Friday May 4th, 2012

I have had a great week hosting the Lunch Report, i hope that you have enjoyed it as much as i have. I wish that time permitted me to respond more, and in fact, post more on the forum in general. Anyway, thank you to all who did have a few moments to spare, and to those who read along all week. Segue……

If you had tons of free time (yeah, like any of us do!) What would you like to do with your guitar? Play in a band? Play in a band that is outside of your wheelhouse? maybe just study the guitar more in depth….

For me, i would love to play in a Jazz Trio. Just me, upright bass and drums. I think that it would be a blast… not to mention some hard work. I play through charts all the time and think i would pull it off rather well, but there just isn't enough time in the day/week/year! I really only have time for one project and playing with my current band is just too much fun!

I though i would wrap up the week with a group shot.



Which leads to the final question of the week. I know a lot of us here have multiple G&L's… Would you consider yourself a collector? or even if you only have 1 G&L, could you someday see yourself being a collector?

Personally i wouldn't consider myself a collector….More of an enthusiast. I think by the time i am done with them they will have been well played and really not worth much to anyone but me. (Sorry wife and kids! I don't think we will be retiring on my collection!) I am totally okay with that.

Again, thanks for the great week!

Scott

If you had tons of free time (yeah, like any of us do!) What would you like to do with your guitar? Play in a band? Play in a band that is outside of your wheelhouse? maybe just study the guitar more in depth….

My playing isn't very good these days. I think studying the guitar more in depth with a guitar teacher would help.

Which leads to the final question of the week. I know a lot of us here have multiple G&L's… Would you consider yourself a collector? or even if you only have 1 G&L, could you someday see yourself being a collector?

I seldom play my G&L's, so I'm definitely a collector. I've always considered myself 25% player and 75% collector.


Sprinter 92

if i had a lot of time, i would like to learn to really play the guitar.

i am definitely not a collector. i just play guitars. they all get wear marks. i don't baby them. mod them heavily as well, sand the back of the necks etc. i like all my guitars out, easily accessible as well. i don't quite get the idea of collecting a bunch of guitars, and not playing them, and having them sit in their cases. now, if they are hanging on the wall, to be admired as art pieces, that i understand. but not in the cases. i don't get that.

awesome pics scott, and a great week reporting. thank you.

Great week Scott:

I'm not a collector, but wanted one of each of the main styles, tele, strat, hollowbody, asat special, lp.

I too have them all sitting out in a rack so I can grab whichever one I feel like playing at the time.

I've only been playing 4.5 years and I have been getting better with a lot of help and diversity from my instructor, but I really feel that I need to find the time to get together with others to jam. I feel that playing with others (if they'll play with a hack) would really help me get much further ahead.

I'd call myself a player who verges on compulsive when I see an old G&L. Honestly, I can walk right past the new ones without much of a problem. Maybe it's a mid-life thing. I didn't hear of G&Ls until my mid-thirties, but to me the original ones just ooze an early-80s vibe that takes me back to when I first fell in love with guitars.

Here are the guitars:



Here are all of the guitars and basses from '84 or earlier:



I haven't checked the dates on the Skyhawk, but the features point toward '84 or early '85. All of my G&L basses are in the second photo, as the youngest one is the '84 Interceptor.

I spent a couple of decades with one very low-end guitar and two nice basses (one was my first G&L, the SB-1). Circumstances put me about 500 miles away from that guitar a couple of years ago, and I desperately needed something to play to hold onto my sanity while I was away from my family for several of months. The ASAT Classic was the answer, and I found myself spending every free moment playing it. The rest started trickling in one at a time, as I came across good deals and wanted to experiment with different tones and tunings. Out of all of these, the only ones I specifically hunted for were a maple bodied ASAT. A couple of others were on my "buy on sight" list, including the SC-1, SC-2 and '82 L-2000.

