Lets look at our guitars thread

Lets look at our guitars thread

Author
Discussion

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
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Here's one* that's on the way out unfortunately:



34 years old and still going strong. It just lost out in the double-cut shoot out to my #1:



That's despite the SG having the neck pickup in the right place, and 4 controls. Both are light (SG is just 6 pounds) and both have the early '60s Gibson neck profile.


* Three sold already this year, and now down to about 12 (or at least 12 that Mrs Goat knows about). Next - to choose one of two Strats ... frown

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
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Gaz. said:
What are the 12 that remain?

Love the DC.
That DC, regular LP standard, LP Jr, 335, Tele, two Strats, Thorn, Yamaha silent acoustic, Cuban-style Tres, Jazz bass and a silly pointy thing.

davidd

6,452 posts

284 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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How do you find the Yamaha silent guitar? I keep looking...

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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It does what it does very well. It sounds nice - always quite polite. Mine's the SLG200 - which has some DSP smarts to model a mic-ed acoustic - you can blend that with the piezo signal. It definitely adds more 'body' to the tone, and does a good enough job for recording and headphone practice. And I can see why some play it live (no feedback).

Caveat: part of playing an acoustic is the feel of the big sound box, and the sound of it being right there within your arms. When you dig in, it's really ... er ... real. So playing the Yamaha is psychologically quite different - even with a very nice set of studio monitors. In contrast, the Tres (which is converted from an old cheap S&P cedar acoustic) is a riot - it's alive in your hands. No-one will ever say that about the Yamaha.

HarryFlatters

4,203 posts

212 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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Doesn't look like much yet, but it's going to look like a Cabronita / 72 Deluxe hybrid once it's finished...



rsbmw

3,464 posts

105 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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Well my custom job is sprayed and relic'd! Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst. I've hidden the maker just for a bit of fun (but will reveal all soon), interested what people think and how much you would expect to pay for this. All hand built by a British luthier, including the pickups (which clearly aren't in yet!). The answer may surprise you.

Hubba Hubba







Edited by rsbmw on Wednesday 14th February 15:44

JLC25

572 posts

122 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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rsbmw said:
Well my custom job is sprayed and relic'd! I've hidden the maker just for a bit of fun (but will reveal all soon), interested what people think and how much you would expect to pay for this. All hand built by a British luthier, including the pickups (which clearly aren't in yet!). The answer may surprise you.

Hubba Hubba
Yup I'm 100% I know the Luthier now! - Can't wait to hear how you get along, looks as good as everything else he's done.

rsbmw

3,464 posts

105 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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Good for you.

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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rsbmw said:
Good for you.
Well you did ask what people thought!

If you're going to be as touchy about it - as if people were telling you your daughter was ugly - it's probably better not ask for opinions. smile

FWIW, I've had a relic. Best thing about it is that you never worry about the (inevitable) first ding, and you can use it to prop open a door without a care. Quite hard to sell on, though, IME.

rsbmw

3,464 posts

105 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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I’m not touchy, was never into relics either before I saw this guys work, but there are plenty of other parts of the forum available if you just want to act like a dick to other people. We don’t tend to do that on this thread.

Expect they would be hard to sell on, but I’d have no interest in selling on a guitar that I’ve commissioned. I won’t even get rid of the 20+ year old epiphone in the garage that I’ve not played for years!

Anyway regardless of whether you like relicing, I’m sure any guitar player can appreciate a guitar handmade by a British Luthier. The point of my posts was to show what you can get, for far cheaper than an off the shelf “custom shop” Fender.

The guy who is making this is Dean Fraser, a real craftsman. One of his other works is a guitar he spent 20 years making completely out of matchsticks. I know what you might expect that to look like, but check this out

http://www.fraserguitars.com/product/matchstick-54...

The 60's strats he charges £795 for, similar to a 'budget' range PRS SE. The swamp ash and overspray upgrades ran me £150ish so I'm in for less than a grand, for this level of instrument that's impressive.

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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Thanks for the link - will check his stuff out. I want a custom Strat(ish) guitar to replace a signature ESP I just sold.

Do you know if he makes the necks himself or buys them in ready-made?

(Hope it's the former.)

rsbmw

3,464 posts

105 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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As far as I know, he makes everything, including pickups. He even makes his own capacitors (see pic on his instagram!).

