar is 1980 if it looks like a replica, but 1990 if the truss rod cover or headstock is different from the US original.
SRP for these guitars are usually indicated in the model number. A Greco EG-700 model, for example, means that the SRP was 70,000 yen.

Comparison
Here is a table listing popular Japanese brand counterparts of the US originals:
Gibson – Greco, Burny, Tokai, Navigator, Aria Pro, Bacchus, Yamaha
Fender – Greco, Fernandes, Tokai, Yamaha


Other brands from Japan
There are other brands supposedly imported from Japan, but one should be cautious since not all guitars sold in Japan are made in Japan.
Orville, Epiphone and Fender Japan
These are not lawsuit guitars since they are licensed from Gibson and Fender. I will discuss them in a separate article.


Here are links to MIJ guitarcatalogs for your reference.

/royc 

* Images are from Tom's Guitar Manila