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daa2202

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Everything posted by daa2202

  1. As noted above, for a while there in the mid-70s Gibson was using printed stickers (the finish was on top of these stickers.) I always kind of liked that, to be honest. My guess is this was one of those. 25th Anniversary Les Pauls would have been in 1977, so the time frame is right. I don't recall seeing silverburst until a few years later (mostly LP Customs, 1979-1980) but I might be mistaken about that and "silverburst" makes sense for a 25th (Silver) Anniversary. Cool guitar. I bet it's pretty heavy, from that vintage (not that there's anything wrong with that.) That one hasn't spent too much time in the sun...a lot of the original silverbursts have turned greenish. As far as Baltimore music stores (I've lived around here since 1979), your best bets back then were Gordon Miller Music in Towson and Bill's Music House in Catonsville. Gordon Miller is long gone (thanks, GC) but Bill's is still around. Maybe they could help? http://www.billsmusic.com
  2. I'm in for the special run. '50s Burst, bound and crowned (including headstock), and ebony board. Slightly non-traditional, but it's what I like, and it's my guitar!
  3. This news just in from 2003, apparently. You should check out the more recent PRS pickups - the 57/08, 59/09, DGT, and 53/10 pickups are all standard sized and sound great...and the 408 pickups (which are proprietary in size and shape) are fantastic. IMO, YMMV, etc.
  4. That's funny...I heard the same exact story ("deal falling through") and price ($85,000) about a year ago. Not sure if I agree with you about the decrease in the owner's douchiness, however.
  5. Somebody here has got a blue 12-string Duotone Custom with abalone or paua shell purfling that almost made me wet my pants. Can't find a picture, but it's awesome. <EDIT> Found it: Laura P's "Ultimate Duotone 12"...incredible. (oh, and DIBS.)
  6. Love that Cheap Trick version of Cold Turkey - never saw that before. Never saw a Hamer Thunderbolt, either, although I've seen a few Gibson versions. Thanks for posting!
  7. Sold a Standard Custom, bought a Special Korina Jr., working on a custom order with Young Master Greg. 2012 will be cool if they get it done in time...
  8. Been there a few times. Need to get up there again. Came home with these, both killer:
  9. Exactly so. Something/Anything and Hermit of Mink Hollow should be your first two. Then I would probably suggest Back to the Bars and Nearly Human. A Wizard, A True Star is a classic, but may be a little much for a first-timer. Better to work up to that a bit. (IMO.) There are lots of good "best ofs" out there, as well. Probably the best one I've seen is "The Best of Todd Rundgren: Go Ahead, Ignore Me" - it's got everything the casual fan would want. But with Todd, most casual fans seem to become avid fans pretty quickly. Rick Derringer's "Guitars and Women" is indeed one of Todd's best productions, and well worth picking up.
  10. Let me say a (rare) positive word about attenuators. I have both a THD HotPlate (4 ohm) and a Marshall PowerBrake and have used them both successfully for 10+ years with a variety of Marshall tube amps (50- and 100-watt) at home without problems. They both do change the tone, but it's hard to tell how much is really tone change due to the attenuator and how much is due to the human ear's non-linearity of frequency response with volume. For me, a good attenuator allows me to get a very good full, rich tone (w/power tube overdrive) at low levels...maybe not bedroom or apartment levels, but a very usable and sane volume level that's entirely workable at home. Also, specifically about the Marshall PowerBrake...I've had one of these for 13 years and never had a problem. It's built like a tank and (unlike the HotPlate) is switchable to handle both 8- or 16-ohm speaker loads (the HotPlates are resistance-specific...there are separate models for 16 ohms, 8 ohms, 4 ohms, etc.) The HotPlate definitely rolls off the high end pretty substantially, but you know what? I use mine with a 50-watt JCM 900 (model 4500) and the PowerBrake filters out most of the "fizziness" that people don't like about JCM 900s and leaves the thundering crunch behind. It's a great sounding rig and one of my favorites. The 4x12 closed-back cabinet is a big part of the "Marshall sound", too. I've never heard an open-back combo that can produce the "thump" that a closed-back 4x12 can, with or without an attenuator. My cabinets are loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s, and they're great sounding speakers IMO. The prior comment about wear on the power amp tubes is accurate (it is like running them at full blast at all times, because that's actually what you are doing.) But that's part of what makes it sound like that. There's a big difference between a Marshall tube amp on 6-7 versus one that's on 10...and it's not primarily volume.
