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New guy here, have these ideas for several new guitars...


J Backlund

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34 minutes ago, t_e_l_e said:

RavenCAD have a look here
but hey i'm not responsible for your G.A.S so beware yourself before clicking the link :)
https://eastwoodguitars.com/collections/backlund

 

 

 

Hmmm, they're not showing the new 800 offset there. I have one coming in a few weeks (I think) in the questionably beautiful 'Oliveburst' finish.

 

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23 hours ago, J Backlund said:

 

Hmmm, they're not showing the new 800 offset there. I have one coming in a few weeks (I think) in the questionably beautiful 'Oliveburst' finish.

 

IMG_20190509_153331508~3.jpg

the 800 is online availbe currently ofer the custom shop and is in the making
https://eastwoodcustoms.com/projects/backlund-800/

it seem there is no link main side and the custom shop crowd funding site where you can jump in between :(

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I had my first opportunity to play a J Blacklund at the Shepherd Center hospital last summer. They were calling it the “purple Prince” guitar. I have no Idea how they ended up with it (in a hospital music room). I remember thinking it played so well that I looked up the company and was shocked. I’ve thought about dragging a Fender over there and seeing if they want to trade. Also, I’ve been drawing out sketches for new guitar shapes

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Hmmm, never heard of a 'Purple Prince'. The only Backlund guitar model that had a purple finish that I was aware of was the old Retronix R-800 from the JBD co. It was an import version of the original model 800 built in Chattanooga some years ago. I have one example of that Retronix model, a pearl seafoam green one, maybe the one you are referring to was similar to it...

 

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53 minutes ago, J Backlund said:

Hmmm, never heard of a 'Purple Prince'. The only Backlund guitar model that had a purple finish that I was aware of was the old Retronix R-800 from the JBD co. It was an import version of the original model 800 built in Chattanooga some years ago. I have one example of that Retronix model, a pearl seafoam green one, maybe the one you are referring to was similar to it...

 

IMG_20200124_074717291.jpg

That’s the one but solid purple. They didn’t know the name of it and “Putple Prince” is just what the therapist referred to it as. Anyways, it’s in the SHARE program department of the Shepherd Center that is all military related head, spine, brain injury treatment for vets. (I was inpatient for almost 5 months and I in the music program as Rec therapy since I play guitar.) I always grabbed that one over the Strat and les Paul traditional that they also have. 

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On 1/20/2020 at 9:15 AM, J Backlund said:

That drawing was what became the model 400, and was produced with two more or less standard humbuckers placed in a normal vertical position. Slanted pickups were never used on the actual guitar.

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I've seen your stuff at Eastwood.

Would be very cool to see a tenor version of this or something close.

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On 1/24/2020 at 4:04 AM, RTJ1S said:

I had my first opportunity to play a J Blacklund at the Shepherd Center hospital last summer. They were calling it the “purple Prince” guitar. I have no Idea how they ended up with it (in a hospital music room). I remember thinking it played so well that I looked up the company and was shocked. I’ve thought about dragging a Fender over there and seeing if they want to trade. Also, I’ve been drawing out sketches for new guitar shapes

 This is the only Purple JBD-800  we ever built.    Metallic Royal Purple,   Although I thought it was a great looking color,  it was not as popular as the Teal Blue Metallic that we so often got asked for.

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On 1/28/2020 at 7:57 PM, brucebennett said:

 Yes sir,  thats just how I remember it.  

 

Long delay, I know.  That is definitely the shape and color, the one I saw is the Retronix version. Still, very nice guitar.  Plays well and looks 90% like that. I want to say it had double humbuckers, however I wouldn’t guarantee it. Also I don’t recall the three horizontal stripes on the pickguard 

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4 hours ago, RTJ1S said:

Long delay, I know.  That is definitely the shape and color, the one I saw is the Retronix version. Still, very nice guitar.  Plays well and looks 90% like that. I want to say it had double humbuckers, however I wouldn’t guarantee it. Also I don’t recall the three horizontal stripes on the pickguard 

 yes, that would likely be a Retronix R-800 version,

 those all came without the 3 "speed lines" on the pickguard. 

 

 here is a front back shot of the Korean made Retronix R-800 with fixed bridge and maple fretboard.

 these were available with a tremolo and rosewood fretboards as well.

_SHP3049en.jpg

_SHP3054en.jpg

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4 hours ago, RTJ1S said:

Long delay, I know.  That is definitely the shape and color, the one I saw is the Retronix version. Still, very nice guitar.  Plays well and looks 90% like that. I want to say it had double humbuckers, however I wouldn’t guarantee it. Also I don’t recall the three horizontal stripes on the pickguard 

The Retronix 800 had two chrome humbuckers. As for the three 'speedline' cutouts in the guard, for some reason that I never understood, they omitted that feature on some Retronix 800 pickguards, but not others, I don't know by what proportion though. 

