RampageFan wrote:When looking at used guitars, do you prefer mint condition, or are a few blemishes ok with you if it's priced accordingly? And what about mods?
I've bought a few that have been hacked , an SC-3 that had a bucker added to the bridge, I put in a better bucker, and it was a fantastic/though devalued player. A '72 SG that had the bigsby off, finish flaking away,fretboard needed conditioning badly...but no cracks or prevoius breaks at the headstock heel .That's usually a deal breaker with gibsons unless the price is 1/2 of what the guitar would be otherwise .
I got the SG for a little over 400...it now plays better than some nice LP's .
I've fixed a couple broken headstocks with success...and done well you can bring some of that value back to the guitar...which is appealing as it can make me some money and get a guitar back to making music.
I've a couple invaders I bought for about 200 each...both basket cases when I got them...I stripped them (one had over 7 coats of bizarre paints) , and used some non-G&L parts to get them playing. Mostly reversible , though one came with a TOM bridge..It plays well with it so I kept it that way. I might start restoring them right as I have more G&L parts stashed away than I did ten years ago.
RampageFan wrote:My yellow Rampage has an active EMG with a push/pull coil split installed. There was also a toggle/kill switch and a boost installed.
Those rampage cavities always seemed a little empty to me.
I put some old EMG SA's in my Skyhawk for the time being. ..and rewired it to my liking. All the original guts are bubble wrapped /taped and labelled .
The cleans are real nice with the EMGs, I'm using it mostly for some high gain stuff presently...and it delivers . Those first position fifth double stops are like a finely tuned rotohammer to the brain
RampageFan wrote: And while I'm at it, another thing that bugs me is when a Leo era guitar is for sale, the description says "back when Leo was running the company and G&L was producing quality guitars."
They did things different...I
really like some of George and Leo's Designs and innovations , better ? hard to say?
better for what and who?
Black Hardware and curvy neck plates just makes me smile. Knowing that G&L changed back to 4 bolts due to public perception as opposed to engineering considerations is something that I don't get.
They could at least offer some throwback model that has the microadjust and three bolt if they really wanted to make a proper tribute.
Have you thought about how that heavy chunk of metal in the pocket can transfer vibrations? I think that has something to do with the solid feel of the old ones. These days they have some paper in there with a UPC code.
There are some glaring differences , so it makes sense that some will find those things better or worse for their purposes.
The newer brass and steel assemblies are great options, happy to have that in the mix.
The M2000 bass series is also intriguing. Kudos to the folks who did the R&D for that . I'm eager to play one .
I really like that Craig's been posting factory pics. It shows the passion on the factory floor.
elwood