rileykill

Yes all guitars are different especially acoustics. There are just so many factors that influence the sound of an acoustic guitar. Every piece of wood is different and produces its own unique tone. I could find another AJ that I liked but it wouldn't be exactly the same as the one I'm letting go. But, I have been really digging my Strat, pedalboard and amp lately. I've been playing fingerstyle and writing on acoustic for so long that I almost forgot what it feels like to jam crazy and loud. It's a blast . Can you tell I'm having trouble reconciling this situation?

I agree with you guys that conventional wisdom says take the Jazzmaster. You'd think it would be a no brainer and I don't anticipate that I would regret it in the long run. The book value of the Jazzmaster is even a little low, IMO. I have been looking at them off and on & they are difficult to find at a dealer for under $3K even for the late 70's models (I've seen some for as high as $3.5 - $4K). I just really, really love that AJ. I play it all the time through amps, PA's, unplugged in my living room ... hell, I basically live with that guitar in my hands. I played probably a dozen AJ

Ohhhhhh ... what to do? I have a trade offer. My '06 Gibson Advanced Jumbo for his '77 Jazzmaster (my birth year, BTW). Now, I'm an acoustic guy at heart but I do love to rip on electric. Lately, I've totally turned over my pedal board (bought pretty much completely new stuff) and started jamming weekly which has made my electric GAS start to percolate for the first time in years. I dunno ... I really, really love that AJ. I had a LR Baggs M1A installed at Christmas and sounds like a million bucks ... but I only paid $1500 for it. Seems like I'd be getting a pretty sweet deal on the Jazz

Will do ...

This thread is still alive? Well, after much deliberation I bit the bullet and contacted Jason at Freakshow Effects ... he is putting together a custom Brown Rabbit unit for me with some additional clipping and mid filter options. Hopefully it will be sweeeet since I paid quite a bit for the build. I won't be buying another distortion unit for quite a while ... for the record, the BR is based on the ProCo Rat.

Great article ... I love Escovedo and I hear him quite a bit on Austin radio & have a couple of his albums. The bit about TVZ is harrowing. Thanks for posting this.

I forgot about the faded SG ... I have played one of those and it's a very nice guitar. Good option and it does give you humbuckers (which it seems like you favor).

Well, let me look around ... as far as stuff that I'm actually using (as opposed to just piled up in a corner): '06 Gibson Advanced Jumbo w/ LR Baggs M1A '98 Gibson WM-00 late 80's USA Strat w/ Van Zandt Rock & Rolls & mid filter 4X10 Bassman Reissue combo Boss TU-2 > MXR Micro Amp > Freakshow "Frosted" Brown Rabbit > Boss DD-5 There's also a 60's Alvarez 12-string acoustic around here somewhere that needs new tuners and 3 or 4 other acoustics that need some luthier's attention (the best being a '62 Harmony H-165 that sounds pretty sweet but needs a neck set) ... and a DS-

Those are good suggestions ... any of the Japanese and some of the Mexican Fender guitars are a pretty good buy. You could also go for this: Melody Maker I've heard good things about 'em and it's a "real" Gibson, FWIW ... It's pretty inexpensive but you will have to buy a LP sized case (not included in the price). You could probably get away for about $500.

I'm pretty sure these can take steel strings ... I played one a few months ago. The neck was 2" as mentioned but it sounded pretty nice. There are also the Gibson C models which are true classicals. Sometimes you can find one for $200 - $300 since "classical players" don't really favor them. They're cool ... I think Tweedy might have one in the IATTBYH movie.

I have a 4X10 Bassman combo and recording at home is a bit of a challenge. But, I don't want to trade down just yet. My solution is to use a clean boost to drive the tubes to breakup. A MXR Micro Amp (or something similar) won't add any distortion via circuit ... it will make your tubes burn hotter. I can get great breakup at about a 2.5 or 3. Of course, if you want a small boutique amp go for it ... but don't trade off your larger amp and then wish you had it when it's time for a gig.

Oh hell yeah ...

Carr Vincent I want one of these pretty bad (the 2X12 combo version ). I read an article on these guys in Fretboard Journal a few months ago. They do some pretty cool stuff ... make their own cabinets, burn in the tubes for a long time, keep very tight QC, etc. Seems like a cool shop.

There are lots of boutique amps on the market right now. Fulton-Webb, Bad Cat and Carr all make some really nice amps as well ... I think some of us are most familiar with the amps that are built in our immediate area, since lots of these brands don't have wide distribution (that's the case with F-W here in Austin).

Ohhhh man .... I played a 30's model L-00 at lunch today. It was worn as hell but **oh my gosh** what a sound. It was articulate and well balanced but also really wide open and airy. Huge sound for such a small guitar. Marked $3.5K. Now that's where you should put your L-00 money!

Oh wait I see ... maybe that is one of the Legend L-00's? Those have a street price of about $5K I think. IMO, that's crazy when you can buy the actual vintage model for much less.

A new off-the-rack L-00 isn't gonna set you back $5K ... more like a little north of $1K. Vintage 30's L-00's can still be found for $3K - $3.5K (although the price is rising). Of the guitars you showed us, picking the Gibby would be a no brainer for me ... but then again I'm a Gibson acoustic nerd. The QC at Gibson Montana isn't any worse than Martin or Taylor, IMO. I play new Gibsons all the time and they are fine. The biggest problem is that the factory doesn't set them up (or, I should say, sets the action really high) ... so if you are playing new guitars in a shop take that into

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer St Vincent - Marry Me Iron & Wine - Shepherd's Dog Toots & The Maytals - Light Your Light Feist - The Reminder (in that order)

Hmmm ... might have to drive to Houston. Not much over 2 hours and I've got some family there anyway. ACL is fun and all ... but I want to see them not as part of a festival. Hope the show is loooooong.

I bought one of the Dano baritones when they first came out. I paid about $250 for it new. It was a cool guitar for the money ... very light and the lipstick pickups sounded pretty good. I kinda miss it.

I really love all my guitars but for some reason I just can't name 'em. So, I'm going with "the Harmony," "the AJ" and "the double aught." Oh ... I almost forgot ... "the Strat."

Get the macbook unless you enjoy slamming your head against your desk in frustration. I'm forced to us a PC at work which only makes me love my macs that much more. If you're planning on using the laptop for recording music the answer is even more obvious. Garageband is actually a decent program and Logic, while it does have a learning curve, is awesome. If you really want the headache of using a PC OS you always have boot camp (to boot Vista on your mac).

I always thought he was routing the saddle for a heavier string ... but that doesn't really make sense if he was only going from A to Bb ...

Hmmm ... I dunno. My only experience w/ Rogue instruments is the $30 uke I bought my one-year-old for her birthday ... it's good for occupying her while I play an actual guitar. FWIW, it doesn't really stay in tune and sounds like a cardboard box with rubber bands. On the other hand, you can sometimes find vintage National/Supro lap steels for less than $300.

Good luck PT ... I'd help out if I were in the area.