Tuesday LR

[Jaystrings]

Well, why not? Haven't had the LR wheel lately. I'll start early so it will be ready when folks check in. I've always liked open mics.

Speaking of open mics. Anyone do open mics locally? It's been about 3 years since I did that. Here they either had very low or no attendance or a waiting line of 20 or more with 3 songs per set. I tried that one, but some were so bad & it looked like it was a 3 hour wait, so I left. The best ones around here are at family restaurants. Any unusual open mic stories out there? I don't really have one.

Going for hot dogs & sprite for lunch. Anyone besides me like your own hot dogs better than you can buy elsewhere? I just like a little chili & fresh onions on the dog & sometimes Pringles or Doritos chips on the side. Root beer or Sprite & I'm happy.

I had an experience with some of my early 80s G&Ls - especially the SC2, SC3, & Skyhawk - where I got my best tone out of a non-tube amp. Doesn't seem to hold true for ASATs & the very early S-500, but does for the others mentioned. Don't get me wrong, because I really like a good tube amp. Mostly Fender & a Carr Rambler. But I have a Quilter Pro 200 amp that is the bomb & brings out tones from those early 80s models with a life & sparkle that I just don't find as much in a tube amp. I know the Quilter is a kind of hybrid, but the difference must really be obvious to a tone freak if I can detect it. Anyone else have a similar experience?

I've been trying to surf around to see what my 20th Anniversary ASAT is now worth. Can't find a thing. Since they only made 50, it's hard to find one for sale or available for sale. Any hints or suggestions on where to go or what they might be bringing these days?

Later
Jay

[glvourot]

Never had any experience with an open mic. Seems like feast or famine.

Lunch is unknown, probably some fruit.

Nothing wrong with SS amps. They have their own vibe going on, I had a great Fender Princeton 110 that still sounds good ( I "lent" it out to a buddy close to 20 years ago ) My Takamine Explorer never sounded so good.

Those polish dogs at Costco are good. Home hotdogs off the grill are the best though but you gotta have good mustard.

Great bluesboy story !

[astutzmann]

you have my hankering for a jumbo dog on the bbq! Sliced open to grill the inside and then covered in cheddar cheese.

Add some fresh cut onions, great mustard, a tomato and some miss vickyvpotato chips and I'm all set!!

I only have one amp, a clean 20W Morris Tube amp that I had made for me. Its awesome and so clean sounding, that I have never wanted anything else.....

My guitar teacher just traded his fender for a used black cat and he is in love!!

I'm not good enough for open mic but I like to go and watch, good fun!

Saw a guitar player last night, playing in a restaurant bar. He says he plays 5-6 nights a week to maintain his chops. He said he played in nashville for 20 years....

WOW he was good, singing wasn't but his guitar playing was amazing!

I'm inspired for practicing and more lessons, ha.

Alf

[sam]

Hey Jay, good to see you round here!

lunch for me is a mystery today, lucky if I get anything based on schedule but a root beer sounds tasty right now.

No open mic for me, with kids nights out are few and far between and no one wants to hear me sing anyway.

SS amps are what I had for years, no-names and Peaveys mainly and they served their purpose but tubes do it for me these days. You are the first Quilter owner I have heard from, and I value your opinion, so I am glad to hear there is a SS amp that brings your G&Ls to life, may have to find one.

As far as the 20th Anniversary, saw a 25th Anniversary at a legit guitar shop on internet for $2199 list price so you can use that a sort of a gauge.

[y2kc]

Jay,

How is it down there in that part of the country? I hope your winter is mild and filled with music.

Solid State amps were never on the radar for me. My first amp was a Gibson Skylark circa 1958. I traded a guitar to Chicago Slim for it around 1980. I used his prototype les paul jr. to try out the amp and it has been tubes ever since. I still have that amp.

A hotdog and sprite?

y2kc

[darwinohm]

Jay, you have me thinking about a good hot dog! I always have a couple of the Nathans hog dogs when I go to Sams Club. Load them up with good stuff and they are perfect.

I have not done an open forum. I was at a gig a couple of years ago where then band had musicians sit in on a Sunday afternoon. For a started I wouldn't let just anyone use my guitar. Most bring their own instruments but some don't. Ii guess it is all how you organize them. The range of talent can really vary in these open forums.

I also have a solid state amp with a tube preamp (Fender Cyber Twin SE) and you can get a lot of convincing sounds from it. The best benefit of a tube amp is the warm, smooth breakup. I always play clean so it wouldn't matter to me even though I use a tube amp. The Quilter sounds interesting. I have never heard of one before.

G&L value is hard to determine as there are not enough of them out there for a good sample. The key is to find the right buyer, someone who is familiar with G&L. I have generally tried to get limited build G&Ls but am not expecting to recover my investment, especially on the ones that I have purchased new. I do think they are increasing in value as they become more well known. Thank for the LR Jay. -- Darwin

[Craig]

I've been trying to surf around to see what my 20th Anniversary ASAT is now worth. Can't find a thing. Since they only made 50, it's hard to find one for sale or available for sale. Any hints or suggestions on where to go or what they might be bringing these days?

