It's about time

[LeoFThe Champion]

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Well my friends,
As you know I have been here a while and not ever done the Lunch report. So it certainly is about time. In fact I have not even formally introduced myself. So my name is Anthony I am the manager of one of Australia's best and most loved fitness centres. I keep very fit for an old bloke. I am 45 years old. I just ran 10 miles and I do heavy and hard weights training 2 times per week.
I am currently going through a bitter divorce . My American friend told me "you know why divorce is so expensive because it is so worthwhile". I laugh so hard at that comment. You have to keep your sense of humour. Anyways, enough of all that stuff.
My lunch today was Grilled Barramundi and a salad, cooked by me.
I first discovered The Basses By Leo website and they are a great bunch of blokes too. But being more of a guitarist I found my way here. In fact this place has given me a great deal of interesting conversation and filled many lonely nights.. When you stop spending so much time with your kids you really look for ways to fill the nights. Now before you think it is all sad , it is not . There are many advantages to being a single man and as I have discovered many single woman out there.
I got really lucky here at Christmas 2011 . I followed the links button and investigated Electric stringed Instruments where I was to find the most incredible man , Gabe Dellevigne. Through this mans generosity with his time I learnt so much about G&L. In fact it was Gabe who inspired me to Get a Mahagony S-500, I shouldn't say why but I will say I cannot wait to read his book. I will likely buy many copies and give them to my friends and make them believers too.
Gabe introduced me to the great Josey wales and the rest is history. At the top of my wish list is to got to California and buy Gabe a beer or ten. I owe him an incredible amount but he says I owe him nothing.
So my question is and a couple of boys from Basses by Leo inspired me.
Do you name your G&L's ?.
I have named each and every one of mine. The 1st I have introduced you to is Dizzy. My Mahogany Wunkay, absolutely mint ,I named him Dizzy because I picked him up from South Carolina and shipped him around the World.
I love playing Dizzy but I love to play my S- 500 more. His name is Eric The Viking , now that's a story for another day .
Cheers and have a fab week.
Anthony

[Fred Finisher]

Anthony,
Although I have been pretty busy lately, I have been trying to keep up with reading posts. I want to confirm your comments about Gabe. Because I visit California a few times a year, I have made it a point to spend time with Gabe and his family on a couple of occasions. I couldn't agree more with you on your assessment of him. He is truly a great asset to the guitar world and particularly G&L. He and I have had long conversations about all things G&L and I was amazed at the degree of accuracy he has uncovered about not only the instruments, but also the inner workings of the factory and the people who were there. I too anxiously await the book because I am quite sure it will bring back fond memories. I look forward to your posts this week,
Fred

[Sprinter 92]

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Nice looking L-1000!

So my question is and a couple of boys from Basses by Leo inspired me.
Do you name your G&L's ?

No. I've never been into naming my guitars. My trucks are the only thing I name.

[blargfromouterspace]

LOVELY L1000! They have to be my favourite looking bass, and that is a very fine example. Any chance I could play it if I'm up your way?

I named my first G&L - the sunburst Classic S in my avatar - the second I opened the case. Juan Carlos Montoya. Dunno why I chose that name, but it came immediately. I had been smoking funny cigarettes that day might have had something to do with the odd name. The others don't have names.

[Miles Smiles]

No, I don't name my guitars.

But regarding to Dizzy, I should name my S-500 to Aussi, as I bought it in the US and it was sent at first to Australia instead of Austria. It wasn't the sellers fault, USPS messed it up and so the Australien postage service forwarded it to Austria directly and I finally got it with some delay.

[louis cyfer]

anthoony, are you saying you are signing up for the week of lunch reporter reports? or just today for the open mic?

[y2kc]

Anthony,

Beautiful mahogany on that bass.

I have a SC-3 hardtail my son gave me that he had already named "Stewie" from "Family Guy". My son had this guitar when he was 15 and loved that show.He is 34 now and still plays G&L. Great guitar, a very funny show and a wonderful kid.

