atquinn

I don't have the newer Enigmatic Calling to compare but his tone sounded real similar to the sound he had on Jorn Landes "The Duke". It's possible that he was just using what was there because when I saw him last year with Jorn Lande it seemed like he was playing through a Line 6 Vetta. I tried to buy Enigmatic Calling after their set and all vendors were sold out of every PM CD. I have Infinity Divine and Celestial Entrance but, his tone on there seems much thinner. I saw them in back in 2003 and I remember them sounding pretty good but they were on a completely different level this time, just incredible. They were also the core band for the all star jam at the end of the festival so I got to see him play Friday and Saturday. The singer for PM did a King Diamond cover "Welcome Home" and "Take hold of the flame" by Queensryche without breaking a sweat. He was hitting notes Tate hasn't hit in well over a decade. Yes you're exactly right, I've been the last five years and it's been great discovering all this new music at each show. http://www.progpowerusa.com/bands.php Best venue that I've ever been to, worst seat in the place is outstanding. http://www.centerstage-atlanta.com/venue.asp Very cool! Enigmatic:Calling is an awesome CD (it's like Celestial Entrance taken to the next level); highly recommended. They have a new CD coming out this year that sounds promising as well (based on the advanced single). Jorn has oustanding tone solo on all the PM stuff (the rhythm tone can get a bit buzzy sometimes, but works well in context). -Austin

I'm jealous Were they playing some sort of Prog/Powermetal fest? I know PM doesn't get to the states much. Also, for some reason I thought he used Mesas (maybe that's just for the studio though)? -Austin

Which saddles do you need. I have some laying around I could send to you, but they're "reliced" -Austin

The Grind/Ex-Action Figures. Madison WI "group". Ultra low-fi powerpop, some of the best songwriting ever and they put out a bunch of albums as the Grind (around 10) and a few as EAF. -Austin

Close. It was for a superior LP TONE. Not familiar with Washburns overall. What model is that? Any thoughts on that guitar, why it is as good/better than a LP? Not necessarily looking for it to LOOK at all like a Les Paul, just want that thick tone. But I do appreciate the input. I will probably end up with a Les Paul or similar build. Thinking about trying to build my own guitars as a hobby, and so I can putz around with the exact specs I want. In the meantime, is there anything I can do with my Studio for a slightly thicker/fatter bottom end and smoothed-out highs? Will something like an Octave pedal or an EQ pedal be worth checking out? I would also be interested in trying some Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PAF-style pickups. They have always sounded pretty intriguing to me. -Cheers If your Studio has Duncan 59's in it now, there are all sorts of pickups that should give you a thicker/fatter tone. The obvious suggestion would be trying something with Alnico II magnets (like Seth Lovers or Alnico II Pros, or a Custom Custom in the bridge if you want something hotter). They Seymour Duncan forum would be a great place to ask this question if you want to investigate swapping pickups. Before looking at spending money though, I'd try tweaking your EQ chain (on your guitar and amp), and messing around with the pickup height to see if those get you any closer to what you're looking for. - Austin

As has been mentioned, my Floyd-ed Studio Custom has a 1/4" thicker than normal body. As soon as a heard this was an option, I ordered it because I figured the body mass added by the thicker body would compensate somewhat for the wood that was lost in the floyd routing and bellycut. At any rate, I think I'm going to have to agree with Matt on this. There are so many models of Les Pauls with different construction types, I'm sure there's one out there that sounds just like your Studio . If your Studio is already pretty close, I would find out what pickups are in the Les Pauls you like, put those in the Studio, adjust your EQ to taste and call it a day. -Austin

Happy late birthday from me as well! -Austin

Nice! How you likin' the SS frets? -Austin

What a cutie! Congratulations! -Austin

Pics?!?

