Five hours before it went off, Kat gave me a slightly weary permission - like “I have run out of reasons to say no.” I sniped it and won but considered it an investment. Plus, check out those pickup covers - plain chrome, no screws! I love that look and it’s not common. The pickguard was flat white, not pearloid as some others I’d seen - another great match for the bass. The Vertigo was originally called the H-65, so I figured that’s what I was looking at - and the only other one I could find in this finish was on an Aussie website for a lot of money. If my guitar collection says anything, it says that I am not a “serious” collector in the way that other “serious” collectors are “serious.” Still, this is a fairly uncommon specimen - the Fernandes logo on the headstock is an older script style, and the witch-hat knobs also seem on the early side. I could have a complete set of Vertigos! Kat and I on matching instruments, like those sad families you see on vacation!Īs you might expect, the Vertigo is such a specialized (notice I didn’t use the word “ugly”) shape that it didn’t command a high price at the time it appeared on eBay (though that has changed!) what’s more, the main run of them had a painting defect that caused the finish to flake.

The week before my last FT gig, I saw a listing go up on eBay: “Rare Sherwood Green Fernandes Vertigo Guitar.” You’re kidding me - the same shade as the bass we had already had refinished in a guy’s garage in California? Pull the other one. The day after I left Fast Times, I found a rare bird on eBay and jumped. Most people quit a band and then sell the gear.

Fernandes serial number guitar