Lunch Report for Wednesday 10/09/13

[RampageFan]

Hello everyone Wednesday is here. The week is slowly moving along. I’m ready for the weekend and more football!

Lunch:
Actually didn’t get to eat lunch tonight. It was a pretty busy night at work, so I was only able to eat an orange while doing my reports. Luckily my wife made chicken fajita's for dinner before I went to work.

G&L:
Another topic that interests me is collecting. On almost every guitar forum I read, the topic comes up and some people have strong views opposing collecting guitars. They feel that some just buy guitars for a collection then put them away and don’t play them. Personally I don’t care. It’s not like there’s a shortage. I think some of the collections here are fantastic. Some guys like Jos have a great ASAT collection, with rarebirds and many different ASAT models. Some collect Leo era. Then there are Darwin and Scott’s walls of fame that have a good variety of guitars. I also see that Fumble Fingers has caught the collecting bug and has accumulated a nice collection in a short time. I think it's cool when a G&L rarebird lands in the hands of a forum member, so the guitar is owned by someone who knows the history of G&L and appreciates what they have.

My weakness is the G&L Superstrats, particularly the Rampage. I would like to get one in each finish from the original run, and one from the Custom Creation run of 70 that was released in the 90’s. I will eventually get one of the new models in the Whiskey finish. I’m also always on the lookout for unusual Rampages that were employee built or prototypes. I would also like to find a Rampage with the Leo Fender Vibrato. I have found if I look hard enough I can find good deals. Two of my Rampages were bought in the $400 range. As long as there are no major mods and the guitar is structurally sound, the condition of the finish doesn’t bother me as long as it is priced right.
Here is my collection of G&L Superstrats.


Recently I found an unusual green burst Rampage that I was close to buying. But with some help from Craig and Dave, it appeared to be a refin, so I passed. The finish looks like it was done very well. But sometimes pictures can be deceiving



So what about you? Do you collect or just happy with what you have? If you do collect, what do you look for when adding to your collection?

Non G&L:
Besides G&L, I also have a fondness for Les Pauls. Particularly Norlin era models from the 70’s. I used to have a ’74 LP Standard in tobacco burst. Unfortunately I had to sell it in the late 90’s to pay off some bills. The only guitars I own besides G&L are a ’95 Ibanez Paul Stanley PS10 and an Epiphone Ace Frehley Budokan. I didn’t want to pay the 6 grand for the Gibson version so I settled for the Epiphone.


What other types of guitars do you guys enjoy?

Thanks for taking the time to read. Have a good day everyone, I'm off to bed!
Thanks,
Dave

[astutzmann]

HI Dave:

Great superstrats, they are awesome.

I have thought about the player vs collector thing alot. I'm a horrible, intermediate player, yet I have 8 guitars and the LE2 on order.

So, I guess I'm a collector since you don't need that many. I started and then always strived to upgrade my guitars to better ones.

My 4 keepers are in my avatar, G&L and Heritage. If you want a better Gibson than Gibson, look at the Heritage models. They are made in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, MI, by the old Gibson artists. A lot better guitar and a lot cheaper.

I started looking at them because of Paul (SouthPawGuy) who referred me. Problem for a lefty is you can't try them and there is too much risk with Gibson of getting a bad one. Heritages are quality. I love the humbucker machines now.

I also have 2 acoustics (one a new 2009 Breedlove) which is an exceptional guitar. First acoustic that has made me want to play acoustics.....

I have a partscaster and a cheapy Fender MIM jazz bass, just to muck around with.

I guess my quest was to have quality guitars that meet most of the tonal qualities, and that's what I've built so far.

SO MANY GUITARS, SO LITTLE TIME. My collection is wasted on my talent, but I like it.

I'm about to move into a condo and will use wall hangers like some of the folks here have, so that my guitars become art.

[darwinohm]

Dave, it is fun to see these early reports. I do a quick check and post later when I have time. Dr appts. this morning and I just had a ham sandwich.

