Lunch Report for Wednesday, August 22, 2012

[Boogie Bill]

Good morning! I’m up late again, posting in the wee hours of the morning. My midnight snack was simply some toast and some peach nectar. We’re planning on going out to lunch today, or rather breakfast. Miss Leslie is meeting one of her accounting clients in the morning, and after that we’ll head out to the Original Pancake House her in Portland. The OPH is a national franchise, and our restaurant is the original Original. Darn good food, pancakes to satisfy any whim—I think I’m going to go with the cinnamon-apple pancake, or perhaps a Dutch Baby. Mouth is watering already.

I’m one of those people who like traditional breakfast food any time of day. How about you? What do you like for breakfast? Are you eating healthy granolas and oatmeal, or still loading up on bacon and eggs? French toast, pancakes or waffles? I’m a big fan of Eggs Benedict, but the hollandaise has to be good. Out here, you’ll see a lot of Benedicts with salmon or crab—to die for!

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I’m old school; I’ll admit it. I don’t do piercings, and I don’t have any tattoos. I mean, one look at my body and you’d know that I wouldn’t want to mess with perfection. LOL! Well, anyway, the real reason I don’t do those things is that it looks painful—and I’d rather spend my money on guitar stuff.

I don’t wear any jewelry, either—no chains, or rings or bracelets. I lost my HS class ring a couple of years after I graduated, and never replaced it. Once upon a time I did wear a wedding ring, but that didn’t last long. So, it’s just my watch. And I love watches. I have a small collection of inexpensive watches that I like to wear. I think I have 14; only two of them cost more than $100. Most are Wenger Swiss Military, and I have a couple of Invictas and a Casio and a cheap digital Timex for when I’m working in the yard or on the car. I try to take good care of them, and I’ll wear whichever one fits my mood for the day. And proper training by the fashion-conscious females in my life has taught me not to wear my sport watches with a suit, but to wear a proper “gentleman’s watch.” Who’d ever thought I’d get so domesticated?

So tell us today about your timekeeper. Do you wear a watch, or have you given up your watch since you got your smart phone? Do you have an heirloom watch handed down from generations ago? Pocket watch? Do you collect Rolexes, Movados or Patek Phillipe treasures? Do you go for self-winders, automatics or quartz movements? “Does anybody really know what time it is?”

(Sorry, quoting Chicago lyrics.)

I have a couple of watches that I treasure. One was a Penney’s winder that was given to me when I was about 14. It was a Christmas present from my mom. Dad got the gold one, and I got the silver one. It was not expensive, but it’s worth millions to me.

The other one is kind of an interesting story. It was a tradition in my family that you got a watch for a graduation present. My older brother got a Bulova, and my sister got a nice little Hamilton; but when I graduated in 1968 my family was going through some tough times, and there was no money for a graduation present. It was okay, I understood. That fall I entered my freshman year at the University of Washington. I’d only been on campus a few weeks, when one day I found a very nice Seiko watch, without it’s band, in the Student Union building. I turned it in to the lost and found; no one claimed it and a few weeks later they called and asked me if I wanted it. It was an automatic winder, and I took it to a local jeweler, and had it checked out and a Speidel “Twist-O-Flex” band installed. (Remember those? Hey, that was high-tech back then!)

It certainly wasn’t lost on me that the Lord provides, even in mysterious ways. I wore that watch for more than 20 years. It needs to be serviced now, but I still have it. I’ll never forget that someone was watching over me, and I am very thankful.

One other thing. The jewelry store where I bought the band for the Seiko was owned by an elderly man and his wife. They were a wonderful couple, so very kind and well respected in the community. But there is evil in the world, and one day it came to them. Mr. Ekrem and his wife were senselessly murdered in a robbery a few years later. It was a heinous crime, and shocked the entire city. When I heard the news, I cried. I remembered them every time I looked at that dial, and I will never forget their kindness.

As Paul Harvey would say, “And now you know THE REST of the story.”

