Travis

I play my Vector sitting all the time. It's balanced perfectly for the classical position.

Nice. Very nice.

Well, I know that Jorn lists the 5150 II as his amp on the band's website along with the EB/MM EVH as his guitar (although I did see him play a Wolfgang in one of PM's videos). Guess the guy likes his EVH. Either way, I love his tone. Maybe I should just quit lusting after different gear and spend more time becoming a better player.

I was just over there on Friday, actually. I looked around for a while, but didn't end up playing anything. The Rivera Knucklehead looked pretty interesting to me. But it might end up being a little too nu-metal for my tastes. Coincidentally, Fazio's son is in one of the classes I'm a TA for over at Logan College of Chiropractic. I talked to him for a while and he said we'd go over to the store here pretty quick and play though everything. I've known Danny since he was in a punkin' seat. Tell him Tom Armbruster says hi. Tom, I actually ran into him today at school so I gave him the message. He laughed and asked how I knew you. We got to talking about some of the Riveras that they've got down in the store. I think he and I are going to go down there Thursday after I get done teaching and play through a bunch of them. Also, I know that Danny runs through a 5150 combo when he plays out. I think I'm going to check out his band this weekend so if he's got a sweet tone, I'll have to talk to him about tweaking my 5150 half stack. So jettster, Jorn played through a 5150, no shit? Was his live sound as killer as his studio tone?

I was just over there on Friday, actually. I looked around for a while, but didn't end up playing anything. The Rivera Knucklehead looked pretty interesting to me. But it might end up being a little too nu-metal for my tastes. Coincidentally, Fazio's son is in one of the classes I'm a TA for over at Logan College of Chiropractic. I talked to him for a while and he said we'd go over to the store here pretty quick and play though everything. I've known Danny since he was in a punkin' seat. Tell him Tom Armbruster says hi. I'll see him in class on Tuesday. I'll make sure to tell him.

I was just over there on Friday, actually. I looked around for a while, but didn't end up playing anything. The Rivera Knucklehead looked pretty interesting to me. But it might end up being a little too nu-metal for my tastes. Coincidentally, Fazio's son is in one of the classes I'm a TA for over at Logan College of Chiropractic. I talked to him for a while and he said we'd go over to the store here pretty quick and play though everything.

I may be looking to add a new amp to my set of gear. Right now, I've got a Line6 Flextone III Plus and a 5150 block letter half stack. I was thinking of looking for something a little in between the two. Something lower watt, preferably tube but not mandatory. A head or combo would be fine as long as the combo has the ability to drive an external cab. I rarely use the effects on the Flextone, really none other than a little delay and reverb. I'm looking for something that will go from classic rock like early VH and AC/DC to prog and power metal like Dream Theater, Pagan's Mind, Firewind, and Dream Evil. Granted, I'm not looking to copy these tones, just be able to have the ability to come close. I understand that since I'm looking for something a little lower watt, I might have to run a pedal through a tube amp or go solid state to get these tones without shaking the walls. I've looked at the Randall MTS series of amps having played through the 50 and 100 watt heads and combos. I was thinking about trying out one of the 15 watt, single channel heads with a couple of the switchable moduels. I've also heard great things about the Tech 21 Trademark series of amplifiers. But I don't know of any stores around the St. Louis area that stock them. I would ideally like to keep the cost well under a grand, and I don't mind buying used. In fact, if it's in good shape, I would probably prefer buying used. Any suggestions?

Awesome. post pics when you can.

The fit and finish on any Artist is second to none, ranging from the base models up to the Custom and the Ultimate. It just depends on how much flash you want. If you're wanting all tone and not a lot of bling, check out a standard maple topped Artist. It's an amazing instrument that is extremely well put together and still looks better than the majority of guitars out there. It just doesn't have all the fancy binding and inlay work. But the sound will knock your socks off. The Artist Mahogany and Artist Korina are a little closer to each other than the standard maple topped Artist and Artist Custom. The Duncan 59 pickups and the lack of a maple top give these guitars some more midrange and a slightly more rude and raw tone. The Seth Lovers in the Artist and Artist Custom really smooth out the tone and tame the extra bite and high end that the maple top adds. If I wanted an Artist on a budget, I would find a used Artist Mahogany or Artist Korina. I would get a killer sounding, killer playing axe for less than a grand. Since I already have an AK, I would look for a standard maple topped Artist. My personal taste just leads me to the more understated elegance of dots and no binding than to the glam and flash of fancy inlay work and binding of the Custom and Ultimate. But that's just me. Actually, on second thought, what I would really do is this: I would find a used Artist with a maple top and a wraparound bridge.

Artist Korina with Duncan Ultimates: you need one of these. Enough said.

Thanks, guys. For my birthday, I get to be in class from 7:20 - 4:35 with a one hour lunch. WHOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday to Willie G, ceeb, and Brian May from Queen.

Damn, I was 4 minutes short of a Phantom Custom

I might be looking for a PA-STK1n as well. But I've never heard one before. From what I understand it's a noiseless single coil. Other than that, can you expand a little on the tone?

Only closeup of the headstock I have. This is the guitar in question.

Or, you could do it that way.

The easiest way to get good results would be to put some two sided tape on the slug coil under the cover before soldering it on. This will take out the air gap that can cause microphonic squealing and is a lot simpler than dipping the pickup in wax. Drop a little solder on the baseplate to fix the cover on tight and you should be good to go.

F'n awesome. Whitesnake rules. I don't care what anyone else thinks.

My 5150 has been sitting in a closet for years. It's sad, really.

I actually like Bonnet's voice. I reallly like the Disturbing the Peace album. I'm going to have to pull that one out again. As much as I love Yngwie, I never really got into his stuff with Alcatrazz. I thought there were a couple of good tracks, but overall I liked Vai's stuff much better.

I, too used the Freedom Rock line in my everyday speech a number of years ago.

You asshole. You stole mine.

Now that's just mean. Posting pics of something you have that someone else is looking for is uncalled for. Plus, I couldn't do it this time. Although, I got my kicks when people posted threads looking for an Artist Korina or a Mirage I.

I don't know if I have a favorite Artist. But my Artist Korina is the only one I currently own. Someday I would like to have an Artist Custom and an Artist Mahogany as well. I'm not a big fan P90's so I wouldn't go that direction. But I've loved every Artist Custom I've played. And my AK feels and sounds like butter. The standard maple top Artists are great guitars. They play and sound every bit as good as the Customs without the extra bling. I hope you get that one you're watching. It looks like a winner.

Since you're looking for the plain mahogany, may I ask why it needs to be a 25th instead of a plain old Artist Mahogany? No disrespect meant, just curious. You might improve your chances if you widened your search.

You used to be able to get them direct from Hamer. Only they were designated "SLU" for Slightly Less Ultimate. Or, you could have MJ at the Duncan Custom shop wind you a pair. Custom winds at Duncan run about $160 per humbucker. Personally, I think they're worth every penny.