cmatthes

These are beyond cool - thanks, Mike!!

All the best to you and the fam, Mike!

I think we've uncovered a seller's brilliant marketing scheme!

That 100% IS a real Gibson. What the hell?!?!?!?! Seller is an idiot.

Those were/are Hamer Futuras....one an import 'player', the other an Ultra-RARE, USA-made Korina model (only 6-8 known to exist?). Yep, that set is worth $4,500 in my view....I really like this model, and would love to own them if I had the cash. There are 36 of the Korina RN models and a handful (maybe a dozen or so?) of the NON-RN Korina Futuras. The one in the auction was a RN Sig model, not the latter.

There are a number of guitars he had done by Hamer over the years as giveaways or for fundraisers/auctions/donations. He didn't really play or own those for any appreciable time though.

I've got that issue on one of my Daytonas, and the only time I notice it is when wiping down the neck - never while playing.

The shapes, dimensions and part placement are all (or mostly all) off from actual Gibson spec. I can see one from 25 feet away and tell, but then again, I have a really critical eye for detail, so things like that bug me. They typically use an Epiphone-like curve to the headstock sides, never really nail the scroll, have challenges with the logo/logo placement, never get the size right on the split diamond inlay, use rosewood/other lighter wood boards instead of Ebony (easier before Gibson started cheaping out there too), don't have the fret end "nibs" (easier before Gibson started cheaping out there too), use a glopped on thicker, glossy poly finish, rarely get the placement of the toggle switch/washer correct, have a weird shape to the treble horn, don't do the pickguard/bracket right quite often, wrong number of binding ply layers on LP Customs, slightly offset control layout, wrong bridges, cheap hardware, multi-piece/off center seam bodies, incorrect/cheap cases, serial number font is hot-stamped after the finish has been applied... I could go on, but that's off the top of my head.

I can still spot the irregularities a mile away, but I agree with Jay that they've gotten much craftier, and the fakes are certainly better than they were a decade ago. They still can't seem to get some glaring items correct, but that doesn't stop people from either buying them without knowing the difference or buying them to scam other people. It's really not that hard to educate yourself, I mean, seriously - there's only the whole fucking internet!

Sinking of the finish into the grain/contraction of the walnut.

That's "MOICHEN-Diess"!!

Patience...it's probably more important that Mike is focusing on the building right now, eh?

Oh, I won't. But...

Just spend the $5 and get your own!

All will be revealed...when Mike's ready!

If I recall correctly, Mike is positioning the upper strap button at the heel, where it is on Hamer Standards. I'm sure that a request could always be made to relocate it, but keep in mind that the form fit Shishkov TKL cases may not be designed for a strap button protruding from that area, and without modification, could wear/tear the case lining there. In the end, it is a pretty simple adjustment, and if you prefer the way the guitar hangs from a strap with the relocated button, it can't hurt to ask!

...and then thank US!!! :D

That's like me eating a burrito and handing you the wrapper as I'm licking the bean juice off it. Actually, it's more like Jeff eating that burrito, and then handing you the bill for every customer the burrito stand has had for the last 5 years. Guarantee that the paper is saddled with debt, and by signing it over/transferring the business to you "for nothing", you'd potentially be assuming liability for those debts.

Looks more like passing a kidney stone.

Good info. I suppose I was using "Firebird" in the generic sense, but it's great to know who made it. Is it 25.5" scale like a Gibby Firebird? If so, that would be extremely interesting! Gibson Firebirds are 24.75" Scale, not 25.5". Doug Kauer builds the Banshees at a similar 24.75" scale length. Finally, yes...Filtertrons sound great in pretty much anything!

One of my clients is (and was) the primary distribution infrastructure for the big boys - the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune...every big US paper from the 20th Century that you can recall. Around the turn of the Century (or right after Jeff R. got out of the biz) things dropped off dramatically. The formerly rock solid financials of their clients reversed from black to red within a couple of years, and some of the larger papers just folded (literally, I guess). When I met with the CFO and the rest of the exec team back in 2005-06, they confided that they believed that they had at most, 3-5 years left, max, since everything had gone digital and readership and revenue had all but dried up. They managed to shift their business model effectively since then, and became profitable for the (a real success story), but they had downsized significantly, and reduced their footprint to the large East Coast urban markets only. They managed to keep from running into the ground, but I'm just not sure that I'd touch it. If you like that sort of risk, you may find a typewriter or 35mm film manufacturer looking to sell cheap...

With the internet and 24/7/365 News Outlets, printed news is obsolete before the presses are even turned on for a run. It's just no longer the way people get their news in the 21st century.

Also look at the potential lifespan of this venture. Not sure what things are like where you live, but I just watched a 40 year program for several dozen small community papers go under because print media is pretty much dead in most marketplaces. I would definitely think long and hard about it. I am not in that industry, for sure, but I do evaluate businesses of all types on a daily basis. Unless you can truly stand to lose everything you've invested in the next 5-10 years, I'd think long and hard about it, and at least get a valuation from some independent third party appraisers first. There is probably a reason he wants to sell it - transfer the loss and get out while he still can. I have seen more 3G and 4G businesses desperate to sell in the last 5-6 years because the next generations don't have any interest in perpetuating them and frankly, nobody is buying. If it is your passion, you live in an area that you feel will support the business, you've checked it all 10 ways to Sunday, and the financial investment won't put you and your family in a potentially uncomfortable position, then go for it.

Reflector knobs would not have been original.

The Gibson SG Diablo. Freakin' HIDEOUS.