Your letters to the Guitarist editor. Drop us a line at guitarist@futurenet.com
STAR LETTER
Dear Guitarist, many thanks for your excellent piece on the 50th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon – where did all that time go? – it was a worthy tribute indeed. However, reading about the numerous modifications to Gilmour’s famous black Strat brought a smile to my face, and as an ex-philosophy teacher I was reminded of ‘The Ship of Theseus’ – athought-experiment about whether an object that has had its original components replaced remains the same object. And I wonder whether Mod Man Marten has a view on the matter? Keep up the great work!
Thanks, David – we’ve consulted widely among the Guitarist team – including our esteemed modding colleagues Dave Burrluck and Neville Marten – and we confess we’ve failed to identify a watertight definition of when a guitar has changed into another. But it feels safe to say if the body and the neck have been changed, a bit like an axe that has had a new haft and head, it is a different guitar. But maybe, more philosophically, it’s really all in the fingers and thus, like BB King’s Lucille, any guitar becomes ‘the one’ when you pick it up. What do readers think?
STATE OF INDEPENDENCE
Dear Guitarist, with reference to issue 497 and your feature on local luthiers I thought I would share my own experiences with you.
After getting my first guitar in 1968 at the age of 10 I have played on and off all my life. From being in a pop band of four teenagers to leaving it alone and coming back to it multiple times, I have always loved guitars and music – hence a 20-year stint as a local DJ. During lockdown I came back to playing and, from having one Crafter acoustic, I now own five quality guitars. My first purchase in lockdown was buying my childhood-dream guitar: a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I once owned a CSL copy but could never afford the real thing. My recent journey has also seen me acquire a Taylor 214, plus a Taylor 254 12-string, a BMG Red Special and a PJD Carey Elite to go with my Les Paul.
I recently attended the guitar show in Birmingham and came across one stall with only four guitars, three acoustics and an electric. I picked up the electric and was blown away with the quality and feel. After chatting to the luthier who made them, he informed me the electric was made from woods that were at least 70 years old and reclaimed from various places. I immediately decided to sell my dream Les Paul and bought the electric from the luthier. His name is AJ Lucas (www.lucasguitars.co.uk) and he’s based in Lincoln. It might be interesting to do a feature on him? He only makes around 10 guitars a year and also
