Guitars

[MK]

.

It's probably not wise to mess with the guy in charge but:

As someone who has spent the last few years getting rid of virtually all the new stuff from his studio setup I feel obliged to disagree. IMHO there is not a box on the planet that can simulate the real thing. Yes it's easier to cart about (my reverb unit is an 8ft metal plate) but for tone, old wins.

In most cases I would agree with you. The Axe-FX is an exception. It is the only new piece of gear that can keep up with...and in many cases exceeding....old analog or early digital units. Guys are dumping their 2290s and PCM delays. As for your metal plate....sure. No electonic reverb is going to reproduce the sound of the Sistine Chapel anytime soon. That is rather a mute point in a guitar rig. For those of us in the real world who can't change the physical accoustics of the rooms we play in, the Axe-FX is a major winner for any player wanting top quality effects.

In regards to amp sims....the gizmo has exceeded my old tube setup in regards to meeting my needs. Sure a Marshall plexi sounds amazing....at 110db. The gigs I play at won't allow that. Yes, you can run it through a hot plate and drop the volume some, but there is a trade off. Also that amp gets one great sound. If your the kind of player who is happy with one sound all night....more power to you.

One size does not fit all. Whatever inspired you to play better is great (as long as it is not painful for others). That is the main thing. The Axe-FX is inspiring me big time.

It is strange to be discussing this subject here.

 

[GWD]

My Geetars and thangs

From Left to Right,

Martin HD-28V
Martin 000-28VS
Deering Calico 5 String Banjo
G-String Soprano Ukulele (Hibiscus)

 

[glazierman]

this is my small assembly of guitars. I've been trying to learn to play for a long time ,but keep getting guitars instead of better at playing them.
my taylor 110

49 ES125 Gibson

51 L4C Gibson (my dad bought this new)

 

[Jay]

Those Gibsons are beautiful, Glazierman!

 

[glazierman]

my dad played in a cowboy band when he was in the service.He bought the l4c new, and I keep it in the original hard case that it came with. I just wish I had some of his natural talent for playing. It's a struggle for me to make any progress in my playing.[huh]

 

[HatDoc]

Are 4-string guitars allowed at this party?

Hey.....can us bass-players join the party? lol

I have a Martin 1973 D-28 guitar that I rarely play anymore, because I'm into bass these days. Here's a few of my babies.......ignore the ugly bald dude.

Lakland DJ-4:

Sadowsky PJ:

Fender 51 Re-issue P-Bass: (notice Work of Art Panama on bald head)

And my beloved Fender Pino Palladino Custom Shop P-Bass:

Thanks for letting me share.

 

[bburtner@moran]

Martin HD28

GWD:How long have you had the HD28v?,usually the vintage Martin series instuments sound good straight away,the forward shifted X bracing has alot too do with it.The Golden Era D18GE with adirondack top is a boomer ,got to love that mahogany.Does your D have Waverly 18:1 tuners,or Gotoh`s?Martin is still the industry standard in dread`s,Collings,Santa Cruz,Huss and Dalton,make some great guitars,but the are not Martin`s.BB

 

[GWD]

GWD:How long have you had the HD28v?,usually the vintage Martin series instuments sound good straight away,the forward shifted X bracing has alot too do with it.The Golden Era D18GE with adirondack top is a boomer ,got to love that mahogany.Does your D have Waverly 18:1 tuners,or Gotoh`s?Martin is still the industry standard in dread`s,Collings,Santa Cruz,Huss and Dalton,make some great guitars,but the are not Martin`s.BB

I've had the 28v for about 4 years now, it's a great sounding guitar, but the OOO-28vs just is amazing! It's more of a finger style set up with a wider nut and it sounds so sweet and mellow it's by far my favorite.

 

[carouselvic]

Winfield?

Have any of you acoustic players ever come to Kansas the third weekend in September? At the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield they have the national flat picking and international finger-style guitar competition. In addition to that they also have;
National Bluegrass banjo
National mountain dulcimer
National hammered dulcimer
International Autoharp
They also have fiddle and mandolin competitions. I have attended the last twenty years. Lots of monster players, great shows and all around good time.

 

[Warbaby]

The only acoustic guitar currently in my stable is this sweet sounding but otherwise undistinguished '58 Martin 00-18.

While I'm in acoustic mode, I'll sneak in a banjo. I got this 1890s Weymann 5-string in 1963 - it was a basket case with a broken headstock and was one of my first instrument restorations. I've had a number of fine banjos over the years, but this one always remained my favorite.

 

[bburtner@moran]

pick`s

Warbaby : The turtle picks are amazing,I have been using them for a long time,nothing beats them.The Tortise pick comes close though.

 

[shortbow]

Great thread, great instruments! I'm especially fond of those small-body Martins.

Warbaby, that Weyman is a great looking banjo. I've been picking at banjo for more than thirty years; as card-carrying poor folks, never had one as nice as that. Had a couple of Mastertones in my travels when I wuz into Bluegrass, but nowadays only have the one, a very pedestrian 1927 Vega Model M which I remodeled into a five-string on which I mostly do Clawhammer.

 

[Warbaby]

Great thread, great instruments! I'm especially fond of those small-body Martins.

