I waited nearly 20 years to buy this one, but it’s finally part of the collection! My brother and I saw the Fender So-Cal Speed Shop Stratocaster guitar in a catalog when it came out and we thought it was the coolest looking guitar ever. But, we weren’t really in guitar buying mode at that time, so it was a memory lost to time.

Then, when I was reminded of it, I knew that I had to make it mine. So, I searched for the cleanest one I could find. Many have dings and such from years of playing, but I wanted this to be a centerpiece for the collection. So, I paid a bit too much (I justified it because of the nice case it came with) and now it’s here forever!

Hear the rest of the story about this amazingly cool guitar in the video below.

The Sea Tea Comedy Theater in Hartford, CT invited us back for another great night full of music and comedy! The cast of improv players, lead by our longtime friend Matt Saccullo, listed to each song and then improvised scenes based on what they heard! It was so much fun and we were so happy to be part of it. The full concert and the interviews after each song is included in the video below.

On this edition of the Guitar Bucket List, I present my Squier Classic Vibe 60’s Jaguar in silver sparkle. This guitar caught my eye when I saw it as an exclusive to CME (Chicago Music Exchange). Something about that matching sparkle headstock just sold me…until I saw the price tag. I just couldn’t allow myself to spend over $500 on a Squier. That’s when the Fender website had their holiday sale…so I bought it for almost half that price!

Then, as always, something got in the way of this being the perfect deal…a small neck pocket crack in the lacquer. Happens all the time with these types of guitars. So I contacted Fender about it and they sent me some awesome Pure Vintage ’65 Jaguar pickups to put in the guitar! That MORE than made up for that little lacquer crack. And after the addition of my favorite pearloid cream pick guard (with some minor modifications), this turned into the Jaguar of my dreams… Well, I still wish it played a bit better. But now that I’ve polished the frets, sanded down the rough edges and gave it a good setup, it’s the best it can be. Will it ever be a Fender Custom Shop guitar? Nope. But I got it pretty darn close. Watch the video to find out more!

On this edition of the Guitar Bucket List series, we’ll be looking at my Gibson ES-335 that is called the “Double Diamond” because of its Trini Lopez model style sound holes. It’s also in a rare white pearl color. This guitar was owned and played by Jeffrey Foskett of The Beach Boys. And, as a huge fan of the band, this guitar holds a special place in my collection.

The guitar also looks great. It was definitely used quite a bit but was in good condition. After some polishing, it really looks fantastic. It has ’57 Classic Gibson pickups in it and I think it was Mr. Foskett who put the Custom truss rod cover and the Custom Made plaque on the front. The gold hardware and Bigsby tailpiece make this one look particularly flashy, too.

This was able to check two items off of the Bucket List for me- the Gibson crown headstock inlay and the case shroud (the velvet sheet that’s attached inside the case that covers the top of the instrument). Watch the video for the rest of the details and hear how it sounds!