Pancho was recently featured in a local news article in celebration of “National Lefties Day”. The article ran in ‘the Ticker’, a local online business journal for the Traverse City Area.
Original Article

Local Lefties Celebrate Today

Are you sinistrophobic – having a fear of everything to the left and lefties?

If so, today might not be your day.  August 13th is National Left-Hander’s Day, a holiday started in 1976 meant to promote awareness of the inconvenience of being a southpaw in a right-handed world.

The Ticker tracked down some local lefties, who make up about 10 percent of the population, to find out more about those inconveniences.

Gary Swaney of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan says there are several disadvantages to being a southpaw, such as scissors not cutting right, and the infamous pen smudge.

“It’s just part of the writing experience for lefties. Kind of a sign someone is a lefty- a smudgy left hand.”

Fellow southpaw Trevor Tkach of the National Cherry Festival adds, “My hand written notes are embarrassing. I’m always looking for quick-dry pens to reduce smudging.”

Both Swaney and Tkach agree that writing in spiral notebooks and three ring binders can also be a challenge for lefties. But right-handed desks and notebooks aren’t the only nuisance for lefties in the classroom. Sometimes it’s the teacher.

“In the early 1980s, my first grade teacher was very much bothered by the lefty in her class,” recalls Interlochen Public Radio reporter Linda Stephan. “She insisted I hold my paper straight up and down, and insisted I use right-handed scissors.”

Some studies have shown that lefties are more creative and artistic than their right-handed counterparts. Tkach agrees and jokes that they are also better looking. (Is now a good time to mention that the author of this story is left-handed?)

Phil Wolinski aka Pancho

One of those artistic lefties is guitarist Phil Wolinski of Old Mission Peninsula, who runs his own internet site selling left-handed guitars (www.panchosleftys.com). He says being a left-handed musician has several challenges.

“Prior to discovering eBay, the selection of new lefty guitars was almost nil at any music store.”  And when he did find that rare guitar, there was usually an extra cost to go along with it.

“Typically, a lefty pays anywhere from 10-20% more compared to the identical model that a righty buys,” says Wolinski, who hopes one day to make and sell lefty guitars constructed only of Michigan hardwoods.

Nick Edson of Cherryland Electric is a third generation southpaw when it comes to batting and golfing. Officially he is ambidextrous, meaning he is a true right-hander, but does many activities left-handed.

Edson says renting clubs was always a challenge when on the road.

“When I would mention to the golf pro that I had to rent clubs, he would smile and tell me what a great assortment they had. But when I said I was left-handed, the smile would come right off. Several times they would lead me to the downstairs dungeon where I would get to choose between three sets of clubs that were at least 20 years old.”

Did you know?
Six of the past 12 presidents have been left-handed- including President Obama.  (Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama).

Original Article

Spring 2010

Springtime Guitar

Spring has sprung a full month early here in northern Michigan. After a remarkably mild February, March and early April have been nothing short of spectacular. With much more reasonable heating and snowplowing bills there’s been a chance for me to save up for my next GAS attack. Finally! Hopefully full time employment will once again be available for us all so we can have something to save.

At the end of 2009 I was fortunate to add six new lefty lovers to my harem. Check these out in the galleries:

• Suhr S4
• R6 Les Paul goldtop
• Les Paul Supreme
• 1952 ES-125
• Gibson J-185
• Gibson EC-30 Blues King

I’d like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to all of you that purchased a lefty from me in 2009. In my first year of online sales a full two thirds of the initial inventory from my collection sold, with each sale representing a new southpaw friendship. Your words of praise and encouragement have helped deepen my commitment to this little enterprise. I hope to bring more valuable content to Pancho’s in the form of interviews of Luthiers and lefty players, a showcase for you to display your lefty collections, and slide show/video tutorials on all things lefty which will include guitar construction and upgrading instruments. After all this time the situation for lefties has finally made strides towards parity with our righty brethren and sistren.

We of the sinister persuasion are truly a community in our common plight. I’ve heard a common thread of sentiment in your phone calls and e-mails concerning the usual frustrations of having quality choices for left handed guitars and now, thankfully the much improved market conditions for a growing number of selections of great axes from an ever growing legion of builders. From big box brands to boutique – we are truly in the second golden age of guitars. Electric and acoustic, hybrids, from the classic to the eclectic there seems to be at least 3-5 new names on the scene each month. Sometimes I thank the stars that I’m not a righty – can you imagine the GAS? Anything we want and at any time? The horror! Refreshingly there’s a growing trend to offer lefties without the dreaded lefty markup. Kudos to those of you that have the soul and understanding to offer the lefty player the same price point as the righty. The net result will be more sales to southpaw slingers I assure you.

