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the Pyramid Guitar


paul tucker
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My name is Paul Tucker. I am the founder of Pyramid Guitars with my partner Tim Jagmin. We opened Pyramid Guitars, in Redford, in 1975, and I sold it to Paul "cowboy" Smith in 1979-80.

The solid body Pyramid guitar was the first guitar that Tim had built in 1976, and Alex bought it. We did all the work on Rush's guitars. The guitar was solid thru body construction using rock maple, rosewood, and purple heart. This is why some refer to it as the striped guitar, natural finish. Pyramid pickups, which Tim also developed and made, stainless steel frets, and the "Tree of Life" inlay in the neck was gold and silver vine with abalone heart flowers. A pyramid inlayed into the head stock.

Alex took the guitar in the original state but later had us put Gibson humbuckers in it and paint it cream white.

The latest info I have about the guitar is it probably is cream white, but while being used on tour, an overhead speaker fell and hit the guitar doing some kind of damage.

We also built the "Space Bass" (tear drop blue), and did the modifications to Geddy's basses.

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QUOTE (paul tucker @ Jul 3 2011, 05:20 PM)
My name is Paul Tucker. I am the founder of Pyramid Guitars with my partner Tim Jagmin. We opened Pyramid Guitars, in Redford, in 1975, and I sold it to Paul "cowboy" Smith in 1979-80.
The solid body Pyramid guitar was the first guitar that Tim had built in 1976, and Alex bought it. We did all the work on Rush's guitars. The guitar was solid thru body construction using rock maple, rosewood, and purple heart. This is why some refer to it as the striped guitar, natural finish. Pyramid pickups, which Tim also developed and made, stainless steel frets, and the "Tree of Life" inlay in the neck was gold and silver vine with abalone heart flowers. A pyramid inlayed into the head stock.
Alex took the guitar in the original state but later had us put Gibson humbuckers in it and paint it cream white.
The latest info I have about the guitar is it probably is cream white, but while being used on tour, an overhead speaker fell and hit the guitar doing some kind of damage.
We also built the "Space Bass" (tear drop blue), and did the modifications to Geddy's basses.

Is Paul Smith by any chance Paul Reed Smith??

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QUOTE (paul tucker @ Jul 3 2011, 05:20 PM)
We also built the "Space Bass" (tear drop blue), and did the modifications to Geddy's basses.

I remember that one, I think it originally was his sunburst Fender Precision from the pre-Neil days. He got a Ric from L&M when they got their advance in 1974 and had the Precision chopped to teardrop shape and painted blue fade. I think there is a rare pic of him using around the ATWAS timeframe, and you can see it on the floor it in the Moving Pictures studio videos. I clearly remember him talking about it in these terms in an interview from somewhere ("Visions"?):

 

"I had a Fender Precision which I had cut into a teardrop shape and plainted blue. I apologize to it every time I see it."

 

Thanks for sharing the info, there's not much out there on the Pyramid!

Edited by PW_Guitarist
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QUOTE (paul tucker @ Jul 3 2011, 03:20 PM)
My name is Paul Tucker. I am the founder of Pyramid Guitars with my partner Tim Jagmin. We opened Pyramid Guitars, in Redford, in 1975, and I sold it to Paul "cowboy" Smith in 1979-80.
The solid body Pyramid guitar was the first guitar that Tim had built in 1976, and Alex bought it. We did all the work on Rush's guitars. The guitar was solid thru body construction using rock maple, rosewood, and purple heart. This is why some refer to it as the striped guitar, natural finish. Pyramid pickups, which Tim also developed and made, stainless steel frets, and the "Tree of Life" inlay in the neck was gold and silver vine with abalone heart flowers. A pyramid inlayed into the head stock.
Alex took the guitar in the original state but later had us put Gibson humbuckers in it and paint it cream white.
The latest info I have about the guitar is it probably is cream white, but while being used on tour, an overhead speaker fell and hit the guitar doing some kind of damage.
We also built the "Space Bass" (tear drop blue), and did the modifications to Geddy's basses.
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QUOTE (paul tucker @ Jul 3 2011, 05:20 PM)
My name is Paul Tucker. I am the founder of Pyramid Guitars with my partner Tim Jagmin. We opened Pyramid Guitars, in Redford, in 1975, and I sold it to Paul "cowboy" Smith in 1979-80.
The solid body Pyramid guitar was the first guitar that Tim had built in 1976, and Alex bought it. We did all the work on Rush's guitars. The guitar was solid thru body construction using rock maple, rosewood, and purple heart. This is why some refer to it as the striped guitar, natural finish. Pyramid pickups, which Tim also developed and made, stainless steel frets, and the "Tree of Life" inlay in the neck was gold and silver vine with abalone heart flowers. A pyramid inlayed into the head stock.
Alex took the guitar in the original state but later had us put Gibson humbuckers in it and paint it cream white.
The latest info I have about the guitar is it probably is cream white, but while being used on tour, an overhead speaker fell and hit the guitar doing some kind of damage.
We also built the "Space Bass" (tear drop blue), and did the modifications to Geddy's basses.

Paul: I had a 59 Gold Top LP that I bought used from a guy in Motown in '76. It had a damaged PAF Bridge Pup, and I had you and Pyramid guitars put in a double blade pickup and split coil taps on both the original neck PAF & your neck pup. That guitar was righteous, but got stolen from me in '83 here near Nashville, TN. I've never seen it since.

 

Do you still make those blade pickups?

 

I've dabbling with building some guitars for myself and the kids, and want to make a single coil version. Is that something you could guide me through?

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