http://www.300guitars.com Guitar Mania by Billy Penn Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:25:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.300guitars.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-leo-fender/ http://www.300guitars.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-leo-fender/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:20:29 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=10022 Happy Birthday Leo Fender!! Yep, good ol’ Uncle Leo was born on this day August 10th in 1909. He would have been 102 years old and I’m pretty certain he would be at his bench in his lab cooking up some experimental pickup design or amp circuit.  So today when you pick up your Telecaster,... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-leo-fender/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2011/02/fender-factory-tour-1959/ http://www.300guitars.com/2011/02/fender-factory-tour-1959/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:39:39 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=9613 Here is a seven minute and twenty-six second look into the past. This is a really cool video of the Fender factory in 1959..!! You can see all of the factory workers doing their individual parts in the guitar building process. The factory is very modest, the workers have no dress code whatsoever and I... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2011/02/fender-factory-tour-1959/feed/ 2 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/08/celluloid-strat-pickguards-available/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/08/celluloid-strat-pickguards-available/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:55:15 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=9134 Who has a real 60′s Strat with a replaced or cracked nitrate “green guard” and wants to make their guitar look as correct as possible? Well, instead of spending a ton of cash on an original guard that could have shrunk and warped over the years you can now get an extremely accurate reproduction from... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/08/celluloid-strat-pickguards-available/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/06/ny-amp-show-lance-lerman-interview/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/06/ny-amp-show-lance-lerman-interview/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=8649 Lance Lerman of LSL Guitars is now offering rosewood fretboard models. I talked with Lance for a while at the show and played the new T-Bone and Saticoy. Lance is a great guy, VERY funny and builds an excellent guitar..!!! Tweet]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/06/ny-amp-show-lance-lerman-interview/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/05/fender-the-golden-age-1946-1970/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/05/fender-the-golden-age-1946-1970/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 15:30:46 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=8457 The new book Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970 is now finally available..!! This looks like an awesome book and I want one now..!! Most people that visit me here know I am a Fender Tele guy (nut) and love all things related to the golden era of the Fender company. The simple practical designs, the... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/05/fender-the-golden-age-1946-1970/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/cool-cd-alert-pure-by-tomo-fujita/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/cool-cd-alert-pure-by-tomo-fujita/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:18:18 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=8071 Here’s a great new CD by Tomo Fujita called “Pure”. Tomo is an amazing player and faculty member at the Berklee College of Music. He has worked with some great artists such as Phil Collins, John Mayer and Ronnie Earl to name a few. On his latest release Tomo enlisted Will Lee to play bass... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/cool-cd-alert-pure-by-tomo-fujita/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/qa-with-legendary-guitarist-jeff-beck/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/qa-with-legendary-guitarist-jeff-beck/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:02:55 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=8103 There is a cool interview with Jeff Beck over on the Fender website. In this Q&A interview Beck talks about his new album “Emotion & Commotion”, how and what he practices, guitars, the Yardbirds, cars and some other cool stuff. If you are a Jeff Beck fan this is definitely worth a read. He is... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/qa-with-legendary-guitarist-jeff-beck/feed/ 1 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/fender-vs-gl-necks-arent-they-interchangeable/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/fender-vs-gl-necks-arent-they-interchangeable/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:16:24 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7965 Every now and then I get an email or two from players asking about putting a Fender neck on a G&L guitar. Some of the G&L guitars have pretty thin necks and it is not easy to obtain a replacement from G&L if you don’t like the profile plus there are no readily available aftermarket... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/04/fender-vs-gl-necks-arent-they-interchangeable/feed/ 1 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-lance-lerman-of-lsl-guitars/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-lance-lerman-of-lsl-guitars/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:35:32 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7599 Here is an interview I did with Lance Lerman of LSL Instruments. The LSL guitars are awesome and are built by hand the old skool way. Super light, great tone and playability. Tweet]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-lance-lerman-of-lsl-guitars/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-kendrick-continental-and-bad-ass-man/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-kendrick-continental-and-bad-ass-man/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:16:33 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7492 Gerald Weber of Kendrick Amps talks about his Continental and Bad Ass Man amp. Tweet]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/03/austin-amp-show-kendrick-continental-and-bad-ass-man/feed/ 0 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/stratocaster-intonation-tip/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/stratocaster-intonation-tip/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:11:01 