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Topic: Please help identify this JB Fry Pan? |
Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 2 May 2004 8:07 am |
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I finally bit the bullet and purchased a JB Frypan. It has not arrived yet. So I'm waiting anxiously and then a small bell goes off in the back of my head about some unauthorized versions having been made. So I go to the SGF to do some research ....just in case I had purchased an unauthorized version, then I would want to go catch Jerry at Harry's and pay Jerry what royalty he thought fair, or handle the matter in what manner he saw fit. But after doing my research here, it seems to me that this Frypan is an authorized JB made by Mitsuo Fujii / Excel ....but I am not sure because I have only held / seen original Rics and haven't seen this one yet, and only have these low resolution pictures to go by. There are no Sho-Bud fretmarkers that might indicate it came from an unauthorized run (if there ever was such a thing), and in one of the pictures it looks like Excel is printed on the neck at the last fret, and it appears that Jerry Byrd is printed on the fretboard in the Excel scheme. The plush lining of the case also suggests to me that it is an authorized Excel. But as dear as Jerry is to me and as endebted to him that I am, I want to make absolute sure.
Can someone qualified please provide some info here about whether this is indeed an Excel JB Frypan authorized by Jerry, so that when it gets here I will better know how to handle the matter if it is not authorized by Jerry.
Thank You,
Aloha,
Denny Turner
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 02 May 2004 at 09:38 AM.] |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 2 May 2004 8:18 am
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The black/silver knobs are exactly the same as my Excel JB ...
The Shobuds I have seen (just pictures) have different knobs ... all chromed
Mine has a "badge" on the back of headstock that says "Fuzzy Steel Guitar Co. ... Made in Japan" ...
Hope this helps ...
------------------
www.horseshoemagnets.com |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 2 May 2004 8:36 am
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Oh yeah ... and thats "Jerry" spelled out across the 24th fret ... same as at the 12th ...
"Byrd" is spelled out as the other fretmarkers ...
Same case, same "Phillips head" height adjustment, same bridge ...
Sure looks like an Excel to me  |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 2 May 2004 8:44 am
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THANKS Rick. I been up all night long "worried" and researching; 6:49 AM now and still not gone to bed. Then DUHhhhh (*drool*) ...in a flash of autistic genius it occured to me to go find and look at the picture on the Excel website! I just supplemented the pictures with that one too. Looks like a dead ringer to me; But with all the many discussions about unauthorized versions, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.
I'ze feelin MUCH gooder now.
THANK YOU,
Aloha,
DT~
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 02 May 2004 at 09:48 AM.] |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 4 May 2004 11:16 am
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I was really tempted to buy an Excel last May at the HSGA doings at the Queen Kapiolani hotel, where "Fuzzy" had two of the late type frypans his company makes. We compared the new one to an older one, and the new style is around 3/16 thicker on the round head-end, and also about 3/16 larger in diameter than the older type. If I remember correctly, the serial numbers of the two he had there were #141 and 142.
They had a very unique finish machined into the surface, and didn't have an access cover on the bottom. The guy they call "FUZZY" is the president of the company. Doesn't speak english much, but gets the word across.
BILL |
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Denny Turner
From:
Oahu, Hawaii USA
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Posted 6 May 2004 3:55 am
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Thank You very much Gentlemen; Much apprehension was relieved by your info and replaced by excited anticipation. The emails from the Seller (Mike and Maryann Cord of Cord International aka HawaiianMusic.com) were certainly nice enough to feel real good about things. I went to their website and saw their excellent work and selection of recordings for sale of mostly Hawaiian and some other music selections right down my alley of likings; So I was feeling pretty darn good.
Then the Frypan arrived today ....of course right at a time I was swamped with other chores so the day was filled with more anticipation until I could open it this evening. Peeling back the excellent packing with utmost care, the left and right side of my heart seemed to lose their coordination for a few moments; The case was absolutely flawless except for just a couple of TINY marks of no consequence at all; Heart's really pumping and palpating now. I opened the pristine case slowly, and there in an equally pristine beautiful blue plush interior sat an absolute pristine Frypan, obviously played but incredibly well taken care of; Did I say INCREDIBLY well taken care of? So pristine I had to get up and go get a couple of paper towels to lift it out of the case with so as not to get any hand oil on it! I'm high as a kite and haven't had anything stronger than ice tea in 3 years. Turning the Frypan over, the only marks were some of the black (vinyl-looking) paint on the back of the neck bubbled off minimally where it had rested on someone's leg, ....along with some unidentified "stuff" lightly smeared on the paint in a spot that would be between the player's legs (easily wiped off); And it's not difficult at all to imagine what that "stuff" might be ! ------- So I'm trying to think about what karma could have possibly made me so lucky ...as I gently set the Neck on the couch to look inside the generous assessory compartment. Yee ghads, Mike and/or Maryann had put 4 brand new wrapped Hawaiian music CD's in there ...obviously hand chosen! Pinched myself ...hard; No, I wasn't dreaming. Should I go downstairs and slam some appendage in the car door to make sure? I look around for clues; Nah, it's all real. THANKS A MILLION to Mike and Maryann; 5 big gold stars. ------- I went and washed my hands 3 times and came back to play it unplugged (late at night). It was tuned to C6 with 5 & 6 on the bottom. I pulled out my stethescope and placed it between the neck/body junction and the pillow in my lap. About 20 notes later my brain feels like someone slipped morphine in my coffee; I was "afraid" I'd start hallucinating or my heart valves wouldn't get back in sync; So enough for tonight; 6 hours at Six Flags with Dolly Parton would not have been any better. So I wipe it down ....can't remember how many times... and pack it up with extra care since the ocean and it's salt air is only about 30 yards out the back door. I was so high I forgot to look at the serial number. I'm still high; Can you tell ! Gotta go buy me some white gloves until I come down off of cloud 9. I'll be back to "normal" (fat chance) in a couple of days. ------- And if that weren't enough blessings for the day, I also received another purchase of an emerald green Guyatone S6 F-Pro "copy" ...2 rocker switches model... w/ HSC, ...that except for a tiny ding looks like brand new!
My little mele with Akua tonight will be most humble.
Bob, you can lock this one up.
Aloha,
DT~[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 06 May 2004 at 04:56 AM.] |
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Jim Smith
From:
Midlothian, TX, USA
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Posted 6 May 2004 4:07 am
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| Quote: |
| some unidentified "stuff" lightly smeared on the paint in a spot that would be between the player's legs |
Sounds like the previous owner liked the guitar pretty well too!   |
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