Monday, February 4th 2013

Good Day!


Let me start by saying It has been almost exactly 2 years since I became a member here at GbL - Man, where does the time go!

Lunch will be a sandwich on the go as i travel between teaching spots.

The Beginning

Most of us have shared stories in the past of how we stubbled upon G&L's and why we thought they were so great… Todays question is a quick two parter : a)What was that first G&L model you owned? b)Do you still have it?

Mine is my mid 90's s-500. Amazing guitar.



Some of you may have seen my post earlier in the week in the porn section. I have been busy renovating a new teaching/office/studio space in my house. I live in a smallish 2 story (around 1400 sq ft) that we bought just before we were married 12 years ago. We both have been using the basement as a teaching space at home and have gradually been moving more and more students to our place rather that the music store studio spaces. The girls are getting older (6 & 4) and it is nice to be around the house a bit more, even if we are still working.
We had talked about many options, including moving, but finally decided to take half of the single car garage and use that as my new space. In the 12 years we have been here not once have we ever parked any vehicle in the garage so we felt like we were not going to miss the function of it. (It was pretty much a giant storage/garbage bin!)

Here is a couple of before shots



So todays non G&L question… Do you have your own music space? Maybe a single room or maybe your whole darn place? give us a rundown…

Have a good one
Scott

Scott, great to have you this week. I am going to have leftover pizza for lunch.

You S-500 is a beautiful first guitar and can see why anyone who has owned strats would relate to it. My first G&L was a beautiful Transparent Red Legacy HSS, a stellar guitar. I don't own it anymore, I traded it for a GOT maple neck Legacy, which I don't own anymore either. I have a couple of Legacys yet but have really bonded with the Asats. I also have an S-500 like yours which I prefer over the Legacys. Truthfully, there isn't a G&L that I don't like.

I had a dilemma a few years back when I had 10 guitars sitting in two guitar racks. Ginny was tired if these guitars on the floor. She finally suggested that I hang them on our living room wall. I did that and suddenly I had a full wall. I pleaded for space on two adjoining walls. That gave me 21 on the wall. I now have another dozen sitting in two racks and one in a guitar case, another stand is holding 2 basses and more in a bedroom upstairs on the wall. I guess it could be called a dedicated space. My garage is finished and heated and I have my recording gear and tech setup tools out there along with my computer and a bunch of band gear. I also store most of the guitar cases in shelves I have built in the garage. Scott, I see you nudging in this direction!-- Darwin

Nice guitar! Mine was/is A 90's S-500 and still have it. It's the one with the aluminum guard. I do have a recording space, but it's more of a rehearsal space. I opted not to invest in a huge recording system...


Cheers,

Will

my first was a 1983 nighthawk that ive had since 1983. when we got a new house 10 years age i told my wife she could do anything she wanted with the rest of the house but I was going to have a music room.

First was a custom ordered 2008 ASAT Bluesboy, which I still have and appreciate more and more everyday. Its a semi-hollow, so I love taking it to guitar lessons, easy to play and light weight.

DOn't have a music room, just have an office and under my desk is my amp and in the corner is a 5 guitar stand with my beauties on it!

Alf

Sweet guitar! Blue is my favorite guitar-color

My first G&L was a used honey burst Legacy I picked up around 1997. I didn't own it long- sold it to a friend who fell in love with it. That money went to fund a George Fullerton model, but that was back in the days when I traded/sold guitars like crazy. I was doing a lot of searching musically back then.

I'm lucky enough to have a small room (12x12 or so) where I can go, close the door and work on what ever I need/want to work on. On those few times when I find myself home alone I like to move into the living room and just jam. I get far less work done that way, but its nice to have a change of place from time to time~

My first was my Classic S and I still have it, though I have changed the pickups.

Great to see a garage being used for something other than a car. Its all too often that you see tiny houses with massive two car garages taking up all the space on the block. I have an office/music/storage/linen room. It's in a bit of a state at the moment with cheap amps everywhere and several projects in varying stages of completeness lying about on top of them.

my first g&l is my bluesboy. still have it, although not the original body, electronics, control plate, pups or strap buttons.

i have my own music place, it's my whole house. i do as i please.