The answer to the Pink Lady question is yes, I completely stripped the body and repainted. It looks as new or maybe even a bit better.

Guitar collections. Jos, I think has a fine collection. He has been on a well planned out mission. He does have a challenge with all the new types of Asats that are being built. I don't consider myself a collector but I love guitars and have finally developed an idea of what I want and what I like. I also consider them an asset so If I had to liquidate, I could over some time. My financial planner and I had a discussion about this and it made sense to him. Having said all that I just plain love guitars and I do have more than I need. I had 2 bass guitars in 2005 and traded a vintage Fender Mustang bass for a new American Deluxe Fender Strat. That is what started me back into guitars and I know that I now have more than 45 but haven't counted for some time. At this moment I have 16 G&Ls, probably 15 Fenders and the rest are other brands that I have been somewhat deliberate about choosing. I now have 16 brands and they are all American or Gretsch's from Japan. I didn't have a plan but it has evolved to what it is. I have become very selective through all this and am very satisfied with each of them. My selection process is something like this. Looks, condition must be as new and many times I don't plug them in until I get them home. They also have to be limited production if possible. It may seem weird but you can make most any of them sound good by a good setup and detail work. I haven't had a bad one yet. The last G&L I bought, (bowling ball) I only had for two weeks. It has been put to good use in our band. I do not have room for any more so I am forced to make choices. I am currently not looking for anything in particular, have none on order and nothing in mind. I am restoring a Hamer and am pondering on the paint color. I will wait until spring to paint and this one I will shoot with nitro. So am I all set???? Probably until something jumps out at me. One of my last out was a Clapton Custom Shop strat which I bought as an investment and it did well for me. In my opinion, it was the most overpriced, overrated and underwhelming guitar that I have owned. I prefer any Legacy that I have for looks, playability and build quality over it. Long answer to the question but I do love beautiful guitars and you have a pretty impressive group of Rampages in the picture.

For other guitars I really like the diversity of brands that I have. Everyone of them is a keeper. I have a Parker Souther nightfly that is a permanent fixture here. The Hamer newport with the Phat cats isn't going anywhere. The more I think about it, they are all staying including the G&L Asat Savannah Bass which I don't play but is a masterpiece to look at. I didn't even mention wall art!!!! -- Darwin

[y2kc]

Hey,
Good week so far.

Great batch of Rampage's !

The german made pick-up in the rampage is not always my cup of tea. Have you switched out the pick-up on any of those?

Were there any Rampage made with G&L terms?

Great collection,

y2kc

[meowmix]

Hey Dave,

Collector. Not for me. I like to find what I really want and have them strategically placed throughout the home so I am never far from picking one up and playing immediately.

I'm also not into vintage. Give me the latest and greatest.

There are other manufactures out there that I am sure are nice, but I don't have the time to try them all out. There are other fish to fry, other projects that need completing.

[blargfromouterspace]

Having a collection of instruments is a good thing. I don't think of myself as a collector but I certainly do have more guitars than I need at any given time and they're almost all G&Ls - more than one and with a theme I would call a collection. I know that some people whine on about "collectors pushing the value of instruments up beyond what a musician can afford and they don't never use them", but I don't think this is a valid argument. Yeah a '50s Esquire would be nice to have but you can go out and buy one that was made today and is, in all honesty, just as good. And then when a musician does own an old, valuable instrument they tend not to use them anyway as they're too fragile! And are the people who complain about this full time muso's or do they have day well paid jobs too? The only full time muso's I know personally are either living at or below the poverty line or are part of the military band. I know there are exceptions out there, but I haven't met any.

It's been a long time since I've played a guitar that felt better than my G&Ls. I would love to get a Les Paul or an SG but every time I go out and play them I am put off completely. I was also very disappointed with the two Heritage guitars I played a while back, especially as they get a really good rap around here. Maybe it was just the ones I played, but neither stayed in tune for 5 minutes and both had uncomfortably sharp fingerboard and body edges. Add in the fact that for the price you pay for a Gibson or a Heritage I could get a fully custom made guitar or 2.5 G&Ls and it's no wonder I don't own one

[Fumble fingers]

very nice Rampage's !!!! ...... I'm sure in some folks eye's I would be a collector , if any guitar is going to push me into the collector status it will be the incoming Buck Owens ASAT deluxe with bigsby ..... I have a feeling it's going to be way to purr-dee to be played much .... my used Classic , Comanche and S 500 are all beauties at a real good price , The Cavalier is the only rough guitar I have but it's solid just could use a re-finish on the body and neck/head stock and the price was right..... my used G & L's should hold there value from what I paid , I have two new now and two on order , a legacy and SC 2 now with a LE 2 and Buck Owens pre paid on order/being built ...... I would say I'm close to being done , I could see a new Fallout in the future for my first new saddle lock guitar and maybe a Invader or something pre-BBE but for the most part I'm about done , I have no two G & L's a like but I do have a LP copy and a ovation acoustic ..... G & L wise I own the equivilent of one jr dragster engine back when I used to race my youngest two kids in the Junior Dragster League ( I had three engines) or it least before the LE 2 and Buck Owens got ordered I had less money than one jr dragster engine , compared to that Guitars seem kinda like a cheap hobby too me ...lol ...

[zapcosongs]

Stunning collection of Rampages! You might just have the finest in the neighborhood. Bully!

Do you prefer the single pickup configuration, or do you appreciate having the additional tonal options of more sound puppies?

I must say that Greenburst looks great on that Rampage. Forgive me as I have just recently tuned back in, but was it relatively easy to determine that it was a refin? For example, do the log books indicate that none were made in this finish, or was there some other clue that something was amiss?

As far as collecting is concerned, I'm with Alf here. I'm a (less than) intermediate player, nevertheless I have a good handful of guitars and basses (did I mention that I don't play bass?). All of my instruments are G&Ls, save for a Japanese Fender, an LP and a Hamer P-90 Special. I love my modern G&Ls as much as I do my Leo-era ones, though for different reasons. Frankly, I play mostly acoustic (Guild) these days, due to the kids' sleep schedule.

Lunch today was about half a bag of Chex peanut-lovers mix, and half a cup of cold coffee from yesterday. Ah, life is good. My health maybe not so much .

Nice week you have going here. Thanks! - ed

[Salmon]

Add a blue, green and violet/purple to your Rampage collection and it will form a Rampage rainbow.

I am not collecting but I have more guitars than I should given the time I have to play them and the amount of time I devote to them and will soon be acquiring at least one more.

I also like Les Pauls. They feel really good to play. The prices and quality issues are disgraceful though. If only money were no object...

Some finishes work better on specific guitars while they are undesirable on others. I don't think Greenburst is a good finish for a Rampage. I wasn't enthusiastic about Shoreline Gold until I saw it on an ASAT......looks great on an ASAT, especially with binding. I would not want it on any other guitar. Yellow Fever looks great on an S-style body but I would not want it on an ASAT. I am not sure why but Rampages look best to me with solid rather than transparent finishes.

I tried to find a Buck Owens G&L. Is it just the red, white & blue sparkle finish and maybe a Bigsby that is nicknamed Buck Owens?

[Fumble fingers]

here's a Classic Buck Owens available right now http://www.seattleguitarstore.com/g-l-a ... clf065978/


Seattle guitar store talked G & L into make one more out of a Deluxe with bigsby for me , I got real lucky

[Salmon]

Thanks. I would think that finish would be a lot of extra work with the hard transition between each color. That price is less than I would expect.