It’s a similar situation with amplifiers as well. What’s hard to fathom is the commitment these new amp companies bring to the market. Typically a new amp company comes to the floor with not just one or two models but an entire lineup of various wattage heads and combo’s. An added challenge facing any amp builder is a lower markup over wholesale cost. My head is wrapped around guitars and amps 24/7 completely and I’d venture to say that if I were asked to name as many amp companies as possible that I’d be lucky to name 50% of them all. With quality, features, and tone going thru the roof it must be a nasty dogfight to gain market share in ampworld. Their dogfight is our ‘gain’.

If anything remains to be addressed in 2010 it just has to be the retail price of American built guitars and basses. The quality of Chinese, Korean, and other imported instruments is on a trajectory to give a serious challenge to US builders. Many of the bigger manufacturers have  ‘second tier’  company affiliates(like Gibson with Epiphone) now based in China, South Korea, and Indonesia with American, Canadian, and European supervision.

Gibson recently completed a new state of the art factory for Epiphone and the buzz on the street is that these new Epi’s are close to a US made Gibson in every way save for the name on the headstock but at 1/3 or even 1/4 the cost. While very few of these imports come in left hand mode the recent ones that have been made are outstanding in terms of both build quality, attention to detail, and high grade components.

And PRICE! The average cost of a new import is around $700 US. Oft times these are guitars that have a US-built counterpart that costs as much as 3 -5 times what the import would go for. Being true to the red, white, and blue this isn’t a plea for whatever can be had for the lowest possible price. I do wish that US companies become more down to earth with the prices they ask for. There’s just little to no justification in a line produced solid body electric guitar costing over $3000. The wood and components of a typical electric solid body cost approximately $300-400 at wholesale(or less depending on a companies buying power).

A recent trend for new guitars, basses, and amps has been a ‘hybrid’ business model whereby the body and neck is constructed overseas and then inspected, assembled to some degree and given a pro setup in the US. This business format keeps more Americans employed while bringing the street price well within reach of anyone. The timeworn concept of annual price increases is no longer valid. Just ask Fender or Gibson how that worked out for them in 2009(hint: it didn’t).

While these enlightened Luthiers and companies move forward in this golden era with a mindset of inclusiveness for players from both sides there’s always our old ‘friends’ at PRS to remind us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This story has been several years in the making so I’ll leave it as a tease for the next  Pancho’s Blog entry.

Peace, Love, and Tone

Phil(Pancho)

It all started when Don Warren built his first lefty guitar.

I understand that there would be an up charge based on what has to happen in the shop to set up for machining the lefty components etc, but for me I am not comfortable with making it as pricey as I’ve seen. Thus, I charge no more to build a left handed guitar than a right handed one. – Don Warren

Arlen Roth "Lefty" for Pancho

His first lefty was an Arlen Roth Signature Tele, which I featured in my first installment of Gear Porn. This guitar immediately became one of my top three favorite guitars.

During the whole process, lots of conversations went back and forth.  I had lots of questions and there was a lot to learn from this master guitar builder.  What follows are a summary of some of  those conversations and answers and insights into the process of building a great guitar.

Arlen Roth Signature by Don Warren

Can you tell our readers a little about your background?

Don Warren

I am a guitarist and instructor with a passion for creating music and tones that inspire the soul to reach for more. Sound corny? Well I believe we are here to create and express ourselves to our fullest potential and as a guitarist, I know how much it means to me to be able to find a tone that stirs me inside and makes me want to reach for styles and levels of playing I’ve not approached before.

What prompted you to build your first guitar?
What model did you build first?

I owned quite a variety of guitars and found myself entering the seemingly never ending cycle of acquiring gear in search of some elusive tone. Chasing the dragon as it were. New guitar…hmmmm now the amp isn’t quite what I want…maybe a new pedal or an EQ? Hmmmm, now the new amp sounds good but the guitar is thin. How about new pickups and maybe swap out the bridge…etc. Sound familiar? A room full of guitars and amps and I can’t feel inspired by the tones at hand?

I started taking every guitar apart. I remember buying one of the first PRS guitars and dismantling it to find out what was inside. I did this with many guitars and found what I liked and didn’t like and made notes. This began a 5 year long obsession to understand facts about tone. I say facts because I do not like buying into the whole hype thing that includes talk of magical pickups, rare woods etc. There are basic fundamental building blocks that gave the most popular vintage guitars their tones and it is not all about old wood and magic this and that.

Upon working with various people in the metals industry I found out what has been changed in how metal is fabricated including copper stock. Hmmmm, if this is not equal to the old stuff, then how can I expect to have the true vintage tone? Thus began testing on old Strats and the like. One friend did a burn test on a 1963 Strat bridge to extract the exact ratios of metals in the bridge. This was an eye opener. I haven’t looked back. I apply this thought process to the whole guitar one piece at a time. What I have come up with, is a means of producing pickups and bridges with the help of a variety of folks that allow me to provide some critical elements necessary to make the guitars what they are.

Lindy Fralin, John Mann, Bill Callaham and others were amazing in the learning process and I can’t say enough about them. That being said, I need to warn the reader that the dragon chase needs to stop. There is no dragon. There is no one magical answer.

