Micro-Frets Golden Comet Guitar Vintage

Asking $700 obo You definitely don’t see these pop up very often — I’d consider this a “unicorn guitar.” With fewer than 3,000 Micro-Frets ever produced, these guitars have a unique and fascinating history behind them. Fully restored, they typically sell for $2,500 to $3,500. This particular one shows its age — it’s around 55 years old — and has plenty of character to prove it. The finish is well-worn with plenty of patina, and there’s visible rust and corrosion on the hardware. The bridge pickup is currently not working, and the tuners are a bit stiff. The micro-nut is missing, but the original pots and 3-way switch are all intact and functioning properly. Despite the wear, it’s playable as-is, and the neck pickup sounds fantastic. This is definitely a project guitar — perfect for a collector or restorer looking for a rare piece with loads of vintage mojo. Feel free to reach out with any questions — I’ll do my best to provide accurate answers. The pride of Frederick, MD! It doesn’t get much wilder than Microfrets. Combining some interesting innovations with an eclectic aesthetic, this short lived brand pushed the boundaries of guitar design. Played by artists across the spectrum, you would find a Microfrets playing country/rockabilly in Carl Perkin’s hands one night and then rocking out with Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner the next. The most interesting features of the Microfrets guitars were the adjustable Micro-nut and Calibrato vibrato. Way ahead of Buzz Feiten, the Micro-Nut allowed players to tailor their intonation while the Calibrato offered fully in tune whammy bar dives. The bodies were semi hollow and featured a tuned tone chamber inside. Raloh Jones, the brains behind the guitars, benchmarked the Fender Jaguar and so Microfrets feature the same 24” scale length. Pickups on this example were designed by Bill Lawrence and sound great. Almost everything on these guitars was home brewed, from the pickups to the cast aluminum hardware. This Golden Comet is a great example of the breed. It’s a fairly uncommon non trem model and features all of the charm and quirkiness that you would want from a Microfrets. 1970s Walnut finish (Microfrets’ finishes were developed by Sherwin Williams and were called Super Kemvar M. They were derived from the ultra tough finishes used on the lab tables of Frederick’s Ft Detrick chemical weapons lab. How’s that for some trivia? This is a great guitar for anyone that loves something different.