retrofrets
Joined: 29 Jun 2012
Posts: 1
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Posted: 06/29/2012 at 12:44 PM Post subject: Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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Hi, Can anyone help? This TB1000S is inscribed "13 May 77 For Greg Lake Travis Bean". It appears to be Std model with 2 mini toggle switches with a 1361 serial no. with a brown Kramer case. The fretboard needs feeding and the frets a good polish but in v. good condition with some marking on pickguard. I'm no expert but I guess this is a Koa body? Any comments or thoughts would be greatly received. Many thanks for your time and help. Regards, Kev, Retrofrets, Bristol, England.
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frankintank
Joined: 01 Jun 2001
Posts: 33
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Posted: 05/18/2013 at 5:31 PM Post subject: RE:Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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I'm reasonably sure that it's the same one I delivered to his equipment manager just before they were to play at the Long Beach Arena. Kenny Smith was his name I believe. Journey was opening for ELP and we got there about the middle of their set. Those 2 toggles were individual coil splitters which I still remember wiring up. I'm sure the body was Koa. While we were backstage, my buddy ventured unchallenged into the VIP area and wound up drinking wine with Keith Emerson until they went on. All this, while I timidly waited outside the restricted area and missed out completely. My friend knew then what it took me years to learn: It's ALWAYS better to ask forgiveness than permission
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Ageinggroover
Joined: 01 Jun 2013
Posts: 1
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Posted: 06/01/2013 at 12:14 PM Post subject: RE:Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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I think I played (and lusted after) this guitar in about 1980. It was for sale in a guitar shop (Charminster Guitars?) in Charminster Rd, Bournemouth for £500. The salesman said that Greg Lake was selling the guitar as he couldn't get on with it on stage as the neck was too cold. Not sure if any of that was true of course. I would have sold everything I owned to buy it but I was a pennyless student at the time.
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frankintank
Joined: 01 Jun 2001
Posts: 33
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Posted: 06/01/2013 at 1:09 PM Post subject: RE:Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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Sadly, the story rings true. It was a fairly common complaint which ultimately led to the offering of black Imron paint over the aluminum as an option. The belief of everyone working there was that it was more of a psychological thing ... that people EXPECT polished metal to feel cold. It's worth noting that when Gary Kramer left TB and began making an ostensible alternative to the TB, that it featured inlaid wood on the back of its aluminum neck. As the national sales rep, he probably heard the complaints about the cold neck daily, and it was clearly driving him nuts that TB so easily discounted them. It was but one of many conflicts between them I observed.
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PaulB
Joined: 20 Aug 2013
Posts: 2
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Posted: 08/20/2013 at 1:45 PM Post subject: RE:Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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Hi, I just bought this guitar. The two switches are in fact a coil tap and a kill switch, so perhaps there has been some rewiring at some stage? The solder all looks old and original though, so perhaps it was always this way.
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frankintank
Joined: 01 Jun 2001
Posts: 33
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Posted: 08/20/2013 at 2:21 PM Post subject: RE:Greg Lake's TB1000S |
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I can't say with absolute certainty, as it's been almost 35 years. Is the coil splitter a master? That is .. using a DPDT microswitch to split BOTH pickups simultaneously? Is the kill switch a SPDT tapped off the output jack or pickup selector switch to ground the "after controls" signal? If the wire going to the pole of the kill switch is the yellow/white co-ax or the white with green/brown runner (same as the tap wire off of each pickup and going to the other switch) then it is almost certainly something I did at the factory in 1978? If it looks original to you, then it probably is. Most likely ... I remembered 2 switches, but forgot that one was a kill switch.
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Disclosure: Any links to eBay or Amazon.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links may provide commission payments to the site based on purchases.
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