Getting my #1 back- an OSG Reunion story
Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 12:39 pm
This is my OSG odyssey
About 6 years ago, shortly after joining OSG and in the midst of my newfound Jazzmaster obsession, I purchased this guitar from forumite Thaiairways: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=73424
It must have been the most beautiful Jazzmaster I’d ever seen. I’d lusted after a green/blue beater Jazzmaster since day 1 and this guitar MORE than checked those boxes. I especially loved the fact that the refinish was done by some mystery master luthier in Japan -I picture a Jazzmaster dojo high up along the peak of Mt Fuji- and the fact that it started out life as a MIJ Jazzmaster. I’ve had vintage (63), modern (literally everything- AVRI, AV65, MIM, Squier, Thin Skin), Boutique (Danocasters , Bilts), etc etc and my favorite of the bunch was my Blonde/Gold MIJ from 94…especially after a thorough upgrading of the internals. There was just something about the MIJ’s that clicked with me and my playing style. After receiving the guitar from Japan and picking my jaw off the floor, I proceeded to upgrade it with the best of what was available back in 2013. It got a Mastery, Novaks (later AV65’s), Staytrem collet, bone nut, fret dress on a PLEK machine, upgrade wiring and pots. It was my #1 guitar for the next two years and it seriously turned heads everywhere it went. It looked, played and sounded perfect. It felt amazing and just like a vintage guitar- the nitro finish on the neck was perfectly worn-in like an old baseball glove. It was also my first light Jazzmaster- 7 lbs on the dot. I wrote many of my favorite tunes on it and loved it dearly.
Then GAS hit.
In the form of a 1963 Jazzmaster finished in Sonic Blue over Olympic White. I traded my #1 plus about $1500 to a nice fella in a touring blues band for her. That guitar was seriously next level and very inspiring. Side note- ’63 seemed to be a magical year for JM’s. I sold that after a few years of being terrified to gig with it and went through about a hundred other guitars…mainly buying and selling to make a bit of profit and searching for my next "keeper".
Fast forward to about 2 months ago, and it dawned on me that I hadn’t -truly- been inspired by a guitar in the last few years. Surely, many wonderful axes had come and gone, but nothing had me as excited as my first few winners (the blonde/gold MIJ, the blue/green mystery MIJ, my black Danocaster and my 63 Oly White JM). Out of the bunch, the blue / green stood out the most. So the quest began.
I pulled out my old MacBook and dug up the bill of sale (forgot I used to do those) after a few hours of scouring an old email account. Luckily, it had the buyers name and number on it. A call and a text yielded nothing. A facebook message yielded nothing. Two weeks later, I got a return message from the buyer (!) saying he had sold the guitar
. Thoroughly bummed, I figured that was the end of the road and this magical axe was lost to the ether. He then surprised me and connected me with the next buyer. I stood by for a few days, and finally got a message informing me that he had "sold it to a friend that -might- be willing to sell it back to me" 
. After another Facebook message connection and exchange, I got in touch with the 3rd buyer and told him my story/quest to get back my old #1. He was very into the story and was more than willing to work out an incredible deal for me. It turns out this guitar has sat in a gig bag for about 5 years In multiple studios across Northern California seeing very little to no use. The owners were blues guys and much more keen on their Gibsons. I was back in the Bay Area last weekend and made the 2 hour trek to meet the buyer and pick up the guitar. After a disassembly, cleaning and quick flight, it is now safely back home with me in LA. It is as good if not better than what I remember. Ultra-resonant, playable and it sounds killer- exactly as it was in 2015. This time it’s sticking around for good.
About 6 years ago, shortly after joining OSG and in the midst of my newfound Jazzmaster obsession, I purchased this guitar from forumite Thaiairways: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=73424
It must have been the most beautiful Jazzmaster I’d ever seen. I’d lusted after a green/blue beater Jazzmaster since day 1 and this guitar MORE than checked those boxes. I especially loved the fact that the refinish was done by some mystery master luthier in Japan -I picture a Jazzmaster dojo high up along the peak of Mt Fuji- and the fact that it started out life as a MIJ Jazzmaster. I’ve had vintage (63), modern (literally everything- AVRI, AV65, MIM, Squier, Thin Skin), Boutique (Danocasters , Bilts), etc etc and my favorite of the bunch was my Blonde/Gold MIJ from 94…especially after a thorough upgrading of the internals. There was just something about the MIJ’s that clicked with me and my playing style. After receiving the guitar from Japan and picking my jaw off the floor, I proceeded to upgrade it with the best of what was available back in 2013. It got a Mastery, Novaks (later AV65’s), Staytrem collet, bone nut, fret dress on a PLEK machine, upgrade wiring and pots. It was my #1 guitar for the next two years and it seriously turned heads everywhere it went. It looked, played and sounded perfect. It felt amazing and just like a vintage guitar- the nitro finish on the neck was perfectly worn-in like an old baseball glove. It was also my first light Jazzmaster- 7 lbs on the dot. I wrote many of my favorite tunes on it and loved it dearly.
Then GAS hit.
In the form of a 1963 Jazzmaster finished in Sonic Blue over Olympic White. I traded my #1 plus about $1500 to a nice fella in a touring blues band for her. That guitar was seriously next level and very inspiring. Side note- ’63 seemed to be a magical year for JM’s. I sold that after a few years of being terrified to gig with it and went through about a hundred other guitars…mainly buying and selling to make a bit of profit and searching for my next "keeper".
Fast forward to about 2 months ago, and it dawned on me that I hadn’t -truly- been inspired by a guitar in the last few years. Surely, many wonderful axes had come and gone, but nothing had me as excited as my first few winners (the blonde/gold MIJ, the blue/green mystery MIJ, my black Danocaster and my 63 Oly White JM). Out of the bunch, the blue / green stood out the most. So the quest began.
I pulled out my old MacBook and dug up the bill of sale (forgot I used to do those) after a few hours of scouring an old email account. Luckily, it had the buyers name and number on it. A call and a text yielded nothing. A facebook message yielded nothing. Two weeks later, I got a return message from the buyer (!) saying he had sold the guitar
. Thoroughly bummed, I figured that was the end of the road and this magical axe was lost to the ether. He then surprised me and connected me with the next buyer. I stood by for a few days, and finally got a message informing me that he had "sold it to a friend that -might- be willing to sell it back to me" . After another Facebook message connection and exchange, I got in touch with the 3rd buyer and told him my story/quest to get back my old #1. He was very into the story and was more than willing to work out an incredible deal for me. It turns out this guitar has sat in a gig bag for about 5 years In multiple studios across Northern California seeing very little to no use. The owners were blues guys and much more keen on their Gibsons. I was back in the Bay Area last weekend and made the 2 hour trek to meet the buyer and pick up the guitar. After a disassembly, cleaning and quick flight, it is now safely back home with me in LA. It is as good if not better than what I remember. Ultra-resonant, playable and it sounds killer- exactly as it was in 2015. This time it’s sticking around for good. 
):
