Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Swap Shop and Wish Lists => Seen on craigslist, eBay, and elsewhere => Topic started by: elwoodblue on December 18, 2012, 11:46:02 PM

Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: elwoodblue on December 18, 2012, 11:46:02 PM
Has this 6 stringer been discussed here before ?
 J O K E R   on the headstock ;
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-MADE-GUITAR-THE-BEST-/281040326625?pt=Guitar&hash=item416f4f0fe1 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CUSTOM-MADE-GUITAR-THE-BEST-/281040326625?pt=Guitar&hash=item416f4f0fe1)
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: lbpesq on December 19, 2012, 08:30:33 AM
Don't remember seeing this before.  Interesting guitar.  Even more interesting listing.  
 
Bill, tgo
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: sjhoffma on December 19, 2012, 08:58:30 AM
very interesting, I would love to get the real story behind it. I wont even comment on the BIN price lol
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: sjhoffma on December 19, 2012, 09:02:03 AM
oh wow thats a starting bid! hah
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: hydrargyrum on December 19, 2012, 10:00:25 AM
I've got a '91 Honda Civic.  Legend has it that Jerry Garcia once rode in it.  Opening bid starts at 5 Billion dollars.  Form a line if you're interested.
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: adriaan on December 19, 2012, 10:50:03 AM
The full body shot includes a ring binding, suggesting perhaps they are scanned images.
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: pasewark on December 19, 2012, 10:56:51 AM
I have a 1776 Fender Strat played by George Washington at Valley Forge. This is a wonderful piece of American History. And the tone is amazing, kept in a smoke free studio at Mt Vernon! Private bids only. Winning bidder to pay all costs and related fees upfront. Hurry! The Smithsonian is on the other line.
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: sjhoffma on December 19, 2012, 11:11:16 AM
 I will personally hand deliver this precious  collector's item for  $195,000, any where in the USA *SO TOTAL $370,000.
 
and I thought UPS was pricey!
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: gtrguy on December 19, 2012, 11:14:45 AM
What a Boat-Load-O-Crap...
 
Is this guitar wearing a booty-pop on the backside?
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: keith_h on December 19, 2012, 11:28:15 AM
I'm surprised he didn't mention that Steve Miller has a song called The Joker and that is the same as the inlay on the guitar.
 
Keith
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: lbpesq on December 19, 2012, 04:14:11 PM
I was just talking about this guitar with Eric Clapton at a restaurant the other day.  As we were talking, Carlos Santana, who just happened to be having lunch at the next table, overheard us and asked about the guitar.  He had a question I couldn't answer, so I called over the waiter who just happened to be Keith Richards.  
 
Keff says I, do you know anything about the Joker guitar?
 
No says Keith.  
 
So, I invited Eric to accompany me to visit my old friend Jerry Garcia.  When we arrived at Jerry's place I told Jerry he was looking remarkably well considering he has been dead for 17 years.  Jerry laughed and told me that though he had never played the Joker guitar, he had once bought a deck of cards that contained not one but two jokers!!!! What an amazing coincidence!  
 
So I called my good friend Bobby Dylan to swing by and pick me and Eric up and drive us over to my friend Joni Mitchell's house for a sleep over.  Dylan asked for $128,000 gas money.  After paying him, I didn't have enough left over to buy the guitar.  Darn!!!!
 
Bill, tgo
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on December 19, 2012)
 
(Message edited by lbpesq on December 19, 2012)
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: lbpesq on December 19, 2012, 04:39:35 PM
And don't forget about the five pick ups!
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: afrobeat_fool on December 19, 2012, 06:47:03 PM
Hey, Bill. Don't you think there are a few things on this guitar that are VERY similar to a HYAK? For me I look at the headstock and I see 2 things. First, the shape is really close. It might have been an early version. Second, the circle on the face is almost perfect for the Hyak inlay. Next, the laminates of the neck have the same characteristics. I can't tell what the dark bands of wood are? Also as old as this is, it could be a shop night. I am curious as to the engraving on the tailpiece.
 
(Message edited by afrobeat_fool on December 19, 2012)
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on December 19, 2012, 09:24:31 PM
Imagine wht he could get he had Gibson & Fender strings on it!
 
Peter
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: elwoodblue on December 19, 2012, 10:49:11 PM
The shape reminds me of the Gary Cooper guitar pictured with Ed Roman ( where Ed's sparking one up ).
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: lbpesq on December 20, 2012, 08:17:06 AM
The headstock is quite different from my Hyak and even more so from my Oasis (Gary Cooper guitar).  It does seem a little familiar, though.
 
Bill, tgo
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: hydrargyrum on December 20, 2012, 08:32:34 AM
I'ts got all the hallmarks of an Alembic related pedigree (not that I'm saying Alembic built it).  And it ought to be worth somewhere in the $5000 dollar range for anyone not smoking angel dust.
 
(Message edited by hydrargyrum on December 20, 2012)
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: bob2 on December 20, 2012, 12:09:03 PM
it looks like the tailpiece says custom made for john doh
 
the last name is three letters, might be something else.
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: mica on December 20, 2012, 01:10:03 PM
I was thinking Hyak too, so much that I sent the link over to Brian to see if he remembered it. He said that it wasn't of his hand, but he thinks it looks a little Irwin-esque. In fact, I have this image of a guitar attributed to Irwin filed away in my archives that has a circle inlay on the peghead:
 
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/395/145938.jpg)
 
 
The neck is a little BecVar in its proportions, but Bruce made things a little more refined usually.  
 
It's a mystery in everything except the year - if the builders are any relation to Alembic than it has to be after 1972. Just sayin'
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: tubeperson on December 20, 2012, 02:49:40 PM
Bob2 - do you think the doh reference means Homer Simpson is involved somehow?
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: tubeperson on December 20, 2012, 02:49:49 PM
Bob2 - do you think the doh reference means Homer Simpson is involved somehow?
Title: Early san fran guitar (Joker)
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on December 20, 2012, 03:05:16 PM
Much as I hate to say it, it looks to me like it says Custom Made for John Cale.
 
Peter