Want proof? Try this. I bought some very expensive namesake guitars from a well know custom shop and decided to change one component at a time when I found the best of the best for my needs. They all contributed, but not one of them made the big difference. In fact…all combined, I still was not happy. This is when I decided to make my own guitar from scratch and try my components on that. All my closest friends thought I was nuts. Not one person believed I was going to achieve 30 plus tones and go toe to toe with a Les Paul, a Strat and pull off acoustic tones and then go so much further.

Classic II - The first Warren Guitar

5 years into it, I completed my first guitar and invited the nay-sayers for a listen.  I played……there was silence in the room.,then laughter, then a lot of hugs. I know what I’ve got here and I am also aware of what I don’t have and that is a name brand.

That is sad. Sad that countless near perfect reviews from real players and a great review in Vintage Guitar still could not convince the masses. Sound files and videos that are proof positive and still people want to see a name. I have offers to sell out and if I did, people would flock to get them and find that once again the dragon chase would be on, as there is no way any company can afford to use my parts and work at such a low profit.

Tiger Eye Classic II

If your readers knew how much most $3000.00 guitars cost to build they would be furious beyond description. I will say this. For what the guitar stores need to take them in at to make a profit, I would have to lose money just to get them one. My tremolo alone costs as much as some makers spend to sell a $600.00 guitar. Why? It is made here with quality control and metals that most folks have long forgotten and it is not cost effective. I used to live in the profit and margin world and if I’ve learned anything from my 44 years on this rock, it is that money does not make the world go around.

That is a sad perception and I won’t raise my sons to think that way and so I won’t expect someone to own one of my guitars and be subject to that mentality. I make a guitar of the highest possible quality I can that produces the widest variety of tones available today. This is not a boast. It is a simple reality. I am not famous and I will make guitars for people that are serious about having one instrument that feels like their best friend through whom they can speak and express themselves.

When my first prototype was done, it was what would become my Classic II (a three single coil guitar) I had been asked to do a session for someone and they needed a Texas blues vibe. I did it with that guitar and got a lot of compliments in the studio for the tone. Immediately after that track, I cut a track for a guy breaking into professional wrestling who needed a drop D heavy riff. I used the same guitar with 3 single coils on it and when I hit the first chord, the engineer sprang back in his chair and mouthed “What the Fuck!!” After the session, he told me that I needed to make guitars and I told him I just did it for me. He asked for one and then it all got started.

How many have you built to date?
Do any well known guitarists play your instruments?

Dan Toler

At this point, I only make as many as I am comfortably able to do all by myself, taking my time and most importantly, being somewhat selective in that I want to make them for players whom I connect with and that in my opinion “get it.” Many, players  have evolved to the point where they recognize that most of what we read in the magazines is hype. I want to take the moment to applaud Jason Lollar for his ad in Vintage Guitar that straight out tells you that there is no magic. There is someone with the nads to call it what it is.

I get calls from a lot of folks, but I love the time I spend with other things in my life and I am not as patient as I once was in having to convince people that I won’t alter anything on my guitar that may affect the tones I spent so long to achieve. I had more than a handful of famous artists we all know and love ask me to make a guitar and then proceed to ask for changes that would compromise the tones it makes and on top of that want it for free. I don’t do things for endorsements.

Arlen Roth

When I met Arlen Roth he showed me a room full of guitars. Many folks tried to replicate his prized “53” Tele and when I told him I would give him those tones as well as all my others, he smiled. 6 Months later he was in love and he plays them because he loves them. I make the same exact guitar for each customer that I would put in his hands. I made guitars for a few famous folks who love them but have endorsements that pay them well and so you will here them on albums but never see them in their hands. Such is the way of it.

What’s the typical turnaround time from deposit to delivery?

I tell people 4 to 6 months because I build it and take the time to live with it and play it as if it were my own. If I don’t like it, I will change necks, bodies, and work it until it has that tone I love. I tap the wood and listen for specific tones. Call me nuts but when I tap the upper bout of my Classic II I know if it will give me my Stevie Ray Texas Flood and Lenny tone. If it doesn’t it makes a great addition to the wood stove. I can sometimes get it done quicker but in the long run a smart player will realize that they will never remember caring that it took longer if it sounds amazing. They would remember getting it rushed to them and wanting to sell it if it didn’t sound right.

What do you feel most distinguishes your guitars from other independent luthiers?

Well, I think one thing is that I don’t use as many commercially available components as other makers. My specific pickups, tremolo and wiring are not found on other guitars. . The pickups are a design from Lindy and I and they work perfectly in my setup. The wiring is very complex with no circuit boards at all. It is a carefully thought out construction that allows a lot of combinations that really provide an amazing variety of inspirational tones. I can nail that woman tone that is so loved. When I play ‘Still Got the Blues’ on a single coil guitar, people are amazed at it and I just use a Blues Junior and a stomp box. My online video demo was a $400.00 Crate amp and I still got a lot of great tones from it.

