turkeyT Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 "Patiently"? Well, you're a better man than me. I'm crawlin' the frickin' walls here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Anyone else have a problem with the bridge buzzing on their new AL-355? I think I solved the issue on mine by putting one wrap of teflon tape on the threads of each bridge stud post. I was kind of surprised to see the words "Made in Japan" stamped on the underside of the "L5-S" bridge - wonder how long they have been making them there. My only other (minor) issue is that the saddle screw for the B-string appears to be locked up - it will only turn about a 1/2 turn in either direction. Looks like the bridge will have to come off one more time. Other than that, all is well, and the tone & playability are outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 How quiet is it on here at the moment........????? Â Is everyone gutted with jealousy that a few have received their prized possessions and your still waiting..........I bloody am...!!! Â This feeling I remember from waiting for the results of my finals in my collage days..........AGONIZING...... Â Can others who have got their Big AL Geeeetars already please show us more photos, Soundclips, YouTube Videos especially......anything, please keep us entertained whilst we endure the following weeks, months until ours finally arrive.... Â Ta very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1meanmalibu Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Man do I feel stupid but could someone please tell me how to post a photo. I have some recent pics of Alex's ES-355 I'd like to share but I seem to be having some technical difficulties. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Go to this link........  http://photobucket.com/  one minute to register then you can upload your photos like this......  1) Upload Photos to Photobucket first of all.......  2) Find the "IMG Code" which is the bottom of the 4 options which shows below your photo.....  3) Copy the Link in the window and paste it into the text of your thread on the forum........  Dead simple to do......  Good luck and lets see them photos............  Cheers  Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1meanmalibu Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/electrics/gibson/custom_artist/ Â Here a few photos of AL #051 to whet your appetite for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeyT Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 How many did that store receive?! I hear a few have arrived in Canada but I'm still gonna have to wait for the next shipment (at least) until mine ships... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1meanmalibu Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I phoned Wildwood Guitars yesterday and they received AL #117 and #135 which sold within a couple of days. Today I noticed they had #051 in stock. I just want to note that the salesman, who was very helpful and informative by-the-way, told me they have, get this, 30 on order! I'm still stunned after hearing that and I had to make him repeat what he said! He seemed quite confident that all will sell very quickly too. I phoned the Wildwood store more out of curiousity really since I already have a guitar on order from a local shop in my area. So I have a question. Can one store receive that many guitars? If they order 30 guitars, does that mean they will get 30? It just seems strange that with a limited run of 300 guitars, with possibly 60 to 70 going to Canada, that an order of 30 seems like such a high percentage of guitars for one store to receive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I'm picking mine up from Wildwood and was also told they were to get 30 guitars, this is going back a few weeks and they already had virtually half of them sold....!!!! Â They apparently at one time used to be the main Gibson dealer in the US, they get the names going to buy there also. Steve Miller and Bruce Springsteen bought there recently so maybe this is why Gibson give them a nice bunch....???? Â Real nice people there, have been great to deal with every step of the way, really looking forward to meeting them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilmusician Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnn Long & Mcquade ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wondo Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Can any new owners of the AL 355 describe the electronics. Is it stereo or mono? I understand the original was re-wired for mono with a bypass switch for the Varitone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Can any new owners of the AL 355 describe the electronics. Is it stereo or mono? I understand the original was re-wired for mono with a bypass switch for the Varitone.Yep you can have both, if you look at the photos on Wildwood Guitars website you can see the extra switch as per Alex's guitar......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wondo Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 When you say you can have both, do you mean you can have both mono or stereo or both regualr three way tone and 5 way Varitone?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I haven't picked mine up yet but have been told by Gibson & Wildwood that it does the standard Stereo Varitone settings and as the mod to bypass for Mono. I've personally never had a go with these types of settings on a guitar before so I'm just happy its got the bypass as Alex had done so that I can just get on with it.............but I'm sure I'll be entering the world of Varitone and what it its capable of at some stage...  Hope this helps  Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitball Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Guys, the mono/stereo-Varitone toggle idea sounds brilliant. Having both options in one guitar is awesome. Actually, I'd prefer no stereo option, just the Varitone bypass. With that, you'd get the Varitone (which sounds really cool for certain Blues tones especially), then you can bypass all that circuitry and get the pure unadulterated voice of the guitar, probably clearer than you get with the Varitone "1". It's like you get Varitone "0" along with 1-6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krb813 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'm new here. This may be a question for the Admin. Are all of the Lifeson Guitars spoken for already? I'm not aware of anyone in Austin, TX getting any in stock. Â Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogwarmth Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 i ordered mine from Guitar resurrection on Morrow Street. Jim said he had some inquires on them so he ordered one. I sent a deposit to hold it for me. He might have ordered a second one? call them. no you cant play mine!!!