velorush

Finally committed...

Agreed @burningyen has the superior option. However, I got a hand cramp just opening this picture: 😅

I just had a thought (mostly because of the 0.88" 1st fret neck measurement): Ditch the WonderbarTM Fill the Kahler void with a nice slab of hog Mount a Sustain Block That would make for a cool guitar, but also significant cost. The Sustain Block alone is $165. What would be a feasible purchase price for the husk? $350?

I listened to the new album this weekend. I agree with your point about production - it's just not my thing - but I think the songs were all solid. He's doing his own thing and seems to be succeeding at it. Would love to hear what a producer going for a more raw sound could do with him.

I don't know SS, but just from reading tons of interviews, I'm sure he'd send you one if you reached out through any of the varied social media avenues. It's is a really cool pick, though.

I have to point out what a monumental bit of ridiculousness this actually is! 1. This was not a sustainblock, nor a sustainblock trem guitar, Exhibit 1: 2. The only other possibility would be a Kaher guitar. However, we now have (Exhibit 2): WONDERBAR! This, gentlemen, is a Kahler Prototype II with a broken headstock, upgraded with a Washburn Wonderbar (trem arm not included)! Yours for only $1,095 (direct) or $1,100 (Reverb) and free shipping!

Thanks for the heads-up. Just checked mine and it still says "Bank Account." To check, hover over the Menu (upper right corner), then under "Selling" select "My Shop Settings." "How You'll Get Paid" is right under the shop currency setting.

All this time I thought "Rod" was his actual name. I suppose it was an appropriate nickname all along... I, too, watched probably every single Midnight Special. Some amazing performances.

Gibson.com says $3,799 with chrome hardware (gold carries an upcharge). Gibson The Cornerstone Just Got Smoother I've been looking at them since they were $3,000, but cannot pull the trigger on something that expensive without playing it first. No trips planned to Nashville...

^^ I forwarded to the end hoping for smoke! ^^

Well this was completely unexpected: Quoting: Marty McFly’s “Johnny B. Goode” moment in Back to the Future made history with the help of a Gibson ES-345… a guitar that wouldn’t even exist until 1959, four years after he stunned the crowd at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance. A guitar ahead of its time for a performance that inspired generations. Now, in the present day 2025, we are excited to announce the Back to the Future “1955” ES-345 Collector’s Edition, the Epiphone Back to the Future ES-345, and the Back to the Future merch collection. (emphasis mine) Limited to just 88 pieces—a nod to the film’s time-traveling speed—the Collector’s Edition is handcrafted by the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Every detail, from the reverse-engineered 1950s specs to the hand-stained Cherry Red finish, has been meticulously recreated. I have to admit, the swag is pretty novel:

Found this cool image:

Found this rabbit hole: https://www.axeology.com/ Full evolution of all the guitars. ETA: appears much of the site remains under construction, but some great details and photos.

My most recent customs experience was a box of tea shipped from Japan. I paid the 15% tariff and everything was going swimmingly (the vendor ships only by FedEx Overnight which is funny as, due to the date line the tea arrives in Memphis before it leaves Japan, but I digress) until it hit Memphis. Apparently, Customs is overwhelmed due to the removal of the value de minimus, so it was held up. The vendor and I get an email a couple of days later asking a ton of questions about the shipment. Before I could respond, the Vendor emails back to the effect of "every one of your questions is answered on the export documents provided prior shipment." This told me the Customs staff was inexperienced and likely pulled in due to the sudden increase in volume. Took about a week and it was finally cleared.

A more elegant and long-term solution would be to use one of a number of hosting services. My preference since the implosion of Photobucket has been Imgur.

After all these years, I still cannot get what they're doing. I had a fraternity brother who was a great bluegrass picker (guitar and mandolin) and another friend much later who had done Nashville session work in the late 80's early 90's. I never could get the overarching philosophy behind the barrage of notes.

Agreed. I think Ian Thornley is similarly talented - both are fantastic.* *Unless, of course, Kotzen takes a shine to your girlfriend...

I'm pretty sure I first became aware of him when Sons of Apollo came out, but I didn't know who he was and stupidly conflated Ron Tahl with Kim Thayil (not knowing a thing about either of them and wondering why the Thayil dude had adopted such a stupid nickname...) [/confession of stupidity] That said, man, what a monster player and seems in the interview to be a really smart but personable guy. I have given the album a listen and found it to be strangely listenable - a feat for instrumental rock music in my book.

The best recording of my favorite song: I've always considered the first four bars of this are about as good as it gets:

Another metric I find helpful is to fret the string in question at the second fret, then press it (with the other hand) at the first fret. If the nut is the correct height there should be little to no movement in the string (or at least that's what I've both experienced and read).

Fantastic tribute video. Shawn Lane died of Cushing's Syndrome, a result of persistent treatment of Psoriasis with Hydrocortisone. Can't imagine Jim Dandy et.al. were at all a positive influence on a young Shawn, but neither can I conceive of any plausible connection between BOA and Psoriasis. If you look at video from the BOA period and compare that Shawn Lane to the Shawn Lane of the 80's and 90's, you see the massive weight gain that was a side effect of the hydrocortisone. Very tragic all around. Don't know if anyone else picked up his solo album BITD, but I was greatly disappointed at how little guitar was on there. It was basically a piano / keyboard album. My guess was he was bored with guitar and maybe keys provided a more complete musical expression.

Based only on what @ChugD has posted for sale, somebody needs to deploy Mark Agnesi!

I was thinking, "at least she won't have to wait in line for the bathroom!"

Virtuosic playing inspires me! The only time in 61 years I have been convinced I should absolutely quite was seeing Shawn Lane live with the Willys back in 1986. The fraternity hired them for a fundraiser. They only got to play three songs before the police shut the whole thing down, but in those three songs I was convinced he said all that ever needed to be said on guitar. I wasn't defeated at all - I was satisfied. Nothing more needed to be said. This was about how it went down and two of the three songs they did that night (and yes, 1986 VHS to digital leaves a lot to be desired): Watching that video it seems awfully meedly meedly, but being in the room standing right in front of him was different matter altogether. I do remember a night probably eight or so years earlier (I wasn't driving yet) my dad and his buddies going to the local AMVETS to see (what was left of) Black Oak Arkansas with 'some 15-year-old kid' virtuoso guitar player...