If you look to your left, you will see a guitar. If you remember or bother to reference my previous post on this subject, you may realize that this is not the Squier Affinity Stratocaster that I refinished and upgraded recently. If you’re familiar with guitars, then you already knew that without me having to say a blessed thing. No, what we have here is a Peavey Horizon II, circa 1984. I stumbled across this gem in an “antique mall.” In this case, a flea market with delusions of grandeur. The price was on the ridiculously low side, but I resisted. Did I need another guitar? Of course not. I didn’t “need” the Stratocaster I bought and restored recently, never mind this one. So I left the guitar where it was…but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
A little background—Peavey is a local company, or rather it was local to me. I grew up about twenty miles from Meridian, MS, where the Peavey company was and is located. A close friend of mine worked for them right out of High School. They started making guitar amps in the 1960’s and that’s primarily what they’re known for. When Fender and others began offering guitar and amp combos in the 1970’s, Peavey followed suit to remain competitive, creating their own guitar line. They also introduced several innovations: they were the first guitar company to use computer-controlled routers to create their guitar bodies to exacting tolerances. They were the first to cut the neck stock lengthwise and re-glue with the grain running in opposite directions for strength, a trick other guitar companies soon copied. They wired their controls so the player could switch from single-coil to humbucker mode on the same pickup just by adjusting the tone control. They were, quite simply, ahead of their time and to this day remain some of the most versatile guitars ever made. Continue reading
Those who have been following this blog know that I’m a beginning guitar player. Very beginning, and a slow learner (ask me how long I’d been writing before I was selling regularly, if you want proof). But that aside, I’m also still working out what sort of guitar I want to play. Do I, will I have a preference? Les Paul? Stratocaster? Both? Something else entirely? Right now I’m in the experimental phase. My first guitar was and is an Epiphone Les Paul Special II, which I still think was a smart choice for a beginner’s electric guitar. The controls are relatively simple and it sounds great except when it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t I know it’s me and not the guitar. No excuses.
Richard Parks 