Hey peoples! Do these words mean anything to you: Galanti, Zim Gar, Kent, Hagstrom, Danelectro, Supro, Harmony, Silvertone, Airline, Univox, Teisco, Domino, Apollo, Coral, National, Conrad? If they do, then you’re probably like me and these brand names are as familiar as the whiskers on your chin. I say WELCOME!
Check out my posts, check out my links, check out my Facebook page, you know what, just check it ALL out! I’m just trying to spread some knowledge and share my love. I don’t sleep too much, so keep checking back as I add content all the time!
By the way, I’m Franco and I have an addiction. From the northeast US.
Franco, there are lots of us with this addiction. Great site and youtube videos, keep up the good work.
Jeff
http://hewittsgaragestudio.com/
Thanks man!!!
Hi Franco,
Love the work you do here! Wondering if you have a copy of a Supro catalog. I have a what looks like a ’59 Belmont but it either has a pickup added at the neck or it came with one. My guess is the correct model is now a Valcenstein….
I do have plenty of Supro catalogs, but I’d need a pic of yours to help you out. From 58-60 all the catalogs show the Belmont with a single pickup at the bridge, but there were other models that were similar to the Belmont with two pickups. And thanks for the kind words!
Cool, how do I send you a photo? My email is chagman@gmail.com
I need to remove the pick guard for a clearer picture.
you can send a pic to frankeroo at yahoo dot com
you da man!
Are any of your way huge pedals for sale or trade?
None right now, sorry man!
Hi and greets from Italy. I need a suggestion and you are the man! I own a kimberly (the bison with four pickups). The guitar after all this time is quite new and im using it for its great sound.
The suggestion i need is: what kind of stings are better for this guitar? Thank you and go ahead!
Ciao Leo! My opinion on the older Japanese stuff is to use heavier strings. .10s and .11s work the best, from experience. All these guitars came from the factory with VERY heavy strings, and the necks were usually specified to handle the torque. .9s don’t usually sound real good, especially if the guitar has a shorter scale. Hope that helps!!
Hey, cool site!
This might be a bit of a stretch, but I was wondering if you could help me out or point to any good resources on Norma guitars. A friend recently left one with me that is in not too great condition. The sound was thumpy and dull, the switches didn’t really do very much, and the volume and tone knobs don’t work right. I took it apart and found that a lot of connections were not soldered, like somebody had tried to connect them with twist ties. Anyway, I’m trying to wire it up again, but don’t really have a clue about how it’s supposed to work. It has 3 pickups with on/off switches, a rhythm/solo switch, one volume, one tone. The biggest mystery to me is the rhythm/solo.
Anyway, if you know of a good way to figure out how this thing is supposed to be put together, I’d love to hear about it!
You gotta contact Dano at Happy Guitar Repair. He can do this type of work in his sleep! You can find his links all over the place on this site.
Thanks!
Some great guitar porn here with some absolute gems hidden in there – I hope you keep adding more! Lo-fi heaven…
Also I love the figure of the fretboards on the Conrad Bison and Imperial, which led me to think they may be Brazilian rosewood?
Cheers,
Evren
Love the site! I was doing some research on a 60′s Bruno Conqueror guitar I bought. After digging deeper into it, and looking over the guitar, I believe it used to be a Bruno Conqueror Violin-shape Bass that was converted to a 6-string. It’s kind of cool, but not in great shape. If anyone has info about this guitar, I’d like to know more about it’s history. I put up pics : http://www.flickr.com/photos/vheilman/sets/72157632005322118/
hay man i got a 1524g white supro just like the one you have. i got that thing for free and knew nothing about it ive googled binged i went places to get that thang appraised ive done anything your website was the only thing left and you gave very good information thank you butt the question i wood like to ask is how much is it worth because i cant find that out either ive tried and i lost hope and im only 17 so i dont have money for appraisals so heres my number 419-306-3518 if you would call me and give me a clue on what its worth i would very much appreciate it u would be my hero! thanks hope u get back with me
Hey Brian,
Actually email would work better, because I’d need to see some pics of the guitar to give you a good number for its value. A lot of these vintage guitars are all over the place on price, and it’s usually all about condition. If you can, snap a few photos and send them to frankeroo@yahoo.com and I’ll help you out if I can. Sound good?
Cheers
Franco
Hi Mr,Franco.
Nice to meet you. I am a guitar producer and the Japanese guitarist.
I create the model of own by myself under the influence of every Bizarre Guitar.
And I arrived at your site.
It is a splendid site. I thank for an encounter.
It is model and Bizarre Guitars where [http://x72.peps.jp/ahhgh] produced me.
If there is time, I peep out, and please look.
In addition, I cannot speak English. An omitted words, the wrong words … Please permit it.
I love and respect your guitar life heartily from Japan and support you.
That is awesome, thank you!
驚くばかりであること、ありがとうございました！
Hi Franco, I love your site, and I wanted to ask you for some help. I just bought what seems to be a vintage guitar, much like one of the beauties you showcase here. The problem is I can’t identify it- the headstock badge was ripped off (but the badge shape remains). Here are some pictures of it:
http://imgur.com/a/rz4LJ
Is there any way you can help me identify it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work.
Hi there, I’ve seen this model before with the Stradolin and Festival badges, a few others I can’t think of at the moment. As for the maker, right now it’s an unknown. That means it wasn’t made by Kawai or Teisco, none of the larger makers in Japan. This was one of the smaller makers that, as of now, are forgotten to history.