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FGJ

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Everything posted by FGJ

  1. Valuable to whom? I value my best guitar (an '89 USA Cali which I purchased new at dealer cost) more than anyone would ever be willing to pay me for it. In fact, I value it approximately 10x its market value, so no one will ever be able to tempt me to part with it. It's staying with me and I wouldn't have it any other way.
  2. 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.
  3. I could do that... Well, not me, but a real man could.
  4. Wow, I wish him nothing but the greatest success. While I don't have the chips for a new guitar, I know whom I'll be calling if I can find the means for a custom order.
  5. "The reason why most critics love Elvis Costello and hate Van Halen is that most critics look like Elvis Costello" - David Lee Roth
  6. The Koreans must use Rice Paddy Ash. Lol!
  7. I thought the Slammer series was called the T5? Did they change that at some point, or has that been an internet misconception? In any case, it's nice to know Hamer was able to source better quality ash from the swamps of, what, Korea?
  8. So when Hamer advertised the early Daytona and T-51 as "southern ash", they were referring to the geographic location from which the wood originated, with no regard to specific species of ash tree nor to any specific part of the tree which provides for lighter wood, correct? If, however, there was no attempt made to obtain lighter wood, what advantage does "southern ash" have over northern ash (or over any other ash species which does not grown in wetlands)? It is all merely marketing baloney?
  9. from here. While that makes sense, it seems that most of the ash T-51s were on the heavy side. Also, if it's true that most of the light T-51s were the later alder versions, then how is it that Hamer was so unfortunate to get stuck with all the heavy swamp ash? I guess my question really has to do with Hamer's advertising. When they said "southern ash", were they referring to geographic origin of the wood or submerged-under-water part of the tree (i.e., swamp ash)? From what I've read elsewhere, all ash is northern ash (which refers to the type of tree, not the geographic location of any particular tree), whereas "swamp ash" only refers to the lower part of the tree submerged under the water (usually in the swamp), and that's the part that has enlarged pores resulting in lighter wood. Am I understanding the available information correctly, or am I missing something?
  10. Compared to my Cali, my '94 T-51 sometimes feels like it could anchor the Queen Mary down. I guess when Hamer advertised these as "southern ash" they were making reference to geographic origin and not the part of the tree, because I think many people are (intentionally?) misled to believe that "southern ash" is equivalent to 'swamp ash' (ya know, the submerged-under-water part of the tree that allegedly results in considerably lighter wood). From what I've read, others also seem to have Les Paul-heavy T-51s, and yet others will have extremely light examples. What gives? Why was Hamer inconsistent about the choice of ash wood? For the record, my T-51 has killer tone, and I'm perfectly happy with the guitar. But I was curious as to the choice of ash used.
  11. That's pretty funny. I saw that a couple of years ago. I'm glad you posted it, because I was trying to find it on YouTube and couldn't seem to locate it.
  12. ".. from which the chord progression is allegedly lifted." The "chord progression"? Seriously? You know how many songs have the same chord progression? About a gazillion. Seems to me that there has to be more than a similar chord progression to constitute a knock-off. But like everything else in the courtroom, it's going to be left up to a box of 6 to 12 idiots and a tone-deaf judge to decide the issue. The court-system is filled with this nonsense.
  13. We don't have killer tornados around L.A. We just have drive-by shootings, confiscatory taxes, crooked politicians, and the usual flakes, fruits and nuts.
  14. I just want to know one thing: Which back-stabbing, two-face, traitor helped put the Soloist over the Cali on a Hamer forum poll?
  15. @Crimsontider, Interesting what you noted about the Cali sounding more like May's guitar than EVH's. I've noticed if I set my eq sliders in that horseshoe shape (camel hump in the middle) to give it that mid-boost, it sounds exactly like May's guitar (obviously the whole signal chain plays a part as well, but it was setting the eq in that way which did it. It was purely by accident, because I never thought I could ever get his tone even if I tried. I really just stumbled on it by a fluke). However, if you tweak the eq sliders differently, you can approximate Ed's tone as well. You just have to preserve as many mids as possible while dialing out some of that quacky, half-cocked wah tone. It's there; you just have to play with it until you find it. But even Eddie's tone (depending on album or era) has some of that mid, half-cocked wah tone to it at times. It's not so extreme as to sound like May's guitar, but it's noticeable...
