PCNGD

[Tman]

Post Calamity New Guitars day!

I mean for this to be an epic, memorable post. It is long but a cathartic so please bear with. Psychologically I need it. I have been clinically depressed over the last few months. 😫

It's been over a year since November 9th, 2018 when the Woolsey fire destroyed all of my material possessions (except 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pullover shirts, underwear (TMI) and my laptop). Subsequently lost the laptop by leaving it on an airplane. Not making this up.  We had a concrete in-law unit that actually survived and it is where I was living until the county flew drones over our property, saw it,  and informed us that we have to destroy it before we can build a new house because it wasn't permitted properly. Tried to fight it to no avail. In fact we were told in a meeting with the county supervisors that if we didn't destroy it we would be criminally liable. If we were homeless squatters we'd probably get permission. You'd think that with over 850 rebuilds to be concerned with and it was the only thing that survived on our property, that they would turn a blind eye. Nope. 

So we were required to get a trailer for me to live on the property legally - my wife lives part time 50 miles away for her work and commutes on the weekend. As I wrote a song about called LA Traffic, 50 miles can take up to 2 1/2 hours to drive one way so I can't share her apartment and can't pay for our burned house mortgage and 2 apartments. She wins and gets the comfortable place. I plan to publish a pretty detailed description of what we've been through at some point. When I get the energy. Free time now is spent here at the Gibson forum - my only social outlet.

Now to the reason for the post besides trying to garner sympathy.

I lost my collection of guitars except my 1976 Flying V which was at my friend's place in Arkansas. 11 total. Gibson's Fenders and Warmoths. Colleagues that I work with locally and colleagues that I work with through an online forum took up donations of an insane amount of money that was only to be used to get musical equipment. So I have obliged. I have expensive taste. Plus they were extremely generous. I have already posted my one of a kind Gibson Made to Measure Gold Top Les Paul. Here are all of them that I have gotten. Only problem now is storage. I have to store them in my office and a friend's house (keyboards player from Black Squirrel) until our house can be built. Looking at a year. Still waiting for the building permit for the new house.

In order to attempt to minimize the jealousy that you will undoubtedly feel, I will first show you my new digs. A 1966 Airstream! Scored it on eBay for 4K and had it shipped from Missouri. Not comfortable at all but is necessary for the next drone fly over. I figure (actually wife figures since she looked into it) that we could sell it at least for double what we paid here in CA to someone who will refurbish it. Refurbished or in great shape these things for up to 30K:

The tree is the first image has really come back. It is a California Scrub Oak. Here is was right after the fire exactly a year ago: 

 

Here is the Custom LP that I have posted before:

 

Here is a Mod Shop Tele that came this week in Autumn Blaze Metallic (get the irony of the name? Chosen for that reason). 4th generation noiseless, modern C-D profile, locking tuners. Freaking amazing and lightweight too! It's solid and weighs less than the ultramodern chambered Custom LP! No contours though, the only thing I wish they offered besides a bridge with individual intonateable saddles. BTW the mod shop said it would take up to 30 days but they made it in 10. This will be a main axe for sure. Plays like a dream!

 

My CEO asked me a few months ago if I wanted a "special guitar" from Norm's rare guitars. I said "Is the pope Catholic?" He saw a photo of me playing at a conference in Oxford from 2017 (first image here) which I posted here a while back and he showed it to the guy who now works for Gibson at Norm's and bought me this 63 reissue. He knew I loved that rented guitar at the gig (he wasn't there but got a hold of this photo and talked to the other guy in the photo). He had no idea that I love that neck profile (63 RI Thin Tapered) specifically!

8 colleagues including the President of our group got together and got me this Elite. They asked one of my colleagues who is a great guitar player himself what would be a good one to get knowing that buying a guitar for a guitar player is like buying makeup for a woman. He said he knew just the one. He was right.

