Lunch Report 4-18-23 Tuesday Tuesday

[sam]

Hi to all! With Dan's exemplary reports last week I was inspired to jump in today.

Lunch report: Working from home today, quick and easy Turkey sandwich with spicy mustard, Cheez-Its and tea. Tea will be covered later. I am a fan of Cheez-Its, more than the Cheese Nips option, and even some of the other "Fancy" ones. Are you a cheese cracker snack fan?

G&L Topic of the day All the pics Craigs been posting lately have been inspiring. Thanks Craig!
The guitars coming from the G&L crew lately have been exceptionally Lunch Report tasty. The ASAT Deluxe Semi-Hollow in Strawberryburst, fretless LB-100 in Royal Purple, Invader XL in Silverburst, and all the Comanche's in metallic and binding have been nothing but GAS inducing. Binding on the curvy bodies looks fantastic. I dig the Strawberryburst, kind of like Cherryburst, and could see binding all over it as I'm a double binding fan. Is there a new(er) color calling your name and do go for the binding?




Music Topic of the Day: Songs / Bands with days of the week. It's Monday and songs with days of the week came to mind and of course The Mama's and Papa's Monday / Monday was right there. Man I remember that song from my youth. The Mondays is a band that fits the bill. What songs and bands can you think of with days of the week in it?

Off Topic: Coffee or Tea? Tea for me
Don't know if it was the smell of coffee on my parents breath as a child, the bad taste when I accidentally picked up a cup as a youngster or that I didn't care for it when tried as a young adult but coffee was just not for me. Iced tea and hot tea year round, and not the super sweet iced tea some go for. College was my hot tea introduction. A small sandwich / coffee shop also sold Celestial Seasons teas that started it all. Later on I found different tea makers and learned how to brew loose tea. Davidsons is a good maker for both bag and loose tea. Now my cabinet is filled with these and more.

[DanDoulogos]

Lunch Today: I had some no-name brand eggo-like waffles. I too am working from home, so waffles were fast and easy. I love cheese cracker snacks, but my wife loves Doritos. So we usually do both.

Craig's Guitar posts: These have been great recently. Not only did they get my GAS going - I went out and bought me an Epiphone 'inspired by Gibson' 335 in a raspberry tea-burst finish. I'd always planned to pick up a Gibson 335, but the older ones were two expensive, and the newer ones weren't good enough (IMO) to warrant the brand-premium price hike. I'd heard a lot of good stuff on the build quality of these the "inspired by Gibson" Epiphone line - and after watching a few reviews, I thought maybe I ought to check one out for myself. Long story short - I found one that seemed to call to me, and gave it a warm home.

I do like me some double binding - I like bound fretboards too. I think they can make a good looking guitar even better looking.


Coffee or Tea? I do both - though I am 60/40 Coffee/Tea. When I was young my grandpa lived on the farm, and I'd spend the summers there to help with the chores. I was maybe 12, and my mom would never let me drink coffee - not that I really wanted to. But on the farm, breakfast was coffee and toast. I felt every bit an adult every breakfast on the farm. My grandpa wouldn't put his teeth in for breakfast. Instead he'd dunk his toast in his coffee and eat it like that. I just thought that that was the way a man eats toast, so I dunked my toast too, and really developed a taste for coffee and toast - I still have it for breakfast some days. It was only later that I learned that my grandpa only did that because he didn't like putting in his teeth. I didn't really drink much coffee after I was married. My wife was a coffee drinker, and so I'd have the occasional cup. Mostly I drank tea. Then about 5 years ago I was visiting my eldest son and he offered me a coffee which I accepted - an americano. I really enjoyed it. So later that year I bought myself a decent espresso machine, and now I drink a lot more coffee - mostly because my wife forces me to make her a latte every morning - so I usually make one for myself. Now whenever we have company I'm practically a barista! So I'm really a tea drinker, who has the occasional coffee - only the last few years I've had more occasion for coffee.

Never dunked my toast in tea mind you. That would be sacrilege.

[sam]

Dan - love to see pics of the Epiphone 'inspired by Gibson' 335 in a raspberry tea-burst finish. If I missed your report in an earlier post just let me know. There are many 335 possibilities out there these days. My son has an Ibanez model we picked up dirt cheap and he swears by it. Even offered to pick up a used Gibson 335 I saw very low price (avoiding the price hike) but he just passed. What's your impression of tone and feel of yours?

Triple binding - ooohhhh!

