New Year's Lunch Report - 1/1/15

It's a bit late for a Lunch Report anywhere in the world at this point and I've already gone past midnight local time, but I thought it would be auspicious to start the year with one. Maybe some others will follow...

Lunch: I didn't really get a lunch today, but dinner made up for it. I moved away from the South Carolina Lowcountry over 25 years ago, but I try to maintain a tradition of eating traditional Carolina food on New Year's Day. The centerpiece of the meal is Hoppin John, which is a rice and bean dish traditionally eaten as a sort of New Year's good luck charm. This afternoon it was accompanied by grits with shrimp, okra, and my wife's cornbread.

Question #1: What gear did you score in 2014? Any G&Ls or other gems?

Most of my guitar and bass finds in 2014 were unplanned, but I did stumble across some keepers:



This one is a '91 ASAT Signature Bass. It was one of the last few models I had been chasing for my Leo-era bass collection. This one has a body dated March 19 1991, which I believe was the last day Leo Fender worked. The neck is a warranty replacement with a November 1992 date stamp, but for some reason it was made with pre-BBE style thin veneer fretboard. It also somehow ended up with a BBE-era pre-amp. It technically doesn't fit the theme of my bass collection (i.e., built by a company owned by Leo Fender), but it is gorgeous, feels great, and has great tone. I still need to find a true Leo-era ASAT Bass, but this one will be a keeper.



This one's a 1977 Musicman Stingray. I found it by chance at a local shop. I just happened to be there when it reached the floor, and while I was holding it two other regular customers walked up to the owner and said they'd buy it if I set it down. I worked out a trade for my 1980 F-100, a lot of pedals, and some cash. I think I got the better end of the deal. The finish is not original, but it was done professionally very early in the bass's life.



I'm not a fan of PRS guitars, but they made some incredible basses back in the late '80s and early '90s. This is one I had been hunting for a while. It was modded by a previous owner with a high-end pre-amp. I don't think it sounds quite as good as it would have before the mod, but the neck is amazingly easy to play and it still has serious thunder from the PRS pickups. Photo by a previous owner.



This one's a mid-1990s ASAT Classic Custom. It was hanging on the wall of the same shop where I found the Stingray. Somehow I managed to work out an even trade for my '98 ASAT Classic and some pedals. This is another one that I was very pleased with. A friend who has played all of my G&L guitars and owns several himself swears that this is the best one he's ever played.



Here's the 1981 G-200 that I've discussed in a couple of different threads. This was the result of four years of looking. It's hard to describe just how unique this model is among Leo Fender's creations.

I found a couple of other scores that I don't have pictures of yet. One was a mid-1980s Guild Pilot bass with a flamed maple body and a fretless flamed/birdseye neck. I will need to get pics when we have a sunny day. The other two were pedals - an Xotic AC Booster and a Subdecay Prometheus filter pedal.

Question #2: Do you have any plans for gear purchases in 2015? If not, is there anything you are hoping to stumble acress?

My GAS has really tapered off after finding the G-200, but there are still a couple of Leo-era basses that I'm on the hunt for to round out the collection. To be complete, I need to find a '79 or '80 Musicmaster Sabre, an '87 through '91 SB-2, and an L-5000. That elusive ASAT Bass with a logbook date prior to March 21 1991 is still out there somewhere, too.

Happy New Year's, everybody!

Ken

It was a good year for you Ken , the progress on your music room is impressive too.
Here's to another good year !

I'm thinking more and more about finding a series l or ll Alembic bass . Deciding which ones to let go of to fund it isn't exactly easy.
These beasts still tempt me , seems I let one go a while back....I don't know what I was thinking
Black Interceptor Bass



No new axes last year, but I have several homebuilds coming to fruition .That's where I have been focusing my energy
(besides playing the Skyhawk). I did get an old G&L vinyl sales banner . I'm not sure what year(s) it was used.

I need to buy a drill press. I'm using a 60 (maybe 70?) year old hand cranked drill press that works well, but a new-fangled electric one would be nice....and is on the top of my list (then a planer).

Happy new year all! No hangover for me this year, but a pretty decent case of sunburn after my first day at the beach for almost 6 years!

Love the PRS and Stingray Ken, very cool. I played a MusicMan Albert Lee guitar with two humbuckers a while back and it was amazing, the neck was perfect, it weighed next to nothing and resonated like crazy - the only thing that kept the $3000-odd they wanted for it in my pocket was the shape. As soon as MusicMan make a nice looking guitar I'm going to be all over it.

