Performance Guitars - Hollywood, Ca.

[tonedeaf]

How's everybody doing? New guy here wanting to know if anybody has or knows anything about Performance Guitars in Hollywood? Steve Vai, Warren Demartini, Frank and Dweezil Zappa all used these awesome custom made guitars. I own a 1984 Performance Explorer body with a single humbucker and Kahler. I've owned it for the past 18 years and have been offered bags of money for it but will never get rid of it. It has a custom candy blue flame paint job I did. I'm also doing 2 rebuilds with 2 necks i've picked up over the years and will have Kenny Sugai build the bodies, one being a Warren Demartini strat and the other will be another Explorer with an abr tail piece. Any info or commets are welcomed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2769439432/in/set-72157606769118540/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2769440734/in/set-72157606769118540/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2768565215/in/set-72157606769118540/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2768484193/in/set-72157606769http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2769332320/in/set-72157606769118540/118540/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonedeafguitars/2768480559/in/set-72157606769118540/

[triplehold]

tonedeaf- you do fine work, those certainly are some mighty nice guitars!

[DrDestruction]

Performance Guitar was a smallish shop that did stuff like fretwork and custom ordered stuff. They were located on Yucca Avenue in Hollywood at one point, but moved to the Studio City area of the San Fernando Valley sometime later (I'm thinking in the early-to-mid nineties... could be wrong, though).

It was owned by a couple of Japanese dudes who did some TOTALLY cool work on stuff. I even went there when I was in high school to check them out- they had an uber-cool Strat-style body with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle carved into the top that I REALLY wanted, but couldn't hack the $400 they wanted for it (this was back in 1987 or so).

Dunno if they're still in business, though.

[tonedeaf]

Yes they are still in business, Kenny Sugai is doing a northern ash Warren Demartini strat for me right now. I had gone to their 1st shop back in '85 also, they were really nice guys. They are doing Warren tributes now, both have his signature Charvel apint jobs though. They're working on a new website but can still be viewed at Perfomanceguitars.com.

[Bengal65]

Back in '85 I had them send me a body ( boat anchor ash) (Didn't know any better back then), and a Maple/Ebony Explorer neck. What your seeing is my first guitar build and first graphic painting I had ever done. Obviously influenced by the times. I used automotive paint from my car painting days. I still have it as well as the 1985 Catalog booklet. It was never played much. Damn Kahler! The guitar sounds great. I just never could get the guitar to stay in tune. It's getting a Floyd nut soon!

[Bengal65]

Kenny Sugai is doing a northern ash Warren Demartini strat for me right now.

They must like Northern ash. My Performance weighs more than any of my Gibson LPC's

[tonedeaf]

That's awesome. How does it play/sound with it being ash?

[tonedeaf]

They must like Northern ash. My Performance weighs more than any of my Gibson LPC's

Actually the ash was my idea. I love the weight and sound of my 1980 charvel/dimarzio strat. Tone and sustain for days. But i admit i'm starting to look like Quasimoto because it's so damn heavy.

[Bengal65]

It is heavy, but sounds great. The tone is Les Paulish, with a bit of brightness. Most likely because of the density of the Northern Ash.

That Blue Flame Looks awesome! I see the characteristic control cavity.

[daisp]

Looks cool mate! I like it!

[Bengal65]

Looks cool mate! I like it!

Thanks daisp! I experimented with finishes on this one when I got it. I finally arrived at what it is now. Influenced by Eddie, but did not want to copy the pattern. So, I call it VanAutograph paint

From what I remember the folks out at Performance were very helpful in getting the details correct when I ordered my neck and body.

[Trem]

that blu flame little Xplorer thing is badass!!

[tonedeaf]

Thanks dude! it plays better than it looks. it was originally half black half white disected diagonally. The guitarist from prince played one in the 1999 video. But i let someone talk me into stripping the paint in the '90s because it was "too metal looking". I kick myself everytime i look at it.

[AK47]

If I remember correctly did not FMIC crack down on Performance two or three years ago since the website got linked from this website and a FMIC employee saw the Warren models with stratheads.