Great stories about your grandpa. In the coffee focused world the US became it's funny I never even tried some sugared down latte version, but such is life. Speaking of wives and coffee...my wife is a Brit and drinks coffeeand I'm the tea drinking American, what a pair we make. I could see an espresso machine as a birthday or Christmas present in the future for her, any brand recommendations?

[tomanche]

Thanks, Sam! This lunch report is perfectly timed while I finish my lunch and prepare my post-lunch cup of tea! More on that in a sec... Lunch was sautéed chard, carrots, and green pepper with fresh thyme, s&p, a squeeze of Meyer lemon, a couple of chopped black olives, and pine nuts over brown rice. (Chard and thyme from yesterday's farmer's market, where I've been gigging for the past several months with a guitarist/singer who's been playing there for 15 years. It's a great deal of fun, and he's fearless about pulling out songs without rehearsal, but we make them happen. Nice compliments from people make it worthwhile, and some leave tips.)

G&L Topic of the day Is there a new(er) color calling your name and do go for the binding?
I enjoy looking at the sparkly Comanches. Not enough to induce real GAS, but I appreciate them. As for binding, my first real acoustic, a Collings D2H, has beautiful ivoroid binding. Later, my '70s Ibanez Artist came with binding around the top and neck, Gibson-style (though '70s Ibanez binding is prone to rot and crumble). On G&Ls, I've liked binding since I bought a top-bound ASAT Classic Signature. Later, an ASAT Classic Custom with top "wood" binding, and recently an ASAT Deluxe with tasty white binding. Binding can add a great deal of class: it's a nice touch around the neck, especially on an acoustic (e.g., my 70s Japanese 12-string). Looks great on a Yamaha SA-2000 (great guitar). It is flat-out gorgeous on a Collings I35 LC (incredible guitar).

Music Topic of the Day: Songs / Bands with days of the week. What songs and bands can you think of with days of the week in it?
We play The Moody Blues' "Tuesday Afternoon" sometimes at the farmer's market. Then there's the Grateful Dead's "One More Saturday Night."

Off Topic: Coffee or Tea?
Oh, I can go on about this topic! It's tea for me!! My parents drank instant coffee sometimes, but brought out the percolator when their friends came over for a night of bridge. But mainly, they both drank tea in the morning. My brother started drinking it in high school and introduced me. Bigelow's "Constant Comment" was in our cupboard then. By college, he had discovered loose tea via Wagner's at Hickory Farms stores at the malls.

By my mid-twenties, I was fully into loose leaf tea. One influence was "The Book of Tea," which I found at Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio in Oak Park, IL, that used tea to explain Japanese culture, art, Taoism, and Zen to early 1900s Boston and America.

After I moved to San Francisco, I found Peet's Coffee and Tea, which was then one of the best of the few outlets there for loose tea. (Starbucks was only getting started then, and they brokered a deal with Peet's to stay out of the Bay Area for a specified number of years until Peet's could open more stores; Starbuck's founder had come from Peet's.) Freed Teller & Freed, started around 1900 in S.F., mainly sold coffee; I later discovered their good tea selection and bought via mail order for many years. But, they closed 10 years ago or so when they wanted to retire and couldn't find a buyer. Peet's Tea is no longer as good as it once was, though it's priced with the good stuff.

Now, I'm back to buying from Mark T. Wendell (Boston) and Grace Rare Teas (formerly NYC; bought by long-time competitor Wendell when Grace's owners wanted to retire). All their teas are high grades and worth trying. Good loose tea is one of life's most affordable luxuries. I lean toward black tea, but I enjoy oolong quite a bit (mostly after lunch), and occasional green teas (Japanese gyokuro is exquisite). My ex insisted every day on straight Assam black tea (India), which is the heaviest, maltiest, most bracing black. Now, I go for variety. I often drink Grace's excellent Connoisseur blend for breakfast. Fancy Ceylon (Sri Lanka) has a bright sparkling quality (Lipton's tea was primarily from Ceylon/Sri Lanka, so you might know the general flavor, but the loose stuff is much better without the overwhelming bitterness—which results from using finings and dust in budget tea bags). Winey Keemun is excellent—Keemun black tea (China) has a beautiful, almost chocolate note to it, with a hint of roast. Today, I made a cup of their Mao Feng Keemun, a rarer grade that I recently splurged on (comparatively). Inspired by Dan's post, I accompanied it with toast with peanut butter (I did not dunk it).

If you enjoy tea, I encourage you to seek some good loose leaf tea. If you haven't tried it, there's a world of flavors awaiting you.

[Tooslowhand]

Thanks for the report... I had chicken parmigiana that was left over from what I cooked the night before.

