New guitars 2023. What did you get, if any?

[L2A3]

I had been stalking Kauer guitars for the last couple of years and finally took the leap adding two in 2023.  Incredible guitars and like some of our past and present favorites here it is nice to have the ability to directly converse with the builder.  

[Hackubus]

1 hour ago, Jakeboy said:

@Hackubus, is that a 6g3 Fender Deluxe or a clone thereof…?

Me likey…

1961 6G3 right thar.  ‘71 Superlead just above it. 

[tbonesullivan]

On 12/31/2023 at 10:27 AM, gorch said:

Nice RS. It will make you a good ride into 2024.

It definitely has some interesting sounds in it. The middle pickup is RWRP so you get humucking with the 12 and 23 positions. They are like a humbucker in sound, but not. But holy crap the middle and bridge in phase NAILS the Tie Your Mother down tone. There's really nothing quit like it that I've played before.

[gorch]

7 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

It definitely has some interesting sounds in it. The middle pickup is RWRP so you get humucking with the 12 and 23 positions. They are like a humbucker in sound, but not. But holy crap the middle and bridge in phase NAILS the Tie Your Mother down tone. There's really nothing quit like it that I've played before.

I can feel with ya‘.

 

[Dave Scepter]

How about almost buying?.. I've been seriously contemplating purchasing this Luxxtone Choppa S... it's been checking all my boxes ✅️

[gorch]

On 1/1/2024 at 5:22 PM, L2A3 said:

I had been stalking Kauer guitars for the last couple of years and finally took the leap adding two in 2023.  Incredible guitars and like some of our past and present favorites here it is nice to have the ability to directly converse with the builder.  

There are a few switches on both guitars. What are they for?

[tbonesullivan]

10 hours ago, gorch said:

I can feel with ya‘.

 

I don't even want to KNOW how much those cost. I was checking out the Czech made Red Special "Super" models, and the ones that make it here are selling for MORE than the Guild models. So, for now I'll be happy with what I've got. The 24" scale is a bit strange, and dialing in some of the tones, like the neck / middle out of phase can be kinda difficult, but I'm getting the hang of it. I just need to stop playing Tie your Mother down for a few minutes.

[Dave Scepter]

Actually, now thinking about it, I did buy some guitars last year... a bunch "5" Squier Strats to scratch the modifying itch... this was the first that led me down the Squire path... purchased from my local Goodwill store for $24... it's a 1989 Korean made Squier II with a big, wide nut, 12" radius neck, unbelievably resonate...  I've since cleaned up, Deoxited, restrung and changed the bridge PU to a SD Hotrail... she now punches well above her weight 🤘

[L2A3]

23 hours ago, gorch said:

There are a few switches on both guitars. What are they for?

Coil split, rev phase when both pkups selected, and "cocked wah" (which is a filter giving a tone similar to the mid stroke of a wah pedal). 

I'm really digging the growl of the TV Jones pkups and the versatility with the switches gives you a lot of tones to play with.  These two have led to a bunch of my other guitars not getting played and ready to sell off (although bad timing for that now).   

[BruceM]

Lightning does strike, occasionally.  This is my most startling acquisition.  The daughter of a friend I worked with from 1978-1988 listed this on her Facebook page this summer.  It belonged to her late husband, and she was asking $500 to start a music scholarship in his name.  She selected me as the recipient, much to my delight.  My friend Don passed away a few years ago, but I did get to hang out again with his wife Cheryl and daughter Laura.  Cheryl used to cut my hair in the 80s.  Yes, I had hair in the 80s!

I present a 1974 Sho~Bud Professional.  They're already ogling this on one of the Sho~Bud FB pages.

I'm trying to talk my bandmate Jimmy into playing it at the Frozen Jam next week.  I hope he does.  I get to sit next to him at practice, and he's very, very good!

[BruceM]

I almost forgot these two.  I traded my Gretsch champagne sparkle jet back to BadgerDave for these two custom builds: a 9-string and a baritone.  These two are fun!

[donner]

11 hours ago, BruceM said:

Lightning does strike, occasionally.  This is my most startling acquisition.  The daughter of a friend I worked with from 1978-1988 listed this on her Facebook page this summer.  It belonged to her late husband, and she was asking $500 to start a music scholarship in his name.  She selected me as the recipient, much to my delight.  My friend Don passed away a few years ago, but I did get to hang out again with his wife Cheryl and daughter Laura.  Cheryl used to cut my hair in the 80s.  Yes, I had hair in the 80s!

I present a 1974 Sho~Bud Professional.  They're already ogling this on one of the Sho~Bud FB pages.

I'm trying to talk my bandmate Jimmy into playing it at the Frozen Jam next week.  I hope he does.  I get to sit next to him at practice, and he's very, very good!