How did your association with Lindy Fralin come about?

I talked to the owners of a lot of pickup makers from big to small. Lindy’s name came up a lot. I called him and found that I really liked him as a person and his integrity. He is a great guy and I have an old recording from my answering machine where he was working on a pickup for me and he is playing riffs through an old Princeton and demonstrating the tones. It is great. He is that kind of guy and works to make it just perfect. I can’t say enough about him and what he has done to contribute to my tones. It isn’t easy having the variety I do and make it so each pickup responds accordingly and provide the dead on vintage tones I require.

In your opinion, what’s the single most crucial factor in the quest for tonal excellence?

I can’t answer that easily. I would say using history as a guide. Where did the greatest tones we all cherish coming from? What were the links in the chain for each one? What can be done to obtain those tones with what is available today and if it isn’t available today how can you the maker get what you need to make it happen? If you allow any compromise or permit one weak link, you have sacrificed the integrity of the chain. It’s as simple as that.

Nitro Cellulouse

When I contracted you to build my lefty Arlen Roth Signature I was pretty sure I wanted the nitro cellulose finish since it was being hyped as the best top coat that would allow the ‘true vintage’ tones to emerge as it aged.Your explanation about nitro was enough to change my mind and go with your custom polyester option.

Would you please share your insights about nitro cellulose with our readers?

I can only speak to what I’ve known to be true on my guitars and what I’ve been told by some of the top finish people in the country as well as those using nitro. A number of tests have been done to determine if there was indeed any frequency responses that varied from one finish to the next regarding Poly finishes and nitro. This is what was determined. Given equal amounts of both finishes after curing, there was virtually no detectable difference in tone, resonance or sustain.

That being said….not everyone applies a poly finish as thin as a nitro finish so in the real world you may very well hear a small difference in that the nitro will be a bit warmer.

What happens is this. Nitro is solvent based. When  the solvent evaporates, it leaves only the hard finish which is fairly thin. This evaporation takes more time than on a poly finish which is chemical based and cures much quicker. The end result is that a thicker finish is usually left behind on a poly finish unless time is taken to sand between coats of sealer and wet sanding is done to bring the poly finish down to a thin layer.

Once that is done, we are back to equal parts and an apples to apples comparison can be made. But let’s face it. Guitar players (and I’ve been guilty of this for years) love to believe in the magic, the voodoo and all that stuff. However, at the end of the day it comes down to wood and wire period. Now that being said, unless the best wood and wire (metals etc) are used to achieve a particular tone, a finish is not going to matter very much. For me, I use components that are made up  of the same ratio of  metals that were used in the early vintage guitars. Yes it costs much more, but tone is worth it to me, not hype.

As informative as forums can be, too many guys are spreading the hype and making judgments based on too many variables to make accurate assessments. A guy might be playing a Callaham Strat through a Peavey Windsor and a digitech multi effects unit and say how the guitar sounds thin and be thinking about swapping pickups.

For me…if you want dead on vintage tone of a certain variety, it is best to have all the elements that went into creating that sound in the first place present on the guitar. This way, no matter what you plug into, you don’t have to worry that the guitar is maybe the weaker link.

I always come back to the fact that for me to make a guitar costs so much more than it does most makers in that my tremolo alone is more than three times the price to make than for one I can buy commercially.

Still it amazes me that a guy can watch my demo video, fall in love with the tones I am getting out of a cheap Crate amp and then ask me to swap out all kinds of parts because he read somewhere that this and that and the other thing. It makes me question if we have forgotten to listen with our ears and not be in our heads all the time. I mean we certainly know guys that are constantly changing gear in search of the Holy Grail tone right? Why do you think that is? As long as you chase the dragon, you are chasing myth and myth is the bread and butter of the guitar industry these days and it is making a lot of money for people all too willing to keep the dragon alive.

Listen…I know a lot of people are not going to like my straight forward honest assessment of the industry, but I don’t need to do this for a living so I have no vested interest in coaxing people to buy my guitars. I make whatever amount I am comfortable making and am selective about those I want to build for because I want to make sure that whoever gets on of my guitars really gets it. But in the end I invite you to listen to my demos with a cheap amp and an old crappy video camera and tell me if maybe I’m onto something here.

Do you construct every part of your guitars?

I leave the back of the neck to CNC machining for the simple reason that I am human and I do not want anyone to play one of my guitars and feel that it is somehow different than another one they may pick up. I took so much time in getting the first one perfect that I don’t want to take a chance that I might not replicate it every time so that is important to me. Just like the myth of the nitro finish and so many others, there are folks that somehow believe that it is different if it is cut by hand or machine. Wood being cut to a shape is wood being cut to a shape -  period. That fact remains an absolute whether cut by hand, machine or magical gnomes (hey…you never know)

In a nutshell, I am a guy who will never buy into statements like “perception is reality” Reality is reality and I will not  try to get people to buy into anything. I will always invite people to own something. Own the facts, do the research and use an open mind to decide what is real and what is hype. I don’t let the almighty dollar rule my world. I make guitars when I like to and for whom I like making them and don’t have time to live an illusion. Life’s too short. It all comes down to true vintage tone for me and the variety of tones I’ve managed to squeeze out of my guitars.   