Lately I have taken a liking to Andromeda (Galaxy Black) and am considering an ASAT Classic Semi-hollow in that color, or Andromeda Burst if they could do it, white double binding, maple fingerboard with black block inlays and matching headstock. But.... I don't play the guitars I have enough to justify getting something else. I have an older Epiphone Dot (335 clone) that I replaced the hardware on with Duncan '57 humbuckers. Also a older Korean made Epiphone Casino. They are both very nice, so you should be happy with yours Dan.

I have always liked "I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats. Tragic premise, but interesting song. Also, the old Beatles number "Eight Days a Week".

[sam]

Thanks for jumping in tomanche and Tooslowhand!

tomanche - Collings are incredibly beautiful guitars. Even though I’m a Martin guy I’ve played a few in some shops and can see why they get such raves! Always love the Dead. Sounds like we could talk tea for a long time. Two of the pics I posted were loose tea. The cans are from a shop in the Philadelphia Terminal Market and the Vahdam was a multi mini can selection from my sister in law. Will certainly check out the ones you mentioned.

Tooslowhand - Can’t believe I forgot the Andromeda Galaxy Black, that is a very cool color! An ASAT Will Ray semi-hollow in Andromeda Galaxy with matching headstock, triple binding and an ebony neck would be a top dream build for me! Boomtown Rats, was in high school when that came out and played I Don’t Like Mondays and all of the Fine Art of Surfacing album regularly. Sad commentary for the song, especially later years, but the song was rebellion for teenage kids not fully aware of the meaning.

[john o]

happy tuesday!

lunch was salad/rice and General Tsao's chicken

G&L finishes: i like the way G&L has done single or double binding with various woodgrains, especially on ASAT's
would be interested in an ASAT with a natural gloss finish like the spalted maple or the Roses ASAT's, with a natural wood grain binding, perhaps darker in color.
i have a 2001 Epi 335, Korean made, nicely built, transparent red and double bound body. i replaced p'ups with a '59 Duncan at the neck and a "JB" Duncan at the bridge. Recently completely replaced the electronics which surprisingly improved the tone, and quiet!

Songs with days of the week:
I've always liked this one from STP
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YasK7H89xus&list=OLAK5uy_lnlNnhQEuyAKcffi09-zqdfRhUlAHybRg&ab_channel=StoneTemplePilots-Topic[/video]

Also like stormy monday blues

coffee or tea: i'm a coffee guy, ever since i worked on a farm in S NJ when i was 16-17, the Puerto Rican guys i worked with dropped everything at 9:15-9:30 and went to the barn for coffee. they made me drink it with cream and sugar and it was wonderful. I like Bigelow tea, orange spice, is wonderful and chills me out/relaxes me. would drink it on boy scout camping trips when my boys were of age.

[sam]

John - Here are a couple of plain woodgrain ASAT's with binding. The ASAT P90 Tribby and a partscaster ASAT JD-5 I put together. Spalted maple would be pretty sweet with binding.



All this talk of 335's makes me want to grab my son's when he's home from college over the summer and re-acquint myself with those. A dedicated 15 minute break for tea or coffee sounds like a good idea for better mental health. Looks like it's about that time where I am.

[DanDoulogos]

Dan - love to see pics of the Epiphone 'inspired by Gibson' 335 in a raspberry tea-burst finish. If I missed your report in an earlier post just let me know. There are many 335 possibilities out there these days. My son has an Ibanez model we picked up dirt cheap and he swears by it. Even offered to pick up a used Gibson 335 I saw very low price (avoiding the price hike) but he just passed. What's your impression of tone and feel of yours?

Triple binding - ooohhhh!

Great stories about your grandpa. In the coffee focused world the US became it's funny I never even tried some sugared down latte version, but such is life. Speaking of wives and coffee...my wife is a Brit and drinks coffeeand I'm the tea drinking American, what a pair we make. I could see an espresso machine as a birthday or Christmas present in the future for her, any brand recommendations?

At first I picked up the cheapest Espresso machine I could find and it broke down shortly after teaching me a valuable lesson about buying cheap... My next purchase I made in July of 2022 off of Amazon: "A De'Longhi EC885M Dedica Arte Pump" It has been a pretty solid machine so far. I picked up a hand mill to grind my own beans, and that makes a great big difference as fresh ground is so much richer - and I can dial it to a pretty fine grind - which intensifies the flavor of the coffee. So far I'd recommend this machine as a better first effort. It's not crazy expensive, but if you're going up from a regular coffee maker - it'll sure seem that way. I am not a millionaire, but after taking the plunge - I was glad I splurged.

