Show Us Yer Guitar Quiver

[galibier_numero_un]

Time for a gear-specific guitar thread (in addition to the "Learning as an adult" thread - https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...lt-lame-or-not).

I seem to be rebuilding (reassembling) the same guitars over and over again - swapping necks, bodies, pickups, etc. Building (well, in truth, assembling) has been a decades long exploration of what works for me … no different than skis. Big surprise, eh? At one point, I was obsessed with takeoffs of Jerry Garcia's various guitars.

The lust for tools has, resulted in upping my basic luthier skills along the way (cutting nuts, leveling frets, making sawdust with a router, etc.).

With electrics, I keep returning to single coils. When other folks play humbuckers (Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, to name two), I absolutely love it. I just can't figure them out in the first person. Same thing with Strats. I love when others play them, but me … not so much. The Nashville Tele, on the other hand, works for me. Go figure. There's something about the raw simplicity of a Tele that works for me, and I've stopped asking why.

Then, there's the 1977 Martin HD-28 Herringbone reissue I purchased new in the Spring of that year. After a minor repair 10 years ago, along with an enhancement to the way the bridge pins seat, it's my "cold, dead, hands axe". I can thank master luthier Jon Eaton of Woodsong's in Boulder for that.

The pine Nashville Tele was a replacement body for the Strat I couldn't bond with. It was a ridiculous deal from some folks in Calgary, by the name of Tone Bomb. Delivered to my door, it set me back all of about $60 (including postage).

To match the "donor" Strat neck that was going on it (Strat necks have a rounded heel profile), I started with a blank Strat pickguard, and shaped it accordingly. Here's the back story on that build: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/in...ation.2197451/

… Thom (scroll down)

Pine Body , Nashville Tele (Cavalier Pickups by Rob Destafano)




Swamp ash body, Don Mare pickups:




Swamp ash body (current test bed, miscl. pickups) - possibly to receive a mini-humbucker or Firebird neck pickup:




Martin HD-28 Herringbone reissue (1977):

[hatchgreenchile]

Great thread Thom - those Nashville Teles are so sharp.

Acoustic - Taylor 110E, want to love it, but the tone is too bassy for my taste


Electric 1 - Fender Deluxe Stratocaster, SRV Sunburst - big fan, it's very responsive and I play this 80% of the time. Noiseless pickups and the mini push button for the win.


Electric 2 - 65 Gibson SG Melody Maker - This one has quite a story. It was under my grandfather's bed for 25+ years in two pieces. He gave it to me 10 years ago and I had some top notch luthier in Niagara Falls put it back together. Original neck pickup and 58 Les Paul humbucker on the bridge. It was actually a navy blue color originally, but a previous owner painted the Cherry over it. With all the neck work done on it, it's a bitch to keep in tune and sounds very dull and flat with clean tones, but for powerchord heavy tracks, this guitar is second to none.


Pedalboard (because that makes this more fun )
Vox Wah - a bit noisy, but I really dig this one. It gives you a cool "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" sound
TC Hypergravity Compressor - pretty neutral to this one, it's very subtle.
TC Spark Boost - Fun pedal, it doubles as a light overdrive effect if you really crank the volume
Texas Trouble - Tube Screamer clone, very standard
Pugilist Distortion - dual engine, love how you can layer the distortions. Early 90s Green Day sound from this.
Super Chorus - probably my favorite pedal - 80s Def Leppard and Metallica sound here.
EH Canyon - super versatile with ~10 delay styles.
D'Addario Tuner - it's a tuner that works.


I run guitars through a Fender Blues Jr 4 Amp.

[old goat]

Mine are nothing special to look at so I'll spare the pictures--

64 3 tone sunburst Strat--all stock, including bridge cover, vibrato arm, and case. Easiest playing guitar I own. Still has the 3 position switch which was miswired in the factory so that the no 3 pickup is middle position--if I wedge the switch between the 1 and 2 position I get a mix of pickups 1 and 3, which is not possible on any other strat on the planet (maybe)--my favorite tone on the guitar. Think Sultans of Swing. I paid $125 in '69. They can cremate me with that one.

81 Martin D28 which has had a neck reset that Martin paid for, and the luthier threw in a compensated saddle for free

Recent Tele--52Reissue I put in Don Mare pickups (green onions). I did the 50's wiring mod so that turning down the volume doesn't turn down the tone. The guitar I play the most.

Gretsch Country Classic (the George Harrison guitar)--humbuckers, but closer to SC sound than Gibson's HB's

Recent LP cherry burst--I forget the model name. I got it because I've wanted a cherry burst since I was a kid, but I don't particularly like the sound.

A cheap square neck resonator I can't play

A couple of nice old amps--a 65 Fender Tremolux I bought in a pawn shop in Cleveland when I bought the Strat. Grounded cord, death cap removed. Someone had replaced the 10's with 12's before I got it. They had to remove the center baffle. The left the original front panel with 10 in holes. I replaced the front panel and replaced the no name 12's with a couple of Webers. I got some grill cloth that was a good match but then I forgot to paint the wood black and am too lazy to go back and do it. The attack is a little hard.