Don's First Lefty

How much different was it for you to build your first lefty in terms of time and re-thinking as well as sourcing/building lefty components? 

My first lefty was a trip. It is so odd trying to do the setup and be satisfied with everything when you can’t play left handed. It drove me nuts but I got into it and it turned out fine. I had a bridge made custom for my first one being that I had all righty bridges here. Just handling the guitar was so odd but eye opening as well. I’m glad I had the experience though and really think that lefty players are taken advantage of. I understand that there would be an up charge based on what has to happen in the shop to set up for machining the lefty components etc, but for me I am not comfortable with making it as pricey as I’ve seen. Thus, I charge no more to build a left handed guitar than a right handed one.

Do you have any plans or desire to build acoustic guitars ever?

No. I am more an electric guy. I do enjoy acoustic guitars very much and am very impressed with a local maker in Argyle, New York. A gentleman named Michael Collins. www.collinsguitars.com He makes some wonderful stuff.

Do you have any new models on the workbench to add to your regular product lineup? If so, would you care to show your hand?

I have two. Both are in the final stages and are based on my Classic II and Special format but have original shapes and a few other nice features to add comfort for the player. They will be shown soon.

What part of the building process do you most enjoy?

I enjoy the setups. I find that the most relaxing and rewarding. Of course, hearing the comments back from a new customer is my most favorite part because I know how much the guitar is going to mean to them the more they play it.

The Ultimate Setup – recently you’ve placed ads in Vintage Guitar magazine and elsewhere promoting what you’ve labeled as ‘The Ultimate Setup’ for anyone with any of their guitars.

www.TheUltimateSetup.com

Yes. I will perform every task you would expect to have done if you were a top touring pro and your guitar had to be at its peak night after night. But I go beyond that too. I have a unique and very effective method of doing not only frets for accuracy, but the intonation and you can tell the difference. Sorry…I won’t show my hand on how I achieve those two aspects as I do.  I urge your readers to check out the site and read the details of what makes this truly the ultimate setup.

Do you ever do refinish work for player’s axes?

No…I don’t but there are some great folks out there that do it. Pat Wilkins comes to mind right off. He is in California. Pat does a great job and is a pleasure to deal with.

What’s your opinion of the recent craze of some manufacturers to give new guitars a ‘relic’ treatment that gives the guitar an aged, well cared for appearance and well worn feel?

Well…you know….it really comes down to what makes a player feel inspired to play and for a lot of folks, the look of an old beat up guitar evokes a certain image and if that makes them pick it up and play more then more power to them. I don’t do it myself but have picked up a few and thought…”hmmm, I can see why this would appeal to some folks.” But…. When I play it, I am seldom in love with the feel of the ones I’ve tried. It really has to feel like an old baseball glove on the hand for me. This is what I try to achieve when I make my guitars or do an ultimate setup.

What thoughts or comments would you like to leave our readers?

I am glad you asked. Honestly…for you the guitarist, you must see the constant barrage of claims and hype surrounding so much of what we all chase….TONE. It really is time that guitarists take a look at something here. This is one of the newest instruments on the planet and yet it seems in many ways as if it reached its peak within a few short years. I say that because so much time is spent chasing vintage tone of the early guitars. Now people want it to look old too right?

I believe a guitarist needs to think about the tones they have heard and have fallen in love with. Next, they need to think about what instruments and amps etc. gave the player that tone in the first place. Now with that much known, it would seem clear what to buy right? The problem is in the fact that so much of what made those guitars what they were has changed. The metals in the bridge, the pole pieces, the copper windings, the lead wires etc.

I see some makers come close to putting some of these elements together but then fall short in other vital areas and it is due to the use of commercially available components used to make the guitars. I go through a lot of trouble and expense to have made the components I demand and the materials used to make them. It is vital to vintage tone. I also employ some of the finer modern elements in function to get better and wider ranges of performance out of the guitar. An example of that is in the way the tremolo uses vintage metals but is able to let you dive bomb and come back in tune. And of course the fact that you can navigate 30 plus tones with the guitar with good old fashioned ingenuity and a bit of creative wiring.

I mean…just think about the obsession people had with true bypass pedals and cables that are directional and have gold this and that and keep your tone in tact. Man…. Did anyone ever stop to look at the cables on Van Halen’s board in the day and the mix match of cables and boxes on many guitar heroes’ rigs? These tones we are chasing were all made in part by each component in the chain and it all contributes. Sure. Ultimately, having your guitar completely unaffected might sound like a good idea but only if the basics of the guitar are fantastic in the first place right? This all seems like simple common sense to me and that is what seems so hard to show people. They say they want to go in one direction but continue to drive in quite another direction at the same time. So…that is my two cents worth. I hope that helps some readers come to a more clear decision in their search for tone.

