Ever hear of a Cimar guitar? Yeah, neither have I. Except that in 1979 while I was visiting San Diego State University, where I had attended a few years earlier, I strolled into Jim's House Of Used Guitars, across the street from the campus while I was killing time waiting for an old friend to get off work, and I bought one. I didn't realize I bought a Cimar, I had never heard of a Cimar which is a Japanese made copy of a 70s Fender Stratocaster, I thought I bought an actual Fender Strat, for $170.00. Yeah, I'm a dope. My friend, David Nigel Lloyd, owned a real Strat which even before the collectors' market for relatively new guitars really kicked in, was worth six or seven hundred dollars.
I saw this blond Strat hanging up high on a wall with a $170.00 price tag and asked to see it. They took it down and let me play it and I freaked out. It played as well as Dave's white Strat which was, outside of Bruce Gowdy's 1966 Gibson SG, the easiest guitar to play I've ever held in my grubby fingers. First and foremost I go for ease of playing as the sound can be changed electronically to whatever you want. I was in a sweat fearing that the guitar was missed price and that they'd ridicule me for thinking a Seventies Fender Strat would actually sell for $170.00 but when I wrote out the check, fully expecting to have to tear it up when they found the tag had been misprinted, they took it and I ran out of Jim's House Of Used Guitars like a thief in the night. It was only after I had it secured in my locked car that I read the Cimar sticker on the headstock and realized I hadn't bought a Fender. I was ripped off! Those bastards! Except, it really played great, felt and looked like a Strat and was only $170.00!
Over the years I replaced everything but the body and neck and probably put another $1,100.00 into it to get it exactly the way I want it and I love it. My Gibson, burgundy, double cutaway, semi-acoustic 330 that my parents bought me in 1968 for $375.00 with a hard shell case still has the most sentimental value to me but that Cimar is the one I play and the one that gets the most compliments for its tone.
My youngest son decided he wanted to collect guitars and has a pretty nice selection, all worth more than my old Cimar but even he says it's the best feeling guitar he's ever played. Like a good woman, sometimes you find one that fits you like a glove and no other, no matter how valuable or beautiful will do.
BTW, all our guitars are kept in a special safety deposit box at the bank don't even think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment