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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:	GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:	Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:	KDX200::COOPER

Created:	Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3280
Total number of notes:	61432

243.0. "Phantom Guitars" by AQUA::ROST (But are they friendly spirits?) Wed May 13 1987 16:51

    A recent mail conversation with another noter over Martin electric
    solid-bodies (yes, they did actually make them a few years back)
    led me to this subject.
    
    It seems this noter out in CO owns one, has a friend who owns one
    and I know of one hanging in a store in Northboro, MA.  Yet we have
    never seen another one used by a musician....only ad pictures.
    
    Certainly there are other guitars like this, ones you have seen
    for sale or advertised but never seen anyone play.
    
    Another case in point is the Gibson Moderne.  This guitar was
    originally a companion to the Explorer and Flying V but never went
    into production.  Although Gibson records show some prototypes left
    the factory, vintage guitar expert George Gruhn has stated that
    he has never seen a real one, only fakes put together to sucker
    collectors.  A few years back, Gibson reissued the Moderne in a
    limited edition.  I remember seeing them in the music stores in
    NYC and almost fell over until I realized they were reissues.  However,
    since then I have yet to see one being played by anyone, ever.
    
    Now both the Martins and the Modernes must have been made in quantities
    of a few hundred.  Where are all these guitars?  What other "phantom"
    guitars can you noters think of?

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
243.1	Out of the Blew	GENRAL::ALBERTUS		`Thu May 21 1987 19:07`	8
	Hey! That's me! You're the first person to say you've even heard of 'em. Serial number, if I recall correctly is only at about 2### What was the price tag on that one in the store? Just curious. Not too knowledgable with guitars (yet) but another is the Martin EB-28 electric bass ... only seen pictures but a twin of their lead, just bigger. Got a fretless bass as well. AA
243.2	Coronado...	PARSEC::MELENDEZ		`Fri May 22 1987 09:42`	8
	I have a Fender Coronado. I do not know if this would be a "phantom guitar", but I have never seen one any where else. I know Fender made a base, 6 string and 12 string. I have the 12 string. This coronados were look a like to the es335. Does any one out there has the Fender bible? Does any one knowe how many were made and in what years? Since the one I have is 67, I think these guitars were made in the late 60's.
243.3	Coronado, gone but not forgotten	AQUA::ROST	But are they friendly spirits?	`Fri May 22 1987 12:23`	27
	Coronados are mid-sixties models. Although they look like Gibson 335s, I believe that they don't have the maple center block for sustain. Is that correct? The guitar and bass were available in single or dual pickup versions, the 12-string dual pickups only. They were also available in the two most bizarre finishes Fender offered, Antigua which was a white shading to black on the edge of the body, and Wildwood, which used wood from trees injected with dyes producing streaks of color in the grain. They were unpopular and have little value as collector's items or as playable instruments. The 12-string is the most valuable because Fender only made one other electric 12, a solid-body based loosely on the Jazzmaster/Jaguar body style. There actually are quite a few of these still around and they pop up used now and then. The Coronados along with the sixties-vintage solid-state amps were the first major marketing failure that Fender experienced, not coincidentally happenning at the time when CBS took over the company. Guitar Player had a two-part interview with Babe Simoni from Fender concerning this period of time a while back. I'll see if I can dig up the issue number for those interested.
243.4	That is correct...	PARSEC::MELENDEZ		`Fri May 22 1987 13:58`	6
	Yes, it does not have the maple center block. I basically got the guitar because I wanted a Fender 12 string electric guitar. I like the guitar very much. As far as $ value goes, I had a offer about 1 1/2 years ago and I would of double my money had I taken the money.