Doubting Thomas

Freak of the Week
A great example of a Harvey Thomas Maltese from the sixties. Made famous by Mott the Hoople. A special axe from a US company started by a special man. You'll see a few more of his guitars out on the 9:00 coast than you could ever find here in the mid west. Click HERE for a cool website that tributes Havey & his swanky 60's guitars.

1962 Framus Semi-Hollow with Tremolo

The 25th annual St Paul musician's trade fair Saturday yielded some great finds & some very cool guitars, but a few stood out as true rare gems. This 1962 Framus hollow body with tremelo is really a unusual axe, & just like the English Burns of the era, there are very few bench parts used in their manufacture. This rare Bavarian made guitar features an unbelievably ultra-thin laminated neck & a strange metal screw on nut! What a great find. Thanks for sharing the pictures Joe. See ya next year.

White Lightning

If you've you've got a keen eye you should be able to recognize this highly modified 1960's Tiesco Del Rey. Owner & builder Scott Montgomery has more spage-age recreations that I'll post in the future. Visit his shop "Rocks n Roll Emporium" in Crosby MN for a closer look at his customs.

Rock with me Saturday night (St Patty's Day) at Maxx Bar in Ham Lake.

Hey, Mister Wilson!

I feel like Dennis the Menace pestering AG&B's inventory manager Ron Wilson for pictures of his personal guitars. Ron confesses this Schecter 007 Elite seven string guitar was I bought as a mid-life crisis creative reinvention of his classic rock stylings. Now me on the other hand; well, I'm still hoping to find a two string guitar to properly reflect my humble talents.

1963 Melody Maker

Here's another vintage rock warrior from the collection of Kelly Peterson. This 63 melody maker is one of Kelly's oldest axes, & it's got the necessary mojo for ripping out old Thin Lizzy dueling melodies; thanks to the popular mods that now give it the updated sustain & intonation for rich lustrous soloing. It's truly a great guitar to fart around with, & the K-Man isn't looking to give it up soon. Why would he? You just don't see these for sale very often. Thanks for sharing Kelly! Here's some cool footage of K-Train jamming on some old Robin Trower that I found on YouTube.

Green Machine

I picked up this Dean Custom Zone in nuclear green yesterday at Mister Mark's Music in Anoka. It'll really turn heads at the Rock it Science shows this season. This keen clean green Dean is a lean mean teen rock machine that made the scene in a St Patty's latrine. Know what I mean, Gene? The matching green finish on the maple fret board is what really sets it off & makes this axe scream rock & roll. I'll give this toxic waste dump to the girls to use. Come check out a show soon, & maybe see this guitar up close.

Bedell

I caught this guy performing a show with Jana Anderson last weekend, & then ran into him again on Monday at Mr Marks Music in Anoka. Check out this rare old Bedell acoustic, modified & converted to electric for Sam Kuusisto of the Sam Kuusisto Band. This is one beautiful guitar up close, & you've got to see it to believe it. Thanks for the photo, Sam. Rock on.

Bikini Contest RADIO

Friday night's colorful Brat Pack RADIO show at Povlizki's was a spectacle to behold. The band was rockin, even though they got second billing to the Bikini Contest. Veteran twin cities bassist Craig Holets was down right tight, laying down & making it look easy. He used a killer Yamaha 4 string for the show, & it sounded snappy & crisp like it should. Check the Brat Pack Radio schedule for future dates. Nice talking with you, Craig. Rock on.

Vai Signed LP

Burgundy Les Paul Studio, autographed backstage by Steve Vai at the State Theater September 19th, 2007. Owner Michael Paepke, of Paepke Productions in Plymouth MN. More of Michael's great axe collection to be posted here soon. Feeling home town proud? Check out his tune Minnesota on YouTube.

Rock with me Saturday March 3rd at Neisen's in Savage.

Have a Cigar

A big congratulations is in order for this proud new Papa. Here are Johnee D'Shea's new babies: Custom USA endorsement REX4 & REX5 (Rex Brown/Pantera) Spectors and Paolo Gregoletto signature B.C. Rich 5 string. If these aren't the most beautiful basses you've seen in a while, then you should definitely drop him an email & tell him so. All three of these gems have beautiful tops, but check out the mass of brass used for the bridges on the Spectors! Johnee has a marvelous collection of great sounding basses that he's used in twin cities bands from ShakyJake to LunaSea, & LadyLuck. Want to see these ultra sleek basses live in action? Find out where, by clicking into the Johnnee D'Shea facebook page.

Buy me a Mockingbird

JT Showed me some cool used axes last week that he had in stock at his Music Go-Round franchise in Maple Grove. Several guitars were memorable, but this Mockingbird hard tail really seemed to stand out. The BC Rich design explodes coolness, & there's no mistaking it's hallmark design. Priced around $500, you don't have to be Richie Rich to afford a BC Rich. Give him a call at 763 416-1769 to see what else has come in lately & he'll treat you right.

