Rock and Reel Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 R&R...got my '36 L0 from a relative of one of the members of the Virginia Vagabonds. I had never even heard of Huss and Dalton 'til the owner mentioned it had been looked at by one of their luthiers. ( here's a pic provided by a chronicler of 'Piedmont Blues' artists. my little guitar is at the far left in the hands of the big eared dude, Earl Smith). The wealth of small guitar builders is evident when you visit local shows and luthier festivals. Awesome works of art everywhere. Oops...the file's too big to load photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 You're a peach! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hope I haven't told about this guitar here before, but in a nutshell, I was told the top was dropping and the Xbrace had been removed and ladder bracing was installed, which was enough to make me kill the deal. I asked the owner, the granddaughter of the guy in the pic, to stick a mirror in the soundhole. I was told the X was in there, but notched out to allow for an extra ladder brace just below the hole. I negotiated down to a thousand bucks and waited for the postman. It arrived and I put the mirror down the hole again. Holy crap! Someone, (not from Huss & Dalton) had installed what I would call lumber, to shore up the sagging top, which it occurred to me was caused by the heavy strings that were on. There was even a piece of cove base moulding in there, for chrissake. The sound was, and remains tremendous. I've chiselled away some of the cobbing and now just play it as is. It'll be awhile before I can afford the $1,000 to have someone go inside and restore it. How great though that the tone could not be killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clayfingers Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Likewise, and I sure as hell dont drink Fosters. No-one drinks Fosters.... I do have kangaroos in my backyard in suburban Melbourne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 No-one drinks Fosters.... Somebody must. They seem to sell a ton of it...... (but not to Australians) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Somebody must. They seem to sell a ton of it...... (but not to Australians) My good friend on the Outer Banks of North Carolina drinks Fosters (blue can)...He is an awesome (old school) sign painter and maker. What a hand and eye for detail. He is quite the luthier also. He built himself a solid-body electric and his wife a custom acoustic. He is the 'mother of invention' ,as he made a custom-sized 'hugger' for his Fosters oil cans. He glued down some pickguard curl on my 40's LG3. I paid him with $20 bucks and 6 quarts of Fosters.... ...he looked like he was in need of an 'oil change' ... He was VERY happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Very cool guitar and history R&R.. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock and Reel Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Very cool guitar and history R&R.. Rod I agree but it's jedzep's guitar and history. I just helped him post some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 i've been in shops that dont have 40 guitars . and i'm afraid i dont understand how someone ends up with forty guitars . even englbert humperdink only had ten It's easy! There's more, too. These are just the ones I have in group pictures! Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 It's easy! There's more, too. These are just the ones I have in group pictures! Red 333 LOL , thats amazing touch of O.C.D. there my freind ! but in a good way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock and Reel Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hey Red... That's a real nice family you got going. It's good to know there's other Bling Nuts out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hey Red...I reluctantly began selling off a couple years back. Now I'm down to a reasonable 3 acoustic and 1 electric. Sorry I ever looked at your 'harem'. Now I'm depressed again and want 'em all back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hey Red... That's a real nice family you got going. It's good to know there's other Bling Nuts out there! Thanks, Rock and Reel. WOW! The two guitars you posted are incredible. What's the background on that Les Paul? Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Hey Red...I reluctantly began selling off a couple years back. Now I'm down to a reasonable 3 acoustic and 1 electric. Sorry I ever looked at your 'harem'. Now I'm depressed again and want 'em all back. Don't be depressed. There are advantages to both collecting/playing styles. You've tried both and found the one that makes more sense for you. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I am with Buc Master - such blanket statements are meaningless. I love old guitars have a house full of them - most dating between the early 1930s and mid-1950s including a script label Gibson. I love 'em all but that don't mean they sound better or worse than somebody else's guitars. They just sound different. But that sound works real well for me. May not be the next guy's cup of tea though. I probably would not think of laying out $2400 for a 1960 J-45 but would gladly spend more for a J-45 made just one year earlier. It does not mean the 1960 guitar sucks. It just means I perfer the beefier necks on the older ones. I could tell you I have a guitar that cost me $100 out the door that would give your Martin a heck of a run for its money. But you probably would not believe me. Any guitar that gives joy to the one playing it is a good guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock and Reel Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks, Rock and Reel. WOW! The two guitars you posted are incredible. What's the background on that Les Paul? Red 333 Those are some of my wife's Knockout Roses!(She is a Virginia Master Gardener). As you can see, most of the blooms have dropped but it still made a nice backdrop for the LP Ultima. