Friday 28 September 2012

Again, thanks for yesterday's participation

Lunch
Tasmanian smoked Salmon with a garden salad.

G&L Bridges
Discussions about G&L bridges tend to focus on the Saddle Lock, the DFV and its upgraded sibling the DFS. One that doesn’t often get spoken about is the Leo Fender Fine Tuner



Despite most of my guitars being hard tails the only G&L bridge I have any experience with is the DFV. Yhe DFV is probably the most stable of my trems. I would definitely like to try a hard tail with a saddle lock though. And that first version of the Fine Tuner looks really interesting … not exactly attractive, but definitely interesting.

Q1 What’s your G&L bridge of choice? Have you compared the DFV and DFS? Have you used one of the Fine Tuners?


More Signs of Spring
Our property backs onto a significant regional park and as a result we see a lot of wildlife passing through. This old girl has been a regular visitor for many years. She’s a Bob Tail Lizard and is around 18” long . Molly always know but Oscar has l"earned' (the hard way!) to keep ta rspectful distance...



Non G&L Brands and next purchases
Q2 Do you have a soft spot for any other guitar/bass makers besides G&L? What’s the attraction? How does this other brand complement your G&L’s?

I have to admit to having been a long time fan of Maton Guitars – both their acoustics and electrics. The attraction – well they’ve been around since the 1940’s, still essentially hand built like G&L, the electrics have distinctive look and feel, pickups are designed and built in house, they make 12 string electrics (cough, cough),they’re an Australian family company and use some very nice Australian tone woods …. Oh, and they make good guitars. They are quite a different from the Fender style and coming from more of jazz base. My next Maton purchase (already in train) will be one of these:



First Peoples - Contemporary Mainstream
There are many active Aboriginal Artists in contemporary mainstream music that I haven’t touched on but here are a few of them.

I consider myself privileged to be able to call these guys friends, having developed a good relationship through my frequent business trips to Broome and due to common interests in Aboriginal health and music. The Pigram Brothers (formerly “Scrap Metal”) with an beautiful version of Richard Clapton’s classic Blue Bay Blues
[youtube]9PGKjPgbTt4[/youtube]

The Uke (and Uke solo) adds the perfect touch to this track from Busby Marou
[youtube]rnEB3gqxRnw[/youtube]

The Medics are an up and coming Aboriginal Indie rock band. The lead vocalist is actually the some of one of the members of Coloured Stone who I mentioned on Wednesday.
[youtube]f1gRMj6R0XQ[/youtube]

And for good measure and some flat out Rockin’
[youtube]Dz64NHi3Rlo[/youtube]

So Jamie …. Did I get the one you were thinking of ar do you owe us a post? T C-D perhaps?

Thanks for reading and participating this week. Given recent acquisitions and related events, next week with Jos promises to be a must read.

Cheers, Robbie

Good morning Robbie, summer like temperatures have returned for the weekend so it will be sunny and warm. The grand daughters are with us for the weekend, always a blast.

Question on bridges, I like the DF but the design of the saddle lock is bulletproof. Clamping the saddles is a brilliant idea as it eliminates many potential issues. The fine tuner is cool but I use locking tuners and have never had a need for fine tuning. Now, I wish G&L would go one further on the DF and have a locking screw on the saddles. People sometimes have sitar like sounds that would be eliminated if the saddles were clamped together. Most often it is due to a slight misadjustment.

Other brands, I have a dozen brands, love them all but my Hamer Newport stands out as stellar quality and sound. I also have a herd of Fenders and none stand out but are nice guitars. Even the Clapton Custom Shop in my opinion is grossly overpriced. The Maton you have shown is gorgeous. I would also love to have a Cole Clark like forum member SouthPaw has. It is stunning. I had a call yesterday about the Butterscotch Launch Alnico that came in. I would love to own it but I can't have them all. I already have 2 G&Ls committed in the next 6 months, one being the GBLII if it develops. Being retired, I seem to have time to sniff them out, not necessarily a good thing! I also have guitars sitting in cases that I do not have room for. It gets complicated.

