I decided I should buy a Langcaster guitar from New Zealand as the owner and luthier Dutchman/New Zealander Joh Lang is retiring. Jan Akkermann from Focus has been playing a Langcaster playing with Steve Lukather on a recent Hendrix tribute tour.
I say "new" but the wood the body is made from is 35,000 year old Swamp Kauri. 23,000 years before the pyramids were built. Prehistoric.

Here is my guitar. There are pieces of amber in the resin filled in hollow in the body.


Here is the story of Langcaster guitars.

Joh Lang who I have had many emails with to buy my guitar is such a colorful character. Buying directly from him was such a pleasure. The low impedance pickups are also hand built by him and have a very strong output. They are active electronics.

Beautiful. It prompted me to do a google search of Swamp Kauri. Fascinating read and a new bit of trivia for me to file away (to impress somebody, somewhere in some future pseudo-intellectual conversation ). Congrats. I like these kinds of timeless LIFETIME purchases that don't require you to buy a new model next year .

chas

Damn, that thing is older than ME!


R.

But not by much .

chas

What're gonna play on this guitar? Caveman Rock?

All kidding aside, that's one beautiful guitar, Nigel.

ROTFLMAO that is funny

I couldn't help myself but after my Langcaster Strat arrived I was so impressed I also decided to also buy the last Telecaster Langcaster as there was only one available. Joh has only ever made 5 of these and the previous one he sold to Metallica. All Langcasters come with a certificate of authenticity of the wood being carbon dated to be over 35,000 years. I bought 2 of his last 8 guitars so I am sure the last 6 will go quickly if they haven't already.

Sure, they aren't cheap but I felt they are a very special instrument that I needed to own. It was my only chance to own something as unique as this. And they are still cheaper than a signature model Fender or Gibson that don't have a pedigree that comes close to this.

Russ and Nigel. I've managed to keep my wife in the dark all these years about the cost of our beloved toys. I'm guessing you two have done the same .

chas

Annie is happy if I give her $2.00 for every dollar I spend.

It's worked for 51 years.

Russ (Poor house) Lay

No, actually I told her I would love to get this second Langcaster. She loves the Swamp Kauri wood so much she told me to get it because it would be a good investment for us both. There will never be another chance to get one of these guitars again ever. The wood is so difficult to work with there really isn't a lot to be made making them. So no-one else will. Joh made them for the love of making good guitars. I think he made around 40 a year and at around $2000 each it really wasn't a great return for him and his son Danny. Four weeks to make the body and the low impedance pickups are hand wired. Very labor intensive. Now he has bad arthritus he has to give it up.

Thing is, Nigel, you're playing his legacy, and that's GREAT.

I have a bass given to me by Ray Brown, and I proudly play it several gigs a year in his honor.

Way to go. Good instruments are BEAUTIFUL.


Enjoy,


Russ

That is wonderful Russ. And I agree with you totally. Good instruments are beautiful. And they deserve to be played. Even non guitar players look at my guitars made from 35,000 year old wood and want to touch them and then photograph them. You can't find much older than that outside of a museum. The wood is so dense with the active electronics the sustain is unbelievable.