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TommyK

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Everything posted by TommyK

  1. Oh, let's bump this again so it doesn't fall off'n the internets. BTW, "Epi" is still holding after all these years!
  2. Pretty, pretty, Loretty! Love her! And, she still has that very Excellente.
  3. Don't cha just love the Arm Candy? The era of BIG hair, Nudie suits, and over the top pick-guards.
  4. I can't attest to the specific model, but that is a mighty awesome photograph. And the MOTHER of all mother of pearl! However, comparing the FT110 and FT120 shown in the EPi WIki: http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/FT-Series#FT-110_through_120 shows that the FT120 has a mustache shaped bridge. Tubb's is rectangular like the FT110 Frontier. And, the MO-mop pick guard more closely resembles the Frontier. My money is on Frontier. Only a view of the back and sides would tell a tale. Frontier - Maple back and sides Excellente - Rosewood back and sides. edit- The lightness of color of the back as seen through the sound hole would seem to indicate maple, i.e. Frontier.
  5. Alan Mulally, newly appointed CEO of FoMoCo attended his first meeting with the sales dept. The perfectly coifed, pearly toothed sales managers all extolled the postiveness of Ford Sales. Mulally asked what was Fords most profitable line. "Taurus" was the answer. "That's fantastic, how many did we make last year?" Veep of the sales department told him the number. Then Mulally asked, "How many are we going to sell next year?" Looking a bit sheepish, the veep replied, "None. You see we dropped that model for next year in favor of ..." Mulally, said, "YOU WHAT?" >end of meeting< Before the sun set new, "Taurus" name badges were ordered for the impending model year. Had Mulally not done his job, FoMoCo would have been there right next to GM with it's corporate hand out. Check his resume. He is a bona fide rocket engineer. Apparently, knowing enough to continue selling folks what they want, especially when it makes the company a boat load of money is Rocket Science. Mulally's 'retired' now. I can't wait to see what he does with "Tesla".
  6. "... someone who knows her and he said she's "not a bad person" but has a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and allegedly was scheduled to enter into a local 30 day rehab. She also 'talks to people who aren't there'..." Now there are a set of words that don't belong in the same paragraph. ... Not a bad person vs. History of drug abuse history of alcohol abuse Just sayin'. I'd have no trouble putin' one of these away. I've done it before and I'd do it again. They get by with it for so long as good citizens just don't want to see someone suffer, or they try to look for the 'good' in someone. I know I was one of those good citizens myself, ... not anymore. But at some point you just get fed up or they hurt a family member or they invade your property, you just gotta take a stand and..., stand your ground. Nope, you'll never see monetary compensation, but one has to stand up to childish stupidity that degrades the neighborhood. From the physical description of her fall from grace, I'd say hillbilly heroin is the likely medication of choice. If it's in the 'hood, locking doors and keeping an eye on your kids is now part of your reality, whether you realize it or not. To be brutally honest, if she did someone else damage,... real damage with your vehicle and you didn't secure it so as to not be stolen... you the owner could be held responsible for other people's damage, especially if you have a steady job, are a responsible citizen with assets. Think about it. That's why the sheriff asked if you okay'ed the theft. Even so, if she'd have killed someone, you'd be living in a van down by the river after the sheriff's auction. It appears to jean-de-arms is taking point on this and you're just a witness. Let the law sort her out and let the chips fall where they may, but don't minimize her actions that adversely affected you.
  7. Re: Dad's 4X4 trade-in. I was trying to sell cars when your current Blazer (T-Blazer?) was new. When any 4x4 entered the lot, you should have seen the salesmen scramble. Each and every one had a 'list' of potential buyers for the yet to be traded truck. Sold before Dad left the lot with the new one? Mores the likely it was sold before your dad's tail lights crossed the curb heading INTO the new car lot. 4X4's back in the 80's were hot, Hot, HOT! In my short tenure at car sales, I sold a short wheelbase, conversion van to a newly wed couple, he 52, she 22, they had a beat up K-Blazer. Not an un-rotted panel on it, ugly dog s&&t brown. As I had no prospects for a used 4x4, some other salesman had a customer on the line that was all, "I'll take it!" while the owner's new Missus was just test driving the van.
  8. Serial numbers of the Norlin Era, Japan made FT guitars were anything but serial. Best you will be able to do is get to a 2 or 3 year range of possibilities based on description. Label color features are the usual tell tale evidence of an approximate age. Do you have any pictures.
