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Rob’s World of Unusual, Unique, and Ugly Guitars, Christiansburg, VA (2025)

11/12/2025

It’s once again ‘Rockstar Wednesday’! Today’s rockstar is a country music guitarist that was discovered by the legendary Chet Atkins. You’ve probably heard his playing but never knew who he was.

Brent Mason was born on July 13, 1959, in Van Wert, Ohio. He began teaching himself how to play guitar by ear at five years old. After graduating high school he moved to Nashville and immediately began playing with various local cover bands.

After being discovered by Atkins, he was asked to play on Atkins album ‘Stay Tuned’. From there he has went on to play on over 1000 albums. Throughout his career he has played with some of the biggest names in country music, including George Strait, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, and many, many others.

Mason is a Grammy and CMA award winner and has been voted ‘Musician of the Year’ 12 times by the Academy of Country Music. ‘Guitar World’ magazine has named him “one of the top 10 greatest session, musicians of all time”.

Brent Mason is also an accomplished songwriter and producer. He has recorded a number of instrumental solo albums, and has authored an online guitar instructional course.

The Brent Mason Signsture Fender Telecaster is based on the guitar that he found in a Nashville guitar shop in the early 1980s. From its distinctive finish to the B-bender and modified neck and middle pickups, the guitar re-creates the guitar tat Mason has used on over a thousand studio recordings.

This ‘Nashville’ style Tele has three Seymour Duncan pickups - a traditional bridge pickup, a middle single coil pickup,like you would typically find on a Strat, and a neck pickup. Unlike a traditional Tele, this one has a mini-humbucker in the neck position. It has a 3-position blade pickup selector, master volume, middle pickup volume, and master tone with a push/pull pot to engage the middle pickup.

Those electronics are all installed in an ash body, with a 21 fret maple neck that has a vintage spec, 7.25” radius fingerboard. Its Glaser B-bender system allows for pedal steel effects, typical of country lead guitar.

These guitars can be found for $2800 to $3500 and originally came with a Fender hard case.

In addition to this signature Fender model, Mason also has a signature model PRS and Wampler affects pedal.

11/11/2025

For all of our veterans, we salute and thank you for your service!

These guitars pay tribute to the US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.

I apologize, I couldn’t find a Coast Guard themed guitar.

Thank you to you all!

11/10/2025

This custom-built bedpan guitar just feels like a guitar made for a cold November Monday morning.

Built in the style of a three string cigar box guitar, it comes equipped with a pickup, making it an electric bedpan. ‘Electro Bedpan’ sounds like a great name for a band.

Three-string guitars like this are often tuned on an open, three-note power chord with a 1-5-1 structure. Common tunings like this include open G (G-D-G),open E (E-B-E) and open D (D-A-D). Another common tuning for three string guitars is an open chord variant, C-D-G. These type of guitars are usually played with a slide.

11/09/2025

A genuine P-bass…

11/08/2025

Today we wrap up the week with another bass with a reverse headstock.

This custom-built Precision bass has a beautiful three tone Fender Precision Bass body with a lefty Fender neck. It has Fender hardware, Dunlop strap locks, and a brass nu. The electronics have been upgraded with Wizard Vintage style pups, CTS pots, and upgraded shielding and grousing.

The red tortoise pickguard, white/creme pickup covers, chicken head control k***s, and bone thumbrest really give this bass a classy and classic look.

This one was for ale on Facebook Marketplace for $500. I really like this one.

11/07/2025

I think this best sums up FMIC buying G&L intellectual property.

11/07/2025

Today we have a follow up from yesterday’s post - a beautiful example of a production model bass with a reverse head stock. This is the Washburn SonaMaster bass.

Washburn guitars was founded in 1883 by George Washburn Lyon and Patrick Healey in Chicago. The Lyon & Healey company began in 1864 as a distributor of sheet music. In 1883 the company began making high quality mandolins under the Washburn name. By 1889 they had began making other instruments such as banjos and parlor guitars. By 1942, Washburn was the largest producer of guitars, banjos, and mandolins, making and selling more than all of their competitors combined.

After a number of mergers, buy-outs and changes in ownership, Washburn continued making acoustic stringed instruments throughout the 1950sand 60s. The company released its first electric guitars and basses, the ‘Wing Series’ in 1976.

Production of the Washburn SonaMaster basses began in 2016. It was marketed as an entry-level instrument. Its design and distinct reverse headstock, took inspiration from classic Washburn models of the 1980s.

The 1980s were a time when Washburn was arguably at the height of its popularity and succes. That was primarily thanks to the popularity of heavy metal and the m music video age. Both helped popularized the reverse headstock. I know that it made me want a reverse headstock guitar after watching ‘Headbanger’s Ball’ on Saturday night.

The SonaMaster can be found for $200-$300 with a mid-level version costing slightly more.

On a personal note, I’ve always been a fan of Washburn guitars. I’ve owned Washburn electric and acoustic guitars and the first bass that I owned was a Washburn.

11/07/2025

I’m really sad to learn that last week, G&L officially shut down and is longer with us.

Over the years I have had a few G&L instruments - a LB100 bass, an ASAT Stsndard. an ASAT Custom Deluxe, and my favorite and main bass, my L2000. They were all Tribute series, except the LB100 which was USA made.

The Tribute Series are all made in Korea and in my opinion, better quality than anything that Fender makes in Mexico. That is coming from someone who absolutely loves his Mexican made Charvel San Dimas basses and Mexican made Fenders.

I bought my L2000 brand new online having never had played one. I made my decision based solely on reviews and videos. Of all the basses I have had over the years, the only one that I’ve ever liked more was my 1985 Steinberger.