Of course I needed an amp. They said choose it. I choose this Tone King Imperial MKII (BTW an INCREDIBLE amp):

Finally the online forum gave me enough to get this acoustic- I sold the J-45 studio, neck was too chunky. 2018 J-45 Standard.

 

So I bid you goodbye until the next time I log in, later today. It's hard to describe how much better I feel after having gone though all of this knowing that my friends and colleagues really rallied the way they did to show they cared and also the great feeling I have playing these amazing instruments. I am writing a song which I will record with them (trying to use all of them) and post it in this thread sometime in the future. Cheers!

Phillip

[jdgm]

Best wishes Tman - rock on and stay well!

Beautiful guitars.  The LP is stunning, and that shot looking out over wherever (?)

It's terrible what you've been through - I can't imagine it really. 

Good luck  👍

Edited November 24, 2019 by jdgm

[zigzag]

Nice gitfiddles. Good luck with the digs. I know you'll be happy to get back to normal.

[Mr. Gibson]

I'm sorry for all you and your Mrs. had to go through, but what great friends you have helping that way.  Better days ahead I'm wishing for you. Great guitars,you chose wisely....

[Mutha]

Onwards and upwards! 

Play on and may good things continue for ye.

[LarryUK]

The California fires seem to be getting regular. Could you not sell the plot and move? When you rebuild, what will you build from? Surely not a wooden frame? You need a brick building with a cellar. I can't believe they're being off with you about a concrete 'bomb shelter'.  

[IanHenry]

Hi Tman,

Sorry to hear about your problems but I'm sure you will come through it (when you think about it people always do, bad times don't usually last).

You've got some very generous work mates, they sound great!

Keep your chin up mate, you'll get there in the end👍

[SteveFord]

With all of that space I think you could get by with a Marshall stack of two, that tree probably won't mind.

Good to hear you're pulling through in style!

[kidblast]

good post to see TMAN, restores faith in humanity and perseverance.

My brother inlaw Dan lost everything in a condo fire in September. (It was arson, so some a-hole set it..)   He's still trying to recover as well.  It's a long road "back"..

Good luck to you, and those are indeed some very nice guitars to get you back in the saddle.

Bad things can't be helped,, BUT.. There is a lot of good in this world..

 

 

[badbluesplayer]

I hope this is a sign of good things to come for you.  I can't imagine what you've been through.  Best of luck with the new gear!

[Karloff]

18 hours ago, Tman said:

 

 

 

 

 

I really love this pic.

[uncle fester]

This is just awesome - best to you!

[rct]

Good deal brutha.  I can't even imagine what you are going through.  Best to you and your family.

rct

[Tman]

Thanks Folks, like I said a cathartic to help me get out of the self pity mode that I have been in. These guitars right now, besides my wife, are my biggest joy. I know that this kind of occurrence can really negatively affect a relationship with a spouse but it has had the effect of straightening ours. Kind of a "We are going through this together kind of thing."

Thanks for the comment on the photo Karloff. I spent that sunset playing the LP. I played Johnny Winter's version of Let It Bleed (which I love) and also Boney Maroney from the Captured Live album (which I also love), very loudly, drinking wine and playing to the Pacific ocean! Sunset was way too fast. My wife commented, "Let it out Phillip, Let it out!"

Larry after the fire our property value went down 65% (go figure). If we sold it we would be upside down with our mortgage.  Honestly the thought of living longer in the airstream is well unthinkable. If we can just hang in there and get a building permit, we'll make it and the value will go back up. Plus, we love the piece of property. Got it for a good deal and we want to live there for the rest of our days. 

It WILL NOT be made of wood. Once bitten twice shy. Come to think of it, I should have played Ian Hunter loudly too.

[merciful-evans]

I'm glad that you are emerging from that darkness Tman. 

 

Great inspired choices to re-equip I reckon.  I'm a little jealous of that Tone King Imperial.  I too love that pic Karloff quoted. 

Onwards...