Lunch Report, Monday March 22nd, 2010

Howdy everyone. Good Monday to ya!
Thanks to Shawn500 for the nomination

Up to this point I've been primarily a lurker so maybe a word of introduction is in order.
My name is Brian and I live in south central Idaho. I've been in the sign business since 1981. I apprenticed as a sign painter in those pre-computer years. These days I've grown with the business and technology and am the art director and IT goon for our company. We do national work for IHOP and Sinclair Oil as well as a lot of custom stuff for local companies.

On the music side I play and appreciate about any style of music and am equally average at all of them. I've been playing since I was 12 (54 now). I should be better but...well...you know.
I've been pleased to play jazz in small combos locally for years. It's only recently that the scene has dried up. I've considered selling my jazz guitar but these things are cyclical so we'll see. I do keep my hand in playing weekly for church services.
Let it be known that I am a certifiable guitar crazy. I'll talk picks, strings, cords, amps with anybody...anytime. In tune with that is the guitar binge I've been on that last two or three years. Somewhere near 40 guitars have come and gone....not out of dissatisfaction but I suppose just for the thrill of the hunt. I'm now down to four electrics and the best of the bunch is my Legacy.
In the wilds of Idaho there are limited opportunities to try before you buy. I got my Legacy sight unseen and got a dandy.

Lunch: I've been into salads lately in an effort to reach a weight goal. So far so good.
A couple doors down is a pizza place that has a great salad bar. Drink and all you can eat salad bar for $5.95

Question of the day: What do you do?
Probably been covered but I'd consider it an honor if you would indulge the newbie and fill me in on your vocation.
Do you enjoy it? Was it something you set a goal for or are you surprised to be doing it.
How is your business faring in the current economy? I'd be interested to know what part of the country y'all are in too.

G & L Content: As G & L players vs. F & G brands we are swimming upstream a little. I'd be curious to know the process that brought you to play G & L.
Did you just happen to try one and liked it, or have you been through lots of other guitars and finally found what you are looking for.

Last edited by jazzrat on Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Hey Brian,

Welcome to the 'distinguished' club of Lunch Reporters. First time scared the hell out of me, but when looking back it was a thrill! Hope it will be the same for you. And no problem if some questions are repeats. It's hard to come up with entirely fresh material. And we all like to yak anyway

Question of the day: What do you do?

I am a senior software developer at PopCap Games, Inc. here in Seattle. Working for a gaming company means that most of my colleagues could have been my kids! I am responsible for the so-called back-end, the service that takes care of persisting scores etc.

Do you enjoy it? Was it something you set a goal for or are you surprised to be doing it.

Let me answer your question this way: my wife loves it that I go to work whistling and come home in the evening smiling. She had missed that for a couple of years while I was working for MSFT And I am surprised I'm working for a game company. That was not exactly something I imagined when I got my PhD in physics.

How is your business faring in the current economy?

Relatively well. The whole social gaming thing is an emerging technology. Lots of interesting problems to solve, e.g. how do you reliably monetize your technology and games, but I have confidence that we'll get it done.

G & L Content: As G & L players vs. F & G brands we are swimming upstream a little. I'd be curious to know the process that brought you to play G & L. Did you just happen to try one and liked it, or have you been through lots of other guitars and finally found what you are looking for.

I was looking for a Fender style guitar to complement the LP I owned at the time. There is a Guitar center in town (actually there are about 4 GC's within a radius of 20 miles) but I had never visited one upto that time. In downtown however, there was a smaller music store called "The Zobrist". They carried G&L and Ron Stoehr, the store manager, let me play an orange ASAT, a red Legacy Special, and a sunburst Legacy. Didn't buy anything at that time but went home later with the Special, only because the ASAT was already sold. Every time I have played a Fender since I feel I made the right choice, either for monetary reasons (the Custom Shops are quite good but expensive) or quality (lots of bang for the buck with G&L's).

So now we know that we both have the same first name. Cool. There are a couple of other Brian/Bryans hanging about the G&LDP.

