What kind of guitar do you use?

Slartibartfast wrote: Mostly a cheapie Yamaha classical, but I also have a Jackson Performer electric.  A Kawai K1 synthesizer.   By the way great Sinclair Lewis quote.  Kind of scary.

what is scary is the truth of it...

One of my friends has a 1967 Pan Trini Lopez copy hollow body guitar. So far, he's been unable to find out much about the company and their guitars. He did find that they became part of Norlin Industries at some point in the 70s.
For those of you who ever stumble upon one, try it out. His was picked up from an older gentleman who hadn't played in years. The strings were rusty, there was some dirt on the fretsboard, but it only needed a new set of strings & a basic set up. Plays like a dream, too.
So apart from listings on some guitar review sites (Harmony Central, for example) there isn't much to find.
Mind you, it took me a while to stumble on the info that Vantage guitars were originally made by a Japanese company named Matsomuko.

Fender Strat with a humbucker pickup that I almost exclusively use (while distorted anyway)...the clean sound with the other pickup sounds great though considering I only have a 200 dollar amp

mine's black.
OLP Petrucci with   two Dimarzio Evo's and Shaller tuners.  For its price it is a very good guitar, it has one of the best necks I've seen.


Edited by king of Siam - September 28 2007 at 00:20

"One of my friends has a 1967 Pan Trini Lopez copy hollow body guitar. So far, he's been unable to find out much about the company and their guitars. He did find that they became part of Norlin Industries at some point in the 70s.
For those of you who ever stumble upon one, try it out. His was picked up from an older gentleman who hadn't played in years. The strings were rusty, there was some dirt on the fretsboard, but it only needed a new set of strings & a basic set up. Plays like a dream, too.
So apart from listings on some guitar review sites (Harmony Central, for example) there isn't much to find.
Mind you, it took me a while to stumble on the info that Vantage guitars were originally made by a Japanese company named Matsomuko.

The Trini Lopez (Dallas Texas-based jazz guitarist for those who don't know) guitars were made and marketed by Gibson (Norlin was The parent company for Gibson in the 70's and 80's, but most "Trini's" pre-date the Norlin Years (1969 - 1985). The two Trini Lopez models (deluxe & Standard) were in production from 1964- 1971. Since Lopez was under contract with Gibson in 1967, since Norlin did not yet own Gibson, and since Norlin had nothing to do with Vantage the date of your friend's instrument is very questionable. If it is a Norlin instrument but does not have the Gibson name on it, is more likely to be mid 1970's. If it is a Vantage instrument from 1967, it cannot be a real Trini Lopez model.

The Gibson guitar was loosely based on the ES335 but with sharp points on the cutaway horns and a thicker body (3" rather than the 1 3/4" depth of the 335). The instrument also had a "Fender-Like" headstock with six on a side tuners (unheard of for Gibson at that time). It was most commonly seen in a cherry finish, but models have been reported in Sparkling Burgundy and Pelham Blue Metallic. which, again, were colors more reminicent of Fender than Gibson at the time.

If the Trini you're seeing doesn't say Gibson on it, it was probably manufactured AFTER the Norlin takeover of Gibson in 1969. in order for the guitar to have any real colloector's value it would have to predate the Norlin years. No Gibson guitar manufatured in that time period is worth much to the colloectors as the quality of Gibson instruments in general was pretty atrocious durng the Norlin years.



Edited by Trademark - October 21 2007 at 14:41

That's about all the info I have at hand apart from some tech details (scale length, materials and other construction data). If it is in fact a Norlin instrument, it would have to be 1969 or later since that's when Norlin came into ownership of the Trini Lopez name through the Gibson aquisition. That would certainly kill its collector's value ($500-$600 tops) compared to a Pre-Norlin, Gibson Trini which might sell for close to $2000 (US) in mint condition.

On the other hand a great guitar is a great guitar no matter the price. Just play it and enjoy it.

I'm saving up for one of these:


It's a Yamaha SG 2000

At the moment, I have a cheap Ibanez GAX75 (it's okay... a bit crap, the intonation is terrible on my B and E strings ) I also have an old Sakai Les Paul style guitar that needs a little bit of work to be in good shape, but it's pretty noice anyway... And I have a Fender (not sure what model) steel string acoustic guitar with cutaway; I have a Valencia, 1/4 size, nylon string acoustic; I have a cheap, unknown brand, student-size acoustic; a mandolin-banjo dating back to about the 30's - 40's; and lastly a lute that dates back to about the 20's

Early '80's Gibson Les Paul Studio.  Now if I could only learn to play it...

I have a Pan Trini Lopez copy, wich is a 335 modified. The F holes are replaced by a geometric shape. That guitar score high for almost anybody having one of these or the 335 copy. I will soon have to refret it. The new frets will be bigger. You don't need other modification, pick-ups are great, the neck is wonderfully sexy and the sound is a blast. It is a 1968 the way I figured it out.

Trini Lopez was the singer doing the song "If I had A Hammer" wich was a huge hit at the time. So, Gibson produced the Trini Lopez signature guitar. There was at least two models: the one I have but in reddish brown (my Pan is three tones cherry burst, much better looking than the Gibson) and the deluxe model. If I remember well, this one had a venitian style cutaway (like an ES175) and was natural.

The Pan copy was very well made. Other company made that copy too but the Pan is considered by many players a better guitar than all the others. Some reviews even say better than the real one. I agree. I played 335's and was not as satisfied with the sound.

In the sixties, Japanese guitar makers wanted to make better instruments than the ones they were copying. They often did. Pan did it and some others did it too. I found mine in perfect, I mean mint condition. The life she shows now is my loving her too much, I guess!

Edited by blusiedan - November 04 2007 at 01:09