Thank you very much Don for helping to enlighten those of us in search of ‘Holy Grail Tone’. It would be more accurate to say it in plural -  an entire palette of the best vintage tones a player could ever hope to discover in one well made piece of ‘tonal freedom’ in a guitar. . As your credo is “Experience Tonal Freedom” I can testify that you’ve succeeded well beyond what I had expected. I also can’t thank you enough for being such a delight to get to know and work with since this was your first lefty guitar you’ve built. I hope our readers take your words to heart and contact you to find out for themselves what a true master craftsman and tone meister you can legitimately lay claim to. I’m very much looking forward to seeing and playing your two newest models. I understand your website will soon be revamped to show us all you now have to offer. My Warren Arlen Roth Signature Tele will be one axe that I plan on ‘taking with me’ when my time on Earth is over.

If you want to ‘Experience Tonal Freedom’, get in touch with Don.

• www.WarrenGuitars.com
• www.TheUltimateSetup.com 
• Email: don@warrenguitars.com
• Phone: 518-237-TONE(8663)

April 2009

Here in the Great White North of northern Michigan I hope it’s safe to say that the endless winter of ‘08/’09 is behind us. While the calendar date of spring may be March 21 I’ve grown accustomed to thinking of April 21 as our true first day of spring. Our economy in Michigan is about the worst in the nation but really, everyone is feeling the effects of this severe downturn with the exceptions of the utility industries and apparently the major guitar manufacturers.

In January I received my copy of Musician’s Friend annual comprehensive catalog. Naturally I didn’t expect to find any nice lefty guitars within their massive selections but as a habitual glutton for frustration I thought I’d see what fine new guitars are hitting the market for righties. Checking Gibson’s new retail prices first I wasn’t at all surprised to see that they raised their prices yet again for 2009. This new price hike comes on the heels of at least two price increases for Gibson in 2008, if I’m not mistaken.

When I came to Fender’s new list pricing, specifically the Eric Clapton Signature Strat at around $3599, I flung the catalog against my bedroom wall! Honestly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought we were in a depression?

On average it appears that Fender has raised prices by at least 33% across the board. Give or take 5%. It looks like Gibson has a policy of raising prices substantially every year, at least once.

When was the last time the average wage has been increased at all? I seem to recall them flatlining or even being reduced for quite some time now.

I’m well aware that in times of economic sluggishness music retailers tend to fare better than many other sectors of the marketplace as people have more time to play. Call it ‘food for the soul’. When money’s tight many of us feel the need for music and entertainment even more acutely. It doesn’t cost anything to dust off the case stashed under the bed and entertain ourselves, family, and friends. When the question is asked about what would be the first item to save from a house fire(after family and pets I presume) how many of us mention a prized musical instrument. In all practicality I hope your favorite instrument isn’t a Steinway baby grand! Furthermore, while discretionary spending gets curtailed severely for most of us in times like these it isn’t all that unusual for music lovers to buy that new guitar, amp, keyboard etc. that they’ve been wanting and saving for. Those of us afflicted with GAS are stalwart contributors to renewed economic health so feel good about having done your part to bring back the financial good times. Go spend a few bucks and feel good about it!

How in good conscience can the major manufacturers be so totally profit minded and, I have to say it, greedy? I guess part of the answer would be the ‘good conscience’ part of that question. The idea of conscience in business historically isn’t a well respected concept for the most part. We would hope that these price hikes are necessary for improving employee wages, salaries, and benefits but that is pretty naïve in today’s workplace. The majors are corporations with the attendant shareholders and their proxy demands for a bigger bottom line. Granted, the fine tonewoods in musical instruments are in ever decreasing supply and are going up in price dramatically. But how much does that REALLY add to the cost of your average solid wood instrument? With the economies of scale at work for such large manufacturers the actual added expense for these tonewoods is no reason to constantly jack up the cost just because another calendar year has gone by. To be fair, some of the smaller big concerns have indeed held off on price hikes as long as realistically possible. Ebay sellers stand to receive a better price for their gear since these new price increases send more and more of us to the used instrument market where prices for used, mint condition pieces are cheap by comparison.

There is an unexpected (to me) upside to this. With mass produced guitars at these lofty new price levels it now reflects very positively on the independent Luthiers and boutique builders. Many of the best of the indies like Warren, Suhr, Anderson etc. now have their retail prices for truly custom creations seem more within reach and affordable when something like a Fender Custom Shop Strat is considerably more expensive. Many of these individual builders’ prices start in the 3K neighborhood. For this sum you are getting a true custom guitar that is built to your preferences with far less frustration when it comes to requesting certain special features, hardware, or finishes.

Tonemeister Don Warren is one such independent Luthier that will also build lefty models at no lefty surcharge whatsoever.