  9. The 147 was either a blingier or less blingier version of the 145. Some of the 140-ish models were labeled as "Texan", some not. Early on the marketing types decided to make hay with successful names used on similar guitars during Epiphone's Hey day. (pun not intended but it does cause me to chuckle). The 120's had Caballero The 570's had Sheraton. THis link will show the flat tops of the Norlin era. http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/FT-Series#FT-550 "Texan" was applied to even some 12 strings and some upscale dreads.
  10. Epiphone has offered 12 string versions of many of it's models; Hummingbird, J200, etc. The 12 string is kind of a niche market, so there are not a lot of them around of any variation. 12's have a bad habit of imploding. I'm not sure if it's due to the basic design of the acoustic guitar not being conducive to applying upwards of 8 or 9 strings. or just being less forgiving for being misused or abused. True there have been harp guitars with a gazillion strings, but they were built like battleships. Today's demanding guitarist expects a certain volume and tone in modern guitars which demands they be lightly built. Congrats on your 12. I've often thought of procuring one, but never have had the opportunity to purchase whilest having the finances to afford one.
  11. Made in two different factories on two different continents with different tooling. Epiphones made by Chinamen, and Gibsons made by long tall Swedish Boze-men. Ergo the size difference.
  12. Wow! It's been 8 years. Still holding. I think this is going to work.
  13. The Norlin era FT's were, from time to time, given names used at an earlier era. I've a FT145 "Texan". It's no closer to a FT-79 "Texan" than a ukulele is to a violin. The Norlin era FT-120, was at times, also given the name "Caballero". Not to be confused with the 1960's "Caballero" (FT-85 I think).
  14. I had contemplated a neck block to end pin block brace, just such as that, but opted for the corner braces. Seems like either one would work. BTW, I believe it was Fender had a similar problem which they correctd with a metal pipe like brace between endpin block and neck block. This was either the factory expedient or field repair. You can see the pipe through the sound hole of this Palomino: FWIW the owner of that Palomino is none other than Hester Clark, pappy of Roy Clark. It's from one of Clark's album covers. I really wanted to make those tri-angluar corner blocks, but lacked the table saw to cut a decent 45. The tuners weren't the best available. I have one or two that are somewhat stiff, but they hold good. Probably a combination of a cracked bridge plate (under the bridge on the inside) and / or cracked bracing. A through-the-sound-hole repair is not for the short of temper, but it is possible. You'll need a deep throated "C" clamp, or two. One could try to remove the old plate, but applying a second, solid hardwood plate on top of the other is an option. Broken braces can be glued, then re-glued to the sound board where loose, if they are of the 'green stick' variety. Making splints from thin wood (tongue depressors or coffee stirrers come to mind) to reinforce the cracked area is probably a good idea. If they are snapped into heavier splints might be in order, or total replacement.
  15. Might could have a grounding problem with the household wiring. Try plugging it in at someoneelse's home to see if the problem goes away.
  16. Some refer to this as a 000 model, similar in shape to the Martin model number 000 "triple ought". This was the first model nomenclature used when Epiphone production was moved to Matsumoku of Japan in late 1971. These early Norlin guitars, made under contract by Matsumoku of Japan, can be dated to within a 6 month period at the end of 1971. In early 1972 this model was dubbed, FT135. The rosette is OEM. These labels are commonly altered to disguise their Japanese origin with the expectation of passing them off as older, more valuable guitars. (as if the HomeDepot aluminum channels wouldn't detract from the value) Not sure what issues these channels were installed to correct. From their position, I'd say a bellied up bridge due to cracked/loose "X" braces. The 'splint' where the major "X" braces cross is not original. Original construction has these "X" braces notched to cross each other in the middle, while being one piece from end to end. The intersection was reinforced with a bit of fabric or gauze gluing them together. The usual malady afflicting these Norlin era FT guitars is a loose neck block, which this one appears to have suffered, as evidenced by the chunk of soundboard and rosette missing at the base of the fretboard. It appears to have been repaired. If the action is still high, quite poorly, I might add. Also missing is the adjustable saddle holder. These are nigh on impossible to replace or replicate. Better to plug the extra wide saddle slot with rosewood looking wood, then re-cutting for a standard saddle, or making or buying an over sized saddle (1/4" thick). There appears to be some sort of apparatus at the base of the neck block showing through the sound hole. (more HomeDepot repair aluminum?) Can you get a camera/mirror in there to show the neck block repair? In case you haven't found it, > > Here is my repair < < Depending on the extent of earlier repairs and choice of glue, my repair may or may not be possible. If the action is high, and the glue used was epoxy, you have a mighty fine wall hanger... and not much else. You may be able to salvage the tuners or the neck, if it is still removable. If the neck is removable, you can experiment with shims and wedges to get the action to an acceptable level. Not sure how the after market truss work will affect the tone. Only time will tell.
