BadgerDave

I think Matt is right about the skill of the builders back in the 50s and 60s, especially in the Gibson shop. Fender had skilled guys like Taddeo (sp?) Gomez carving necks, but most of the assembly work was done by semi skilled assembly line workers. There's a ton of great information in the "Beauty of the Burst" book. One opinion expressed in that book that intuitively rings true is that the quality of wood has decreased over time, particularly mahogany. The theory is that old growth Honduran mahogany had virtually no mineral deposits in the wood. That's why a '59 LP Jr. will often weigh less than 7 lbs. As the supply of old, air dried quality mahogany was depleted, Gibson increasingly used inferior wood that had high mineral content (and was quickly kiln dried). That's why Norlin era LPs weigh 10 lbs or more. And, the theory goes, increased weight isn't the only detrimental effect. "Green" mahogany with high mineral content resonates much less than dry mineral free wood. Sounds plausible to me.

I tried several speakers in my Carr Rambler looking for tighter bass response, smoother high end and nice even breakup. The candidates were a Weber alnico Blue Dog, Weber alnico Silver Bell, Tone Tubby, Celestion Century, Jensen reissue, the original Kingpin and a Eminence Cannabis Rex. Of that group, the Kingpin and Jensen were pretty obviously outclassed. Both speakers sounded thin and raspy in comparison to the rest of the field. The Century surprised me. I expected it to sound sterile and "papery". It didn't. I didn't pick it as the best of the group for the Rambler, but it wasn't far behind. The Webers were slightly different flavors, both very good. I'm using the Silver Bell in my '67 Deluxe Reverb where it tames some of the excess highs and makes that great blackface sound a bit rounder and fuller. The Blue Dog would work just as well in that application and I also came very close to keeping it in the Rambler. Not surprisingly, it sounds a lot like a well broken in Celetion Blue that I've used in several amps. Not quite as "open", but close. Finally, the biggest surprise - to my ears, the Cannabis Rex sounded better, in every way, than the Tone Tubby. Clearer, slightly brighter, and more focused. The Tone Tubby was darker and more compressed. I'm not saying that the Tubby was bad, in fact it might be the top choice for a brighter, higher-powered amp, but the Cannabis Rex seemed to be the perfect match for the Rambler. It's still in there and seems to be getting better all the time.

Matt, I wasn’t a fan of the relics until I tried several. Some were OK, some were very good, and a few were among the best guitars I have ever played. I like the look of the lightly aged versions. Here are a couple that are phenomenal guitars. The first is a Nash, the second is a Fender with a few custom features – 9 ½” radius neck and big frets. These truly feel old and played-in, though the frets are in perfect condition and the electronics don’t phart out.. I find them more comfortable to play than brand new shiny guitars. I’ll also admit that the look appeals to me.

How much will you be able to sell the $2300.00 Suhr for in two years? There is a reasonable chance that that beat Strat will appreciate to, say, $30,000.00. Again, utility value vs. investment value. Your sole criteria is utility and therefore the price of the Strat makes no sense to you. An investor wouldn't touch the Suhr at $2,300.00 because he knows that it will depreciate (or at least that there is no proven market appreciation for Suhrs). Strats have been appreciateing at geometrical rates for the past 5 -10 years. To the investor, it's also a "no-brainer" in favor of the strat!

Anyone who is paying $90K for a Stratocaster isn't buying a guitar. They're betting that they will be able to sell it at a profit at some point in the future. So far, this assumption has proved to be correct with respect to many, but certainly not all, Fender and Gibson guitars made in the 50's and early 60's. Comparing a '55 Strat to an Anderson or Suhr is like comparing an early 60's Jaguar XKE to a new Mazda Miata. The Mazda will top the Jag in every technical spec you can name. The Jag will still sell for 5x the price. In 10 years, the Jag will be worth substantially more than it is today. The Mazda will be worth scrap value. Completely different market. Utility value vs. investment value.