The majors like Gibson and Fender don’t even offer all of their product line in lefty mode and whatever they do offer has that stupid upchuck, I mean, upcharge added on for the privilege of such a limited selection. Hopefully the new strata of prices from the established corporations will result in the golden era of the indie builder.


In 2008 I took delivery on my first custom order from an indie – a Don Warren Arlen Roth Signature Tele. It was Don’s first lefty ever and he hit a grand slam in his first at bat! I paid $3100 in 3 installments. No added charge for lefthanded – just $100 additional for providing my request of tortoise binding to create a ‘custom’ model from his AR Signature platform. Please read more about Don and this fabulous axe in my very first entry at Pancho’s Gear Porn this week. I had close to 65 electric axes in my collection before the Warren arrived. Suffice to say for now that the Arlen Roth Signature Custom became one of my top 2 electrics of them all immediately. More quality tones are found in this beauty than a half dozen others combined.

Don Warren Arlen Roth Signature Tele

This is NOT hype. You may already have that next custom order in mind but take a moment to check out Don’s work at: www.warrenguitars.com A true master whose time has come.

New at Pancho’s this month is the first listing at Pancho’s Gear Porn. I will use this section to feature the latest and greatest in guitar eye candy. I’ve also updated the galleries for guitars for sale with at least 5 new kick ass axes and included several more as my personal keepers (for now).

I’d like to thank all of my newest customers for your business and kind words of support and encouragement. I’ve been kept happily busy speaking and e-mailing with you as well as packing up guitars you’ve purchased from me. I never expected this little endeavor to take off so fast. I’m also happy to say that with my overseas sales there have been no negative reports of anything whatsoever other than the occasional extended wait while the axe gets custom clearance. So, for overseas guitarists that are curious – YES I will ship to you wherever you may be.

Peace
Phil aka Pancho

Well, so much for starting out the new year by keeping my resolution to writing a weekly blog. The Winter of ’09 has been real, to say the least.

In the meantime, we’ve bid good riddance(I hope!) to the nightmare that was Bushco. No matter what your political leanings, our new Commander in Chief could very well be the champion for the cause of lefties everywhere!

Did you happen to see it? When President Obama signed his very first piece of legislation on national TV, he signed it with his LEFT hand while remarking, “I’m a lefty, get used it.”

KA-CHING! Talk about resonating with me. “Why am I not surprised?” was my first impression considering the intelligence, ability, eloquence, and leadership that Obama exudes. Humility is obviously not a defining trait of lefties when discussing other great lefties.

It struck a barre chord even more deeply for me as this event happened right at the time I was(and still am) immersed in daily readings of the bible for lefty guitarists ‘Uncommon Sound’ by John Engel. Each day, after reading about more guitarists that were actually true lefties but either played straight righty or ‘upside down’ I was seeing a pattern forming that was built on the pioneers and true prodigies of guitar. Pioneers like Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney. Prodigies like Danny Gatton and Michael Angelo Batio.

It makes for an impassioned drunken argument that the greatest percentage of either the most capable or the most creative and daring(or both) guitarists for all time are naturally left handed. I know it’s a bold statement but it’s enlightening indeed to read Engel’s magnum opus and discover for yourself the similar backgrounds, thought processes, and tales of overcoming adversity in a right handed world that these players share. I’ll be reviewing ‘Uncommon Sound’ at length in the days to come.

New at Pancho’s

I’ve created a new feature called ‘Pancho’s Gear Porn’. This section is devoted to hot new axes arriving soon that have eye candy status. I will showcase guitars of special interest for lefty shoppers as well as museum grade pieces that won’t necessarily be for sale at the time.

Pancho’s is working to become a retailer for new handmade acoustics and custom order electrics from several different builders. Watch for the announcement of these retail agreements and be prepared to get GAS all over again.

Pancho’s is producing an instructional video that will show the viewer how to take a blank Tele body and neck and outfit it themselves with personally chosen pickups, pots and wiring, truss rod, tuners, and finishing. Soon come.

Thanks very much to everyone that has purchased a guitar from Pancho’s these past few months. I’m really happy that you all love them. Thank you also for the kind words of praise for the website and enthusiastic support. I’ve promised a lot so that means I’d better get crackin’!

The situation for left handed string players is getting better every day and I’m very happy to be a part of it. Pancho’s Leftys is here for the long haul. I appreciate your patience as it goes through its growing pains.

Peace.
Phil

PANCHO’S RANT (per the poisonous pen of Pancho the Polish plectrum player)

I’d like to inaugurate this new blog at Pancho’s Leftys by extending a warm welcome to everyone stopping by and checking out a new web home for lefty guitar fans. This website began as a simple photo gallery for my personal left handed guitar collection. It quickly morphed into a small enterprise as I began to sell a few after receiving unsolicited offers. Being a typically frustrated lefty guitar buyer over the years, it was all too obvious that there is a definite need for another source for buying lefty guitars, whether online or in an actual shop.

