Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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JSett
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Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by JSett » Mon May 23, 2022 6:10 am

I'm sure any of you that spend any time on Instagram or Reverb have likely come across 'jtkmstudio' who list valuable offsets at insane £20k+ prices. They appear to be based in Hong Kong but have a British frontage to their business.

Now, all they seem to specialise in is custom colour offsets. ALL of which are 'all original, super clean' but I've noticed that they all have the weird horizontal checking to the lacquer that's often due to relicing incorrectly. Now, I know it can happen very rarely but every single one has the checking that direction. Seems weird to me. I've not seen a single guitar they've got hold of with the checking in the 'correct' orientation.

Thoughts invited.

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by caples » Mon May 23, 2022 6:50 am

This is interesting I have never noticed it before... Thinking about it now I have almost never seen another guitar with the vertical checking... Strange. Could it be due to the climate there or maybe the way that the custom color paint was made?
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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by JSett » Mon May 23, 2022 6:58 am

caples wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 6:50 am
This is interesting I have never noticed it before... Thinking about it now I have almost never seen another guitar with the vertical checking... Strange. Could it be due to the climate there or maybe the way that the custom color paint was made?
My black '65 Jag has it running that direction...but it's a refin so all bets are off. I did think about the climate but they openly say they've sourced their stock from around the world. It just seems very weird/fishy that they a) manage to have nothing but very rare custom colours and b) ALL of them have the 'wrong' checking direction.
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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by gringopig » Mon May 23, 2022 10:48 am

Totally normal. Here's my '65 Jaguar bought originally from Gary's Classic Guitars.

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and my '67 Jaguar which has checking in both directions and suffered damage in a helicopter crash in Cambodia in '69

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Just because all of the 'relic' guitars have checking the other way is more a statement about what's easier for them to achieve rather than what happens naturally.

I can personally vouch for this chap. He is British and works abroad and is very knowledgeable about vintage Fender gear. He has rejected guitars others wouldn't even question.

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by JSett » Mon May 23, 2022 10:58 am

gringopig wrote:
Mon May 23, 2022 10:48 am
Just because all of the 'relic' guitars have checking the other way is more a statement about what's easier for them to achieve rather than what happens naturally.
I'm not saying it doesn't exist naturally - I have seen it - but the vertical checking (opposite direction to strings) is massively more common and I thought it was odd that every single one has exactly the same checking amount & (unusual) direction.

I'm guessing the reason people who relic guitars go for that direction is because it's the most common on actual vintage Fenders.

Or maybe I'm just wrong/imagining it :D
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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by gringopig » Mon May 23, 2022 11:14 am

I've seen more parallel lacquer checking on vintage Fenders. It seems Gibson crack the other way but they have a contoured belly carve.

Hard to say but how quickly the temperature changed would have a lot to do with it and what base coat was used as well as the paint formulation and any plasticizers used also.

One thing is for sure. JTKM Studio is totally legit and he examines every inch before he buys. Solder joints, signs of refinishing - the lot.

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by Highnumbers » Tue May 24, 2022 8:02 pm

JKTM is an English guy named Joni who lives in Hong Kong (just to settle that part of your question).

Don’t base any assumptions on the checking direction, guitars check in different ways depending on several factors related to where they have been stored. Some done get checking at all, despite lots of other wear.

Many of the guitars you picture above came out of very well known, respected (and authenticated) collections. The Sherwood is pictured in the Fender: The Golden Years book, and the Surf Green was on display in the Songbird Museum for years.

Needless to say, these guitars have been inspected and scrutinized by the most experienced and reputable people in the business. Perhaps it’s short-sighted to start casting doubt based on some big assumptions about the way these guitars age.

As for the prices, some of his are asking the moon while others are remarkably underpriced. He sold the Sherwood and LPB (w/gold hardware) Jaguars for under $15k each a couple weeks ago - just try to find another one like those, regardless of price.
Last edited by Highnumbers on Sat Jun 10, 2023 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by JSett » Tue May 24, 2022 11:19 pm

Highnumbers wrote:
Tue May 24, 2022 8:02 pm
I actually had a conversation with Johnnie yesterday (he saw this thread and reached out). Nice guy. I explained to him that the purpose of my post was not to be overtly negative or cast huge aspersions but more just me noticing something and attempting to spark a conversation about it. I have seen some of his pieces go for prices that are, certainly in todays reality, probably quite reasonable but he also told me he sold the Surf Green Jaguar he had for £65k :wtf: :wtf: which I think we can all agree is utterly insane but, hey, if he found someone willy to pay that then who are we to argue?

Me and his usual client circles exist in very different hemispheres. Me seeking out and buying £2-6k beat-up vintage offsets is a different world to his minty fresh £20k+ market so it's not like I'm here trying to beef on it too much :D
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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by Highnumbers » Thu May 26, 2022 5:15 pm

johnnysomersett wrote:
Tue May 24, 2022 11:19 pm
Highnumbers wrote:
Tue May 24, 2022 8:02 pm
I actually had a conversation with Johnnie yesterday (he saw this thread and reached out). Nice guy. I explained to him that the purpose of my post was not to be overtly negative or cast huge aspersions but more just me noticing something and attempting to spark a conversation about it. I have seen some of his pieces go for prices that are, certainly in todays reality, probably quite reasonable but he also told me he sold the Surf Green Jaguar he had for £65k :wtf: :wtf: which I think we can all agree is utterly insane but, hey, if he found someone willy to pay that then who are we to argue?

Me and his usual client circles exist in very different hemispheres. Me seeking out and buying £2-6k beat-up vintage offsets is a different world to his minty fresh £20k+ market so it's not like I'm here trying to beef on it too much :D
Right on, yeah he definitely seeks out the rarest custom colors and has had quite some amazing stuff pass through his hands. But along with that comes very high standards for originality and condition.

£65k is an astonishing price for any Jaguar, indeed. But I suppose for those who have the means and are true 'completists' in getting every color, there aren't many opportunities to get something like a surf green or shell pink Jaguar. ;D

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by Marc » Sat May 28, 2022 12:14 am

and my '67 Jaguar which has checking in both directions and suffered damage in a helicopter crash in Cambodia in '69
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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by gringopig » Sat May 28, 2022 2:49 am

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by FEXII » Sat Jun 10, 2023 9:04 am

Now, all they seem to specialise in is custom colour offsets. ALL of which are 'all original, super clean' but I've noticed that they all have the weird horizontal checking to the lacquer that's often due to relicing incorrectly. Now, I know it can happen very rarely but every single one has the checking that direction. Seems weird to me. I've not seen a single guitar they've got hold of with the checking in the 'correct' orientation.
As others have said this is completely incorrect. Checking in this orientation is entirely normal, it's not even rare.

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Re: Jtkmstudio, what's the deal there?

Post by 46346 » Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:07 pm

regardless of this seller's situation (hard to say with the UK/HK mix), the notion of what causes a certain kind/direction of checking is interesting. i'm not a relic or vintage decay nut (other than appreciating them), but i don't remember a thread getting very far into the woods on this distinction in all my years. though no doubt it has been touched upon without my knowledge.

that said, i have something like 8-10 vintage Fenders, almost all have lived all their lives here in California. of those, only two have checking, and they both tend to pattern parallel to the neck. these were naturally checked, not relic'd.

i was wondering if the atmospheric humidity of East Coast US/ Europe vs. Pacific US/Asia might be in play. beats me! :)
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