Calling all guitarists

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BKK-OZ
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by BKK-OZ »

bayswater wrote:A production version would be great for those who need a bit of lap steel, but not all the time. It's also a brilliant bit of engineering. And don't you think the sound is unique?
Maybe it was the name that threw me. I do like the sound, and I agree with Gravity that it is more pedal than lap, but I still reckon it is more trouble than it is worth.

Having said that, I'm impressed with the ingenuity and skill.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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BKK-OZ
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Fishman's new TriplePlay Guitar-MIDI device

Post by BKK-OZ »

Anyone played with the new guitar-MIDI unit from Fishman?
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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mhschmieder
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by mhschmieder »

I received my Gretsch G5422DC-12 last Friday and it is beyond my wildest expectations. I was torn vs. the Eastwood but decided to move away from Eastwood as a good value brand but not really a "keeper". After many listens, I felt the Gretsch showed more promise.

Well, it turns out that not only is the Gretsch amazing, but it is a keeper, and BETTER than the Rickenbacker 360-12/c63(?) as opposed to a cheaper substitute. I feel it can deliver the same level of shimmer, but with more versatility, personality, and expression, and that it doesn't lock me into playing the known 12-string songs and instead inspires me to write new ones.

The blacktop Filter'Tron pickups are based on vintage specs so have lower output than the high-end Gretsch models (like the Tennessee Rose that I sold) and thus are closer to a single coil like the toaster pickups on the Rick model.

I feel really good about this buy. At 1/10 the cost (roughly $500 vs. $5000) I have a guitar that inspires me and won't just be a rare novelty instrument, and which has redeemed the Gretsch brand name in my mind after my disappointment with the Tennessee Rose (great eye candy though).
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by davedempsey »

Jumped on one of these today from a "distributor leaving product relationship" specials list. Fret King Black Label JD Jerry Donahue.
Looking forward to getting my hands on this one :)

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davedempsey
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by davedempsey »

I added this one to the order... should get both today. This is also another Trevor Wilkinson Fret King guitar... the Supermatic model with the Wilkinson ATD HT440™ self-tuning hard tail guitar bridge.


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World's largest playable guitar

Post by BKK-OZ »

Short vid on guitar musuem, showing largest playable guitar.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/video/ ... itar-video

I wouldn't let the kid in the bue top at the start of the vid anywhere near my gear
.
They also show a quick shot of a guitar with wooly mamoth ivory inlay - What the heck?
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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bayswater
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by bayswater »

That guy, Harvey, isn't he the 93rd rhythm guitar player for Spinal Tap?
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by mhschmieder »

A few weeks ago, I took in a Hagstrom Viking Baritone arch-top hollow body guitar, and love it! I sold my Eastwood Sidejack after thorough comparisons. I feel the arch-top form factor is really helpful for the tonal balance of the baritone voicing, and having a mini hum bucker in the bridge position help tame the harshness vs. two P-90's while still making it possible to produce those old twangy Mosrite sounds as on the Eastwood model.

It was a risky buy as I couldn't find anyone who carries the brand. I was nervous about the composite fretboard, but it feels more like ebony than anything else, and I love the V-style neck profile with the sharp angle from the body -- unique to Hagstrom.
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Gravity Jim
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by Gravity Jim »

M, you didn't look very hard for a Hag dealer.... The only one of those baritones I've ever played was brand new at Bananas at Large in San Rafael over a year ago. It was very nice, but for the things I do with it I like my cheap Dano better... It's good, bad and ugly all in one. 8) It needs flatwounds, though, a problem I should fix pretty soon.
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davedempsey
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by davedempsey »

Hagstrom make great guitars. I'm glad I got my Super Swede model a couple of years back. Funnily enough I also had trouble finding a dealer and ended up phoning the importer, who provided no assistance at all :( so I purchased the Super Swede online from the USA. That was the first in a series of guitar purchases from catalog. Previous to that I would never buy a guitar I hadn't played first. The 4 so far have all been keepers. The 2 Wilkinson Fret Kings in the above posts still haven't arrived - they told me the delay was due to running out of bubble wrap ... LOL
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bayswater
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by bayswater »

davedempsey wrote:Hagstrom make great guitars. I'm glad I got my Super Swede model a couple of years back. Funnily enough I also had trouble finding a dealer and ended up phoning the importer, who provided no assistance at all :( so I purchased the Super Swede online from the USA. That was the first in a series of guitar purchases from catalog. Previous to that I would never buy a guitar I hadn't played first. The 4 so far have all been keepers. The 2 Wilkinson Fret Kings in the above posts still haven't arrived - they told me the delay was due to running out of bubble wrap ... LOL
I don't buy guitars I haven't played either, in part because I'm left handed. I've bought a couple on the strength of a right handed version at a dealer and ended up with duds. It cost be a couple of hundred to get a factory new Rickenbacker 360-12 in playable shape. I'd have sent it back, but that would have cost even more. Recently, a local dealer had a left handed Hagstrom guitar, and another had a left handed bass, but I was disappointed in both. The guitar was this one, a cream F200P. The bass was this in red.

I'm glad yours worked out well, but I think it's dicey to buy a guitar you can't return without seeing it, regardless of brand.

Let me know if the bubble wrap crisis continues. I've got acres of it.
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BKK-OZ
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by BKK-OZ »

The most expensive guitar I ever bought was my Fender Bass VI, direct from Japan.

It was a semi-impulse buy.
I wasn't even sure what I was buying because most of the site is in Japanese, and I had a hassle getting it through customs too. I had never played one before at all, but I absolutely love it.

Yours too, for only 120,000円, plus shipping and customs duty:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/kurosawastore/fenjp-191/
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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Shooshie
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by Shooshie »

I can't imagine buying any instrument sight-unseen. The one I bought that way is probably the worst I have, and I bought it in 1973, back when they were pretty consistent. Instruments are like avocados. You've got to feel each one to see if it's right, and someone else's "right" isn't necessarily the same as your "right."

That said, buying a good saxophone is one of the most stressful things I can do. When I bought one of my newer saxes, an alto from the 1980s, I went to a huge music store whose owner happened to be someone I knew. He allowed me full access to their stock, which I tried out in the back rooms of the store for two days. I went through 30 horns and 30 necks, trying each neck on each horn. I may not have tried every combination. Some horns were obviously bad. Still, it took two days. The horn I got is technically the most incredible horn I've ever played. You can literally do anything on it, technically. Play soft, loud, high, low, whisper-quiet attacks in any range, super loud crescendos, great key action... you name it. Except for one thing: its sound just isn't inspiring. So I play my old Selmer Mark VI alto (about 1969 or 70), which has a multitude of technical issues, but whose sound is luscious. I can overcome the technical stuff, but I can't put a great sound where there isn't one. In fact, all my great horns were made in Paris, in the 1960s, in a period of about 6 years.

The new horns are "better" instruments, but to my ears they lack that soul and that voice that sings like a mockingbird.

I think the same principles apply to anything that's handmade. How could anyone let someone else pick something out for them, or just rely on potluck?

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BKK-OZ
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by BKK-OZ »

Shooshie wrote:...That said, buying a good saxophone is one of the most stressful things I can do...
Shoosh
Hey! A saxomaphone ain't no guitar!
This thread is about guitars, you wind players are all alike, must be guitar-neck envy or something...

:wink: :wink: :wink:

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Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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bayswater
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Re: Calling all guitarists

Post by bayswater »

Just to get back on topic:

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