I had a pretty big year gear wise, bought and sold a lot of guitars and amps. I sold a couple of ASATs, so I'm down to only 3 G&Ls now - my LB100, Korina Jr and Bluesboy. The aim for last year was to diversify my guitarsenal into something less "Tele" heavy, and it went almost to plan. Kind of. 50% maybe.

Probably the most radical purchase was a PRS Starla to fill the slot of an Les Paul/SG. I've said this before but I NEVER thought I'd buy a PRS, but this one is much different to their usual offerings and has proven to be a fantastic instrument. The original pickups didn't provide the sound I wanted so I've swapped them for a set of Seth Lover's. I'm yet to play a gig with it but have put several hours on it in the studio playing a lot of Led Zep and Black Sabbath.



Having sold an ASAT Classic and an ASAT Classic S, I was left in the unacceptable situation of not having a standard T-style guitar, so bought myself a Japanese Fender ’62 reissue. Absolutely no regrets with this purchase. I play it constantly despite it not having the sort of spec I'd usually go for - small frets and a 7.25" radius fretboard. It seems to have a more traditional Tele sound than either of the ASATs I sold (probably down to the threaded steel saddles and thinner bridge), which is what I was after all along.



It has been years since I’ve owned a Strat style guitar, so I set out to buy one. I spent a long time pondering finish, flicking between images on my phone on the train, in meetings etc, and got stuck between two-tone sunburst and Fiesta red. In the end I went with this:



I couldn’t help it, a double bound tuxedo telecaster is a thing of beauty. But beautiful isn’t reason enough to keep two near identical guitars and I do actually regret buying this. As such I’m selling this to help cover the cost of one of these beauties that is currently in a truck on its way to me



It’s Czech made ‘Furch’ dreadnaught, identical-ish in spec to a Martin D-28. Hopefully it’ll be as good as the reviews say it is. I’ve never owned a good steel string acoustic and figured its about time. Its main purpose will be to act as something to hit while I practice my singing, I’ve neglected that for far, far too long.

I also picked up a Fender Princeton, an amp I’ve been wanting for years. I don’t think I’ll be holding on to it though as it has had a couple of issues already and I can’t see it going the distance.

That leaves my (at present) sole focus for a purchase this year – something to replace the Princeton for practice and small gigs. Not an easy task.

I bought my fist Leo era G&L and I couldn't be happier with it. It is a blonde 1986 Asat in really clean condition. The action was really high and it had a neck shim for some strange reason ( a previous owner must not have known how to use the micro tilt ). So, after buying a kit , for the first time in my life I set up a guitar myself ! Amazing what you can do when you have the right tools. I have not played anything else since acquiring the Asat, it really is a great guitar and cool to think Leo may have pulled a shift when it was built.

I also bought a Fender pro junior. I was looking for a basic all tube small amplifier that would take pedals well. This amp fit the bill quite nicely and can get very loud for a 15 watt amp. It must be because it is such a simple circuit. Very pleased with it.

I bought a TC electronic flashback delay pedal as well. The delay modes on it are exceptional and the toneprint feature is a nice bonus. I would buy other TC pedals if not the BYOC's I have my eye on. Their Yellow Overdrive, Analog Chorus and a reverb pedal are on the list.

My guitar stable is modest, but I am looking for an early 90's Les Paul studio or maybe an SG. I feel I need a humbucker guitar and I kind of always wanted a Gibson electric. I had considered a Fallout but GAS for one has faded considerably since the Asat came along.

Great guitars Ken, and lets hope you can get closer to rounding out the collection in 2015 .

Ken, you had a good year and have quite an assortment of basses and others as well. I am well set on basses and my Tribute M-2500 is really the perfect one for me. I must have been lucky to get one like I have. The neck has glossed up like glass in just a year. I also like Jamies Starla with the Bigsby.

The answer to your first question. I have had a good year. I had 12 new (to me) guitars in 2011, going to 7 in 2012 and 5 in 2013. This year was 4 with 2 of them being G&L. First was the Tribute M-2500. Later, an American Fallout. I came across a pristine E series Fender 57 reissue Strat in the summer made in Japan, a 1986. This fall was was a like new Surh Classic T, my 2n'd Surh and a sweet one it is.

