Monday Lunch Report 10-11-10

[Elwood]

Good morning GbLer's from the Pacific NW,
This is my second time serving up Lunch reports (thanks Darwin ) .
I live near Seattle, and occasionally play bass in and around town with a blues/rock band made up of friends. We are in it for the fun, though I really enjoyed getting paid for a recent gig.
There has been talk of recording our original tunes again, I hope I'll have something I'm proud to share in a couple months.

I know there is a small handful of folks here in the NW. I'd love to see a Pac NW GbL jam sometime. For those in the Seattle/Portland area ; is this something you would attend if it was planned well enough in advance? How about folks from other regions ? I've heard nothing but good things when G&L owners get together...it must have something to do with a common quest for the great things in life

Lunch today for me will be a veggie sandwich, banana , and a glass (or two) of Almond milk.
I've been trying to reduce dairy in my diet and I'm very happy to have discovered Almond milk,
it's fantastic on cereal in the morning.

I was surprised to see yet another one-off G&L from the early 90's that is a contender for Holy Grail status (especially for Low-enders). If you haven't seen the Ole Opry bass that HLG posted pics of be sure to check it out:
http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1733

I'd love to see the bass being played on the circle of remaining stage that is being used at the Grand "new" Ole Opry.



Is there a G&L era that you find speaks to you more than another?
...I see alot of very fine examples from 1985-1987 also...maybe it was the Mojo of all those broadcasters in the shop.

I am fortunate to be caretaker of a couple rarebird G&Ls from the same era (early '91),
there were certainly some creative juices flowing in the G&L shop in the late 80's-early 90's.


This weeks lunch reports give me a great excuse to repost a few pics of them.

This is my Rampage , I try to play it every once in a while, but not too often to keep wear and tear at a minimum. As Darwin mentioned last week, having a large collection means less fretwear for each ax.
This is the only G&L that I have that is equipped with a Kahler, I've removed Kahlers from a couple invaders that I got cheap , I turned both the invaders into hardtails (more on them later this week). Obviously I would never mod these beauties:












This G&L has no model name...obviously ASAT inspired , but the tummy cut and other side contours bring something else to the table as far as feel goes.
I have two necks for this guitar...I thought it would be cool to install the other neck for a series of new pics here. As far as I know the other neck has never been installed (at least not for a decade or so). I'm looking forward to seeing and playing her with the neck that seems to match the body even more than the way cool maple/ebony hybrid neck.












Stay tuned for pics with the other neck...I'll find time to switch them out tonight.

Speaking of switching out G&L necks, I've had great successes when fitting a G&L neck to a G&L body from different years , sometimes the fit is so tight I'm tempted to string it up without bolts (well...not really, but if you've eased a 3-bolt neck from the neck pocket you probably know what I mean).
A nice tight fit at the neck pocket really makes the guitar vibrate as a whole, and keeps the setup from moving overtime. Of course this isn't immediately obvious unless you have a reason to pull the neck.
Is there one characteristic that draws you to play and collect G&L's that other manufacturers are missing?

I'll see if I can get tomorrows LR posted a little earlier to coincide with Lunch on the east coast.

Here's one of my favorite vids...these guys are so relaxed and appear to be having a blast!
[youtube]5wTVLIZaxMk[/youtube]

I gotta run, wishing you all a great day.
Elwood

[sirmyghin]

Great little video there. Some nice playing on both sides. I have always admired the smooth lax delivery Knopfler has though, I use it as a practice basis for playing both soft and evenly, trying not to let attack dominate.

Those G&Ls are neat I guess. But I do not like 80s guitars, so the rampage paint job is a bit much. The ASAT slat body is pretty cool, I like the extra contours a lot also, kind of like an SG cross with a Tele. The hybrid fretboards, are also a bit much for me. I prefer to have a nice wood / interesting or unique inlay work. These examples, in my mind are a bit distracting.

What drove me to G&L? Unique pickups, saddle lock bridge, and a general distrust lingering in my head from Carvin over my past orders. Subpar customer service and making some small error on each of my previous 2 builds really don't have them sitting easily in my mind. I really like the overall feel of the G&L, and wanted a bolt neck tele style guitar, with pickups suitable for country (although I went with a special not a classic, it still has spank). The neck profile options were also a huge sell, as I do not like standard tele necks, too narrow at the nut, too tight on the radius. The fact I could get a 1" 11/16 nut, and a 12" radius on a tele style guitar tipped the edge easily.

[Elwood]

The ASAT slat body is pretty cool, I like the extra contours a lot also, kind of like an SG cross with a Tele.

