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Gig Guitar Gluttony


diablo175

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ETA- also my less than subtle way of saying that IMO my Calis and my CS Charvel Star are my dream guitars. No BS.

I totally believe you. My Cali may never be voted prom queen, but I wouldn't sell or trade her for anything. I just like everything about it, and I'd have no problem if it were the only guitar I held or played ever again. I'm not suggesting there aren't a bazillion prettier guitars out there, but my guitar has become so much a part of me (as far as guitars go) that I never even dream of replacing it with something else. And if I were a gigging musician and were asked what I'd want to gig with, it'd be with my Cali and nothing else (assuming the fantasy criteria of not having to worry about breaking a string applies to me, thus my not requiring a backup guitar).

Come to think of it, if EVH continued gigging with his trademark guitar which looked like a POS, even though he clearly had the lettuce to play any beautiful guitar of his choice while on stage, then I'm not sure why anyone with a favorite guitar would gig with anything else, even in a fantasy scenario. My gigging fantasy involves actually being able to play my favorite tunes really well, but the guitar I imagine playing is always what I already own.

Certainly can't fault your choice for the ultimate ax! ;)

I do have one perspective that will totally unhinge your otherwise laudable and admirable position:

How do you KNOW there isn't another guitar out there that might bond as well as, if not better than your current flame, while offering you something different in the way of options and aesthetics?

It is that very question that keeps me (and I suspect hundreds of thousands of others) ever vigilant for another possible addition.

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I get the question and I gig my dream rig at every show....but,....it varies.

Sometimes it is my Hamer Special Korina Jr. through a tweed deluxe with just a tuner and a wah....all night long.

Usually it is one of my Hamers, a Strat, Rick, or tele, and an open G or A partscaster set up for slide.

My current fantasy rig should be ready soon: Shishkov Ultimate, Hamer Artist or my Strat for single coil tone, and either my Special Korina Jr. for slide or the partscaster. All through my Lil Dawg Ol Yeller Blonde Bassman 6g6-B clone head pushing either a closed back 2x12 or 2x10 cab.

ABY box, tuner, and wah.

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I guess it depends on what you're playing too.

I played gigs all summer with a 60s/70s heavy classic rock cover band, and the "go to" guitars were my reverse Strat and either my Stiked Holoflake LP Jr. or my single pickup Baker/LP mashup. I brought my '69 RI Strat with Filtertrons tuned for slide, but left it home at the last gig, because I just didn't feel like making another trip from the car. I didn't miss it.

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It sort of annoys me when the guitarist is switching instruments all the time, and none of the drunks in the audience can hear the difference between a White Falcon and a Tele anyway.

^This^! Though most drunks don't know the difference between a White Falcon and a White Russian. :lol:

So I'm guessing an 80's-era Rush concert would have driven you over the edge! Lerxst was sometimes swapping guitars mid-song!

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^^^ Brings to mind the old line........"What do you get when you ejaculate into your golf bag?" "Icky Woods."

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Gimme a maple-boarded Strat (Daytona), my Schecter PT, and some sort of Les Paul thingie (Special FM, Ibanez Artist) plus a semi-hollow (Yammy SA800, ES-335) and I'll plug into that Mesa MKIIC+ into a Mesa vertical 2x12 please ( the halfback one with the EV's and metal grille). I'll need a compressor, a delay, and something to make it "go to 11" as well (I favor my Gaspedals Carb for this, but a Tubescreamer will do in a pinch).

A tub of Shiner Bock on ice, a couple grams of the really sticky bud, and a few loose women awaiting my arrival back on the tour bus as well if you'd be so kind.........

Make sure there is also a Swirlygig on my mic stand for my brewski and a nice sammich for the pre-show munchies. Let's Rawk!

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ETA- also my less than subtle way of saying that IMO my Calis and my CS Charvel Star are my dream guitars. No BS.