A 66 BFSR--pre CBS, that has had a lot of mods before I got it. The speakers were replaced with Weber ceramics--2 Californias and 2 something else I can't remember. I like the sound but I'm tempted to replace them with Alnicos so I can lift the damn amp. The SR is just as heavy as the TR plus it's too tall so you have to flex your elbow to carry it.

And a Blues Jr--the one with tweed cloth and Jensen speaker.

[galibier_numero_un]

Fun stuff. @hatchgreenchile - did that SG have a broken headstock? I've seen videos of lots of great repairs on Gibson headstocks (better than new, in terms of strength). Check out this fellow's work:



OG - I saw your comments in an earlier thread about pondering selling that Strat. It must have been a moment of weakness. Your post also inspired me to start this thread which I'd been meaning to do for quite some time.

Martins of the 70's and 80's seem to have had a lot of problems. When I brought mine in to Jon Eaton, it was for a minor repair - some cracking near the pickguard. Martin had a warranty for the repair, as he told me of a several year period when they glued the pickguard onto the bare spruce top. The correct way is to lay the lacquer on first as it serves as an expansion buffer.

While talking with him, I asked him about the intonation. He said he wasn't the sort to make people miserable for no reason, but since I mentioned it, he told me of an unpublicized warranty to correct a mislocatedbridge saddle. Over the years, their jigs wore and the bridge location shifted. I'm shocked that this could have slipped through QC for so many years. Details here, if you're interested: https://umgf.com/70s-d28-misplaced-bridges-t203621.html.

I haven't fully gone through the video below, but I cued it up to where he comments about having to move the bridge saddle on this '79. In another video he mentions the possible necessity of a neck reset, but that saddle location was indeed a problem through the majority of the 70's. His comment about a neck reset also being possible makes sense.



Jon didn't think much of Martin's aesthetic solution (under warranty). So, I kicked in $250, for him to fabricated a bridge plate that was indistinguishable from the original. He contoured it and feathered it to perfectly - positioning it in the same place (not disturbing the original lacquer). Only the slot for the saddle was shifted. It may well be that the improved sound resulted from the change in the break angle of the strings (shifted saddle). It's hard to say, 'coz he made a minor change to how the bridge pins seat and he said this contributes to what I was hearing.

The good news was that he said the original neck set would outlast me, so I lucked out in that regard.

I've been through a few amps, and settled on a clone of a blackface Princeton Reverb from a company named Vintage Sound. This one has a couple of changes - a larger output transformer for 5 more watts (as if I need it, playing at home). It also has a 12" speaker (Eminence GA SC64 - very vintage sounding). There's a midrange control (replaces a 10K resistor in the tone stack). This is a common Blackface mod that's faithful to the Blackface circuit.

A small pedal board completes the setup in front of the Vintage Sound 20.

• I debated a getting pedalboard mounted tuner, but finally decided to do so. My rationale was that I could use it as a teaching tool - to help me learn bending to pitch accurately.
• The Klon clone (Rimrock Effects Mythical Overdrive) is a new toy. I'm not a big overdrive guy, and have all of mine set for very light dirt.
• The Timmy is also set really "light" (op amp changed so it's not as harsh).
• GTO (Guthrie Trap Overdrive). I rarely use it, but it is good for what it does.
• The RC Booster is really subtle and always on. I call it my "make everything else better" pedal. It's hard to describe, but everything sounds more harmonically rich when it's clicked on.
• The Boss RC-1 looper is a great learning tool I should use more. It's something I should have purchased first (live 'n learn). I particularly like this one, 'coz it's simple for my simple brain, and it blinks at you when you're at the start of the loop. I get lost easily, even when I've laid down something simple.
• Of course there's Geoff and Julia (our resident goats) sitting on top. Julia's roped up for glacier travel ;-)

... Thom

[grinch]

Damn! Those teles. I see why you stockpiled those necks Thom. Not what i had imagined. Very nice.
And old goat, i beg to differ. Wish you had some picks. The well worn guitars are rad. Nice selection too
Cool thread. Good first 3 posts

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[ötzi]

I don't even own a guitar and I'm a little ambivalent on Rick Beato but I thought this place was pretty amazing:

[hatchgreenchile]

Fun stuff. @hatchgreenchile - did that SG have a broken headstock? I've seen videos of lots of great repairs on Gibson headstocks (better than new, in terms of strength). Check out this fellow's work:

The break is diagonally from the 15th fret to just underneath the pickguard, and the neck is very thin to begin with. It has been rebuilt three times since I've owned it.

Nice Timmy pedal too. Those have a cult like following, but the hype is well deserved.

[rideit]

These are my favorites...

