Lunch Report, Maonday March 29 2010

[darwinohm]

I am extremely honored to be a first time for me Lunch Reporter this week. It will be early as Ginny has an appointment for follow up to her surgery from last week. She is doing fine.

I am Darwin Ohman from Minneapolis/St Paul and Ginny and I have lived here for many years, raising our family here. We are now empty nesters except for two kittens, Magic and Sam. I have been a lurker here for the last year and a half, really enjoying this forum as it has a well rounded bunch of people. I was introduced to G&L about a year and a half ago. I started majoring in music in 1960 and discovered that I did not want to teach, but perform music. I also understood that I am no Chet Atkins. So I made a choice and went into the computer business in its infancy. I could raise a family by doing this and still do some music on the side. I didn't do much in the 70s and 80s with music but got back into it with our original band from the 60s in 2000. I am a lowender but started with 6 string regular guitar in 2006. Two years ago I had two racks with 10 guitars on the living room floor and Ginny informed me that she was sick of walking around them and that I should hang them on the wall. Is this working or what???? Not being just the average dummy I spaced them with room for expansion. I am not an intentional collector but this has just happened.



Lunch today is going to be right here in Hells kitchen at home. Ginny is supposed to have a lot of protein so it will be old fashioned bacon and eggs as a brunch when we get back from the Doc. The cats will be watching as I cook.

So here is some G&L stuff

On the either side are Two G&L Legacys that are virtually Identical. I like white guitars and in the middle is a Fender 57 reissue in Mary Kay and next to it is a Music Man John Petrucci with a piezo. One of these Legacys is my main go to and I think that these vintage White G&Ls are the most beautiful guitars on the planet.

I have seen some of the most beautiful guitars on this forum. We all have our different reasons for having the guitars that we have and we all do different things with them. What stands out for me with the G&L is the body woods in the clear finishes. I have many Fenders and there is not a one that has body woods like these G&Ls do. Also I believe that The G&Ls do everything the F does but does it better. All these guitars have different pickups except for the Legacys and the two Gretschs have Filtertrons. I normally play unplugged on the couch every morning and they all have unique sounds. I really appreciate guitars for their art value.
What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?

Have a great day!! Darwin

[John_L]

"What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?"

I like versatility and precision. I think when you choose a guitar it as much chooses you the feel and the voice. For me I like uniqueness and personality.
I like both the innovation and attention to detail in G&L guitars. I've liked every Asat I've played and it's the little things that stand out on them. I've never seen an Asat with a pick guard of any style where the fit of the pick guard isn't perfect. It's a little thing but for me important (compare with Fenders reissue mustang where there is an ugly gap between control panel and guard)

[jazzrat]

What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?

Wow Darwin...what a nice collection!
For me it's having been through so many darn guitars that has made me realize how nice G & L's are.
Some of it is indefinable...for instance...I have a very nice 2-tone Eric Johnson strat...plays and sound really great, but I just take it out
of the case, play it and put it back until i need it again. My Legacy on the other hand...when I take it out, I tend to leave it out.
It just seems to have a complexity and depth to it. I find myself just looking at it, turning it over to view different angles, not to mention you could
get lost in the bird's eye maple. I like everything about it including not gouging my hand on the bridge as opposed to my EJ.
As a designer/artist by trade I really like the way G & L's look.
I know it's subtle differences on a classic theme but they do it so well.

[Brock]

On the either side are Two G&L Legacys that are virtually Identical

You have a ton of redundancy, especially with the two Legacys pictured above, and the other ones too. This makes me wonder, "Why?".

-Brock

[shawn500]

Wow!
Impressive collection.
You grabbed me with Fender and G&L pieces, then slam it home with the Gretsches!

"What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?"

Well, The G&L's ARE the better mousetrap. Leo had a hit with the original guitars, and he could have rested on his laurels, but he refined those original designs and made them even better. The fit and finish on the G&L's is only surpassed by the sound.

Besides the G&L's I have a couple of Reverend guitars. I find them to have a unique sound and look, and they really stand out from the crowd.

My Gretsch is my bread and butter guitar. It's my main gigging guitar, and is one hell of a player.

Great start Darwin! Look forward to seeing what you come up with for the week.

[MrRoundel]

Nice collection. As mentioned by Brock, admittedly, I too have a couple of model duplicates, although no identical twins. No reason, other than they came along at the right price, at the right time. That said, it won't be too long before I "thin the herd" of duplicates. Tax time is the worst time to be a seller of virtually anything in America. Great time to be a buyer though.

