Volute redux

  • Thread starter Thread starter Biddlin
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BlackSG91 said:
I guess you still play guitar. You still do, but used to, too.


:>)/
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Yes, sir!

BTW, I'll say this now, even though I am subject to change my sig pic at any moment, rendering this post meaningless. Anyway, my current Mitch Hedberg signature pic is from his 1998 Canadian (I believe, Toronto) video recording.

The signature pic is at the exact moment he delivered the line, "I used to do drugs. I still do. But, I used to, too." I adapted it to read, "I used to play guitar. I still do. But, I used to, too."

Black, you've been through a lot, my friend. I truly hope you find joy in this life. Losing my wife would crush me to my core. I admire your strength and fortitude.
 
smitty_p said:
Yes, sir!

BTW, I'll say this now, even though I am subject to change my sig pic at any moment, rendering this post meaningless. Anyway, my current Mitch Hedberg signature pic is from his 1998 Canadian (I believe, Toronto) video recording.

The signature pic is at the exact moment he delivered the line, "I used to do drugs. I still do. But, I used to, too." I adapted it to read, "I used to play guitar. I still do. But, I used to, too."

Black, you've been through a lot, my friend. I truly hope you find joy in this life. Losing my wife would crush me to my core. I admire your strength and fortitude.
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Thanks Smitty...your words mean alot to me. I still battle alcohism from time to time but I have support from councellors and my sister-in-law. My mother also died 2 months before my wife who arranged the funeral for her. I'm doing better these days as time passes on. I'm glad that you are active on this forum because I frequent here often. Good to have you on board my friend and thanks for the kind words. God bless you always!


;>)/
 
BlackSG91 said:
Thanks Smitty...your words mean alot to me. I still battle alcohism from time to time but I have support from councellors and my sister-in-law. My mother also died 2 months before my wife who arranged the funeral for her. I'm doing better these days as time passes on. I'm glad that you are active on this forum because I frequent here often. Good to have you on board my friend and thanks for the kind words. God bless you always!


;>)/
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I am so sorry.....
 
BlackSG91 said:
Thanks Robert for your condolences. You are a good soul and a great asset to this fine forum. I'm glad you are on here and you have lots of wisdom which I can learn from. Keep active on here and I will do the same. Peace brother!


;>)/
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I am nothing...I am only a tortured soul who can feel other's pain....
 
Tony M. said:
I'm with Don on this. I think Gibson is losing ground in the guitar marked because of poor QC and ridiculous prices.
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I don't know, Tony. I can only speak of my recent purchases, and my $600 faded is great value for money. &, the 2013 future tribute that with a bridge pickup change still came in at under $850 NOS is amazing - the playability, lightness, sounds, quality parts, look, etc. I've had a $1000 MIJ tele which is supposed to be fantastically made, great value, etc, and it is nowhere near the guitar the Gibson is.

Certainly Gibson could improve their QC, every manufacturer could, but I don't see the 2012s, 2013s, 2016s and 2017s as expensive; certainly not when compared to US made Fenders...

Having said that, going up the range does start to get very expensive for not a lot more guitar... A faded is good for the money, a standard is decent value, a $2500 limited edition often adds very little over the standard, a $3500 custom shop is nice, but maybe not $500, never mind $2000, better than a standard, then we move to the really expensive reissues and the like... That's just the SGs, Gibson really go to town on the LPs!

So yeah, Gibson sell a lot of excellent guitars which are very good value, imho. They also sell some stuff at crazy prices...
 
Mr Grumpy said:
I don't know, Tony. I can only speak of my recent purchases, and my $600 faded is great value for money. &, the 2013 future tribute that with a bridge pickup change still came in at under $850 NOS is amazing - the playability, lightness, sounds, quality parts, look, etc. I've had a $1000 MIJ tele which is supposed to be fantastically made, great value, etc, and it is nowhere near the guitar the Gibson is.

Certainly Gibson could improve their QC, every manufacturer could, but I don't see the 2012s, 2013s, 2016s and 2017s as expensive; certainly not when compared to US made Fenders...
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I know that you cannot compare an assembly line with a hand made guitar, but I agonize over every detail of a guitar that I send to somebody...
 
Mr Grumpy said:
I don't know, Tony. I can only speak of my recent purchases, and my $600 faded is great value for money. &, the 2013 future tribute that with a bridge pickup change still came in at under $850 NOS is amazing - the playability, lightness, sounds, quality parts, look, etc. I've had a $1000 MIJ tele which is supposed to be fantastically made, great value, etc, and it is nowhere near the guitar the Gibson is.

Certainly Gibson could improve their QC, every manufacturer could, but I don't see the 2012s, 2013s, 2016s and 2017s as expensive; certainly not when compared to US made Fenders...
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If quality control is good, no one should need to pay more than $600- $800 for a guitar that does everything a pro needs it to.
 
BlackSG91 said:
You are a good soul and a great asset to this fine forum. I'm glad you are on here and you have lots of wisdom which I can learn from.


;>)/
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That goes equally for you Black. I can't remember a post of yours that did not put a smile on my face. Stay positive and try not to give in to the sad thoughts which can seem so urgent and overwhelming at times. They are fleeting, just like the good ones. I know this meri-go-round all too well. I have stayed off the sauce for 4+ years now and I always remind myself that there was no light in the pit I dug out from.

PM me if you ever want to talk.
 
RVA said:
If quality control is good, no one should need to pay more than $600- $800 for a guitar that does everything a pro needs it to.
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I didn't say quality control was good although I reckon Gibson's demise has been significantly over-stated.

