I bought one used ten years ago for $350. Like the idiot teenager I was, several years later, I traded it in for $600 credit on... *groans* a Johnson JM120 combo. Why? I had just bought a USRG30TP and had the S540FM, but no amp. So over the years, I've tried, and failed to acquire a replacement for it on the evil auction site. The funny thing was, I never saw one in the color finish mine had. I saw blue, green, purple and black transparent burst finishes. But I never saw red. I did some browsing here tonight, and saw mention that there were only three finish options. The green and blue seem to be variations of each other. I hit the catalog links for the years 90-98. No red.
Now what in the hell is going on here? Did I have a rare guitar? I'm certain it hadn't been refinished. Hell, the previous owner
routed out between the bridge humbucker and the middle single to move the 'bucker away from the bridge and left the gap. He/she
couldn't have gone to the trouble to get the thing professionally refinished just to Gomer it up later on. It also wasn't a different shade of purple. The thing was blood/fire/Pontiac
RED.
As an aside, after having both the S540 and the USRG for six months or so and comparing them back and forth, I didn't want to believe it, but the S540 was better, hands down. I finally sold the USRG about a year ago to fund relocating to Florida and I don't regret it a bit. First, it made possible my meeting a wonderful woman... to whom I am now engaged. We'll be married next July. Second, it just never was as good as that S540FM.
Now, after all these years, I've got a woman who
wants me to buy a guitar so she won't have to hear me moan and whine about not having one. I figure that'll change down the road, so I had better take advantage and snap up the next S540FM I have a shot at. If anyone has a red one they're willing to part with, please shoot me a PM.
If anyone has any idea why the red ones never made it into the catalogs, or what the deal is, I'd really love to know.