Gabe, please take no offense. You are certainly entitled to your opinion and we all have our "guilty pleasures. Hell, I like ELO and Hall and Oates! But, if anyone wants an example of why John Mayer needs to be banned (or at least dismissed as irrelevant), watch his performance of "Gravity" on the DirecTV free concert broadcast this month. All of the insipid, grating, horror-inducing Mayer elements are there. The "play three notes and contort your face like you're passing a kidney-stone" fake emotion, the vacant mouthing along of the words by the soccer mom and daughter JM fanclub audience, the pseudo intellectual haiku lyrics and the "why the hell can't you just sing like a normal human instead of that blatantly affected gargling thing you do" vocal delivery. Yes I watched. For three full minutes. I still feel unclean. Have I mentioned that I'm not a fan? edited to add that Duke Robillard kicks ass!

I don't know which is more pathetic. John Mayer or Rolling Stone. I remember when that magazine at least made an attempt at intelligent journalism. It now resides comfortably on Jewel Osco checkout impulse racks right between TV Guide and the Bat-Boy tabloids. If the criteria is talent, creativity and actual impact on the "state of the art", I'll take Trucks, give JF a nod as an interesting fringe contributor and substitute Jack White and John Bonamassa.

Have you ever tried to play a finished maple fingerboard in the rain? Once those things get wet, they are virtually impossible to negotiate, especially any type of bending. The fact that Prince could do monster bends and stay (mostly) in tune is hugely impressive. I noticed that the "symbol" guitar was horrifically out of tune almost from the moment Prince started playing it. Still, he was able to bend into pitches in a way that i haven't seen anyone other than Hendrix do. Little Prince Nelson can play the crap out of those guitars!

Chris, you forgot to mention one very unique characteristic of the bass - the complete and utter absence of any smell. Most used instruments smell like something - smoke, Febreeze, dryer sheet, sweat, etc. This one has no smell whatsoever. Wierd! I have no idea why I thought the Drive By Truckers had an album called "Souther Culture". Guess I'm mixing band names and album titles. The record I was thinking of was "The Dirty South". I think it's their most consistant and accessable release to date and a great place to start for a DBT newbie. It also contains two of my favorite Truckers songs - Tornadoes and Daddy's Cup.

And the amazing thing is, I bought nothing! Except a few CDs at the Borders across the street. I'm now absolutely certain that the Drive By Truckers are the best band in the world. Souther Culture had me 90% of the way there, Southern Rock Opera pushed me to the edge, and "Buttholeville" from Gangstabilly closed the deal. BTW, Chris, the Keith Urban CD sucked. Your comparison to John Mayer was right on. Better player, similar songwriting, worse production. Very dissapointing. Thanks for making the trip, Matt. I'm connecting well with the Gretsch.

HUMBLE PIE - Rockin the Fillmore. Possibly the best live album of them all! Grand Funk Railroad ELP Shawn Cassidy - I'm not joking, the SC live album kicks. I agree an all of the others with a big +1 for BeBop Deluxe's Live in the Air Age. I wore out at least 3 copies of that one on vinyl.

I'm very sorry to hear of your loss, Frank. Moms are special people. I'm sure you have warm memories to see you through this difficult time.

I could swap out that pickup for you, Chris. And I'm just up the road . . . I am the BadgerEnabler!

Alas, As you are well aware, Bruce, I have never sucessfully executed a "rock star pose". The closest I've come is the "lame-ass lawyer with cool guitar" pose. Perhaps a Swirlygig is the missing element.

Hey Dave. Why didn't you have Greg put some crown inlays in? We actually discussed that. Ultimately, it was a more complicated, time-consuming and expensive procedure than I wanted to go through. Greg will absoluletly not do a job like that half way, so we're talking about pulling the frets which requires removing the binding, etc.

I had one for a few months. I loved the neck profile, loved the sound, the feel and the look, EXCEPT . . . I just couldn't get past the victory inlays. I know they are just cosmetic and don't make any real difference, but to me they're like chrome wheel spinners on a '65 Mustang. Too bling and distractingly "import" looking. I asked for a Triple Threat with crowns - Jol said no. Otherwise, I thought the TT was the best solidbody Hamer I've played.

