Steve Haynie

Look on the bright side. Now you will avoid having to replace 45 year old parts that can go bad at anytime. People will not bother you about borrowing your amp for a studio session. You will not have to answer endless questions about what work has been done to the amp over its 45 year existence.

You mean like paying to restore or reinvent guitars? Nahhh... That would be like a pickup upgrade on entry level guitar not bringing up the value of the guitar. Sometimes you get your money back. Sometimes you do not.

The repair bill on that one is going to be as much as the guitar could ever be worth. Pay it if you are going to play it enough to be worth the purchase of such a guitar. Dan Erlewine has taken a front or back plate off of a guitar to fix bracing issues. More labor. More money. This L-48 would be good for someone who has some advanced repair skills looking for a DIY project. You might have a parts guitar. The tuner buttons are easy. Remove the tuners from the guitar. Brush the stems to get off all the old plastic. (A rotary tool with a brush works well.)Holding the tuner strip in a vise, use a butane torch instead of a lighter to heat the stem.Push a new button in place.Get a few more buttons than you need because you might mess one up. You want to push them on to a consistent depth. Cheap cigarette lighters put a black soot on the metal where you are going to push on the new button. A Bernz-O-Matic torch leaves no visible residue or soot.

Rob Grange was bass player in the Amboy Dukes and early Ted Nugent. The only thing he ever sang was the chorus to Cat Scratch Fever and Stormtroopin'.

Seventeen is the only cheezy song. If you see Winger live this fall, all those old songs are going to stand out better than you remember them. When this thread started earlier this afternoon it was odd how no one mentioned Glenn Hughes right from the start. I'm going to have to try to see them. And I like the song Seventeen - I've tried to learn the solo and it's beyond me. You could probably ask Reb Beach what he is doing at his forum.

Seventeen is the only cheezy song. If you see Winger live this fall, all those old songs are going to stand out better than you remember them. When this thread started earlier this afternoon it was odd how no one mentioned Glenn Hughes right from the start.

The Bernie Worrell Orchestra stuff is a great find! Thanks!

Ha! Done that: At the time I was thinking how playing in a rock band would be waaaay better. That was the wrong way to mic an electric guitar.

The Petrucci neck profile always catches me a little off guard because it is so different from the guitars in my collection. The tremolo on those guitars is absolutely wonderful. If only Music Man would put that trem on an Axis model! You got a good 'un!

Getting a correct bridge is not impossible. Be patient and enjoy that one.

Yup! Every time mine comes out of the case it reminds me why I keep it. I need a gig where I can stand up with that guitar.

Putting on pants after taking the photos should have been a clue something was wrong.

How about some Ultimate T-shirt replicas, or "tribute" shirts?

Paul needs to show us here on the board when he is ready to let the world know what he is up to!

Ooops. The mahogany Standards slipped past me. To get rid of the shadow of the old guard on your mahogany Standard you might be able to leave it in sunlight during the summer to see if it fades away to match the rest of the body.

Tradition. Gibson did it in the 50's. That is what other manufacturers copy. When guitars were all acoustics with spruce tops a pickguard made more sense. Electric guitars other than lap steels were acoustics with pickups added. Over time the pickguard was kept and worked into the overall look. There is no need for a pickguard on a harder wood like mahogany or maple. It takes a LOT of playing to make a groove in those types of wood. Hamer got it right when the Standard was created. Dean left off the pickguard on the Z. Gibson kept true to their original design, even on the maple veneered E2 Explorers in the early 80's. When Hamer did the run of korina Standards in 1995 the guitars had pickguards. They were Hamer's way of proving a top notch 50's Explorer copy did not have to have an $11,000.00 list price. Has Hamer ever put a pickguard on any other version of the Standard other than the natural finish korina models? Bacchus decided to go the traditional route. Another manufacturer might use the same mango wood and leave off the pickguard. Right now we need a tone report on these guitars anyway.

Yeah. Who cares if it cannot play a U note?

Our country is becoming Balkanized, so there is no need for the U that stands for "United."

Changing tuner buttons helps a lot. A wider strap can make a difference.

Maybe we do not fool ourselves, but we do listen to Ace in context.

The song was written by Russ Ballard who had a good run writing songs in the 70's. Here is the original version of New York Groove.

Yeah. A friend and I had a discussion this morning about concerts by older bands sometimes relying on rock and roll schtick. Ten years ago I made the joke that Paul now smashes a guitar over a dead horse. The thing is, Paul Stanley kept KISS going when Gene was trying to be a TV and movie star. Paul put out a solo album and a tour while KISS was taking a break. Ace makes jokes about how if he knew he was going to be so big in rock and roll he would have practiced more. Well? What has been stopping him over the years? If someone wanted to put together a super group, Ace will not get the call. He is what he is.

If Ace tours in support of his new album, I will go like the KISS zombie that I am. Sadly, Ace is coasting along on his KISS notoriety.

Are mango wood and Robin's fakimba the same wood?

The bridge angle is throwing you off.