Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 12:44 pm

Hello from north of dixie,

This has been good for me this week. It gave me something to do during this very snowy and slow work week. It kept me sober until at least 12:30 or so.
I will post some cool G&L pictures after my assistant (boss) gets back around 4:00 or so central time. Since they will be late I will try to
find something fun to look at.

Music Question: Music provides joy for all of us and it just happens that we make our music with G&L guitars and basses. If G&L and Fender had never existed, what guitar do you think you would be playing today?

Required Listening: Do you have an guitarist, artist, band etc that you feel is someone everyone should check out? My weekend tip would be to check out The Unknown Hinson on Youtube. If you have not seen him you are in for a treat. This is a very talented man . He is the guy behind the Squidbillies cartoon show. Sick, funny and one hell of a guitar player.

Thanks for letting rant about snow this week. Thanks for letting me show off my toys especially thanks for those that chimed in. If you view this post today or this weekend please take the time to say hello.

Remember new members, sign up for lunch reporter and tell us about your G&L!

Have a great 2014!!

y2kc

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 1:57 pm

I would probably have some Gibson's , ES335 , LP and SG .... maybe a BB King , I would like to have them now but can't get past the G&L's


great week , been a little hetic on my side , trying to ship my wife to Alaska for our daughters delivery of a new grand baby but the plane had to go into Maintenance at the Dayton International airport , took her there at 7:00 am and had to pick her back up at 1:00 pm just to take her back up tomorrow saturday at 11.00 AM

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 3:25 pm

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Alright here are the photo's I promised. Enjoy the weekend and turn that amp up extra loud! Thanks for the week.

y2kc

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 4:23 pm

I really like your pictures. I love how I can see the wood grain in each of the 3 pictures posted above.

How come you own both left and right-hand guitars? I gathered from your other posts that your wife may be a player. Is that why?

Kit

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 4:46 pm

y2kc wrote:Music Question: Music provides joy for all of us and it just happens that we make our music with G&L guitars and basses. If G&L and Fender had never existed, what guitar do you think you would be playing today?


If Fender & G&L didn't exist, I would be a PRS player. I'm a big fan of their McCarty model. The rest of the PRS models don't do much for me.


y2kc wrote:Required Listening: Do you have an guitarist, artist, band etc that you feel is someone everyone should check out? My weekend tip would be to check out The Unknown Hinson on Youtube. If you have not seen him you are in for a treat. This is a very talented man . He is the guy behind the Squidbillies cartoon show. Sick, funny and one hell of a guitar player.


I discovered Unknown Hinson a few years ago and he is very good! I recently became a big fan of Here Come the Mummies. The musicianship & showmanship of this band is incredible.


I like those Cavaliers! My Cavalier is the best playing G&L that I've ever owned.

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:10 pm

Beautiful pictures Casey. That transparent blue with the Ash grain showing is a classic G&L thing. Thanks for your reports this week. I missed a day but it isn't easy to be a retired, still gigging man!

Your question on what if no Fender /G&L is a tough theoretical question as so many clones were built off Fenders. Mosrite had some cool guitars and Rickenbacker was prominent at the time as was Gretsch. I owned a couple of Gibsons in the early 60's and was not a Gibson fan so I would have likely played something else. I am not sure what, but the Mosrite was a good candidate. We have to remember that a lot of the music from that period was also played by artists playing Fenders. Gibson was on a huge decline in the 70's and Fender was still growing although CBS about did them in due to poor quality. If there had been no Fender, I'm sure some of the small companies who built guitars may have survived. Fender at the time was monumental in the market. If there hadn't been the competition, who knows what we would have had available to us. It is like trying to predict what may have happened in the automotive industry if there had been no GM. I think that Fender set the bar for guitars, as I believe that GM did for autos. If no Fender, there would be no Musicman or G&L. I have one GIbson and I think that it will increase in value but it doesn't ever get played. I am curious what how some of the other old timers will answer this. I do have two Gretsches and they are awesome.

As for guitarists, I remeber seeing Cecil Bayes in the early 60's plkaying with Rose Maddox. She was not very good in my opinion and I asked Cecil what he was doing playing guitar with them and he said he was a hired gun working his way to Winnipeg. He had a 7 th string on his guitar set up like a 6 string banjo only on the high side of the fretboard. He was great! Thanks for the fun week Casey. we are getting more snow tonight!-- Darwin

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:28 pm

Hey Casey
Easy Gibson Blonde 335 with stop tail piece.
Is that early S 500 a maple body ?
Thanks for Unknown Hinson , I do like his style
Thanks
Anthony

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:50 pm

Great week, Casey! I've been reading, but not up to posting very often. I've really enjoyed the photos. I recognize the rug and furniture from pics of a certain red SC-1 (which has been getting a lot of playing lately!). Like Steve, I'm also a fan of Cavaliers. Mine is a twin to your red one, except for the bridge. I would have preferred a Saddle Lock, but I'm not complaining.