Hi Gitman. Lunch today is some smoked salmon, cream cheese and lettuce on fresh italian style sourdough bread. I've been looking forward to lunch all morning.

My first G&L was a one of the early 'black label' Tribbies - a honeyburst ASAT Special. I still have it and still love it. It is a splendid piece of swamp ash and the stark white maple neck has aged to the same honey colour as the body. I'd like to get rid of the white toilet seat pickguard and white pickups for plain black, but getting replacement parts for G&L's in Australia is a losing game.

I have a cellar/storage room under our house which doubles as my music space and general retreat from the mayhem of kids. It's pretty cold and austere (naked concrete) which helps keeps the wife and kids away. I've thought about lining the walls and putting in some carpet tiles but I don't want visitors.

Evening Guys,

Thanks for checking in today! I don't know about where you all are, but man is there ever a lot of sick people around here! My last 2 students both cancelled tonight with the flu - I am glad they stayed home, I certainly don't want it!
Anyway, it is nice being home early - and i actually have a few minutes to respond

Darwin - I am lucky my Tanya seems to be as understanding as your Ginny. I'm at 21 currently but i don't think there is any end in sight. She will probably pull the pin when i start bringing them into the bedrooms!

Will - Those darn s-500's getting us hooked!

Cuz and Randy - Thanks to both of you for jumping in! It is always nice to add some new faces to the mix

Alf - I think an "office" with a 5 guitar stand and 5 awesome guitars such as you have would be considered more of music room with office stuff thrown in it, no?

Jamie - Thanks for sharing your space. I do love that classic S of yours.

Louis - Kinda unrelated but thanks for putting a Two-Rock on my radar. I have been checking some out online, killer. I assume it has a pretty special place in you pad right now!

Philby - I first read your post and thought "who the hell would play guitar in the cellar! Your hands would freeze to death" Then i remembered you were in Australia…. I imagine our definitions of "pretty cold" are off by a few 50 degrees or so

Evening Guys,

Thanks for checking in today! I don't know about where you all are, but man is there ever a lot of sick people around here! My last 2 students both cancelled tonight with the flu - I am glad they stayed home, I certainly don't want it!
Anyway, it is nice being home early - and i actually have a few minutes to respond

Darwin - I am lucky my Tanya seems to be as understanding as your Ginny. I'm at 21 currently but i don't think there is any end in sight. She will probably pull the pin when i start bringing them into the bedrooms!

Will - Those darn s-500's getting us hooked!

Cuz and Randy - Thanks to both of you for jumping in! It is always nice to add some new faces to the mix

Alf - I think an "office" with a 5 guitar stand and 5 awesome guitars such as you have would be considered more of music room with office stuff thrown in it, no?

Jamie - Thanks for sharing your space. I do love that classic S of yours.

Louis - Kinda unrelated but thanks for putting a Two-Rock on my radar. I have been checking some out online, killer. I assume it has a pretty special place in you pad right now!

Philby - I first read your post and thought "who the hell would play guitar in the cellar! Your hands would freeze to death" Then i remembered you were in Australia…. I imagine our definitions of "pretty cold" are off by a few 50 degrees or so

it indeed does. and because cats like to claim new things by laying on them, it has a special place for them as well. they have been sleeping on it, kind of like changing of the guard. one gets off, the next one gets on. they don't harm any of my gear though.

As we are on the subject of Bluesboys: What is the correct wiring diagram these days?

I have seen the version with the cap soldered between the center leg of the pot and ground and I have seen the version that the cap is wired between the center leg and one outer leg of the pot, with the outer outer leg soldered to ground.

I also heared that they now use a 0.022 csap instead of the 0.047.

Hove done my very best to find the answers online but with no succes! So if someone can help?...

Regards,
Richard

As we are on the subject of Bluesboys: What is the correct wiring diagram these days?

I have seen the version with the cap soldered between the center leg of the pot and ground and I have seen the version that the cap is wired between the center leg and one outer leg of the pot, with the outer outer leg soldered to ground.

I also heared that they now use a 0.022 csap instead of the 0.047.

Hove done my very best to find the answers online but with no succes! So if someone can help?...