I totally believe you. My Cali may never be voted prom queen, but I wouldn't sell or trade her for anything. I just like everything about it, and I'd have no problem if it were the only guitar I held or played ever again. I'm not suggesting there aren't a bazillion prettier guitars out there, but my guitar has become so much a part of me (as far as guitars go) that I never even dream of replacing it with something else. And if I were a gigging musician and were asked what I'd want to gig with, it'd be with my Cali and nothing else (assuming the fantasy criteria of not having to worry about breaking a string applies to me, thus my not requiring a backup guitar).

Come to think of it, if EVH continued gigging with his trademark guitar which looked like a POS, even though he clearly had the lettuce to play any beautiful guitar of his choice while on stage, then I'm not sure why anyone with a favorite guitar would gig with anything else, even in a fantasy scenario. My gigging fantasy involves actually being able to play my favorite tunes really well, but the guitar I imagine playing is always what I already own.

Certainly can't fault your choice for the ultimate ax! ;)

I do have one perspective that will totally unhinge your otherwise laudable and admirable position:

How do you KNOW there isn't another guitar out there that might bond as well as, if not better than your current flame, while offering you something different in the way of options and aesthetics?

It is that very question that keeps me (and I suspect hundreds of thousands of others) ever vigilant for another possible addition.

Yes, you're entirely correct. I don't know that there isn't something better, and, in fact, it's quite likely that there is something better or at least as good as what I have. But since your OP question asked what we'd gig with if we had our druthers, and I since can only go with what I'm familiar, I'm happy to stay with what I own. (Incidentally, the only guitars that I've ever played whose neck I felt was as nice as my Cali were a few Suhr guitars I've tried. But I don't have Suhr-envy or a Suhr budget, so I'm not looking to getting one. Plus, I'm biased toward Hamers.)

To be perfectly clear, if you're question had been:

'What else would you like to own in addition to your current stable if money, space, and the disapproval of the wife were not an issue?'

In such a case, I could certainly make a rather large list, but it would be entirely based on aesthetics, not really on wanting something that plays differently. Like I noted earlier, there are a whole lot of pretty guitars out there; real works of art. I wouldn't mind having a few just on that basis alone. But as far as playing is concerned, I'm quite content with where I'm at. I only own my Cali (with which you're familiar) and a U.S. '94 T-51, and those two get me most anything I want for a guy who only plays as a hobby.

Finally, if your question had been about amps, I would have jumped on the wish-list bandwagon with things I don't own but would like to try out. I guess I'm not so loyal to any one amp. I think the reason is that one's interaction with an amp is only audible, whereas interaction with a guitar is largely about overall feel and playability. Bonding with a good guitar is physical which is absent with an amp --- just my ignorant opinion. what do I know.

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Gimme a maple-boarded Strat (Daytona), my Schecter PT, and some sort of Les Paul thingie (Special FM, Ibanez Artist) plus a semi-hollow (Yammy SA800, ES-335) and I'll plug into that Mesa MKIIC+ into a Mesa vertical 2x12 please ( the halfback one with the EV's and metal grille). I'll need a compressor, a delay, and something to make it "go to 11" as well (I favor my Gaspedals Carb for this, but a Tubescreamer will do in a pinch).

A tub of Shiner Bock on ice, a couple grams of the really sticky bud, and a few loose women awaiting my arrival back on the tour bus as well if you'd be so kind.........

Make sure there is also a Swirlygig on my mic stand for my brewski and a nice sammich for the pre-show munchies. Let's Rawk!

Carfish FTW!

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This is a hard question for me, cos I've only been out playing twice in the last x years, which is shameful, and marks me out as a right bedroom tart I know.

I'm lucky enough to have some great great guitars, and sadly the only kind of places I'm likely to get to play would make me concerned of loss or serious damage.

When I did go out I took 2 guitars, one was my EBMM Silhouette with floyd, and my Special FM, and played about 45mins of a 90 minute bash with each. The idea was that he FM was a fixed bridge backup if required, and although they are both great guitars, I could probably find another one the same (or nearly the same) should some light fingered twat nick one or other of them. I'm careful with my stuff so it is unlikely I know.

These days, it would be probably my knackered pink SS1 or Cali Std with maybe the FM as a back up or maybe even a second SS1 (the White one) just to be really unimaginative.