Later
Jay

You might check this reference out: http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=5024

[helle-man]

Jay, I always remember your hospitality when I visited you at your house in SC years ago. And you probably have one of the largest collections of G&L's I've ever seen. More G&L"s than most dealers I've done clinics at.

As to SS amps, I've learned to adapt to whatever amp I'm playing thru. The modern modeling amps have proven to me that tube amps aren't the only way to go anymore. But whenever I need to play live with a band, I'll have a tube amp. I can handle problems better & faster than a modeling amp.

The Roland JC-120 is one SS amp I wish I owned. They may not have tubes, but they sure are tasty sounding with any guitar.

Will

[Jaystrings]

Jay,

How is it down there in that part of the country? I hope your winter is mild and filled with music.

Wearing a t-shirt today since the rain stopped. Those snow games last Sunday reminded me why I only missed the south during the winters I was living NJ for 8 yrs. The rest of the time it was great. NJ, PA, & New England were beautiful.


A hotdog and sprite?

Ya gotta remember, this is Coca Cola territory around here. Grew up on Cokes until I found Sprite. Love Sprite & Root Beer best. It's either that or sweet tea with any meal. Water is for between meals....... lol!

y2kc

[Jaystrings]

[quote="sam"] You are the first Quilter owner I have heard from, and I value your opinion, so I am glad to hear there is a SS amp that brings your G&Ls to life, may have to find one

I've had my Quilter Pro 200 for over a year. I also have 2 friends [both are G&L owners] who also own one. We all 3 agree they are the best amp for the money and that we'll never part with ours. One of those 2 plays out - individual gigs at family restaurants & sometimes in a band that does outdoor events in this area. He has been a blues / jazz musician for over 35 years & has owned or played most amps & guitars. He says he can get any tone he's ever wanted with just the Quilter & its 6-button floor pedal - all thru that little 8" speaker. Mine is 10" speaker & I really can't hear any difference. They are both awesome. I don't understand to this day what they are, because the designer/owner, Pat Quilter, says they are not SS or tube. But when you do get to hear one, you are going to think you're hearing a tube amp.

I have a 1961 Gibby ES-125. I didn't fall in love with that guitar as a player until I heard it thru my Quilter. All that feedback stuff stopped & the ear candy began. I also love hearing my semihollow guitars thru it, too. I took it to the Michigan Jam last month & it was the smallest & lightest amp on stage, but it drew lots of attention & really held its own in the mix.

Jay

[Jaystrings]

Thanks for the echoes of hotdog love! Also, thanks for the interest in the Quilter amps - check 'em out. And the suggestions for value of the 20th Anniversary ASAT. Tim Page used to rave about them & he was right - they really are one of the finest things to come out of the shop.

To this day, I still got my best advice & prices in general from Tim, Bob, & the guys at Buffalo Brothers. I was just looking & even though I've done some trading & moving stuff, I still own more G&Ls than any other brand.

Will Ray's post for some reason reminded me of the huge crowds he used to draw at any and every guitar show I've ever attended. His playing style drew many of them but his playing ability & the beautiful G&L line kept them there. It was fun to see folks lined up to test drive & buy a G&L after he had just demo'd his.

Good to touch base, folks.

Jay

[KenC]

The Roland JC-120 is one SS amp I wish I owned. They may not have tubes, but they sure are tasty sounding with any guitar.

I agree.

When the G&L bug bit me three years ago, I picked up a JC-120 for cheap. For clean playing, it worked very nicely with all the guitars I had at the time (ASAT Classic, Superhawk, Legacy, Skyhawk and '82 S-500). Adding a Carl Martin Compressor really made them sound sweet. The only drawback was that there is absolutely no option for getting any crunch or dirt except through pedals. The clean headroom in unreal. And even though it was done to death by some bands back in the '80s (The Police, The Cure, The Smiths, etc.), the chorus on a JC-120 has to be heard in person to be believed. No stomp box can match it.

I was in the process of moving when I got my first ASAT, so I only had a brief moment to try the ASAT/JC-120 pairing. My initial impression was that it was unpleasantly shrill, but that was in an empty room and without a compressor. I need to give that another try one day under better circumstances.

Ken

[Boogie Bill]

My SUNN Solos II is solid-state, and I've always thought it was superior to the JC-120. It's very warm and tube like, whereas the Roland can be grainy and shrill on the top end. It's much happier with single coils than with humbuckers, so the G&LS sound great. I once set up a blind a/b test for some of my guitar playing friends...none could reliably dicern between the SUNN and a Marshall JCM 800 50-watt tube combo.

There are some very good SS amps out there. These days though I prefer the Mesas.

I do acoustic open mics and electric jam sessions. I'm trying to think of a good story but my mind is blank. I'm an experienced performer, but some of the people just have no clue

And I love a good dog, but I've had to back away from them in my quest to lose weight.

Bill