Regards,
Richard

See this post: Wrong wiring diagram for ASAT Classic Bluesboy in Gallery
and you will see that I removed the incorrect wiring diagram.
Go to this Gallery Album: http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/GALLERY2/ma ... temId=6523 for the correct picture diagrams.

Hope this helps.

Hey Scott,

NIce Start!

My first G&L was a mid 80's Rampage in salmon pink, kahler, #3 neck, OHSC. Bought it for $139 and sold it the following year for $300. Saw it ~ 10 years later in a pawnshop in Seattle (Capitol Loans) all knackered with a $1500 price tag...

Don't have a music room at the mo but would love one... good idea on coverting your garage.

Cheers,
KF

it indeed does. and because cats like to claim new things by laying on them,

And by peeing on it.


My first guitar was a S-500 Cherryburst , maple neck. Still have it.
A bedroom was converted to the music studio. In the winter time, the tubes and pc keeps it warm. The months of July-Oct, it kindof sucks. Too hot during the afternoon/evening, and I have to get practice in before that.

Little late response but great to see you as LR reporter again Scott.

My first G&L is this Cherryburts Legacy Special:

and yes, I still have it. So far no G&L has been sold yet.

I have my own music room about 12'x12'. Here's my workbench:

It's getting a little full with all the guitar cases in it but I still have sufficient floor space to easily move around.


Good luck with your project!

- Jos

I was out with my wife electric guitar hunting in 1990. I had been playing acoustic up to this point having owned an electric a lot of years earlier. So.......having not knowing much of anything about the electrics at this point my wife and I go to 4 different guitar music gear shops in the area. The first store I go into I look over the electrics and this one caught my eye over everything else. It was a 1988 blueburst G&L skyhawk. I try it out and like it alot. Now I go to these other stores and try out a bunch of different guitars, fender strats, and whatever else they may have had. All I knew is this Skyhawk just couldn't be beat by playability or tone and feel of quality by the other guitars. Up to this point I had never heard of G&L guitars. Needless to say, I went home with the blueburst skyhawk and a Fender S.S. amp. Since then I have had so much gear its not funny. I did end up selling the Skyhawk, "really wish I hadn't like tons of other gear", but I was into a lot of buying and selling over the next 17 years and have slowed down on that part of it for the last 6 years. Now I just want a few guitars to hold on to and not sell. One point of this story is that I really believed that skyhawk killed everything else I tried without knowing anything at all about G&L at the time and I think that says alot about the compnay.
LS

I would probably still be married if my wife went guitar shopping with me.
Like Louis my house is my music room. So life is good
Anthony

I'm trying to cut weight, just for health reasons (and maybe to make my wife happier ) so I had three egg whites, one egg yolk, and a half a glass of milk. I also had one small piece of chocolate that added twenty calories to the affair. Pretty exciting.

As for how I stumbled across G&L? Somehow I started appreciating the longer scale which led to Leo Fender. I'm a fan of ingenuity and smaller businesses, so when I found out Leo left Fender and started G&L with George F. and had sort of kept tinkering w/ the old designs I got intrigued. Since I was growing increasingly interested in the longer-scale guitars and found out I don't hate Maple or Ash like I thought I would the doors were opened to me getting serious about them.

Fast forward to now, and my first G&L is a Blues Boy. Do I still have it? Nope. It's still in the mail and should arrive tomorrow!

-Cheers

As we are on the subject of Bluesboys: What is the correct wiring diagram these days?

I have seen the version with the cap soldered between the center leg of the pot and ground and I have seen the version that the cap is wired between the center leg and one outer leg of the pot, with the outer outer leg soldered to ground.

I also heared that they now use a 0.022 csap instead of the 0.047.

Hove done my very best to find the answers online but with no succes! So if someone can help?...

Regards,
Richard

See this post: Wrong wiring diagram for ASAT Classic Bluesboy in Gallery
and you will see that I removed the incorrect wiring diagram.
Go to this Gallery Album: http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/GALLERY2/ma ... temId=6523 for the correct picture diagrams.

Hope this helps.

I'll put my response on this in the correct thread because I got a response from G&L today that says something different...