NGD - I'm guessing that someone will recognise this?

[GuiTony]

I actually bought it in the summer, but as I'd managed to buy a couple of guitars around the same time, my wife has kept this hiddden away, until it reappeared on Dec 25th.

I'm guessing that someone here may recognise it (or bought it originally from Nathan?) and I'd be interested to hear anything about its history ...

As ever, the materials are stunning - 1 piece body, look at that neck - put together with some great craftsmanship and a pair of cheap pickups in there too.  The bit about cheap pickups was a joke.

Lovely acoustic tone, but plug it in and those pickups certainly have plenty of bite and power.  I'm guessing that the electrics have been modded at some point - and they need a slight tweak again as I don't think that the dual pot is working properly.  It weighs slightly more than nothing, but only slightly and feels like it could sit on a strap around my shoulder all night.

The all important pics ... the flash and indoor lighting don't do the colouring any favours, but best I could do!








 :D

[dave_mc]

Very nice, that looks badass, lovely quality wood there. Was it reviewed in guitarist? Or just one a bit like it?

EDIT: what's the darker wood you can just see inside the cutaway?

[GuiTony]

Very nice, that looks badass, lovely quality wood there. Was it reviewed in guitarist? Or just one a bit like it?

EDIT: what's the darker wood you can just see inside the cutaway?

Don't know whether this specific one was reviewed in the mag.  Anyone else know?

The darker wood is just the stained top, where the top is blended into the body in the cutaway, hence no natural edge "binding" on that bit.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I recognise it as it spent time in my workshop
I think I re-fretted it and rewired the electrics as per Nolly's request (I had previously refretted his Blackmachine B6)

The pickups both have a rotary coil tap on the concentric knob - varies continuously between humbucker and single coil which are activated by independent push pulls on the volume and tone controls

Finding great dual concentric pots is tricky and knobs to match also

V pretty timbers on there

[Telerocker]

Nice one! Congrats.

[Oli]

Big soft spot for the NS guitars, they look great!! I especially love the 'no legs' look with the pickups :)

[PhilKing]

You bought yours the best way - secondhand.  I sent a deposit to Nathan back in Feb, and now I can't get any response to my emails.  

[Nolly]

Ah, lovely to see it again, rather a unique sounding guitar and one of the best flame tops I've come across. Good to see it's still in the "family"!

Since you wanted some history: it was built for a lovely chap called Ray, who works at Bare Knuckle - he makes most of the tele sets and made the Knuckleduster pickups that Nathan uses(d?). I bought it from him indirectly through Manson's in Exeter, and then sold it on to a friend of mine who I believe you would have got it from. I don't believe it was in Guitarist - I seem to remember the NSG25 they reviewed as having a solid-colour paintjob.
If you're not aware, the fretboard is Brazilian rosewood :)

[nfe]

Big soft spot for the NS guitars, they look great!! I especially love the 'no legs' look with the pickups :)

Do a couple of the pole screws function as the attaching screws like in a Parker Fly, or something?

[Fikealox]

It looks to me like they're double-slug pickups

[GuiTony]

The pickups both have a rotary coil tap on the concentric knob - varies continuously between humbucker and single coil which are activated by independent push pulls on the volume and tone controls

V pretty timbers on there

Thanks Jonathan - that explanation saved me a little time!  And yes, the wood is beautiful.  It's chambered apparently, which would account for the (lack of) weight. 

Big soft spot for the NS guitars, they look great!! I especially love the 'no legs' look with the pickups :)

Me too ... it's my 3rd ... but only because I traded my NS2 in the summer (for a Gibson CS-339).

I sent a deposit to Nathan back in Feb, and now I can't get any response to my emails. 

:roll:  some things don't change then.
It's unusual that good business people are also good craftsmen.  And vice versa.  And Nathan is a great craftsman.  If he'd ever managed to get his business side sorted out, he could have built a great luthiery business.  He had all the other boxes ticked, but business/customer relations was definitely NOT ticked.  Hope you get it sorted eventually.

Since you wanted some history: it was built for a lovely chap called Ray, who works at Bare Knuckle - he makes most of the tele sets and made the Knuckleduster pickups that Nathan uses(d?). I bought it from him indirectly through Manson's in Exeter, and then sold it on to a friend of mine who I believe you would have got it from.

Thanks Nolly.  Nice to know where it's been ... and for such a well travelled guitar, it's in pretty good condition.  Like immaculate!

I think the friend of yours sold it on to the person that I bought it from ... who sold it to buy something by some guy called "Anderson" ... never heard of him  :D

Why did you decide to sell it?

[dave_mc]

Don't know whether this specific one was reviewed in the mag.  Anyone else know?

The darker wood is just the stained top, where the top is blended into the body in the cutaway, hence no natural edge "binding" on that bit.

ah ok, thanks, i thought it might just be something like that :)

[Nolly]

Thanks Nolly.  Nice to know where it's been ... and for such a well travelled guitar, it's in pretty good condition.  Like immaculate!

I think the friend of yours sold it on to the person that I bought it from ... who sold it to buy something by some guy called "Anderson" ... never heard of him  :D

Why did you decide to sell it?

Selling it was a bit of a silly decision really, I guess I hadn't spent enough time working with it to find its voice - as my only non-metal guitar at the time I expected it to authentically reproduce a cartload of classic tones, but it turns out it really has a character of its own.
I ended up trading it for one of my friend's guitars that on first inspection seemed perfect for me but turned out to be a bit of a dog. Unfortunately he doesn't tend to hang onto any guitar for long so the Shep was on its way pretty soon after.

In what way isn't the concentric pot working? It's a fairly unique function - it blends each pickup between full humbucking and split coil modes. It will only operate when you've the volume pots pulled up.

[GuiTony]

Unfortunately he doesn't tend to hang onto any guitar for long so the Shep was on its way pretty soon after.

I tend to hang on to mine for a fair while - selling doesn't come so easy!

In what way isn't the concentric pot working? It's a fairly unique function - it blends each pickup between full humbucking and split coil modes. It will only operate when you've the volume pots pulled up.

Yes, that was my c--k-up!  I'd thought - for some daft reason - that the push/pull on the tone pot affected both pickups, so I was twiddling the concentric pot with the tone pot pulled up and neck p'up selected, and couldn't hear any difference.  Of course, as soon as I pulled up the vol pot, the effect became quite evident.  D'oh.  Jonathan (see above) pointed that out to me, otherwise I would have had the cavity cover off and started messing with the wiring. 

 :oops:

Glad I mentioned it here before I did that ...

I really like the sound of the guitar, and its (lack of) weight.   I don't have *any* Strats, and no real Teles either (only self-built Tele-alikes), so having this with the "Tele" p'up option gives me some extra sounds that I don't get with other guitars.   And I can't fault the materials or workmanship on it, so it was a good buy as far as I'm concerned.

[Gooby]

Selling it was a bit of a silly decision really, I guess I hadn't spent enough time working with it to find its voice - as my only non-metal guitar at the time I expected it to authentically reproduce a cartload of classic tones, but it turns out it really has a character of its own.
I ended up trading it for one of my friend's guitars that on first inspection seemed perfect for me but turned out to be a bit of a dog. Unfortunately he doesn't tend to hang onto any guitar for long so the Shep was on its way pretty soon after.

In what way isn't the concentric pot working? It's a fairly unique function - it blends each pickup between full humbucking and split coil modes. It will only operate when you've the volume pots pulled up.

Nolly, I wish I had known 'M' was selling this I would have been very interested :(

Martin