Avocation: Well, that almost sounds too euphemistic for what it is that I do to make money occasionally. I'm a Southern California real estate broker. I left my last company due to the fact that my ex-wife was the company's sole escrow officer. The other agents loved her, they only tolerate me. Anyway, I got my broker's license and am now off on my own (Perhaps I've always been a bit off? ), and to a rather slow start. I'm waiting to gauge the market and whether or not I should find some other way to put guitars on my stands and food on my table. I've got good initials for a logo (BMW) and will probably work that into my marketing plan, if one gets off the ground. We'll see. I like playing the guitar and singing a lot more than I like selling real estate. Imagine that. But of course eating is good too.

I found G&L when I was trying out an amp (60's Epiphone Pathfinder 15W) and the seller let me check it by playing his S-500 or Legacy (I can't remember, as I didn't know the difference at the time.). I liked the feel of the neck and the easy action. I'm a sucker for fast necks. This is usually narrow and thin for me.

Thanks to Shawn500 for the nomination

No prob!

Question of the day: What do you do?

Well, I work in the IT department at our local newspaper here in Baton Rouge. The name of the paper is The Advocate. We are luckilly the only local daily newspaper. I mainly support the payroll departmen, but I also support some of the press operations at the plant. It's really hard times for us right now. We had a layoff last year, and just today, a suprise layoff. Had a person in our department laid off so it really hit close to home. I'm looking for something else currently, as I don't see things improving for the newspaper industry.

G & L Content: As G & L players vs. F & G brands we are swimming upstream a little. I'd be curious to know the process that brought you to play G & L.

I had tried out a few G&L's in the 80's and I thought they cool, but I was blinded by labels back then. I went through 3 or 4 different Strats, and while they were great guitars, I found myself wanting something better. I visited Zeagler's music here in Baton Rouge, and they were a G&L dealer. By this time BBE had taken over, and the more Fenderesque guitars were on the wall.
I played a Legacy, and was floored. I thought about that guitar for about a year or so. I started to hang out here, and met a couple of local area members that enlightened me on the back story of G&L. I put in an order for a S-500 after auditioning all of the models the local dealer had in stock. The S-500 just gave me a wider range than the Legacy, but I could still dial in that classic Strat sound. I bought an F-100 a year or so later, and then about a year ago I got an L-2000. I want an ASAT at some point, but money is so tight right now, I doubt it'll be anytime soon.


Great start on the Lunch Reports Jazzrat!

OOOPS....looks like change in the 'ol lunch plans. Gotta go home and let the dog out so I'll scrounge something up...
I'm thinking tuna on whole grain with spinach and tomatoes....yeah...that'll work.

Working as an IT contractor.

Expanding my web development skill set in the local community college. Prepping for the CIW Certifications.

I hooked up with G&L basses after playing Fenders for several years.

Found this website in the late 1990s, and was the impetus to purchase.

The MFDs deliver the big sound. Construction is top notch. Finishes are impeccable.

Jamie

I'm a mortgage lender for a credit union in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia...and for those of you wonder, we never did any sub-prime lending or any of the garbage loans you've been hearing about...we've had very few delinquencies and only a couple foreclosures in the past year, so we feel very good about our track record! In terms of business, last year was our best year ever, thanks to the great rates. This year started off slower, but has picked up quite a bit in the last several weeks. Been doing this 11 years, and while it's not necessarily my dream job, I enjoy it and the people I work with, so I feel really blessed. Besides, I don't even know what my dream job would be!

I found G&L when I was looking for a new strat-style guitar to complement my LP that had all the features I wanted at a reasonable price. I'd heard a few good things about G&L and liked the features of the Legacy, especially the tremelo bridge and the PTB tone controls. Then I found some in a music store and saw the quality of build. After chewing on it for a year or two, I discovered that a used Legacy is just about the best kept secret out there. I then I found the one in my avatar...I still can't get over that finish!!

Idaho lunch report week!

-Brock
(in Boise)

Haaaaay, I was hopin' I'd root out some other Idahoans ...um Idahoites....er..... Idahoers.....um...spuds!

Question of the day: What do you do?

Write, both fiction and non fiction.

Do you enjoy it?

It's kay but not great.