The question about a Fender/G&L-free world is tough. I have three "other" basses - a fretless Warwick Corvette, an early '00s PRS, and a '69 EB-0. I love all three of them, and each one is very different from the others in feel and sound (although the neck profiles on the 'Wick and the EB-0 remind me of each other). My only non-G&L electric guitar is an old Epiphone Genesis, which I only hold onto for sentimental reasons. I haven't played many Gibson solid bodies that I've liked the feel of, and very few PRSs that I've thought were comfortable. I guess I'd probably gravitate to something odd, like an Ovation Viper. I had serious GAS over one of them a couple of years ago, and an early Ovation Magnum is at the top of my bass wish-list.

No must-hear guitarists come to mind. Instead, I would suggest some serious immersion into John Coltrane's work from the early '60s. I can't say it affected the way I play guitar, but it definitely had a big impact on how I think about music and song structures. "A Love Supreme" is a great starting point for his work, although I went the route of starting with his sideman dates from the '50s and working my way sequentially through his later catalog. "Ole Coltrane" is another great starting point. I remember reading an interview in which Duane Allman called it his favorite album of all time.

For guitar content, I'd suggest Kenny Burrell's "Midnight Blue" album, or Grant Green's "Standards". Both have timeless guitar work, and great bass lines for the low-enders.

By the way, a belated opinion on snow... I grew up on the South Carolina coast, dreaming of white Christmases. Later on life plunked me down in Maine for eight winters, which completely cured me of any desire to see, feel or shovel snow again. We woke up to about three inches this morning, and I haven't bothered stepping outside. If I'm lucky, I can wait out the melting indoors.

Ken

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 9:43 pm

Great week Casey!

If Fender & G&L didn't exist I could be playing a Guild Bluesbird or maybe an Ibanez. Maybe a Tom Anderson or Sadowsky if I had the cash. Unless I could get the Epiphone Genesis from Ken, because I had bought of those in '82, great guitar.

Required Listening: Do you have an guitarist, artist, band etc that you feel is someone everyone should check out?
I have been a fan of Marillion for years, Steve Rothery is an incredible player.

TGIF!

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:20 pm

I'd play Gibsons, an SG and Les Paul. They are so expensive though. I would probably only be able to have one or the other.

Those guitars have been photographed beautifully.

The Unknown Hinson, I cannot get past the weirdness.

I recently discovered Fred Chapellier.

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Sat Jan 04, 2014 4:23 am

+1 re the photos, they've been done really nicely. And the guitars are just beautiful.

My "required listening" has got to be Bill Frisell, though not the early quantum-jazz freakies, best starting point would probably be his "Nashville" album. Makes many other improvisers sound dry and soulless.

What if no Fender? Then no Burns, no single-coil Ibanez, perhaps no Danelectro / Silvertone, no Supro, basically no bolt-ons. There wouldn't even be my first idea for an alternative, the under-rated Gibson L6-S, without any Fender to inspire Bill Lawrence's design for it.
Perhaps Paul Bigsby might have continued to more commercial success with his guitars, had CLF not been so dominant?

My nearest would have to be a Les Paul Special, 2 cutaways & 2 P-90s, or the Epiphone equivalant (Wilshire? Wiltshire?).
Funds permitting, a 330 / Casino would be a great second gun.

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Sat Jan 04, 2014 5:11 am

i had the chance to already own my second choice after asats... like nick, it's a LP DC special... unfortunately i had to sell it to buy my second asat... even if i really love my asats, i really miss that little LP...

here it is :

Image

don't have any particular "required listening"... i already talked about geoff farina and karate around here...

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:26 am

+1 for me on the LP Special double cut, or an old LP Junior. I tried one LP Special a couple of years ago that I really liked, but the price was unrealistic.

sam wrote: Unless I could get the Epiphone Genesis from Ken, because I had bought of those in '82, great guitar.


The Genesis is a very under-rated model IMO, although they are prone to headstock breaks and having the top-mounted jack cause catastrophic splits in the top.

The Genesis was my only electric from '98 (when I started playing again) until I found my ASAT Classic in 2010. I moved the jack from the top to the side, and used the leftover hole to add another pot for a typical LP control layout. Mine came with high-gain aftermarket pickups, which just aren't my thing. I was hunting for a mellower set when I stumbled across the ASAT Classic, and haven't thought much about the Epi since then. I should go ahead with a pickup swap.

Ken

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:37 pm

Hey Casey. Thought I'd check in since I had a moment, and lo and behold! Great to see you as LR and even better to see some of your wonderful collection of instruments. Bravo!

Of course, I've forgotten the question, but if Leo and Fender didn't exist, I'd probably be a Hamer guy. Not to say I wouldn't be a Herritage guy, but honestly I've never had the pleasure.

Oh, and there is one Gibby that I think is great - the short lived LP DC Studio which I appreciate for its chambered body and no-nonsense appointments. One of these days, I'll get a compensated bridge for mine, but it's light and feisty and it rocks like all hell. Also love my HAMER Special P-90, though she is a heavy beast. But there is some serious 'hog tone in there, and the build screams quality.

Image

And yes, there IS a lake behind my house, and we enjoy fishing and kayaking.... though the house itself could use some serious updating. Ha!

btw, I LOVE, LOVE your Cavs. Never tried one, but one fine day.

Wishing you and yours the best of everything in the New Year, I remain your friend, Ed.

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Sun Jan 05, 2014 12:41 pm

i forgot the hamer's... never tried one, but they definitely deserve a shot...

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:12 am

I have been looking a early Hamer Specials and Sunbursts lately. I sure wish I had picked one up when they were cheaper and in better condition. Nice guitars.

y2kc

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Mon Jan 06, 2014 9:22 am

Y2kc, I have a Hammer Artist currently in restoration and a Newport. They were incredible buys in the used market. I suspect that they may increase in value now that they are no longer available but who knows. They are quality guitars.-- Darwin

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Mon Jan 06, 2014 11:58 am

The USA made Hamer guitars will be missed . It took Fender pulling the plug for many folks to start paying attention to them. Quality guitars from the start.

I had the chance to get a super early Special about twenty years ago but the serial number had been sanded off. That is never a good sign. It was going to be for my son and I didn't need to be worrying about someone reclaiming from him. The modern stuff is stunning.

y2kc

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:46 pm

zapcosongs wrote:Hey Casey. Thought I'd check in since I had a moment, and lo and behold! Great to see you as LR and even better to see some of your wonderful collection of instruments. Bravo!

Of course, I've forgotten the question, but if Leo and Fender didn't exist, I'd probably be a Hamer guy. Not to say I wouldn't be a Herritage guy, but honestly I've never had the pleasure.

Oh, and there is one Gibby that I think is great - the short lived LP DC Studio which I appreciate for its chambered body and no-nonsense appointments. One of these days, I'll get a compensated bridge for mine, but it's light and feisty and it rocks like all hell. Also love my HAMER Special P-90, though she is a heavy beast. But there is some serious 'hog tone in there, and the build screams quality.

Image

And yes, there IS a lake behind my house, and we enjoy fishing and kayaking.... though the house itself could use some serious updating. Ha!

btw, I LOVE, LOVE your Cavs. Never tried one, but one fine day.

Wishing you and yours the best of everything in the New Year, I remain your friend, Ed.


Ed,

Good to hear from you. How are the kids?

y2kc

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:54 pm

y2kc wrote:
zapcosongs wrote:Hey Casey. Thought I'd check in since I had a moment, and lo and behold! Great to see you as LR and even better to see some of your wonderful collection of instruments. Bravo!

Of course, I've forgotten the question, but if Leo and Fender didn't exist, I'd probably be a Hamer guy. Not to say I wouldn't be a Herritage guy, but honestly I've never had the pleasure.

Oh, and there is one Gibby that I think is great - the short lived LP DC Studio which I appreciate for its chambered body and no-nonsense appointments. One of these days, I'll get a compensated bridge for mine, but it's light and feisty and it rocks like all hell. Also love my HAMER Special P-90, though she is a heavy beast. But there is some serious 'hog tone in there, and the build screams quality.

Image

And yes, there IS a lake behind my house, and we enjoy fishing and kayaking.... though the house itself could use some serious updating. Ha!

btw, I LOVE, LOVE your Cavs. Never tried one, but one fine day.

Wishing you and yours the best of everything in the New Year, I remain your friend, Ed.


Ed,

Good to hear from you. How are the kids?

y2kc


Thanks Casey. Kids are twelve and ten now and driving me to drink! Between them and my old folks, I'm really kept quite busy - hence I haven't spent as much time here as I'd like. But we're all hanging in and taking things day by day. How's your biz and your family, btw? - ed

Re: Lunch Report January 3, 2014

Tue Jan 07, 2014 10:04 am

Ed,
Biz is slow and the kids are all grown and out. Life goes on. Hang in there and turn that Hamer up so I can hear it from here.

It is colder than cold here. Possibly the coldest I have experienced in my life. The G&L's are making for good fire wood and tube amps get real hot when left on for days, so we are good.

Take care,

Casey