"Lenny"....

Re: "Lenny"....

I saw a Lenny at Guitar Center for $17,000.

Lenny was a pawn shop guitar. A guitar someone else didn't want, which SRV improved by putting a Charvel neck on. The replica sure didn't look like it came out of a pawn shop, it was too clean and perfect.

Fender's EVH Frankenstrt replica sure looked the part though. The only think it missed was it didn't smell like cigarettes.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

On a slightly related note, I wish Fender would take the regular production SRV model, and do the Eric Johnson treatment to it.

I would jump on a SRV with the same finish treatments as the EJ.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

I like the "Lenny" guitar; and I appreciate the concept, and the craftsmanship, that went into it.

I got to play one--it is a wonderful sounding and playing Strat.

Yes, I would buy one if I had the cash.

But really, at this price point, it is not about the instrument, or the collectibility, or even the love story behind the original guitar.

At this point, it is not a musical instrument, it is ART.

And like the guy in a museum said, "I don't know Art, but I know what I like!"

Bill
 
Re: "Lenny"....

I would buy it if i had the money.

I wouldn't buy EvH Frankenstrat though.

I think Fender should release a maple boarded SRV strat anyway since not all of us like the Pau Ferro board but would like a SRV guitar.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

I think what bothers me also is that Fender goes to all the trouble to make this amazing recreation and clone of the original instrument...they put all of this care in regards to material, color, components, finish and relicing...

Yet....the artists regular signature axe is almost one metric light year away from what the artists axe actually WAS! SRV's #1 didn't have "Texas hot" pickups; they were low output! The neck wasn't vintage-modern; it was a baseball bat!!!!!! The frets? He used Nickel bass frets on it!!!!

Is it THAT hard to ask to stay true to something rather than water it down to specs that have some parts that appeal to everyone but rarely everything to even a small group of people?
 
Re: "Lenny"....

Skarekrough said:
I think what bothers me also is that Fender goes to all the trouble to make this amazing recreation and clone of the original instrument...they put all of this care in regards to material, color, components, finish and relicing...

Yet....the artists regular signature axe is almost one metric light year away from what the artists axe actually WAS! SRV's #1 didn't have "Texas hot" pickups; they were low output! The neck wasn't vintage-modern; it was a baseball bat!!!!!! The frets? He used Nickel bass frets on it!!!!

Is it THAT hard to ask to stay true to something rather than water it down to specs that have some parts that appeal to everyone but rarely everything to even a small group of people?[/QUOTE

+1. You are correct sir!!
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Re: "Lenny"....

Skarekrough said:
I think what bothers me also is that Fender goes to all the trouble to make this amazing recreation and clone of the original instrument...they put all of this care in regards to material, color, components, finish and relicing...

Yet....the artists regular signature axe is almost one metric light year away from what the artists axe actually WAS! SRV's #1 didn't have "Texas hot" pickups; they were low output! The neck wasn't vintage-modern; it was a baseball bat!!!!!! The frets? He used Nickel bass frets on it!!!!

Is it THAT hard to ask to stay true to something rather than water it down to specs that have some parts that appeal to everyone but rarely everything to even a small group of people?
Click to expand...

In all fairness, Stevie green lighted everything about that guitar. He played the prototype on the Tonight Show.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

I think the Lenny is kind of a weird choice, and sorta points up the bigger problem in the "guitar collecting" world right now. There's this weird "instant collectible" thing going on with "limited editions" and "anniversary" axes that are not made to be played, really. They're basically being sold for big bux to people who are gonna stick 'em on a wall. And that's also helping to continue to drive up the true vintage market. It's like GC is continuing to add fuel to that fire -- not that I blame them, it's what they do.

But ****....for $17K I'd buy an all original 62 stack knob Fender Jazz.....
 
Re: "Lenny"....

No current production guitar is worth $17K unless its made of solid gold and encrusted with diamonds.

A vintage 62 sunburst though, well its an inflated market driven price but its worth the money because its the real thing. Its actually from 62, its aged and matured, the wear is real, its basically got as they say "mojo"


Sorry but I don't care who builds it, a guitar build 4 weeks ago is not the same thing as 40 years ago.

I don't care how you try to "relic" or otherwise age it. Its not the same, theres no substitute for time.


You can measure every aspect of the neck and match every last detail but its not going to be the same. Why ? because your skipping over the years of playing that got it that way. Yout can't fake that.


You can make a compound radius neck and it might be exact but its just not the same as a vintage neck thats gotten compounded through 40 years of refrets.

Its about the process that got it there, not the end result.


Don't get me wrong, its cool to get the look, and for a modest price it would be a great guitar but as I said, unless its the real deal, its not worth $17K
 
Re: "Lenny"....

The collectability of the Lenny strat though is why the price tag is $17k.

In 30 years time, that'll be worth a hell of alot more than $17k to it's currency at the time- espescially if it's in close to original condition.

I would rather see a regular production Lenny guitar since i prefer maple boards on a strat to anything else.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

if i could afford that, i'd drop that money on all kinds of old fender amps

you can get a blonde bassman with the matching cab for just over a grand

AA864 for even less

not to mention the vibroverbs, dr's, twins, deluxes, etc.

