L ETTERS
Mysterious Moderne
A store in Catonsville, MD, called Jim’s
Guitars had, for a very short time, a
Gibson-branded Moderne. It was yellow-stained, like the original. They claimed
it to be one of only three prototypes,
and gave it an astronomical price. It was
only a year ago, but I honestly did not
care. I’d be the first to buy an original ‘ 58
Explorer and smash it into the ground. But
I thought you might be interested to know
about it. I didn’t actually see the guitar.
They sold it before I got to look at it.
–Tyler Beard
It’s good to know that we don’t have
everything figured out. I love the story of
the Moderne. Maybe we’ll see an original
surface one day. Just imagine how much it
would go for! –John T
Our story on the Moderne [The Mysterious
Gibson Moderne, June 2009] marks the
first time we’ve written about a guitar
of which no known original photos (
confirmed, that is) exist. Based on the feedback, it seems people are either fascinated
or think it’s a holey tale rather than a holy
grail. The sighting mentioned above is
one of many in circulation. We spoke to
the folks at Jim’s Guitars, who told us that
the guitar in question was a reissue in very
good condition, not a prototype. To read
more, check out the comments sections
of the online version of the article and our
reissue photo gallery at premierguitar.com.
Oh, and Tyler, if you do buy an original
’ 58 Explorer, we’d prefer you send it here
instead of smashing it.
Smells Like
Tone to Him
Great column.
[Smells Like Tone
to Me…, May
2009] I”m the proud
ownerofaLaney
L5T. Amazing tone.
I didn”t appreciate
my 339 till I put it
through the Laney. I
have a Carvin MTS3200 w/ a matching 2x12
extension cab and check this out—I bought
the last one. Carvin took $25 off for the
open box. It’s not even played in yet. Your
article makes me want to play it till somebody tells me to stop.
I live in a good place in Escondido. The
houses are far apart like in the Santa Cruz
Mountains. When I moved in, I started telling
my landlord I was always considerate of others when I played.
Before I could finish the sentence he said,
“Play as loud as you want.” Of course, his idea
of loud might be different than mine. I’ll let
you know what it smells like. –Mike Mitchell
Thanks, Mike, and hey—does your landlord
have any more property to rent?
Thin Lizzy, Thick Tone
I just wanted to drop a line and express
my appreciation for the latest issue of PG
[May 2009]. Being a Lizzy fan since the mid-seventies, I was thrilled to see the interview
with Scott Gorham. I had picked up the Still
Dangerous disc sometime back and it still
spends quality time in the CD player. It was
great hearing about the Lizzy days from one
of rock’s killer players. That was a magical
era for twin-lead fans. I regret never getting
a chance to see the band live. Some of my
classmates in high school caught them opening for Nazareth and they were blown away.
Aside from the Gorham interview, thanks for
the rundown on the micro amps—I’ve been
giving those some serious thought. The JTM
shootout was awesome too, just can’t afford
one of those. Cheers and keep up the great
work! –Mike Bryan
Thanks for the props on our May issue. And
yes, keep rockin’ Still Dangerous—that’s one
helluva album.
Focus, Focus
I have been reading your magazine since
it was free and it was a small periodical.
When I needed to subscribe—no problem—
but then I let it lapse out of absentminded-ness. After buying a couple of issues at the
newsstand I just subscribed again. Please
keep up the good work... focus on gear
and technical articles about wiring, pickups,
amplifiers and how to articles on truss rods,
frets, strings, etc. –Jim
Thanks for the feedback, Jim. Reader input
is always appreciated. If anyone has yays,
nays, or story ideas, please send them to
info@premierguitar.com
Corrections and Clarifications
Credit where credit is due:
The article “Electro-Harmonix Russian Big
Muff Pi Pedal Mods” [May, 2009] was pro-
vided by contributor Brian Wampler, based
on his original mods.
Gomenasai
We spelled Michihiro “Michi” Matsuda’s
name incorrectly in Adam Hunt’s “The
Shokunin School: Blending Art, Nature and
Innovation” [June, 2009]. We regret the error.
Keep those
comments
coming!
Keep those comments coming! Please send your suggestions, gripes, comments and
good words directly to
info@premierguitar.com. You can also send snail mail to
Premier Guitar PO Box 127, Mt. Vernon, IA 52314. Please remember
to include your full name. Selected letters may be edited for clarity.
