115 replies to this topic

[bytheway]

This thread has answered so many questions i have asked myself .... hahahah thx everyone with input!

[untitled#11]

dagge, on Jun 24 2008, 03:40 PM, said:

I LOVE this discussions! Awesome! I've thought a lot of that too. Check this out:

Here's a picture of his guitar when it was "new", when he got it. Probably from 98, 99, maybe later. Notice how small the pick scratch (1) is, in comparision to what it looks like now. In fact, the only flaw is that scratch, exept some tiny, tiny marks (2) at the bottom cutaway.



OK, so here we got the guitar around the BTW-era, probably 2002-2003. The pick scratches (1) are getting bigger and bigger, and the guitar's bottom is getting more and more abused. The 2- and 3-scratches are getting more evident, but notice how colour has disappeared around the put-your-cable-here-hole. Maybe because John have been really peckish for playing at the middle of the night, 15 beers later, hard to find the input?



My favourite part: the guitar (almost) right now.

1. The pick scratches is unbelievible big. An interesting thing, is that John is using a really soft pick, .060 mm but despite that, the marks has been that big. Hmm..
2, 3 & 4. These marks has turned even bigger through the years. Okay okay, a battered guitar is really cool and that's what I dream about, but if I had a guitar that cost 50000000000000000$, that was from 1962 and that probably would be impossible to find again, I would have been very careful about it - but those marks doesn't appear by normal playing.
5. The input marks are even bigger. Very interesting - I don't think they can be that big by missing the input and who is missing the input? Interesting, as I said.
6. Friction from clothes, arms etc. will result in marks like that.
7. The same as 2, 3 & 4 - that mark has been even bigger as well. Actually I think John has hit his guitar into something really hard sometime - not by diligence though.



That was everything from me, want to see more discussions! Sorry for my horrible English.

John actually has more than 1 sunburst strat. I've noticed that either he switches from a tan neck or the dark neck on his sunburst strat, and/or he has another one with same marks on it. Such a cool look when it looks like the guitar has been loved and beaten. I think is cheating though if your going to intentionally make it look like youve been playin it alot and you havnt. The one with the dark neck is the one Anthony got him when John came back in 1999.

[bonusnoise]

man i cannot believe hot much damage the guitar has been through since john got it.

That 1998 photo is amazing. It's like how the guitar would be in 1975 or something.

Just shows how much john plays.

[theotherfiona]

Lads and lasses I'm really enjoying this thread!

Arguments aside I'm loving the Strat photos, I can't believe it had been worn so much! Johnny boy has shown it alot of love over the years. It inspires me to get out my guitar and keep using it so that it will show the years it's been played!

[Frizle]

RHCPkingFrusciante, on Oct 13 2008, 07:40 PM, said:

surfsunadam, on Jul 25 2008, 11:04 PM, said:

No, they're not reissues. He doesn't play anything after CBS took over fender in 1965. His white one is 1961. Not sure about the red one, but it would be vintage.

well who ever owned his olympic white strat before john must have took great care of it because if you watch videos like rock in rio in 2001 the guiatar looks perfect and brand new. Now, 7 years later it looks like a bomb has been dropped on it lol.

I think it isn't the same guitar..

On Iva's page are pictures from 2004 where he plays a white Tele and I read sometime that it is a guitar by Vincet Gallo and he borrowed it for one gig. I guess it is the same thing with the white Strat in 2001, because since the other one appears in 2006, he plays it very reguarly!

[Amara]

I knew that John has more than one sunburst strat but which one is the one Anthony bought him (How can you distinguish it from the other ones or what's the general difference between them?)?

[Erik]

Hey may have more than one sunburst Strat, but the main one for the Red Hots is still the same. I once compared as many pics as I could collect, and it seems the most likely that he just replaced the pickguard (which is visible on the pics posted above). When a guitar is such a favourite of yours, you care less about the vintage value and, consequently, you don't really care about keeping it in mint condition. I've seen several video's where John puts his guitar against an amp, against the drumming platform (federation square), on the floor (Venice Queen at Slane, Cigale or Milan 2006 end of the show). Would you lay your main guitar in a case after every time you played it? I know I'm not that careful with mine...

