Oh shit what have I started now?
Guess I gotta finish it.

I wanted to add some faded brown to give this more of an aged faded burst vs the uniform ambered colour it has stock from the factory as you see and know.
Once all the hardware was off however I decided I didn't like the convexed hump down the center of the guitar between the pups so I decided to sand it out flat like the old Bursts. I block sanded it back, studying a whole bunch of bursts and replicas, to the tail posts so it was all uniform and also tackled the slightly higher hump on the treble post side, since these are all hand carved tops.
So here we go down the rabbit hole!

After playing a few friends LS80's & LS100's etc I always dug these old Tokai's.
The lacquer finish just feels old and worn in like a favourite t-shirt or shoes.
I ended up buying this 1980 LS80 last summer but finally had it shipped this past week.
Weighs in at 9 lbs 7 ounces (not one of the lighter Tokai's that seem to be more common) & the stock Gotoh pickups were nothing special on this one however.
Not sure why Tokai, if modelled after a true 1958 Les Paul, squared off their neck heels?
Not a huge fan of them vs a true well rounded heel but it is a minor gripe I suppose.

Appears the previous owner played this a lot and it showed but it was quite a bummer to see he had it on a shitty rubber stand that melted the lacquer on the lower body and little rubber flecks have randomly melted into the finish throughout. Ah well, adds to the overall mojo I suppose. :D

Decided to swap the pups for some old double cream Tokai X stamped pups I had. Same font as the Z's and they sounded great but I really wanted the new set of A3 Mojotones in there.

While it was unstrung I did a quick re-crown and fret end dressing as these frets, while at about 60%, were a bit worn.

So back on the bench it went for the double cream A3 Mojo's and they shall stay for now, such awesome best bang for your buck pickups! I think I have 4 sets thus far and when they go on sale I jump at em.

That is all for now folks, off to work...

Recently had this 2008 Edwards E-TE-110CTM RE Telecaster Relic shipped after having purchased it 4 or so months back.
It was a skeleton with only a jack and control plate along with the bridge and guard attached.
Finally got around to putting it together this past week while I was off recovering from a spontaneous pneumothorax, something I hope none of my 3 fans have to ever go through, haha. :D
Anyway, the thin lacquer finish on these is amazing, feels old and worn in like it has been played in a bar filled with smoke and sweat for years. Well done ESP/Edwards, nail hit directly on the head.
The lightweight alder body is pretty resonant and the neck is nice and fat, loving the nice worn in fretboard as well.
For now she is staying, dunno why but I find it harder to let Tele's go than Les Pauls.

Been way way too long, right?

Don't have this yet but bought last year and need to get it shipped along with too much else I have been procrastinating on getting shipped.

At least that refrain tells me I can play what I have vs the thrill of always something new although getting different guitars can be a fun learning experience.

This year is the year I thin out my shit...sold 3 in the past week and much more to go.

After having a life threatening issue 2 weeks ago I now realize that if something were to happen to me, my poor wife will be left with all of it and having to use so much of her time to try and figure out what is what, what it is worth, and deal with difficult people and I could not do that to her.

Better to save money and minimize my life to be safe, right?

Anyways, onto some non-depressing cool stuff.

LOVE my Elk amp, especially after I totally rebuilt it and have always loved these Elk Jag copies but this one is totally complete and original so I caved.

Nicely lacquered finish, mahogany body, fat flamed neck, a gummed up rosewood or ebony board, and what appears to be all original.

Never been a huge Jag fan but this is different and I am kinda excited =)

As usual I have been forgetting to update my blog...Bacchus is done and plays and sounds fantastic now that it is lacquered and out of its poly cocoon.

Headstock veneer filled and ready for spraying.

Black tinted lacquer over the filled areas followed by 2 heavier coats of clear and a bit of amber over the logo for that extra uber coolness lol.

Will be adding a few more coats then sand smooth and polish.

Latest pic of the top.

The photos make it darker and thus lose how much lighter and faded it is in person and how gradual the burst is, unfortunately.

My 51 P Bass build was finally finished and I have been having a blast playing it.