Nice bass you got there!,

y2kc

[darwinohm]

Anthony, thanks for stepping in today. That is a beautiful L-1000. There are some of those that are really neat.

I don't name any of them other than a MM Stingray 5 I had. It had some grain on the back that looked like the hooked X. There were several of them and I called it the Rune Stone bass. I sold it for a G&L 2500 wich I no longer own. I have been down to one working bass recently and I started on my project Stingray 5 ( has been on the shelf for 3 years ) yesterday and I will soon have 2.

How is the Aussie winter? Do you ever have snow on the ground?

There are some pretty interesting and knowledgeable members from this board that seldom post any more. They contributed a lot of information to the board. Things change and we still have some very knowledgeable people around. -- Darwin

[westsideduck]

Great looking bass!

Gotta love Gabe, everything, and I mean everything I know about G&L, Leo, George, dale and the rest of the great history of G&l I learned from Gabe back in the day, I'm glad I had the brains to save most of his posts over the years and I am always going back to them for reference purposes, It was his posts that inspired me to buy way too many old school G&Ls, that bastid!

Gary

[Elwood]

My lunch today was Grilled Barramundi and a salad, cooked by me.

Is Barrimundi a fish? That sounds tasty even though I'm not big on fish. Homecooked is best.
I bought some more Fareeka grain last night, I'm looking forward
]some completely homemade veggie burgers for dinner . ( for Lunch I had a couple bananas, PB+J , and some Odwalla Superfood drink ( citrus-sy with a touch of wheatgrass and other good plantstuffs.)

The Fareeka is good, nutty like barley...cooks up in a little under 30 mins.
I'm letting my Fareeka Flag Fly (couldn't resist)

Do you name your G&L's ?

The only one presently named is "Stealthy" , because it's an amazing machine that seems to be under the radar most the time.



I had a white fretless L2000 with a Marvin the Martian sticker on the back, so that one was Marvin.
Marvin found a new home 10 years ago...always missed him. The Fretless I bought to fill that hole in my heart
should probably be named . She is red and makes me smile.





The newest to me L2000 is very Rosy, that name might stick.



The L-1000 I'm making a body for will have to be named, I need to assemble it and play for a while .
I made the body slimmer than most , I'm hoping it'll come in at under 9lbs. Once the routing is done I can
put everything on the scale. (no hardware store in town has a top bearing flute bit with a 1/4" shank.
I think I'll save up for a new router with a 1/2" collet...instead of chasing wimpy 1/4" bits.

I bought it in the US and it was sent at first to Australia instead of Austria.

Those three little letters make a bit of a difference...wow, talk about roaming around the world.

I have made it a point to spend time with Gabe and his family on a couple of occasions.

I didn't realize he was in Cali. now. When I sent him some parts I think the address was in the midwest.
I'm gonna have to take a trip down the coast sometime.

I see BoogieBill helped this seller with info on his Stingray auction that ends soon...is anyone watching this?
I see there's 2 bids now, it'll probably sell for 750-850...my best guess.
Musicman Stingray Auction


Here's one more interesting ( to me at least) G&L on ebay. I hadn't seen any with an ebony accent laminate
under the maple top. That's gonna be a snappy sounding bass. (Yes, wood matters!)

2002 JB-2 body and neck


Nice to know a little about you Anthony, thanks for jumping in ~
elwood

[Boogie Bill]

Yes I do name my G&Ls. It's really just a code name, a short way to communicate to my roadie, Miss Leslie.

My gold Legacy is Goldilocks, the black one is Midnight, the LPB is Ice. The Belair green Legacy is the Chevy, the identicsl S-500 is the Impala. The Transparent Blonde Legacy is Mary Kaye...the Butterscotch Blonde is Marilyn Monroe. With 18 of these guitars, it's an easier to say "I want to take Jo-Jo (than, the Fullerton Red Legacy with the GOT neck) to the gig.

