Teh

It's a typo...

The problem with a lot of furniture polishes is that they contain silicone, which causes problems when/if you need to do finish repairs. I would stick with polishes made specifically for guitar finishes just in case you need work done down the road...

Sweet!

Sue the bastard and use the money for a new custom order Hamer... Hope the recovery is speedy and full. Oh yeah, forget the drugs -- go for the good lookin' nurses!!!

That's a tough one. An OM/Grand Auditorium is a great general purpose body size. Light to medium strumming and fingerstyle both work great. As for wood combinations, that really depends on your ear and what you want to hear. This link will walk you through the variety of body and top woods commonly available and their impact on tone: http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/woods/ Personally, I'm a nut for Cocobolo. It's a Central American Rosewood that has very similar tonal properties to Brazilian, is absolutely beautiful to look at and comes in at a fraction of the price of Brazilian. It pairs up exceptionally well with Sitka, Engelmann and Western Red Cedar. I have a custom Grand Auditorium in Cocobolo and Sitka that is absolutely killer in the tone department and very comfortable to play. There are three other Cocobolo acoustics hanging on my office wall in different body shapes (Grand Concert w/Engelmann top, Dread w/Figured Redwood top, and a SJ/Grand Symphony with an Engelmann top). I like it over East Indian Rosewood in that I hear a bit tighter bass with Cocobolo and very clean, bell-like overtones as compared to EIR. Just an outstanding tonewood. However, I'll play Devil's advocate here and argue that I also have a Mahogany & Cedar SJ/Grand Symphony that is one of the sweetest strummers I've ever laid my hands on. The bass is tight and focused, the top is shimmering but also has a warmth to it that Sitka doesn't have. Koa, when you find a good one, is amazing. It has the best of both worlds -- Midrange push like Mahogany, but with more depth. Personally, I've never been a fan of Walnut but your ear may be different. Builder? Again, it depends on your ear. I'm a Taylor/Breedlove/Larrivee guy with the focus on Taylor. My ear goes for the more balanced tone with the shimmer on the highs and more controlled bass. Nothing against Martin - When you find a good one, it's really good. There was an OMC28-LJ Laurence Juber sig model (EIR/Adirindack) that I had and am still kicking myself for selling it. Other guys (Collings, Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton, Froggy Bottom, etc) are great builders, but on the high end or beyond your budget. There are skads of one man shops out there that will blow your mind with the quality they producing. Problem is, their prices don't fall into your budget. Personally, I think Gibson acoustics sound like overpriced cardboard boxes. Absolutely no life to them. There are plenty of folks out there that would disagree with me, and that's what makes the world of acoustics so much fun - There's something out there for everybody to enjoy. My favorite? Esteban....

Done. Good Luck!!!!

Ebony number 1. For Fender types (Strat, Tele), I prefer Maple over Rosewood. Just don't like Rosewood for fretboards. No sir, not one bit.

Another bang for the buck is the Blueridge line. Built by Saga in China, these are surprisingly good sounding guitars for the money. You can get a 000 size Mahogany/Spruce for around $350-$400 with basic case. No electronics, but the tone and action are quite acceptable. As for Taylor, the 100 & 200 series are under a grand. Laminated back & sides, solid sitka top and piezo UST pickup. You can go full dread (110 or 210) or Grand Auditorium (114 or 214). Great sounding guitars. Of course, there's always the Big Baby which is a 7/8 size dread but no pickup. As for Larrivee, I don't think they've gotten into the low end market yet...

Happy Birthday!!!

That top is killer! Congrats!

Description and pics available here:

WOW! What a day!!! What a simply amazing day! Everybody at the factory were great. Had a full camera crew following us around as we did the tour, then Jol stopped production so everyone could gather around for the presentation of the guitar. I felt like a celebrity!!! The guys from WorkshopLive were all top shelf too. If you haven't checked them out yet, you really owe it to yourself to see all they have to offer. http//www.workshoplive.com ... I'l start a new thread tomorrow with all the details and post a link here. Right now I am wiped out and in need of sleep!

I went back and forth on color. Was originally thinking trans-black but decided against it. Ended up with "Lyle Burst". Seemed to be a classy combo and I liked the way it looked on the quilt headstock veneer. Will do!!!

