django49

Hey Ken...Great review! And it has to be a good companion to the Grantura. I have put the clamp on my wallet for "singlecuts" or I'd really want to test drive one. On that whole Brazilian thing......I DO subscribe to the opinion that it adds a bit more to the equation. But it is nowhere near as scarce and unobtanium as the hype would make it. Four figures (or whatever) for an upgraded fingerboard? Hard to justify when there seem to be another dozen hitting dealers, seemingly, daily. How to tell if it IS Brazilian rosewood? Not by sight......The SURE way to tell is that it burns sweeter than "ordinary" rosewood........

Any time I am laying it down with two B.A.s at the same time I am probably offending someone, somewhere. But it sounds like this is your chance to be a chimp of the old block......Just as long as it is not a Gibbons amp...... Okay, I am stopping now before I go ape shit.....

Four at a time? Blue Angels!

Betcha a cookie that, as high as your expectations are, they are still not high enough! I am still amazed.

Funny.....I was just cleaning up yesterday. I have a pair of SH-1s that came out of a Hamer 25th Anniversary. They are 4 conductor. Will PM.

Howzabout a few with less danger of contracting toe-maine poisoning? No Orcas or other sea life harmed in taking these pictures. Though a couple frogs did decide to jump outta the way.

Heavy is the operative word. I really enjoyed mine (way back when).....Right up until the time I had to MOVE it. Seriously, it weighed more than my wife. I think it is officially 104 pounds or very close to that. The casters are a necessity. But it has a huge sound. Add a 2 x 12 closed back cabinet and you can pretty much blow the walls out. Have fun.....With ear protection. 😏

It has been a long time, but I am pretty sure I took lessons from that bass player. Which explains a lot.......

Hard to believe that one has not been grabbed already. I have ended up with one other really great SuperPro and recently added another piezo-equipped guitar, otherwise I might be in for round two.

And, number two. Sort of in the same neighborhood. In some ways more "authentic" to the vintage Gibson feel with the slightly shorter scale. The 594 has a slightly asymmetric shape neck to fit the left hand very nicely. This is a "Wood Library" version, which means it was commissioned by a dealer for a short run to the dealer's specs. Which means more select than the basoc core line or "ten top". This is somewhat unusual for a PRS, as it has both a korina neck and body, but with an ebony board. The maple top is a more subtle but gorgeous quilt. I need to get a better picture, probably, as these make it hard to tell for sure that it is a one piece top. And a fairly recent build (2017) From my local listing.... A PRS Singlecut 594. This guitar was made to capture all the goodness of a vintage Les Paul, but without the usual shortcomings. It has a thick body for a fat tone and LT humbucking pickups for a great vintage sound with the ability to get that "Tele on Steroids" tone. AND, the pickups split beautifully (IMO). Further the use of FOUR knobs gives a bit more versatility, for those pining for the classic "Gibson" sort of controls. Unusual specs, with a korina body and neck, with ebony board. And a beautiful but understated one piece quilted maple top in a vintage color. With all the case candy and the extra heavy duty PRS case. Let me add that this is NOT one of those lightweight pieces of korina. In fact, this guitar weighs nearly 10 pounds. As opposed to the Orca, which is just a bit over 8 pounds. So, if weight is an issue..... Choosing between the two? I think they are both great. I am a fan of korina. One interesting thing is that the PRS, with the low turn pickups has a really nice clarity (I like that, as it is easy to ADD dirt, not so easy to remove it when the pickups have more output to start with). But that does not make it "weak". I suppose I attribute it, at least in part, to the thicker and heavier body. I am not sure if it is intuitive that it would be both more "clear" AND more "fat" at the same time. But that is how I would describe it. Not that the Huber is any slouch, y'unnerstan! Asking $3300, to include shipping and insurance (CONUS only). Please add payment fees if necessary.

