polara

Good people... ...with good work ethic ...and good skills ...will find good jobs. You guys clearly have those in spades, and like everyone here THANK YOU for all you've done. Having been laid off and having laid people off, I still would have done the same thing if I'd been called in to call the shots at FMIC. Fender, Guild, Hamer, Ovation, Tacoma, Gretsch, Charvel, Jackson, D'Armond... it was duplication of expenses and cannibalizing their own business to run all those lines. In a post-rock'n'roll world.

Thanks again, guys! We're pimping 250 CDs to websites, blogs, college radio, and booking folks. Fortunately our drummer in particular has some connections from opening for bands like Aerosmith and Oasis, and is buds with a big shot at Livenation, and we're pulling some favors. Not like we're going to go anywhere with this professionally, but it would be nice to get some quality press and gigs.

Cheers, y'all!

This UK music blog called Forkster is gonna run an interview with the band that has the most votes for favor(u)rite CD review. http://forksterocks.net/contest-time-top-15-popular-band-reviews-forkster/ It's not like the site is a big deal but as we're trying to push the CD and maybe do some UK gigs it would be cool. Just a couple clicks. Thank you! The Low Ready

Yet another "Huh? Electric?" guy here. SWEET! The acoustic I played was great. Nice story!

Having met and done business with Wyldbil, I'm really happy to pass this torch. Hoping the band will have a show when it comes my way, but I'll find a good spot for a photo then on to... who's after me?

I will say that if you sound like The Smiths and a guy shows up with a Scarab with Floyd and a Mesa Road King, you probably are on different pages. And if you go in to play with a drop-tuned metal band with a Ric 360 and a JC120, likewise.

Someday I will try one, but they remind me of Rarebird guitars and a few other small-batch makers. On most guitars, the lines are defined by hard curves and swoops and angles. The "horns" of a cutaway will normally taper in a mathematically consistent way to points at the end. The butt end will be a consistent arc or part of a helix. The bevel on the top will be defined by a straight line, and the belly cut will be defined by a clean arc. These guitars look more like they grew from seeds. Shapes slightly shift, the radius describing the curve of the body will grow a bit then shrink a bit. Horns taper then straighten then taper or grow. It gives the impression that they were drawn and cut freehand rather than with engineered blueprints and power tools or a CNC cutter. And this gives the perception that they are not thoroughly engineered but instead more of an art project. The finishes don't help. In some you can see what look like waves and soft rolls where most guitars would be planed flat. They appear a little dull, not glossy. Not up to the standard of what PRS or Hamer or even Rondo Music would do. The logo and signature look homemade too, no like any other maker. I have a MotorAve and a Giffin, which are both luthier-made guitars and unconventional so I dig unique visions. But they both have a purity of design, absolutely clean, sharp-edged contours and immaculate finishes that to me say the builder not only cared about making the sound good but applied the very highest standard to every part of the instrument. I applaud your being open-minded and digging how they PLAY, not getting hung up on the kinds of prejudices I have. I just mean that irregular shapes, irregular finishes, an a general "homemade" appearance make me not want to even pick one up. If Jon can keep the doors open selling his vision, good for him. He seems to be marching to the beat of a different drummer, but as a marketing professional I can tell you that you ignore the marketplace's preferences at your peril. If people want mirror-like finishes, clean lines, and a dry transfer or inlaid logo on a cool headstock, they will choose to buy guitars that offer those things.

+1. Ideally I have the Valvetch cookin' enough so it will dirty up a little from hard strumming, and the gain boost will get it into AC/DC territory. Then I have an old Marshall Guv'nor that is not set with too much drive, so I can add the Guv'nor to get a high-gain sound, or use just the Gov'nor for a different flavor of crunch.

Diablos are nice. I'm not a shredder but I enjoyed mine: light, versatile, comfy neck.