An SG faded is $600 and a pro can use that all day long. A pro would need to pay over double that for a US made Fender though, more still for a US made PRS.

$$$wise, I don't know. I agree that for under $1000 you must be able to buy a functional guitar that you could do a world tour on, and you can. But, some fellas are still buying these flashy Gibson tops and $10,000 PRS beasties - if I had the money, maybe I would too.

I know you like to buy lower priced instruments and get them in shape, RVA - and you do an excellent job of that. Personally, after the experience of doing similar with an Epi, I now prefer to buy a $1000 or less Gibson that just works and sounds good with no, or very little, modification - works out cheaper too (maybe not in all cases).
 
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Mr Grumpy said:
I didn't say quality control was good although I reckon Gibson's demise has been significantly over-stated.

An SG faded is $600 and a pro can use that all day long. A pro would need to pay over double that for a US made Fender though, more still for a US made PRS.

$$$wise, I don't know. I agree that for under $1000 you must be able to buy a functional guitar that you could do a world tour on, and you can. But, some fellas are still buying these flashy Gibson tops and $10,000 PRS beasties - if I had the money, maybe I would too.

I know you like to buy lower priced instruments and get them in shape, RVA - and you do an excellent job of that. Personally, after the experience of doing similar with an Epi, I now prefer to buy a $1000 or less Gibson that just works and sounds good with no, or very little, modification - works out cheaper too (maybe not in all cases).
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We are in agreement. I have the more and less expensive ones. Are my "creations " as good as a PRS or Tom Anderson...unequivocally not! But in the context of diminishing marginal returns for your $$$, they are a far better choice. Yes, they are a luxury, like a fine car, olympic size swimming pool in your yard, etc. As long as you can afford it and perceive it for what it is, an extravagance, all is well. However, I also think that too many extravagances can be bad for a person's character. Keep it real yo!!!
 
Mr Grumpy said:
I can't see myself ever buying one, but yours is lovely and sounds superb; I can certainly understand why a pro (or anybody) would buy one - it's just better.
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Tom Anderson has spent the better part of his life concerned with the details that make a guitar better. But in the end, much is lost in the sauce. Rockers are gonna rock...and that is all there is to it!
 
Yes, as has often been noted, if gigging in bars and pubs then there's so many factors linked to room acoustic qualities, amps, background noise, sound desk approach, the list goes on, that a Mexican Fender or LP faded, a nice playing guitar, is gonna sound much the same as other much more expensive equipment.
 
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Mr Grumpy said:
I don't know, Tony. I can only speak of my recent purchases, and my $600 faded is great value for money. &, the 2013 future tribute that with a bridge pickup change still came in at under $850 NOS is amazing - the playability, lightness, sounds, quality parts, look, etc. I've had a $1000 MIJ tele which is supposed to be fantastically made, great value, etc, and it is nowhere near the guitar the Gibson is.

Certainly Gibson could improve their QC, every manufacturer could, but I don't see the 2012s, 2013s, 2016s and 2017s as expensive; certainly not when compared to US made Fenders...

Having said that, going up the range does start to get very expensive for not a lot more guitar... A faded is good for the money, a standard is decent value, a $2500 limited edition often adds very little over the standard, a $3500 custom shop is nice, but maybe not $500, never mind $2000, better than a standard, then we move to the really expensive reissues and the like... That's just the SGs, Gibson really go to town on the LPs!

So yeah, Gibson sell a lot of excellent guitars which are very good value, imho. They also sell some stuff at crazy prices...
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You were most fortunate on your purchase, Mister Grumpy... but your experiences are not typical. I bought a 2016 Gibson SG T Series (faded) and a 2016 Gibson Les Paul 50's Tribute that both hummed and squealed so loudly, that they were unusable for anything without lots of work.

The 2016 Gibson Les Paul 50's Tribute was also delivered with .100"+ action to make up for several high frets. I returned it to Gibson. That was brand new Gibson #3.

The SG required removal of the circuit board, installation of shielding and removal of the Gibson pickups (i had three sets brand new that were either muddy or noisy) to correct the sonic issues so I could record with it. It's a great guitar now, but there is nothing Gibson in it...nothing.

My point being that Gibson QC is very sporadic, which is a shame because they have so much history as an American builder.

I hope they get a handle on this...
 
eSGEe said:
Is it true Floyd Rose was really a Banjo player?
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No. He was a 70s rock guitarist who was to stubborn to learn how to properly wind strings and lube nuts and instead invented a totally unnecessary and unduly complex device to take money out of other gutarists' pockets while convincing them that they need it to stay in tune. Like my good friend Gene Parsons, he found a profitable use for scrap metal. Gene's B-bender is a great idea for guys who want it.
 
Biddlin said:
No. He was a 70s rock guitarist who was to stubborn to learn how to properly wind strings and lube nuts and instead invented a totally unnecessary and unduly complex device to take money out of other gutarists' pockets while convincing them that they need it to stay in tune. Like my good friend Gene Parsons, he found a profitable use for scrap metal. Gene's B-bender is a great idea for guys who want it.
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A Floyd adds a new dimension of express-ability to one's playing. Not everyone desires that. I have personally fiddled around with stock Fender tremolos for 29 years and seen all manner of methodology and lubricants aimed at keeping them in tune. Yes, you can do some things to make a Fender tremolo remain in a more accurate state of tune...you can also push a school bus up a hill if you work hard enough. With a Floyd, you just lock it and go. Simple....

Perhaps, for me personally, my engineering background allows me to see all the flaws in the original system, from friction points, to steep and uneven angles and high mechanical tolerances, the original system was the best of 1950's technology, but it left a lot to be desired from a mechanical engineering standpoint.

I would rather have to spend a little more time changing strings than to have the instrument fail to return to pitch in the middle of a song....
 
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