sonic1974

Great list! Some of those bands I've listened to, especially Sloan and Teenage Fanclub, Big Star to a lesser extent. I'll check out the others. Thanks for the recommendations!

Oh man, good call Austin!! I have to pick up Girlfriend for sure, I don't know why I haven't up to now! Aren't the players Tom Verlaine and... hmmm...someone else but it's escaping me. I will check it on wikipedia. Is it Sterling Morrison? Yeah, no doubt eh!? I wonder what that guy is up to these days, does he have another band, or solo records or anything?

Hey guys, I was listening to some Cars last night. I know some of their tunes are goofy, but others are quite fun and catchy. I really like the solos! They are pretty intricate if you listen closely to them. I also like the way they are kind of a "song within a song", not just random licks....everything is connected. Another example I could think of would be "My Sharona" by the Knack. I don't know that band too well aside from that tune. What are some other examples of tasty guitar solos within the context of a pop song, or power pop song? I'm not talking about songs where the song is just an excuse to have a long solo, but where rather it's a pretty poppy song with the added bonus of a great solo.

Hmm. A crap guitar that can't be tuned, or buzzes, or has dead spots, or is a tone suck in general won't be helped by a good pickup. I'd order them 1. guitar, 2. amp, 3. pickup. Hmmm...interesting points from everyone. I'm not really sure exactly what the most important thing is. One thing I know: Shopping for amps is harder for me than guitars, no contest. You can try it in the store all you like, but you don't really know what it will sound like when you play it with your band, does it have enough headroom, too loud, too hard to dial in, mesh well with the other players etc.... Sometimes what sounds great by itself is not the way to go. This is what is frustrating me the last year or so, finding an amp that has enough headroom to stay clean with a drummer, but at the same time isn't so loud that it's overkill. I've got a line on an amp that I'm going to check out tonight, so hopefully it's "the one" and the quest is finally complete!

Good point for sure. The other thing for electric, of course you need a decent guitar to start with, but lately I've been kind of thinking that the amp is the really crucial link. (Not that the guitar isn't important of course, but a good amp will make a lot of guitars sound nice, whereas a great guitar through a so-so amp, not as much)

This seems like a good rule of thumb for electrics....$1500 will get you a great electric for sure. Acoustics are a whole other ball game. I'm not saying you can't get a nice one for $1500, but when I was shopping for acoustics, the prices knocked me out. It seems from what Feynman is saying that the classical guitar world is kind of similar. I don't know too much about classical guitars, but I do have a buddy who has one that he spent $3000 on and he considered that a super good deal.

The most expensive guitar I've ever bought was my pedal steel, I foolishly bought it brand new, at $2,800. I should have never bought new. Next most expensive is my Boucher acoustic, which I also bought new, but I really love that guitar, so I don't feel bad for having paid $2,300. The electrics I've bought have all been around the $800-1000 range.

LOL. Spot on ! Totally agree with this.

This old thing? Yup - i don't plan on this one going anywhere... Was playing it yesterday dimed through a JTM 45 clone. I think i drooled a little in the process. If/when money starts flowing again, i'd love to get a buckered and chambered Studio as a twin... I love the look of that guitar, was it a custom order! It's a beauty for sure.

You still have first dibs my friend What about the white artist with Boomers? Hi Veatch, do you have an artist in jazzburst with tortoise binding? I know someone on the board does, but can't recall exactly who. The pics have been posted, and it's really stunning.

A "Danelectro" headstock? That would be FUGLY!!! Peter does have the best Hamer collection, but I don't think he has that one. They made very few of those - in the late '70s they made a few for artists including Billy Bremner and Dave Edmunds and I'm not sure where those ended up. I think Doc Large has one (??). In the mid-80s, my local Hamer dealer in NC ordered a run of 5 archtop Sunbursts (they were all flat tops at the time) - two with Standard headstocks and three with Dan Armstrong heads. Love those... Think I just creamed my jeans! ha ha, those are about the coolest guitars I've ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!