13626 80th Circle N
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Back in the USSR

Today's feature is courtesy of Cuffy Parks of St Paul. Late 80's Kramer Triangle hot rods that will turn heads so fast it's like a scene from the exorcist. These Russian inspired balalaika shaped guitars are pretty scarce here in the cities & it's a treat to have them featured on this site. The Gorky Park is Single pick-up, Floyd Rose equipped, rosewood board, & locked down at the nut. Check out Cuffy along with Kenner & Jake Sundays at Pub Monique in Stillwater.
I can't wait to post some of Cuffy's 1960's vintage axes he's got tucked away... Stay tuned.

Rock with me Friday Feb 24 at Prime Time in Burnsville, & Saturday Feb 25 at Buster's in Owatonna.

You are Here

One of a kind custom design by John (Felix) Sovereign that honorably pays homage to his home state of Minnesota. Figured maple body routed & finished by Richard Leach of St Cloud. Dimarzio fat pickups, Gibson tune-o-matic bridge, Allparts fender neck, Wilkinson tuners and string trees make up the bulk of the hardware. Felix says it plays pretty well. Hand rubbed finish is very nice & the tweed case fits & protects wonderfully. He jams locally around Sauk centre with guys that used to call the band Raging River, but since they have aged, they're considering changing the name to Weak Stream!! Pretty funny, Felix.

Sidenote: We named the last blues band I was in Dirty Pool, cuz (Muddy Waters was already taken).

Remember the Alamo

This picture submitted by a new reader in the Brainerd area. Rare 60's hard tail ALAMO with era correct speckle body finish. Southland Music & Charles Eilenberg started the company after WWII with record players & transistor radios & began manufacturing guitars after 1960, but were out of the game by 1970. They only made solid body guitars for a few short years. Jerry is open to offers on this axe, as he's offering this one for sale. Give him a call at (320) 420-2625 for more details. Ask what other cool vintage axes he's pulling out of his collection. He's got some interesting stuff that you don't see everyday. I'll post more of Jerry's guitars soon.

Underachiever

Steve Pritchard of Maple Grove has a massive troop of Ibanez guitars to recruit from when it comes time to select an axe for a bombastic battle of guitar mayhem. This one is a RG570 custom, & the JAWS shark fin inlays pop right out at you. I've got one of these RG570's, & the necks are ultra slim for fast playing. The pick-ups have tone & sustain like the JEM. Everything gets locked down on these before battle, so you're assured great pitch when returning from a deadly dive bomb mission with your squadron. Don't be deceived by the title of this post. This guitar is definately a overachiever. Check out Steve's cool band: The Underachievers on Facebook, or find him through the theunderachieversband.com website.

Rock with me & the Rockittes Friday February 17th at G B Leighton's Pickle Park in Fridley.

Attitude

This guitar is a Yamaha Attitude Billy Sheehan signature series, in sea foam green. It has a Hipshot range extender key, & custom gauge Rogue strings. Brett Ahlgren, bassist with metal giants Eternal Voyager plays this through a Hartke HA 3000,the Hartke 410 transporter series cab with aluminum cone speakers. Nady 1001 MK2 wireless system allows the necessary freedom of movement to rock. Boss HM-3 Hyper Metal distortion, Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, & Dunlop Crybaby Wah for the studio, & Morley Maverick wah for stage provide all the variants to keep him happy while laying it down. Check out their cool live videos on YouTube.

Vee is for:

Freak of the Week
Gibson Reverse Flying Vee. For as cool as these are, you'd expect to frequently see a local player rocking one of these classic axes around town. But alas, they're priced out of the practical range by Gibson, making them somewhat of a spectacle for a sideshow attraction. Unfortunate, considering their beauty... These really should be shown off.

Three; It's a Magic Number

Here's a example of just how right El KaBong was when he chose his three stringer to be his occasional weapon of choice. Rafael Atijas is revisiting the trio philosophy with his new design of the Loog. These exciting new kid's guitar kits are the perfect solution to getting your children interested in the guitar while bonding & helping them build their first instrument of their very own. Equally interesting is how he got the funding to start this company. Need more proof on why three is a magic number? Let YouTube provide the evidence with Bob Dorough's video of Multiplacation Rock.

DEAN releases TOMIKAZI Guitar

Just in from the winter NAMM show, here's one of the coolest things form the DEAN guitars booth. Dean has released the "Tomikazi" Tommy Bolin tribute guitar, being held here by brother & fellow rocker Johnie Bolin. The Tomikazi is based on Tommy's Ibanez Destroyer guitar. Designed by artist Nick Simmons, it features custom graphics inspired by the Private Eyes album. Specs include: Mahogany top and body, 24.75" scale, 1-11/16" nut, set mahogany “C” neck, rosewood fingerboard, pearl “Tomikazi” inlays, Grover tuners, chrome hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge and USA DMT “Time Capsule” pickups. Check it out on the Dean Guitars website.

Paul Bunyon's Axe

Freak of the Week
This would be the golden chalice of most collections, & we'd all love to show it off. Believe it or not, it's real, & works just like a normal sized guitar. Check out the video on
YouTube. If I walked up to this thing I'd immediately have to play Iron Man or Smoke on the Water; after all, it's tradition. }:-D-