  16. For us play-at-home amateurs, I guess there's no difference between a "practice" amp and our regular amp. Be that as it may, I use a lowly MusicMaster Bas Amp with various pedals. I actually picked up an Egnator Tweaker, thinking it would be better than the Fender, but in the end I thought the Fender sounded better, so I sold the Tweaker.
  17. What color is that on the flame maple Cali? Red-orange burst of some sort? That's THE best flame maple Cali I've EVER seen.
  18. Although I can appreciate fancy inlays as an art form (e.g., the PRS birds, the vines on the JEM, and the boomers on the Cali, etc.), I actually don't care for them personally. Part of the reason is that I'm not that accomplished as a musician, so I actually rely on dot inlays to tell me where I'm at on a neck (well, except for simple open chords, in which case we can all pretty much do those with our eyes closed), and I find anything more (or less) than dots to be a distraction. Part of the reason is that, the way I'm wired, I require visual help when learning something as complex as playing an instrument. If I were collecting a guitar for its looks, I might get something with all the visual bells and whistles, but for playing I prefer simplicity... I know, I know -- Cali fans will hate me for not preferring the boomers.
  19. I plan to play mine until either it or I fall apart. It'll probably survive me, and then my family will sell it on eBay for $50 to some guy who wants it for his kid. This child will then proceed to trash it and then trade it to his buddy in exchange for a rare collection of disco records. Life is cruel...
  20. With the exception of string changes, it seems like most any change would constitute a modification. In fact, if strings are swapped for the purpose of changing the original, factory specified gauge, then even that might constitute a modification, since string gauge could change the sound or playability of the guitar. I realize most people would consider a string gauge change so minimal that it doesn't constitute a mod, but I guess the term depends entirely on subjective criteria. Incidentally, would I be out of place to ask how much your most inexpensive Cali cost verses which was your most expensive? And did you purchase any of them new?
  21. @Diablo175, How difficult was it to acquire an entire stable of Calis with reverse headstocks? @Nathan, It seems likely that someone else would have put in an order for a maple board, though people seem to love the ebony with boomers so much, maybe very few were made with maple. Incidentally, i was just kidding about the Ted Nugent thing. I grew up listening to a lot of Nugent, so I think it's cool that you got that. Honestly, I don't think maple would be all that desirable if they were common, because I suspect most people would still prefer the ebony. Myself, I prefer maple. And while there are people still looking to buy a Cali, these are not so collectible that modding them really destroys the value much. All of the mods I made are pretty much reversible, and I still have any original parts that were replaced, so I could always provide them to a buyer ... but that'll never happen because I'll never sell this.
  22. Thanks for the warm welcome. guys. I posted a pic of my guitar on my blog before I did any mods. I should have posted that here for the before-and-after comparison. Funny thing is, I was over at the Seymour Duncan forum and was scrolling through a thread and saw my guitar. I was surprised anyone had found it at my blog and reposted the pic. I guess this stuff gets around once you put it out there. Incidentally. I've looked around for other maple-necked Calis, and so far the only one I've come across online is the black one signed by Ted Nugent. Does ANYONE out there have another one or know of another one? How many were ordered like this? I'm sure plenty of people may have ordered one like this, but I can't seem to find them. I've often wondered how I would replace this neck if I had to, because there doesn't seem to be more out there. It's too bad Hamer is gone. I wish there were a way to contact them and get some info on this guitar.