I gravitated towards G&L guitar very much because I feel I have a good eye for quality. I liked the feel, sound, looks, the history of the company, and am not part of a "label herd" for anything. It's just my counter-cultural nature. I suspect that herd-following is not a trait shared by many of us G&L'ers. That's just a guess.

[darwinohm]

John L wrote:
I like versatility and precision. I think when you choose a guitar it as much chooses you the feel and the voice. For me I like uniqueness and personality.
I like both the innovation and attention to detail in G&L guitars. I've liked every Asat I've played and it's the little things that stand out on them. I've never seen an Asat with a pick guard of any style where the fit of the pick guard isn't perfect. It's a little thing but for me important (compare with Fenders reissue mustang where there is an ugly gap between control panel and guard)


John, you couldn't have said it better. I removed a neck from one of my G&Ls. I couldn't get over the perfect fit with the pocket. The White Legacys in the picture today are Vintage White and in my opinion are beautiful. They really have that vintage look. Ginny doesn't always comment on some of the strays that I bring home but on this first vintage white G&L she said "Wow". Her fave. Do I argue with that??? Thank you John, you seem to appreciate the artistic value of your instruments -- Darwin.

[darwinohm]

Jazzrat writes:

Some of it is indefinable...for instance...I have a very nice 2-tone Eric Johnson strat...plays and sound really great, but I just take it out
of the case, play it and put it back until i need it again. My Legacy on the other hand...when I take it out, I tend to leave it out.
It just seems to have a complexity and depth to it. I find myself just looking at it, turning it over to view different angles, not to mention you could
get lost in the bird's eye maple. I like everything about it including not gouging my hand on the bridge as opposed to my EJ.
As a designer/artist by trade I really like the way G & L's look.
I know it's subtle differences on a classic theme but they do it so well.

Jazzrat, I agree. I may own an EJ someday. I like many things about them. I have a 2007 Clapton Custom Shop and it is sweet but having said that, a guitar that lists for $3500 should have more that a lightly flamed maple neck. Some of my G&Ls have more flame than that and are not advertised as flamed. The Clapton in Mercedes Blue is certainly overpriced but I bought it right.

[darwinohm]

Brock Wrote:
You have a ton of redundancy, especially with the two Legacys pictured above, and the other ones too. This makes me wonder, "Why?".

Brock, you have asked the question that any reasonable person would ask. From a guitar perspective one would only need one electric and one accoustic. If you were making a living at this probably a backup of each. In theory the redundancy would be the G&L Legacys as the pickups are all the same. I do not make a living at this but here is my story.
I started with Two Fenders, an American Deluxe Strat and an AD Tele in 2004. They are now both gone. I am also into setup and analyzing what makes these things tick. At my age, after the family is raised I am able to scrape a few bucks together now and then and I buy another guitar. Ginny is not a pushover and she had heard every reason for the next guitar. So here is what happens. Our investment guy was over this winter as I am semi retired and talked about what is next. He thinks that a person my age should have some liquid assets that are easy to get to. He is talking 30+ thousand dollars. Now he says "do you have that in a savings account" other than in investments. He is a young fellow and I tend to gravitate toward younger folks. He looked at me , then he looked at the wall, he turned back and smiled and said "Yup". I almost kissed him and could not wait to tell Ginny. Now, I love to work on these things and it takes time so I change strings, adjust truss rods when needed and keep them cleaned and waxed. Now for doing that I get to play them and this all keeps me out of other trouble! Maybe logic isn't my strong suit but thats my story! Thanks for asking Brock and hope the answer wasn't too boring---Darwin

[darwinohm]

Shawn writes :
Well, The G&L's ARE the better mousetrap. Leo had a hit with the original guitars, and he could have rested on his laurels, but he refined those original designs and made them even better. The fit and finish on the G&L's is only surpassed by the sound.

