NGD = G-200 pics with F-100, Fallout and Cavalier siblings

I finally got a G-200. After 5 years of waiting for the right one, I found it. Over the last five years, I've seen at least 5 of them for sale that I can remember. One was even sold twice within a short period of time. One was a mint looking rear mount with aftermarket case that went for $2399 (still regret that one - although the sunburst was not that pretty, it was rather dark overall). Anyway, each time there was something that didn't feel right about purchasing one. It could have been the condition of the guitar, the timing, the money, or a combination of factors.

After visiting a G&L dealer last Monday and coming home empty handed (another story by itself), I logged into the G&L Buy-Sell-Trade Group on Facebook. There it was - a 1981 G-200 for sale. There was something special about this one, however. Barb Garrett had listed the guitar for her husband Larry (HLG). I slept on it that night and showed my wife the next morning. I explained what a G-200 was and her reply was "It sounds like you need it for the collection." Yes, I wanted and needed it. I committed to the sale the next day with Barb. Since we only live 5 hours apart and shipping a vintage nitrocellulose guitar in cold weather is risky, we decided to meet half way. We decided to meet at the end of the week. It was the longest 3 days ever.

Last Friday, I met Larry and Barb in person to complete the transaction. They showed me the guitar and it was as expected. I closed up the case after looking it over. Barb invited me into their vehicle to talk G&L with Larry. Larry insisted on opening the case back up to display the guitar on the back seat as we talked in the front seats. During the visit the SUV started to fill with the sweet smell of vintage nitrocellulose in a vintage case. Larry would look over at it from time to time during our visit. He reached over and ran his fingers across the strings one last time before Barb closed the case. I assured him that it would have a good home and be well cared for.

After our visit, we decided it was time to exchange my cash for his guitar and say goodbye. I promised him a picture of the G-200 with some of its G&L siblings (other guitars in my collection). I shared the pictures with Larry and Barb and thought I would share a few here as well since many of you know him.

Chip

Last edited by Challenger on Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

way to go Chip! destiny!
that is a beautiful and rare guitar.
there is something about these old ones!!

Man - Nice!

That is a nice batch of G&L's. Larry is a good man.

y2kc

That is a beautiful looking G-200 , it was very well kept. Glad it happened for you !

Good score Chip. I seriously thought about going after this one but I already have one I picked up a little over a year that needs some refurb. Re-fret and setup really. It came from a Chinese pawn shop, I really think they had no idea what they had cause it was pretty cheep. The thing is, even without any work it sounded and played really well. I have not gotten around to re-fretting it yet cause I have not found a luthier I can trust with such a gem.

I did however get some very valuable info from Larry about how to re-fret this board. It seems that the frets were pushed in from the side with some contraption Leo invented for this purpose. If you pull them out straight up, which is the general practice, you can cause great damage to the ebony that cannot be fixed properly. the other good thing about my G-200 is that it is not in mint condition. It has been played but not abused so Idon't mind setting parts on it while doing work cause there are already quite a few scratches to blend in to.

Have fun with that thing, it truly has a unique feel and sound. Unlike any other G&L. If I were gigging it would definitely be on stage to play. It's kind of like my SG but better.

Tom

Good score Chip. I seriously thought about going after this one but I already have one I picked up a little over a year that needs some refurb. Re-fret and setup really. It came from a Chinese pawn shop, I really think they had no idea what they had cause it was pretty cheep. The thing is, even without any work it sounded and played really well. I have not gotten around to re-fretting it yet cause I have not found a luthier I can trust with such a gem.

I did however get some very valuable info from Larry about how to re-fret this board. It seems that the frets were pushed in from the side with some contraption Leo invented for this purpose. If you pull them out straight up, which is the general practice, you can cause great damage to the ebony that cannot be fixed properly. the other good thing about my G-200 is that it is not in mint condition. It has been played but not abused so Idon't mind setting parts on it while doing work cause there are already quite a few scratches to blend in to.

Tom

Hard to imagine somebody pawning one of these. I do remember you having one under construction. Yes, I did know about the frets being inserted from the side. That was one concern in looking for one, Mine isn't mint. It is in very good shape, however. There are a few nicks and some minor buckle rash. Just enough flaws to give it a nice broken in feeling.

Chip

Hey Chip,

BIG Congratulations!

Finding, and actually getting, one you have been looking for is a great feeling for sure. Good to see it staying in the G&L family, from Larry to you. Enjoy...

Hey Chip,

BIG Congratulations!

Finding, and actually getting, one you have been looking for is a great feeling for sure. Good to see it staying in the G&L family, from Larry to you. Enjoy...

Thanks Sam.

This was one of those few guitars where I was so excited that I couldn't sleep the whole week. I've been wanting one for some time. Many thanks to Larry for making this one a reality for me.

Chip

That is a nice batch of G&L's. Larry is a good man.

y2kc

Yes, it was a pleasure to meet Larry in person and talk G&L. He is indeed a good man.

Chip