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With fifty guitars around here, I got more cases than Perry Mason!! They’re EVERYWHERE!!! (Hmmmm. That’d be really cool if I could get them procreate like rabbits—imagine coming home to six new G&Ls EVERY DAY!!!! KEWL!!!!) I have to admit, when it comes to the G&Ls, I really like the SKB plastic cases. But one of the last used G&L’s I bought (Legacy) came with a G&G case. Man, it is really nice! I’m not sure it protects any better than the SKB, but it feels more luxurious. One of my other used G&Ls (Legacy Special) came to me with a Godin-labeled case that I’m sure was made by TKL. It’s nice, but the G&G is nicer.

What do you like for cases? I’m not even sure what the new G&L cases are like these days. Do you pay the up-charge for the G&G, or is the standard case good enough? Do you keep your acoustics in humidity controlled Calton cases? Anyone using an Anvil-type flight case to transport a guitar? Who prefers a gig bag to a hard case?

While I like the SKB cases for my G&Ls, I usually upgrade the Martin plastic case to one of their deluxe dreadnought “Geib” cases. I think these are made for Martin by TKL, and they make cases for many manufacturers. I know my Gibson cases are made by TKL. Taylor has a factory in Mexico where they make their cases. The one I got with my 2002 710CE is very nice.

Last January, I bought one of my “Holy Grail” guitars, a Gibson 1959 Historic Reissue. The guitar was in pretty bad shape, as one of the previous owners had done a very poor relic job on it, destroying the beautiful Iced Tea gloss finish. It’s a 2006, and now that I’ve got it back from having it touched up by my luthier, it plays and sounds great. Gibson keeps trying to make these Reissues as close to the originals as possible, and that includes the case--a reproduction of the original brown Lifton cases of the 1950’s. Unfortunately, it’s a lousy case, LOL! The latches barely close, and only one latch is of any usefulness at all. I looked all over for a usable case for this guitar, considering TKL, SKB, Gator and many others before finally settling on a factory Gibson Custom Shop case. It was expensive, but not quite Louis Vuitton class. It was an interesting process shopping for that case, and I learned a lot. There’s apparently a big market for these Lifton repro cases, so I might sell it just to recoup some of my expenses. I’ll probably never use it, so I might as well

So tell me about your case preferences for your G&Ls, and your other guitars too.

Got to go, I’m fading fast! Check Tuesday’s LR—I posted some comments to your replies. And thanks for all your kind comments. I really enjoy writing the Lunch Report, and I hope you find them interesting. Please post—I always learn a lot. It’s great to have new people contribute to the board. I’ll check back in today after my pancakes!

Remember, today is Hump Day—it’s all down-hill to the weekend. Pace yourself!

Bill

[Slick]

Never liked SKB style cases. I like the G&G and the original Fender tolex cases. I also like the semi hard featherlite cases.

[sickbutnottired]

Great reports, Bill. It's just wild how much history your 'graduation' watch has come into.

Cases, I love the G&G cases. I will pay a little extra for them. I agree that the molded plastics are just as good for protecting the instrument, but I really dig the plush retro look and feel.

Also, I don't currently wear a watch, but I might start again. I have gotten a lot better the last few years--out of necessity and simplified lifestyle--at keeping track of things. I am hell on bands and latches, but maybe that has improved as well.

Jeremy

[meowmix]

Bill, I am happy to see you taking up the LR duties.

Let me start off by saying, Brian Wilson tells us we should say no to coffee. Yet I still drink it.

I have a haircut appointment today. #2 on the sides and trim the top.

No Band

Can't stand any jewelry on me. No Tattoos either.

I prefer the SKB cases because they are smaller and easier to handle.

I want a Comanche XII.

[willross]

Sorry about my sparse attendance, but I'm moving twice(Downtown MPLS & SF). Fun.

Breakfast is usually out, but I do like Benedicts with salmon or crab or classic. Love the Benedicts!

Jewelry? I have a Byzantine cross from approx 400AD from a museum collection and a few watches. My favorite watch is:



A red Enicar military style (Racine Co. Swiss) from 1965 with a cinnabar dial. It also uses ruby posts for the hour and minute dials. Most of the ones you see on "the bay" are from India and the rubies have been replaced with metal and butchered in so many ways. Enicar was the only company to do this and only on the early edition of the Star Jewels line. Looks good with a suit; real Mad Men style! My every day watch is a Rado Original Chrono.