As for the strumming marks: his picks are thin but his playing is very rough (especially in those crazy intro jams!) and that lacquer is very fragile. No wonder the guitar gets worn like that after some 9 years full of world tours.

[wiiLala]

Amara, on Oct 15 2008, 10:12 PM, said:

I knew that John has more than one sunburst strat but which one is the one Anthony bought him (How can you distinguish it from the other ones or what's the general difference between them?)?

The one that are being discussed here is the one Anthony gave him.
His other Sunburst has maple neck.

[surfsunadam]

He has one other sunburst strat normally left out of gear lists, as pointed out by 'subway to venus' on S-A.com

and

[Erik]

I've only seen that hardtail Strat on 2 gigs (AOL sessions and Scar Tissue 2 Cigale)
http://video.google.nl/videosearch?q=scar+...r+tissue+cigal#

So there's his main Strat which is a sunburst 1962 with rosewood fretboard - he probably changed its pickguard somewhere in 2005.
Then there's the 1955 sunburst Strat with maple neck and (accidentally) Seymour Duncan antiquity pickups.
A sunburst hardtail Strat which he played a few times live in 2006, but he had a glass neck made for it and I've never seen it after that youtube video of the guy who played it with that neck.

He apparently also had a sunburst Strat that can be seen in a couple of magazines, as well as in the hands of Warpaint's guitarist.

Then there's the two white Strats: one he played at Rock In Rio 2001 and in the By The Way clip, but he didn't like the neck and he doesn't use it anymore. The other one he got in 2005 but during the 2006 it gave a lot of trouble - though Josh plays it all the time live with the Peppers.

And there's a red Strat that he got near the end of 2006.

[irondethpepper]

I read somewhere that the pickups in one his Strats were Seymour Duncan Antiquities (the previous/one of the previous owners had apparently changed them out). Pretty sure it's just a rumour but I'm interested, anyone have more info on this?

[bonusnoise]

omg

i have never seen that guitar!

[bonusnoise]

got anymore photos of the other sunburst?

[RokasLTU]

irondethpepper, on Dec 1 2008, 06:23 PM, said:

I read somewhere that the pickups in one his Strats were Seymour Duncan Antiquities (the previous/one of the previous owners had apparently changed them out). Pretty sure it's just a rumour but I'm interested, anyone have more info on this?

Yeah, I've read it too. I believe these pickups are in his '57 Strat

[Bobster]

What about this one:



saw it only twice and I don't know anything about it... I'm not sure if this one has already been mentioned, but clear my mind please!

[surfsunadam]

That appears to be the same one as that one above I posted, just under a different light.

Hey, I did some searching, and I found it in one of your posts young JF ...
"1961 Fender Stratocaster Two Color Sunburst, rosewood fretboard"

[Bobster]

you know what is so fascinating??? This board keeps me updated on my stupidity on daily bases...

That must have been one of those copy-paste things that slipped through my mind without even checking in...

*covers himself with his ears and goes away embarrassed*

[irondethpepper]

surfsunadam, on Oct 17 2008, 07:15 AM, said:

He has one other sunburst strat normally left out of gear lists, as pointed out by 'subway to venus' on S-A.com

and

Hey dude, could you hook me up with the link to the second video please? Thanks

[surfsunadam]

Yeah sure, I watched it on http://rhcptube.rhcpfrance.com/ under interviews

[Bobster]

one thing came to my mind today...

I wander who was the first owner of the guitar? Can you imagine somebody who sold guitar and (if still alive) watches John beat it up...


And what is the difference between pre CBS and CBS Fenders??? I'm not an expert on parts and stuff, so I don't really understand that... I think pre CBS have 3-way switch, but I always thought John's strat has a 5 way switch...? Any info...?