Sho-Bud seems to be the Hamer of steelstring guitars.

Congrats to you for taking up that challenge!

[BruceM]

2 hours ago, donner said:

Sho-Bud seems to be the Hamer of steelstring guitars.

Congrats to you for taking up that challenge!

It was a very good deal, which is why I bought it.  That and I seem to like owning things that were owned by friends.  It remains to be seen whether I will actually learn to play.  I'm in negotiations now to move it to another bandmate's practice space so that Jimmy, our steel player, won't have to set up and tear down his guitar every time we play.  That will limit my availability to the guitar.  It's been set up in my house for almost 6 months and so far I've shown no inclination to want to learn.  I can be kinda lazy that way with new instruments, and I'm still playing plenty of guitar and bass with various groups.

I will probably have someone work on it at some point to refurbish it, as it is a 50 year old guitar and it could use a little TLC. I don't think it's the oldest guitar I've got, though.  I've got an early 70s tele, which is my first guitar, and I've also got my 1980 Sunburst, which is my first Hamer.

[spanky]

On 12/26/2023 at 6:08 AM, gorch said:

Hamer Artist in spring this year. I took it to a clinic shortly after. Great playing sounding guitar. Quite beautiful too.

Love those Dearmond pickups. Wish I kept mine.... . Beautiful artist. #10 flame if it were a Gibson.

[hamerhead]

Late entry - my wife got me this for Christmas:

...and a pic of the aforementioned Squier Tele (it's sparkly!):

[burningyen]

Finished this Variax transplant last April. I've gotten a little bored of the natural finish and am toying with different paint options:

Also got this last April and modded it for my Radiohead tribute gigs:

Found this locally on Reverb in October and couldn't pass it up. Recently got a fretless maple neck to complete the Sting wannabe look:

[kurtsstuff]

On 12/22/2023 at 6:39 AM, Disturber said:

Last december I had sworn my guitar wardrobe was full. No more goes in, if nothing goes out. Still, two more made it in through the door.

I got a pretty good deal on a 1993 Hamer Special. It has a great 90's neck. Wide and kinda flat, medium sized. I love these necks. I was thinking I should have this as my beater. I had it in for a fret leveling job. It plays and sounds great.

 

Then I got a chance last month to buy one of a few guitars I lusted for some 10 years ago, but I could not afford it then. Now I got it offered to me again. I just could not say no. I had to buy it. (Something else will have to go.)

A Swedish built Les Paul 1959 replica. Built by a member on the Mylespaul forum tweöve years ago. The builder lives about 400 meters from Johan Gustavssons shop, and has known him for ever. He got into building replicas about the same time as Tom Bartlett, and they traded tips and tricks and meazurements and other things. (A member here, who designed the templates for the Bartlett Retrospect, was also involved in these trades of tips and tricks).

It's an absolutely stunning Les Paul build. (Easily as great as a Barlett). It has not been played that much over the 10 years since it was built. But the owner treated it with a fret job before he sent it out to me.

1 piece Honduran Mahogany body
2 piece North Eastern US book matched Maple Top
1 piece Honduras Mahogany neck
Old growth Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard (over 100 years old)
Mazzucchelli cellulose nitrate fretboard inlays
Vintage correct 6/6 nylon over saddle
Aniline dyes and Nitro Cellulose lacquer 
Bindings are ABS/Roylaite on the body and
Celluloid cream on the neck
CTS true vintage taper potentiometers
Original 50’s .022 Bumbel Bee capacitors
50s wiring
Screen printed Les Paul logo
Loaded with Sheptone Tributes.

I love this guitar. It's as great as a great vintage LP can possibly be. Very light weight. Very resonant. Absolutely great wood selection of old growth mahogany.

 

 

Here is the build thread: https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/another-les-paul-build-thread.82178/

Fantastic work..I hate you..

[JGale]

Godin Core HB. Back to P90s from the Lollar Imperials, which really shone in this guitar. Three coats of Super Shield©️to tame the buzz. Really nice guitars for the money. 

 

B&G Super90s. There’s something about mar… P90s and semi-hollows!

[scottcald]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:53 AM, DaveH said:

I'm going to say no. Only if it came with a neck pup.

You win the Buick, Dave:

[jamminpete]

I have GAS again.

Picked this up about 7 months ago.

 

[Cboss]

11 hours ago, scottcald said:

You win the Buick, Dave:

Finally, mystery solved!! Thank you so much for posting this, I've really been wondering

[ghamerinfrance]

My god...Again and again, I guess I have been totally confuzed with Telecaster 52 AVRI and this one especially with Joe Barden pickups and nicely modified....

So 2 Telecasters. Both 52 RI and it has been almost 38 Years without any telecaster in hands before this last move...

