It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:45 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Fender Broadcaster and missed opportunities
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 8:19 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
In 1984 I was in the Navy and transferring from Groton, CT to San Diego, CA. The disbursement office paid me two weeks in advance plus travel and per diem for the whole trip.

With that chunk of change I decided that I would stop in Nashville and buy a Fender Broadcaster from Gruhn Guitars.

I got there and Mr. Gruhn didn't have any Broadcaster's in stock so I decided not to buy anything. My heart was really set on a Broadcaster. Never again in those young irresponsible days would I have that much disposable income at one time. I missed several golden opportunities that day.

Among many items, the details of which I can't remember, Mr. Gruhn had a nocaster in very good condition for $1800 and a '50s Gretsch White Falcon for $900. There were dozens of other Pre-CBS Fender guitars, old Gibson's, etc.., all within my price range. But I kept my money that day.

Maybe it's for the best. I was such an irresponsible knuckle head in those days I probably would have lost the guitar anyway. I did manage to waste all the money. :(

Cheers,

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Fender Broadcaster and missed opportunities
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 10:49 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 5:22 pm
Posts: 36
Location: Glasgow
Damn you have got me thinking back to one of my many acts of sheer folly involving beautiful guitars when I was a young (idiot) Punk. I was around 15 and I used to make some cash working in one of my old mans bars in Glasgow, just cleaning up, lifting the "dead men" (empty pint tumblers) filling the shelves and cellar work mostly. One of the perks of course was finding the odd dropped pound coin or even a five or 10 pound note now and again.
We had a "Lost & Found" room and we kept things for 6 months and if not claimed the staff would vote to see who deserved to get the item, if it was cash the person who found it got it.. One weekend we had a crowd over from Norway, a band and a load of groupies that were touring around Europe picking up gigs wherever they could and basically having a blast. They were not playing at our bar just drinking, they stayed till the wee small hours and then left never to be seen or heard from again.
The staff who were working that night were so tired they did not clean up in the lounge and left it for me to clean in the morning. Long story short when I opened up and started tidying things, under one of the long benches sat a old black guitar case. I opened it up to be met with a Gretch Chet Atkins Nashville guitar, amazing right? wrong. At the time I would probably been happier to have found a Squier or something along those lines.
I had never heard of Gretch and there was no internet to make a few clicks with a mouse and find everything you need to know about them.
I asked my dad who Chet Atkins was and he told mr he was a country singer. That made it even worse when I heard that. It was it quite a good condition, certainly not mint but good. The case had took a beating though as you would expect from a case that had travelled around the globe being abused by drunken Vikings :) and baggage handlers hell-bent on vandalism.
Six months past and I can honestly say I hardly gave the Gretch a moments thought in all that time. I got the guitar and it sat in my bedroom for over a year only getting picked up if a pal was in to see me or if a string snapped on my main axe and I never had a spare handy at the time.
A very shrewd "pal" of mine saw it one day and asked if I wanted to sell it to him. I told him I would think about it as I really had no idea how much cash I should be looking for it! A couple of days later I saw him and asked him to make me a offer. He said £40 and I laughed and replied I would not take anything under £60! After a bit of a stale-mate we both agreed on the compromise of £50. I was happy,I was 15 and I had 50 quid in my pocket I got from a old cowboy guitar that I never used.
I don't know to this day if the guy I sold it to had a idea of what it was really worth at the time or not (he swears he didn't to this day) but he really cashed in on it around 2005 when he got a few grand (I don't know the exact figure he received) for the lovely old guitar.

I would love to have that Nashville today but due to being a young idiot back then or maybe it was just Karma because it did not really belong to me in the first place, who know's.

I have a couple of more cautionary tales from my younger days regarding lovely guitars before I matured.

I'm still sick about that Gretch though :(


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fender Broadcaster and missed opportunities
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:41 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
Good story Cus.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fender Broadcaster and missed opportunities
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:50 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:18 am
Posts: 1530
Location: The Frozen Tundra of MN
Watcha gonna do?


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: