lockdown-induced GAS

[crunchee]

If this Pandemic business drags on for another month or two or three or four, cash in hand is gonna start looking really good to some people if it hasn't already, 'stimulus' payments or not.  It might be a great time for bargain hunters, if you can afford it.   h34r:

Looks like prices are coming down, not necessarily because of the 'stimulus' payments (supposedly going out starting next week), but because nobody's spending much:

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2020-04-10/us-consumer-prices-decline-in-march

 

[stonge]

I was doing really good ignoring the siren call of GAS except for a Strandberg fixation lately.  Still awaiting shipment of my Positive Grid Spark so I was even holding off from some really nice Lovepedal deals   ($100 Amp808's etc).  Stumbled across a Boogie TA-15 for a good price and it kinda fell into my cart.  Listed a T-60 on Reverb and it sold in 4 hours so that'll almost offset the Boogie.  Maybe I'll throw a couple more things on Reverb this weekend and see if things are moving. 

 

[velorush]

I was in the third (Player Special, maybe?) round of Spark pre-sale buffoonery, supposedly to be delivered February. I won't rant about what a tale "delays due to overwhelming demand" is (demand was exactly equal to the pre-sale number), but given our situation it's left an even greater sour taste.

And what's with the Strandberg fixation? I can't stop looking at them! It is fortunate there don't seem to be many with trems that pop up on Reverb or I'd have already pulled the trigger. Must be a headless/ergonomic thing as I'm also Jonesing for the new Ibanez headless fan-fret fiver bass.

ETA:

 

[django49]

Some things are moving. Sold my last Ryan Gadow recently. Shipped out this Turner Model One (with Brazilian top) today. Really amazing guitars, but I decided to stick with a "featherweight" version with redwood top and back.

Most everything else is on hold. There have been a few things out there that caught my eye. But not enough to bite. Hunkering down is good.

 

[Sugartune]

Resisted GAS for quite a while. I've been working, but I'm the only one in the entire building (temporarily closed hotel) and there really isn't a whole lot to keep me fully occupied. I had a guitar at work already, so brought an amp and pedalboard and just play whenever I can. Of course I started thinking about making changes to the board. I'm still "learning" how to fuzz, so that's a open rabbit hole at the moment. Keeley Fuzz Bender is cool, but let's see what else is out there. Engage research mode. Reading, watching videos obsessively, scooping out deals and sales until finally breaking down. 

Ended up with a new fuzz (Pettyjohn Rail) and a few other additions;

Mac mini and peripherals

Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 mk.3 (I'm just starting this journey of computer based recording - was using a digital Tascam 4 track) 

One Control Anodized Brown (brown sound distortion)

J. Rockett APE (Echoplex type voltage boosted pre-amp with loop for delay pedal) 

So far only the Mac and the Rail has arrived. I haven't hooked up the mac yet. But I have rocked the Rail. Wow, it's tasty! Goes from tame light crunch, through to a nice wild gated fuzz. I've discovered that I should have waited for the Rail to arrive before ordering yet another drive in the Anodized Brown, but hey i'll have all the drive I need between these two and the Earthquaker Plumes (TS-ish). 

 

[tommy p]

Resisted GAS for quite a while. I've been working, but I'm the only one in the entire building (temporarily closed hotel) and there really isn't a whole lot to keep me fully occupied.

Uh oh.  Your wife's name isn't Wendy, is it?

 

[bubs_42]

I picked up this Yamaha RS720B yesterday when I was in Seattle. I wanted a Bigsby loaded guitar that I could hang on the wall in my living room to just grab. We have pretty wild temperature swings here, partly due to our proximity to the mountains and to the river, (yesterday it went from 29 degrees at 5:00 am to 76 degrees at 3:30 pm) so I don't like hanging any valuable instruments.  

 The Yamaha was only $500 and is actually pretty nice, feels solid and resonant. Has a cool ergonomic neck pocket and low output "Filtertron-esque" pickups. Haven't plugged it in yet.

View attachment 34611

Those look great and feel great, but I have yet to play one that isn't 9lbs. The artist that are playing them are playing custom shop ones, not the production guitars. The neck carves are great, the guitar really is a nice design and comfortable to play. 

My local shop has 6 or 7 hanging on the wall. 

 

[Sugartune]

Uh oh.  Your wife's name isn't Wendy, is it?

View attachment 35006

Why, yes it is. My son's name is Danny too. We're staying in room 237. 

 

[tommy p]

Why, yes it is. My son's name is Danny too. We're staying in room 237. 

My brother-in-law's name is actually Danny Lloyd! 

 

[Sugartune]

My brother-in-law's name is actually Danny Lloyd! 

Better than Jack Torrence  

 

[diablo175]

I've managed to sell off 2 Cali's and a Cent since the lockdown began but I've yet to find anything that really is screaming at me to buy...  

 

[sixesandsevens]

Not a guitar, but I have been gassing for the MODX since they came out (Fall of 2018).  

It's the internals of their top-of-the line Montage in a lighter and way cheaper package.  The Roland JD-Xi I bought a couple of years back only greased the GAS for the MODX.  The JD-Xi is great, but the mini-keys are awkward for someone who doesn't really know what they're doing.  The only thing I've been considering otherwise is going with a good MIDI controller and virtual synths - much cheaper, but the MODX is really, really attractive.