For amps I found a Vox Ac15 and I had a cabinet built for a JBL D130. All the 2014 purchases will stay. I am at a point where I don't have anything to sell. I have really diversified what I have from a brand standpoint and very happy with the results. I have been looking at a Gretsch Brian Setzer flamed maple recently but it isn't perfect. If it doesn't sell, I may make an offer. There are a couple of minor marks in the finish that I would have repaired if I were to buy it but it is not something I really need. I already have a couple of high end Gretsches.

What next? I don't know as I am not looking for anything but am always watching. I don't have any G&L's on the radar and if anything this year it could be a Duesenburg or a new brand to me, of some type such as a Anderson or a Ron Kirn build. I really like the Furch that Jamie has coming but I just cant get in to the acoustics even though I keep trying. I really don't have any wants except I am looking for an Amp head for the Red JBL D130 cabinet. So, this could be an interesting year. Now you have me thinking about it but no Gas. I have become very deliberate in my search. Thanks for the New Years lunch post Ken and it's a new year for the search! -- Darwin

Question #1: What gear did you score in 2014? Any G&Ls or other gems?

I bought an ASAT Classic Tribute last winter, then an ASAT Classic US in spring, and an ASAT Deluxe Tribute a few weeks ago. And somewhere in between a Line 6 HD400.

Question #2: Do you have any plans for gear purchases in 2015? If not, is there anything you are hoping to stumble across?

I have an early nineties Gibson Les Paul Custom that I would like to replace with a nice ASAT Deluxe.

Hi Ken,

Best \wishes for 2015 to you (as well as the other visitors to this forum)! And thanks for the cool way to start off the year with a Lunch Report. Haven't seen those for a while now.

Question #1: What gear did you score in 2014? Any G&Ls or other gems?

Almost every one of these guitars was planned. I have a wish list I have been keeping for years now and slowly but surely the list is dwindling. Sticking to a priority order has become a little more important now so at times I let an opportunity pass by. But some opportunities you just cannot say no to, including this year's ggjaguars Nighthawk, Dean McCoy's Z-12 'Big Red', jonc's 'CavASAT' prototype, and the HG-2 prototype I stumbled over at Emerald City Guitars. But foremost it has to be Dale Hyatt's Lacewood #1.

So here goes in order they came in:

(L-to-R) 1983 Nighthawk, 1982 S-500, 2014 GbL LE-2


(L-to-R) 2000 Z-3 SH (shown at NAMM '01 and in '01 G&L catalog on p. 10), 2007 Will Ray Signature, 2005 Z-12 'Big Red'


(L-to-R) 1984 SC-3 (2nd body style), 2013 ASAT Classic Bluesboy 90 Savannah Collection Limited Edition, 1991 Lacewood Commemorative #1


(L-to-R) 1987 'CavASAT' prototype, 1997 ASAT Classic Custom (pre-2002), 2013 ASAT Classic Custom


(L-to-R) 1983 HG-2 prototype, 2014 ASAT Classic Charlie Christian Ltd

Question #2: Do you have any plans for gear purchases in 2015? If not, is there anything you are hoping to stumble acress?

There is one model I definitely plan to purchase namely an ASATCat or equivalent model with 2 wide bobbin MFDs and an S-500 in the middle. Haven't found a good one yet. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only pickup combination on an ASAT I'm still missing in the collection. After that, the search will be for some pre-BBE era ASATs and a couple of missing 'source guitars', i.e. models on which certain pickups later featured on an ASAT first appeared. One can think of the Comanche (prefer a Comanche VI) and/or Cavalier.

Talk to you later,

- Jos

Last edited by yowhatsshakin on Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

2014 been a good year ....

LE 2
Johnc Broadcaster
Buck Owens Deluxe Bigsby
Buck Owens Classic
SS Fallout

and a couple more amps to the collection
Peavey 6505 + 112 combo
Carvin V3M head and 2x12 slant top

and last but not least for Christmas got a Carvin VT 50 amp head .... This amp made my Legacy sound better than it ever has since I've owned it , unbelievable how good the Legacy sounds with this amp on the clean channel ..... it made the Legacy sound like a whole new guitar ..... The alnico pups really respond to this amp , much better than my Twin or Super Reverb ..... going to try the Broadcaster and SC2 tomorrow to see if I get the same response as the Legacy did , my Fallout just sounded normal with this amp so no improvement on the Fallout but hopefully the MFD sound good/improved like my Legacy did with the VT50 .... had the grand kids here so I couldn't get many guitars out with the little kiddies running around ..... on a quest to change out my heavier combo's for lighter heads and cabs ..... it's amazing how different pick ups respond to different amps , some good some not so good but very interesting none the less

Well, we're now three days into 2015 but I'll add my bit.

