SteveFord Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 I screwed up. Guess I'll have to get out the spray gun and bolt on a whammy bar. I draw the line at the pants! Look how weird this is: the bass player is singing the lead lines and they have the drummer in the front. No wonder they never caught on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 (edited) These pictures look like they were taken with a cell phone but I had one of these years ago (2007 Guitar Of The Week Explorer) and it was one of the nicest guitars I've ever touched. The second you pick it up you can just feel the quality in it, it's one of those instruments. All of the top tier Gibsons just have THAT feel to them. Big 50s style neck with an ebony fret board, mother of pearl, gold plated everything, 57 Classic humbuckers, it felt like a Les Paul but with a big body which I appreciate. I had to sell stuff to make mortgage payments during The Great Recession so off it went to some lucky buyer and the money went to some heartless bottomless pit of a mortgage company. I never expected to get another one but this popped up and I just knew this one was coming home! Edited May 31, 2020 by SteveFord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 26 minutes ago, SteveFord said: These pictures look like they were taken with a cell phone but I had one of these years ago (2007 Guitar Of The Week Explorer) and it was one of the nicest guitars I've ever touched. The second you pick it up you can just feel the quality in it, it's one of those instruments. All of the top tier Gibsons just have THAT feel to them. Big 50s style neck with an ebony fret board, mother of pearl, gold plated everything, 57 Classic humbuckers, it felt like a Les Paul but with a big body which I appreciate. I had to sell stuff to make mortgage payments during The Great Recession so off it went to some lucky buyer and the money went to some heartless bottomless pit of a mortgage company. I never expected to get another one but this popped up and I just knew this one was coming home! Damn. I had one best balanced guitar I've ever owned. And one more is on the way right. Come on SG. I guessed right on one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 And last but not least, I bought an SG just to make the esteemed Sgt Pepper happy. My first Gibson was an early 70s Standard which had a sound through a Marshall stack like nothing else (tar back pick ups) and I stupidly sold it for $200 when I was around 20. Drug addled moron that I was back then. That guitar is still in this area as of a few years ago, I saw it at a show for $1700 but no tengo dinero so it as trudge on past with my eyes averted. I wrote to Charlie Brown last week about the sideways vibrato on the new ones and after thinking it over I decided the whammy bar on the Explorer is enough twang bar for this go around. This particular 61 Reissue is from 2012 which may or may not be a wonderful thing. It looks to be in near perfect shape so I made an offer, it was accepted and I now have enough iconic pointy shaped guitars to poke out everyone's eye on the block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 (edited) You are THE MAN. 3! I was 2 for 2. Then you mentioned a 3rd. The Edge guitar came out if left field. Did you have to sell a motor cycle to get those? Congrats now get off the forum and go play em. With those 3 think of all the iconic riffs you could be belting out. Edited May 31, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 They're not here yet, another 7 - 10 days. With any luck, bored rioters won't set the UPS truck on fire and run away with them. That would be bad. I've just been working a lot, it's that time of year where I'm not getting hit up with unusually annoying bills and I have been trapped at home trying to avoid the plague. At best I'm afraid that's a delaying tactic. I pulled into Home Depot this morning, saw there were around 100 cars and trucks in the lot and said Oh no ya don't and came home. Before the snow flies I'll round up a used candy apple red Firebird VII from somewhere or other. That's really what I was looking for but the prices are ridiculously high at the moment and the sight of the Explorer got me sidetracked. I had one of those... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 48 minutes ago, SteveFord said: They're not here yet, another 7 - 10 days. With any luck, bored rioters won't set the UPS truck on fire and run away with them. That would be bad. I've just been working a lot, it's that time of year where I'm not getting hit up with unusually annoying bills and I have been trapped at home trying to avoid the plague. At best I'm afraid that's a delaying tactic. I pulled into Home Depot this morning, saw there were around 100 cars and trucks in the lot and said Oh no ya don't and came home. Before the snow flies I'll round up a used candy apple red Firebird VII from somewhere or other. That's really what I was looking for but the prices are ridiculously high at the moment and the sight of the Explorer got me sidetracked. I had one of those... Oh man the looters might have tipped the truck over and absconded with your new toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 On 5/31/2020 at 8:44 AM, ghost_of_fl said: I'm thinking Albert King vibes. My very first rock concert was Ironbutterfly and Albert King was the second act, while the first act., a folk singer never to be heard from again, was onstage, Albert King was riding around the audience on a little scooter wearing a top hat and white tuxedo! It was in a outdoors small arena, actually a small motorcycle racetrack! Albert King was phenomenal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Loving this thread, waiting for the axes to come in. What would be a mini set list that would use all three guitars, and which guitars for which song? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 On 5/31/2020 at 8:44 AM, ghost_of_fl said: Lonnie Mack with Albert Collins and Roy Buchanan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) They all made it here in one piece and have all been given a shot of wax, lemon oil and new strings. All 3 feel like brand new so my fingers are taking a beating. The Explorer still has that sticky neck feel (13 years later!) so I'm letting all 3 of them air out a bit. I guess that's what happens when you spend your whole life in a case. The Flying V is actually a shade or two darker than the Explorer and the previous owner of the SG had a really heavy hand on the first 3 frets so that took a few minutes with some steel wool. Edited June 4, 2020 by SteveFord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 Once the dust settles (and my fingers recover) I have my beady little eyes on two more Gibsons but that will be a while. Looks like GAS never dies, it just goes dormant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 A three-way Iconasm! I'm becoming aroused just looking at the pictures! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Nice collection Steve, all three look fine to these old eyes, a note about Lonnie Mack's Flying V, he bought it new in 1958 , it was the 7th one Gibson made, Lonnie said later it came with the Bigsby already installed, he played it through two big Magnavox amps with all the vibrato he could get out of them, and he played 13 -58 strings, SRV said he bought Mack's record "Wham!" When he was 16 and played the grooves off trying to get the same tone. Anyways, I like your taste in gitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 13s, huh? That man had some strong fingers. I use 11s, I don't think I'd do too well with 13s. I haven't played the V very much other than to make sure everything works, it takes a couple of days of running scales on guitars to get them to break in. The Explorer went from a horrible weird shaped hunk of wood to boy, this feels great. Now it's onto the SG. TIme to go to work to make a few pennies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 4 hours ago, SteveFord said: 13s, huh? That man had some strong fingers. I use 11s, I don't think I'd do too well with 13s. I haven't played the V very much other than to make sure everything works, it takes a couple of days of running scales on guitars to get them to break in. The Explorer went from a horrible weird shaped hunk of wood to boy, this feels great. Now it's onto the SG. TIme to go to work to make a few pennies. Oddly enough I find explorers easy to play sitting down, the shape of the body puts the neck inline well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 I agree, it just takes a lot of experimenting with the strap length. Same deal with a Firebird, at first it just seems ridiculous until you find the sweet spot. Someone mentioned nitro burn from a Gibson strap a while back. The one that came with the V will NEVER touch a guitar of mine. For Display Purposes Only I would think. Maybe use it to hang a potted plant or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 Wife was gone today and the mainframe at work was down so guitar day for Fun Boy here. Got to play the SG which was like old home day. The 61 Reissue SG has a relatively narrow, slim taper neck which could stand just a little more meat on it but it's not uncomfortably slim for me. I've encountered this neck on some of the Les Paul Specials, small, slim and fast. Frets are nice and low, due to the construction of the neck tenon you can tell it's a delicate instrument so it's something not to let Pete Townsend borrow. EVER. I can see why they redesigned it, this is one to be careful with. High E string is a smidge too close to the edge of the neck so it's adjust your playing accordingly or spring for a new nut. Move E string closer to the B string, by .5mm NOT make the neck incredibly wide and leave the string spacing the same, cough 2015 cough. Beautiful fit and finish and I've always loved the wood grain on SGs. This one I keep as it's light, comfortable and handsome. The GOTW Explorer I've had before so I knew what that was like. This one has a slimmer neck than the one I had before so it plays nicer, low frets, back of the neck is still sticky so it needs some time outside of the case. Whammy bar will need a fiber washer added to keep it from flopping around and driving me crazy, beautiful fit and finish, fairly heavy but not Les Paul Standard heavy. The banjo tuners have a moronically low gear ratio so I see a speed tuner attachment doohickey in my future. Banjo tuners have a screw for setting the tension, by the way. Loosen the screw for putting on new strings and then tighten it back up when you're done. I remembered that after I got done restringing the thing. 57 Classic pick ups so it's not for metal heads, if this style of guitar appeals to you and you see one grab it, I think you'll be pleased with your purchase. This model has that upper crust smell to it. Gigantic Made In Canada case you can use to fend off diseased rioters and use as a coffee table when you're done. Finally, the 2019/2020 Flying V. Really comfortable, fairly wide slim taper neck, low frets, you can see that the rosewood supply is getting spotty as it's streaked but I actually like the looks as each one will be unique, FLAWLESS fit and finish from what I can tell. Light weight but not balsa wood chintzy hunka junk what the hell is this light weight, gorgeous looks, nicely figured wood, If you want a Flying V that looks somewhat normal (for a Flying V, that is) these are worth checking out. Nice job on the fret ends, this guitar is what I expect a new Gibson to be like. Worth