I was in a friends house on Sunday and I saw this tatty old manky dirty blood red guitar against his kitchen door. I knew he had no interest in guitar playing so wondered why he had it. "Oh, I found that a week ago in the back of the loft, it's going to the tip soon with the garden rubbish, d'you want it?" I said "Yes" thinking the pickups might be ok or something, it really looked like a £49.99 heap of crap a cheap shop would sell. I got it home, the wife looked at it and made puke noises and gestures at it, I plugged it into my Fender Mustang 1 which has as close to a Shadows setting as I can figure out on one of the settings, the tatty old heap sounded more like a Fender than my Fender Squire Affinity does!!!!!! Then the wife says, "Hey John!! There is a name on the black bit at the front!" We looked and it said............"WATKINS RAPIER", the 33 it turned out. It is, we think, a 1960 or 1961 version as the serial number was W158............but the SOUND was pretty damned good from it when I clean all the electrics and restrung it!!! Just goes to show eh:)

Pics or it didn't happen!

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Anyone else having problems with their computer?? I'm reading about a guitar, but I'm not seeing one.

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OR, you can Skype me and see it for real:) look up guzzik2

Or, go here and look at my flikr account:)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/purbeck_photo_art/

Thank you for your kind words

Sorry folks, I am hopeless at uploading pics to forums.........

The two switches are from a PIFCO hair dryer........If you go here, you can read all about the guy who built these Brit classics, his name is Charlie Watkins.
http://www.watkinsguitars.co.uk/index.htm

I'm a big fan of Watkins gear. Unfortunately it doesn't hold price with any kind of stability. It really is a "worth what someone is prepared to pay for it" affair.

The rapiers enjoyed a bit of a resurgence of interest a couple of years ago. They are collectable to the right person. So look after it, their a unique instrument.

Here's my Watkins oddities

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No no and no

<3 those kinds of pickups

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

The chap who runs the website told me to NOT touch it in anyway regarding renovation. I will play it and gig it in a small way but, it does "something" to me When I tried it the first time, it "fitted" perfectly, it felt right and I didn't want to put it down

Very nice guitar! I love the old ODD stuff and that one definitely qualifies!

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

It is even more odd than you think. The serial number starts with a W, this is unheard of by others who have had a rapier 33. I am hoping old Charlie Watkins can shed some light on why the serial number was done this way.