I too had a busy 2014 with gear acquisition.

In February, I added this 2004 ASAT Classic. Black over alder with natural wood binding and a GOT neck.



In April, I picked up a mint 2012 Gibson LP Traditional. Iced tea burst.



In July, I wrangled this 1979 Fender Vibrolux Reverb through a trade with a friend of mine.



In August, I found this 1973 Fender Champ and couldn't pass it up.



And finally, for Christmas I received a 2014 Seagull Coastline S6 Spruce CW QI. These are great guitars and very reasonably priced. An added plus for me is they are made in Quebec, Canada. It has an under saddle pickup with an onboard tuner as well.



As for plans for 2015, I can't think of anything right now. I would like to pick up a nice acoustic amplifier; maybe a Fishman Loudbox Mini. There's a 2007 G&L USA Legacy I keep looking at but I have to keep resisting.

Happy New Year gents! May it bring you all those things you dream about.....

Thanks for a LR Ken! I miss them.

2014 - I only bought one guitar. I keep meaning to take some decent pics and post them, but not done a full setup etc. yet so not gotten around to it! It's a very nice 1985 Broadcaster. I got it on 27 November, exactly one year since it was shipped from the USA to a collector in the UK, from whom I bought it.

2015 - I think once I have finished making this post, I'm going to buy my first Tribby, online... most likely a Fallout... because I just want something to not worry about picking up when I'm wearing belt buckles, or handing to friends after the first few beers! I seem to currently have only guitars that I'm nervous of dinging and need to address that

Some of you guys have acquired some deeply lovely guitars over the year, and I wish you all the greatest enjoyment from them!

Hey Ken. Thanks for the report.

I bought a back loaded L-1000 in clear maroon with a maple fingerboard. The bass is mint except the knobs were changed.

I haven't taken any pictures of it yet.

-bassman

Hey Ken,

I'm a bit late on a reply but after your welcome to the New Year and the run down of yer 2014 scores I reviewed my year and realized Santa came to my house MANY times.

First however, big congratulations on all of your unplanned finds!

For me it was a year of some long time searches achieved and projects come to completion and other bits.

Question #1: What gear did you score in 2014? Any G&Ls or other gems?

The year started of by finding a triple bound ASAT Classic Signature (proto for Commemorative) on January 3. Had a Commemorative ordered in 1992 buts funds fell through at the last minute, so this is my long lost replacement. Here's the history of this guitar from Jos' page. http://yowhatsshakin.com/yowhatsshakin/ ... ature.html



February 23 decided that since I had two Fender 62 re-issues I traded the lesser of the two for a brand spankin' new Baja tele with extra medium C shape neck. The standard Baja neck is chunkier than I prefer. This has been a fun guitar, lot of Fender tele spank and the S1 switching isn't used much but gets pushed every now and then.


April 10 brought a 95 ASAT that was purchased at low cost for project purposes and became a true keeper. IMHO I think this pick up combination could be a regular G&L. Neck pup is a Steve Grom Bluesboy humbucker and bridge is standard BIG MFD. Guard from Chandler.
original


September 30 modded to MANCHILD (not BluesBoy)


May 20 brought my other BIG score of the year. BDAY present from my wife.


June 23 a Vox Mini 3 on Guitar Center Used at a really low price. Great amp that my son has mysteriously acquired. I will support the future of music.


September 5 was the completion of my ASAT Z Special Classic project. An Arbor tele modeled after the great Will Ray and Mac Whitesides creation. BIG MFD in the neck and an overwound Z3 bridge pup.

Question #2: Do you have any plans for gear purchases in 2015? If not, is there anything you are hoping to stumble acress?

Guitar wise I would like to find an low cost ASAT HB, ASAT 20th Anniversary or ASAT 25th Anniversary. Have my eyes on a trem pedal, either a Wampler Latitude or Supa Trem2. After last years haul, funds may be focused on others in the house this year. But ya never know what may come my way.