The guitar looks like a Vintage S. Hamer did one-piece and 2-piece necks on plenty of their bolt-on models (T62, T51, Diablos, Vintage S and probably more I'm forgetting), so that's not unusual. I don't see the USA logo, but I'm sure it's there (I think I can kind of see something that's probably the logo in one of the pics). It's definitely a USA Hamer. - Austin

That's going to go for quite a bit. - Austin

I like the carved-tops too. I have one. But I think I'd like it better with the 3 holes than the "F". I agree that the 3 holes are a very simple design (if that's what you're getting at with the DIY / half assed comment). But there are plenty of simple designs that work - e.g., Nike swoosh; smiley faces;etc. One factor to consider when you're trying to make some kind of visual impact is the baggage (good or bad) associated with the image. One may like the look of a swasticka (I can't spell - I know) but walk around Highland Park, IL or Elkins Park, PA with one inked on the back of your skull and you'll get quite a response. Same principle applies to guitars, no? Jol clearly has a pretty good sense of aesthetics/design so why ignore the baggage of the "F" hole? Just trying to understand his thinking. (and yes..I wish Hamer would make shredders again. I love my early 90s Centaura. Wouldn't mind an update at all.) Well, F-Holes are classic (aka, Gibby's have them ). So, if Hamer is looking to make "modern classics", then F-holes are the way to go. Really, I'm thinking part of the reason is what I'm saying and part of the reason is MCC's manufacturing argument. Someone should have a dealer call them up and see if they'll do the archtop version with the 3 holes; how difficlut could it be to drill a few hole in a top? - Austin

I always thought the 3-holes looked kind-of DIY and half-assed myself. Plus, I prefer the carved-top of the F-holers. Maybe Jol agrees? -Austin

Happy Birthday you 3! -Austin

I'll always have my Studio and probably my Mirage. Hamers fit most of my guitar playing needs better than anything else out there. -Austin

Wow, I can't imagine not using my pinky regardless of what I'm playing. Then again, I can't stretch my fingers worth a sh!t so in order to play even basic scalar stuff, I have to use my pinky. Still, I don't know that whether or not you use it is related to how good you are. Chris Poland is a monster player and he doesn't use his pinky at all: -Austin

Yes indeed, a happy 4th to everyone!

Jack Zucker? That was my guess as well -Austin

Fret wear is usually the first thing I ask about when used guitars are involved. Where's your ad? If you said in the ad that the guitar was "mint", "pristine", in "nigh-perfect" condition, I would be pissed if I was the buyer. So, IMO, it all depends on what information was exchanged before the guitar was sold. If nothing about the frets was discussed/implied, then at most I would go halfsies with him after he got an actual estimate of the cost to get the frets dealt with (and that was if he wasn't be a flaming @sshole). And Seeker, could you be any more obvious about the guy you were dealing with on TGP? Maybe he just thought your pedal was neck-heavy ! -Austin

I don't always agree with Jol's opinions on Hamer's past guitars, but I think he is dead on with that one! -Austin

Very true. Can't have anyone believing he'd hit on anyone that old. Why not? He hit every girl he dated or married.

"to record an album that, per an agreement they had with Wal-Mart, was supposed to be released this year." That's it! The Crue's license to rock has officially been revoked! -Austin

Don't know about Hill and US Masters, but when's the last time you tried to order a custom guitar from Jackson?! I've been hanging out at the JCF board a bit recently and I wouldn't place a custom order with them if my life depended on it. Also, since they were acquired by Fender, good luck on getting anything Gibson-esque out them. -Austin

Santana guitars have a 24.5" scale length as opposed to the 25" scale length of their CU and CE 24's, so they couldn't just throw a Santana neck on one of those without screwing up the intonation could they? At any rate, I agree with the rest of your post. I guess I'm just lucky Hamer didn't have any trouble with the few custom things I wanted on my Studio (which only took 4 months to build; I guess the wait time has ballooned somewhat since then). Anyway, the amount of money and time you would spend on buying a used "ugly vector" and then customizing it to suit your needs seems like it would be alot less than trying to order one from Hamer or anywhere else. Plus, with a used one, you could make sure it sounded and felt right before you started going to town on it (not always a given with a custom order). -Austin