11-5-12 monday

[louis cyfer]

it has been almost a year since i had the honor of being lunch reporter. i was very new here at the time, having just gotten my first g&l back from repairs at the factory.
i have been exceedingly happy with the guitar, although i have changed the pups. i also just started dieting, having gotten tired of being fat. i have continued the process, i am down to 267lbs and just below 6% bodyfat. not bad at 43. i am considering getting back on the competitive stage again in bodybuilding, but i'll need a hernia surgery first. of course getting individual health insurance is not possible as i am considered morbidly obese by the insurance companies because of my bmi number.

l don't do lunch per se, i just have meals, but my third meal today was 5 tuna and 5 salmon sushi and coffee with 35gr of protein powder for creamer. that gets me in the range of what i shoot for, 60 grams of protein, 30-40 grams of carbs and 120-15 grams of fat per meal.

g&l question. what is your next g&l going to be? i have been looking at the used market but what i want is not out there. i am gonna order a g&l asat with ash body, dfs trem, no pickguard, #4 neck, stainless steel medium jumbo frets, quatersawn maple neck. belly and forearm cut. i am holding out to see if any of the newer finishes will be made available as options, as the nena would really make me happy. i am probably gonna run by the factory before the new year and have a look around.

here is a video of a recent gig, a few weeks ago, this is the first time i have seen these guys other than the bass player. not bad for a bunch of strangers. the pictures i saw from last years gig is what motivated me to start dieting. i am not playing a g&l, but my srv signature strat, which i got for 400 bucks in all original condition with case, case candy and all. i just couldn't refuse. i swapped the pickguard and the pups the fralin real 54's. in the bridge it's a steelpole 43, the same as on my bluesboy.

[youtube]zQFN46xK4xA[/youtube]

this is the pic from last year



non g&l question. what are your plans to get through the holidays without significant weight gain? or is it just worry about it after?

[Miles Smiles]

In good shape you are and that's very nice creative playing, congrats!

Last Holidays I lost some weight, as I was walking for three weeks in the mountains. Next holidays will be at Christmas time, there's no chance to escape some weight gain.

[LeoFThe Champion]

G'day Louis,
In regards to putting weight on in the holidays, or not. My belief is to be aware of all the foods and especially the drinks you consume.
As you know it gets down to one magic formula. Eat more calories than you consume and you will put weight on .
I just pick my indulgences , if I am drinking beer or wine I don't eat sweets.
Best to keep your body weight steady. the one thing we know about longevity is Calorie restriction.
My next G&L will be an X body Interceptor. I can't wait.
Regards
Anthony

[meowmix]

Hey Louis,

The next G&L? I have no plans, if there were any it would be to make it as light as possible.

Keep up the good work on the weight. And I hope you get the surgery done sooner than later.

Peter

[blargfromouterspace]

Next G&L - Definitely something with a Nena finish and either two humbuckers or the new Alnico single coils, hopefully with an exotic body wood. Satin on a standard #1 neck.

Nice work on the playing, looks like it was a fun gig, and nice tone too. Is that an actual console organ on the left? Is he crazy?

[darwinohm]

Louis, glad you took control of the weight situation. It is not easy but should pay off as you get older.

I have no idea what my next G&L will be. I should seriously look at another bass but the L-2500 is perfect for me and I don't honestly know what I would like. Possibly a 5 string ASAT if they made them, certainly semi hollow and a killer top with a BEM maple neck. I have a Stingray 5 for backup but it is not my favorite.

I downloaded about 12 minutes of your video and some very nice things going on. It is funny how seasoned musicians can pull things off, especially 1,4,5. A good grove and some tasty parts always do the job. It took about half an hour to download that much, slow internet. It was very enjoyable.

My metabolism is pretty stable at my age and my weight doesn't vary much. I don't eat as much as I used to and have lost 10 lbs in the last couple years. I will get into the holiday stuff but sweets are not my favorites and that really helps.

Sweet looking ASAT in the last picture and I believe it is your no pickguard Bluesboy with the different pickups. The neck is flamed very nicely. -- Darwin

[jonc]

No next G&L for me, but that doesn't keep me from looking and drooling. Nice pic btw! The two of you look like naturals on stage! Please post more clips.

[KenC]

Weight: Mine varies quite a bit depending on how much control I have over my diet. I had been hovering at a lifetime high of 250 pounds before I moved to Maryland in late summer 2010. Being on my own during the move, I dropped to 230 over the course of 4-5 months and held it for another five months. I didn't starve myself at all, but I did only eat when I was hungry (as opposed to regular meal times with the family). I also had no reason for sweets in the apartment, and didn't let myself buy any alcohol. When we were back together at the end of the move, it took about six months to put all the weight back on. This summer the rest of the family went out of town for a month, and I dropped pretty easily down to 235, again by only eating when I was hungry, and only as much as I needed to stop feeling hungry. I've been up and down since then, but seem to be averaging around 240. Realistically I would be very happy to get down to 225 if my work schedule and workload let ever let up enough for regular exercise.

