Man you knew Pete?? That is awesome! I only met him once, he set up one of my guitars and I got to visit his garage/workshop. This would’ve been about 2016-2017, he had a ton of heritage bodies and necks he pulled out of the dumpster from heritage, at the time I think heritage had just changed ownership and they threw out all these unfinished parts because they were “imperfect”. He had been retired for awhile I think, but was still working and building guitars for people and had quite a few in the works.
Anyway I got to hang out while he worked and talked to him and a couple other guys who were visiting. Super cool guy and I felt very lucky to have met him. The owner at the cigar/liquor store on the corner downtown was the one who put me in touch with him.
Anyway didn’t mean to hijack the thread but when I saw you mentioned Pete Moreno, well, don’t come across that all the time! Again very cool you knew him and thanks for telling that story!
He remembered me because I was buying and flipping guitars, so I had brought maybe a dozen different guitars over the years and he got the biggest kick out of my last name…plus I think he was fond of my ex-wife. I also brought him a guitar that had such a bastardized head stock repair that he absolutely laughed his ass off at and would tell all his guitar repair buddies about. The guitar was a 58’ reissue Warren Haynes Les Paul. I bought it off a kid that was in the military and had it shipped to him in like Thailand or wherever he was stationed. The headstock got smashed in shipping and the kid glued it and used carpenter staples and brad nails to piece it back together. It was such a bad repair. So I got it for $800 and brought it to Pete and he got the biggest kick out it.
Anyways, he was able to repair it and you could barely even tell it had been repaired. I can’t imagine what that guitar would be worth now. I sold it and made $1000 on it so I was happy at the time but it’s probably a 4k guitar now.
I’ll have to see if i can dig up a picture of it.
Also, he knew all the Heritage guys, so he’d take all their scap wood and use it to heat his workshop in the winter.
No I’m not from either place, born and raised in SE Michigan but I did live in Kalamazoo for a couple years, then Chicago for a couple, now back in SE Michigan. I really enjoyed my time in Kalamazoo, met a ton of great people there. I need to go back and visit.
that is another great story about Pete and I’m not surprised about the headstock repair - he had an incredible reputation and was a one man custom shop from everything I’ve heard about him!
Would love to see a picture of your guitar/guitars!
Here’s a pic from years ago. That’s actually the Warren Haynes R8 down in the lower row in the middle.
The red Studio Baritone LP in the back actually was bought by the lead singers wife (then) from Breaking Benjamin for Ben Burnley for one of his birthdays.
Actually, she ended up buying the black one first and then later the red one.
Holy smokes those are all beautiful too! You have great taste in guitars! Especially love the finish on the last one, that dark brown on the Explorer is really nice.
I’ll get a picture or two for you, I got a few. Not like I used to, I thinned the herd awhile ago, but kept my favorites.
He had a pic of a guy he knew that owned an original 1959 tacked above his desk area. That guitar is probably worth as much as my house now.
Joe Bonamassa and Eddie VanHalen have/had one as well. Only 17 were produced that year.
This is an awesome find, thank you and looking forward to watching this! Also if you sell, at least keep two… and then one acoustic. So technically 3. Or just to be safe, maybe 4 because you never know.
I stopped flipping many years ago but sometimes still get the itch, I have a friend who does it now so I flip vicariously through him.