TBP put it well, as did... well, everyone. You can roll the dice and sometimes get a guitar that was built quickly and simply on an assembly line and the craftsmanship and most importantly the wood will all have been in the top percentile of what the maker does. You get a really good guitar. My MIM Tele is like that. I played a bunch in the shop, American, Chinese and Mexican, then bought the winner. But my MotorAve is on a different plane altogether, from good wood being properly dried and cut and glued, to immaculate frets and wiring. It is not bling-y at all: just plain ol' paint and dot inlays. In the end of course Jeff Beck will kick all our asses playing a Squier Strat, but I buy instruments that make me feel good so I enjoy playing them and one that has a nice neck, sounds good and doesn't have things loosening and dropping off during gigs makes me happy. Usually you have to spend more money for better materials and workmanship to get there.

Having mucho gigged a Black Pearl, those suckers can bring the goods at bedroom or stage volumes. GREAT amps.

Funny, I sort of feel like it helps me to not plug in. I don't get caught up in "yeah, man ROCK" and can focus on scales and picking cleanly. I think we all grow into our routines

Am I the only one here who only practices unplugged? At home I practice unplugged on on an acoustic guitar. Then for band rehearsals and gigs it's the Valvetech turned up good 'n' loud.

Squire Bullet Strat is the king of starter guitars for me.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product/?c_id=115&cp_id=11501&cs_id=1150101&p_id=610212&seq=1&format=1#largeimage "So what do you do if you have a successful product launch, like we've had with our Route 66 Vintage Solid Body Guitars? Well, if you're Monoprice you listen to customer feedback, make improvements, and release a new version that addresses those concerns. Enter the new Route 66 Modern Solid Body Electric Guitar from Monoprice! The most obvious change is that we've eliminated the plastic pick guard and the plastic label around the pickup select switch. This allows you to see all of the beautiful finish of your choice, without being obscured by the plastic bits. In a bid to modern styling, we've sharpened the horn below the cutaway, giving an "edgier" look to the guitar body." TRANSLATION: WE SAVED A FEW BUCKS BY LEAVING THOSE PARTS OFF, PLUS WERE GONNA GET OUR ASSES SUED BY GIBSON. "Finally, we adjusted the orientation of the volume and tone knobs. The entire knob assembly was rotated 90° counterclockwise so that the orientation of the knobs corresponds to the orientation and location of the pickups. So the neck pickup, which is on your left when wearing the guitar, is controlled by the leftmost knobs, while the bridge pickup (on the right) is controlled by the rightmost knobs." TRANSLATION; SEE GIBSON LAWSUIT THREAT ABOVE Who BUYS this stuff?

Okay, another idea. Two words, gentlemen: Talladega Junior Flat top Talladega style body, no binding, satin finish in either ivory, black, or orange/red, same soft v neck, dot inlays, wrap tail, bone nut, Spertzels, and Phat Cats/Double Ds/P90s (depending on what will hit the price point.) $1500 I'd buy the ever-loving shit outta THAT.

That'd be cool, too. Practical, save money on finishing. Just wonder if the body and headstock shape would attract attention enough to generate sales. But I'm kinda a Homme fan and am drawn to that kind of vibe in instruments.

Serious question. Are the guys posing the question interested in: Just making a run of guitars? Making a new company as a sideline? Making a living off this thing?P&L ain't much of a factor in the design of the first scenario guitar. Then we must get increasingly practical, to the point of flirting with just becoming Jay Turser (have Cort build Hamer Specials and Californians, put Duncans in and do setup in the USA and you're done) if we're really gonna talk meeting needs of marketplace and turning a profit.