I like the molded HS case for my S-500 and I bought a Gibson Custom Shop case for my LP Classic Plus(perfect fit). Those Caltons are sweet too... Have a happy hump day!


Cheers,

Will

[repoman]

Breakfast most days is a protein/fruit smoothie or a bowl of greek yogurt with fruit and nuts. I do loves me a good bagel with cream cheese. But a good bagel around here is hard to find.

I seldom wear watches. When I have to go dressy (ie weddings and funerals) I wear a fake Rolex that my parents brought back direct from China a few years ago. A jeweler checked out the same watch given to my brother and pointed out the things to look for to identify the fakes. The jeweler did comment that this was a pretty good job for a fake.

I'm not particular about the cases since I'm not hauling geetars around.

Tattoos and piercings? That's a story for another day!

Jeff

[darwinohm]

Had a quick lunch today, a big bowl of chicken noodle soup. I have to confess that I like it. I get the large condensed can and do not add water. It is very tasty that way.

I have several watches, Hamilton Masterpiece, Movado, Seikos and a Mickey Mouse Seiko that I have owned since the late 80s, and others, but I do not wear a watch since I retired. I also have an old pocket watch that my grandfather brought from Sweden. I have not thought about watches as being collectible.

I do have a watch story about fake Rolexes. In the mid 80's a friend of mine worked as a salesman for an auto parts salesman, calling on parts stores. He would give away fake Rolexes as gifts and bought them dirt cheap. When we were bar hopping he would always wear one and someone would notice. There would be talk in the bar about his Rolex. Later we would grab the Rolex off his wrist and throw it on the floor and stomp on it. That was a blast as people didn't get it right away. We wrecked many of his fake Rolexes in bars.

I also have many guitar cases and the best of the bunch is probably the John Mayer Strat Incase. It offers superb protection. The new G&L cases are some of the best fitting that I have seen. I have TKLs and others. I like the Fender/Skb TSA cases. Some cases do not fit the guitar well but that is the manufacturer of the guitar that is responsible for that. My new L2500 came in an SKB case as the dealer had lost the G&L case. The fit is sloppy and I will get a G&L case for it soon. I have overhead racks in the garage where I store my cases. I have more than 40 of them. -- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

i don't have breakfast lunch and dinner. i have meals. 1 through 8. i eat whatever i need for fuel, i don't categorize foods by time of day. i don't do waffles, french toast or pancakes. that's an american thing for people who have not tried the really good stuff. crepes. that's where it's at.

i don't have piercings or tattoos, i don't care for them, and i don't wear jewelry, but i do wear a watch. for years i didn't, because i destroyed them too fast. finally i found one that is tough enough and fits over my hand, most watches don't even go past my hand. the only thing that matters to me is features and impact and water proof. this watch is about 1.5lbs, quite a monster.

bill, i love that story, god stole a watch for you.

my favorite cases are wolfpak and reunion blues. don't care for the g&g, have a few, i like the lighter and stronger cases.

[blargfromouterspace]

I love a full English breakfast, I wish it was healthy enough to eat every day! Same with eggs Benedict. Lovely stuff, and I agree it has to be good Hollandaise. I worked in a place once that did eggs benedict on a dhufish (one of the tastiest of all fish) fillet. Man, that was luxurious in the morning with a glass of Champagne!

No tattoos, piercings, or watches for me. My sister, on the other hand, has all of those! The last time I wore a watch was in my first year of high school (1995), it was a fake something bought on the street in Bali. I've never been into jewelry either, the only piece I have is a small colourfully painted wooden parrot which I wear on the lapel of a light blue jacket. I've had it since I was 2 years old, and while it's probably worth all of 50c on the used market, it's worth a lot to me.

Cases - I'm fine with the G&L&G&G for everyday usage. I have a Hiscox case that I use if we have to fly somewhere. Last time we flew I used one of the old moulded plastic cases and it got busted up pretty bad, but luckily the guitar in it was fine. The Hiscox cases are made with the same recipe as the plastic ones, but much better ingredients - thicker ABS plastic shell, a dense foamy substance on the inside of it rather than loose polystyrene, and much thicker aluminium lip around the edge.

