Lunch Report Friday 2011.06.24

[Aussie]

Lunch
Didn't manage to get lunch today but meet the family at a local vietnamese resteraunt for dinner on the way home.

Future of G&L (Part 1)
While I've never visited the G&L factory and know little of their business, I have a sense that G&L is operating at close to its optimum size. Much smaller and it might be difficult to hold prices at a value for money point, much larger and it could become more difficult to maintain consistent high quality production.

How would you like to seee G&L position themeselves into the future? Do they need to grow to survive, or would growth potentially have the opposite effect by attracting attentiion from the mega Instrument Corporations? Would you prefer to see them consolidate as they are and hope they stay under the radar? Maybe an alliance, joint venture or even merger with a like minded company such as Heritage would be a way to help both of them in the long term?

Future of G&L's (Part 2)
Looking 20 or 30 years into the future which of the by then vintage G&L gutars and bases do you think will have beome the most sought after by players? Which will have been the biggest winner for investors?

My thoughts are the Broadcaster and the G200 respectively.

Careers Cut Short
A while back I got together with a few old old musician friends for drinks. Reminiscing turned to a “where are they now” conversation and a reflection on a number of players who for various reasons are no longer with us - many as a result of a self destructive lifestyle. We found ourselves wondering whether it’s a case of the industry leading otherwise ordinary folk into a self destructive lifestyle or whether people with a predisposition to self destruction are attracted to the industry. Industry or predisposition - What do you think?

I guess we all know artists who have passed before they fulfilled their potential and wondered what might have been. Are there any musicians that you think left the stage before they had fulfilled their potential – before we had seen what could have been their best and most amazing works?

One guy we spoke of was David McComb. David was the singer and most prolific writer with a local band called The Triffids who played the Perth pub and club circuit in the early’‘80s before heading East and then to Europe. He fell into ill health after an extended period of substance abuse, which ultimately lead to a heart transplant in 1996. He died following a car accident three years later at the ripe old age of 37, with his psychological state being cited as a contributing factor. One of the things for me about David McComb was that in the post punk era when the synthesiser was starting to dominate popular music, he puts together a rock band featuring pedal steel and violin to play poetic rock …. and pulls it off. A truly wasted talent.

Precious Memories
I thought I had lost all my early recordings many years ago when our house was broken into and trashed, but my father came across an old cassette when he moved houses a couple of years back. That tape had a few memories on it that I thought I'd never be able to relive, including most of the tracks I've posted this week. Do you have any old recordings from your early playing days? Do you have good back up for those irreplaceable precious memories? When was they last time you listened to them ... and what are your thoughts when you hear them back?

A Brief History ,,, (1979 - 1980)
A couple more years on and we've shelved the side project and had to find another new vocalist for our main band (we've been through a few since the 1973 Rocky Mountain Way/Elizabeth era). Although there's still plenty of diversity around town, hard to heavy rock has become the music of choice for Perth's larger live music venues. I'm starting the get the hang of this rock thing ... but trust me ... this was the last time I let anyone else write lyrics for my music!

Time and Reason.mp3

Another year on and my bass player mate leaves to go to the UK for a couple of years and the drummer and I encourage the vocalist to pursue alternative musical opportunities. He did just that .... moved to Sydney, stopped singing, focussed on keyboards and became a multimillionaire producing ambient and inspirational music. We join up with a new bass palyer/vocalist and a rhythm player. DAMN! .... I think we finally got the rock thing down ... as the song says "its been a long time coming!" LOL

storms coming.mp3

As a footnote ... A few years later the bass player recorded the above track with another band. It was retitled to distinguish it from another track on their album. Here's that other version if you're willing to sit through it again. Not suprisingly I think the original was better LOL

three years.mp3

Thanks For a Great Week Folks!

Arrangements for next week to be announced.

cheers, Robbie

[jonc]

i only have one BBE-era G&L and while i have a few Leo-era G&L's that i'm hoping will be worth $$$ in the future, i'm not so sure that will be the case. and it's not just G&L's but rather many guitars other than the very few "mainstream" collectibles like certain Martins, Gibsons and Fenders. value will depend on having interested buyers and from what i'm seeing once you take the boomers out of the mix, there isn't a whole lot of interest in vintage, at least not now, and especially among the younger generations. now it might just be the current economy where values on vintage guitars have plummeted the past few years, but we're now seeing pricing on 80's G&L's where they were 5 years ago (except for certain SC 1's and 2's) and i'm seeing collector-quality Cav's and others going for relatively cheap prices. and if you look on TGP guys can't give the vintage stuff away right now and there are more trades happening than outright sales. the other thing i've noticed is in line with the shift in this board. whereas the old GBL board was dominated by Leo-era discussions and the like, the new board is very much aligned with BBE-era instruments, and relatively new ones at that. don't take me wrong as i think BBE has done a great job in boosting the build and finish quality of the instruments they're producing and they certainly have a polished look to them that the Leo-era G&L's will never have. this is good news for BBE since they're in the business of selling new G&L's and i'm glad to see them finally break out as compared to the 90's and early 2k's. but this shift also delegates Leo-era G&L's to the back seat of the conversation, and in turn mindset to some degree.

