Boogie Bill wrote:So, what were the high points of your purchases last year? (List any pedals, guitars, amps, accessories, recording equipment or PA gear that you bought that merits out attention. Pics are always good.)
Has the new gear met your expectations, or left you disappointed?
Here they are, in roughly the order they arrived:
1982 SC-1 (photo by the previous owner):
1984 Cavalier E:
1999 L-1500:
1986 SB-1:
1983 SC-2:
1963 Ampeg B-15:
1982 SC-3:
2003 PRS Electric Bass (photo by previous owner):
1969 Gibson EB-0:
The SC-3, B-15 and PRS were ones I didn't have any expectation of finding affordable deals on, but they happened to show up when the funding was there. I had been unsuccessfully trying to track down an unmodified first-style SC-3 for quite a while, and stumbled on this one while randomly checking different cities' Craigslist postings. The B-15 had been my Holy Grail bass amp for a long time before it showed up in a local shop, and I had been GASsing for one of these PRSs for over a year (since one got away from me). I made the first bid on an eBay auction, and somehow nobody else bid. I had been so sure that it would skyrocket out of my price range that I almost didn't bid.
I basically swapped my John Jorgenson Sig ASAT for the B-15, and had no remorse whatsoever. For such a simple amp, it amazes me that nothing built since the circuit was revised almost 50 years ago has matched that sound. Once you have it in your ear, it's easy to tell which classic albums were cut with a B-15. You might not be able to tell what kind of bass was played, but there's no mistaking the B-15 tone.
The SC-1 is my favorite guitar model of all time, so when I had the chance to get this one as a backup to my other '82 I jumped on it. It is perfect, even when I strum it unplugged. The Cavalier was not a planned purchase, but when it came up in a conversation about another instrument I went for it. It doesn't get as much playing time as some of my others, but it is still a sweet guitar.
The L-1500 was a sleeper that turned into a keeper. It was a very OK bass sound-wise with round wounds, but when I put flats on it became a tone monster. I can't understand why they don't have a better reputation. Judging by their rareness on the used market, the folks who do buy them new tend to hold onto them.
The SB-1, SC-2 and EB-0 were supposed to be fixer-uppers. All three were listed for way below their value, and I was concerned the G&Ls would become platforms for modding or hack-job repairs at those prices. The SB-1 sounded from the seller's description like there could have been some ski jump, but I decided to take a chance on it. After a couple of days acclimating from its old home in the Southwest to summertime in Maryland, the buzzing went away and every note fretted cleanly. I guess it just needed a healthy dose of humidity.
The EB-0 had worn down to bare mahogany, had a stable crack below the output jack, and has aftermarket tuners. It has soaked up quite a bit of roasted walnut oil, and once it seems to be done drinking any more in I will start using Feed-N-Wax (a food-grade blend of beeswax and orange oil that's popular with Warwick owners). I may replace the tuners if I can ever get a good deal on an original set.
The SC-2 was described by Guitar Center as being heavily modded and in bad shape, but the only mods were replacing the original black bridge with a newer chrome one, scuffing the finish with sandpaper, and replacing the knobs. It plays and sounds like a dream.
Boogie Bill wrote:Time to get out your crystal ball, and tell us what purchases you might be making in 2014.
This year I really want to focus on playing rather than acquiring. I have a Moog Sub Phatty synthesizer inbound (it's been on order for almost a year). As far as 2014 purchases, I would like to find the two Leo-era basses that have evaded me so far: an ASAT and a second-style SB-2. The one piece of new gear I am interested in is a fretless G&L bass with a #8 neck. When I think about it, I bounce back and forth between an L-1500 and an SB-2, with occasional dreams of an ASAT. If I do go for a new G&L fretless, it will be after selling one or two (depending on which model I go for) of my current BBE-era G&Ls.
Boogie Bill wrote:What kind of cables are you using these days? Do you have to have the most expensive, boutique, custom made cables; or is off the rack "good enough"?
Anyone make their own cables?
How often do you replace your cables; do you replace them simply as needed, or do you throw out the lot every say, every five years and start over?
I've been buying a brand called Quantum, that a local shop sells. They are the only U.S.-built cables I've come across lately. I always have too many long ones and not enough shorties (a common problem for those into synthesizers as well as guitars). I pick up a couple of short ones whenever I see them in that shop.
Ken