Great analogy...you nailed it.
(...and who woulda thought an SG and a tele shape could be combined to be so sexy ?)

[Kit]

Elwood, your G&Ls are certainly unique! And ditto on the body contour on the ASAT body.

Are those necks standard G&L issue? I have never seen anything like that from G&L before. I specially like the one with the slant dividing the neck between maple and ebony, and I noticed how the dots changed from pearl on ebony to black on maple. Way cool!

I am one of the NW locals from Portland. A G&L gathering would be fun if we can find a place to do it.

Kit

[Madcity Fats]

Those necks are cuh-razy! I never knew G&L was up to anything like that. They can't be very common. Now I want a bass with a maple/ebony hybrid neck (or is that an ebony/maple hybrid neck?). Wonder if such a thing exists.

I could go on again listing the features that I love about G&L (being a bass player, that rock-solid monster of a bridge is a biggie), but I think the thing that has me collecting them is that they're such a great value. The older ones are the only Leo-era instruments I can readily afford and the new USA models go for half what some of the competition charges. With G&L you know you're getting a guitar (or bass) whose every detail has gotten in-house attention. There are other brands out there who don't even do their own finish work or milling/routing, and they'll cost you every bit as much or more than a G&L. I love that the Fullerton factory does it all and I hope they aim to keep it that way.

Why G&L? Just seems like a no-brainer to me (and I HATE the term "no-brainer" if that tells you anything).

[Katefan]

Hey Elwood,

I hail from Seattle and currently reside in West Seattle. I'd be up for a Pac NW GbL jam at some point tho I'm looking at relocating to NZ so I might not be here if & when it takes place.... still, I think it would be fun to have a go at it.

Nice axes - Trippy fingerboard designs. Very Cool.

I'm fond of the '89/'90 signature time period. Seems the neck profiles got a bit chunkier. I've owned a couple ASAT's ('87 & '88) and both had thin slight V shaped necks which I didn't really dig.
I currently have a really '87 ASAT neck tho that isnt like that. I'm sure there were many different profile shapes made but the ones I've seen (from the mid 80's) tend to be on thinner side.

Speaking of - here is said neck mounted to a refin'd '88 SC-3 body.
[timage=][/timage]

The "SCASAT3" turned out quite nice tho its currently for sale on Seattle CL. Selling it to pare down my load and pay off my Visa. Talk bout a tight neck fit tho - wasnt sure at first if it was gonna fit on there. I bought that neck originally as a replacement for Char's neck but I ended up putting her back to stock as I prefer her chunkier neck profile. If the SCASAT3 doesnt sell, I'll probably part it out here or on Ebay.

Anyway, here's some pics of Char, my '90 ASAT Sig. She was in a house/studio fire and got pretty close to a crispy demise.
I picked her up @ the now defunct Midway Swapmeet south of Seattle for $10!
My Fave and best sounding G&L.
[timage=]

[timage=]

[timage=]

[timage=]

[timage=][/timage]
Re switching out necks...

Having tried several other necks as a replacement for Char's origianal I found slight differences in neck widths at the heel (body end). Most were abit narrower than hers which made me think she was an anomaly... the closest fit has been the '87 ASATneck. Most of the necks I tried were from the same time period ('89-'91). My SC-1 neck was the worst fit -almost an 1/8" between neck and body.

I'm esp fond of the Leo factor...
MOre specifically, handwound MFD pu's, nitro finishes, 3-bolt/tilt necks, chrome plated tuners w/ tapered posts...


Cool VId... yeah, pretty laid back -eh?

Here's one of my Fave vids... most folk wouldnt consider them laid back but the guitarist, James Mankey's style generally is...
[youtube]kEbOm_QyUr4[/youtube]

Nice start to the week!

Cheers,

Kf

[zapcosongs]

Almond milk: Going to have to try that. The older I get, the less real milk and me get along. If I can't get it in the regular grocery store, I bet I can find it at Trader Joe's (great store, btw).

Your stunning guitars: Never get tired of seeing those, Elwood. I wonder about the history of that ASAT-ish two-necked beauty. Did they build it to be presented to somebody special, an endorser perhaps? Was this to (maybe) become a production model? And why two uniquely lovely necks?
Maybe Tim or somebody else can shed some light here.

Why G&L?: I kind of stumbled upon G&L by accident. I suppose I feel a lot like MC Fats in that the quality and value is head and shoulders above the usual. Their instruments just feel and sound like somebody really cared, and one need not to be rich to enjoy and indulge...

