Before I put it on eBay, I thought I post this here. I am asking €450 plus shipping (from Germany).
Up for sale is my
2008 Michael Messer 'Blues' resonator guitar. It is a single cone, biscuit bridge, steel bodied resonator guitar and a great sounding, value-for-money instrument. It has also been
upgraded by stellar resophonic luthier Mike Lewis (see details further below). I am reluctantly selling it to fund another purchase.
About the 'Blues' model on Michael Messer's website: http://www.michaelmesser.co.uk/michael-messer-blues
A 4.5-out-of-5 star review of the 'Blues' on Musicradar: http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/michael-messer-blues-192929
Here is a short video of me playing this particular guitar (audio recorded with the camera's built-in mic, so rather lo-fi and compressed sound): https://youtu.be/-ND_2V9OqJk
This guitar was also played by Jim Mortimore of Moulettes on this recording (miked up with a Shure SM57): http://fredrikkinbom.bandcamp.com/track/unrest
More photos of the guitar HERE.
Now, about this particular instrument, it is from the first year of production, 2008, and if I understand the serial number (see photo) correctly it was the 58th instrument built that year. The guitar has received several upgrades from its stock condition, by top-class resonator luthier Mike Lewis of Fine Resophonic in Paris, France:
- A
National Reso-Phonic biscuit and a new stained maple (if I remember correctly) bridge. (The original MM biscuit and bridge is included in the case pocket).
- A beautiful
rosewood truss rod cover. (The original plastic truss rod cover is included in the case pocket).
- The frets ends have been filed down so that the neck is smooth to play.
- I also changed the
tuners for better quality "vintage style" tuners.
The guitar is certainly used - I have toured with it and it has it's fair share of scratches and dings (genuine road wear, rather than "distressed" or "relived" at the factory).
A pickup was fitted to the guitar (a 1980s Barcus-Berry Hi-Tek humbucker, like the one used by Chris Whitley - the pickup is NOT included here but is for sale separately) so there is a hole drilled for the jack on the lower bout side (see photo).
Apart from the "charming" wear there is an area on the back where some of the paint came off when a sticker was removed (see photo),
I think the photos show the condition of the guitar well. If you have any questions, please ask. The guitar is a used instrument sold "as is". A player's instrument, not in "museum condition". It is set up for slide playing (in my case so that I can play lap slide on it with a light touch). If you intend to use it for fingerstyle playing mainly I would recommend a set-up optimised for this. The "pod-style" case is included, and so are 2 sets of Newtone Michael Messer National resonator strings (worth €11 per set).
The guitar is in Berlin, Germany. It will be shipped in its case and a sturdy cardboard box. Insured shipping is mandatory as I cannot be held responsible if the guitar is damaged or lost in the mail. Sale is final - no returns.