Pete Back Custom Gretsch 6120 (2005)

Steve has kindly written into the blog to share his very rare Pete Back with us. Its a beauty.

He ordered the guitar in July 2005 and collected it from Pete up in Reeth in January 2006. Let's hear what he says about it:

It's based on the Gretsch 6120 complete with TV jones Classics pickups. Sounds as good as it looks! I think Pete mentioned at the time he hadn't done a "Gretsch" before.

He was relieved when I said it was ok to have the electrics organised in a sensible way, unlike Gretsches which have knobs and switches all over the body.

If, like me, you hadn't heard of TV Jones pups before, you can check them out here: http://www.tvjones.com/pickups/tv_classic.htm And very nice they look too.

Andy goes on to say that the colour was actually a happy mistake. He'd originally asked for the classic Gretsch orange, but it came out a much deeper red. Pete was going to redo it but Andy liked it so much he left it.

That's a nice story, I think. Pete was one of those rare breed of luthiers who had their own paint shop and make pretty much every part himself. He was also a real perfectionist when it came to the finishes, even though he one man on his own competing against the big guitar manufacturers, who had access to an incredible arrary of computer controlled lathes, dust extraction, and finishing equipment.

As an aside, people wonder how Taylor achieve the incredible finish on their "hand made" guitars. Well, check out the videos of the production process, and it can sometimes look more like a car production line than a guitar shop. See what I mean here: http://www.taylorguitars.com/video/factory-fridays/default.aspx?edition=12&title=12%3a+Finishing+Part+2

Gibson, are no different, you can check out photos of their Nashville custom shop here: http://news.cnet.com/2300-13576_3-6242851-3.html?tag=mncol Some huge machines and serious manufacturing volumes going on there.


That's no criticism of Taylors or Gibsons (I have one myself), but what you don't get when you buy something from one of the big manufacturers, is the sense of craftsmanship and artistry. The transformation of a few bits of rough timber, into something that produces music that moves hearts. Something hand-painted and hand-finished. A true one-off. That's what you sense, I believe, when you play a Pete Back. You feel part of a story. You feel like your sharing an experience that is very rare indeed.

That this Gretsch turned out a gorgeous deep red, and not the orange seen on many thousands of factory guitars, however expensive they may be, is a story that sets this guitar apart from the crowds. That's what Pete Back's guitars were all about.

Pete Back "335" Bubinga 2004... UPDATE

I've just heard back from Gareth, regarding his "335" and it looks as though it is more of a "339":

"Thanks for featuring my guitar on your website; it's a bit of a puzzle really - as you rightly say, Gibson didn't start making the ES-339 until 2007, and this guitar was built in 2004 (thanks for clarifying that - I'm trying to find out as much as I can about this guitar!). However, the guitar is quite a bit smaller than a ES-335, and very close to my Les Paul in its dimensions.

Maybe Gibson copied Pete in this case!

I'm really getting to grips with the guitar now, it has such a sweet tone and the clarity is amazing. It can go from an almost acoustic tone to a biting, smooth Gary Moore type tone with the flick of a switch and a turn of the tone/volume knobs. Pete Back certainly knew his stuff!"

Thanks for the update Gareth. This is the first such 339-size Pete Back that I've come across personally. As a result, I'm not sure at this point, whether this guitar was built to a customers specific requirements and sizing, or whether it was an off the rack guitar that Pete had been experimenting with.

What we do know is that Pete was always trying new shapes, materials and finishes on his guitars - he had around 25 years of practice - so it may well be he'd perfected a 339 body style before Gibson cottoned on to the benefits of a smaller-bodied semi-acoustic. In any case, you certainly won't find many bubinga-top 339's out there, I don't believe Gibson ever made even one. If anybody out there has a similar guitar or knows any more, please let me know on petebackguitars@googlemail.com.

Pete Back Bubinga 335 (2004)

First of all, a quick apology for the short enforced hiatus in this blog - suffice to say I'm back now and I'm ok.

Anyways, I've had a few emails from some fellow Pete Back fans, which I'm going to share with you over the next couple of days.

First up, a chap called Gareth wrote to me earlier in the month, with some details of three Reeth-era axes bought by a friend and bandmate of his:

My friend and bandmate purchased three guitars from Pete at his shop at 8 Silver Street, Reeth, Richmond a few years ago:

• a dreadnought (large) steel string electro-acoustic, spruce top, mahogany (I assume) back & sides, herringbone purfling, grover tuners, Fishman pickup & preamp
• a solid body "super strat" type guitar with 22 (vintage) fret maple neck, mini Grover tuners, 2 Seymour Duncan Humbuckers and a Wilkinson tremelo system
  
• and a Gibson 339 type semi-acoustic, mahogany body, Bubinga top, 22 fret ebony fingerboard mahogany neck, Kent Armstrong Humbuckers, Gotoh bridge & tailpiece & Grover tuners

After many months of hounding him about the guitar, I finally managed to buy the 339 from him last night, as he has a Yamaha semi-acoustic which is his main guitar. They are all lovely guitars, but I fell in love with the 339 - the tone, looks and playability are fantastic.