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7294 If you are having trouble setting up and intonating your Stratocaster type guitar then this video can help. The magnetic pull of the pickups can mess with the string vibrations and throw off the intonation……and kill a bit of sustain. As always hit me up with any questions or leave some comments! Tweet]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/stratocaster-intonation-tip/feed/ 11 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/guitar-pickup-repair-tips/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/guitar-pickup-repair-tips/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:52:30 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7178 This video may help you bring a guitar pickup that is not working back to life. A few simple tips and things to try before you send your pickup off for a re-wind. I always say if you do not feel comfortable take your pickup to a tech. Hit me up if you have any... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/guitar-pickup-repair-tips/feed/ 6 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/new-dick-dale-signature-malibu-sce/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/new-dick-dale-signature-malibu-sce/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:31:51 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=7056 Dick Dale is alive and kickin’. I actually saw him at the NAMM show and took a picture with him. He seems to be in good health and great spirits. He told me he is getting ready to tour in the spring so be on the lookout for him. Fender has just released  the new... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/new-dick-dale-signature-malibu-sce/feed/ 2 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/rate-some-of-my-favorite-guitars/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/rate-some-of-my-favorite-guitars/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:12:46 +0000 admin http://www.300guitars.com/?p=6853 Rate some of my favorite guitars! You all know me as being an avid guitar enthusiast….even a guitar maniac at times (like at NAMM..)! I have posted 5 favorite guitars on bubbalon.com for everyone to look at and rate for yourselves. You can rate each guitar on it’s page on Bubbalon.com, it’s really easy and... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/02/rate-some-of-my-favorite-guitars/feed/ 1 http://www.300guitars.com/2010/01/new-fender-american-special-series/ http://www.300guitars.com/2010/01/new-fender-american-special-series/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:58:58 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=6458 Lookie here just in time for NAMM! The new Fender American Special Series. It seems that Fender is marketing this series as “built by the people and for the people” as value conscious “guitars for the times”. They are specifically designed for the working player that wants a  U.S.A. made Fender and still be easy... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2010/01/new-fender-american-special-series/feed/ 4 http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/how-to-relic-your-guitar-parts-for-an-aged-look/ http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/how-to-relic-your-guitar-parts-for-an-aged-look/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:42:05 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=5285 Here is a video about how to “relic” guitar parts for that aged vintage look. This is the way I’ve been doing it for a number of years with great results. It’s best of you do this in a well ventilated area and wear rubber gloves. After you remove the parts that you want to... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/how-to-relic-your-guitar-parts-for-an-aged-look/feed/ 6 http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/strat-o-blogster-a-cool-blog-to-visit/ http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/strat-o-blogster-a-cool-blog-to-visit/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:24:18 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=5243 JP over at the Strat-O-Blogster shares the same thing as the rest of us….he’s passionate about guitars and guitar driven music! His blog is about Stratocaster guitars as well as Strat and general guitar culture, guitarists, guitar topics and guitar resources. His mission is to help spread the word about artists who may not have... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/strat-o-blogster-a-cool-blog-to-visit/feed/ 4 http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/kluson-tuners-bushing-removal/ http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/kluson-tuners-bushing-removal/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:08:37 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=5169 Hi everybody. Here is a quick clip on how to remove the press-in bushings for Kluson type tuners. This is the way I do it and it has worked well for me over the years. You just have to be gentle and go slow. Before you know it they are out and it’s pretty easy.... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/kluson-tuners-bushing-removal/feed/ 2 http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/fender-stratocaster-5-way-switch-demo/ http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/fender-stratocaster-5-way-switch-demo/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:20:43 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=5071 I’ve been getting some emails from younger, first time electric guitar buyers asking about the 5-way switches on Fender Stratocaster guitars. Rather than write an article I thought it would be best to do a quick video demonstration. This video also pertains to other guitar brands with three pickups (whether they be single coil, humbuckers... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2009/10/fender-stratocaster-5-way-switch-demo/feed/ 7 http://www.300guitars.com/2009/09/new-kinman-mk-iii-stratocaster-pickups-now-available/ http://www.300guitars.com/2009/09/new-kinman-mk-iii-stratocaster-pickups-now-available/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:26:02 +0000 Billy Penn http://www.300guitars.com/?p=4949  Alrighty zero hum Strat pickup fans, Chris Kinman has done it again! He made his already great sounding (and dead quiet, zero hum) pickups even better. Introducing the Mk-III series, the next generation of his Strat pickups. What is the reason for this next generation of his already great sounding pickups? To make them even better!... Read More »]]> http://www.300guitars.com/2009/09/new-kinman-mk-iii-stratocaster-pickups-now-available/feed/ 0