Next G&L: I have no idea, but almost all of mine have been chance encounters rather than tracking down a specific instrument. The next one will most likely be a bass with a 1.5" nut (#8 neck). I would like to find a Climax or L-1500 to round out that part of the collection. If I were to order something new, it would be an L-1500 either in Belair green or honey over figured swamp ash, with a quartersawn neck and most likely an unlined fretless ebony board. If Sunset Coral ever becomes a standard finish, it will probably bump Belair Green from the top of my lust list.

I've been keeping my GAS in check pretty well for the past couple of months by slowly paying off a used Warwick Corvette fretless (an older German-built one) at the local guitar shop. My goal is to pay it off in time to bring it home for the holidays. I think my wife will be more accepting if it's debut is playing Christmas carols for background music for the holidays.

Despite those best intentions, I'm GASsing pretty badly at the moment for a PRS bass I played yesterday. It has the neck profile I'm looking for, feels and sounds great, and is pretty nice looking to boot. I've never liked the feel of PRS guitars (unlike this bass), but since they are built about ten miles from my house I feel like I should have one of them for hometown loyalty, at least. I think the bass I played yesterday could become a go-to for me. The hardest part of the decision (other than which G&L I would clear out to make room for it) is just knowing that I could get a very comparable instrument in a used JB-2, for half the price...

Ken

[yowhatsshakin]

Great vid louis. But boy, I hate to be the guy to take a solo just after you Nice variety of tones between the 3 of you I must say.

I lost about 40lb about a decade ago and it has very,very s.lowly come back. At some stage I just decided I wanted to enjoy life. Not kill myzself necessarily, but put some perspective in many of these health things, I fall in the same category as you. As my doctor says, the BMI does not apply to me due to 'heavy bones', whatever that may mean. So it is more about being aware what you eat, the quality and quantity, that decides my diet than a straight up 'I shouldn't eat this or that'.

My next G&L? No clue in all honesty. I'm currently heavily playing my G-200, AlNiCo prototype, and 'The Wrangler'. Great guitars all.

- Jos

PS: Ken, did you notice the price the last El Toro went for on daBay? Holy mackerel! A whopping $1,880! Not even 2 months ago, one went for $799.

[louis cyfer]

nick, maybe walking in the mountains this winter will do you good again

lfc, you are right, thermodynamics still govern. i agree a lot of people drink most of their excess calories. i am not quite sold on the studies with calorie restriction and longevity, although it certainly seems to work in mice.

meow, i am waiting to get on a group insurance coverage in the near future, so it should happen.

blarg, thanks a lot, and that is indeed a hammond b3. i guess he must be nuts for lugging it around. i loved the sound though.

darwin, thanks, and it was a lot of fun to play with some good musicians, things were clicking like we had been playing for a long time.

that is not the bluesboy, but the tele i made with the cypress body and tru oil finish. they are sisters though. i'll post pics tomorrow.

jon, thanks and i will post more clips, no worries. you'll be sick of hearing me by the end of the week.

ken, i love those warwick basses, i'll have to check out the prs basses, i don't care for the guitars, but maybe i'll like the basses. which one did you try?

jos, the guy on the white strat, joe cortez is a great player, i don't like to take solos after him. the bmi is very silly. at 39 bmi i am morbidly obese at 6% bodyfat. i would have to lose another 75-80 lbs to get in the normal bmi range, but i only have about 15 lbs of fat left. and maintaining lower bodyfat levels, <5% is not exactly healthy either.

see you again tomorrow.

[Boogie Bill]

I try to limit carbs during the holidays as much I can.

No plans for another G&L at this time. Wouldn't mind an Ascari, but not crazy about the color choices.

I have a lot of guitars right now and 17--18 are G&Ls. I love the Legacy Special model, that would probably be my choice for a custom build, but like Ken I tend to be an opportunist and a bottom feeder.

What I might be doing in the next week is getting my sparkle blue LS into the repair shop for a setup. I've got a couple of others that need some updating; just need to make time and clear a spot on the bench.

And I still want my Comanche XII.

Bill

[astutzmann]

Louis

Nice playing!!

My next G&L was going to be the GBL2 but its taking forever and I received a new acoustic and a Heritage 535 so I might put a hold on any G&Ls for now. I miss my legacy that I sold, but the bluesboy and asat special are incredible.

My weight has been creaping up the last couple of years, I'm 240 now and would like to be 210. I eat too much and drink too much. Also, this summer I damaged my knee. Saw the orthopaedic surgeon 2 weeks ago and it needs to be scoped (cleaned out), so I haven't been exercising at all for the past 8 weeks and I feel like a real slug.

The good news is that in canada the surgery etc is all free, the bad news is that by the time its all said and done, a year will have gone by. I have sped up the process by a few months by driving to buffalo and getting the MRI done there. I was able to schedule it within 24 hours. They are doing a great business, they have a sign, MRI $899 or $460 for our canadian friends. The waiting room was filled with canadians.....