My wife and I have incomes that are close to equal. We decided long ago to maintain completely separate bank accounts. Any major household purchase or expense is split 50/50 after we decide to spend the money. I pay the mortgage every month. She pays all of the grocery, utility and miscellanious expenses. Our checking, savings, retirement and and discretionary accounts are completely separate. We do some joint retirement planning, but we don't combine funds. IMO, this is a near utopian way to run a household. I have never asked her permission to buy a guitar, car, or anything else. I'll occasionaly ask for her input, but she doesn't get a veto. Same for her - she uses her money to buy what she wants and never even thinks about asking permission. As a result, we haven't had an argument about money in 15 years! As for guitars, she is mildly interested in what comes in and out. All of my guitars and basses are displayed in our home - 5 in the family room and the rest in a basement room that I finished as a "guitar room".

Me too on Bob Dylan's "Modern Times". Also: Best of Buck Owens Rhino's ""Rockin' Bones" Punkabilly sampler Tried to listen to Eric Johnson's last disc all the way through again. Didn't make it. I'm a huge EJ fan, but the material is lacking. I'd love to hear him do an "all covers" set.

If quantitative analysis were applied to barbeque, the clear champion would be: Link to the best friggin' BBQ on the planet and if you don't agree you're just stupid No one who has tried Sweatman's barbeque has failed to agree that it's the best. If anyone tries to tell you differently they're just trying to hide the fact that they were too stupid to find the place (which is quite difficult, actually). Once you try Sweatman's you will be willing to travel hundreds of miles for another taste. It is the crack of Q!

I'm with Jeff. It's time to remove the fetters of subversive marketing hype and rise up! What we need is a grassroots movement to demand the objective analysis of guitars! Who's with us? chirp . . . chirp . . . chirp . . . Hey, what the . . .

Where's Mike Lee? I beleive we need a bit of engineer to engineer dialogue here. (jdrnd, forgive me if I'm mistaken about your background/profession. I'm married to a ChemE and I see great similarities in your precise logic, technical writing and quest for quantifiable data - all great qualities, IMO)

Does a $20,000.00 Rolex perform it's essential function any better than a $10.00 quartz Timex? I guess that depends on what you beleive the essential function of the watch is. For some, it's simple - a watch tells time and for them, a Rolex is an incredible waste of money. For others, a watch is a piece of jewelry and the Rolex is worth it's price. Others admire craftsmanship, history, mechanical precision, or even the image projected by a certain brand. Guitars are much the same. They are purchased by a wide variety of individuals who have diverse preferences, not only in how their guitars look, but also in how they sound and feel. You apparently do not like P-90 pickups. I, and many others, prefer the sound of P-90s over even the best humbucking models. Why? because they sound better! Disagree? Great, you buy what you like and I'll buy what I like. Which is better? What are you going to measure? noise? sustain? If so, the humbuckers win, hands down. I still think the P-90s sound better. Is low string pressure better than high string pressure or is medium string pressure best? Stevie Ray Vaughn played long scale guitars with huge strings and high action. Satriani and Vai play light strings with very low action. Which is "right"? My point is that, beyond basic quality control measurements, I don't believe there are any objective measurements that can add significant value. Every guitar player with a few years of experience learns that a Les Paul has easier action and longer sustain than a Telecaster. We also begin to understand that every guitar has significant diffferences in tone and feel, even if we are comparing two Les Pauls that came off of the assembly line on the same day. So, to answer your question: No

Sounds like a que to pick up one of his guitars, throw it through the windshield of his car, kick him square in the balls and say, "Thanks for the education, a$$wipe, how do you like the way I've applied it?"

That is outstanding! Congratulations on pulling off a great original idea.

If you mean the green one, yes. I was able to pick the top at the last Hamer Fan Club factory tour and BCR Greg helped me spec the guitar. I was looking to re-create a guitar I almost ordered in 1980. A bound and crowned Sunburst in emerald green. The idea started gaining momentum and we decided to make a matching 8 string bass. If you mean the red '80, sorry for the long post. As far as I know it was a production guitar, though I'm not the original owner so I can't say for sure.