Last February, I found out I was the Grand Prize winner of the Workshop Live Sweepstakes. The big prize was a custom designed Hamer Guitar. Well, after working with the guys at Hamer on every little detail and waiting patiently through the summer, it's finally finished!!! I fly out tomorrow to Connecticut, and Friday will be the factory tour and presentation of the guitar. I have to admit that when I found out about it earlier in the year, I thought it was cool but wasn't too over-excited about the whole deal. I own a few electrics, but am primarily an acoustic player and had never played a Hamer (I was playing bass in the 70's and 80's and was into the Fender Jazz). Well, I've had a couple opportunities to play Hamers over the summer, and I am now pumped to add this one to the herd. Sold off a couple, including my Les Paul, anticipating a great instrument to bring home!!! Pics will be posted when I get home Friday night!!! Oh yeah -- It's a Newport, no Bigsby, Ultimate Quilt top, Seth Lovers. multi-ply ivoroid binding, Ebony fretboard with a single victory chevron at the 12th, Quilt Headstock...

Went on an iTunes binge this weekend and picked up a few that I had on vinyl but never found on CD: Steve Hackett (Genesis Guitarist) -- Please Don't Touch and Voyage of the Acolyte Rockpile -- Seconds of Pleasure Also been getting back into some Joe Pass (In Hamburg), Wes Montgomery (Smokin...) and Herb Ellis (With Oscar Peterson) lately. Chris -- I'm a major Pat Metheny fan too, but never got into the "Song X" phase of his career. Maybe it's time I give it another listen...

Try over at the AGF (www.acousticguitarforum.com) , formerly the Taylor Guitar Forum. Should get some interest over there...

Greg/Silentman -- That transblack quilt is STUNNING!!! Absolutely jaw-dropping gorgeous!!! To add to it, the ebony fretboard with the single Victory @ at the 12th was what I was thinking of doing (That or a signature inlay at the 22nd). Wow, that is simply amazing... Question -- Was "Flo" a Mahogany back/sides or Maple? I'm leaning toward Maple to give it more of an ES335 vibe. Any reasons not to? BTW, Greg -- Would you happen to have a wider shot of the Standard with Gold hardware? I'm leaning toward the gold as a way to balance the strong contrast of the transblack finish on the figured Maple, but not sure... (Jeeziz, that sounded like a comment from one of those HGTV shows my wife watches!!! )

So, I'm in the middle of working out the details on the WorkshopLive custom guitar and need to ask for some more guidance from you guys... Here's what I think I'm going with so far: Newport with Maple back, sides and top Ebony fretboard (Blank) Ebony headstock overlay Pearl Logo Seth Lovers (Tapped) Based on the recent threads here and conversations with Frank at Hamer, I think the Newport suits my style and direction better than the Monaco or Artist. I'm looking for a pickup that's going to give me the most versatility tone-wise (Doesn't break up too easy -- Can go from rock to blues to jazz), so it was suggested to go the Seth Lover route. It was Frank's idea to tap the coils for even more tonal variety -- Very cool! Decided on a Maple top rather than the standard Spruce to make a brighter tone available if I need it, but balanced with the warmer pickups. Tonewise, I think we've got it nailed. Now, it's time for the "Bling" factor. Frankly, I like inlay work as much as the next guy. But on this one, I'm thinking "Less is More" is the route to take. Let the wood do the talking, and leave the pearl to the oysters. I'm having a hard time, however, deciding what direction to go on finish color. Burst or paint? What colors? Then I thought about the idea of going the "Black Beauty" route -- With a transparent black finish on an ultimate quilt or flame top. Kind of a "Lucille on Steroids". I'm thinking that, with the Ivoroid binding and gold hardware, this would be a absolute tone monster with an understated elegance about it. Question -- Have any of you ordered a flame or quilt top with a transparent black finish? Do you happen to have pics? Question 2 -- Anybody here built a Newport with similar specs? Any comments on tone, etc...? Thanks for all the help!

Cash happily passed along for a great site. I would've given more if I hadn't found out about poe's ass...

