Orphan Guitars

I managed to make it to almost 16 months before doing another guitar post (when I swore that I would never do another) but that was a whole different world back then. I’ve found that I have a lot of home-time that needs to be filled; what better way than with a couple of rehab projects?

Like seeing a piteous puppy or a forlorn kitten, I get an emotional response when I’m exposed to an orphan guitar. And if one wasn’t attractive enough, I picked up twins!

Pictured above is a guitar from a lot of unfinished factory rejects that had been abandoned  and sold to Guitar Fetish, the appropriately named online e-tailer. I was intrigued by these particular offerings for they were different than the usual Stratocaster and Les Paul clones. Someone had actually designed these things, they weren’t just copies of an existing style. The headstock, with its mahogany veneers and a brass inlay, was definitely unique:

The fret markers are absolutely original. The PRS-style rounded body with a center binding was different as well:

After further research, I discovered that they are LÂG Imperators, a French brand not often seen in the U.S. They were evidently abandoned sometime in the manufacturing process, probably for the overly thick finish on the necks. Now that my novel is finished (final installment tomorrow!) these siblings are my main winter project. I may even post updates about my attempts to revive them.

Here is one of them cleaned up and strung up, with some “wooden” pick-ups on it:

Will they be Fabulous, Frankensteins, or Firewood? Time will tell.