Willie G. Moseley Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 One wonders to what extent such brands as GMP will ultimately become intriguing in the used/vintage market---not just the instruments themselves but associated memorabilia (brochures, etc.). I've got some Vacarro stickers and picks I picked up at a NAMM show back in the '90s, and of course that Kramer-ish spin-off---sounds like a Michael Richards TV show---didn't last long...and the same can be said for Richards' post-"Seinfeld" show, for that matter. I wonder what interest there would be on eBay...Banners, posters, catalogs, etc. of extinct guitar companies are one of the few things many guitar aficianados can afford these days.
kizanski Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 GMP made great guitars. Their parent company went under, so the guitar guys went under as well. Too bad, I love the guitars they were making at the end of the run.A shame, really. These guys had balls. Balls like church bells, you're damn right! My idea for the HEMIBIRD came about on a plane ride (from the Robin factory in Houston, as it turns out) as Greg and I flipped through car magazines and listened to Ricky2 attempt to down the plane with his snoring. I have never had such a positive experience with a guitar order (and this is not anti-Hamer driven in any way, just me being completely honest) and Phil Amato and the rest of the GMP clan were very receptive to my ideas. In fact, as I worked out the details, the "Why's" and the "No's" that I expected to hear were instead very positive and even eager responses. They couldn't wait to spray a Firebird Hemi Orange and slap big HEMI graphic accross the front of it. It was a very rewarding experience to sit down at my PC with my favorite graphics program and end up with a design that would eventually grace one of my guitars; making it a truly custom and personalized piece. Obviously, I did not "design" the HEMI logo, but I had to alter and shape it so many times as well as actually turn the hockey stick stripe upside-down and point it in the opposite direction (compare it to the graphics on the Hemi cars and you'll see what I mean), that it was completely different, while still looking very familiar. Sure, I would have preferred a six-in-line headstock, but you can't have everything. When I actually received the guitar, I was shocked at how much the actually object looked like my "artist's" rendering. Had I Photoshop-ed the electronics properly, there would have been no difference in the digital version and the wooden one. The Muse laughed his ass of when he saw the guitar and told me how ridiculous he thought it was. I'm sure he meant it in a good way (yea sure - lol), but that was the whole point in the first place. And speaking of wood; I certainly got my money's worth. This is a heavy guitar. It's all mahogany and weighs about as much as a Pontiac Firebird, but it's two tons o'tone, let me tell you. The body is thick (nothing like the Gibson version) and the neck is monstrous. I would say that it's "Like a bat," but that wouldn't do it justice. It's more like a drive shaft. Add to that the jumbo frets, and it is the hugest neck I have ever seen or played on any guitar. Ever. Even the neck on the '54 Reissue Les Paul that I traded Badger Dave recently was not as large. The guitar is a monster, and not for the meek. I'm just glad I got it before they went under, as I think it was one of the very last guitars completed and shipped.
Steve Haynie Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 For what it's worth, a friend of mine had an 80's or 90's Gibson Firebird in very nice condition. He got a real Trans Am decal and put it on his guitar. He wanted to play a Firebird Trans Am.
BTMN Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 Edited to note: Great way to burn my 900th post, lusting after a SWEET guitar.
BTMN Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 yeah but when you play it the tree will hang down. Happy Birthday "Old man" 100 hundred huh? Dont look a day over 15.
BCR Greg Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 Thanks, Gene. I feel 100. More of what was a great guitar company.... They did flames that looked like flames, built killer instruments later on in the company(I played some early ones that were merely so-so guitars), and were great guys to hang with. The NAMM show will be a lot less fun without those crazy bastards. Especially Phil, who is genuinely nuts in a very subtle way. Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted.
kizanski Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 For what it's worth, a friend of mine had an 80's or 90's Gibson Firebird in very nice condition. He got a real Trans Am decal and put it on his guitar. He wanted to play a Firebird Trans Am. Funny you should say that. After I received the HEMIBIRD, I started thinking about what I should do next. I came up with the Bandit V (available in black & gold, of course):
BCR Greg Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 I wondered where that pic was... Here's the other one... If only......
mfreyer Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 All these amazing pictures are inspiring some crazy ideas. So are there other guitar builders other out there are doing stuff similar to GMP (crazy custom finishes on Gibsonesque insturments)?
BCR Greg Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 Trust me, I AM LOOKING!!!!BCRich does cool stuff for us, but they are more metal and less traditional guitars.I will come up with another good company at NAMM, I hope.
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