Vintage Gallery

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Vintage Gallery

Here is a selection of guitars from the 'murky past' to show the range of instruments that I built over the years.   Some of these guitars are rather oddball and old fashioned - but some still hold up very well. It's just fun to look back. You can click on most of these pictures to see an enlargement.

   (Any of these guitars or basses could theoretically be built today if one so wished - as long as they are not Gibson or Fender copies.)

The guitar to the right was built and sold in '75 to Hank Marvin.

2vintHM'75.jpg (5200 bytes)

To the right is a picture of yourstruly with hair and flares around '70-'71 with some early Giffin electrics and acoustics. This was taken in my first workshop above a music store in Kingston, Surrey, (England). I remember there was a hole in the floor in this room with a view to the ground floor underneath - good for hasty exits...

The guitar to the left was built in '73.


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(1) Giffin Micro prototype '83.

(2) Q7 variant from '84.

(3) Carved top? '81 - '82.

(4) Carved top '79ish.

(5) Birds' eye Maple Jazzmaster-style from around '78.

(6) Double-cut flat top? from about '75.


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(7) Birds' eye Maple bass, neck thru - fashionably stripy for that time from around '82.
(8) The last Giffin bass built in England, in '87. It's a Ziracote top concealed neck-thru.
(9) Padauk bodied, neck-thru bass from '82.
(10) Mahogany body fixed neck bass from '84-'85.
(11)Early bolt-on neck bass built in '77.
(12)Padauk top leftie, fixed neck bass from '85.


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(13) Back-to-front oddity from '76. (14) Mini Tele from '84. (15) Double-cut carved top from about '79.
(16) Tele-style guitar from '80. (17) L6S style body with carved top from '78. (18) Carved top neck-thru from '76.


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(19) Side view of #18. (20) Flying V style guitar with blue sparkle finish and pearloid binding. Built in '81 or '82. (21 and 22) Strat-style variants from around '81. (23) Explorer-style guitar with blue Birds'eye front from '79. (24) Double cut carved top from '85. (25) Tele neck with "birds of prey" inlays from around '77.


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(26) Early Giffin Standard 6-string, '85) (27) Custom double-cut carved top (wild Birds'eye Maple top) from '84. (28) Custom ordered 6-string, double-cut carved top. (29) Prototype for the Standard Giffin 6-string Hollow body from '86. (30) Early Giffin Standard 6-string, '86. (31) Custom ordered double-neck Telecaster-style guitar built for "The Outfield" in '83. (Don't ask me why, but both necks were identical, tuned the same. Never could figure out the point of this guitar.)

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(32) 4-string Standard bass, curly Shedua body '84-'85. (33) 5-string Standard prototype bass, Birds Eye Maple '85. (34) Walnut body 4-string bass, '85. (35) Single pickup Micro, built for Neal Schon around '92. (36) Custom Double neck bass with birds-of-prey, clouds, and phases of the moon inlays. - built for Del Palmer, "Kate Bush Band." around '79-'80. (37) Solid Electric Violin built from Walnut and Maple around '81-'82

Standard 4-string Bass with custom inlays

This bass was built in '85 for Phil Soussan who was playing in the Ozzy Osbourne band. When Phil first took the bass to rehearsals in it's original pink finish, Ozzy took one look at it and said "you aint playing in my f.... band with a f... pink bass!!" Consequently, it got refinished in metal flake purple because Phil wanted to keep the gig...
The bass has bartolini pickups and electronics and Schaller tuners and bridge. The Ebony fingerboard has Japanese lettering in white pearl. I built a lot of basses of this design all through the '80s.

First 12-string built for Tony Hicks, Hollies

Mini Jazz guitar, Maple with Spruce top and Ebony FB and bridge

Doubleneck Guitar&Mandolin, Built for Neal Schon, 'Journey.'

2nd Hollow body 12-string built for Van Halen

Custom Baritone Acoustic, Built for Jerry Cantrell - "Alice in Chains" in '99

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(38) 12-string Solid body, 3 pickups, built for Tony Hicks in 2000. (39) Mini Jazz guitar, built in '99. (40) Doubleneck Guitar/Mandolin built forNeal Schon, 'Journey '99. (41) First Hollow body 12-string built for Van Halen '89. (42) Second 12-string Hollow body built for Van Halen, '97. (43)Custom Baritone Acoustic,Built for Jerry Cantrell - "Alice in Chains" in '99 (44) Custom 6-string,Built for Al Anderson, - formerly Bob Marley's guitarist.