Escapegoat

5,135 posts

135 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
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rsbmw said:
As far as I know, he makes everything, including pickups. He even makes his own capacitors (see pic on his instagram!).
Cool - I'll email him. It'd be a maple neck with ebony board but with a 1 7/8" width at the nut.

Thanks!

Evangelion

7,726 posts

178 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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Some swine recently put up a link on PH to the first gig of this year's Wishbone Ash tour, which left me seriously GASsing for a Flying V, so I bought this.



Loaded with lots of Wilkinson bits including tuners and pickups, and quite reasonably priced too. It arrived yesterday so I gave the set up a bit of a tweak, although it wasn't bad in the first place. Roller saddle bridge and trem are now on order; a Bigsby would have cost more than the guitar! But I've found a copy of the Gibson Vibrola which wasn't too expensive so will have fun putting that on and playing with it. Also, I'm sure I have some nicer knobs somewhere, plus a set of pointers.

davidd

6,452 posts

284 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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Evangelion said:
Some swine recently put up a link on PH to the first gig of this year's Wishbone Ash tour, which left me seriously GASsing for a Flying V, so I bought this.



Loaded with lots of Wilkinson bits including tuners and pickups, and quite reasonably priced too. It arrived yesterday so I gave the set up a bit of a tweak, although it wasn't bad in the first place. Roller saddle bridge and trem are now on order; a Bigsby would have cost more than the guitar! But I've found a copy of the Gibson Vibrola which wasn't too expensive so will have fun putting that on and playing with it. Also, I'm sure I have some nicer knobs somewhere, plus a set of pointers.
Excellent I love my V, alarmingly versatile as well.

andy-xr

13,204 posts

204 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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Gaz. said:
rsbmw said:
Well my custom job is sprayed and relic'd! Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst. I've hidden the maker just for a bit of fun (but will reveal all soon), interested what people think and how much you would expect to pay for this. All hand built by a British luthier, including the pickups (which clearly aren't in yet!). The answer may surprise you.
I wouldn't pay for it.
rsbmw said:
Good for you.
hehe

to be fair, you did walk into that one a bit with all the 'look at this, you'll never guess what I paid for it'

smn159

12,654 posts

217 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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A bit of light sympathetic relic'ing can look good, in a sort of 'well used but cared for' way, but that blue one looks damaged / badly neglected to me. Surely no guitar would ever wear in that way?

I guess that the neglected look is the point, maybe it's a bit like the VF scene where they make their cars look rusty, but I don't really get it.

Each to their own though.

Stan the Bat

8,918 posts

212 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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andy-xr said:
Gaz. said:
rsbmw said:
Well my custom job is sprayed and relic'd! Lake Placid Blue over Sunburst. I've hidden the maker just for a bit of fun (but will reveal all soon), interested what people think and how much you would expect to pay for this. All hand built by a British luthier, including the pickups (which clearly aren't in yet!). The answer may surprise you.
I wouldn't pay for it.
rsbmw said:
Good for you.
hehe

to be fair, you did walk into that one a bit with all the 'look at this, you'll never guess what I paid for it'
Yes, it was all turning a bit strange.

languagetimothy

1,090 posts

162 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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smn159 said:
A bit of light sympathetic relic'ing can look good, in a sort of 'well used but cared for' way, but that blue one looks damaged / badly neglected to me. Surely no guitar would ever wear in that way?

I guess that the neglected look is the point, maybe it's a bit like the VF scene where they make their cars look rusty, but I don't really get it.

Each to their own though.
Hmm.. yep each their own of course, I do like relics, but find that blue one a bit too much for me. I like old and been on the road for decades look. This is my 97 nocaster, my main guitar. The finish is cracked nitro



rsbmw

3,464 posts

105 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
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smn159 said:
A bit of light sympathetic relic'ing can look good, in a sort of 'well used but cared for' way, but that blue one looks damaged / badly neglected to me. Surely no guitar would ever wear in that way?
Perhaps you're not into the guitarists, but SRV, Rory Gallagher and John Mayer, amongst others, have/had similarly worn guitars.

As I say, I wasn't into them before I saw these, definitely an acquired taste. Thought the price thing might be a bit of fun is all, but ho hum. I think the value, for a price similar to a Mexican Fender Strat, is incredible.