yesterday & today

Yesterday mid 60´s: a small musicshop in a rather small town in Sweden, in the afternoon. Some youngsters is looking at electric guitars. 

rather cheap "EKO" guitars from the 60´s

A young man-boy sitting on  a big amplifier with a guitar plays the latest leadpart from  "The last time"(Rolling Stones). Yet another young man a few metres from him, is trying to play the same tune. More wannabee Rock stars enters the shop, all of them testing different guitars and amplifiers playing the same song. 

top of the line among "LEVIN" archtop guitars.

all of theme sharing the same fashionstyle, long hair, US-army coats and high heel´d boots. We sell pic´s and some of them actually is about to buy a guitar or some other equipment for their bands. In the eye´s of those youngsters you could almost see their dream. A dream of beeing on stage, and a massive crowd screaming. You could see the stars!!!! At this very moment they all are in heaven. Is it a church? 

"Höfner" one very common guitar among wannabe pop-rocks stars in the 60´s

In music heaven a place where they can dream. Dreams about a new guitar and new gear. They all seam to share a love for those guitars on display, similar to the love boys/man have to a woman.

Some of those youngsters stay in the shop for hours, while others leaves after a short while. New customers enters the shop and seam to act in the same pattern. 

A man in suit and tie enters the shop, he brought his son. Suddenly youll find the two of them playing guitars, the same tune. After a short while the man starts a discussion regarding the price of a certain guitar. When they finally leave the shop the youngster is carrying a guitarcase, in his face you can see a grat big smile out of happiness. Now he is one step closer to fame and fortune.

Today mid 2010/ A much bigger shop in the capital of our country. Hundreds of guitars hanging on the walls, amplifiers and staff that seams to know everything about their products. Young customers playing the latest tune on different guitars. Some much older man actually doing the same. Looking in to the eyes of a man age possibly 60+ and I´ll see the same dream. The dream of him on stage and a sreaming audience, fame and fortune. It´s a holy place, the guitarshop may me larger with much more instruments to try out, dream about. But the customers share the same dream, looking at the guitars as if it was a new love affair, filled with dreams of a bright future.

The younger customers testing brand new guitars, while the older generation seams to look for those old second hand guitars. The same guitars they play´d in the 60´s. Maybe the could not afford to buy them as youngsters, and today they can. 

the Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman, made famous by Chet Atkins and George Harrison.

A quick look at the pricetag of a 40-50 year old Gretsch change their minds in a hurry, they find a brand new guitar looking exatly the same, and a much lower pricetag. They realise that the old guitars of their dreams is now collectors item, even the extremly cheap KENT and Höfner guitars of the 60´s is expensive.

A couple of days later they may be back for an hour of playing different guitars, maybe they even buy one and bring it home with a satisfied smile on their faces. The start of a brand new LOVE affair.

the Greatsch 6122 Electromatic, 

same design but much lower price then its orignal 60´s guitar.

It was some time since I last wisited this guitarshop in Stockholm. One of me favorite shops in the capital city. JAM!!!!!!

My intetions was to try find an electric mandolin for a freind of mine in UK. But I started with trying out a couple of different Bariton-guitars. With the late Jet Harris in mind and a sound ringing in me ears I really wanted to see what the market had to offer.

the BURNS Barracuda Jet Harris, bariton guitar.

With the exellent Burns Barracuda in mind, fingers I found me self playing on a Fender Jazz-Jaguar design´d instrument. Have to admit I do like the design of this instrument, but somehow it didnt make bells ring in my heart. It felt more like a tool, then a delicius instrument suitible for a love affair.

Fender Pawn shop Bass VI

Swapped for a bluish strange design´d Schecter. Loads of switches giving lots of different sounds. In a split second I realised that this was a very special Lady. It´s playability, the look the feel and the sound of this guitar was amazing. That with a pricetag that could make about everyone scream out of happiness.

the Schecter Baryton Guitar.

 after and hour or was it two, I went on to look for an electric mandolin. Trying out different models, have to admit even if Im not a lover of roundback guitars there was a rahter nice Ovation mandolin on sale. I felt good and was for sure a nice instrument. But on the other hand compared to the 50+ year old Framus 10-string mandolin it was soon to be forgotten. What a fantastic mandolin. It was a great player and its design and feel made me fall in love in a split second. Anfortinutly its pricetag showing almost 500,oo Euro made me place this little dream instrument among dreams!

Framus  10-string electric mandolin 60´s