[Ted Striker]

64 3 tone sunburst Strat--all stock, including bridge cover, vibrato arm, and case. Easiest playing guitar I own. Still has the 3 position switch which was miswired in the factory so that the no 3 pickup is middle position--if I wedge the switch between the 1 and 2 position I get a mix of pickups 1 and 3, which is not possible on any other strat on the planet (maybe)--my favorite tone on the guitar. Think Sultans of Swing. I paid $125 in '69. They can cremate me with that one.

This is at least the second time you've mentioned this guitar that's older than me and worth more than my car, and yet no pictures?

I worked in a used/vintage-y guitar store for a while in the 90s and pre-cbs strats were already trading at ridiculous prices. I can't imagine what that guitar must be worth now.

And you're not the only guy who likes that sound. We'd rewire customers' strats for the 1+3 super-quack tone (but would usually use a push/pull pot).

[XXX-er]

seen this recently, apropo to the thread

https://me.me/i/transaction-denied-y...1fba352cb170d8

[Ted Striker]

guitars are like bikes. n+1

[EWG]

N+1 for sure.

My baby:
1983 Japanese Strat. All original except for the pick guard which I replaced in covid. I love this guitar and while I kinda want a Les Paul, I may never get another electric. Checks all my boxes. Also really like that Performer 650 behind it. Great little loud as shit amp with some pre tubes and a nice crunch.



Sigma DM2 acoustic from sometime in the mid 70s. Made by Martin. Action is decent with a pretty good tone. It’s ok. I don’t love it. A new acoustic is high on my shopping list.



A 70s or 80s Lyle I was using as a beater till my daughter commandeered it during Covid to learn on. Not bad for a beater. Nice low action.



Applause by Ovation AA13 travel mini. I hate this damn guitar and am trying to sell it. I don’t like the action or the tone.

[old goat]

This is at least the second time you've mentioned this guitar that's older than me and worth more than my car, and yet no pictures?

I worked in a used/vintage-y guitar store for a while in the 90s and pre-cbs strats were already trading at ridiculous prices. I can't imagine what that guitar must be worth now.

And you're not the only guy who likes that sound. We'd rewire customers' strats for the 1+3 super-quack tone (but would usually use a push/pull pot).

It looks exactly like this one--with a little more wear


The guitar isn't with me. I'll try to post a picture next time I can.
I saw Dylan in Detroit a few months after Newport. I thought he was fabulous. Many didn't. Highway 61 was the second record I owned. (The Times They Are A'Changin' was the first.) I still have the Highway 61--in mono.

I suppose it's possible mine was modified, but when I had it appraised the appraiser felt the soldering looked factory, and there's no way to stop the switch between positions--I have to use the matchstick method, or I've taped a nail across the pickguard.

I haven't been following the vintage strat market for a few years, but I don't think they're worth what they used to be. As the saying goes--there are more pre CBS strats on the market than Fender ever made--when something can be copied easily it definitely hurts the vintage market, plus the Japanese bubble burst, plus the people who were old enough to care about guitars in the 50-s and 60's are dying out or are buying cemetary plots and annuities, not guitars.

[rideit]

They are all buying e-bikes now...

[grinch]

They are all buying e-bikes now...

Shit, its almost like you and throttle toaster are losing sleep. Stick with the acoustic bro.

Anywho, Banff boy i used to ride acoustic bikes with is a luther in cali now. Making some real beauties. Hell of a bass player too. Can play anything acrually

https://instagram.com/ojguitars?igshid=80uv9o4vd76p

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[warthog]

I stopped playing as a kid. No patience. Skiing gave me the instant feedback I needed.

My bro-in law is a very talented classical guitarist. My dad gave him one like this to bring back to France.
Gibson acoustic/electric from the '50's

[SkiBall]

Just a newbie. Got a cheap Epiphone Les Paul style to get started. But then got this one from my mom that she has had forever but never played. Should have started long time ago, but eh, going to give a go and actually prefer the acoustic to get started. Got some new strings, now just need the patience.

[rideit]

Shit, its almost like you and throttle toaster are losing sleep. Stick with the acoustic bro.

Anywho, Banff boy i used to ride acoustic bikes with is a luther in cali now. Making some real beauties. Hell of a bass player too. Can play anything acrually

https://instagram.com/ojguitars?igshid=80uv9o4vd76p

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You do realize I am buying one...but not riding on NO EBIKE trails...

[grinch]

You do realize I am buying one...but not riding on NO EBIKE trails...

Wrong thread jong!!
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.ya i know i just cant resist

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[rideit]

Ok, I chuckled...

[rideit]

Just won an eBay auction for this at $305.00. Pretty psyched!

[EWG]

VERY cool.


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[grinch]

Ya thats a real looker. I like all the little details

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[galibier_numero_un]

Just won an eBay auction for this at $305.00. Pretty psyched!

Well day-um ... a heavy helping of reverb and trem and it's rockabilly heaven ... that, or the cool sounds of mellow jazz ;-)

... thom

[pureantigravity]

One thing about this thread stands out ...
no Line 6 Variax in the house!

Get with it everyone.