Warbaby, that Weyman is a great looking banjo. I've been picking at banjo for more than thirty years; as card-carrying poor folks, never had one as nice as that. Had a couple of Mastertones in my travels when I wuz into Bluegrass, but nowadays only have the one, a very pedestrian 1927 Vega Model M which I remodeled into a five-string on which I mostly do Clawhammer.

Card-carrying po' folks? Heck, I'm so po' I can't even afford the card.

I paid 20 bucks for the Weymann back in '63, and the 00-18 I got in trade for a modern-day acoustic/electric that I got in trade for a fret job.

I've always lived just a step or two ahead of the wolf, but I seem to have the magic touch when it comes to scoring great stuff on the cheap.

 

[Randal]

Here's a (not very good) pic of my 1980's Epiphone Strat-style electric. I'll post a better pic later...

 

[Warbaby]

This is my customized early 70s Les Paul Custom that I've had since 1985. It's the prettiest LPC I've ever had and the only electric I've kept that wasn't one of my own build. The finish was originally cream, but it's aged to a wonderful lemon chiffon color. The neck is very unusual (or at least I've never seen another like it). It's wide and very thin with a flattish contour - a great neck for fingerpicking.

All the mods were done without altering the guitar itself - not even the screw holes. I replaced the tacky gold-plated hardware with the same style in black and installed EMG active pickups and managed to squeeze not only the battery, but an overdrive preamp and push-pull pots into the original control cavity. The neck pickup is one that EMG made for only a short time in the mid-80s and it has the most amazing acoustic sound I've ever heard from a humbucker. Also made a mother-of-pearl truss rod cover for it.

 

[donCarlos]

It´s been a long time since I stopped playing, but I still have my guitar. It´s a nice decoration.
It´s a beauty, but without the pickguard - it´s playable, but the pickups do a lot of noise even at low volume and it can´t stay tuned for more than 15 minutes.
http://cheesyguitars.com/jolana_graziela2.html

 

[Edward]

I've had up to 13 guitars at one time. During the past year, I have given them a lot of thought and decided it was time to concentrate on certain styles I prefer, clearing some out to make way for newer guitars. I have owned 80s Westones (selling both of those in the New Year - one Thunder IA and the matching bass version), Squiers, Fenders, and others. The current crop include a Steinberger i bought as a travel guitar, an Epiphone LP Std, a 1994 Fender American Standard Stratocaster, a Squier I have (since the photo was taken) rewired with a set of lipstick tube pups, and a Crafted in Japan 71RI Telecaster. The Tele is my favourite, and the only guitar I have ever bought which I stumbled across. Every single other I went looking for (as a left handed player, it can often be - at best - very difficult to find guitars I like), but this Telecaster I stumbled across in a shop in Reading. Played it for an hour, and six months later when I went back with the money, it was still there....

My favourite guitars these days are all 50s styles: Telecasters and Esquiers, LP Juniors and Specials (much prefer those over Stds and Customs), Gretsches, Stratocasters. I would like to collect a number of guitars in those styles. I doubt I will ever own a real Gretsch: 6120s are just a price too rich for my blood as a mere hobby player who doesn't gig regularly, and the affordable Electromatic Series offers no left handed models. I am looking into Peerless, however, which produce some very nice Gretsch-style guitars, made in Korea to a very high standard for a mid-market price.

I also wish to collect several Fender-style P Basses. Being left handed, I plan to eschew the "real thing" for an alternative company who can build me one with the options I want at a better price. These will be 57 style, maple board, alder body. Eventually I would like them in CAR, LPB, Surf Green and black. I also plan to start some lessons to learn to play bass (and guitar) in a rockabilly / rock and roll vein.

My Tele:

Although a 71RI, you can really see how true to the original design the Tele stayed for so long: the only real differences between this and the 52 model are the logo and the shape of the tuner buttons. Oh, and the white scratchplate (introduced in the mid 50s - 55?).

Some others (the CAR Stratalike is now gone, but is exactly the style of Strat-type I plan to buy in the future):

I have always been very cynical about the sheer degree of Luddism common among guitar players, but ironically it just so happens that as I have matured as a player (which is not to imply I'm actually any good ), what works for me aesthetically and as a player just happens to be the older designs. My current Amplifier is a Vox AD120VT, which I adore. The perfect amp for me would probably be the Fender amp simulations from this in a 1x12" box, with a tweed cover. In the New Year, I plan to try out some of the BlackHeart valve amps - especially the 1watt head. If ever I was to gig regularly, I would be looking into a 15-20watt tube amp, I think. I have no preference as regards valves over a good simulator, but aesthetically and features wise I prefer to keep it tweedy-50s with minimal functions for the idea of playing live, if I did get back into that, as a regular thing. THe Vox would be fantastic for recording purposes.

 

[Sertsa]

Edward - Nice collection. As far as amps go, have you looked into any of the Tweed Champ or Princeton-based amps being built by a few people? One of these is Lil Dawg Amps. I've been considering one for a while, and I guess he can have a long waiting list, but he's hand-building these for pretty reasonable prices:

http://www.littledawgamps.com/

I've never owned one, though. (I have a Fender Pro Junior and a Tech 21 Trademark 10)

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

This is a Gretsch Sho-Bro that I bought used in 1972. It was in mint, like new condition when I bought it, but it's far from being mint now. It's not pretty, but I've had lots of fun with it.

I bought this little Fender a few years after I bought the Gretsch.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Fender AM deluxe Fat Strat

Gibson CS 356 with Bigsby