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"Only a Gibson is Good Enough" (???) Here is an interesting video that popped up here this Monday morning. It is an interesting take (to me, at least) on how this has evolved. And a sort of take on how such as Epiphone has moved up and down the quality and price scale over time. And the decisions Gibson has made. I have been known to be more than a little "guitar snobbish" and probably always will be. Too many stories......😉 Not really thinking in terms of "Chibson" or "Chender". But the talent transfer has had an impact. Case in point (non-Gibson design). I have always admired the Languedoc guitars. I do not even know the cost of ordering one. Into 5 figures I reckon. Used ones? Just try to find one. Anyway, something popped up with a Chinese made version. I looked at a few videos and said, WTH. Worst case, it is a POS and I dump it. OR, it is okay but the pickups and parts need replacing......Placed an order for a Firefly Pegasus. It arrived and I was impressed right outta the box. Yeah, the pickups COULD be better, but to me they sound very good, either in HB or split mode. Played great, except.....The second day, I was a bit more critical and realized it did not play cleanly at 3 frets on ONE string. Rather than mess with it myself, I brought it to my local guy who did some minor work on the ONE fret that was high and reset the bridge. So, add $26.93. Keeping my total cost for a very decent instrument to well UNDER $300. (No case, of course). Decided to take a second swing. Same seller/make was (is) offering a "single cut" that will make you do a double take on an Ace Frehley mood. No need for a tech touch. Except....For me, the pickups are too hot. For my taste. BUT, if I was more the "hard rock" guy.......And I can always compensate a bit with amp settings, EQ, etc. So, even less invested than the Pegasus. Note again, these are not exactly "Chibsons" in the sense that the design, headstock, inlays are NOT pure replicas intending to be passed off as a Gibson (or PRS or whatever). But for something that could be taken to a gig and fit right in, not bad at all. The few that have seen/heard them so far have been impressed. Hmmm.....Maybe a "PRS" take with dragon inlays(?) next..... Anyway, should anyone be in that mood, worth checking out. Look up Guitars Garden (California) on line. No need to order from some seller in China and hope for the best. Neither will replace my favorites....Breaking out the Shishkov for rehearsals lately....But color me impressed.

Scottsdale is not too far away. You might look up Artistic Guitars. I have made three purchases there, but not any time recent. There was one I seriously coveted 2-3 years ago, but at $14k or so ("discounted") there was no way. The 3 I did get were all spectacular, but way less than half that. IMO. they were very fairly priced. But markets have changed. Gary is a private operation. He generally has a very small collection of very high end, usually custom ordered guitars. Not the one to look at for a casual browse or drop in. If anything on the site appeals to you, best to contact him for an appointment. I am not sure how many things in "Gary's Collection" imply current ownership, let alone whether they are for sale. But fun to look at.

One Gibson I always had a urge for, but never got my hands on is the ES-225. (I did have a couple of the bigger body 125s back when they were cheap). Here is one that is "Affordable". Go ahead, I dare you! Looks like something Jerry Garcia mighta cooked up..... https://reverb.com/item/101213075-gibson-es-225-1957-sunburst-modified-3-pickup

Andy uses a variety of speakers, often in a D style semi open back. But obviously closed backs as well. Sometimes EVMs, often varieties of Eminence (I think). I believe his later ODH (rated at up to 300 watts at 4 ohms) has used the Copperback neo (rated at 250W). Sorta like the EVM in terms of power handling and "transparent" (no speaker distortion) at much lower weight. Not as "warm" to my ears as my favorite speaker, but not a bad choice either. I did have a Vumble cab, with oval cutout on the back. Celestion CL80 speaker. Sold the cab, but built a replica. I think that is a good choice. But..... My favorites have been the Forte 3D style.....Best of open and closed back tones in a small package. To my taste at least. Sounds huge. A 1 x 12 with an Alnico Blue is great. The same with an EVM is good too. Stack the pair and I think it is even better. Of course, you then have $600 just in the raw speakers......Building the cabs myself certainly helps. 😉 Going with ceramic speakers can help reduce the cost! And if your playing is more into the heavy metal realm, maybe the better choice anyway. I would def try the cabs you already have before experiment further. I doubt you will be unhappy. For me, I can get from nice clean(ish) tones to bluesy to fully saturated. Think nice arpeggios behind a singer to classic rock to "Santana" but those great Gary Moore tones are in there too. A worthy pursuit!

Here is something that may not be of interest to everyone. And little or no involvement of guitars! I have long been a big fan of Mosaic Records. They carry on after the death of Michael Cuscuna and his link to such as the classic Blue Note days. Many of the precious recordings go back to old 78s. Masters? Very unlikely. So the best (relative term) is generally a rare and well worn original record. Meaning scratchy and otherwise noisy. And that may have been recorded at something other than 78 rpm, with grooves that vary and a center hole that may be off center. Here is a video that outlines the steps they go through to recover the original sound. This relates to classic Louis Armstrong recordings that are now over 100 years old. And which is being released today....Last day to order at a discount😉 I like the before and after comparisons. Like always, these are released in limited quantities and pretty much sure to gain in value in the future. No affiliation other than by appreciation of their work.

Even Andy's newer ODH is good.....The full ODS tube preamp with a solid state power amp. In a very light and portable unit. If you name your favorite cabs, I MIGHT be able to comment. I have tried the D types with may different cabinet styles and speakers.

Make that a LOT less money! And you could get even more if your two pedals were the new Clean Fusion Deluxe. Just add a power amp. Or get the CFD AMP version. You are right......I have gotten great traction with the original Ethos into a Mesa Blue Angel for many gigs in the past. But when you need TOOBS.......😉 Yes it does offer up a bit more than the ODS, which is more of a 1 1/2 channel amp (not completely different than an original Mesa Mark Series, where the cascading gain comes on top of the "clean" tone). Having separate tone stacks opens up the switching, and more so with the two buttons for bumping mids and gain on each channel.

I have had this amp for a while. I really like what Andy has done. Great improvements over the original ODS make it very versatile. Way overkill for little old me! I have made no secret about my like for the D type amps.... Anyway, it looks like my downsizing is accelerating a bit. I have a buyer and expect the sale will be completed quickly. If one has an interest in these, worth checking out. As you would expect, not exactly cheap. To say the least! But you can certainly spend more for amps in this range! Pictured here with a Feiten/Fuchs design ultra light 2 x 12 and Atlas tilt back set.

I always liked this one.

I have not tried either one. These are Nik Huber and Frank Hartung.

IIRC, way back in the dark ages, when I started drooling over guitars, Gibson listed their top of the line archtop (Super 400) at $1225, with an added $50 for natural. (I guess they were $400 when first produced). So the upcharge is nothing new.

Probably around 80% of all the ones that I sold. Not that I want them all, just that they would have become worth so much more. Assuming I had had the cash to keep them and a huge safe space to store them....😉 And yet I still have way too much tied up.....