  17. I guess I missed my point. Laminated wood is also known as plywood. Laminated woods come in a plethora of grades, as does solid wood. Compare solid Rosewood vs solid pine used to make building lumber. Both are solid, but one not suited for instrument building and one not suited to building construction. From the looks of it the laminated wood used in guitars the ply/laminated wood used is probably the best grade available. And... properly assembled, makes a tolerable starter instrument. OSB and Particle board are two totally different building materials, neither of which, in my estimation, is suited to guitar construction... although there have been some awfully fine looking Les Pauls (counterfeits) coming out of China with particle board bodies. I'm sorry if anyone got confused and thought I was talking about OSB and PB.
  18. A pejorative term for 'laminated' is plywood. Technically, the terms are synonymous. However, the plywood or ply board most of us think of is used in building construction. The building construction plywood has several grades. The cheapest have voids, knots which have fallen out, in all layers. For some purposes, like roof sheeting, this is good enough. Better grades have the voids filled in with either inlaid patches (usually canoe shaped) or wood putty, to provide a smooth surface for painting. For some purposes, this is good enough. Flooring plywood needs to have the voids in the inner plies filled as well to prevent the surface layer from collapsing into them as people and furniture is moved across a floor. Furniture grade plywood will have a very fine, void-less, outer ply of birch, oak, cherry, or other high grade hardwood for appearance. Inner voids may or may not be present, depending on grade. I suspect that for instrument manufacture the 1/8 - 3/16" laminated woods would have few if any voids in the inner layer(s). This thinness of laminate usually only has 3 layers.
  19. For decades, when the term 'Select' is used in Epiphone sales literature, the term is used in reference to guitars which are KNOWN to be laminated. 'Select' in this useage is a fuzzy word with ambiguous meanings, but sound pleasant. "Solid >insert wood species<" has legal ramifications. i.e. "Solid Spruce" can mean and only mean one piece of Spruce, cut out of a tree that is one piece of wood through and through with no laminations. Caveat, 'Solid Wood', can mean anything from single piece of balsa to particle board which is made up of wood fragments, but solid wood none-the-less. I don't think you'll find a definition for Epiphone Marketing's use of the word "Select" anywhere on Gibson/Epiphone's website. So, let history be your guide. If, in fact, a guitar manufacturer has gone to the expense of making a guitar top out of solid spruce, I think Marketing would jump on the chance to tell you that it was made of "Solid Spruce." If not, they would not be doing their jobs.
  20. It's probably the strings... age has nothing to do with it. Some strings are just lousy right out of the box. Chances are some or all were replaced due to breakage. Dealers don't always use OEMs for replacements. If you're really interested in buying it, tell the acoustic room attendant your wish to purchase, "but not if it sounds like this." The shop manager would surely spring for a new set of OEM strings to seal the deal on a $3000 guitar. If a new set of OEM strings doesn't do the trick. Take a pass.
  21. Have fun with it. ON the upside, it's an excuse for new strangs! New strangs are almost as much fun as new tires! Woo Hoo!

  22. IN my experience the top AND the side becomes loose. The top fully disconnected, the side possibly still attached closer towards the back. The block tilts forward, twisting the back a bit. I've never seen one come completely loose.
  23. Early 70's made by Matsumoku of Japan. Search this board for "Matsumoku" and you'll undoubtedly find a "Brief History of Epiphone" penned by a cat named Larens, years ago. When new, mine was less yellow. The burst a brigher red and the sun like fresh cut pine. She's aged quite well, I think. Yeah, I've seen some 'innovative' 'fixes' to the weak necked Norlins. Sheesh!
  24. The 160's came natural or bursted like my 145. Your serial number is meaningless. Serial numbers of this era were anything but serial. What sound hole label is on your 160? Tan or blue? That would tell you if it were early/mid or mid/late '70's. Have you seen my treatise on repairing a loose neck block? http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/37812-repairing-a-norlin-era-ft-guitar-with-broken-neck/ You may be able to do the repair yourself. 12 strings also have a bad habit of having bridge failures. That's a whole other fix entire. This is likely part of your 160's problems. Got any pictures you can post of your 160?
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