I do tend to go after instruments from the beginning of their production runs, so I guess that has an element of collecting. I bought the F-100 mainly because it has the lowest registered serial number (G000504), and I picked the sunburst L-1000 on the left from in part because of it's age (July 1980 production). The black ASAT on the far right of the top photo attracted me because of the early headstock logo, and turned out to be from the second month of production. I haven't checked the S-500's dates, but I can tell it's also an early one.

Regarding Louis's comment, mine all live in their cases unless I'm actively playing one. Most of the cases are in my music room, and can be out and open in less than a minute. The rest are in other rooms where I frequently feel the urge to play. I play all of these instruments on a very frequent rotation, but with small children in the house I don't want to risk damage by leaving them out. I intend to hang most of them on the wall when the kids are older.

Playing-wise, I tend to do a mixture of band situations and living room playing alone or with friends. If I had unlimited time, I would like to work on recording some of the more ambient music I hear in my head but can never find others to play. The big obstacle to that is the time and learning curve to learn the technical side of recording and to figure out some of the other elements of the music I want to record (rhythm sounds, certain "noise" elements or field recordings, etc).

Ken

I'm lucky in that I have time enough to play in two bands as well as study full-time and still have enough left over to spend with friends and family. I am at my limit though, I can't squeeze any more out of a week! More time would be great. Especially if it came with money! I'd love to learn the music of Astor Piazzola. And learn the accordion/bandoneon/concertina/squeezebox - bizarrely, the first dedicated accordion shop I've ever seen has opened about a kilometer from my house. And would love to play Hammond organ. And pipe organ. And I'd like to make an album of instrumental Moog versions of country classics once I learn to play that.

With G&L's and guitars in general I'm definitely more of an enthusiast than a collector, but there are a couple of guitars I own even though I don't play them very often. I guess that's a collection? In this small room surrounded by cases it feels like a collection.

Good job this week Scott, have a great weekend.

And learn the accordion/bandoneon/concertina/squeezebox - bizarrely, the first dedicated accordion shop I've ever seen has opened about a kilometer from my house.

Um, just out of curiosity, How is the people watching at a full-on squeezebox shop?

Scott, I really enjoyed your reports this week. Only one video? Well, it was a good one!

I am just a picker and lover of guitars. But no collection here! I am spending a lot of time haunting the bay right now to find a couple of additions to the fleet.

Right now I am working on 2 things to maximize my limited time. I am learning songs. Obvious? Well, I tend to get licks and riffs down, and then kinda loose steam on learning the song. It has worked for me because I have spent a lot of time working with great bass players. But I want to get out and play, and the guys I would most like to do it with are not able right now--so I may not have that luxury in the short term. The other trying to get a lot of the stuff I have learned the last couple of years to be more top of mind, so it is more useful to improv and actual playing!

If I had more time I’d have a side project outside my other two bands doing something stripped down and maybe even acoustic. Also have the itch to do something a bit more ambient, breathy and gothic. Movie soundtrack stuff with keys and some violin and maybe cello. I like to dabble outside my wheelhouse occasionally.

I’ve had 11 G&Ls the past 10 years but usually no more than 3 at a time. I’m not a collector by any means. Typically, if I own a guitar it’s subject to the same abuse as any of the others. I am a gear-head, love acquiring and trying new things but have no real reverence for regular guitars. Honest vintage instruments deserve to be retired and preserved to maintain their integrity but I believe contemporary guitars are tools and should be used for what they’re made for. Maybe someday when I give up the live thing I may start picking up a few older pieces just for studio work and for the sake of having around. Who knows, maybe the early ‘80’s G&Ls will be considered vintage by then!

Nice reporting this week, thanks!

A little bit of "Ketch-up"....

Tuesday

The turquoise metal flake is beautiful. Would love to have one that color. I bought a blue flake Legacy Special last year from Dwasifar. I'll have to get pictures up someday.

I try not to judge people by their gear, though I am a gear snob, LOL. I can only hope though that when people see me onstage with one of my Gibson's, my G&Ls and my Mesa amps, they will think that I am a truly professional and great player!