Gareth goes on to attach some photos of the 339, which I've reproduced here.


Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, but Gibson didn't actually start making the 339 body (like a smaller version of a 335 - similar dimensions to a les paul) until 2007. This guitar on the other hand has a serial number which dates it to October 2004, so I'm guessing this must be a 335 shape guitar.

The 335 shape was a very popular guitar for Pete, and this is a particularly nice example. The bubinga (so-called "african rosewood") top looks great, and i'm assuming will give the kind of woody sparkle and depth to the guitar as it does when used on the back and sides of acoustics.

It looks in fantastic condition, with the cellulose binding already beginning to age to that beautiful yellowy hue. Great guitar which, like all Pete's guitars I've encountered, apparently plays beautifully. Thanks to Gareth for letting us have a look.

Vintage Pete Back circa 1981

I recently came across this very early example of Pete's work from 1981, which I couldn't resist sharing with you.

Its an unusual heavy metal-style design with a through neck and some interesting tonewoods. As usual for Pete it has top-quality parts even at this early stage in his career - Grover machine heads and a Schaller bridge. The bridge pick up is a classic Gibson Dirty Fingers. Note the old-style scroll font Pete Back signature and double custom marks on the head. What an unusual custom guitar.

Vintage Pete Back - 1980s

I've unearthed a very old Pete Back custom today, its an unusual piece, with plenty of character. Obviously been gigged with a lot at the height of rock, the guitar is missing a couple of tone knobs and has a few scratches as you would imagine - its over 25 years old I reckon. The headstock marks it out as one of Pete's first runs of guitar making from the late 70's through to the '80s. Its not a custom grade, so it was probably made for sale in a local shop in the Rotherham/Mexborough area. Still its a nice example with an unusual paint job, and deserves its place in this small hall of fame.

Pete Back Custom 335 Maple 2009

Bringing things bang up to date, I've tracked down a pretty much brand new example of Pete's work. This beautiful 335-style guitar with flame maple top and mahogany body was one of the last guitar's Pete made. It is stunning, and is already a real collectors item. I believe this is the only one of these guitars ever made. As an addition to the other guitars in this blog, it really shows how Pete continued to make great guitars right up to his retirement, and how his artistry evolved during his long career.

Pete Back Les Paul Custom Red Tiger Stripe Maple

A real treat for you today - a classic Pete Back Les Paul. In my opinion, Pete's Les Paul's were some of his best and most popular models. They sound simply amazing and can easily beat a standard Gibson model for sheer tone and playability. They never come up for sale and are a rare find indeed, so I'm delighted to find this one which would have sold for over a grand when new and are very valuable collectors items today. All the hardware is top quality branded - Gotoh and Wilkinson. Datewise given the hardware and fittings I put this one within the last 7 years. Note the modern Pete Back signature transfer on the headstock and the vintage yellowing on the trim. Its in superb condition and I know guitars like this are real sustain monsters (thanks to all the solid wood - mahogony in this case - involved).

Pete Back PRS Style Custom

Pete was never afraid of trying his hand at unusual and distinctive reworks of classic shapes and this PRS-style guitar with custom paintwork is a fantastic example - a true one off. It may be a bit "out-there" for some people's tastes (mine included), but you can't argue with the originality and the flamboyance of the piece. Apart from the paint job the rest looks fairly standard - rosewood fingerboard, wilkinson humbuckers and a Gibson-style tune-o-matic bridge. Definitely a collectable piece, whatever you may think of it. Date-wise i'm not exactly sure where it would fit in without seeing the headstock, but my guess is this is a more recent piece given the condition - within the last 10-15 years.

Welcome to Pete Back Custom Guitars

Welcome to the only blogsite dedicated to guitars hand-built by the great British luthier Pete Back. Pete was one of the UK’s first luthiers to be adopted by elite UK guitarists, and personally made a host of guitars for icons such as Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy and many more since he began in the mid '70s. The Blue Book of Guitars (11^th Edition) reviews Pete Back as follows:

Pete Back Custom Guitars

Instruments previously built in Richmond (North Yorkshire), England.

“Luthier Pete Back is noted for his custom handcrafted guitars of the highest quality. His electric, folk and classical guitar construction uses the finest woods available. Pete has his own original designs, but he will make whatever the guitarist requires.”

Pete finally retired (for the third time!) in May 2009, so we won't be seeing any more guitars made by him, which is a great loss to the art. I've set up this site because I thought it was high time Pete's work was celebrated and recognised on the internet, and so his guitars can be appreciated by more than just a lucky few in the know.

I'll be publishing some photos from my collection of his guitars, and hopefully will be tracking down a few other of his guitars (and their owners) from around the world, in what will become a tribute site to Pete's amazing work.