the triffids were a great band and as a fan of both Aussie and NZ bands, they're still high on my playlist with Raining Pleasure being one of my all-time faves. but yes, so many talented folks have died stupidly and needlessly. as for "gems" from the closet. i'm working (slowly) through 30 years worth of cassettes, mini-discs and DAT's and have come across stuff i totally forgot about, some things i didn't want to remember and some nice surprises. here's a song that my last band wrote which is very much in line with the Australian and NZ indie-pop sound. this was recorded live at an in-studio gig we played back in 04. thanks for the LR posts this week. nice going.

http://www.alapoupee.com/EL/Cold%20Room.wav

[willross]

I love spicy food and it helps with portion-control... I know nothing about G&L's business, but I hope it doesn't get swallowed-up by a company like Kaman, etc. I know that there are many pro/famous musicians that own G&L's but don't give them air time due to contracts, etc. So, speak up; I know who you are!

Collectible G&L's: X-Wings, L1k's, El Toro, G-200, HG1&2, Broadcaster and early one-off's are my guess. But hey, get famous and whatever you are playing right now will be collectible! Do it!

I dig your work, Aussie. Have a great weekend.


Cheers,

Will

[darwinohm]

Robbie, thanks for the very entertaining week. It is interesting to hear tales of when people started in their passion of music. Sounds like meeting the family after work is a great way to go.

G&L future. I just make a long post on this subject this morning. Now is not the time for a guitar company to expand or start to push more ecomomy models. If they only had the Tribute line thier days would be numbered. My only hope is that they continue to focus on what they do well and even do it better.

As for collectibles, this was more of a fad for the wealthier people when times were good financially. I suspect it may never return to where it was. Financially secure people will still collect but there are less of them today and the true vintage stuff has dried up. Most of it has found homes. I don't consider G&L's as collectible for the most part but more of a very secure investment, especially if you buy them used. Buy 'em like new, take care of them and give them love and they will at least stay with inflation and may even give you some return. In the mean time they are beautiful to look at and play and what kind of a value can you put on that? Keep in mind that most guitars in the last 30 years except for a few, have kept up with the rate of inflation. remember, it seems like they bring a lot more money today but the price of a new car has increase more then tenfold during this time.

Are musicians self destructive or is it the business? I noticed back in the 60's that this was not a healthy lifestyle. I also notice the people I was around took advantage of the freestyle life associated with it. It may because of the artistic personality. Look at artists, writers and actor who have met their demise. Not all of them get old, that is for sure. What I do know is that if I had the answer, I would be rich just working on that segment of the population . Tough question. Thanks again Robbie and keep things shakin' down under. If you happen to feel a wobble in the earth, it is because of all the standing water in the midwest. We could cause an imbalance.-- Darwin

[Aussie]

here's a song that my last band wrote which is very much in line with the Australian and NZ indie-pop sound. this was recorded live at an in-studio gig we played back in 04.

That track was awesome .. I didn't read all of your comments before I played it and was suprised at the end when I realised it was live. Not only do I agree that it is in line with Aussie indie-pop, but I think it could have slotted fairly seamlessly into Sarah Blasko's 2006 ARIA* winning Album "What the Sea Wants The Sea Will Have" [*ARIA's are the Aussie Grammy's]

I know that there are many pro/famous musicians that own G&L's but don't give them air time due to contracts, etc. So, speak up; I know who you are!

Something of an irony where players will covet creative freedom and then contract to limit thier options for expression. Not a music example but I know of one Aussie cricketer (and I'm sure he's not alone) who had a very lucrative contract with one bat manufacturer but he used another brand. The sponsoring company actually supplied their decals to put on the other manufacturer's bat!

I just make a long post on this subject this morning. Now is not the time for a guitar company to expand or start to push more ecomomy models. If they only had the Tribute line thier days would be numbered. My only hope is that they continue to focus on what they do well and even do it better.

I missed your other post and just had a look at that thread. Some excellent comments there and here on both G&L's positioning and future and on the issue of collectability and investment. Prices on vintage gear has definitely come off the boil, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the longer term. Hard to predict how much of the turn around is driven by economic factors. WA is actually in an economic boom and relative to other places wasn't too badly affected by the GFC, and we often forget just how much economic pain there still is around the world and, indeed even in many of the Australian States. You may well be right though that the personal nostalgia of our older generations has driven demand and as the next generation moves throuigh there won't be the same interest in the older gear.

cheers, Robbie

[blargfromouterspace]

Storms Coming has to be the best song Judas Priest never wrote. Great vibe there - lots of fun!

Collectible G&Ls - I'd say the spalted maple ones might one day fetch good prices. They always seem to be at the higher end even now. I think out of standard production ones that those with a clear orange finish may be highly prized. I'm usually wrong with these sorts of things though!