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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.
