BITZER BLISS
I am always fascinated by the twists of fate that lead a guitarist to nd that long-dreamed-of special guitar in their musical journey. My own tale might be of interest, particularly because my ‘special one’ found me, rather than being sought-after. And it came from the most unpromising source.
During one of the lockdowns, my friend Graham Osborne got in touch to ask if I wanted an old electric he had in his attic. Knowing I dabbled in making cigarbox guitars, he thought I could possibly use it for parts and, of course, I immediately said yes. It turned out to be something of a ‘bitzer’, comprising the body of what I believe to be a 1967 Hopf Studio 808, married to the neck of an unknown Hofner. Overall, it was a pretty sorry specimen, but apart from missing frets, nut and strings, it was all there and most importantly the electrics still worked.
Something about it sparked my interest and rather than breaking it up for parts I decided to have a go at restoring it. Given its bitzer status, and wanting to maximise the opportunity for learning, I decided to go all in. Stripping o the original and badly crazed nish is probably sacrilege to some, but doing so revealed a creamy smooth maple neck that only required a re nish with gun stock oil, and a two-piece mahogany body. Apart from recarving the heel of the neck to make it t to the body more neatly, the most nerve-wracking work was refretting the neck and repositioning the bridge to get the intonation spot on.
Once screwed back together, my only criteria for success was that it worked. At its core, however, it must have always been a pretty decent instrument. It has exceeded my expectations and revealed itself to be an eminently playable guitar with P-90 pickups that give it a rich, versatile tone. It is now my ‘go-to’ guitar when I feel the need for the demon electricity! Call me sentimental, but there is something richly rewarding in giving old guitars a second life rather than it ending up in the parts bin.
On a totally unrelated topic, can I second Colin Bentham’s request for a dedicated acoustic section in the magazine in the future?
Glenn Holman, via email
Thanks very much for sending this beautiful, Lazarus-like guitar in, Glenn – there’s something so satisfying about an instrument that could have gathered dust being trans gured into something fresh and bespoke, not to mention sounding and feeling amazing to play, while evoking a little of the past, too. We’d call that the ultimate in ‘upcycling’. Well done. And on the other matter, if we get enough extra requests for an acoustic section we’ll give it a go!