Great week Robbie and the pictures of spring have been a bonus. I will get to the video clips by Sunday evening and thank you for entertaining and stimulating us this week. -- Darwin

Thank you Robbie for a fantastic week and for opening our eyes to some fantastic native peoples' music. I've been reading and clicking as much as time has allowed, but alas, my participation has been limited (once again) by two young ones starting the school year and activities, and two oldies that require quite a bit of propping up. I do appreciate your effort and your insights as always. You rock, mate!

Regarding other brands that I have come to appreciate, I would have to mention Tom Anderson, Hamer and Guild guitars (pre-Fender). Good instruments all. G'day! - ed

I am a big fan of the DF Vibrato. My first electric guitar was a Fender, and I've owned some kind of Fender...be it Music Man, or G&L, my whole life. I don't own a guitar with a Saddle Lock, but it and the MM Sabre bridge are superior bridges.

I now have over 50 guitars in my collection, I think 18 G&Ls, 13 Gibsons, 7 Martins, 5 Ibanez, and others from Taylor, Takamine, Hondo, Music Man, DanElectro...and even a Fender bass.

For me, Martins are the ne plus ultra of acoustics. You can spend a lot more, and wind up with a lot less.

I acquired my Ibanez guitars back when I was still reeling from several finanancial setbacks, as Les Paul alternatives. But since recovering, I've invested in the Gibsons. Criticize them all you want, but when Gibson does it right, they are hard to beat. I'm very satified with the Gibsons I have. For the most part, I prefer them over comparable models from Hamer and Heritage.

Bill

Thanks for an entertaining week Robbie. It's been busy at home and work so I haven't been able to chip in as much as I would have liked.

G&L Bridges: I've got a DFV on a Legacy and S-500, and a saddle lock on my ASAT Special. The DFV is OK - but I've never had a problem with a standard Fender strat bridge that has caused me to consider which design might be superior. They both work for me. The saddle lock bridge on my Special is a personal fave though. The tone and sustain it provides is truly exceptional.

Non-G&L brands: That Maton is gorgeous. I've seen one like that in a local store and it is a quality instrument. You can tell when you spot it on the wall from 10 yards away. I have a soft spot for Cole Clark electric guitars, particularly their Culprit 3. They use some outstanding Australian woods on these, but the new headstock design tends to polarise potential buyers, much in the same way that G&L headstocks can.



I also like Larrivee's take on the Les Paul and Telecaster. I've developed a thing for early to mid 80's Japanese guitars too. There were some outstanding instruments came out of Japan in this era while the US instrument making business was in the doldrums. I wouldn't say I have any particular brand loyalty - I just buy guitars I like.

That Manton is a beauty, big Congrats. I sure would like to mess with one.

Like Boogie Bill, I have about 50 in the harem: about 1/3 G&L, a dozen Cp Thorntons, then the rest are Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanez, a PRS, & a T-style RSS in electrics. Acoustics include a Martin, a Taylor, a Yamaha, & a Froggy Bottom parlor guitar I have been paying on for months & picked up this week. The others around here are a mandolin, a dulcimer, & a cigar box guitar that's a hoot.

I got a Cp Thornton Legend Special back in January & it is hands down the finest guitar I've ever touched: tone, workmanship, balance, neck feel, any way you want to judge a guitar. I loved it so much that I ordered another with P90s instead of minibuckers and with a very rare quilted mahogany top. It arrived 2 weeks ago. Although performance wise I can't find anything to like it better than the earlier one, it is THE MOST beautiful guitar I've ever seen. That quilted mahogany top with just a clear coat and the darker brown toned sides & back are stunning. I love the note clarity & the comfort of the guitars Chuck builds. The necks & body comfort really work better for me than any other brand. And I know they're built as well as a guitar can be built. Here is the new Legend Special



Good stuff this week. Our ole buddy, Milo, has been visiting me from Detroit, so I've only lurked. Thanks

Jay

Late response here, I've been away in outback Queensland. Is that a picture of one of YOUR guitars I see Robbie !!!! Hope you enjoy the Maton, they're lovely things. Definitely a good choice for a Les Paul style guitar.