Great start! - ed

[darwinohm]

Great start Elwood. You were out of the gate first class with the basses you showed last week. Are the ones you showed today custom builds? The necks are interesting and it would be cool to do that on some current versions.

Chet has always been a favorite of mine. Mark has become a recent favorite as I had never followed him until 2006 and later. I think he is one of the best and I love him and Chet on their Neck & Neck. I have always been a fan of soft pickers who really have a feel.

G&L reasons? I stopped at the GC in Edina to look at some Fender Custom Shop models. First of all there was a guy in there testing Fenders. I can't remember the last time I heard a guy play like this dude. Everything from Chet though chicken picking to Rock. He played many guitars and played them all through a 2-12 Hot rod Deville. For me it was like a concert and I was green with envy over the licks that this dude had. Secondly, the Custom Shop Fs do not have as good flamed necks as many standard G&Ls. They had a used s-500 in White Blond but it had a couple of slight dings in the back. It was older as it had the 3 bolt neck.

I have thought about contacting some local G&Lers in Mpls/Stp for a jam. We also have several members from Wisc. Maybe we should organize locals to jam stuff and have a national playoff sponsored by G&L. Prize could be guitar of choice for each member of the winning band. Bet you think I have been smokin'
stuff this afternoon. Speaking of smoking, Steve our lead player, originally wrote Smoking in the Boys Room. He was under age at the time and lost the rights to it over a recording deal.


KF has a couple of nice ones. The burned one is pretty unique. The price was right!

I have only owned G&Ls newer that 1999. I had a 1999 Legacy early this year that I bought with a bad neck. I figured out that the neck wasn't bad and it had some hight frets. it had an ebony fingerboard. I fixed the neck issues and it turned out to be a good player.I traded it for the L 2000 bass that I have.

You have some great rarebirds Elwood, and thanks for sharing and keep them coming! -- Darwin

[Boogie Bill]

Really interesting guitars!

I just realized that Katefan and I have something in common: I bought my first and very beloved Ibanez GR-520-VS Ghostrider from a guy at the Midway Swap Meet. I paid more than ten bucks for my score, though.

Almond milk is good. I used to use the Torani (?sp) Orgeat Syrup for my then step-children. It's really good as an alternative to hot chocolate (cocoa); but the syrup is also good with chocolate, and for lattes. I have a home expresso machine that makes it easy to steam milk fast.

I would say my fav G&Ls are from the early-90's to about 2000; and that's what I have. I knew about G&L from the very start. I had a Music Man Sabre II from about '78-'79, one of the very first in the Seattle area, and a couple of years later met a guy who had a new F-100. I liked the Sabre better, and he did too!

I got divorced in 1990 and one of the pieces I had to sell was my 1960 Strat. When I finally got back on my feet a year or later, I started to look for an American Vintage '62 Strat, but a guy sold me his slightly used S-500 and I was hooked. He'd replaced the bridge pickup with a Duncan JB, Jr., but fortunately kept the original pickup. It's a TCSB on ash with a maple neck. Great guitar. I later found a new Legacy.

When I had the 60 Strat, there were many things that I wanted to do it: better tuners, better pickups, better bridge--a whole litany of items that just really needed to be improved. The Legacy and the S-500 had all the improvements, without destroying the essence of a good Strat. For me, it is the only guitar on the market that has the RIGHT improvements. And obviously, they are very well-made guitars that offer tremendous value.

I would love to have a G&L jam, but haven't found a good place to do it. I'll help in any way I can--and I would certainly be there. I'd love to see Will Ray again; met him a few years ago in Portland, and then again in Seattle and Bellevue at clinics he did.

And it's taken me years of therapy to get over it! LOL!

Bill

[Elwood]

[quote="Kit"]Elwood, your G&Ls are certainly unique! And ditto on the body contour on the ASAT body.

Are those necks standard G&L issue? I have never seen anything like that from G&L before. I specially like the one with the slant dividing the neck between maple and ebony, and I noticed how the dots changed from pearl on ebony to black on maple. Way cool!

I am one of the NW locals from Portland. A G&L gathering would be fun if we can find a place to do it.

Kit[/quote]

Kit,
I think there are four or five G&L's with the ebony/maple necks. Gabe mentioned that the time it takes to produce one would be prohibitive for production. I love how the dots change too, like day and night...it would have been cool to have a moon inlay on one of the dots over the ebony side .
I think these are the only necks I've seen with a finish over ebony.
Feels like finely sanded maple but even more dense. I would love to see a G&L with the whole fingerboard in finished ebony.