Shawn, you hit it right on. You have some Black Beauties there. I love the P 90s and are what kind of buckers are the other? Geo and Leo knew what they were doing. Not having known either of them it seems to me that they really complemented each other as a team. No doubt in my mind that G&L was their best ever. I amazes me that they are so reasonable in the used market. Thanks for you contribution Shawn. -- Darwin

[darwinohm]

l

[jazzrat]

Darwin, I can really relate to enjoying just tinkering with the dumb things. When I was buying/selling/trading a lot of guitars, sometimes two to four a month, I always enjoyed taking some under-appreciated guitar in need of a setup and seeing how well I could make it play.
Now that I'm down to about four electrics I have to admit to changing strings before they were actually needed, just to have something to goof with.
I am painfully aware also of how much better a player I could have been had I spent time practicing rather than fussing with the intonation on some poor overworked thing.

[darwinohm]

[quote="shawn500"]


Well, The G&L's ARE the better mousetrap. Leo had a hit with the original guitars, and he could have rested on his laurels, but he refined those original designs and made them even better. The fit and finish on the G&L's is only surpassed by the sound.

Besides the G&L's I have a couple of Reverend guitars. I find them to have a unique sound and look, and they really stand out from the crowd.

Shawn, the Reverends are beauties and they do stand out from the crowd! I have seen a couple on Craigs List but didn't know anything about them. I think that Leo and George had it figured out, and really complemented each other as a team. Thanks for your pics. -- Darwin

[darwinohm]

As mentioned by Brock, admittedly, I too have a couple of model duplicates, although no identical twins. No reason, other than they came along at the right price, at the right time. That said, it won't be too long before I "thin the herd" of duplicates. Tax time is the worst time to be a seller of virtually anything in America. Great time to be a buyer though.

I gravitated towards G&L guitar very much because I feel I have a good eye for quality. I liked the feel, sound, looks, the history of the company, and am not part of a "label herd" for anything. It's just my counter-cultural nature. I suspect that herd-following is not a trait shared by many of us G&L'ers. That's just a guess.

Mr Rounded, Right time and price is everything. I try to discipline myself on price. Sometimes in may take a month or two hoping that no one will grab it. I figure if its still there it is meant to be. Others can always be sold later to make room for the new prize. Thanks for your input -- Darwin

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Darwin,

Two things:

1. What a great start!
2. What an amazing collection!!

I wish my wife would let me hang all of my guitars on the wall. But then again, she has great taste in paintings so I'm not really complaining.

What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?

Couple of things, many mentioned in posts by other board members. Beyond G&L, I like PRS and Collings, both of them well known for craftsmanship and excellent instruments. But with G&L's, you get tremendous bang for the buck, also excellent craftsmanship, and they sound great. And over the years, I have come to the realization that the Tele/ASAT is the most versatile guitar for the kind of music I like to play. I just came of the couch reading the latest Musicians Friend catalog. On the topic of the Tele, it was pointed out there is not a single guitar that features in so many, sometimes seemingly disparate, styles of music than the Tele. From country, to rock, soul, you name it, somewhere there is a Tele player.

The other aspect to building up my collection is that the model needs to be either a Limited Edition, no longer be available, or otherwise rare in appearance and/or specs and than delve into the history of the how and why. That is just fascinating stuff to me.

Keep it up buddy!!! I'm looking forward to learn some more about the how and why of guitars in your collection.

[shawn500]

Shawn, the Reverends are beauties and they do stand out from the crowd! I have seen a couple on Craigs List but didn't know anything about them. I think that Leo and George had it figured out, and really complemented each other as a team. Thanks for your pics. -- Darwin

Darwin, try out a Rev if you get a chance. I love the necks on them. They are based off of a 1962 Strat neck IIRC. Fits my hand like a glove.
That Club King (the semi hollow one) is my fave. Spruce top, korina back and sides, and P90's. Great combo. It's going to have a Bigsby as soon as I can afford it.

[jazzrat]

+1 on the Reverends! Great necks on those. Nice and light and what a great vintage, funky kind of vibe.

[darwinohm]

Jos says:

I wish my wife would let me hang all of my guitars on the wall. But then again, she has great taste in paintings so I'm not really complaining.

Art is something that means something different to different people. As we get older I think we become more appreciative of art. I'm glad your wife has the handle on that one or you would have too many guitars, and you have some dandys! --Darwin



What are your reasons for the guitars that choose and what sets the G&L from the rest for you?

I like to get high quality instruments that will hold or increase in value. Other than that it just happens. Hard to explain. Maybe is is GAS.



From country, to rock, soul, you name it, somewhere there is a Tele player.


Leo had that one right from the beginning. A simple solid body , with a bolt on neck with killer looks. You load these T types with a Bigsby and it is Dynamite!!!-- Darwin