Years ago, my band opened a club gig for Johnny Paycheck. I was using a JCM 800 Marshall at the time, and the other guitarist a Peavey 5150 half-stack. We finish our set and Paycheck's band members start loading in the gear. You'd think they have state of the art gear, right? WRONG! All of there amps are Peavey, several years old and well worn. They are the versions with the wide silver panels on the grill--three Bandits for the guitar players. A Data Bass combo (450 watts, 115BW) for the bassist; a KB300 for the pianist; and a Session 400 for the steel guitarist. They cranked them up, and it was "Hello, Mr. Telecaster!" Twangy, fat, punchy...and superb musicianship. And when they were all done they yanked them off the stage and threw them into the luggage compartment of the bus and headed out for the next gig. It's a tough amp that can take that kind of use and abuse, night after night. Mucho respect for Peavey.

I've seen bands with $20,000 PA systems that sounded like crap; and much lesser systems, run by someone who really knows what they're doing, perform beautifully. So these days, I really try not to judge with my eyes, but with my ears.


Wednesday

I have seventeen G&Ls at the moment. There were three G&Ls I did not bond with. I bought a used ASAT Classic SH in the Honey finish. The bridge pickup was a screeching microphonic mess, but I fixed that issue when I got the pickup re-potted. What I couldn't fix was me going back to the 7.5" radius neck after years of the 12" #1 necks on the Legacy bodies. Traded that guitar straight across for a Comanche--everybody is happy now.

I have one Legacy that has a very odd neck. Doesn't feel like a G&L, at all--not even close. The guitar is called "Peaches", for her peaches and cream complexion. She is vintage white with a matching headstock, rosewood board and tortoise guard, with cream plastic. A gorgeous guitar, but I wish I could get a different neck, because the profile is so strange. I switch back and forth between Legacys, Gibson "1960 Slim Taper" necks, a '58 Reissue Les Paul with a big fat neck, Martin's with various profiles, my Taylor acoustic and my four 12-strings without any trouble--but Peaches seems to take an hour to adjust to...it's that weird. I'm not sure what to do with her; perhaps I should see if the factory would fit me a new neck. If anybody had any ideas.....?

Finally, they is the matter of the ASAT Deluxe. This one is three-color SB on a flame maple top that is the envy of my Les Pauls. The back is cherry-stained mahogany. The neck has so much birdseye, it looks like the "before" pictures in a Proactive infomercial. Rosewood board, with a lot of red in the figure. And...,the DF Vibrato bridge with a graphite nut and locking Schallers. It is a killer guitar, and it sounds good. I just tend to want to use a Les Paul or my 335 for my 2HB guitar tones. It's not quite as ergonomically friendly as I'd like, and it is heavy. I have used it on several occasions where I felt the poly finish would be safer than taking one of the NCL-finished Pauls, like outdoor gigs when it has been cold and rainy or blisteringly hot, and it has always performed well. It's a stunning guitar, but I can't seem to bond with it--and I can't force myself to sell it, either.

BTW, I love that red Legacy!

As for today's questions, I really just want to get out and play more. I'd love to play in a smooth jazz quintet, with sax and keys someday too. Me, I just like to perform. I'm sure I could use a few lessons along the way.

With 50 guitars now, I guess I am a collector. Or an "enthusiast". I am a guitar nut, period. I don't have any other hobbies--I don't hunt, fish, golf, boat; and I'm not re-building a 1969 Mustang or a '67 GTO, nor do I have any children. I read mystery novels; I have a modest watch collection (none more than $150); I go to the shooting range occasionally with a box-stock Glock. Guitars are what I spend my money on; but they all get played. I keep them in their cases when they are not being played, because that is the sensible thing to do. (I've had one guitar wrecked in the Seattle earthquake a decade ago--not doing that again!) They are all loved and cared for.

And, I am always thankful, because I know how truly blessed I am...not just for the abundance of guitars, but for the wonderful woman who puts up with me!