[KenC]

Collecting G&Ls:

I never set out to be a collector. I was happy with one good bass for thirty years, and for most of that time I dreamed of having one good guitar. I finally took the plunge a few years ago when I was about to move 500 miles away from my family for a job change. I figured a nice guitar would give me something to do at night while I waited for the house to sell and the family to join me. I ended up with a '98 ASAT Classic, which I knew would be the one guitar for me. Then a month later the shop I bought it from got in a Superhawk and put a very low price on it. After about three weeks of ignoring it, I realized having a second guitar would let me experiment with open tunings. A month or so later I picked up a used Legacy for the same purpose. Listening to a lot of Sonic Youth and Velvet Underground can do that to you. The Legacy went back to GC when I realized they hadn't disclosed a truss rod problem. They balked at refunding my money, but didn't mind me swapping it for an '82 S-500 at another store. The S-500 started the collecting bug for me. The unusual features got me interested in how various G&L models evolved, and that opened the door to getting my hands on any G&L I could (at a reasonable price) to experience the variety.

At this point, my collecting is heading in two directions. On the guitar side, my goal is to try every student model built between 1982 and 1991. I've just finished rounding up the first-style instruments, so I'm keeping my eyes open now for second-style SC-2s and SC-3s (the Strat-shaped ones, with no pickguard) and later model SC-3s (with pickguards, both with and without painted necks). On the bass side I'm trying to run down one example of each Leo-era bass model. That's been surprisingly easy so far. I just need a '90 or '91 ASAT Bass, and a second style (PJ configuration) SB-2 to complete the set. After that, who knows? Space has become an issue, so I will probably go to a strict one-in/one-out policy and just trade for nicer examples of some of the models. Right now having the narrow focus has helped a lot with GAS. The only problem is when a couple of instruments on my wish list show up at once, which has been happening quite often.

Other guitars:

Soon after I started playing, I rescued a mid-'70s Jazz Bass that had been badly abused by a previous owner. The neck was trashed, so I saved money in college to replace it with a '69 Precision neck (allegedly all that was salvageable from a thoroughly destroyed instrument). I don't plan for that one to leave me, ever. The only reason I got started with my G&L bass collection was that the Fender lost it's serial number along the way (it was on the unplayable original neck), and I didn't want to risk gigging with an untraceable bass. I also have an Ovation Balladeer acoustic I picked up in college, and an Epiphone Genesis that got me back into playing in the '90s. The Ovation and Epi get absolutely zero playing time since G&Ls started showing up in the house, but they have too much sentimental value for me to sell or trade them. Edit: I forgot to include a fretless Warwick Corvette in the non-G&L list. I find their basses very interesting, but not enough to draw me away from old G&Ls. I picked this one up last year as my main fretless. It has the most perfect neck I've ever experienced.

That greenburst Rampage:

I saw that one. I didn't think there was any way a greenburst finish could have been original.

Ken

[Philby]

Hi Dave,

As others have said, that is a beautiful bevy of Rampages.

Re. collecting - as much as I like the idea I don't really have the money or attention span for a proper drool-worthy collection like Jos or Darwin. I tend to pick up moderately priced 2nd hand guitars that I bond with when I try them out. If they're a little bit unusual, or Japanese, so much the better. All of them are players and none are kept permanently in their cases. G&L's are about 1/3 of my stable. Fenders are another 1/3. The rest are Cole Clark, Larrivee, Gibson and Washburn. I don't really need any more guitars, but I could be swayed into picking up a Tribute ASAT Jr or Maton Mastersound due to a recent hankering for some P-90s.

BTW, welcome back Ed!

[blargfromouterspace]

here's a Classic Buck Owens available right now http://www.seattleguitarstore.com/g-l-a ... clf065978/

Check out the weight of that one - 10lbs Thats Les Paul territory!

[Fumble fingers]

G & L didn't want to do another BO at first ...... after a month or so James had lunch with G & l and mentioned it again and they seemed to like the idea this time , he said if they still had the stuff to do it they would ..... about another week went by and they told James they would do it , mean while thinking it was NOT going to happen I decided to get the ball rolling on LE 2 number 007 instead when low and behold James called and said they would do the Buck Owens ..... I had to sell some slot cars to get the cash for the LE 2 because this might never happen again with the Buck Owens and I wasn't going to miss out , I wasn't really planning on the LE 2 and Buck Owens at the same time it just happened this way ....

