Real guitar or stage prop?

beaubrummels

Well-known member
I'm not a fan, but the idea of this guitar is cool. Anyone know if it's a real functioning guitar?

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Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Its a real guitar. Say what you want about him as a pop star and soap opera actor but Rick Springfield is a real player. That is 100% real guitar.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

There's a member here (whose nom escapes me at the moment) who makes some really amazing metal-bodied guitars. You can also find metal teles and such at Guitar Center.

So yeah, no reason to doubt that's a playable guitar.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Rick played a Gretsch Hi Roller for a while I love that guitar. I played one back in the day and fell in love with it. I could not afford it back then. They are tough to find now you will see the Super Axe version here and there going for huge money. My bucketlist is for the Hi Roller version without the extra switches and junk.


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Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

It amazes me how many guitars can be found in the grass. All I ever find in my yard are weeds and rabbits.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Yeah Rick is the real deal. I've seen him live several times and there's only one other guitar. So you can always tell what Rick is doing vs George, and Rick starts a lot of the tunes. He knows good tone, too.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Cool. Didn't mean to dis him. I just haven't followed his career.

Next question: any idea what those pickups would be? Look like blades of some sort. Custom made?
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Cool. Didn't mean to dis him. I just haven't followed his career.

Next question: any idea what those pickups would be? Look like blades of some sort. Custom made?

them's humbucking lipstick pickups. I think ol' Seymour makes a pair...I may be wrong though.

ANd it does turn out that Rick Springfield's certifiably good.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Cool guitar, the one Springfield has in the OP. It's made in the steampunk aesthetic, which I think is pretty cool.

P.S. -- I think the Gretches are cool, too.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

More info on this guitar. I love how Tony Cochran creates backstories for each of the guitars he builds.
http://www.tonycochranguitars.com/separatorcaster.html

"This electric guitar was reportedly once owned by Jake Pratchet. He was a lousy, no good, lying, cheating thief with smoker's breath, but he knew how to mod a guitar. He used anything he could find in his relentless quest for the perfect blues "flavor", as he called it. There is supposedly even circuitry he stole from an iron lung his sainted Mother was using while incapacitated by polio. The theft was discovered in time to save her life, but just barely. Jake was discovered by his Dad with the goods in his basement studio apartment trying to solder it to "The Separator" at the bottom. It's never been proven one way or the other if his Father actually beat him into a coma with the guitar or just a board that was handy."
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Cool. Didn't mean to dis him. I just haven't followed his career.

Next question: any idea what those pickups would be? Look like blades of some sort. Custom made?

As Jon said, Lipstick tubes. They were semi-popularized, if not created by Danelectro, and were mostly used for surf music, I think.
Also pointed out by Jon, SD makes a pair, though if you're on the cheap, GFS pickups also makes a pair of lipstick humbuckers, and I actually have one (neck), but I haven't tossed it into a my project guitar yet, to try it out. They are about $35 I think.
 
Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Cool. Didn't mean to dis him. I just haven't followed his career.

Next question: any idea what those pickups would be? Look like blades of some sort. Custom made?

Dude no offence taken. Rick Springfield is an easy target, he is not known to take himself overly seriously. Trust me I am not a fan I just love the guitar. BTW that guitar in the video at :37 is a Super Axe that Rick gutted and made a Hi Roller. The Super Axe had a ton of onboard effects, compression and phaser circuits.

 
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Re: Real guitar or stage prop?

Dude no offence taken. Rick Springfield is an easy target, he is not known to take himself overly seriously. Trust me I am not a fan I just love the guitar. BTW that guitar in the video at :37 is a Super Axe that Rick gutted and made a Hi Roller. The Super Axe had a ton of onboard effects, compression and phaser circuits.

Yeah, I wasn't sure. I'd seen him not too long ago on a morning television program and he had a nice vintage/modified guitar (Tele was it? I think it was '50's white with a black guard?) and a Super Lead 100 on the backline and his band all had good gear (Marshalls, Gibsons and such - good rock stuff) and sounded like a good rock machine, but I had never seen him like that before, so I couldn't tell if he was really running the show, or if his management had 'handlers' working his image or what was going on. It was good, pleasant surprise. Just my ignorance. I'll have to look more into his music now.

Thanks guys for all the info. New homework for me...
 
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