Mickey did a fantastic job on it and the guitar is just unbelievable!
I should mention that my steel, which a lot of people know by now was Gary Hogue's first Mullen, has always been a great guitar and when Gary had it he took great care of it (as well as me doing the same after I bought it). At least, Gary and I were both under the impression that we were taking great care of the guitar. Gary would sometimes lube the guitar & changer with Slick-50 and had recommended that I do the same, so I took up the torch and used it myself when lubing up the guitar. Little did either of us know what that stuff was slowly doing to the changer and mechanics of the instrument!
Soon as I finish typing this, I'll be posting photos throughout this thread and when you see the effects of stuff like Slick-50 ... well, it's enough to make a grown steel player want to cry.
We started on it at 9:00 AM and I really learned a lot watching (and, in some cases assisting) as Mickey performed sheer magic on my guitar.
When we started, the guitar didn't outwardly look like it was in so desperate need of attention (although Mickey instantly saw what my eyes didn't). It still played great and, despite a little dust on the surface here and there, generally looked really good. Mickey had seen my guitar a few days earlier and noticed immediately that it needed attention in the worst way, so we set up yesterday as our day to work on it.
We started going into the mechanics of the guitar and what we found, especially in the changer, nearly sent us into shock. I was reminded of a line from an old movie: "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, can become a werewolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright". What I thought was just a mildly dirty changer turned out to be a dreadful apparition.
When the changer came out of that guitar, I thought they were going to have to call the Crash Cart for both of us! It was horrible ... after seeing that changer, I can't even believe the guitar was playable with the changer in its condition.
Like pouring gasoline onto an open flame, Mickey's fire for the day's project launched him into action with the zeal and energy of a nuclear detonation. It was amazing to watch him work. Wow! If I had a tenth of Mickey's energy, I could let go of my stock in the Geritol company!
It was infectious and I had to do something, so I tore down the pedal rack and polished it as well as the pedals, then the necks as they came off and also the pull rods as they came out.Of course, the occasion wouldn't be complete without music, so we listened to various steel guitar recordings as we worked. Mickey's enthusiasm, energy and his tender loving approach to the guitar made the project feel more like a festivity, rather than an arduous task, and we had a great time. Despite the long hours, it seemed as though the time flew by.
During the project, Mickey's friend, Dale, stopped by to say hello and check out how my guitar was coming. While he was there, my friend, Daniel, stopped by with his little girl, Catarina, and watched the final assembly and tune-out process (of course, Catarina, being six years old, ended up fast asleep while we mad scientists conjured all sorts of magic with my guitar).
Finally, the moment came when the guitar was together again and ready to tune out. Mickey did the tuning and adjustments, played a little song for us and then it was my turn to take the guitar for a test drive.
What words can I express that could possibly articulate this sudden transformation, other than to say that I thought I'd simply gone straight to Heaven ... surely, this wasn't the same guitar that had sent us reeling into a state of horrified shock earlier in the day!
Back when Gary first bought it, he called and told me about his new Mullen and I drove a seven hour drive just to see it and play it. I was immediately hooked. Now here it is, 26 years later, and this guitar plays exactly as it did when brand new.
Mickey, how can I thank you enough for what you've done for my guitar. This old guitar of Hogue's is my ultimate treasure and prized possession and you've brought back to full life again as it was when it was newly made. Del & the folks at Mullen should definitely be proud of you, they trained you really well on your visit with them. This guitar is, for me, a pearl of great price and you've given me back my treasure in bringing this guitar back to life again (which is bringing me back to life again, as I can't seem to stop playing it!).
Folks, I'm so impressed with what Mickey's done for my guitar that I'm going to give him a little plug here ... if you have a Mullen that's needing some attention, Mickey's the man for you. Including my guitar, I've now seen him work on at least five guitars and what he does with them is nothing short of stellar excellence. But, aside from his technical expertise, what really impressed me the most is the genuine tender loving care that he gives each guitar.
If I were to compare his approach to that of an auto mechanic, I'd have to say he's not the grease monkey type ... he'd be more akin to the Rolls Royce mechanics in their clean white coats who treat the cars as though they cost a million dollars. His care with the guitar is that good!
Now, I'm going to hush up and start uploading the photos of my guitar's rebirth (I'm having to resize them so they'll fit and the file sizes will be smaller). There'll be several, so I'll upload them as they're finished.
Thanks again, Mickey ... you're great, man!
Doesn't say much for the mail service, does it?
