Sam Lee Guy

[Spence]

Sam Lee Guy seems to have made a sudden exit. Perhaps Son of Sam will turn up instead.
Anyone know?

[Ruel]

Don't know if it is the same Sam Lee Guy but I ran into him in Chinatown in Manila selling noodles. Said he was taking a break from pickup winding.

[David Schwab]

In all seriousness, I found out who Sam Lee is. There's an archived article by Seymour Duncan on the Tele-Gib guitar he gave to Jeff Beck.

In the article Seymour says:

The next day I grabbed my old battered Telecaster and started removing the destroyed fingerboard that somebody did a bad fret job on. I made a homemade heating element to remove the fingerboard. I replaced it with a 3/16th of an inch piece of maple and cut the fret slots by hand. I put in heavier Gibson frets with a 13" inch radius. The frets were 18% nickel silver Gibson Les Paul frets. The neck was sprayed with nitrocellulose lacquer I got from master repairman Sam Lee. Sam had a repair and vintage shop with Steve Howe who played in the group "Yes". The neck never had a replacement decal though I've been wanting to put one on for years. I was trying to get the guitar finished quickly as Jeff only had a few more days in the CBS Studios.

Then on Chris Squire's (of the band Yes) site he has a page about his Rickenbacker:

"It went through so many phases being in certain bands—the flower-power thing. I had wallpaper stuck on it with big colored flowers and stuff like that and then when that year was finished it was like 'take it off.' There was this little Chinese guy in Soho [Sam Lee] that used to do guitar repair and he would go, 'Oh terrible! I better shave it off.'

So by the time anyone ever heard my Rickenbacker bass on the Yes record it had actually been shaved down to about two-thirds of the weight of the regular factory model; she sounded completely different."

Mark Knopfler's Red Stratocaster

The red Strat® has a black volume knob (not original) and a maple fingerboard. The strap button is located at the back of the guitar. According to some sources, the modifications were made by a repairman called Sam Lee.

[Spence]

Many years ago, I was in my local music shop when the shop keeper showed me a Roland Synth guitar he had been keeping aside for me. It had belonged to Steve Howe. I was going to Turkey the next day to be with my long-time girlfriend so I said I'd come back for the guitar if it was still for sale.

Day two of my stay with the girlfriend she takes me to a shopping maul that's entirely dedicated to rock music and rock clothing. The first shop we went into had a huge poster of Steve Howe playing that very same guitar in the front window.

Anyway, that guitar was dreadful and smelled funny. Maybe it was Chow mein I could smell.

[Sam Lee Guy]

Don't know if it is the same Sam Lee Guy but I ran into him in Chinatown in Manila selling noodles. Said he was taking a break from pickup winding.

Hey, no worry, you saw my cousin looking for Manila envelopes to send out my new advertizing. Rewind any old Fender or Gibson pickup with noodles for authentic Chinese sound.

[Spence]

You still using hoisin sauce to pot them with?

[Sam Lee Guy]

Yes, how you know? Makes it difficult to write address though!

[Spence]

Caught in the act !

I hired a team of private eyes to find Sam Lee Guy.

They found him eating out with his lawyers here :



He wasn't wearing the rooster hat either.

[GlennW]

That's a swank looking joint.

[jonson]

quote from R.G. on the Handwinding Thread "Anything less is just one more step on the slippery slope toward soulless machine winding"
Well! Here is that slippery slope winding one of the new chinese humbucker bobbins and all by hand.
Is this you Sam cus me being a round eye all orimentals look the same to me.

[Ruel]

Too young to be Sam Lee. Must be one of his countless decendants. He's got the same beady eyes behind those glasses.

[chevalij]

I'm just an average white guy, but the chinese bashing is getting to be a bit much.

[GlennW]

I can only speak for myself, and I'm not bashing anyone or anything. I just think it's funny. I have a lot of respect and interest in the Chinese culture. Wok on!!!

[Sam Lee Guy]

Ahh! You so serious! Nobody bash anyone. Just have rittle joke at expense of Sam Lee and stereotype Chinese clown! Actually, Sam Lee velly good friend with Sam Lee Guy and he not true Chinese!!! Sam Lee Guy have many Chinese friends and relatives, so not want to offend anyone, so if anyone offended, I aporogise.

[chevalij]

Maybe I'm getting a little to sensative. velly solly..