Thanks guys -- Yeah, this is going to be fun putting it together! Got an update from Workshop Live today -- Looks like Jol Danzig himself will be involved in the process of designing this baby!!! Was told that WL, Hamer and I will be getting together for a conference call either late this month or early April to discuss ideas, then they go to work for the next few months building the perfect beast! They are also hoping I can make a trip out to the factory for the official "Presentation"! When is the annual HFC pilgrimmage to Connecticut? KeyofZ -- I've been going back and forth on the scale thing. I own 2 long scale electrics (Am. Standard Strat and Washburn J-9), and all my acoustics are 25-1/2" scale too. My les Paul is currently the only short scale in the house. I guess it'll depend on whether I go hollow or solid body, and if I seriously think I'm going to sell off the Les Paul once the custom arrives. I really need to get out and play a few different models to see what works best. Any suggestions for a shop in the greater Chicago area with the best inventory selection?

Hey Brooks -- Don't hate me 'cuz I'm lucky -- Hate me 'cuz I'm fat, ugly, have horrendous foot odor and am a hack guitarist... there are plenty of other things to hate about me other than luck!!! I was thinking about the DuoTone electronics a lot. I wanted to like the Taylor T5 as a all around stage guitar, but just didn't cut it acoustically for me. How is the acoustic tone on the DuoTone? Any problems with intonation as you go up the neck? I like the soundholes on the top -- Very unique looking. With the two switches, does that allow you more p'up combinations? Elduave -- That quilt is amazing! Would that be considered a Monaco or an Artist singlecut? Is it solid or chambered? BTW, did I read you right -- You Won a custom too? Very cool... Peso -- Wow!!! okay, gimme the lowdown on the electronics -- Are the buckers tapped so you can go singlecoil in any position? Long scale, right? I love the blank fretboard -- Was thining of doing that as well. Darc -- Y'know, I was thinking just that -- Go the 5-neck monster direction, then upgrade the ol' medical insurance for the impending back surgery caused by playing that 60 pound beast!!!! Came back to my senses pretty quick after that one... Seriously, What I'm looking for a guitar that makes you say, "Wow!" when you see it without blinding you with bling, that's really comfortable to play (a neck that's a combination of a 60's Les Paul, American Standard Strat, and a Taylor 814c), and tone versatility that allows me to go from smooth and creamy to Nashville clean, and classic Clapton "Woman Tone" to Billy Gibbons to BB King when I hit the distortion. Ultimately, I'm looking to build a guitar that will give me a reason to sell my Les Paul and flip off that whacko King Henry... So, who can explain the difference between the Custom/Custom Custom combo, the Duncan Ultimates and the Seth Lovers (PAF's, right?). I love P90's, but will go for that tone later. Also, I've been reading about the volume and tone pots being different than the ones other bulders use. Can you give me more insight? Thanks again for all the help!!!

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I'm leaning toward the Monaco or Artist, but definitely need to play them first. As for limitations or guidelines, I'm still waiting to talk with someone at Hamer to figure out what the limitations are. I should be getting a call sometime this week and will know more then...

Hi All, Signed up up for the HFC the other day and have spent the time since reading through the threads to get a feel for the place and do a little research on a question that came up last week. I'm hoping you guys can help me out... First, a brief bio: I'm your typical guy in his mid-forties who played a lot in 70's and early 80's, then got busy with life and hung the guitar up for the next fifteen years. Got back into playing about five years ago, but have been focusing my efforts primarily on acoustic work. Own a bunch of acoustics, and your standard Les Paul, Strat, and a Washburn jazz box. I play lead in an acoustic trio and am also building up a set list to try my hand at the occassional solo "Weekend Warrior" bar type stuff. Back in January, I registered on WorkshopLive.com in the hopes of picking up some tips to improve my Blues and Rock chops. At the same time, they had a contest going that I also signed up for. Well, I got an email last week telling me that I won the Grand Prize -- A custom built Hamer!!!! Knowing Hamer only from the standard Rick Neilson / Andy Summers association, and the fact that Dave's Guitar and bunch of other shops picked them up after the Gibson fiasco and were raving about them, I started digging into the research to find out more. Which brings me here... So here's the question -- If you had the chance to design the ultimate Hamer, what would you do? I'm not a shredder, so I'm thinking the Standard and Vector are out of the question. I'm looking for something that's going to be pretty versatile -- Nice clean jazz tones, but able to handle it when I turn up the gain. Options are wide open -- Model, pickups and electronics, woods, whatever. I love the look of the Lyle Workman custom in the Design Gallery, but I'm thinking only one F hole instead of two... Any help and guidance you guys can give would be greatly appreciated!!!