Gino

Definitely the Ox !! Him and Simon Philipps would be me prefered sidemen in my dream power-trio :-) !!

TC Electronics just introduced their new Nova System multi-effects unit. This thing really looks interesting - but it's a bit pricey - about 700.- EUR over here. But it's got just about everything: OD, boost, reverb, delay and modulation, plus compression and noise gate. And it looks simple to use for analog geeks, even though it's all digital except for the OD/boost section.

I'd say there isnt't the 'best-Tele-brand' per se - it's rather a matter of an individual instrument. My tele is a basically very humble 94' Fender American Standard, that I "freed" 2nd hand from a guitar-butchering punk musician for 700.- DM ('bout 500 bucks, now). After a thorough clean (and I mean thorough!!) it was upgraded with Sperzels, Barden pups, a Callaham vintage bridge and RS guitarworks electronics and it got a PLEK-job. It's light weight and resonant like crazy, plays like a dream and with proper use of the tone and vol pot covers everything from Jazz to shred metal. Wouldn't trade it for any other Tele - for playin's sake. No value would be another story...

Happy birthday, guys !

Yes, happy birthday, Euro-pals !! Gino

To be honest, I tend to be not too optimistic for Hamer's future. They have been and still are to this day one of the few guitar making companies run by enthusiasts and as has been stated earlier their US-makes (and that is what we really care about) are not making big profit in a day where all that seems to count is shareholder value. Fender invested to raise just that - profit and shareholder value. If Hamer doesn't fit the picture they will either be forced to do so or they will be dropped in the long run. This is a BIG market with BIG players and a couple of thousand guitars a years, even top notch instruments, is just peanuts for the beancounters. And they are the ones that get the listening in the end. As I see it, if Hamer's philosophy is not backed up by Fender 100 percent (which I doubt) - this is it.

Changes my idea of a 'Frankenstein-guitar' forever! But I'm sure there's got to be some kind of S'n M / right out of hell / dark side of everything string slinger that might enjoy this!

Saw Lassie on tv in 1965 and talked my mom into getting a dog. Saw Slade and Alice Cooper in 1971 and got high heel shoes and put on some zombie make-up. Fell in love with Keef and the Stones in 1969 and knew I had to get a Tele (got a brand new Tele Custom in 1972)

Got my first Boogie in 1983 - a Mk II b. After that a couple of Studio 22s, Calibers, a Studio Preamp - all gone. Now with me for 13 years: Maverick 1x12, Satelite 60 and V-Twin. Always appreciated their top notch parts and workmanship combined with innovation. And I always got the sounds I was after, although I bought the Mav under the impression that it's kind of a dual channel AC 30, which it is definitely not! But is does sound great, British and not typically Boogie. Ah, and it's got that mid range control just like the Blue Angel. I do like the company's philosophy, even though sometimes they appear a bit arrogant to me as though they are the only guys in the world who know how to tweak around with vacuum tubes. But hey - that's just marketing hype, I guess

From the old school guys: Rolling Stones, Who, Hendrix, Cream, Zepplin The newer stuff: Toto, SRV, Police Virtuso stuff: EJ, Landau, Lukather, Phil Keaggy Christian stuff: Phil Keaggy, Larry Norman, Resurrection Band/REZ

Yes, for sure!

Just got my Tele back from the PLEK job! I read a lot about it on different boards and it took a while until I realized the guys who started it all a right up here in Berlin! The don't do PLEK-jobs themselves anymore, but they have a master luthier right next door to their facilities who did the PLEK job with fret dressing and setup. WOW, really nice result. I had to shell out 180.- EUR, but it was worth it. My tele is a 1993/94 American Standard with a popular body (they did some standards in popular in the early 90's due to some environmental issues) very light and resonant, Barden pups, Callaham AmStand vintage bridge, RS-kit coming. It always had a nice tone and lots of sustain, but since having the FM Special I am somewhat spoiled as to necks and action. The PLEK-job really is the frosting on the cake. Highly recommanded ! Gino

I think with the 'Les Paul sound' it's kinda like the 'PAF sound'. There are many, many different variations, but there is the ball park. From what my ears hear (and due to the fact that I've been around for a while and worked in a music store for ten years having the chance to play and hear quite a few Les Pauls and 'paulesques') I'd say that my FM Special is definitely in that ball park. Despite the fact that there are (obvious) differences - single vs. double cut, thicker body, there are a number of similarities in construction that outweight the differences. Mahagony neck and body, maple top, scale, pu-config and tom / stoptail. I find that Hamers are inherently 'brighter' than your average Les Paul and have less bottom. If you want to get closer to the (average - see above!) Les Paul sound, choosing pups can be a way to go. WCRs did that to my FM Special. I personally do believe that the wood used makes more of a difference than shape or body 'volume'. That is my experience with different Gibson Les Pauls. The difference for example between an early 70s LP Deluxe (fitted with standard HBs) with sandwich body and maple neck against a nice LP Standard might be bigger than the difference between the Standard and say a Hamer Studio. My 0.01 Cent (EURcent that is ) of insight. Gino

For me, that would be the guitars played on three live-albums I listened to all the time: Stones: Get Yer Ya Yas out - would be pre-Tele-Keef's LP Custom or Standard and Mick Taylor's SG Taste: Live at the Isle of Wright - Rory's strat Who: Live at Leeds - Pete Townsend's SG Special. My first electric was a used 60s (Italian made) EKO V 500 sparkle blue top and all(!!) MOP back. My first real guitar was a 1972 Fender Tele Custom with factory installed Bigsby that our drummer bought on loan for me, as I was still in high school. Traded it 2 years later for a 65' Gibson ES 330. Gino

Definetely +1 on the Who's Live at Leeds! Also Who's Last from their 1982 US Tour. Then - from way back there: Taste-Live at Isle of Wight. Gallagher at his best! Poor quality though. Not as intense, but better quality: Live Taste recorded at the Montreaux casino. And then of course: The Police live! It's a double CD, the first containing material from their 1979 US tour which really shows that wonderful raw rock' n roll that is typical early Police. Disc 2 contains stuff from their Syncronicity-tour which is not bad but doesn't have that primitive power - synths and all that . Bookllet shows Sting playing a red 8-string Hamer standard bass that looks like it's fretless. I have an old 'new wave' sampler on vinyl that has a monster live take of early early Police on it. End of set with 'Landlord' and 'Next to you'. A blast.... One fellow that always has a lot more punch live is Phil Keaggy - for those who know him and care about. There is a CD containing Glass Harp's famous Carnegie Hall show from 1972, and a double CD with others: How the west was one (1976). For those in the know: great stuff! Gino

I've used just plain candle wax with a bunch of pups. Here's a good how-to-do-it link: http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electrical/index.php Gino

I'll be praying for you and your family. May the peace of God, which surpasses all our human understanding, console and guard your hearts and souls through Jesus Christ. Gino