the money. If this particular example is any indication, buying those extra light bulbs for the guys at the factory was a wise investment. And that concludes the Iconasm. There are two or maybe 3 more Gibson electrics that I'd like to get but that will have to wait for another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, SteveFord said: Wife was gone today and the mainframe at work was down so guitar day for Fun Boy here. Got to play the SG which was like old home day. The 61 Reissue SG has a relatively narrow, slim taper neck which could stand just a little more meat on it but it's not uncomfortably slim for me. I've encountered this neck on some of the Les Paul Specials, small, slim and fast. Frets are nice and low, due to the construction of the neck tenon you can tell it's a delicate instrument so it's something not to let Pete Townsend borrow. EVER. I can see why they redesigned it, this is one to be careful with. High E string is a smidge too close to the edge of the neck so it's adjust your playing accordingly or spring for a new nut. Move E string closer to the B string, by .5mm NOT make the neck incredibly wide and leave the string spacing the same, cough 2015 cough. Beautiful fit and finish and I've always loved the wood grain on SGs. This one I keep as it's light, comfortable and handsome. The GOTW Explorer I've had before so I knew what that was like. This one has a slimmer neck than the one I had before so it plays nicer, low frets, back of the neck is still sticky so it needs some time outside of the case. Whammy bar will need a fiber washer added to keep it from flopping around and driving me crazy, beautiful fit and finish, fairly heavy but not Les Paul Standard heavy. The banjo tuners have a moronically low gear ratio so I see a speed tuner attachment doohickey in my future. Banjo tuners have a screw for setting the tension, by the way. Loosen the screw for putting on new strings and then tighten it back up when you're done. I remembered that after I got done restringing the thing. 57 Classic pick ups so it's not for metal heads, if this style of guitar appeals to you and you see one grab it, I think you'll be pleased with your purchase. This model has that upper crust smell to it. Gigantic Made In Canada case you can use to fend off diseased rioters and use as a coffee table when you're done. Finally, the 2019/2020 Flying V. Really comfortable, fairly wide slim taper neck, low frets, you can see that the rosewood supply is getting spotty as it's streaked but I actually like the looks as each one will be unique, FLAWLESS fit and finish from what I can tell. Light weight but not balsa wood chintzy hunka junk what the hell is this light weight, gorgeous looks, nicely figured wood, If you want a Flying V that looks somewhat normal (for a Flying V, that is) these are worth checking out. Nice job on the fret ends, this guitar is what I expect a new Gibson to be like. Worth the money. If this particular example is any indication, buying those extra light bulbs for the guys at the factory was a wise investment. And that concludes the Iconasm. There are two or maybe 3 more Gibson electrics that I'd like to get but that will have to wait for another day. What's the next three you are jonesing for? See if we can guess, A Melody Maker, A LP TV Special , and a LP Recording , or an LP Jr. Back in the early 70s I worked at a music store that carried Gibson's, we had a 71 LP Recording, I played around with it all the time. Funny thing, we couldn't sell it then, Edited June 6, 2020 by jaxson50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) You got one with the TV Special. Recording is an interesting guitar but I doubt if I'd use it very much. 1985? Think 1960s computer system which they've been trying to replace forever with no success so far. Edited June 6, 2020 by SteveFord 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 19 hours ago, SteveFord said: You got one with the TV Special. Recording is an interesting guitar but I doubt if I'd use it very much. 1985? Think 1960s computer system which they've been trying to replace forever with no success so far. L-6S? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 These were a short run, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 7, 2020 Author Share Posted June 7, 2020 Thanks for posting that, I spent a lot of time wondering about that model and almost bought one a few times but always held back. If I were going to buy another SG it would be the a 3 pick up Custom, ebony board with the gold plated everything, Lyre vibrato but I'm pretty cheap and they're pretty expensive so that's probably not going to happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 18 hours ago, SteveFord said: Thanks for posting that, I spent a lot of time wondering about that model and almost bought one a few times but always held back. If I were going to buy another SG it would be the a 3 pick up Custom, ebony board with the gold plated everything, Lyre vibrato but I'm pretty cheap and they're pretty expensive so that's probably not going to happen. I always liked the SG, the 63 Lee Paul SG Custom is a classic of course, I was in a band in 71, the guitar player swapped his 1959 Gretch Country Gentleman for one , man that was a sweet guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 If I stumble across a used one at a price I can afford an SG Custom would do nicely, I think. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SGC63VOCWGM--gibson-custom-1963-les-paul-sg-custom-reissue-with-maestro-vibrola-vos-classic-white-3-pickup The body size always seems a bit small so it's not really very high up on the list. Bet they do sound nice, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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