I would be hard-pressed to say no to this. Agreed. But. If you make it will they come? You gotta keep in mind the marketplace. Buyer One. The Young Guy Who's into A7x. He wants something with HSS pickup configuration, locking term, pointy shape. His budget is low, say $750 tops. He will buy at GC until they go out of business, then he'll order from Sweetwater. NOPE, NOT YOUR MARKET Buyer Two. The Young Hipster. Plays in a band doing fuzzed-out covers of 70s video game themes with a cute girl who plays a vintage synth and two recent Haitian immigrants who dance in a pantomime horse costume. Wants a beat-up Jazzmaster with the bridge pickup missing, covered in Chiquite banana stickers. NOPE, NOT YOUR MARKET Buyer Three. The Midlife Achiever. He played in a band for two years in college, his daughter is filling our applications for UMass and Dartmouth, and he's finally going to treat himself and learn how to play. The Marshall combo is the back of the Range Rover and now he wants that ['burst LP Standard/Gilmour Strat/PRS ten-top/White Falon] and by Gawd he's gonna get it. NOPE Then there are other buyers : the cover band guy working five nights a week who has a Strat and a PRS, the ponytailed blues dude with his Muddy Waters Tele, the stoner rockers who shop at the indie guitar shop might be a market but they're broke, etc. I think that a no-frills US-made solid body guitar is what we at the HFC want. I'm unsure if it is meeting an unmet demand in the real world, though. For most people, one of the cheaper Gibsons already fills that bill and they are not gonna really care if you tell then your guitar is superior to that sub $1000 Gibson with matte finish, cheap hardware and mediocre playability. And I bought a Mexican Telecaster last year than kicks ass for $500. Old people with disposable income want a blingy luxury guitar (if they want a guitar at all, which is another question) while young ones will want something Sam Totman would play or that Jack White would play. And HFCers will go on an on about how they'll buy a new Special, right up to the point where they have to pay for it, then will continue to come on here to brag about the Studio they snagged for $500 and bitch about anything over $750. But sure, I'll play. I say it has to be unlike anything out there. You MUST have a USP (unique selling proposition.) That USP must be obvious, not some abstract concept like air-dried wood that only a few geeks will get. And it must be affordably manufactured and must be promoted and distributed effectively, even if you're just making a hundred ever. You need to build on your existing strengths and facilities. So... Yeah, a Special. SUSTAINBLOCK. No one else does it, and this is a tie back to the brand's (well, A brand's) roots. Not the usual Duncan JB/59 shit. I'd put in Dimarzio PAFs to continue that "our roots" thing and stay affordable. Shlobotnock Unobtanium Handwounds will make the price too high. Handful of finishes, none of which are immediately Gibson-esque. Have each guitar SIGNED on back of headstock with the serial number. This is important. People cream themselves the moment anything is "exclusive." In fact, I think this is the single most vital part of getting people to pony up cash for any "luxury" (non food and shelter) purchase: appealing to their little demon of avarice and pride about owning something worth coveting No freaking options. You buy it or you don't. The moment you start offering options, your cost of manufacture starts creeping and suddenly you're selling $5000 Hamers again. Suggestion for a unique touch which MIGHT give you an advantage over used Hamers and the tight wallets of the HFC. If you stuck a proper Standard headstock on a working-man's Special, every last one of us would buy it, PLUS it would look unique in a store. Just sayin'. $1500 out the door. If you're gonna just make a dozen for buddies and HFC types, build whatever. But I get the idea you're kinda wondering about a real business. Maybe with someone named Paul lending an endorsement, even if his name on the guitars would be prohibitively expensive. </soapbox>

From what I've seen, that's how we roll in the HFC.

Yeah, I switched to "buy" mode. Was a buyer's market and my job is stable. No. 2 of 9 Hamer Koa-top StudioHamer Studio GT with humbuckersHamer Cruisebass with floral graphicsDanelectro Hodad w/BigsbyMexican Telecaster (GREAT guitar)USA Telecaster I got in a tradeMotorAve custom #0004I'm covered now, thanks.

Not for the jam band scene. Which is a real hotbed of electric guitars now.

Cool pics. Thanks! Could someone have a word with Robin about his recent fashion choices, though? Looks like an ancient leather daddy who spends his free time at the circus. Which for all I know, he is.

Write better songs. Play guitar better. Sell my non-US instruments.