[yowhatsshakin]

The last time I wore a watch was when I was 18. It is amazing how full the world is with clocks. I always know where to find the time. And otherwise, I use the celestial clock in the sky (when visible) to usually get with about an half hour of the current time which is good enough for most purposes. But certainly nowadays when you sit behind a computer, or use your cell, there is the time! You can hardly escape it ...

I love the G&L branded SKB thermoplastic case too. But there is a specific reason I prefer the G&G tolex cases more: they are thinner, so I can store more guitars in the same amount of space. Four thermoplastic cases stack up to about the same height as 5 tolex cases! But G&L cases are interesting as you can see when you go o the Gallery. The smaller case used for the SC series; all the different interiors and exteriors; the incidental TKL case that were used when supplies ran out; the faux tweed cases used for ASAT '50 and original Blues Boy series; the different kind of thermoplastic case (I have one of each of the 3 different versions); the newer cases being a little longer, etc.

- Jos

[KenC]

I wear a Wenger Swiss Military every day, and have a nice old Eddie Bauer watch with a leather band and a Swiss Army watch with a plastic band in my nightstand with dead batteries. The college ring and wedding band are also tucked away, after seeing a co-worker lose a finger several years ago. At this point I doubt either of them would fit. No tattoos or piercings, although several friends and relatives my ago or older have gotten the first ones recently. I think guitars make a much more sensible mid-life crisis.

Breakfast is either a couple of bananas (at home) or a bowl of oatmeal (at work). Since my wife and I are both from the South, we sometimes revert to our old ways and have grits for dinner.

Cases: About a quarter of my G&L guitars and basses came to me with their original cases, the newest of which is from 1986. For the most part they've held up well. I have a couple in non-original G&L thermoplastic cases, and the rest are in whatever I could find at the local guitar shops to fit them. The only aftermarket case I've been truly pleased with is an SKB-66 universal fit guitar case. It works really nicely for Leo-era ASATs. I don't have any newer ones to try it with yet.

Ken

[Katefan]

Hey Bill,
Another great report - really sad story but nice to have that reminder of how they were...

No watches, tats or piercings for me tho i wear a New Zealand Greenstone.

Brekkie for me usually consists or a cup of organic coffee and either farm fresh eggs and gluten free toast or fresh fruit & nuts.

I prefer to tote a Levi gig bag instead of hardshell cases in most cases I dig the older tolex models.

Btw - Epiphone 'Poodle' cases are great for G&L's as they're a tad bit longer.

Cheers,
KF

[huck]

Great story about the watch!, sad about the jewelry store owners!, anyway I love my watches and rings and bling!..haha, my favorite
watch my Seiko! been wearing it for 7 years with no battery change? but I collect watches as much as guitars, 12 guitars 15 watches,
some dress some utility and one very special coin dial watch of a 20 American Eagle! don't wear it unless I have security with me, lol.
As far as cases go, I like G&G, TKL !, like to know my stuff is safe and secure!..no gig bags for this guys goods!
Oh, and breakfast consist of egg over lite bacon, hashbrowns and a slice of tomato!..

[CGT]

i don't do waffles, french toast or pancakes. that's an american thing for people who have not tried the really good stuff. crepes. that's where it's at.

s.

I guess I missed the memo about Belgium becoming the 52nd State.

[Boogie Bill]

I find it interesting that so many of you DON'T wear a watch. Perhaps watches will go the way of the buggy whip?

Got to tell you Will, I love that red dial on your Enicar. Really beautiful, and classic. And a great story from Darwin about the fake Rolex watches. Shock and awe!

Oh Louis! Crepes are wonderful! My ex-wife was a crepe maker, and she babied her crepe pan more than I have ever babied any of my guitars, LOL! We did one party with a dessert crepe buffet, and let people choose their favorite stuffing from fresh fruit, jams, syrups and ice cream. Lotta work, but really fun. Everybody talked about the crepes and that party for a long time.

Well, Meowmix, that's at least three Comanche XIIs G&L can sell! I'll bet there are many others who want one.

Thank to all of you for contributing!

Bill