  23. I’ve been visiting this board occasionally for the last year and finally decided to chime in. So a little bit about myself… Back in the beginning of 1990, I took my import Kramer guitar into a small music shop where my buddy worked to ask what it would cost for a re-fret. He told me I ought to just buy a new guitar, and he brought out a new, seafoam green,1989 USA Hamer Californian. I think the shop was selling it for $1500+ or so, but being one of their top guys in the store, he gave it to me at their cost + $40, so I paid $740 for it (I still have the receipt). I never heard of Hamer back then, but I liked the color and it looked cool with 27 frets, plus it had a Floyd, so I was a happy camper. That was the only guitar I owned until just recently. So fast-forward to the present, and now I’m married with kids and a mortgage, blah, blah, blah, and I really have no time to play guitar. I had this guitar leaning in a corner in my studio at home, and I only picked it up to play Christmas songs with the kids (and I didn’t even play those very well after having essentially given up playing). And then about a year ago, like many people, my work slowed to a crawl and I needed to get some extra work. A friend who owns his own business hired me part-time, and our work took us all around Los Angeles and the Inland Empire in So Cal. My buddy makes lots of money and can afford lots of nice, high-end guitars, and he knows where every stinkin’ guitar store is, so he introduces me to a lot of cool guitar shops. Being that it’s his business, we spend a lot of time playing hooky and going to guitar shops, as well as playing at his house in the morning while the wife is away… Am I boring you? I apologize. I’ll continue… So now I’m interested in guitars again and I’ve started playing my only guitar. Because we’re now in the internet age, I decide to do some online research about Hamer and find out that I have a great hand-made in the USA guitar by an awesome company, and I realized at that point what a great deal my friend had given me all those years ago. So now, almost 25 years have taken its toll and I need new frets. One of the many cool shops my buddy introduced me to was Wild West Guitars in Riverside. I took my Cali in there August 5th, and I just got it back last Saturday, December 7. I was in withdrawals being without a guitar in the interim, so I finally broke down and got another guitar…but I’ll save that story for another post. Anyway, this thing plays faster than ever. First off, this is an EXTREMELY RARE maple-boarded Cali. It’s not extremely rare because it has a maple board. It’s rare because it has a maple board AND it’s NEVER been signed by Ted Nugent. (Okay, stupid inside joke). I don’t know if the shop special-ordered this or if a customer placed a special order and changed his mind and stuck the shop with it. I know the Cali Standard came with chrome hardware and a rosewood board, so someone obviously special-ordered this with the black hardware and maple board. I really don’t know the details of its origin besides the fact that I was fortunate enough to get this one new. Okay, I suspect people are going to hate me for modding this guitar, but I never plan on selling it, so here are a few specs: So I added a big, brass block to the Floyd (which I didn’t photograph). I also blocked the Floyd with a brass dingus which has a piece of Honduras rosewood attached to it. I didn’t want to permanently attach anything in there, but I wanted the block to rest against a substantial amount of wood. Maybe I’ll take a picture of it sometime. I’ve never seen it done the way I did it, but I’m sure someone else out there probably thought of the same thing and did it that way as well. Anyway, I blocked it because I also added a D-Tuna. I added some small pieced of the Honduras rosewood inside the humbucker cavity and hard-mounted the Dimarzio Slammer pickup to it. I added titanium screws to the nut for no reason other than I thought it looked cool and I’m stupid like that. I also got titanium intonation screws, which are a lot nicer than the stock screws. I ordered titanium saddles from Musician’s Friend, and they (and GC) have been back-ordered on those for the past year. No one seems to have the TiSonix version of those (and I’m not going to FuTone and pay $700+ for saddles), Fortunately, I happened to mention to the owner of KGC that I had some on backorder, and he said he happened to have a set and offered to sell them to me. So I snatched them up (and MF & GC still haven’t gotten any in stock. It seems impossible to get them, even though a guy over at TiSonix told me they’re selling them like crazy, though I have no idea who’s buying them because they’re not available on their website). And finally, I had this re-fretted with stainless-steel frets. Like I said, it plays faster than ever. Mark Dickerson, the tech at Wild West Guitars is just THE best (which is why he is so busy that it took awhile to get these done). These frets feel terrific. The body has quite a few paint-chips and so forth, but I don’t care. I’m more interested in how it feels and plays. It’s too bad I can’t play as fast as the neck will allow. So anyway, I'm only posting one pic and giving links to pics on Photobucket. Hopefully this works. This pic is of the guitar about a year ago, before I made any mods: http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/Flooglemop/media/guitar_zps406dffeb.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0 All the following pics are post-modifications: http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/01_zps0fffd3a4.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/02_zpsab32e368.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/06_zpsbb1eda04.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/03_zps06ef39aa.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/05_zps46c475ce.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/07_zps476313be.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/10_zps2ee9b6c8.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/08_zps5c143f00.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/09_zpscec6103e.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/04_zps37648ab6.png http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag420/Flooglemop/11_zpsa1e4f456.png
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