My decision to expand the commercial aspect of Pancho’s Leftys was not based solely on the desire to have a home based online business however. Building community is and has been a focal point for me to value and develop within the context of my working life and I saw no reason to change that behavior with the start up of something more than just a photo gallery. For instance, I’ve made numerous friends and amassed invaluable connections by buying and selling at ebay and elsewhere that today act as a solid cornerstone for me to build a larger community foundation on.

Lefties have a lot in common and not necessarily just the side they choose to sling from. There is a perspective we tend to share and point of view we see things from. There is also the common desire to buy specialized gear from someone that treats that desire as a mainstay of business and not a mere afterthought. No token lefties for sale here!

The decision to go from an HTML site to a more dynamic blog format was based on a commitment on my part to be as current and as interesting as possible with my limited web design skills. Here in January 2009 I have dedicated my energies to bring fresh content at least weekly to start. I’m not going the route of having diverse forums as is common for many dedicated sites. Think of it perhaps as more of an entertaining, educational, and commercial site that you’ll be able to interact with in certain areas in real time. For 2009 look here for many more lefty guitars for sale, interviews with industry insiders and luthiers, plenty of gear porn, gear and book reviews, and hopefully video presentations of home built guitar assembly.

Amplifiers will not be left out of the picture either. D’ya hear that righties? I really do hope that I can make Pancho’s Leftys be as bookmarkable for righties too. There may be a ‘slight’ bias toward us southpaws but you lefty challenged fold will just have to make do!

I’ve rambled enough for this week. Time to put my nose to the grindstone and make this happen. Please bear with me as I finish with guitar descriptions and photographing more guitar pix for the gallery. Check here at Pancho’s Rants for weekly columns that I hope you find worthwhile. I’ll try to only make promises that I can keep . . . and that’s a promise. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2009.

Peace, Praise, and Thanks

Phil (aka Pancho)

More Pictures

In review – this lefty Custom 22 has all the upgrades possible from PRS that ensure continued appreciation in the resale market –
• Quilted maple 10 top w/abalone birds
• Gold hardware
• Pickup toggle switch
• Black Cherry finish
• Locking tuners w/ebony buttons
• Push/pull coil taps
• Left handed
• No longer in production

PRS Custom 22 PRS Custom 22 w/birds, 10 top lefty, left handed MINT! Lefties rejoice! For your consideration is what I feel to be the finest lefty PRS Custom 22 to be listed at ebay in years. This is a rare opportunity to own a custom shop quality Custom 22 for much, much less than the 7-8K starting point of true Private Stock(Custom Shop) PRS’.
 
The only noticeable differences between this and a Private Stock model is the lack of a flamed maple neck and the gold trimmed Paua bird inlays on the fretboard. Unlike most lefty Custom 22’s listed at ebay over the past 4 years this fine work of art comes with a toggle switch for the pickups as opposed to the more common rotary dial(a $90 upgrade). While the rotary dial may be just fine in a non-live studio setting it becomes a liability in a live stage performance.
 
Imagine trying to quickly dial in a different pickup setting on the fly in the heat of a live show. The toggle switch allows for typical fast pickup changes for alternating lead-rhythm-solo work.
 
My guitar tech informs me that he’s swapped out rotary dials for toggle switches on every PRS he’s worked on in the past 25 years. In other words, MANY! This Custom 22 comes with the much desired black cherry finish on a high grade carved, quilted maple 10 top, with gold hardware and tremolo(more upgrades).
 
PLEASE NOTE: the black cherry color is washed out somewhat in the pix and appears much too bright.  The pickups are PRS’ famous Dragon II’s known for super sweet midrange. The gold hardware has been meticulously polished to prevent pitting. The abalone birds inlayed into the ebony fretboard are dimensional and very colorful. The neck carve profile is PRS’ famous ‘wide-fat’ – ergonomically comfortable and it contributes greatly to the hallmark PRS tone. The tuners are PRS’ own locking type with cool ebony buttons. Every inch of this masterpiece exudes class and attention to detail. This incredibly sexy axe was built in 2000.
 
It has never been taken out and gigged with. Minimal home studio use only. Since PRS stopped making lefties in their regular production runs a few years ago the only way to get a new lefthand Custom 22 is to order a Private Stock version.
 
 You’ll be hard pressed to find another Custom 22 in the same condition, with the same appointments, and in this same quilted maple, black cherry finish. The Guitar Galleria stocks their right handed Custom 22’s in the identical black cherry with quilted maple 10 top. It has a new set-up and intonation with D-Addario strings, gauge .010 – .046. Completely buffed and polished to a mirror like sheen. No scratches, dings, or dents anywhere with quiet toggle switch and controls.
 
Comes with PRS hard shell case in excellent, near mint condition. Frets are immaculately dressed, crowned, and polished with almost all of the fret life remaining. The tone and volume knobs are the push/pull type that enable you to split the coils of the humbuckers and have them act as single coil pickups that have real single coil chime and glass.