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogwarmth Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Just like most people' date=' I put my money down on the Alex back in February. Besides the fact that we still have no idea what is going on with the guitars, this is the part the really bites for me. I live in Toronto and apparently there was supposed to be a meet and greet with Alex for all the people who got one of these guitar's up here. Yeah, no guitar, no meet and greet! Thanks Gibson or whoever is responsible! If we are lucky maybe we'll get them by June from what I have heard. Crap! [/quote']Â febuary...not a real fan.:D i ordered mine while namm was still going. had 2 days left for namm, and i had 2k down!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staxman Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm new here. This may be a question for the Admin. Are all of the Lifeson Guitars spoken for already? I'm not aware of anyone in Austin' date=' TX getting any in stock. Thanks[/quote'] If you have no luck with the local shop, Wildwood Guitars in Colorado still has 4 in stock as of this morning and more on the way, and they will ship for free to Austin. When local GC told me another 4 weeks "maybe" before mine arrives, I cancelled my order with them and called Wildwood. AL124 is on the UPS truck and arrives today. Can anyone say..freaking out with anticipation!!! Interesting note on the weight of this AL 355 #124, it came in under 10 lbs. where all the others Wildwood received were about 10.4. I chose 124 based on that and the patterns on the pearl inlays. Very nice service touch at Wildwood, they post close-ups of each guitar they have in stock on their website and over the phone they can discuss with you in detail the specific aesthetics of each axe they have so you can choose the one you like best, even without seeing it in person. These guys are a top act. I asked why they are getting the ALs before others, especially the big box, and he said they are one of the Custom Shop's top sellers in the world so they get special priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superdick2112 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 The Music Zoo has several on order, and check all of the Master Gibson Dealers listed - I'm sure there are a few left out there. MF & GC also have some backordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm suprised at the amount of people I've spoke to over in the UK about the guitar and they've had no idea whatsoever as it just hasn't been advertised..........or even spoke about in any of the magazines I read, maybe a snippet of a mention completely shadowed by the fact Slash's signature is on its way and there's a ltd edition of 5 million...... Â I reckon a Signature Re-Issue is definately on the cards as these have been so popular especially with the stir they've caused. Gibson ceased to supply to Rossetti the UK's Gibson wholesaler in March this year after decades of working together. There'll be plenty folk across the globe who'll want to get their hands on one who don't have a clue at the moment..........I really do hope some of the 300 made it overseas...!!!! Â Custom Admin: Have any of these guitars gone to other dealers outside the US or Canada.........???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingman Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and hope you'll bear with me if my posting runs a bit too long. I'm prompted to add to this discussion because I notice that some of the interest in the Alex Lifeson 355 is due to Gibson's claim that it is a "limited run of 300''. In my experience, it would be a mistake to expect Gibson to stick to this and that if your purchase decision is based solely on only 300 of these guitars being made, then there is a chance you might be disappointed. Let me share my unfortunate experience with you. In 2003, Gibson launched the LP Supreme to celebrate 50 years of the Les Paul. Its press release stated that only 2003 of these instruments would be made and based on this press release GuitarOne's associate editor Douglas Baldwin reviewed the guitar in its Jan 2004 issue (He wrote "To celebrate the 50-year mark, Gibson has produced a limited run of 2003 Les Paul Supremes, the kind of guitar every musician dreams of owning''). Because of perceived exclusivity, I rushed off to buy one. In 2006 I noticed with some dismay that the Supreme was listed as a normal production model and emailed Gibson. I received a reply that they hadn't quite made 2003 guitars yet. A year later I emailed them again to ask why the Supreme was still being produced and this time, the reply was that it was never meant to be a limited model. I then contacted Doug Baldwin with this info and not surprisingly, he was upset that he had relied on false information in the press statement. Other senior US guitar journalists also emailed me to express sympathy but the general sentiment was "too bad but that's Gibson for you - they're well-known for doing this''. Not satisfied, I wrote a 27 March 2007 letter of complaint to Gibson's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, pointing out that hundreds of customers like myself have been let down by the company's decision to mass produce the Supreme. I didn't really expect a reply but credit to the man, he sent me a hand-signed letter dated 12 April 2007 apologising for my "bad experience'' and promised that his staff would contact me to ensure my "needs are fully taken care of''. Thankfully, I didn't hold my breath because several months passed with nothing but silence from Gibson before I wrote in again to the Customer Service department. Finally, six months after Juszkiewicz's letter to me, a Jason Davidson emailed me to say that everyone who thought the Supreme was a limited model was mistaken because, well, because they read something that wasn't there. I have a hard copy of the original press release and so does Doug Baldwin but Gibson's defence was that everyone was mistaken. Bottom line? buy the Lifeson 355 if you're a Rush fan and you've dreamt of owning this guitar for years. Don't buy it if you think they'll only make 300 because there is a chance they'll go back on their word since they've done it before. Hope this helps and thanks for listening. (Incidentally, I've just taken delivery of an AL 355. Initial impressions are good but I haven't attached the Vibrola arm yet and am wondering if leaving it off makes a tonal difference). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogwarmth Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 i wish mine would come in. i posted who i have bought mine from, but it will be a long time before I do business with them again. When I first went off to college I came home at my first Christmas break. My grandmother gave me money and I wanted to blow it. I went to their store and was mistreated, like a punk kid. To make a long story short no one talked to me until I touched a Bogner. Then I got yelled at for just flipping the switch and it wasn't even plugged in!!!!(man my cream shiva half stack i bought somewhere else looks great still!) This has been like wrassl'n a greased hog to get them to find out where my guitar is! They won't even appease me and just call. I look forward to living in the Austin area and I have considered for my love of gear starting my own music store. I think I have a better understanding of customer service and what musicians want than either gibson or this dealer. I could get my money back and get one from wildwood and have it here guaranteed by next monday, but i won't because i wouldn't want that done to me. I have waited a long time for this guitar so a little more wont hurt, but at the same time gibson and dealers need to realize some of us work hard for our money and cannot afford to give it to them to sit on for 4-6 months with no information being fed to us. I have counted alot of pills and put up with alot of medicaid (pharmacy tech) mowed alot of lawns (side job #1), and shelled alot of pecans (side job # 2) to get this guitar. tell me you are filling the pickups up with alex's tour sweat, instead of"ummm we haven't been told anything". just frustrating. to prove my point i am going to make him wait weeks before i pick it up. i have that much restraint when i am being plotting and vindictive. my tele and goldtop will still keep me busy. he can't sell it we have a non-refundable deposit (yea i know i said i could get it back, he offered not me. as long as i don't agree its binding and in print!) he may wait longer than that if i like this swart amp at south austin music! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workingman Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and I hope you bear with me if my maiden posting runs a bit long. I notice that demand for the AL 355 is partly based on Gibson's claim that only 300 will be made. I'd urge you to only buy this guitar if a) you're a Rush fan and/or you've always wanted this particular model in order to get close to Lifeson's tone. Please do not base your decision on the claim that only a limited number will be made because there is a chance you might be disappointed. Let me share my unfortunate experience with you. Back in 2003, Gibson launced the LP Supreme to commemorate 50 years of the Les Paul. Its accompanying press release was headlined "Gibson Celebrates 2003 with Limited Edition LP Supreme'' and said only 2003 instruments would be made. Relying on this information, GuitarOne's associate editor Douglas Baldwin reviewed the Supreme in the Jan 2004 issue. In that review, he said "to celebrate the 50-year mark, Gibson has produced a limited run of 2003 Les Paul Supremes, the kind of guitar every musician dreams of owning''. Although I own several LPs, I rushed off to buy a Supreme, driven by the promise of exclusivity. In 2006 I noticed with some dismay that the Supreme was in normal production and queried Gibson. The reply I received said they hadn't made 2003 guitars yet. In 2007, I queried them again and this time they said the Supreme was never intended to be a limited model! I then contacted Doug Baldwin who quite understandably was upset to find out he had been taken for a ride. Several of his colleagues who write for US guitar magazines also emailed me to express sympathy. The sentiment however, was "too bad but what can you do? - Gibson is famous for doing this''. Not satisfied, I wrote a 27 Mar 2007 letter to Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz for an explanation, saying hundreds of faithful customers must have been disappointed by his company's actions. To the man's credit, he replied on 12 Apr 2007, saying he was sorry for my "bad experience'' and that his staff would contact me with the intent of ensuring my "needs are fully taken care of''. Luckily I didn't hold my breath because several months passed with no one contacting me. In Sep 2007 I wrote to the Customer Service dept and finally, a Jason Davidson emailed me to say that the Supreme was never intended to be a limited model and everyone had made a mistake. I believe what really happened was that it started out being in limited production but once it proved popular, the company quietly made it a full production-run model and hoped no one would notice or make a fuss. Bottom line? The same might happen to the AL 355. Don't base your purchase decision on only 300 Lifesons being made because it's possible that in time to come Gibson will make it a normal run instrument. Buy it because of the reasons I cited earlier. Hope this helps. Best of luck to everyone who reads this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enduroexpert Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hello "Workingman".........  How where the Les Paul Supremes identified.....? ....did they have 0001 - 2003 on the headstock or did the have a normal Gibson Serial No....?  If they did have the 0001 - 2003 serial No.s then basically everything afterwards is just a Re-Issue, but there's nothing to say that the Re-Issues can't be identical. As the Lifeson ES-355 is AL-001 - AL-300 anything after is a Re-Issue as far as collectors/buyers/players are concerned.  Look at how many Sunburst Jimmy Page Signatures there have been and he only had two actual Sunbursts, No.1 & No.2 as they're known, they're just "Signature Re-Issues" and they've been doing it all along for all to see.........  The thing is with the Lifeson guitar is if you've got one of the first 300 you know you have an original "First Off" Signature guitar, if they continue the No. sequence from AL-300 onwards you've got a Re-Issue and this is how everyone will look at it even though they're identical.  I don't think anyone as anything to worry about but it was nice of you to share your concern with all on the forum........  Cheers  Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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