I love the G&L's I have with ebony fingerboards...the density of ebony seems to keep more energy in the string giving it a nice snappy sound (...but not as snappy as the phenolic boards that are on graphite necks, which sometimes gives a tone that is too rich in upper harmonics)

I hope we can find a place to have a jam sometimes, I'll be sure to bring it up every once in a while...a good place is sure to find us if we keep at it.


[quote="Madcity Fats"]Those necks are cuh-razy! I never knew G&L was up to anything like that. They can't be very common. Now I want a bass with a maple/ebony hybrid neck (or is that an ebony/maple hybrid neck?). Wonder if such a thing exists.

I could go on again listing the features that I love about G&L (being a bass player, that rock-solid monster of a bridge is a biggie), but I think the thing that has me collecting them is that they're such a great value. The older ones are the only Leo-era instruments I can readily afford and the new USA models go for half what some of the competition charges. With G&L you know you're getting a guitar (or bass) whose every detail has gotten in-house attention. There are other brands out there who don't even do their own finish work or milling/routing, and they'll cost you every bit as much or more than a G&L. I love that the Fullerton factory does it all and I hope they aim to keep it that way.

[/quote]

A bass neck with ebony/maple would be awesome.
I've put a G&L bass bridge on a homemade bass I bought on ebay...it made the bass twice as good in the best ways.
I kept buying G&Ls after my first because of the Leo factor... the market hasn't caught on quite yet ( good for us). I think it's amazing that you can still purchase a Leo-era instrument without breaking the bank...and occasionally for dirt cheap .


[quote="Katefan"]Hey Elwood,

I hail from Seattle and currently reside in West Seattle. I'd be up for a Pac NW GbL jam at some point tho I'm looking at relocating to NZ so I might not be here if & when it takes place.... still, I think it would be fun to have a go at it. [/quote]

Wow! NZ ! Do you have friends/family there ?
I impressed when folks take on changes like that...more power to you !
We occasionally play at poggies in W.Seattle, I'll remember to post gig times in case you have a chance to see us. We just play for fun so don't expect any mindblowing solos...it would be good to meet you before your move.

I was surprised to hear there was such diversity in neck pocket widths in your experiences. I had to sand a very small amount off the side of an SC-3 neck to fit to a Comanche prototype body (now an SCZ-3 ? )...I'll post pics of that later this week.

I hope your guitar sells, if you do part it out I might be in the market for G&L parts.

Char is a cool guitar...good for you for seeing the value and resurrecting her.
$10 ? wow...I bet Mac charges alot more than that...of course I bet he stops before the bi-cut neck starts to separate. That she still plays is a testament to the quality G&L builds with.

Thanks for the vid...very watery guitar sound...I'm just guessing though the guitarist isn't using that Hiwatt stack in the backline.


[quote="zapcosongs"] I wonder about the history of that ASAT-ish two-necked beauty. Did they build it to be presented to somebody special, an endorser perhaps? Was this to (maybe) become a production model? And why two uniquely lovely necks?
Maybe Tim or somebody else can shed some light here.[/quote]

I wish I could tell you about the history of these , most of these unique G&L's were made to present to special folks at G&L, ...they are fine examples of some fine thinking and woodworking,


[quote="zapcosongs"] I suppose I feel a lot like MC Fats in that the quality and value is head and shoulders above the usual. Their instruments just feel and sound like somebody really cared, and one need not to be rich to enjoy and indulge...
[/quote]
Very well said !!

[quote="darwinohm"]Great start Elwood. You were out of the gate first class with the basses you showed last week. Are the ones you showed today custom builds? The necks are interesting and it would be cool to do that on some current versions. [/quote]

Definitely custom, I'm not sure who for. They would stand out from the crowd if they made something like them again...I'd like to see a fingerboard that is finished ebony, which might be possible for a small production run.

[quote="darwinohm"]

I can't remember the last time I heard a guy play like this dude. Everything from Chet though chicken picking to Rock. He played many guitars and played them all through a 2-12 Hot rod Deville. For me it was like a concert and I was green with envy over the licks that this dude had. Secondly, the Custom Shop Fs do not have as good flamed necks as many standard G&Ls.

Speaking of smoking, Steve our lead player, originally wrote Smoking in the Boys Room. He was under age at the time and lost the rights to it over a recording deal.
[/quote]

I know that feeling of wonder and envy...it's amazing how much talent is out there, the more I get out too see small shows the more I realize that.

Well your friend should be proud his song is known world-wide...that sucks he lost the rights to it.