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25 minutes ago, J Backlund said:

The Retronix 800 had two chrome humbuckers. As for the three 'speedline' cutouts in the guard, for some reason that I never understood, they omitted that feature on some Retronix 800 pickguards, but not others, I don't know by what proportion though. 

 

  Not meaning to contradict you John,  but there is an erroneous conclusion in your statement. likely cause by all the "proud customer" posted photos of a few models that happened to be modified at time of sale.

  The Retronix guitars all came as shown in the above photos.  with a pair of black open coil "Dracowyre" pickups factory installed.

   chrome covered humbuckers  and EMGs were added by customer request only at an additional cost,  as well as the addition of the speed lines to the PG..

    I only did that on just a very few (less than 5) Retronix instruments total,  and I did them by hand as I filled each order..

    I still have all of the order paperwork stored here. and not to put too fine a point on it.

    but, I had more than enough reasons to remember these details very vividly.

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10 hours ago, brucebennett said:

 

  Not meaning to contradict you John,  but there is an erroneous conclusion in your statement. likely cause by all the "proud customer" posted photos of a few models that happened to be modified at time of sale.

  The Retronix guitars all came as shown in the above photos.  with a pair of black open coil "Dracowyre" pickups factory installed.

   chrome covered humbuckers  and EMGs were added by customer request only at an additional cost,  as well as the addition of the speed lines to the PG..

    I only did that on just a very few (less than 5) Retronix instruments total,  and I did them by hand as I filled each order..

    I still have all of the order paperwork stored here. and not to put too fine a point on it.

    but, I had more than enough reasons to remember these details very vividly.

 

You are correct, my own Retronix 800 does not have chrome buckers....sometimes one cannot see his nose in front of his face. Thanks for the correct info, Bruce 

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I remember when you were first sharing these sketches and it's great to see them become a reality over the years. There's at least one other forum member who has had some success with custom finishes on guitars and started in his garage and sharing the build threads here. I miss all the build threads.

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Dave, I have to tell you a story from Summer NAMM 2010 in Nashville.

 

 So I was just hanging out in our J.Backlund Booth and I see this rather large kinda scruffy fellow standing in the middle of the aisle way

 he's staring pretty hard at all the J.Backlund Design guitars. and he's kinda looking this way and that way,  cocking his head to the side..

 looks like he's got something to say.

 So Steve Lewis our CEO at the time, slides up beside him and says  " So, what do you think?"

 The guy turns to Steve and says in a strong Irish brogue,

   " I think ya've done something RRADICAL!..... that doesn't offend meh"

  ( the extra "R" is to denote that he rolled his "R"s)

 

 Best line to describe the J.Backlunds I ever heard.

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20 hours ago, brucebennett said:

Dave, I have to tell you a story from Summer NAMM 2010 in Nashville.

 

 So I was just hanging out in our J.Backlund Booth and I see this rather large kinda scruffy fellow standing in the middle of the aisle way

 he's staring pretty hard at all the J.Backlund Design guitars. and he's kinda looking this way and that way,  cocking his head to the side..

 looks like he's got something to say.

 So Steve Lewis our CEO at the time, slides up beside him and says  " So, what do you think?"

 The guy turns to Steve and says in a strong Irish brogue,

   " I think ya've done something RRADICAL!..... that doesn't offend meh"

  ( the extra "R" is to denote that he rolled his "R"s)

 

 Best line to describe the J.Backlunds I ever heard.

That's awesome! 

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Loved these guitars when the sketches and then prototypes appeared on here. Came very close to buying a retronix, but was running my own business then and just had no spare money for more guitars and didn't want to sell what I had at the time. I'm slightly sad that I didn't manage to get one of these, but TBH I don't play electric very much now, and it would have been wasted on me.

 

FWIW the wife wandered in while I was looking at the Retronix picture above and said "No. Well, actually you could.... "

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6 hours ago, Ancient Mariner said:

Loved these guitars when the sketches and then prototypes appeared on here. Came very close to buying a retronix, but was running my own business then and just had no spare money for more guitars and didn't want to sell what I had at the time. I'm slightly sad that I didn't manage to get one of these, but TBH I don't play electric very much now, and it would have been wasted on me.

 

FWIW the wife wandered in while I was looking at the Retronix picture above and said "No. Well, actually you could.... "

As you might expect, I have quite a few 'Backlund' guitars, but as odd as it might seem, I don't play any of them, they just hang on a wall. I have three guitars that are played on a daily basis, and that's about it. They are my Kala thinline acoustic/electric nylon-string classical, my Gretsch resonator, and my 2001 Fender MIM telecaster.

 

 

IMG_20200229_182430293.jpg

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