Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar

🍒⚡️🍒 Twinning with two 1962 Gibson ES-335s. A pretty wild concentration of fun stuff in the shop right now, from the usual suspects (Gibson/Fender), to a bunch of Rickenbackers, boutique amps by the bushel, some very spiffy acoustics, and even a UK Vox Continental. Hit us up! We’ve got the things! #Gibson #ES335 #vintagegibson #cherry #1962 (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CrFFQTJpOQe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Japan photo dump! Jet lag bested, dozens of guitars procured, and many adventures had. Snuck a few in here from the Tokai factory, where we had unrestricted access. We interviewed numerous key players from Tokai’s history (including Masahiro Matsui, sole designer of Tokai’s first electric guitar, the Humming Bird), and got more than a peek at old photo albums and R&D reference libraries for their Springy Sound and Love Rock models. We’ll be rolling out these stories in print soon! #guitarbar #japan #tokai https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_l00VvlXv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Posting the Teles on the Tuesdays. It rankles the non-conformist and appeases the traditionalist. 1968 (R) and 1969 (L) examples, with changes in features both incidental and transitional to Fender’s original slab of twang: maple/rosewood fretboards, Bigsby/string through construction, poly/nitro finish, and plastic/cloth pickup leads. Both do their thing with aplomb! #Fender #VintageFender #Telecaster (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq6ilZgPrSX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Gretsch + Fender 🥳 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120, from the year when it lost the G brand and some of the other more overtly Western appointments and gained hump block inlays. Perfect binding, perfect neck set and 100% original right down to the aluminum nut. The Fender Vibrasonic is one of the very first to roll off the assembly line (loooow two-digit serial and date codes from 1960). Loaded with its JBL D130 speaker a relatively undocumented 6G13 (not 6G13-A) circuit, the Vibrasonic has the same massive transformers as the first Fender Showmans, but pushes closer to 40 clean, muscly watts. #Gretsch #VintageGretsch #Gretsch6120 #fenderamp #VintageFender (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWy8klL0PQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Just something about nickel-plated hardware, a big ol’ black pickup cover, and all the lacquer checking on a Gibson EB-0. #Gibson #vintagegibson #gibsonbass #gibsoneb0 #1963 (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqRI-sOv0Bw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Time for a mini re-write of Fender’s Bass VI history: According to the folks at Fender, there was a 20 year gap between the end of the Bass VI’s original USA production run and the first Fender Japan reissues in 1995. Enter the Custom Edition Bass VI, a rebranding of Fender Japan’s Custom Shop made-to-order ExTrad line. This one was produced in 1992 (!) with pot codes from Feb ‘92 and all hangtags. Even has a “Custom Edution” branded gigbag; something I’ve never seen (has to be a pretty special day to get excited about a gigbag). #Fender #BassVI #offsetguitars #FenderJapan #CustomShop (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqL6G4cPJqL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

1961 Fender Rhodes Piano Bass. This one is so rare in so many ways, not the least of which is that it’s never has a single component swapped. The keys are level, key response is quick, and all the early Raymac tines are accounted for. It’s simply wild to see anything from this era with this many moving parts still going strong with minimal maintenance needed in 60+ years. And boy howdy, do these first generation Piano Basses sound markedly different than later iterations. So meaty, so growly, and yet with so much high treble detail and percussive attack. #FenderRhodes #RhodesPiano #PreCBS #VintageFender #FiestaRed (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJlWSyPBIF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Clean as a whistle with all the fixings, this 1967 Gibson ES-330 just arrived with the tags, receipts and even a small personalized case tag from the music store (matching the receipts!). #Gibson #gibsonES #ES330 #vintagegibson (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqEWQi_vQUZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Copper peanut! Been a good long while since we’ve had a Harmony H44 Stratotone this squeaky clean. This one’s from 1953 (second year of production), just like Carl Perkins’ Stratotone. Super comfy action (not just for slide 🤦‍♂️), ginormous neck, and original case too. #harmonyguitar #vintageguitar #hatmonystratotone (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp--YYJyful/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A couple 1930s Gibson-made Depression era archtops that just landed, including the top-of-the-line Recording King M-5. Both are carved tops, and the Recording King has zipper binding on the neck. Look Ma, no side dots! #Gibson #gibsonarchtop #vintagegibson #Kalamazoo (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5qdGJPR6L/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Took a few real hard looks at this Bassman before it dawned on me it was a cosmetic variant we’d never seen. The Bassman has the odd distinction of retaining its Brown Panel 6G6-B circuit (prominent visual cues include the presence control and white barrel knobs) well into the 1964 model year. So much so that the last Brown Panel 6G6-B Bassmans have smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth (and faceplates that were black) So a Bassman with the later AA864 circuit (the first proper Black Panel circuit sans-Presence control) has no buisiness sporting the tuxedo duds of a Bassman from the first half of 1964. Original smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grill on an AA864 circuit Bassman? Be still my heart! All original mid/late 1964 transformers are present, along with a 1964 chassis stamp, ‘64 pot codes and an “NK” tube chart stamp placing production at November, 1964. It’s a weirdo, and it could be your weirdo! #Fender #VintageFender #fenderamp #1964 (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp4PGNguThl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

When a dreadnought just won’t do #Gibson #SuperJumbo #gibsonguitars #gibsonacoustic (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWW8vprRdO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Hellooo, Gibson Les Paul Custom Mickey Baker. First time futzing with one of these, and so many delightful pickup combinations and gradients between the humbuckers. The control layout is lifted from Gibson’s ES-5, with dedicated volume knobs for the three humbuckers (all wired in-phase) and a master tone knob for some super wooly wounds depending on the pickup(s) in use. Purportedly the Custom Shop only made a few dozen of these over a span of a few years, and this one predates the known production range for these reissues, hailing from 1994. #Gibson #lespaulcustom #gibsoncustom (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBvT1XpX_k/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fender Japan, you fantastical land of endless possibilities. Bone stock Fender Jaguar HH with Wide Range humbuckers. A guaranteed rip roaring good time. #Fender #FenderJaguar #Offsetguitars #widerangehumbucker (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_YXuVN3IY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A couple of Strato buddies from 1958 and early 1965, both with body-only refins from finish whiz @riggioguitars First chance we’ve had to compare the NOS nitro lacquer Laurel Green finish on the ‘58 with Sherwood Green Metallic (on the ‘65). #Fender #Stratocaster #VintageFender #green (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8jLY8pw2B/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

One owner 1958 Fender Harvard and Musicmaster*, bought as a pair at Parlier’s Music Co. in Bakersfield, CA (both case and amp badged as such!). Only owner was an elementary school classmate of Semie Moseley too. Fender Harvard is 100% straight and cleeean, and the Musicmaster was converted to a Duo Sonic with late ‘50s components, a rotary pickup selector, and very competent DIY Candy Apple Red body finish. Original strap and receipt? Yup, we’ve got those too. #Fender #VintageFender #FenderTweed #1958 (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0r3evMN1H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Maximum shred and weedly-weedly. 1987 Ibanez JEM777 in Loch Ness Green signed by the Vai man himself, and 1 of 5 single pickup Peavey Wolfgang Specials made for tour use with EVH. #SteveVai #ibanezjem #EVH #eddievanhalen #peaveywolfgang (at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYU1SkPzxU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=