[Boogie Bill]

Okay...collecting....

I have 54 guitars. That's five too many and ten not enough. I think at the moment I have eleven Legacys, three Legacy Specials, two each of the Comanche and S-500 models, and my Asat Deluxe. Do I NEED eleven Legacys? Probably not.

I will say that I have tried to buy low...the most I have paid for any of my G&Ls is $850, and most were between $400--$650. I'm hoping that they will all appreciate in value, but none of them are closet queens. They all get played, they all have been gigged.

Once I figured out what I liked in a guitar, it became important to have a duplicate(s) as a backup. I love these guitars, G&Ls just fit me so well. I'd rather have a bunch of these rather than one or two Custom Shop Fenders, or even a vintage guitar.

Martins are my acoustics of choice and I have several of them...all dreads. I also have an Ibanez, a Taylor 710CE and two Takamine 12-strings.

And my other favorite is Gibson. I strongly and respectfully disagree with Alf that Heritage builds a "better" Gibson. They do build a good guitar, and their pricing makes them a very good value. But when Gibson does it right, they do it really well. My Les Paul Historics are beautifully made. Yes Gibsons often have flaws, and honestly many of their lower line instruments do not have any appeal to me. But I have seen similar flaws in most of the Heritage guitars I've played. I currently have eleven Pauls and three ES-335s and that number could easily grow. And again, they all get gigged.

I'm pretty set with my G&Ls, but nothing inspires lust in me like a great Gibson or Martin.

Bill

P.S. Ahem...well...maybe Catherine Zeta-Jones....

[RampageFan]

Thanks for all the compliments on my Rampage collection. And I appreciate hearing all of the responses about your collections and the why and what you collect.

Alf: I have read a lot of positive reviews about Heritage. I will have to check them out if I ever see one in a local shop.

Darwin: The bass restoration looks great! Good job! I agree about Jos, I really respect his collection and Knowledge of ASATs. His website is very cool also. I like the diversity of your collection.

Y2KC: Two of my Rampages have the stock Schaller pickups. The white one is NOS, so I want to keep it as new as possible. I really lucked out when I found it, I believe it still had the factory strings on it. The yellow Rampage has an EMG with push/pull coil split, and a boost/kill toggle switch. It has a very aggressive tone! I have seen a few Rampages with the G&L Trem. They seem to be quite rare, which is why I would like to find one.

Blarg: I agree with everything you said. I never look for a vintage guitar. The Norlins era Les Pauls that I like are from the 70's. So it's always debated if they are vintage or not. Seems Dealers consider them vintage when selling, and ask vintage prices, and they're not vintage when the dealer is buying, and they low ball you! And when looking at the new Les Pauls, I think the same thing... I could buy 2 G&L's!

Fumble: My vote is to leave the Cavalier as is! It has an honest history to it! And maybe we could meet up one day at C-Music and you can try my Invader to see if its right for you.

Ed: I prefer two pickups, as I like the tone of the neck pickups. It's just that I love the feel of the Rampage neck, so I accept the limitation of the 1 pickup and no tone control. The thing that threw me off about the green burst Rampage was how good the finish looked. I was hoping that maybe it was an employee guitar or a special order. Craig pointed some good observations out about the logo, and so did Dave. Ultimately, G&L didn't use that finish option until several years after the production of Rampages had stopped.

Ken: I'm with ya! I didn't start out collecting, just kind of happened. Been playing for 30 years and never had more than 2 guitars. Then in 2010 when I found out G&L were making the Rampage again, I ended up with 6 and at least 3 more G&L's are coming.

Bill: wow 54 guitars! I am going to make sure my wife see your post! 11 Les Pauls? You sir, are my hero!

Thanks again guys,
Dave

[gitman001]

Hey Dave,

Again, I'm a day late... but it is nice to get back in the mix of things round here!