Phil - Is that your culprit? It looks fantastic.

Dan Sultan was indeed who I had in mind I've been wanting to attend a live show for ages now but they always end up clashing with other stuff. One day...

Thanks for sharing so much good indig music this week too mate.

Darwin - Thanks for your support all week. Hope you have been enjoying you're weekend with the grand daughters. Hopefully you can find wnough in the video clips to justify the download times. I think you might enjoy the Jimmy Little clips freom Monday and maybe the Pigram Brothers from Friday.

Ed - Hey Ed, I'm certain I'm not alone in saying that we understand your circumstances and that your priorities are where they rightfully should be, we miss your contributions on the forum. Having said that I'm humbled that your one chance to post this week was used here!

Bill - Thanks for your contributions this week .. I always respect your thoughts from a player and performer perspective. I'm with you on the Gibsons but I guess the Gibson/Fender rivalries are akin to the Mac vs PC, Ford vs General Motors debates.

Philby - Thanks Philby. Great looking Cole Clark ... and yeah some of the Autralian woods are up there with the best. As you know I have some constraints on openly discussing my guitar collection but for a long time a CC 12 string FL2 was on my shopping list ... (but its not anymore). And I have to agree with you on the early '80s Japanese instruments.

Jay - Really appreciate you stopping by . WOW, trhat Thornton with the quilted mahogany and black is definitely a looker and if it feels and plays as good as you describe I guess it won't be going anywhere in a hurry. Would love to hear from a few of the old boarders like Milo and Deuce.

Jamie - Thanks ... I haven't had a Maton that I haven't enjoyed. Yes, I know, I'm pushing the boundaries and technicalities on the "non Disclosure Agreement" but hey .... Ha! I had a feeling it would be either Dan Sultan of Troy Cassar-Daley ... kinda why I dropped Dan in tight at the end :-). Is there a namd story to be told around that Queensland trip?

cheers, Robbie

To finish off the week of music from first peoples, here's a couple of songwriting collaborations between Indigenous and non Indigenous Artists

From Little Things Big Things Grow, a collaboratiohn between Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly about the Gurindji strike and Vincent Lingiari's part in the movement for land rights and reconciliation
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Yothu Yindi and Crowded House's Neil Finn
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cheers, Robbie

Phil - Is that your culprit? It looks fantastic.

No, but I wish it was. It's for sale on Gumtree, but I'm skint after buying my Legacy a few weeks ago.

I have to admit to having been a long time fan of Maton Guitars – both their acoustics and electrics. The attraction – well they’ve been around since the 1940’s, still essentially hand built like G&L, the electrics have distinctive look and feel, pickups are designed and built in house, they make 12 string electrics (cough, cough),they’re an Australian family company and use some very nice Australian tone woods …. Oh, and they make good guitars. They are quite a different from the Fender style and coming from more of jazz base.

The Maton factory is opposite my local hardware shop. It's a non-descript, neat and tidy 1950's building. One of these days I'm going to take a sickie and go on the factory tour.

Is there a namd story to be told around that Queensland trip?

Kind of. the band does a bit of work with a charity organisation called Aussie Helpers - they're a great bunch of people and just get out there and do stuff rather than tie millions of dollars worth of aid/relief/donations up with red tape. They helped out a lot of people in the town we played at, so they flew us up there to entertain them, to lift their spirits (we don't charge them anything). Now they're almost recovered from the floods, but plagues of grasshoppers, then locusts, then mice have decimated their crops since. I've only been to QLD a couple of times, but the weather up there is downright frightening.