[quote="Boogie Bill"]

I would say my fav G&Ls are from the early-90's to about 2000; and that's what I have. I knew about G&L from the very start. I had a Music Man Sabre II from about '78-'79, one of the very first in the Seattle area, and a couple of years later met a guy who had a new F-100. I liked the Sabre better, and he did too!



[/quote]

I 've had a couple old MusicMan guitars...I should have kept at least one. I really liked the preamps and you could tell that alot of thought had been put into them as guitarmakers were trying to figure out what would be the next big thing. The 70's MM basses always seem to sell for a good amount , Leo and co. hit a home run with those and the early L-1000's and L-2000's.

[quote="Boogie Bill"] I would love to have a G&L jam, but haven't found a good place to do it. I'll help in any way I can--and I would certainly be there. I'd love to see Will Ray again; met him a few years ago in Portland, and then again in Seattle and Bellevue at clinics he did.

And it's taken me years of therapy to get over it! LOL!
[/quote]
hehe...I'd love to attend a Will Ray shindig sometime.

I'm all for a day of G&L's and jamming...I'll keep this in mind as I'm out mixing bands ,
there are some neat places I get to see that might be conducive to a daylong musicfest/food and fun that might not cost much to rent. My drummers brother has a spread in Arlington and he is talking about a weekend music party maybe in the spring...might be a candidate for a G&L gettogether. I'd drive down to portland with a little planning...lets keep the idea on the backburner ...some good ideas are bound to surface.



All my best,
Elwood

[Katefan]

Thanks - My girlfriend lives in Auckland. We met last summer here at a Reflexology Workshop she was teaching. I have a cousin who also lives in Auckland. He married a kiwi woman ~20 years ago and has lived there since.
I spent half of this year living over there and am quite fond of it.
Auckland imo opinion is very Seattle-like but a bit warmer. Sort of a combination of Seattle & San Diego esp with the yucca and palms...

Yes, do. I'd be into seeing your band. Havent been to poggies... do you ever play the shipwreck?

Re neck widths, doesnt surprise me tho most I've encountered are quite close - overall I'm impressed with the tight specs...

Thanks, me too. Will see..
Let me know what parts you're interested in - may help me decide which route to take if it doesnt...

Re Char I nearly missed her - I beat out a friend of mine by mere minutes...
The cool thing was 2 weeks prior I had to sell all my guitars to finance a move including a refin SC-2 project that played and sounded great (stock pu's) so scoring her was extra special.
I only had $30 in my wallet that day. Nice thing bout swapmeets - you don't need alot of $.

Yes, Mankey is one of my favorites - saw him with CB earlier this year @ the showbox - Fab Show! Johnette is AMAZING.

Cheers,
Kf

[Elwood]

I haven't been to the shipwreck, we played at the Alki once. Poggies is pretty laid back,
we have to fill up 3 hours so there's slack to try out new things/make mistakes/have fun...

The parts I'm needing most right now are the old spec bridge posts, otherwise I'll be buying a new bridge assembly,posts and inserts from G&L and changing out the inserts, then I'll have to sell the bridge...but if I have funds at hand my needed parts list might grow longer.
It would be a shame to part out a completely functional G&L, but it's getting tough to get a good price as a seller...I would have thought my custom Legacy would have sold by now...I guess some buyers are scared off if it isn't a standard production guitar.

Congrats, the move sounds like it will be good all around...I bet your guitar would sell quickly overseas. I just shipped one to australia and I got the price I was asking and the buyer is happy too....even with the higher cost of shipping.

[Katefan]

Thanks, Yeah good gear over there is dear(expensive) and hard to come by.

Re the SC-3. No action my CL ad. Thinking I may keep the neck as to have a replacement on hand if and when Char's original finally goes south. Figure it will be harder and probably more expensive later to locate a period correct neck as seems prices of Leo-era parts are climbing higher.

I'd sell body (w/ or w/o parts) w/ the complete bridge assy if you're interested, but I'm not keen on just selling the bridge.
Anyway, let me know - either here or send me an email.

Cheers,

Kf

[Elwood]

Thinking I may keep the neck as to have a replacement on hand if and when Char's original finally goes south.

Good call on the neck,
...I should probably go the route of buying a new assembly and switching out my bridge post inserts for new ones, otherwise there might always be a guitar out there waiting to be assembled for lack of vintage parts.

It's a tough market right now...my customized legacy hasn't sold, though I've had a few bites.

cheers

[Katefan]

No Sweat... proly a better way to go.

YEah, I hear ya... not much seems to be movin locally - perhaps the recession finally has hit Seattle...
I've been playing the SCASAT3 at practise and won't mind hanging onto it if need be. Pickups sound Fab!

Cheers,

Kf