The Pool Pump Collection

Back in the 1980s, I lived in Mulgoa, a suburb in the outer west of Sydney. Occasionally, my fellow collectors and I would get together for a photo shoot of the guitars we owned.

Why call it the Pool Pump Collection? Well, the big brown box covered with a black cloth was actually hiding the pool pump, and it just happened to make a great stand for the guitars.

At one particular gathering, we had some impressive guitars on display: a 1950s Telecaster, my 1956 Stratocaster, someone else’s late 1950s Stratocaster in Sunburst and another in Black, plus several 1960s Stratocasters, both Pre L and L Series.

Additionally, there were two excellent mid-1960s Fender XII guitars, including my 1966 in Ice Blue Metallic that I picked up from Norman’s Rare Guitars. We also included my father’s Gretsch Country Gentleman, which was a late 1970s model, if I recall correctly.

The value of these guitars today would be mind-blowing compared to their worth back then, although even then, their combined value was significant.