It seems I have cleared out quite a few of the guitars I posted since the beginning of 2019. Let me try a couple more. First, a 2010 Huber Orca. I guess it is no secret I am a big fan of Nik's work. I only wish I could keep them all. But I am not getting any younger..... Here is my sales pitch..... This is a 2010 Orca in the harder to find combination of a korina body and neck, with Indian Rosewood fingerboard and Orca inlays. The pickup configuration is a Haussell Vintage in the neck and 1959 in the bridge. They are "PAF" style pickups (among the best, IMO) with the bridge being a bit hotter. But both are still very much in the "vintage" realm. The Orca clearly takes on the classic Les Paul formula. However, there are a couple changes....The scale is 25" and the body is slightly slimmer, resulting in a very comfortable weight of just over 8 pounds. It includes a hardshell case that is a replica of the type/look used by Gibson back in the 50s. Very classy, IMO. Nik is at the top echelon of guitar builders today. Operating in Germany, he uses top quality materials and his work is flawless. Very few builders perform at his level. (With the recent receipt of the Shishkov DC custom, I will gladly affirm at least one other!) Nik's guitars play and sound as good as they look. This particular guitar has the "sweeter" response that korina provides relative to the more typical mahogany. Although the two woods are similar, the korina (to my ears) provides a bit better tone in the mid-range. Note that there is a push/pull tone knob that splits both coils to create a very nice set of single coil tone options. Here is a direct quote from Nik's website..... A legend in and of itself, the Orca looks familiar to guitar players around the world by virtue of its shape. Paying tribute to the first solid body of this kind, the Orca brings a new twist to the traditional form with a slightly thinner body and a longer scale. The classic combination of tonewoods and traditional method of construction make this guitar spring to life out of the fascinating merger between vintage values and modern-day quality. Let me toss this out at an asking price of $3850, that including shipping and insurance (CONUS only, sorry). I dare say there are not going to be many, if ever any, in this price range for something in this shape. Please add payment fees, if necessary.

So, you want me to show how nuts I really am? OK..... First, the ltd edition Redwood Studio Custom opened my ears to what redwood could do. Second, my former custom order Duo-Tone was way off the charts. Old cedar top, korina body and neck. lots of BRW, the "Ultimate" package of abalone inlays and trim. a pair of custom pickups ("Jimmy Pagers") made by Seymour himself just for that guitar with a special order electronics package. Most of the time when I played out, I used my Huber Dolphin (I am a broken record). But when I brought that very special Hamer, it just opened up new options for live play. and the softwood top was a part of that. Third, the custom order SuperPro with korina body and neck, f-holes, longer scale and ebony board, upgraded pickups. Even better, in some ways. But if it only also had that "acoustic voice" option with the piezo...... Fourth, I found a Huber Redwood. It is a single cutaway. Super lightweight, nearly TWO POUNDS (!!) less than this new one. Superb pickups. I have long considered it to that the "sweetest voice" of any electric I have ever played. But "what if" it had a korina build AND that "acoustic" thing? And (oh yeah) added the binding the Redwood does NOT have. Not the least, the Redwood model is essentially a Dolphin, but with chambered body and redwood top, which means that it "fits me" better than any other guitar I have ever had. (BTW, the Redwood has a different Haussel bridge pickup than the Dolphin, especially aimed towards semi-hollows. Little things do matter). At that point, I knew what I wanted. But back to the question......"Why doublecut?" It was a bit of a coin toss. I do tend to like the singlecut for the reasons mentioned. And the singlecut, if the guitar is made "right" does not limit me much when I DO play above the 15th fret. But I like the "symmetry" of Mike's doublecut. Besides, the SuperPro and Redwood are singlecut variations, so.......Why not change things up, just a LITTLE? And, of course, Mighty Mike took all that input and made it reality. An AMAZING reality. With all else he did, I was almost surprised that he did not just fly (sans plane) all the way here to deliver it. 😀 For those that may not remember it, here is the former little beauty that helped inspire me so much.

That is a good way to explain it. I have always liked the binding. Somehow, it makes the guitar feel more "finished", as if someone took the time to complete the build. I guess spending so many years with Les Pauls and 335s will do that to you. But the traditional Gibson "nibs" always seemed a little weird. All the more so if the guitar is refretted and they have to be reproduced to keep it "authentic". My favorite guitar for the past several years does NOT have binding, so perhaps it does not really make that much difference. But the latest incidence of frets over a nice rolled binding really underscore what makes a guitar really feel, to me, like an old friend......

Correct.....No need to restring yet. It is a Graphtech Resomax (which see). The subject did not come up, but I do think the bridge is magnetically secured to avoid the usual issue of not being securely in lace when the strings are replaced. So it SHOULD making string changing easier. I find myself liking the feel and tone of wrap tails more so than a 2 piece style. And, of course, I needed something to work with the Ghost piezo system. http://www.graphtech.com/products/brands/resomax/resomax-wraparound-bridges

At risk of a belated sensory overload, Mike and Trish did follow up with their own pictures, which put mine to shame. But now I understand why it arrived slightly chilled. 🙄 I sound like a broken record, but it was hard for me to believe just how completely a brand new instrument could feel like such a familiar OLD friend. From the first moment I picked it up. How Mike translated my very specific requests into a 3D reality is way beyond my comprehension. And completely exceeded my already high expectations.