Can I get an AMEN!

Good job on the LR Scott.

Bill

so be it

Hi folks, really enjoyed the forum this week. I had popped across intermittantly but guess that i'll be here more often. Just scored my 2nd G+L yesterday so I'm in agood mood
Ken... can you tell me what model the light blue guitar is on the top row 2nd left? It really is beautiful

halfblinddog, that is an old sc-1. same as the red next to it , but that one is an sc-2

boogie, sometimes i wish i only had guitar as a hobby. i do so many things, hard to find time. i do photography, water polo, martial arts (muay thai), period dress up, collecting swords, bows and other arms, as well as using them, also like to shoot guns, ride motorcycles, dog training/behavior modification, ping pong, tennis, pool. this is of course on top of the main 3 interests, guitar, bodybuilding and animal rescue. oh, and of course married women. but that's only to save time and money on dinners, movies and such.

thanks louis. I want one!!! It looks stunning
btw i did have a one eyed dog, hence the name... now in use as my business name ; oneeyedog rehearsal rooms http://oneeyedognews.wordpress.com/about/
john

Hey Guys,

Not much time today...Just had to stop in to give Bill his "AMEN"

And thanks to all for the kind words and replies....Judging by Ken's picture i may have unlocked the secret to a good collection - Always make sure the couch size is directly proportionate to the number of G&L's you have.

I may have to tell the wife we are gonna have to go couch shopping soon!

Have a great weekend everyone

Scott

Ken... can you tell me what model the light blue guitar is on the top row 2nd left?

It is indeed an SC-1. It's an '82 (I think that was the only year they were built), in Viking Blue. In person, the finish is much closer to BelAir green now, except for a couple of contact areas where the previous owners' fingers and forearms rested. This is one of the rarer G&L models, as it was discontinued in favor of the SC-2 after about 250 were built. That made sense until I finally got to play one; IMO the SC-1 beats the SC-2 hands-down in terms of tonal versatility. If you like this one, be sure to check out the Limited Edition II threads, as the custom build we are looking into may have many of the same features and hopefully be at a very reasonable price point.

In case anybody else was wondering about the early G&L models in the picture:


Back, L-R: '80 F-100 Series I, '82 SC-1, '82 SC-2, '82 S-500, '83 Nighthawk, approx. '85 Skyhawk
Front, L-R: '80 L-1000, '81 L-2000, '82 L-1000 (being restored), approx. '82 SB-1 (possibly the prototype), '84 Interceptor Bass

The "newbies" in the other pic included an ASAT and a Skyhawk from '86, an '88 ASAT, a '95 Jorgenson Sig ASAT, and a '98 ASAT Classic. All of them get played regularly except for the JJ Sig, since I don't want to put any wear on the autographed back. The JJ Sig is the only one I bought purely from a collectability standpoint.

Judging by Ken's picture i may have unlocked the secret to a good collection - Always make sure the couch size is directly proportionate to the number of G&L's you have.

The Nighthawk was a Christmas gift last year. It just happened to pop up for sale at a very unreasonably low price the same night that my wife had been complaining that she couldn't decide on a gift for me. When I suggested the guitar, she made a comment about how much we really needed a new couch instead of another guitar. You can see from the picture how that worked out...

Just scored my 2nd G+L yesterday so I'm in agood mood

So what was it??? Pictures???

Ken

IMO the SC-1 beats the SC-2 hands-down in terms of tonal versatility.

This statement is confusing to me. Is there something special about the circuitry in the SC-1? I've always thought the SC-1 and SC-2 were identical except the addition of a second pickup. How can the single pickup version have more tonal versatility than the two pickup version? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but wouldn't the SC-2 being played on the bridge pickup be identical to the sound of an SC-1?

IMO the SC-1 beats the SC-2 hands-down in terms of tonal versatility.