How is your business faring in the current economy?

Not so well although I am keeping my head above water. In the UK things are very different.

Don't worry about the reports, you'll do great!!!!

What do I do, you ask?

I am a Sales Representative for an Agricultural Seed Company called Syngenta Seeds, Garst Division. I have done this kind of work for a number of years, but for the previous 3 years was a retail fertilizer plant manager. I much prefer the job I currently have to the one I left in November. They say there is a freedom of being out on the road and setting your own schedule and there is. It's what I do best, I suppose.


How did I find G&L?

While trying to buy a Heritage Guitar from Mr. Milt Smith, he kept pushing the G&L's on me. I ended up buying a G&L Legacy and then returning it in favor of the H-535 that I really wanted. Since that time, I have owned many G&L's and think they are very good guitars.

Great start.
Take care.
Deuce

I'm a Project Manager for IT type projects. I deal in all kinds of technologies, routing and switching, voice, unified computing, data centers, wireless. If there's data flowing through it, I've got a project. I like the work because contrary to what most people think, project management is more about the people than it is about the technology. There are a lot of similarities in putting a band together and creating a cohesive team for a project. Each person has a role to play that leverages their unique talents. Once they understand that, the pieces fall into place and things just click. But, it takes work to get there. I have my project management certification and an under graduate BA degree with a major in project management.

My first G&L was a sunburst George Fullerton Legacy with a v-neck and skinny frets. I liked it so much I purchased a red George Fullerton with a big, fat, round neck and a maple fingerboard. Both were excellent guitars although I own neither of them today. I had about a dozen G&L guitars at one point, but unemployment and a desire to try other brands led me to shed most of them. Today I'm left with only two, a mahogany Legacy HB and Broadcaster. I also own a Peavey Wolfgang, PRS Archtop, Hamer Newport 90, Grosh Retro Classic, and a Taylor GC-8.

RickT

Hey jazzrat,

Let it be known that I am a certifiable guitar crazy.
Amen, me too, thankfully we are in good company here.

I too have bought many guitars sight unseen, no lemons yet.

Yeah, I am on a weight goal schedule right now as well, need more salad and water and less pizza and beer!

Question of the day: What do you do?
As little as possible for as much as possible.

Do you enjoy it?
Heck yeah.

Was it something you set a goal for or are you surprised to be doing it.
I set my sights high at an early age and fortunately still have that early age mentality!

How is your business faring in the current economy?
The faring business is a bit slow but picking up with the water up. I'm in the southeast states.

G & L Content: As G & L players vs. F & G brands we are swimming upstream a little. I'd be curious to know the process that brought you to play G & L.
Was a hardcore Fender and Leo Fender fan and when I got my hands on G&L's in early mid 80's I was sold. Sold but did not get my first one until 1992. ASAT Sig, that I still have along with a handful of others, and some very new gear you can see elsewhere in this new format.

Nice start and good to see ya on the page!

Question of the day: What do you do? Do you enjoy it? Was it something you set a goal for or are you surprised to be doing it.
How is your business faring in the current economy? I'd be interested to know what part of the country y'all are in too.

I've been working in machine shops for the last 20yrs. or so. That just sort of fell into place, as I had no idea what I'd end up doing for a living. Never took any formal training, it's been all on the job experience and learning from others. I like it just fine.... Not sure what our bottom line is, and some weeks are slower than others, but they're hiring = good sign.

G & L Content: As G & L players vs. F & G brands we are swimming upstream a little. I'd be curious to know the process that brought you to play G & L.
Did you just happen to try one and liked it, or have you been through lots of other guitars and finally found what you are looking for.

A friend built a Rampage clone around the time when super-strats were the next big thing. I swung a deal to nab that, and he tells me "But what you really want is a G&L". Fast-forward to 5 years ago, and I was able to finally get that G&L. Tried out an Invader tribby at a local store, loved it, and pulled the trigger on a US Invader XL on the 'bay. Added an SC-3 and put together a Cavalier-bodied mini-bucker monster since.

Some nice bird's-eye you have there....
BW

Yep, I'm one of the many folks named Brian here....