I haven't had the opportunity to play an Ibanez 335, but I've heard a lot of good things about them. I know that the G&L Tributes are made at the Cort Factory in Indonesia - and having a couple of Tributes in the barn, I am crazy-impressed by the quality of the workmanship. since some Ibanez guitars are also made in that factory, I was intrigued to see if the Ibanez 335s were made there. I never could affirm it, but I still was looking at the Ibanez models, and hearing good things about them.

As for that Epiphone - I'll go one better than a pic or two. Sorry for my mumbly voice. Two years after getting covid, my voice is still pretty weak. I made this video a few minutes ago, I realized pretty quickly, that I am not much of a talker, and not very skilled in "presenting" - which is funny since I've been a preacher for the last 20 years or so. I started off with 15 minutes of video and then cut a bunch out just to save time. At one point, the edits are so close together it is funny.

[sam]

Fantastic overview Dan!

And she’s a beauty as well. My primary hurdle with Gibson and Epiphone has been the neck but based on what you showed and played those could be worth the effort to find in person and check out. BTW, the edits are better than you let on.

[DanDoulogos]

Fantastic overview Dan!

And she’s a beauty as well. My primary hurdle with Gibson and Epiphone has been the neck but based on what you showed and played those could be worth the effort to find in person and check out. BTW, the edits are better than you let on.

When I first started playing guitar, I heard it said that hand size makes no difference. I thought that was bunk, and still do. One of the reasons for that is because some guitar necks are chunky. The thicker the neck, the lower my hand has to be on the back of the neck to get my fingers around the underside of the fretboard. That change in hand position means less of the neck is supporting the weight of my hand as I play - that increases fatigue by a lot. if you've ever wondered why you tire easily sometimes when playing - it's usually because you're holding the guitar in a way that gives your fretting hand enough opportunity to rest. Playing without a strap, or playing a thicker neck, or playing in an awkward seated position all can tire you out faster than you would have been tired out otherwise. You may even see in the video that often when I play my thumb is hooked over the fretboard - so that the weight of my arm is on the neck instead (when I am playing with a strap, that means the strap is carrying much of the weight of my arm). When I play a barre chord, my thumb comes down to the middle of the neck to give my fingers something to push against. If the neck is thick - I need to lower my wrist more to get my fingers around to the fretboard - which cuts off the blood to my hand a bit. Anyway - it's enough to say that I notice a big difference in fatigue when I play a thicker neck.

The neck on this one isn't ultra thin - but it's very comfortable for my less than large hands - and the binding is done well, so that moving up and down the neck feels silky. Me like-y.

[Kit]

I don't have much to contribute here except on the topic of the 335. I don't have any of Gibson, Ibanez, or Epiphone 335s, but I did buy a used Heritage 335 (H535 in their catalog) some years ago from a local jazz musician. Looking back now it was a screaming deal for the price I paid. I have to admit I don't play it very much mainly because of the size of the body. It is just not a comfortable guitar to hold and play sitting down, which is what I typical do practicing.

In any case, this here is a minute-and-a-half improvisation I recorded years ago over a backing tracking I came across from a now-defunct music forum:



Kit

[sam]

Dan - Agree on all of your thoughts on hand position. Come to think of it I’ve only had one guitar I got rid of due to the neck radius, and that was a Fender Baja Tele. Some love that neck and others like me found it uncomfortable after extended playing, no matter how I held it. Sounds like your 335 neck is a happy medium.

[sam]

Nice licks Kit!

[john o]

Sam, i like both those asats with the binding. sharp looking natural top! i think when Fender came out with the '60 Custom Telecaster which was double bound, they were after some of the appeal of the competing les paul custom. I remember noticing that case24 had a black ASAT with the single bound wood grain binding of the top, how sharp that looked!

Dan, i really like the colors and tone of that 335. thx for the video clip! looks and sounds like a fun gtr to play. i am a sucker for 2 tone sunburst, esp "tobacco" sunburst, yours cops that vibe. I'll see if i can post a pic of my epi. It's neck is very slender.

Kit thx for the jam, very tasty tones. prerecorded backing tracks are cool. i have some recording gear but have always been intimidated by the learning curve and the time factor. lately, i will use a boss looper to pre-record a rhythm track to play over.

re: neck thickness, i have bonded with the G&L #1 Classic C. it is chunky, and i don't think i'd want to tolerate another mm, but i have this neck on my '13 comanche and my '07 ASAT and they inspire me to dig in and play

[Kit]

This is my Heritage H535:



Kit

[DanDoulogos]

This is my Heritage H535:

Kit

Wasn't able to pull up the photo on my work computer (firewalls etc.) - but pulled it up on my phone. LOVE IT. I'd take that over a Gibson any day of the week.

