QUESTION

I have an Epiphone Coronet is all original except the tremolo tailpiece is missing is this the same part  found on Gibson guitar or did Epiphone have there own parts . Any help you can give would really help I never see epiphone parts advertised .

REPLY

Gibson bought Epiphone guitars  in the late 1950′s . Up to that point yes Epiphone did manufacture and produce its own guitars . By around 1959 Epiphone guitar now owned by Gibson started to use various parts from some of the Gibson guitars. Gibson still produced some of epiphones unique parts for some of their models by within a few year basically all Epiphone were using Gibson parts Minus the Tailpiece , pickguards and on a few other there Higher models old style tuners were still used.

This being said after 1960 Epiphone Coronets used all the same parts except pickguards. Your guitars parts are 100% interchangeable with a Gibson except for the pick-guard. The parts you are referring to is called a maestro tremolo. This again was used on both Gibson and Epiphone models. When you are looking to buy one you will never see it advertised under Epiphone that is why you are having a problem. You will all ways find it advertised as a Gibson Maestro Vibrato. Remember if your guitar is pre 1965 you have to get the nickel version not the chrome version.

By the early 1970′s Epiphone guitar were made in japan and we are talking about a whole different animal here. This post is talking about American made Gibson and Epiphone guitars not the import lines. Most of those parts are metric and unique only to those models and personally i hate them so i do not know much about them.

I hope this helps just do a search for a Gibson maestro vibrola and you Will find one in a flash and it Will install perfect wit no mods to your Epihpone Coronet. If you have any further questions please e mail me at THE PARTS DRAWER  thank you

Jim Pasch

QUESTION

I just bought  a 1959 s paul jr Gibson Les Paul Jr I paid $6ooo it is real clean I think i got a good deal . Last year they were $9000 do you think the market will go lower or has it bottomed out.

REPLY

That is a great price for a clean 59 jr . Yes the prices has dropped but as you know i always felt in the last few years they were overpriced anyway,. Now the jrs are back in the range they should be so you should be safe

My personal opinion is now is the time to buy a Les Paul Jr if you want one. prices have never been better and they have not dropped in quite some time. so i feel as though the bottom has been reached. These have always been great guitar and a rock and roll staple. Thousands of great records were made with these and at the $5500 – $6500 range is were they should be .

Look everybody got greedy dealers , individuals , ebayers everyone and the pigs got slaughtered!!!!! . what can i say but now if feel it is safe to buy a jr and a good time at that because i do not feel they will go down anymore the price adjustment has taken place so do not wait much longer.

Many dealers including our self have sold jrs below what we paid for them and are still doing sop now. but i guarantee that will not last . the vintage guitar market is picking back up slow,y so trust me in this business the deals wont last.

A last comment on this market in general. Our market is a disposable one when people need to eat they do not buy guitar but when they do buy that means the free money is around. I can tell you business has picked up and people are spending yes not as much as before but they are spending and that is a great sign .

Congratulations on a good buy you can never got wrong with a clean straight jr someone will always want one and in the end what a great guitar to have and play. Yes you do good and if you have any other questions just e mail me at The Parts Drawer

JIm pasch

QUESTION

I just bought a 1952 Fender Telcaster I thought was correct and I have brought it to several dealers and they tell me the pickguards is a replacement. It looks original to me is definitely bakelite how can I tell if it is real. The dealer i got it from swears it is real but nobody interested in buying it says real. I am stuck !  and frustrated help!!

REPLY

This is a more common problem than you think. The quality of fake vintage parts or reproduction has reach a dangerous level. They are so good it is even hard for us to tell at first glance. Only our years of experience tells us it is a reproduction.

For example. A great guy named Clive Brown in England makes the best black guard reproduction i have ever seen. I know Clive and he is a gentlemen and a true master at his craft. He sells them as reproductions and his companies parts are for restoration only and he states that. It is not his fault if unscrupulous people tale his product and sell it as real. Clive has even gone out of his way to help people who have been duped. So the problem is not Clive it is the idiot who buys it and tries to rip people off

Another great  company is Retrospec  LLC. they make the best repro parts i have seen and probably the only two company I would recommend due to my first hand experience. I Will not bad mouth any other companies many of the people i know and like but i feel as thought these two are the best and more importantly sell the stuff as repro and no to screw people.

Now as far as your problem goes any legitimate dealer should take the guitar back or make a price adjustment if the guard was not real. Dealers are human and do make mistakes and again some of this repo stuff is amazing. I personally find that it is difficult now lets say like on eBay to buy a guitar that looks correct and has repro parts. That is why we have always suggested but from a reputable dealer or a reputable seller on ebay and make sure you have a return policy and an inspection time period. if the dealer or seller says no run away!!

Sorry to hear about this i hope you can work this out with dealer. If you have any further questions please e mail me at The Parts Drawer

Thanks

Jim Pasch