This statement is confusing to me. Is there something special about the circuitry in the SC-1? I've always thought the SC-1 and SC-2 were identical except the addition of a second pickup. How can the single pickup version have more tonal versatility than the two pickup version? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but wouldn't the SC-2 being played on the bridge pickup be identical to the sound of an SC-1?

i think ken has eluded before to the sc-1 having a different tone circuit, and has been suggesting the use of that circuit for the gleII.

i think ken has eluded before to the sc-1 having a different tone circuit, and has been suggesting the use of that circuit for the gleII.

Hmm.....I was never aware of that. I just read his post in the other thread. I was skipping those threads regarding the special build as I had no interest. I've never heard anywhere else that the SC-1 and SC-2 had any different circuitry.

i think ken has eluded before to the sc-1 having a different tone circuit, and has been suggesting the use of that circuit for the gleII.

Hmm.....I was never aware of that. I just read his post in the other thread. I was skipping those threads regarding the special build as I had no interest. I've never heard anywhere else that the SC-1 and SC-2 had any different circuitry.

i don't know either, but ken has both and got to compare them. he hears the difference. i am curious to see what is actually in there.

Sorry Ken, I should have expanded!! I swapped my Fender Thinlone 72RI for a brand new Asat Tribute Classic to go with my ASAT.......... does that mean I'm now a G+L collector?

I've never heard anywhere else that the SC-1 and SC-2 had any different circuitry.

I don't have any schematics to back this up in detail, but the SC-2 bridge pup needs to go through the switch whereas the SC-1 is straight to the pots. I'm guessing that this accounts for the difference I hear between my instruments. I guess I could sum my impression up by saying that I get as much range out of my SC-1 as my SC-2, but the SC-1 seems to preserve a bit more sparkle and clarity at lower tone and volume settings than the SC-2 is able to muster.

I swapped my Fender Thinlone 72RI for a brand new Asat Tribute Classic to go with my ASAT.......... does that mean I'm now a G+L collector?

Every collection began with "I just need one more to cover the bases"...just sayin'...

Ken

suave eddie wrote:
I've never heard anywhere else that the SC-1 and SC-2 had any different circuitry.


I don't have any schematics to back this up in detail, but the SC-2 bridge pup needs to go through the switch whereas the SC-1 is straight to the pots. I'm guessing that this accounts for the difference I hear between my instruments. I guess I could sum my impression up by saying that I get as much range out of my SC-1 as my SC-2, but the SC-1 seems to preserve a bit more sparkle and clarity at lower tone and volume settings than the SC-2 is able to muster.

My apologies for not reading your previous post regarding the SC-1/SC-2 tonal differences. It would be interesting to know if yours has any kind of unique wiring. I assume nobody from G&L has chimed in yet as to whether or not the SC-1 and SC-2 were wired differently in any way (other than the switch obviously).

Greg Gagliano who seems to know pretty much everything G&L doesn't mention anything on the website (http://www.ggjaguar.com/sc-1.htm) regarding different circuitry.

I am checking in late on Sunday evening and still recovering from this crud.

I am playing more than I have in years and enjoy it more than ever. We had wanted to have 10-12 gigs a year and we have already booked well over 20. I enjoy it but I think I am discovering that I can't handle the night life like I did at 20.

I currently am back to 12 G&Ls having owned over 20 in the last few years. What is an official collector? I don't know. I have owned over 70 in the last 7 years and am down to 42 and that is the number I plan on keeping. From now on I will probably use the one in, one out rule. I just love them. There are many folks on this forum that have awesome G&Ls like Ken has earlier ones, Elwood has some fine early ones. Jos has a fine collection. There are some that own well over 30 G&L's. I would call these guys G&L collectors. I have no real plan for what I do other then if I really like them and can swing it, I may buy. I believe that I have 13 different brands and that makes it interesting. My favorite time is playing and working on them. At this time in my life I have time for all this nonsense.

Thanks for the great week Scott and looking forward to next week, especially that I am on the mend.-- Darwin