This thing is so organic and you can get almost anysound of it....

I simply love it (and most of the time to play french songs...and/or play with Larkin'poe----Thanks to Rebecca and Megan)

Cheers, would love to try a nocaster to compare

[crunchee]

I think my first purchase of 2023 was a Fender Strat, assembled by someone else from mainly Fender 'replacement' parts, which I got at DGS.  I'd always had a love/hate relationship with Strats before, as I never thought the ones I had sounded as good as they could or should, and I wasn't gonna spend a lot of time and shell out the extra bucks to do 'trial and error' mods or upgrades.  I decided to give this one a try.  It didn't quite make me a Strat convert, as this is the only Strat I ever want to play (yes, I did have a Gilmour-style partscaster for awhile, but I never really bonded with it and sold it later on), and I don't feel like looking for one 'just like it', because I've been though that search for gear more times than I care to remember...besides, I'm supposedly 'not a Strat guy' .  This one nails the Strat sound I'd been looking for, and does the Hendrix/SRV scooped midrange thing very nicely if/when I want it to.  Main parts are a Fender '60's replacement body (alder) in black with Fender '72 Strat replacement maple/maple neck (both MIM), mounted to the body 4-bolt style.  Bridge assembly is a Callaham vintage-style trem.  PUs are Fender Custom Shop '69 models and sound really sweet, clear, and suitably Stratty.  Tuners are Fender 'F' reissues, and pickguard is parchment 3-ply,  For some reason, the PU switch is wired as a 3-way (like the originals), but I like it as is, and I can still get the 'in-between' sounds if I want by balancing the PU switch.

My most recent Tele purchase is this one I got from Reverb...PUs are a Wilde (Bill Lawrence) 'Microcoil T' set, and actually sounds really nice with low to no hum, yet still sounds like a Tele, so I kept them in the guitar:

Partscaster T-Style 2013 Blueburst | Reverb

Got a couple of basses from DGS early in the year for really cheap (IMO), I definitely couldn't say no to this one (ash don't grow on as many trees as it used to!), even though I don't care much for guitars/basses that run off of 9-volt batteries.  I'd never heard of 'Brawley' basses before, but the workmanship looks to me to be about as good as it gets coming from South Korea.  Brawley was apparently the old MARS music chain 'house brand' until MARS went under...they moved their production to Indonesia later on, and supposedly are now one of the 'Guitar Center 'house brands', now going by the 'Laguna' name:

KB-24 - Natural, Recent | Reverb

Brawley Guitars - Wikipedia

My second bass of the year was a USA-made mid-90s Peavey Forum bass in a P/J pickup configuration; again, it was cheap IMO, even though the previous owner had installed a Seymour Duncan P/J PU set as an upgrade.   It sounds and plays wonderfully! 

I also picked up another Godin Core HB model as well (I have a few)...they're very well made and sound great even without changing out the bridge or PUs, and IMO Godin does a pretty darned good approximation of a Gibson-style tobacco sunburst, too:

Godin Core RN HB - Sunburst | Reverb

 

 

[Bennyboy-UK]

Hi all,

I think last year was a quiet one for me and new guitars - I had a couple to sell, one of which finally went.

These days I'm pretty focussed on seeking out particularly nice examples of my favourite models - and I've been looking out for a pretty Vintage S for a while now.

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Kaylem @Slunkstack in July last year, and we sorted out a deal for his Vintage S - all very enjoyable to arrange - thank you!!!

I'm never in a hurry to get my paws on guitars, so we sorted out our deal in September, and then when we both had good availability arranged shipping over to me - the shipping took a crazy short time - Picked up on the Thursday in Canada, and delivered to my place on Monday Morning!

 

I'm not overstating that this is a bloody beautiful guitar and I am thrilled with it!

 

 

 

What do you think chaps?

 

[topekatj]

On 1/19/2024 at 2:06 AM, Bennyboy-UK said:

Hi all,

I think last year was a quiet one for me and new guitars - I had a couple to sell, one of which finally went.

These days I'm pretty focussed on seeking out particularly nice examples of my favourite models - and I've been looking out for a pretty Vintage S for a while now.

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Kaylem @Slunkstack in July last year, and we sorted out a deal for his Vintage S - all very enjoyable to arrange - thank you!!!

I'm never in a hurry to get my paws on guitars, so we sorted out our deal in September, and then when we both had good availability arranged shipping over to me - the shipping took a crazy short time - Picked up on the Thursday in Canada, and delivered to my place on Monday Morning!

 

I'm not overstating that this is a bloody beautiful guitar and I am thrilled with it!

 

 

 

What do you think chaps?

 

Truly gorgeous but don’t leave on the floor, you, the missus or the dogs may step on it!