You can't take it with you - an old friend's gear list

[tobijohn]

An old dear friend of mine from high school recently passed away. I hadn't physically seen him in over a decade, but we stayed in loose touch though friends, family and FB. He had been really active in the Chicago music scene from back then right up until his death a month or so ago.

Circumstances have required his wife to put all his gear up for sale and currently it's on consignment at a music store up there. Like a lot of musicians, his gear was a big part of his retirement fund. I doubt anyone here would have a serious interest as a lot of it is collector grade stuff and priced accordingly. I thought though, it was an interesting collection. He also had a restored 1956 Buick Roadmaster for sale as well:

[mickey]

Lefty????

[sabasgr68]

So sorry, may he rest in peace.

(and no, cannot take it; it stays here...)

[tobijohn]

Lefty????

No, I'm afraid not...

[jhull54]

My goodness. Condolences to you and his family.

Some great gear there. The overarching thing for me--as you allude--time passes, and some of the friends we've made and shared life experience with eventually move on, whether naturally or due to other causes. Thanks for sharing the list.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I hope they hire a company that can get his gear the attention it deserves. I just found the auction details a vintage guitar I bought went through, and there were a great many pieces of gear that went for ridiculously low prices. To the person who owned that gear, that's the last thing they'd want to happen.

[tonebender]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

[golem]

@tobijohn I'm interested in the Chandler and the Bassman. Chicago is about 5 hours north of me if they're still anywhere in that region.

[andrewsrea]

An old dear friend of mine from high school recently passed away. I hadn't physically seen him in over a decade, but we stayed in loose touch though friends, family and FB. He had been really active in the Chicago music scene from back then right up until his death a month or so ago.

Circumstances have required his wife to put all his gear up for sale and currently it's on consignment at a music store up there. Like a lot of musicians, his gear was a big part of his retirement fund. I doubt anyone here would have a serious interest as a lot of it is collector grade stuff and priced accordingly. I thought though, it was an interesting collection. He also had a restored 1956 Buick Roadmaster for sale as well:

Sorry for the loss of your friend. Quite a collection.

[tobijohn]

@tobijohn I'm interested in the Chandler and the Bassman. Chicago is about 5 hours north of me if they're still anywhere in that region.

Thanks, I'll ask...

[SamIV]

Very sorry to hear of your friends passing. I am sure most of this is out of my tight azz budget, but others not so cheap will end up with come nice gear.

[uwmcscott]

Sorry John, it sounds like he was an interesting guy and indeed he had quite a collection. I don't have a lot of guitars but I definitely have more than I need. I've oft considered getting rid of some so I don't need to put my family through the work of this some day, but it's hard to let go of stuff, isn't it. Does the store he's selling all this through have it posted online or is it all word of mouth? It would cool to see some photos as it's a very nice collection. The 68 LP in particular would be something I have interest in.

[tobijohn]

@tobijohn I'm interested in the Chandler and the Bassman. Chicago is about 5 hours north of me if they're still anywhere in that region.

Sorry John, it sounds like he was an interesting guy and indeed he had quite a collection. I don't have a lot of guitars but I definitely have more than I need. I've oft considered getting rid of some so I don't need to put my family through the work of this some day, but it's hard to let go of stuff, isn't it. Does the store he's selling all this through have it posted online or is it all word of mouth? It would cool to see some photos as it's a very nice collection. The 68 LP in particular would be something I have interest in.

I just heard back, the guitars are on consignment at the Guitar Works in Evanston, IL:

https://www.guitarworksltd.com/

The 68 Les Paul s still there, I didn't see the Chandler Strat or Bassman amp...

[uwmcscott]

I just heard back, the guitars are on consignment at the Guitar Works in Evanston, IL:

https://www.guitarworksltd.com/

The 68 Les Paul s still there, I didn't see the Chandler Strat or Bassman amp...

Thanks, that is a very unique LP - do you know if your friend was the one who had all the work done on it? It has been reworked enough that it has probably lost some of it's pure "collector" value, but it is definitely a rare bird with the one piece back and small headstock. There was only about an 18 month window from sometime in 1968 to early 1970 when the switched back from the "SG" les paul back to the regular singlecut. And then sometime mid 1970 the Norlin era started and the pancake body/big headstock era began.

Some people purport that those handful of one-piece guitars that were made in 68 and 69 were using leftover stock from the late 50s holy grail era. It's a very tempting opportunity to own something that could balloon in value down the road, and the top is pretty killer looking too. I wish the shop were a little closer to see it in person!

[tobijohn]

Thanks, that is a very unique LP - do you know if your friend was the one who had all the work done on it?

Sorry, I don't know anything about it. I was surprised to see all the 6 strings; I was expecting more basses as that's what he usually played in the bands I was familiar with. That was almost thirty years ago though.

I'd be surprised if the shop it's at didn't have some background info on it...

[uwmcscott]

I'd be surprised if the shop it's at didn't have some background info on it...

Looking a little deeper at the photos ( that shop does a great job with photos BTW! ), I bet that most of the work was done back in the 70's It looks like someone actually planed the entire top down and put a new maple cap on it, but left a thin layer of the old one. That's the equivalent of altering the sheet metal on a classic muscle car from a vintage valuation standpoint, so it was likely done back when it was just considered another guitar. But it does appear to still have the original neck, back and possibly fingerboard. So for someone wanting a true "old wood" Les Paul without paying the true vintage price it might be a score.

[idiotsdelight]

I have a friend I grew up with since our teens. He was a musician too. He suffered a brain hemorrhage back in 2012 and remains in a care facility. His wife, whom I also know very well, has a garage full of vintage BMX bikes that he and I would scour CL in our very lucrative area for. I need to get down there and move them along for her. No one else knows their worth. Funny enough, I also have a hand written letter with the prices written down by him.

If anyone needs a 70's/80's BMX bike I'm your man.