Guitars: Time for an Intervention?

mtn wrote: Since it doesn't seem like you guys are much into acoustics,

I actually want to build an acoustic from scratch....bend the sides and everything.

This thread makes me want to go guitar-shopping.

My girlfriend's dad once said "When in doubt, buy a guitar."

I should try that. I always have some kind of doubt going on...

Actually, acoustic is my weapon of choice. There is just something about the sound of a quality acoustic with a capable player that just can be recreated through an electric. Plus the band that inspired me to start playing was DMB, so acoustic was the natural choice for me.

That being said, I'd give my left nut for a Taylor.

Yep, an aerodyne strat. Picked it up for an amazing price.

I feel that on an electric, or at least a solid body, if the neck is right, you can get the right sound out of a 2x4 with some nice pickups bolted on. With the right pickups, switches, pots, etc. installed, you can have a blues, country, jazz, and metal guitar all in one. Just not my thing, although I can certainly understand and appreciate wanting a ton of different ones. I think that I'll hold on to the strat, and eventually get a Tele as well and be done with Electrics.

An acoustic, on the other hand, has a whole lot more stuff going on with it. Different woods produce extremely different tones and volumes; the same goes for the shape, bracing, age of the wood, etc. Just my biased 2 cents.

My acoustic collection includes Epiphone, Martin, Gibson, Larrivee, and I want another Guild F-20 out of the Hoboken factory--that was the one that got away. Girlfriend has an Epiphone Masterbilt that was a Christmas gift after I accidentally bought it last November.

I've never paid more than $700 for a guitar, including gas money and repair money. Yes, I've had some extremely good deals, and an extremely kind father for one of them. When all is said and done, if I were to sell out today, I would be up about $2000 from day one. But I ain't sellin any of these guitars, with the possible exception of the Gibson. That one is new to me and still getting repaired--we'll see if I bond with it or not.

I really, really dislike Taylor.

Nevermind.

I have managed to keep my collection small over the years with some success. One classical, one acoustic 6 string and one acoustic 12 string, one electric guitar and one electric bass.

Chuck plays the drums off and on, and cymbals are definitely addictive. Now, Chuck has started making 3 string guitars out of cigar boxes. It's acoustic/electric.

JoeyM wrote:

mtn wrote: Since it doesn't seem like you guys are much into acoustics,

I actually want to build an acoustic from scratch....bend the sides and everything.

I visited PRS last week and got to spend lots of time in the factory, including the acoustic production area. Very cool. Looks very labor-intensive, too.

EastCoastMojo wrote: I have managed to keep my collection small over the years with some success. One classical, one acoustic 6 string and one acoustic 12 string, one electric guitar and one electric bass. Chuck plays the drums off and on, and cymbals are definitely addictive. Now, Chuck has started making 3 string guitars out of cigar boxes. It's acoustic/electric.

Very cool! This is on my list of things to build before I die! Dig the knobs :)

David S. Wallens wrote:

JoeyM wrote:

mtn wrote: Since it doesn't seem like you guys are much into acoustics,

I actually want to build an acoustic from scratch....bend the sides and everything.

I visited PRS last week and got to spend lots of time in the factory, including the acoustic production area. Very cool. Looks very labor-intensive, too.

Do they make free-hand bends a heated tube or do they use a bending machine

JoeyM wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote:

JoeyM wrote:

mtn wrote: Since it doesn't seem like you guys are much into acoustics,

I actually want to build an acoustic from scratch....bend the sides and everything.

I visited PRS last week and got to spend lots of time in the factory, including the acoustic production area. Very cool. Looks very labor-intensive, too.

Do they make free-hand bends a heated tube or do they use a bending machine

Even little guys like me use bending machines, no way in the world a larger shop would do any bending by hand.

Also this thread needs more Koa. I am bumming around Maui with the wife and looking for a good acoustic when she is sleeping on the beach.

mmmmm Koa.

I'm pretty good about not buying them too often, but I never get rid of them, and seem to keep acquiring them anyways. So now I'm up to four hollowbodies, three solid bodies, one acoustic, two basses and a ukulele. I think that's it. I maybe forgetting something. All Gretsch, except the uke, acoustic a Fender Jazz bass, and a crazy bastard Tele/Kay/Supro solid body thing.

The only ones I've ever let go were a yamaha bass of dubious merit and a 62 Jazzmaster that I still kick myself over.

Gonna need pics of the Tele/Kay/Supro thing. I'm a sucker for weird and old.

I need to finish it

wearymicrobe wrote:

JoeyM wrote: Do they make free-hand bends a heated tube or do they use a bending machine

Even little guys like me use bending machines, no way in the world a larger shop would do any bending by hand.

Cool. I had no idea that you were doing the luthier thing. You should post some pics of ones that you've built

I've owned four guitars since I started playing in '95 or '96. My first was metal Squier with a Floyd Rose II Now, I wish I would have kept it but I traded in on a Washburn jazz box style guitar. I, then, traded that guitar for an original '77 Telecaster Deluxe. My tele is now my pride and joy. I did get an Applause acoustic with a built in pickup.

Lately my addicting is not new guitars, however. It's tube amps. I'm currently making my own Champ 5F1 in my own cabinet, refurbing a Kalamazoo Model 2, a WebCor awaiting a guitar amp caress, and a handfull of HiFi amps awaiting work. I started this tube amp thing just this spring...

I played the new guitar for a few hours this evening. I still suck, but an observation: I can't paint or draw too well, but I still appreciate fine art.

At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.