I'm still full-time (and then some), but I (obviously) have time for the occasional visit to the HFC, which leads to diversions on Reverb, which leads back to the HFC, which...  oh, wait!  Wasn't I paying A/P?  Crap!  Gotta go!

Synths have been my weakness lately.  Mostly cheaper ones (Microfreak, 0-coast) but I was also eyeing the ARP Odyssey reissue and also the vintage Korg Wavestation (of all things).  My son has this 80's/90's pop kick going and was asking about an M1.  It triggered this "I remember those from when I was kid and was shoo'ed out of the keyboard room of the local guitar shop!" which led to full fledged review-reading and starting to think logistics of replacement parts, etc.

I missed the boat on a Juno back when I first started to get into synths (they were too pricey then and 2x that now) but low-end analogs are back with a vengeance, so I was looking for something crazier to fill out the collection.

Now I'll need to read up on the MODX I suppose...   *sighs*

 

[stonge]

I have a really nice Korg M1 with a full set of the factory ROM cards.  Problem is I forgot which friend I loaned it to lol...

 

[velorush]

Now I'll need to read up on the MODX I suppose...   *sighs*

The MODX is the guts of their $3,500 to of the line Montage with half the control surface for half the price.

On the ARP, I've been watching this deal for months:

Korg ARPODYSSEY FSQ REV2 and SQ1 Sequencer Bundle

Korg ARPOddessy with the sequencer!

ETA: now that I am at a PC and not the Andriod, pics and general cleanup...

ETAA: my first foray into synths was a few years back buying the (new at the time) Roland JD-Xi.  For around $500 you get two digital synths, a full-featured drum machine and a monophonic analog synth (separate circuitry for true analog) and a sequencer, all in a keyboard just under two feet long.

The ONLY thing I don't like is the mini keys, otherwise this thing is incredible.  I have been pondering the possibility of buying a full-sized midi controller keyboard and skipping the MODX, but the MODX has such incredible capabilities beyond even this that the GAS continues.

 

[Sugartune]

Some things are moving. Sold my last Ryan Gadow recently. Shipped out this Turner Model One (with Brazilian top) today. Really amazing guitars, but I decided to stick with a "featherweight" version with redwood top and back.

Most everything else is on hold. There have been a few things out there that caught my eye. But not enough to bite. Hunkering down is good.

Now, are you free to go your own way?

 

[tomteriffic]

In light of the pandemic and some of the idiocy I've read about happening too close to home, my GAS switched to another G word.

Latest acquisitions are a couple thousand rounds of 9mm & 12ga 00 ammo and the brand new Springfield Hellcat OSP, plus the appropriate Alien Gear holster and extra magazines for all my carries.

Pretty well set for both G's so neither GAS is hitting me particularly hard.  However , every time I sell a Godin Acousticaster I regret it.  There's one nearby that is calling to me.  OTOH, it's a live performance oriented instrument and I have doubts that I'd ever make the purchase worthwhile.  And there's the Ruger PC 9mm take-down carbine out there too. I don't care if that one ever pays off.

 

[RacerX]

Guilty.... 2007 (first year) Fender 52’ Hot Rod Telecaster.

Hmmm, sideways...even if I rotate it on my phone first Grrrrrr. Well you guys get the idea, besides its under 7lbs and has a great acoustic voice....that's all you care about anyway  

 

[velorush]

Guilty.... 2007 (first year) Fender 52’ Hot Rod Telecaster.

I've wanted one of those since they first came out. Couldn't decide on butterscotch or black, then I couldn't find one to try... That's fantastic. Very well - regarded on the TDPRI, and they know their Teles.

 

[Camstone]

So in the spirit of downsizing whilst still succumbing to GAS, this exquisite instrument has just come into the fold.

I have in the last two months sold seven guitars including four Hamers and this Gibson is the third that has come in.

2004 Gibson Custom Shop Johnny A. It's a really cool guitar. 6.6 pounds, not much bigger than an LP, fully hollow and really resonant. ArnieZ's Epiphone F.S. posting led me down a rabbit hole and I picked this one up for under market value, (whatever that means, if there even is a market). It's is a pretty high end guitar, but I dig it and it sounds different than anything else I have. And it looks cool..........

 

[chromium]

Quarantine day 60:  New pandemic project complete!

I had this old Schecter SuperRock pickup in the parts stash, and It really needed to be in a guitar. The neck/hardware from another Charvel partscaster has been staring back at me while its body is off on an extended paint/refinish adventure... soo my Internet meanderings got the better of me, another body soon arrived, and rebirth of a partscaster began.

• Neck is a Musikraft Charvel spec
  
• Body was from a 80s Model 1a, and I modified it - filling the fulcrum trem holes and installing Floyd studs (wood screw version on this one)
  
• I had every intention to refinish the body, but the aged white/muted yellow thing kinda grew on me...
  
• Pickguard was from Guitar Fetish, modified to fit the Floyd
  
• Volume pot is a Bournes push/pull wired for series/parallel switching
  
• The SuperRock rocks
  
• Gold OFR and hardware may go back to the other guitar eventually, but I do think it looks nice here
  
• Nailed the setup on the first pass! (I hardly ever gauge neck shims right on the first attempt)
  

Color reminds me of an Yngwie strat, pickup reminds me of my Schecter PT, and the overall aesthetic was inspired by Gary Moore's Charvels... so behold : the "Gary J Malmsend" tribute!