I am embarrassed to admit it but at one point I got rid of it because it was too heavy for me (I have 3-4 herniated discs in my neck and back). I almost immediately regretted doing so. After about a year and a half, I was able to buy it back. I basically said screw it and decided I would just play through any discomfort. I’m NEVER getting rid of it again. I’ll take this one with me to the grave. LOL.

Rumor has it that Fender Musical Instrument Corp. has bought or is buying some of G&L’s intellectual property. I’m not sure what this exactly means though. I have not heard if Fender will continue making some or any of G&L’s current models or if this purchase is limited to pickup designs or exactly what.

I’d like to see Fender continue making the L2000, L2500, and ASAT basses since they don’t really have any similar models in their product line. If they do ever make any new Tribute models, I hope that they will be continue to be made in Korea. They would most likely make them in Mexico though.

The one thing that I have read thst FMIC has purchased is the Leo Fender name and his signature. You know, the things that really matter to them.

RIP G&L. I hope we see you again with the same great quality that you have always had.

11/06/2025

I saw this parts Jazz Bass a while back for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The listing said that it had a Squier body but didn’t say anything about the neck or the electronics.

What immediately jumped out at me and caught my attention was the addition of a left handed neck and as a result, a reverse headstock.

Although reverse headstock basses are not unheard of, they are not as common as reverse headstock guitars. The first reverse headstock electric was technically the 1963 Gibson Firebird. A few guitarists popularized the look of a reverse headstock by flipping and restringing their guitar. Most notably, Jimi Hendrix and Otis Rush both played right handed guitars, flipped over so that they could be played left-handed. Steve Miller later played a flipped over left-handed guitar. However, Micheal Hampton of the band Funkadelic is generally thought of as the first notable guitarist to play a true reverse headstock guitar, a right handed guitar with a left-handed neck.

Reverse headstock guitars really came into their own in the 1980s. They were popularized by companies such as Jackson. Ibanez, Kramer, ESP, Washburn and others.

Although they are a little less common on bass guitars, there have been a number of companies that have made production model reverse headstock basses including Reverend, Jackson, Washburn, and Ibanez. Other companies, such as Fender, G&L, and others have offered a reverse headstock as a Custom Shop option. One notable reverse headstock bass player was the late Dusty Hill of ZZ Top. He was often seen playing a custom Fender Precision with a reverse Telecaster style headstock.

This one reminds me of a similar Jazz Bass that I built about 15 years ago. I had bought a damaged white Jazz Bass that had a neck with a broken truss rod. I paired it up with a Squier lefty neck that I bought incredibly cheap off of eBay. I added new pickups, k***s, hardware, and pickguard. It sounded and played great, but I just found it awkward to tune. It got a lot of attention by people who saw it, but it just wasn’t for me at the time. I sold it to a young guy who immediately fell in love with it. I guess it’s still out there somewhere, as I’ve never seen it come back up for sale locally.

This bass was for sale for only $175. I kind of wish I could have bought it and given the reverse neck bass another try.

11/05/2025

It’s once again ‘Rockstar Wednesday’! Today we have an iconic acoustic guitar that was the most expensive celebrity owned guitar ever sold at auction.

In 1993, Nirvana performed on ‘MTV’s Unplugged’, In New York City. Strange times back in 1993. MTV was still a cable network and they still showed mostly music themed programming.

Everyone who was anyone was doing ‘Unplugged’. It was, as the name implied, a stripped down, intimate setting where artists put aside the Marshall stacks and played acoustic versions of their biggest hits and even some covers too. Eric Clapton, KISS, Alice In Chains and many others all graced the ‘Unplugged’ stage.

For their appearance on ‘MTV Unplugged’, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain used a rare Martin D-18E acoustic, made in 1959. He had bought the guitar for $5000 in 1992 at Voltage Guitars in Los Angeles.

The D-18E was Martin’s first commercial attempt to create an electric-acoustic guitar. It didn't go over so well at the time and wasn’t well recieved. This model was only made in 1958 and ‘59, with only a total of 302 units being produced. This made it very valuable and collectible.

In order for the guitar to support the addition of the bulky electronics, the internal top bracing of the guitar had to be modified. This change gave the D-18E a different tone from the standard acoustic D-18 model.

Nirvana’s performance and the resulting album ‘MTV Unplugged in New York’ were recorded on November 18, 1993. This was just months before the band’s final performance in March of 1994. In 1995, the album would give Nirvana their only competitive Grammy Award, given after Cobain’s death in April of 1994.

This rare Martin D–18E, that Cobain used for that award winning performance, would go to set a record for being the most expensive celebrity owned guitar ever sold at auction. It was purchased by Australian businessman and founder of Rode Microphones, Peter Freedman, for six million dollars.

11/04/2025

Today we are taking a look at the D'Angelico TD Premier.

D'Angelico Guitars was founded in 1932 in NYC by luthier John D'Angelico. He primarily made archtop guitars and mandolins
throughout the rest of the 1930s until the early 1960s. Hr owned the company until his death in 1964.

After his death Jimmy D'Augisto bought and ran the company.until 1999 when the D'Agelico name and trademark were purchased by a group of luthiers and investors who wanted to revive the company and begin making new versions of classic D'Angelico guitar designs

This new line of guitars were manufactured in the USA, South Korea, and China, depending price point.

One of these guitars was the TD Premier. The ‘TD’ stands for “teardrop design" according to D'Angelico. However, the TD Premier is basically a Les Paul design with an odd looking fin on it.

I'm not really sure what the teardrop is supposed to do or add to the guitar. Maybe a few more pounds? Having never played one of these, I don't know if it's purely cosmetic or if it adds something to the balance of the guitar or makes it more comfortable to play.

Notable D'Angelico players Include Susan Tedeschi, Bob Weir, Warren Haynes, and Brad Whitford.

Rob’s World of Unusual, Unique, and Ugly Guitars

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