While neither of my two readers may know what a Case Queen is, I'd venture a bet that nearly every guitar enthusiast knows the term. A Case Queen is a guitar that was purchased numerous years ago, left in its case, stuffed away in a closet and never or rarely played. These guitars are rare, indeed. And guitarists are scared stiff of them.
To put it into terms that are more familiar to those who fall outside of the guitar aficionado genre, try this on for size: you read an ad in eBay that states "For Sale - 1955 Cadillac, 5 actual miles, garaged for the last 64 years, immaculate condition. Price: $200.00". Are you skeptical? You should be.
Thus, when Case Queens come on the market, they are met with a certain degree of trepidation.
That trepidation hit me between the eyes last week when I saw a listing in eBay describing a 28 year-old Fender Stratocaster. The words used to describe it were very familiar to me: 1991 Strat, mint condition, never played, still has plastic protection layer on pickguard, no fretwear.
Yeah, right.
Despite my disbelief, over the next few days I was repeatedly drawn to the listing. Something made me think that this one was for real. Accordingly, I submitted an offer and, presumably due to the general disbelief among my fellow musicians toward Case Queens, my offer was the only one submitted and it was accepted.
GULP!
To make a long story short, the guitar arrived yesterday and it was 100% as advertised. I have scored a genuine Case Queen. But there's more to the story.
Among the various items provided to me was the original sales receipt. The owner was a guy (whose name was listed) who bought it from a Guitar Center in San Francisco, California. I Googled the name of the original owner. The name was not a very common name and I am fairly confident that he is a well-known lawyer who still lives and practices in San Francisco.
It bugs the heck out of me that he never played it - but why?
Short of contacting the lawyer in S.F. and pulling him out of an important court case to answer my stupid questions, I've opted to consider several different scenarios for why the instrument sat untouched in a closet for the past 28 years.
The first scenario is rather dull but certainly the most plausible. Specifically, the original owner (the lawyer) was thinking about learning guitar but due to his busy job in the legal profession he never took the time. One day his wife needed more room for her burgeoning collection of fashion shoes, saw the guitar in the closet and sold it on eBay.
The second scenario is highly unlikely. It goes something like this: the lawyer was heavily involved representing clients in the music industry. As a gift for his hard work, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Robert Cray and Jimmy Page bought him the guitar. Twenty-eight years later, the lawyer's wife needed room for her fashion shoes and sold the guitar on eBay.
Rather than spend the rest of my life pondering why my mint condition 1991 Strat was never played, I'm going with the second scenario.
Despite it's unlikely nature, it just feels right.
Readers, enjoy your day.
