...It was an old guitar, 1955, to be exact. The blond finish had honeyed to amber, and with one look, you could feel the million of notes it had played, the thousand clubs its sound had filled. It had not one, not two, but THREE old P-90 pickups. Three pickups, you see, was a revolutionary idea in those raw, early years of Rock and Roll. It was a Gibson Switchmaster, my new/old guitar, the flagship archtop of its day, and it had seen the glory and the grandeur of an era long past. I got chills the first time I opened its original brown case. After moments of contemplative reverence, I plugged it it.
To hear that sound - it would be a trip indeed. And it was, except... ...as in moments I discovered... .... one of the pickup selector positions did not seem quite right. It was the "All" position, where ALL THREE pickups are active simultaneously! One of the coolest sounds ever!!!! But obviously, to my experienced ear, something was amiss. I thought: I can FIX this little problem, whatever it might be. Can't be too serious. I will FIX this problem and be jamming in a few minutes!!!
The first problem here is that I don't know a great deal about REPAIRING guitars. I know that this can be a daunting task, and guys that are great at it have year and years of experience. But, I thought - I don't need no stinking experience. I can do it NOW! So, with great bravado, I began to "open up" the complex wiring of this fine old guitar. I was impatient, you know...
I will make a long, frustrating story short. I will skip the jumbled jungle of wiring I encountered. I will skip the unusual wiring, the loose ends all over the place, everything, within a few minutes, going "haywire". Now, where did THAT go? What IS that thing there?? In a word, after my "expert" attention, not only did the All position now fail to work entirely, but the other positions, also, had become questionable. Then, the whole thing went "dead". I went to bed, hours later, a broken, disappointed man,
I took Mr. Switch, in the following days, to several qualified repairmen. No luck. Can't SOMEONE put this right? I am sorry, I have sinned. I have transgressed sacred territory, (do NOT try this at home!) and have totally f'd up a great old guitar. Some noted electronic repairmen, admittedly, were just too busy to give it immediate attention. Others, however, perhaps equally qualified, did have a look see. It baffled everyone, and no slouches present. I was told I would need to replace the entire wiring harness. Several experts concurred. Oh yes, this would be a VERY complicated and costly repair. I was looking at $300, minimum. I was frustrated, and even crestfallen. My beautiful old "find" had become a lodestone. No fun at all.
Then, I remembered a guy I had just met. Mickey. Mickey worked for Oz, and he did guitar repair. I did not have high hopes, but what could I lose? So, I called Mickey.
First surprise was that Mickey offered to make a "house call". To come over and see the guitar, and if need be, take it home to address the problem. Of course, by this time, I would have agreed to anything.
Mickey came by and picked up the old, venerable Gibson. I could tell at once that he knew and loved these great old instruments. I felt safe letting him take Mr. Switch home, even though I barely knew him, and Mr. Switch was, even with its defect, a VERY valuable vintage guitar.
I got a call from Mickey later that night. (THAT NIGHT!!!!) He had analyzed the problem, and had in fact fixed it. I was amazed, and even disbelieving. Surely this could not be. I mean, NO ONE else had had a clue. What does this guy know (?) I wondered.
I got the guitar back next day. It worked great. I played for hours that night, and even tried to sing Blue Suede Shoes a few times. How many years had it been since that ALL position had worked? In the fifties, this sound must have been as wild as Sputnik launching into outer space. Still is, come to think of it. Mickey explained all the stuff he needed to do, some of which I dimly understood. The very best news: the repair job cost, as I recall, about $50 or so.
Thanks Mickey! You've since done other great work for me. I keep stumbling upon these vintage treasures, and whatever maladies ail them, you are the best Doc I have found. Not only that, my friend, you are one of the few guys that can play a groove I can solo over!!!
Sincerely, Best Regards, and keep the great lyrics comin', by sliver or slice,
Joe Summers