I have names for several of my other guitars too, but it's really just a code word.

And I have NEVER named any of my cars, other than calling them a string of unkind words when they are not running right. Naming a car is weird!

Bill

[Boogie Bill]

That auction is for a Sabre I. I feel ripped off that he used my post.

But...it is very well written and informative, isn't it?

Hey, I wonder if Darth Invader would give me a job writing ad copy.....

"Will work for guitars!"

Bill

[Elwood]

That auction is for a Sabre I. I feel ripped off that he used my post.

But...it is very well written and informative, isn't it?

Hey, I wonder if Darth Invader would give me a job writing ad copy.....

"Will work for guitars!"

Bill

oops...the coffee needs to be a touch stronger today, thx for the correction.
It's good protocol to ask permission...I agree there. You probably helped him bring in more cash.

elwood

[ellengtrgrl]

Hi Anthony,

Nice looking L-1000 you have there.

Do I name my guitars? - yes, but the names don't always come to me immediately. In some cases it takes a little while. A case in point is my Tribute ASAT Semi-Hollow. Up until I read this thread, it had no name, but I got to thinking. My Fender Esquire with the hot, overwound Broadcaster-type pickup is known as Junkyard Dog (due to a comment I posted on on another guitar forum a few months ago, that with its new [at the time] pickup, it had become a snarling, rock & roll junkyard dog). Well, with its large MFDs, my Tribute ASAT Semi-Hollow is even more of rock 'n roll junkyard dog - a super junkyard dog. So, my Tribute ASAT Semi-Hollow will now be called Super Dog!

My Guild 12-string acoustic has no name. Neither does my Cabronita Tele Thinline, but my 1954 Gretsch Country Club is known as Brandi, due to it being refinished in (sort of) burgundy Country Gent colors, when its previous owner restored the guitar.

Before I forget - Elwood, that's a cool looking ASAT you have.

[LeoFThe Champion]

Thanks everyone for the responses. It is an amazing Wunkay , I love Mahagony and maple G&L's . Timber changes everything.Fred I know the feeling I love reading your posts
Sprinter I am happy to hear you name your trucks I only name my G&L's
Blarg, you are welcome anytime, you must have known the Classic S was fast and cool or both.
Miles Smiles , I agree with Elwood , a few letters have to make a difference . I would have to name your S -500 "The Voyager"
Hey Louis I signed up for next week. Because its been announced open Mic that's how it stays
Y2K, you have an amazing son, I'll email you again soon
Darwin , it is neat . it is a 1983 too.
Hey Gary " westside duck" we have a lot in common .
Hey Elwood, you always make me happy just thinking about the Blues Brothers. You are correct Barramundi is a fish , probably Australia's premier eating fish with a price to match. Stealthy is one sexy looking guitar.
Bill , I like that practical application for the names , I always liked the creative .
Hey Ellent, junkyard dog , way cool name and I bet no one will mess with you .
Thanks
Anthony

[zapcosongs]

Hey Anthony.

Nice lunch. Nicer L1K. Wow!

No, I don't name my guitars, but my high-school girlfriend did name my <censored word> "Ralph." I named her girl-thing "Loretta" so there you go!

Sorry about the bitter divorce. I may call on you for advice some day, lol! Just keep the kids close, and the whole situation this side of disaster. For the kids' sake at least. And don't let the lawyers win!!!

You doing the whole week? Hope so! - ed

[Fumble fingers]

I named a used guitar I got my grandson once , I call it F*%king piece of s#*t after I cut my finger on a fret , then I got him a Ibanez Mikro , I still have the POS , nice LR BTW sweet bass


Elwood , whats the story on Stealthy ??.... that thing looks too cool


Eric

[Elwood]

I named a used guitar I got my grandson once , I call it F*%king piece of s#*t after I cut my finger on a fret , then I got him a Ibanez Mikro , I still have the POS , nice LR BTW sweet bass

LOL...did you eventually hit the edges with a file?