Somewhere between the canadian system and the usa system is the right answer. THere, that's my political statement for the day!

Don't forget to vote!

Alf

[Brock]

g&l question. what is your next g&l going to be?

I don't know if I'll buy another G&L. If I stumbled upon a really nice, crazy cheap mahogany bodied L-1000, that's a possibility. I'm more likely to end up with a custom bass at some point though with a piezo bridge and an MFD in front.



The sliders up by the neck control the Piezo (Bass/mid/treble), the knobs (left to right) MFD Bass, MFD treble, MFD/Piezo mix knob, master volume. The switch is standard OMG! L-1000 goodness.

That's what I want!

[glvourot]

Nice playing Louis, sounded great. I have been holding steady between 178-184 for about the last 15 years. As I get older I realize I'll have to watch it or I'll get soft. My eating habits are not the best but I don't overindulge. I do hit the gym on a somewhat regular basis.

Next G&L ? I really want an SB-2 , black with black three ply pickguard would fit the bill. I also seem to be infatuated with Cavaliers lately , when I have some guitar funds I'm going to keep a look out. That being said I am really happy with my SC-2 and spend more time playing it than lusting after others ( for now )

look forward to the the rest of the week.

[NickHorne]

I wish I could get your video, Louis, it sounds like I'm really missing something good! But we're not just on slow internet here, it's slow dialup internet.... moving house imminently, so not going to do anything about it right now.
But your cypress tele certainly looks very sweet.
Next G&L? Fairly imminent (early 2013): Will Ray signature, ash, lemondrop, single-ply white guard and black pups. Quartersawn neck, 1 3/4" nut, satin, rosewood, stainless medium jumbo. I'm really praying that G&Ls will do Will's great skull inlays in the wider neck (i.e. that they don't just stockpile 1 5/8" ones, with no options); after all, I'm only 61, so skulls still cool surely.
This WR will get the same pup-mounting mod I've done on my existing z-coils, a very simple and reversible (apart from the guard) addition to give a third mounting bolt to each pup, so I can control them in both dimensions. This stops the G getting too loud / D too quiet; I know this could be dialled out with the polepieces, but the result isn't as good as getting the coils in the optimum positions too. Has benefits tonewise, and also for balance up and down the neck. Just an extra bolt on the treble side, level with the existing treble one and on the same axis as the bass-side one. Just a little bit of brass bar with two tapped holes 17mm apart, and an extra bolt and spring. One hole for new bolt, other hole shares the existing treble-side bolt, behind the pup backplate, with a small O-ring to keep a little tension (for earth contact) and snugness / freedom from rattles, between the backplate and the new bar.

After this WR, a really straightforward Asat Classic before too long. Ash, orange, single-ply black guard, same neck woods, dimensions and frets as the WR.

My existing, 1 5/8" - nut WR will stay. It's so good, fiddling with it would be stupid. Wider nut wishes are a recent development, but doesn't mean retiring this guitar!

I think someone has said this before, but here it is again: G&Ls are sometimes seen as expensive here in England; but just try finding better value, for a really serious-quality instrument. No contest, I just love 'em!

And the next - after - next - after - next G&L? I want to replicate your f - hole Bluesboy with the Fralin, Callaham, and Mississippi Queen! Clear red, 3-ply black guard, rosewood board, red headstock; sort of the "Gibson-flavoured" tele in the gun-cupboard! That might be it for this lifetime's guitar acquisitions. Perhaps I could squeeze in a Coral / Dano sitar?

I have an SRV somewhat like yours, with Lindy's Blues Specials in, the hottest back wind he does, and the option to run middle - and - back pups in series; this lives in Dma open, and is my go - to for Ry Cooder zone bottlenecking.

Nice job of Lunchtime! Enjoying this.
And heartwarming to see that B3.

[oneeyedog]

hi Louis, nice report.... maybe someday i'll step up! My next G&L would have to be a US Classic, quite fancy the new alnico but would like to hear a direct comparison between the orig Classic and the Alnico (anybody game?) almost impossible to find a stockist here in Scotland so it might be a while!
Weight gain!! YES................ more since I started the rehearsal studios! too near the chocolate in the fridge thats (supposed to be) for sale. Need to find time to get back to my Tai Chi class, that kept me fit and reasonably in shape as wel as feeling great!
john

[KenC]

I need to change my "vote". The next G&L will be an '84 El Toro, swamp ash/rosewood, in transparent blue with a matching headstock. I was absolutely not in the market for a new G&L last night (actually I was working on clearing one out to bring in a PRS bass), but the El Toro popped up for sale. As it has been on my "buy-on-site" list for almost two years, I had to go for it. Tonight I'm trying to decide whether to put the '80 F-100 or '88 ASAT in the Marketplace to make room for it. I'm still shooting for the PRS, but will just need to do a bit more guitar juggling than I was planning on.

PS: Ken, did you notice the price the last El Toro went for on daBay? Holy mackerel! A whopping $1,880! Not even 2 months ago, one went for $799.

One went for even less this morning!

Ken