So my dream gear line up would really be all the guitars I currently have most of which I would have a hard time of replacing, like my posh mockingbird which is just incredible!

One day I'll get a '61-'63 LP Jr, and I would use this to death if it would be safe and un droppable :)

Can't think of much else I would want over the guitars I'm lucky enough to have today...

...until tomorrow that is :D

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Sweet! How did all the axes play?

I'm happy to report that both Cali's (Mike's former set neck and the purple metal flake LE he helped me procur) performed admirably! Suprisingly enough, both of them gave my CS Charvel Star a run for the money in trem performance. No shit. Both had incredible responsiveness and sounded killer. I got a little carried away with the bar on our version of Play That Funky Music. Went to town on the whammying. And while it likely sounded like bar abuse and trem overkill, I had way too much fun!

The SG was pretty solid but kinda amemic sounding due to the Gibby stock p'ups. Might need to lower the strap a little. Wasn't feeling all-rawk-like. :lol:

The G-Cali was solid as was my Charvel.

All-in-all, a great line up.

I think my checkered Cali Custom, with the midnight marauder Cali Custom, the CS Charvel, my Axcess LP and the hopefully-soon-to-be-delivered Jackson Star will make for the ultimate gig arsenal. Those old ladies won't know what hit them! :P

-

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Back when I was bringing teh rawk, I took two guitars. Toward the end of that run it was a Special FM paired with my Frankenstrat with a cobbled together EMG David Gilmour setup and a (gasp) Kahler. Before that it was an Ibanez Studio or something else with humbuckers and that Strat. They pretty much covered anything we did. The best bit was that whatever wasn't being used was placed directly in front of my 1 x 12 combo amp. It's a little-known rule that, no matter where you place an amp like that, it will always be pointed directly at the club owner's (or whoever pays you) head. Having the guitar in front of the amp spread the sound out a little. That reduced the number of complaints and increased our odds of getting paid. :lol:

These days, my dippy little folk 'n' roll trio covers a lot of ground and musical history, from '30's southern "black people in a little white church" gospel/blues right on up through current Americana/roots rock. Even though I hate it sometimes, I usually take 5 guitars to the gig. To wit:

1: Ovation "longneck" 27" scale, tuned to D or "drop C" for lack of a better description

2: Hamer Duotone Custom. In a pinch I can do most of the show with this one.

3: Martin or Taylor Acoustic. More likely the Martin these days. I'm trying to retire the Taylor.

4: Hamer Eclipse 12 for the poppy, jangly 60's stuff.

5: Some form of straight-ahead electric. It can be a Vanguard, Special with firebird pickups, EMG Strat, Studio Goldtop w/P-90's. etc. Whatever strikes my fancy on the way out the door. It will typically get used for the entire last set, almost regardless of the material.

The amp of choice these days is a Fender Super Champ XD head on a Seismic extra deep 1 x 12 cab with an Eminence Red Fang. A Teefus modded Classic 30 (2x12 extension optional) or Music Man 210-65 are also available, depending on the gig.

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That is a helluva arsenal... Congrats man, glad to hear the guits are working well! The Cali Custom I sold you is a very fun guitar to play live, the guys in my band told me it was their favorite of my guitars...lol

I agree. The set neck really does play like buttah. Easiest playing guitar I've laid hands on in a LONG time. The low E string actually seems to vibrate much more animatedly. Like I can see the width of vibration is much more pronounced in comparison to my others. Almost cartoon-like. But it ain't no joke. That set neck is all business. Pure rawk with a nasty growl and a nastier bite. Cuts thru the mix like a hot knife thru... well, buttah.

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For me if I was playing the show of shows complete with people to tune all of this shit and run it out to me - A good Lester (that throaty snarl thing), A SuperPro (spanky snarl), a Heritage 535 (because it sounds like buttah), and a good Tele (when spank needs to be at 11). And either a GS Taylor or an old Guild dread if acoustic stuff is needed. If I can't cover it with that, then I should just hang it up. I guess I'd need some kind of shredder in there for annoying drummers with dive bombs, so at the moment, the Charvel I have.

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