Elwood , whats the story on Stealthy ??.... that thing looks too cool


Eric

As best I can gather, there were three like this one completed. Probably conceived and started in 1990
and finished early '91.
I've seen a couple other G&L's that had similar necks that weren't paired with that modified ASAT style body.
Those might have been necks that were proto's for these and ended up being assembled by an employee at the time.
There is an alternate neck that I have yet to try, the heel has signatures of the G&L team at the time ,
honoring Leo shortly after his passing.

You guys and gal ( ellen) should give me a little kick in the butt to swap necks for a while.
My to do list gets almost overwhelming at times and some tasks get pushed to the big back burner.

I'll locate a few more pics...possibly use an open mike day this week to share old and new pics and
maybe even some soundclips ( again...might need a little nudging to keep me on track ).

elwood

here's a few more pics:












You might notice the pickup choice could have been better, no real dropouts in volume when playing,
but I bet proper spaced pickups would seal the deal
( just noticed those windings over the saddles ...I best get some TI power brights installed with
the other neck to fix that )



and one more for now...love those curves

[gitman001]

Hey Anthony,

Can wait til your the official LR man next week! Sorry to hear about the divorce - I am 37, married with 2 kids (6 and 4). I honestly couldn't imagine. I really hope things work out the best for ya.

As far as naming guitars... I have never done it. If i started now I would have to dig out one of those baby name books we used when the kids were born! 22 names would be a lot to come up with Maybe when i hit 26 i will go with an A though Z thing!

Have a good one
Scott

[KenC]

My first bass - which came to me in high school as a nearly unplayable Fender Jazz with a faded pink finish - immediately picked up the nickname "The Pig". With some TLC (and a neck from an equally trashed '69 Precision) it became a very sweet player, but to this day it's still The Pig.

The only other guitar I've named is my first G&L six-string. It's a '98 ASAT Classic in Blonde over swamp ash, and became "Buttercup".

Maybe when i hit 26 i will go with an A though Z thing!

I like that idea. One more G&L and I can start picking the names...

Ken

[LeoFThe Champion]

Hey El,
Stealthy is just about the coolest G&L, certainly right up there in the cool department. Is it Maple, it looks like it but what is the other timber? I'll have to look up Fareeka as I've not heard of it before.
Zapocosongs, I hope I don't ever hear from you LOL but experience has taught me a lot about divorce. Great advice about keeping the kids close, Unfortunately disaster is winning but my new Lawyers have got me back in the game.
Fumble Fingers you made me laugh, thanks.
Scott, It's like a lot of things survival kicks in, thanks for your tangible support. It's a lot of fun naming guitars and I am sure you are one creative man.
C'mon Ken, It was an El Toro named Vemon Hardapple that inspired me to name my G&L Basses and I have gone on to name my G&L guitars. I'll let you know the names and the stories in my Lunch reports next week.
Thanks again everyone.
Anthony

[Elwood]

Hey El,
Stealthy is just about the coolest G&L, certainly right up there in the cool department.

It is really cool, it plays as well as it looks. I'd love to know who came up with the split fingerboard idea.

Is it Maple, it looks like it but what is the other timber? I'll have to look up Fareeka as I've not heard of it before.

My guess is that it some of that ebony they had in the shop that has the lighter streaks in it's figuring.
The finish on the dark side of the fretboard is dark dark polished ebony. It's like a still black lake at night.

I can't recall seeing that caliber of fret board polishing/buffing on ebony .
It must take too much time, I'd love to see my favorite guitar company offer it as an option .

On many of my rosewood or ebony boards I sand/polish/burnish until the pores disappear and reflections start to to show. It takes forever it seems ( at least 4-5 hours total ) , but I love the slippery feel it provides and it
makes everything look as neat as neat can be. Especially after a day or so of fretwork.

I'll takes some pics of the dark wood at different angles, maybe we can a come to a consensus that's better than my quick guess.

All my best,
elwood