And yes, you do have an amazing collection of Rampages!

I guess i never really set out to be a collector either. For me, G&L' s are just about the only brand of guitar that i feel comfortable buying without playing first. I have yet to come across a bad one! So a few years ago when i started doing the EBay thing I couldn't resist some of the smoking deals out there. My criteria has always been to buy something that has a little bit of a twist to it. Wood binding, Sparkle, Semi-Hollow strats, reverse headstocks, Bigsby's... you name it. Im a sucker for something unique, and G&L fits that to a tee!

They other company that i have a lot of guitars by is Godin. Being a Canadian boy, the value of and quality of them is just to hard to pass up

Looking forward to todays report!

Scott

[zapcosongs]

Hi Dave,

As others have said, that is a beautiful bevy of Rampages.

Re. collecting - as much as I like the idea I don't really have the money or attention span for a proper drool-worthy collection like Jos or Darwin. I tend to pick up moderately priced 2nd hand guitars that I bond with when I try them out. If they're a little bit unusual, or Japanese, so much the better. All of them are players and none are kept permanently in their cases. G&L's are about 1/3 of my stable. Fenders are another 1/3. The rest are Cole Clark, Larrivee, Gibson and Washburn. I don't really need any more guitars, but I could be swayed into picking up a Tribute ASAT Jr or Maton Mastersound due to a recent hankering for some P-90s.

BTW, welcome back Ed!

Thanks Philby!

[jdavies]

AT what stage do you leave the bounds of being a guitarist with a few guitars and become a collector?
I don't think of myself as a collector but I look across the room and count 5 G&L s and I wonder....
I pretty much justified each purchase as another tool in the sonic tool box whether it was a vibrato capable bridge or a different combination of pick ups or an (even) lighter guitar or a semi hollow and I've said a few times I have all that I need to get the sounds that I want..until I found a combination of elements that I didn't have in one guitar or I needed a hard-tail for easy alt tuning... I guess its like a woodworker who gets all the new gadgets because it helps in doing his work better and easier even if some rarely (or never) get used. I am pretty much only playing two guitars - an SC2 and a fallout and can get everything I (currently) need from those two. But I really cant see the need to sell any of the others (I tell myself) and the furthest I have gone is giving a strat to my son and lending my brother long term my Yamaha SG1500 (which used to be his many years ago). I have also allowed students to use my guitars at times so they can see what style of guitar suits them before getting their own. Maybe that's what it I can define it as - I am guitarist with a decent variety of tools rather than a collector who may or may not see the use of many of their instruments as the primary reason for buying them. Any way the G&L s I have and use are the best tools I have for what I (love to) do.

cheers
Jeremy

[yowhatsshakin]

Bit late to the table for this one. But alas. I really enjoyed your LRs this week. Thanks for the compliment about my collection. You have a fine collection too. And very colorful.

The moment that I could really focus on what I wanted, everything went much better. For some it is finding the guitars that were played by the bands of their youth, some just collect what is popular in hope of making a buck. Others just have found their little niche and are happy in it. There is an interesting picture in the December 2013 Vintage Guitar of somebody collecting César Diaz amplifiers and effects! G&Ls are a niche too in my book; they are rarely listed in VG ads. And although the collection is up to 43 Broadcaster/ASATs now, in the mean time 8 non-ASAT, pre-BBE instruments have 'sneaked' in too, 2 basses amongst them. And I'm also happy the end is more or less in sight. Still looking for a good ASAT Custom, Z-3, and WR Sig and some lose odd and ends but it is no longer the daunting list I made up a couple of years ago. And believe me, I wish I had a wall like Darwin or Scott to show them all off. But I guess for me that would be something you call a guitar store!

Beyond G&Ls, I love Collings acoustics and some older PRS models. I have enough of the latter, although I'm always on the lookout for a matching 2003 McCarty IRW Soapbar to go with my McCarty BLE IRW. But I would love to get me some more from Bill. It has to wait though. Comes back to that focus again ...

- Jos