Day 185 – I picked it up in 1990 from Johnny’s House of Guitars in Clearwater, FL. I remember waking into the store, seeing it hanging on the wall, and becoming instantly smitten. It didn’t have a scratch on it. It was $800.00.
Johnny’s was the kind of place you could discover stuff. It was a small, cramped store, jammed to the ceiling with amps, guitars and boxes of pedals. It was also the kind of place where Johnny himself would throw you a beer from fridge when you came in and looked around. I spent many a Saturday afternoon in there with a beer in hand, playing guitars and hanging out with friends.
I scraped up $200 and had him hold the guitar. In a few months I paid the balance, $100 every few weeks or anytime I had a good day airbrushing out on the beach.
Are the days of stumbling across cool guitars are gone? Guitar super stores, eBay, Craigslist and rabid vintage guitar collectors have really driven prices through the roof, and supply seems really slim.
If you’ve seen me play live you’ve probably seen this guitar. It’s hands down the best guitar I’ve ever owned. It’s not an easy beast to play, but the sounds that come out of it as I wrestle it to the ground are second to none. Like an old t-shirt, it just fits me perfectly.
Good for you – ya bastard! Seriously, nice guitar. I just bought a new 62 Olympic White Jazzmaster and it, too, fits me perfectly. What a comfortable shape! I used to have a 3-colour sunburst one, but had to sell that a year or so ago for dismal financial reasons. I spotted this white one last week at a pretty good price, so now I have my favourite guitar back. Hopefully I’ll keep this one. Nothing else plays or sounds like a Jazzmaster.
Nice guitar! I have a similar story. I bought a used 1964 sunburst Jazzmaster in 1967 when I was 16. Put it on layaway at Central Music in Brockton, Ma, and paid it off ($350) in about 6 months with money I made at the local carwash.
I still have it and still play in a band with two guys I went to kindergarden thru high school with.
Good luck with it!