Anyone For Micro-Frets?

WickedGTR · September 7th, 2005, 08:04 PM

Non-affiliated ebay sale:

Micro-Frets Golden Melody

(The pickups don't look right to me on this one)

I've been looking for one with the vibrato bar...you don't see them come up very often...Recently saw an old Porter Waggoner Show, and the whole band was playing them...

Anybody here own one?

beez · September 7th, 2005, 09:23 PM

Interesting guitars...was doing 30 years ago what Buzz Feiten is doing now. They used to have a couple of them hanging on the wall as decoration at Sumner County Music in Gallatin TN years ago. Not sure what happened to them after Jim passed away.

Dave W · September 7th, 2005, 10:27 PM

I don't know that much about them but the pickups look okay to me. The early types with the scalloping on the pickguard and the thumbwheels had DeArmond pickups in that metal surround ring. The later types had pickups made in the Micro-Frets factory, those are the annoyingly bright plastic ones with no surround.

Tim Armstrong · September 7th, 2005, 10:37 PM

My Mom likes to watch the Lawrence Welk shows on PBS, and everytime I wander through while it's on, I check it out to see what Buddy Merrill is playing (he went through a LOT of equipment over the years!). At some point in the very late 60s/early 70s, he was playing a Microfrets.

Hey, if Buddy Merrill played it, it HAD to be cool!

Grins, Tim

WickedGTR · September 8th, 2005, 07:17 AM

Seems that someone bought the assets of the old Micro-Frets company and is now making the guitars again on a per order basis....check out their site:
http://www.micro-frets.com/index.asp
Not cheap, but not bad for what seems to be a custom ordered, hand built guitar....

Lots of info on the old company and guitars. The new ones look great in the pictures. It seems those pickups are correct, andprobably an earlier model.

They were really advanced for their time (or even today). The calibrato vibrato is particularly interesting to me- it drops the strings in relative tuning to each other. I played a few years ago and they were very nice (as I remebered)

Let's not forget that Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad favored a Micro-Frets too! Carl Perkins often played one with Johnny Cash too....

Andy R · September 8th, 2005, 10:12 AM

I've played the one on eBay- non original finish and silly decals every where, but all the hardware is original, the neck is a little chunkier than other MFs I've played. It is a series 1, the rarest of all, with the goofy knobs coming out of the pg. Also, I emailed the new company, and they told me that all the guitars are 24" scale, and they had no intention of making any longer scaled guitars. Yucch.

David Barnett · September 8th, 2005, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

My Mom likes to watch the Lawrence Welk shows on PBS, and everytime I wander through while it's on, I check it out to see what Buddy Merrill is playing (he went through a LOT of equipment over the years!). At some point in the very late 60s/early 70s, he was playing a Microfrets.

Hey, if Buddy Merrill played it, it HAD to be cool!

I remember seeing lots of odd guitars on Lawrence Welk. Some that come to mind are the Giannini Craviola, a hollow-body Vox with all the built-in effects and a HUGE headstock, a 335-shaped Mosrite with a Dobro resonator...

ye olde fretmonkey · September 8th, 2005, 12:33 PM

Microfrets always made me think of a poor man's Rickenbacker, for some weird reason.

mk · September 8th, 2005, 12:36 PM

I had one in the late '80s -- a pretty cool guitar, from what I remember. I've been tempted to pick one up again, but the skinny necks would really bug me now.

ye olde fretmonkey · September 8th, 2005, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mk

I had one in the late '80s -- a pretty cool guitar, from what I remember. I've been tempted to pick one up again, but the skinny necks would really bug me now.

ok...bastard son of a Rickenbacker and a Peavey T-60!

September 7th, 2005, 08:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
WickedGTR Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hillbilly Hollywood Posts: 2,124 4 Photos	Anyone For Micro-Frets? Non-affiliated ebay sale: Micro-Frets Golden Melody (The pickups don't look right to me on this one) I've been looking for one with the vibrato bar...you don't see them come up very often...Recently saw an old Porter Waggoner Show, and the whole band was playing them... Anybody here own one? __________________ http://www.myspace.com/jameswilsey

September 7th, 2005, 10:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 8,404	My Mom likes to watch the Lawrence Welk shows on PBS, and everytime I wander through while it's on, I check it out to see what Buddy Merrill is playing (he went through a LOT of equipment over the years!). At some point in the very late 60s/early 70s, he was playing a Microfrets. Hey, if Buddy Merrill played it, it HAD to be cool! Grins, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

September 8th, 2005, 07:17 AM	#5 (permalink)
WickedGTR Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Hillbilly Hollywood Posts: 2,124 4 Photos	Rebirth Seems that someone bought the assets of the old Micro-Frets company and is now making the guitars again on a per order basis....check out their site: http://www.micro-frets.com/index.asp Not cheap, but not bad for what seems to be a custom ordered, hand built guitar.... Lots of info on the old company and guitars. The new ones look great in the pictures. It seems those pickups are correct, andprobably an earlier model. They were really advanced for their time (or even today). The calibrato vibrato is particularly interesting to me- it drops the strings in relative tuning to each other. I played a few years ago and they were very nice (as I remebered) Let's not forget that Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad favored a Micro-Frets too! Carl Perkins often played one with Johnny Cash too.... __________________ http://www.myspace.com/jameswilsey

September 8th, 2005, 12:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
ye olde fretmonkey Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin Posts: 3,332	Microfrets always made me think of a poor man's Rickenbacker, for some weird reason. __________________ Just 'cause that's the way things are, that never did make it right.

September 7th, 2005, 09:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
beez Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 753	Interesting guitars...was doing 30 years ago what Buzz Feiten is doing now. They used to have a couple of them hanging on the wall as decoration at Sumner County Music in Gallatin TN years ago. Not sure what happened to them after Jim passed away.

September 7th, 2005, 10:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dave W Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: Guadalupe County, TX Age: 61 Posts: 1,712	I don't know that much about them but the pickups look okay to me. The early types with the scalloping on the pickguard and the thumbwheels had DeArmond pickups in that metal surround ring. The later types had pickups made in the Micro-Frets factory, those are the annoyingly bright plastic ones with no surround.

September 8th, 2005, 10:12 AM	#6 (permalink)
Andy R Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nashville Posts: 640 4 Photos	I've played the one on eBay- non original finish and silly decals every where, but all the hardware is original, the neck is a little chunkier than other MFs I've played. It is a series 1, the rarest of all, with the goofy knobs coming out of the pg. Also, I emailed the new company, and they told me that all the guitars are 24" scale, and they had no intention of making any longer scaled guitars. Yucch.

September 8th, 2005, 12:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
mk Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 253	I had one in the late '80s -- a pretty cool guitar, from what I remember. I've been tempted to pick one up again, but the skinny necks would really bug me now.