[Kit]

Dan, I see in your list of instruments that you have a Heritage CH-157, so I know you can appreciate what a Heritage instrument is like.

[DanDoulogos]

Dan, I see in your list of instruments that you have a Heritage CH-157, so I know you can appreciate what a Heritage instrument is like.

Very True. I find the heritage story rather similar to the G&L story. IMHO, My 157 sounds better than any Gibson Les Paul made in the last 30 years - and is a rock solid performer. I bought it at a pawn shop years ago. There were several GLPs hanging in the window, one of which caught my eye. I was feeling nostalgic having once owned an early 70s Les Paul Deluxe which I foolishly sold in the late 80s. I tried every Les Paul in the place, and none of them played or sounded anywhere near as good as my old GLP. I had a picked up a Les Paul standard a few years earlier, which was so-so, I bought it mostly because it had a great root-beer finish over some nice figuring. But I really didn't like the sound of it, or the way the neck felt. To be sure, it just didn't feel like a Gibson to me. So when I had finished playing all the GLPs, I was notably disappointed, and said to the pawnbroker, with a half smile, "Well, ... unless you got anything else, I guess I'm done". He said, I got a Les Paul 'clone' you can try. I didn't really want to try a Les Paul clone, but since I had said what I said, I thought, well - I'll humor this guy to be polite.

I wasn't aware of Heritage guitars or their history. So I was no better in my understanding than the pawnbroker. I plugged it in, and with a half-hearted effort I began to pretend I was trying it out. But the moment the sound come from the amp, I was struck. I had fully expected to hear a tin/thin wimp sound, but instead I got a creamy sweet tone with endless sustain and body. The neck felt sooo good. I hadn't even really looked at the guitar that was handed to me. I knew it was black with gold hardware - which had a nice aesthetic - but I had already looked down the nose of my heart at it before I ever touched it. Now I was actually looking at it, and I couldn't help being impressed. I put it through the gears - and spent almost as much time with it as I had spent on all the others combined. I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't worth it buying this cheap clone. Eventually I had to stop. I decided that no matter how great that guitar sounded - I wasn't going to buy some knock off.

Ah - my foolish guitar-snobby pride.

I went home and just couldn't get the guitar out of my mind. I went back a few days later and played it some more. Again, trying to convince myself that I was just exaggerating how great it felt and sounded the last time. Instead I found myself playing around with the amp to fine tune the tone - it just kept on giving. I didn't buy it then, but I began to have a conversation with myself about my guitar-snob mindset. Everything about this guitar was way-way- above any of the GLPs I'd played in the previous 10-15 years. Why was I hesitating just because it didn't say "Gibson" on the headstock.

It was only then that I hit the internet to find out a little bit more about Heritage guitars. After reading up on how Heritage guitars came to be - the last hindrance of ignorance fell away. To make a long story short, It is now one of my favorite guitars, and is one of my "never-sell-this-one" guitars.

[mutts]

Lunch: Apple w/ peanut butter. Cheese and crackers.

G&L: Nothing particular I'm gassing for. I would still like a blue guitar. There was a recent post in the Custom Shop thread of a Silver Flake ASAT Classic with Rear controls, no guard and an ebony board- beautiful. Binding on the neck I don't care for- to me it looks cheap which makes no sense. I do like body binding though.

Song: Velvet Underground Sunday Morning comes to mind.

Coffee/Tea: My go to is coffee. Have gone through tea drinking phases. I should get back in the habit of drinking green tea which I'm fond of and it has benefits so they say.

some nice pictures and clips, everyone. where's the like button?
edit: here is the Asat that caught my eye. Kind of plain but for some reason I love it.

[Craig]

This is my Heritage H535:



Kit

Unfortunately, https links don't work well on our GbL forums.
Here is the way to post your photo (in a new tab) using the nturl= BBcode here:

Code: Select all

[nturl=https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Lg65fCH2xb_xOVI_a10dmY5PHhJ1ly0/view?usp=share_link]Click to view image in a new tab[/nturl]

Click to view image in a new tab

Hope this helps.

[john o]

This is my Heritage H535:



Kit

i have clicked on the "like" button

very nice heritage!

[sam]

Mutts - I like the Silver ASAT as well. What attracts me is no guard, simple elegance. Yes the Velvet Underground!