  11. Now appearing for the first time on the HFC: my 1979 Sunburst (s/n 9 0850). I have owned this guitar for 30 years and she was my main guitar for the first 15 of those years...there are a LOT of miles on her! She has been essentially retired for the last 15 years, but looking through this thread last night inspired me to get her out, shine her up, put new strings on, and give her a rip through the Marshalls. And she didn't disappoint! Still sounds great and the (one-piece) neck is worn-in just right by honest play wear (the paint is still there but the shine is gone.) I may just have to put her back in the rotation. The pickups are not original - that's a Gibson 1957-reissue (late '70s vintage) in the neck and an old, original Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge - back in 1980, that was still a fairly exotic item. And while I think the pots are original, that's a set of Gibson amber top-hat knobs - just because I liked them better than the original black speed knobs. I wouldn't make those changes today, but back in 1980 (when they were done) this was not a "vintage" guitar and frankly the as-modified configuration worked great. Interestingly, the pole pieces in the JB don't even come close to lining up with the strings, but you could never tell by listening to her. Here are the pics:
  12. EPIC success. Unbelievable job, Greg...congratulations!
  13. So great to have you join us, Paul. Thanks for starting a company that all of us on this board love, and for making some great guitars!
  14. My favorite: Atlanta Rhythm Section's Paul Goddard's amazing solo on the live version of "Another Man's Woman", from the ARS live album "Are You Ready!". About 3 minutes worth of Ampeg SVT-fueled Rickenbacker 4001 greatness. Nice guitar playing throughout that album from J.R. Cobb and the underrated Barry Bailey, as well. Always tasty. Unfortunately, this is very hard to find because Polydor (or whoever owns that label these days) has never seen fit to reissue this on CD - but well worth checking out if you find a used LP or something.
  15. I have 31 guitars and 10 of them are Hamer USAs. I don't have any Hamer imports. My Hamer collection spans from a 1979 Sunburst to a 2008 Standard Custom (purchased new in 2009.) I'm a USA guitar snob. I only have 4 non-US guitars, and none of them are "major" - one's an old Japanese 12-string acoustic I've had for 31 years, one's a cheap Ovation roundback acoustic, one's a Danelectro electric 12-string, and one's a Mexican Fender Precision that actually plays well and sounds good, too - I needed a bass for some home recording projects, but I'm hardly a bass virtuoso. The only used guitars I will buy with confidence without playing them first are Hamer USAs and USA-made Paul Reed Smiths. I like USA PRS guitars, as well (I have 5), and think they are the only major manufacturer with the consistency of Hamer USA (and PRS produces far more guitars.) They're beautiful, they play very well, they sound good to my ears, and for me they're even a local company (Maryland). I'm not the only one on this board who feels that way - there are many recognizable names from the HFC over at birdsandmoons.com, too. I have more Hamer USAs than any other manufacturer, but not because I've intentionally assembled a Hamer collection. Rather, I think used Hamers of recent vintage are the best buys out there. As an owner, I wish the resale values were better, but as a buyer, there are incredible deals to be had. I've purchased two Monaco Elites in the past few years for about $1,200 apiece that are better than 95% of the Les Pauls I've ever played - and gorgeous, too. I don't see any reason to limit myself to Hamer guitars. I play them because I like them, but I also like a good Gibson (I have 5) or a good Fender (I have 4). G&L (USA) makes an excellent guitar, too - I have 2 of them, and am looking for the right Legacy to add to the collection. If you're a paid endorser, I think you have an obligation to play that manufacturer most of the time (90%+), but that doesn't apply to me - so I play what suits my mood and has the feel and sound I'm looking for. I probably will add a few more Hamer USAs. I would like a Duotone and a Newport 12 would be nice, too. If I see a Studio Custom for a good price I'll throw a bid at it, too. I have all the Standards and Monacos that I need...except maybe for a Monaco III.
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