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FGJ

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Posts posted by FGJ

  1. Just out of curiosity, are you looking for a variety of aesthetics? Because it seems there are only a handful of general guitar tones that can be had from several guitars, and after that it's all about looks (well, actually, there are different ways a guitar feels as well, but personal preference on what we look for in a neck is usually pretty narrow -- I think).

    In any case, if you've got room for it and the wife is okay with it, why not, right?

  2. Frankly, I don't get how anyone can inherit someone's name or image. I can understand a child or spouse inheriting royalties or intellectual rights to his music, but a cousin, father or adopted sister inheriting the right to his name? What's with that? If he had no spouse or children, shouldn't use of his persona be in the public domain, the sme way as it would be with, say, Mark Twain or something?

  3. Has anyone owned a USA EVH (Fender) Wolfgang and a USA Cali (not necessarily at the same time) and can give a comparison of, say, quality of build, playability, shape of neck, quality of Floyd, etc? I think we can see the differences aesthetically, so I'm really interested in knowing how they differ from a practical, players point of view. I realize they're different guitars, but since they're both presumably made for rocking and shredding, one would think they must appeal in similar ways.

    So can anyone address this? Anyone? Anyone? B.....

  4. What is a killer neck to you?

    I suspect it is going to be whatever best fits any particular person's hands for any given task. In other words, there is no "best" as far as specs go, because everyone will favor whatever specs fits their needs.

    I'm not even sure the same person wants the same neck on every kind of guitar. What fits my hands best for shredding may not fit my hand well for playing lots of chords, or may not works as well for playing slide. I guess you can either own several guitars, each able to do something really well, or you find one "jack of all trades, mastere of none" guitar.

  5. I tend to think the "ultimate" shredder is going to have less to do with the body wood or pickups (the former being entirely unnoticeable when covered in paint and the latter being replaceable), and has far more to do with the neck. If the neck has good action, fret-height that works best for you, and a shape that just fits your hands (which is going to be different for everybody), then that's probably going to inspire you to shred (if that's your goal) more than anything else.

    I realize tone is important, but so much about tone can be shaped by pickups, pedals, amps, and those things attached to the end of your arms. The only part of the guitar that you physically connect and interact with in regard to playing is the neck, and (for myself) a GREAT neck will sway my opinion toward a guitar more than wood or fancy paint. To be clear, I'm not suggesting I'd want a butt-ugly guitar with a great neck, because I still want to enjoy looking at the guitar to some degree. But playability is more important.

    • Like 3
  6. ETA- also my less than subtle way of saying that IMO my Calis and my CS Charvel Star are my dream guitars. No BS.

    I totally believe you. My Cali may never be voted prom queen, but I wouldn't sell or trade her for anything. I just like everything about it, and I'd have no problem if it were the only guitar I held or played ever again. I'm not suggesting there aren't a bazillion prettier guitars out there, but my guitar has become so much a part of me (as far as guitars go) that I never even dream of replacing it with something else. And if I were a gigging musician and were asked what I'd want to gig with, it'd be with my Cali and nothing else (assuming the fantasy criteria of not having to worry about breaking a string applies to me, thus my not requiring a backup guitar).

    Come to think of it, if EVH continued gigging with his trademark guitar which looked like a POS, even though he clearly had the lettuce to play any beautiful guitar of his choice while on stage, then I'm not sure why anyone with a favorite guitar would gig with anything else, even in a fantasy scenario. My gigging fantasy involves actually being able to play my favorite tunes really well, but the guitar I imagine playing is always what I already own.

    Certainly can't fault your choice for the ultimate ax! ;)

    I do have one perspective that will totally unhinge your otherwise laudable and admirable position:

    How do you KNOW there isn't another guitar out there that might bond as well as, if not better than your current flame, while offering you something different in the way of options and aesthetics?

    It is that very question that keeps me (and I suspect hundreds of thousands of others) ever vigilant for another possible addition.

    Yes, you're entirely correct. I don't know that there isn't something better, and, in fact, it's quite likely that there is something better or at least as good as what I have. But since your OP question asked what we'd gig with if we had our druthers, and I since can only go with what I'm familiar, I'm happy to stay with what I own. (Incidentally, the only guitars that I've ever played whose neck I felt was as nice as my Cali were a few Suhr guitars I've tried. But I don't have Suhr-envy or a Suhr budget, so I'm not looking to getting one. Plus, I'm biased toward Hamers.)

    To be perfectly clear, if you're question had been:

    'What else would you like to own in addition to your current stable if money, space, and the disapproval of the wife were not an issue?'

    In such a case, I could certainly make a rather large list, but it would be entirely based on aesthetics, not really on wanting something that plays differently. Like I noted earlier, there are a whole lot of pretty guitars out there; real works of art. I wouldn't mind having a few just on that basis alone. But as far as playing is concerned, I'm quite content with where I'm at. I only own my Cali (with which you're familiar) and a U.S. '94 T-51, and those two get me most anything I want for a guy who only plays as a hobby.

    Finally, if your question had been about amps, I would have jumped on the wish-list bandwagon with things I don't own but would like to try out. I guess I'm not so loyal to any one amp. I think the reason is that one's interaction with an amp is only audible, whereas interaction with a guitar is largely about overall feel and playability. Bonding with a good guitar is physical which is absent with an amp --- just my ignorant opinion. what do I know.

    • Like 2
  7. ETA- also my less than subtle way of saying that IMO my Calis and my CS Charvel Star are my dream guitars. No BS.

    I totally believe you. My Cali may never be voted prom queen, but I wouldn't sell or trade her for anything. I just like everything about it, and I'd have no problem if it were the only guitar I held or played ever again. I'm not suggesting there aren't a bazillion prettier guitars out there, but my guitar has become so much a part of me (as far as guitars go) that I never even dream of replacing it with something else. And if I were a gigging musician and were asked what I'd want to gig with, it'd be with my Cali and nothing else (assuming the fantasy criteria of not having to worry about breaking a string applies to me, thus my not requiring a backup guitar).

    Come to think of it, if EVH continued gigging with his trademark guitar which looked like a POS, even though he clearly had the lettuce to play any beautiful guitar of his choice while on stage, then I'm not sure why anyone with a favorite guitar would gig with anything else, even in a fantasy scenario. My gigging fantasy involves actually being able to play my favorite tunes really well, but the guitar I imagine playing is always what I already own.

    • Like 1
  8. Is it me or is the tail piece crooked? Maybe it's parallax distortion from the angle? But it doesn't seem to line up with the pickups.

    bexmg2.jpg

    The tailpiece is perfectly straight. It's the rest of the guitar that is crooked. How they failed to align it correctly with the tailpiece is anyone's guess.

  9. For me, "new" meant "new to me", so I found myself going backwards in time and discovering stuff from the 1920s-early 50s blues, country/western, jazz, big band, etc.

    So while I'm open to new things which I was never into previously, it turns out I prefer to discover the roots of modern music rather than modern music itself.

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