There's two fantasy Hamer's I have. One is an artist with a wraptail, jazzburst and tortoise binding, one of the members on the board has it, forget the screen-name. I think maybe Veatch? Not sure. The other is a Sunburst with the "Danelectro" headstock. I think they only made like five of those, I have know idea who has one. Maybe Peter Fung? He has a great collection.

I'm behind on the VH news. So are they going to record a new album, or is it just a tour?

I'm currently on my 3rd copy. One i wore out, one i loaned out, and the third, like Mitch's, sits on the stand for ready reference. I know nothing about theory, but that is a *great* book. Oh, and cool Strat and nice puppy. Is the Chord Chemistry book hard to learn from?

Hey Gorch, you're not imagining things! I remember a blog where he talked about the human voice anology too. I think maybe it was on the Hamer blog. I think it might have been in a part where he was talking about designing the pickups for the Talledega.

Good to hear from him. I've always found his views interesting.

Yep, really ripped it up too!

Interesting thanks!

They must really know how to dial them in, because they sounded awesome. It's a big festival too, so I imagine the sound guys have some tricks up their sleeves.

Hi all, Saw Weezer at our local music fest. All I can say, if you get a chance, see them live! Awesome guitar sounds, great energy on stage, a fun presentation. They play basically a greatest hits show, lots from their first couple of albums, and the better known songs from their more recent stuff. They also did a short cover song medly, and he put on a Lady Gaga wig, which was hilarious. Highly recommended! ps. I've heard that they use PODS live, but I can't confirm that. If so, I'm buying a POD ha ha.

It's a difficult question to answer..............Les Paul's sound so different between different guitars. So, you have to ask, what kind of Les Paul are you comparing the Hamer to?

I haven't seen them in any shops, just a couple on ebay. A Walnut Goose dreadnaught was going for $1200 US, which I thought was a screaming deal. For the purposes of this thread, I think the likelihood of coming across a Boucher OM for sale in the US to be very small. I hope the world is treating you well! Yep, the world is treating me very well indeed. A Walnut Goose for $1200 wow! If I ever get another Boucher, forget my local shop, I'll check out E-Bay first.

Are you describing a guitar that you have, or the ideal type that you'd want? Anyway, sounds like a cool guitar!

Not easy to find here at all, but when they do come up you can usually get a great deal. Great guitars. -Jonathan Hi Jonathan, How are you doing? I was curious what Bouchers go for in the States? Have you seen them in any shops? Thanks!

Hi, I'm not sure if they are easy to find in the States. But anyway, there is a great company out of Quebec, called Boucher. http://www.guitareboucher.com/index.php?lang=en I have a Boucher dreadnought, with adirondack spruce top, and sapele back and sides. I love it! The sound is amazing, and it's only getting better and better. The price was $2300 Canadian. They make different sizes and shapes as well. I discovered Boucher when doing some research, turns out they supply a lot of Adirondack Spruce to Martin for their tops. Speaking of Martin, the only guitar vaguely in the price range that could match the sweet sound fo the Boucher was a Martin HD28, but it was about $700 more. The Bouchers are basically built like old Martins, with the scalloped x-bracing. Actually, if you can find it in the States, I think it would be a good deal, because they're better known in Quebec and France so they are "under the radar". I know a lot of guys here speak highly of the Breedloves, and also the new Guilds I believe are built by some of the guys working on Hamers. Shop around and find something that really speaks to you, for $3000 you can get a beautiful guitar. Personally, I still feel you get a better "bang for your buck" buying used. But, I kind of violated my own rule and bought my acoustic new, it's my only new guitar. I found the acoustic guitar forum had some good advice, but like any guitar forum, there's some snobisnesh going on. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/index.php You should also check out Martins for sure, they are super nice, but a little pricey. I wasn't too impressed with the new Gibson acoustics I tried, especially for the price, but, maybe I didn't try enough. Edited to add: I'll try to post a pic of my Boucher http://s649.photobucket.com/albums/uu217/s...cherBinding.jpg