Here's to a safe, prosperous and music filled year for everyone.

Have my eyes on a trem pedal, either a Wampler Latitude or Supa Trem2.

I forgot to mention some trem pedal exploration I did last year. I tried a Catalinbread Pareidolia (an attempt at an early '60s Fender trem circuit), but it hasn't done much for me. I also scored an EBS TremoLo, which I absolutely love on both guitar and bass. I would highly recommend putting one of those on your short list. I also found a Copilot Polypus, which gives a lot of different waveforms (including stepped and sample-and-hold). It's a lot of fun, but the EBS TremoLo beat it in terms of sound quality.

The absolute best trem pedal IME is a Moog MF-102 Ring Modulator. It has two LFOs that both get down well below one Hz. It can do slow and rich or quick and choppy, and the LFOs can modulate each other to get a pulsed tremolo. It does a great square wave tremolo. It will also take control voltage from an expression pedal or external CV generator to give limitless trem options: ramp/sawtooth tremolo, step sequenced tremolo, envelope-controlled tremolo, etc., etc. It is a bit pricy though, and takes up a massive amount of space on a pedal board.

Maybe I should have gone with "Tremo-nerd" as a screen name...

Ken

I forgot about the EBS pedal, those did catch my eye. The three wave forms were a main feature I liked, and not sure levels and attack on Wampler / Fulltone would make that much difference. You have promoted the Moog pedals many times and the size and price keep me from getting one. Will find an EBS somewhere do demo thanks for refreshing my memory.

Tremolo is the best effect out there. I don't get that adventurous with it, preferring a straightforward sine wave and my BBE Tremor is the best I've tried for this - I even like it better than the power tube tremolo in my Princeton.

One thing I forgot to mention about the EBS is that it also has a "filter" setting. Basically, that makes it bring a low-pass filter in and out instead of just modulating the volume. The end result is that the tremolo only affects the higher pitches. It gives an incredibly smooth sound. I'd put it on par with the MF-102 in terms of tone, but just without all of the capacity for sonic weirdness.

Ken

Thanks Ken,

I was going to ask about the filter switch. Right now I have a BBE Tremor and a Nobels TR-X, and with the Nobels on it's last leg the EBS could fit the bill for more waves and not too many buttons, sliders and knobs to mess with. The hunt is on

Hi Guys! I haven't lurked or posted here in quite some time. Good to see the G&lDP chuggin' along. I even seeing some old timers names in recent posts. I love the 60+ G&L's I have had over the years, a very nice collection. Most of that collection has been sold to other Leo lovers. I wanted to say Hi, and the post about some parts and some guitars I'll be selling. And of course to catch up, and see who is still around. I enjoyed many a day here and my times as the Lunch reporter. Happy New Year to you all!

A G-200, a Custom Shop S-500 (pre-metal tag era), an Interceptor Bass (creme/gold). In addition, I have some aluminum pickguards guards, some vintage, some of my reproductions as the owner of Tone-Guard®. Cause, that's what I do, I make aluminum pikcguards.

All inspired thru this board and my love and interest in G&L's. I had the good fortune to meet George Fullerton. I also had the honor of making the metal hardware for the G&L Leo Centennial Guitar, celebrating Leo's 100th B'day.

I'll be posting pics in the marketplace. I hope I did not break any rules with this post. If I have, my apologies. Let me know and I'll change it.

Hey Wayne!

Great to see yer post and about some you will set free. I still have the parts ASAT JD 5 you helped with metal guard and parts, thanks again. Come around more and post some pics of yer guitars and latest black crinkle metal goodies.

Well, to say I am a little behind is an understatement. Sometimes life just gets in the way of having fun.

Some awfully nice toys in this thread!

I acquired the Trib ASAT Special in my avatar this year. Very nicely done for the price. It is loads of fun. Just wish I had time to play. The other toy that I got was a Tyler Variax. Gold top LP style with P90s. Quite the swiss army knife of tricks. It will not fool the experts but to just pick it up and dial in a T style with Keef's open tuning is lots of fun. The thing that surprised me most was the quality of the passive P90s that it comes with. They are just great rock pick-ups so it is very usable with none of the electronics engaged. Nice.

As far as this year, I am out of commission until I sell a few, along with a few amps. If I can find the time to do that, I would love to get a nice Leo-era piece. Thanks for the GAS guys!

And thanks for the lunch post Ken!