The Shark

I've played the Fuchs, the Bludo, the Two Rock amps, and settled on Brown Note amps. I own an HRM and a non-HRM built by Moss Hudson at BrownNote. Having played a bunch of Dumbles at vintage guitar shows back in the late eighties (including Eric Johnson's Steel String Singer), I know what I'm looking for. The "bloom" of the note with a Dumble style amp that's tuned correctly (especially the HRM model Overdrive Special) is something to experience. Not everyone's cup of tea. For those of you not familiar with the voice of these amps, listen to Don't Take Me Alive by Steely Dan or just about anything by Robben Ford or Larry Carlton.

I love my "D-style" amps. They sing.

Bump it up.

I know what you mean. We just disagree. It reminds me of people that didn't/don't get Gary Moore. I thought they were idiots, but had to remember that this isn't track and field. It's about what each individual finds pleasing to the senses.

Love all you guys, but Santana a hack and not relevant is a stretch. So many different players and singers that made great music for so many decades. Millions of albums sold all over the world. The fact that he's a guest star on numerous singles as of late only means he's sought after for his identifiable sound and star name recognition. You immediately know it's him. Michael Schenker and Carlos Santana are two of the guitarists I can pick out of any crowd. Hamer is dead for myriad reasons. PRS is alive for myriad reasons, one of which is Carlos Santana. Frankly, I've owned at least a dozen Santana models. The scale makes me think I'm playing a mandolin. I've shown each one the door. But the man a "hack"? C'mon. He is, however, exceedingly weird. Schenker too. I've met both.

It's my experience that the guy that sold the most Robins and the most Hamers is also pretty damn good at customer service. I think the latter drove the former, not the other way around.

Greg articulates my thoughts. Tact be damned.

Hindsight is 20-20 and worth what you pay for it. And nobody pays for hindsight. A little respect for those that actually had skin in the game is warranted here. That would be Greg and Elduave. The fact that they don't find the post-mortems all that entertaining doesn't escape most of us.

My two favorite guitar companies are now history. Two of my favorite forums with the best people on the web are now just keeping the flame lit. The Robin forum exists as a shell of what once was. Just a couple people mingling. Like a ghost-town. I think this forum has proven that, unlike Robin, the Hamer community exists in spite of the dwindling production. I talked to Greg the day he found out Robin was done. He'd just spec'd what would have been the crowning achievement for Robin's Artisan model. I framed it. Just more history. I could hear the dismay in his voice that day and it's echoing in his posts here. One of the most up-beat guys you'll ever meet. A real passion for the business. This is all about a market shift away from what we all love about Hamer, Robin, etc. The chances of somebody picking up the brand and running with it is very slim. Fender killing it was a market decision for them. They don't need more competition. If keeping the shop running part-time was profitable, they'd still be making them. Accountants like me, most likely, made the decision based on everything but love for the guitars and the history. For Greg and Elduave this is just another high-quality and highly respected line they can no longer represent against the big boys. There's a much bigger problem afoot in this country. This is just indicative of that. Sorry to hear it for them, but I'm not surprised. I don't shop at Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot or Lowe's. You could count how many times I've been in a mall in the past five years on your dick. And I certainly don't shop at Musician's Friend or GC. Not criticizing those that do, just a conscious decision for me. It's getting harder for the independents (in any market) and this is just another sign of that.

New lower price. Great guitar.

This guitar was built at the Chandler shop in the late-eighties. The neck has a distinct "V" up to the seventh or eighth fret. It's really comfortable. The pickups are Seymour SSL. It comes in a gig-bag. Apparent sweat marks in pics are just that. The guitar is SOLD. It's an exceptional guitar that is a perfect weight and sounds and plays great. Usually, these already have an "F" logo applied. I'd call it a 9.0 of 10.0 in condition. Thanks.

Oh, that's gorgeous. That's my favorite in that model.

One of added values of buying a BCR instrument is you get great photos to show all your friends. The best.

The black one arrived today. Killer guitar, but the Muy Grande isn't my cup of tea. I'm going with a set of Seymour Antiquities with aged gold covers. They will be here soon. Muy Grande is for sale.

Okay, fellas. The Chushin prototype is up for grabs. It's the only one ever made. It was sent sans finish and logo to Dave Wintz at Robin. Dave commissioned Chushin to build the production models. It has the USA logo. It's on eBay.

Man that's killer. Love everything about it.

Yes they do.

Here's my Houston made Artisan. It's one of the last........

I've got five. If one comes up for sale or I decide to thin the herd, I'll get to you on it.

I did buy them both. Here's the catalog. They are great guitars. Kind of like a great Ibanez of the period, but not nearly as heavy! http://robinguitars.com/1985-1.html

Robin Guitars is gone, but I picked up a few real gems this week. The Artisan was my favorite model..

It's gonna' be a burst. That I'm sure of.

I left that up to Jay. He'll probably just shoot a pic and show us pretty soon. I'm sending the remainder of the parts to him this week.

Listening to "One of the Fortunate Few" by Delbert McClinton today. Fantastic album.

Lights Out and Rock Bottom from Strangers in the Night.