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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | I have some questions about the "Book" guitar. I'm fortunate enough to own one that I bought new in '96 just because I was looking for a new guitar at that time and I liked th way it looked (I actually had not seen the cover of the book yet). But I really don't know much about this guitar.
1. Any idea how many were made?
2. Is it spruce or ceder? I've been told it's spruce but it looks and smells like ceder.
3. How is it different than a custom elite?
4. I don't like the satin finish necks. I was thinking of having the neck and entire headstock gloss finished by the factory. Do you think I'll regret doing this because it makes it different from original condition?
Thanks, Dave |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Have the factory put gloss on the neck, that would be kind of nice.
Less than a hundred 6 strings. A hand full of mandolins and a couple of vipers. There was supposed to be a long neck and bass and 12 but I don't think those ever got made.
Spruce top for the fourth time |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I personally prefer the gloss neck. I've seen a couple of the book Vipers go on eBay. Beautiful guitars. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | OK, SPRUCE it is! |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | to the last point, the custom elite had different inlay pattern and finishes and maybe electronics.
The plan was to make a "mint set".
6 string, 12 string, longneck, bass, mandoline, mandocello, viper
and sell 30 of these sets with a retail of $30,000 for the set.
This never took hold. Probably a good thing. I don't recall if any 12strings, longnecks, mandocellos, or basses were made. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | Sorry to revive such an old post. I am glad to report that I finally got a hold of the 12 string version of the book guitar. I first saw it over two years ago in Hongkong (Tom Lee). I couldn't bear to pay what they asked for. Fast foward two years it's still there, I came home and decided I just had to have it. It arrived via UPS two days ago. Absoluting stunning, shallow bowl, Optima preamp, vintage tone top... :)
I did see a long neck, but it was sold three days before I found it. 4 down, 3 more to go.... |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | Dave, take the back plate off and look at the wood top from the inside. You can see how light colored the spruce is on the inside of the guitar where it is not finished. These guitars were stained to the color that they are. They do look alot like cedar though. |
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Book Guitar
