I've gone Green!

Nope, none of that "save the planet" stuff, heck I still mow the lawn with my 15 year old LawnBoy, smoke and all.
If Mother Nature can't take a joke, she shouldn't have invented carbon!   I be talking 'bout a geetar of course.

Actually, I was first talking to a local seller about buying a lovely trans blue Aria Pro II Cardinal. Long story short, after many emails and an agreement to sell it to me, he became evasive and put me off twice. Ultimately he reneged and dropped communications. Never had that happen before, a real Prince of a guy.

But, as luck would have it this little green monster popped up...a Vintage VRS100.



Some of you know that I'm a big fan of the Vintage brand and I already have 3 of them, including the fabulous Lemon Drop reliced LP. Unfortunately all the dealers have disappeared from Canada, or at least this part of it, so if you want to buy one you either import from the UK or a handful of US dealers. Not realistic considering their modest price.

I always keep an eye out but it's rare to find one, folks tend to hang on to 'em. This particular model echoes a PRS, and it does a really decent job of it. I just gave her a quick thrashing tonight after having done a thorough detailing and setup and I was very impressed!

Poplar body with flame maple cap, set maple neck, and of course, all Wilkinson hardware/electronics. Lots of umph when you need it from the bridge, plus nice bluesy tone from the neck, with sustain to spare. And as a bonus, a solid trem that stays in tune! Comfy on the strap too.
What more can you ask for?






It ain't the Mats I was hoping to get originally, but this is turning out to be a really nice little player.
And...it's green!

Looks nice.

I have seen some really nice looking Vintage guitars, BUT....

... I have always ended up being put off by the name. To me, "Vintage" is a really naff name. I might as well be called "Collectable" or "Really Desirable Pseudo Old Guitars", but I guess you need a really big headstock to get all that lettering on.  

I think they should have gone a more innocuous name. One that doesn't sound like it is trying to be something else.

But maybe that's just me, and I should get over myself.

Very nice Barry albeit very green...

Hey now, don't get put off by the label. That's exactly the same problem Westone and most of other Mats brands suffered from, eh?

These are not in the same league as Mats, but they fill that affordable niche nicely and they are great little players with a great big bang for the buck.

Some minor fit and finish issues were present though.
I had to do some serious sanding and filing to get the plastic back cover plates to seat properly. They were very crudely made. And the "gold" plating is so thin that they may has well left it off. A lot of it was already gone on the pickup covers and I just about removed the rest in the cleaning.

Those gold knobs were put on by the seller. The originals were black, and very, very cheap looking. I will be replacing those with black speed knobs with gold numbering. But overall the guitar is solidly built and no structural or electrical issues at all.

Green would not have been my first choice, the white version of this is just stunning, but ya takes what you gets. The frustrating thing about JHS (the parent company) and the brand generally is that they change the models often and drop others completely, so it's sometimes tough to follow the history of a particular line. The VRS100 is no longer made, having been replaced by the VRS150 for example. More expensive of course.

Oh forgot to mention that the saddles on this are stainless steel! Nice.

I like it. I had a Vintage semi-acoustic a few years back, and it was a very well made guitar. It wasn't cheap though; I think there is a price range and you get what you pay for (as with other makes). I guess Fret-King is the new name for the best of Trev Wilkinson.
There are quite a few naff names out there; perhaps someone could start a new topic on them, for fun?

Yes, I understand Fret King is Trev's newest "top line". They look good, but they're not available here either.

I really love the 4 Vintages that I have, but there was some work to do to make 'em right. The exception was the acoustic-electric which was pretty much perfect. The Lemon Drop and the Tele had fret issues, sharp ends or a couple of high frets to level, and this one had plastic parts fit issues. All needed a proper setup.

It's a shame because it's little things like that that convey the image of a poorly made guitar, which is not the case. But it really helps if you're a bit of handy man!

There's a good few great guitar makes out there which get little praise.
This is similar to your Vintage(green) Barry. 
Have a few of these Crafters(4). Mahogany body, neck,carved maple cap, 25" scale alnico pups.

Yeah, you've mentioned those before Damian. Beautiful!

Probably can't find 'em here either

Barry wrote:Yeah, you've mentioned those before Damian. Beautiful!

Probably can't find 'em here either

Stopped making them in 2004.

Here's another, not everyone's taste but they sound and play great.Decent pickups!Necks are not that slim.
Came with an amp I was after but have decided to keep it for the time being.

Daisy Rock Elite

Daisy Rock?!
Elite?!
Mother of toilet seat top?!
Hold me back.

Kidding aside, the back looks nice. Too bad they didn't make that the front.

Knew you'd like it.... .....especially the MOT control cover.

I like the nail varnish....

Adey wrote:I like the nail varnish....

Suits you sir...

What are you two like! I don't know if you've seen it, but someone has actually made a guitar from a toilet seat (the bit with the hole)!

David_A wrote:What are you two like! I don't know if you've seen it, but someone has actually made a guitar from a toilet seat (the bit with the hole)!

Have seen those toilet seat guitars, apparently they sound crap...

sorry to stay on topic

I like the Green Barry!
My dad's got a Vintage LP (V100?) in a natural finish, nice player

like the Crafter's Damian!  and pretty sure my 5 year old would love the daisy rock

xbarnesx wrote:...I like the Green Barry!
My dad's got a Vintage LP (V100?) in a natural finish, nice player...

Thanks. Your dad has good taste, the Vintage LP's rawk.
I have the "reliced" Peter Green Lemon Drop with the 60's skinny neck which feels much like my '64 Gibson ES330. It's hard to put it down!

Barry wrote:

xbarnesx wrote:Thanks. Your dad has good taste

of course he has
its he's Prestige 250 I nicked

xbarnesx wrote:  and pretty sure my 5 year old would love the daisy rock

Don't knock 'em 'till you tried 'em. 

No cheap piece of crap! A very decent guitar in it's own right.... ....no child's plaything....

Westbone wrote:

xbarnesx wrote:  and pretty sure my 5 year old would love the daisy rock

Don't knock 'em 'till you tried 'em. 

No cheap piece of crap! A very decent guitar in it's own right.... ....no child's plaything....

wasn't knocking
she'd love the colour

she's starting to 'play' guitar, she has a little half sized acoustic and I'm fixing up a futurama for her due to its small scale and body size
struggling with chord shapes but enjoying different right hand rhythms and playing quite and then loud - the post-rock brainwashing must have worked

Snap Barry

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-VRS-100-PRS-Style-Electric-Guitar-Green-Flame-Top-Gold-Hardware-Gigbag-/142386770706?hash=item2126e9b312:g:RO4AAOSwjqVZEMDJ

That's in beautiful condition. Great little guitar.
I find myself picking it up a lot more than I thought I would.

Barry wrote:That's in beautiful condition. Great little guitar.
I find myself picking it up a lot more than I thought I would.

Nothing to do with me just happened to see it on e bay.

Glad you like yours...

Happy Birthday also Barry have a good one.....

Cheers Damian!
Getting old sux, but at least I'm vertical most days and still making a mildly disturbing noise in the music room.