OR, you could wait another year & get a real early 60's strat for 30k

IMO one limited edition guitar isn't worth it. All that other stuff will increase in value a lot faster & more consistently
 
Re: "Lenny"....

Ayrton said:
In all fairness, Stevie green lighted everything about that guitar. He played the prototype on the Tonight Show.
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Sure...and Jeff Beck curiously also said he wanted a slimmer neck on his Signature model Strat, something that coincided with a ton of folks that yammered on and on about how big a neck it is.

To me a signature axe should be as an exact an experience as the artists actual instrument in regards to components and materials. That's what I want to see, hear and feel when I play a Signature model, not some amalgamation that started with what the artist liked and then got watered down by Marketing in order to sell more of them.

dukeplaysbass said:
I think the Lenny is kind of a weird choice, and sorta points up the bigger problem in the "guitar collecting" world right now. There's this weird "instant collectible" thing going on with "limited editions" and "anniversary" axes that are not made to be played, really. They're basically being sold for big bux to people who are gonna stick 'em on a wall. And that's also helping to continue to drive up the true vintage market. It's like GC is continuing to add fuel to that fire -- not that I blame them, it's what they do.

But ****....for $17K I'd buy an all original 62 stack knob Fender Jazz.....
Click to expand...

I think Lenny is a curious pick, but I believe much of it likely had to do with what Fender could market and Guitar Centers general notion of business over quality. Why it is the target market for these instruments ever set foot in a Guitar Center confounds me to no end. Maybe I'm cantankerous for my years but I view the place to be my last resort for anything gear-related for a host of reasons. I put any sort of event that forces me to set foot in one with the same disdian I have for dental appointments and jury duty.

If I had 17k to throw around the LAST place I would consider going would be Guitar Center, ANY Guitar Center for that matter. Heck, for the cost of a plane ticket deducted off the top I know I'd fare a better deal just about anywhere else AND get a better instrument. Elderly, Dave's, just about anywhere is going to have something to offer that would rival Guitar Center as far as value.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

rivera213 said:
The collectability of the Lenny strat though is why the price tag is $17k.

In 30 years time, that'll be worth a hell of alot more than $17k to it's currency at the time- espescially if it's in close to original condition.

I would rather see a regular production Lenny guitar since i prefer maple boards on a strat to anything else.
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See I don't know about that, something thats a real "collectable" or that has value wasn't designed to be a collectable.

A vintage 59 burst LP for example, sure today its worth as much as some peoples house, but it wasn't created to be worth something 48 years later, it simply was made to be a guitar.

If you build a guitar in 2007 and limit the edition and charge an arm and a leg saying its going to be worth something, thats just not the same thing and honestly its sort of lame.


Theres an old saying "because it makes no attempt to be great, it is therefore extremely great"



Thats exactly what the original Lenny was, a pawn shop guitar that was quite ugly but it sounded awesome.

Charging $17K for a recreation of something quite modest in origin totally misses the point.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

If you had told someone in 1990 that 1959 Les Paul would be worth $300+k in 2007, they would have laughed at you.

There is simply no way to determine what the "Lenny" or even the "Blackie" will be worth in 20 years.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

Ayrton said:
If you had told someone in 1990 that 1959 Les Paul would be worth $300+k in 2007, they would have laughed at you.

There is simply no way to determine what the "Lenny" or even the "Blackie" will be worth in 20 years.
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That's difficult to compare, because a 59 Les Paul is a vintage instrument vs. a Re-Issue Lenny or a Blackie are just simply copies of the original. If there's a big demand for a Lenny or a Blackie, yes it could possibly be worth more in the future.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

Nice guitar, but that's alot of cash for the guitar he's not even most recognized for.
 
Re: "Lenny"....

micp33 said:
Nice guitar, but that's alot of cash for the guitar he's not even most recognized for.
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For sure and you know whats even more of a kicker ? If you had some MIM strat that he actually did own and played even once or twice, it would be worth more than the reissue because it was really a SRV guitar.


What makes those guitars worth so much is who they belonged to, not the guitar itself.

Being are buying part of a legend when they own the real thing. If SRV never touched it, its not his if you ask me
 
Re: "Lenny"....

Skarekrough said:
If I had 17k to throw around the LAST place I would consider going would be Guitar Center, ANY Guitar Center for that matter. Heck, for the cost of a plane ticket deducted off the top I know I'd fare a better deal just about anywhere else AND get a better instrument. Elderly, Dave's, just about anywhere is going to have something to offer that would rival Guitar Center as far as value.
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But that's the point -- GC does this stuff IN ORDER to bring those guys into the shop. My experience with GC is totally skewed by the fact that my local is the flagship Sunset Blvd store with the killer vintage room, but for most GC's, there's a handful of $4k axes and that's that. THIS kind of thing brings in people with serious cake to check it out. Yeah, they make 250 of 'em, or whatever. Each state gets 5 (maybe the leave out Montana and North Dakota and instead Cali gets 7). And if your average lawyer/bluesman doesn't feel like dropping $17K on a Lenny, well, maybe he'll snag that 73 LP Deluxe instead, for 1/4 that price.

It's a conspiracy to fleece the lawyer/bluesman. I think I'm starting to like this....

No, wait, that's also driving up the vintage costs.

See? I knew if thought about it, I'd figure out why this is bad......
 
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