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I am with Buc Master - such blanket statements are meaningless. I love old guitars have a house full of them - most dating between the early 1930s and mid-1950s including a script label Gibson. I love 'em all but that don't mean they sound better or worse than somebody else's guitars. They just sound different. But that sound works real well for me. May not be the next guy's cup of tea though. I probably would not think of laying out $2400 for a 1960 J-45 but would gladly spend more for a J-45 made just one year earlier. It does not mean the 1960 guitar sucks. It just means I perfer the beefier necks on the older ones. I could tell you I have a guitar that cost me $100 out the door that would give your Martin a heck of a run for its money. But you probably would not believe me. Any guitar that gives joy to the one playing it is a good guitar. Well you're right about the fact that I wouldn't believe you, unless you happened to find a nice old lady who found a D18 under her bed and decided to sell it to you for a hundred bucks. I will concede though, to the hazards of making generalizations. As well, I owned a '58 Goya/Levin M26 and a '64 Goya S18 that DID hold up to the Martin. The first cost me $650 and the latter around $450. More regrets for selling. Got a pretty nice '66 Goya T18 at Manny's in NYC back in the day for a hundred bucks. Very nice, but didn't ring like the Martins do. Not subjective at all. The ear can operate objectively too. Both J45s you use in your example are vintage so the comparison isn't to my point of new vs. vintage. I also believe that like with everything else today, cutting corners to max profit is evident in guitar building at the factory. Any guitar that gives joy to the one playing it is only a guitar that gives joy, not necessarily a good guitar, but altruism is nice too. I'll try to lay out my generalizations more specifically in the future. Maybe I'll just avoid them altogether but it's always fun to get the 'ol forum hopping. Enjoy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Those are some of my wife's Knockout Roses!(She is a Virginia Master Gardener). As you can see, most of the blooms have dropped but it still made a nice backdrop for the LP Ultima. Those ARE nice roses (kudos to the missus), but by "background," I meant, tell me about that Les Paul: when you got it, what's that seal on the headstock say, why does it have that tailpiece, etc. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmonics101 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 No need to knock the guys that buy new. I'm not retired and have nothing better to do than look for used guitars in good condition to play. I don't have time babying my antiques and praying my heavy hand is gonna break those prissy antiques. I don't have time wheelin' and dealin' and try to get the best price on a vintage Gibson OR Martin for that matter. I don't have time to find a reputable Luthier or Guitar Technician to get my antique old instrument in structural shape for hard playing 40 hours a week. I don't have the time and money to involve myself with getting these old antique guitars fixed and up to par for playing satisfaction. If you are retired or have the resources to buy these antiques ? Well, more power to ya. Otherwise, I'd say, keep yer peace of mind and buy new B) Cheers, Harmonics101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock and Reel Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Those ARE nice roses (kudos to the missus), but by "background," I meant, tell me about that Les Paul: when you got it, what's that seal on the headstock say, why does it have that tailpiece, etc. Red 333 Ohhhhh................background, I get it, LOL!! To tell you the truth, I don't much care for the Les Paul. It's way heavy making it feel unbalanced to me. When I played professionally I used a 335 and 345 stereo so my right arm just doesn't sit on that small body comfortably. That's not to say that I wouldn't take a '59 Standard if I could find one at somewhere a little south of the national debt. Still, it's as iconic to Rock & Roll as the Stratocaster and no collection can call it's self a collection without one (or two, I also have a CS LP Elegant). I love bling and the Ultmia is the ultimate "Bling Machine". As I understand it, Gibson only makes a couple of these a year and only to order. They retail around the same price range as a D-45 Martin but can occasionally be found for considerably less. Here's a link to Gibson's page on the Les Paul Ultima http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Les-Paul-Ultima.aspx and here's a close up the head stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I have been playing almost 50 years now. I played my first gig in 1966 and for a few years actually made a living playing music (although not what I would call a really good one). I have owned guitars (both acoustic and electric) I bought on the cheap used that today would easily run you five digits. But what I have learned through all those decades - it don't matter what guitar I have in my hands. I still sound like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 No need to knock the guys that buy new. I'm not retired and have nothing better to do than look for used guitars in good condition to play. I don't have time babying my antiques and praying my heavy hand is gonna break those prissy antiques. I don't have time wheelin' and dealin' and try to get the best price on a vintage Gibson OR Martin for that matter. I don't have time to find a reputable Luthier or Guitar Technician to get my antique old instrument in structural shape for hard playing 40 hours a week. I don't have the time and money to involve myself with getting these old antique guitars fixed and up to par for playing satisfaction. If you are retired or have the resources to buy these antiques ? Well, more power to ya. Otherwise, I'd say, keep yer peace of mind and buy new B) Cheers, Harmonics101 I'm self employed and busy with home improvement, self improvement, grandkids, and making ends meet. I look at the search for great vintage guitars as a healthy diversion bordering on passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 I have been playing almost 50 years now. I played my first gig in 1966 and for a few years actually made a living playing music (although not what I would call a really good one). I have owned guitars (both acoustic and electric) I bought on the cheap used that today would easily run you five digits. But what I have learned through all those decades - it don't matter what guitar I have in my hands. I still sound like me. Great point! My kid can pick up the aforementioned hundred dollar guitar and make it sound like a million bucks. I need a little more help. A fine instrument is inspiring and pushes my energy forward. Five digits you say. That's big time. Waddya' got in the five digit category? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigshot Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I've still got a few years in me, so I'm patient. I can wait for my 2007 J200 custom to grow vintage with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I love bling and the Ultmia is the ultimate "Bling Machine". As I understand it, Gibson only makes a couple of these a year and only to order. They retail around the same price range as a D-45 Martin but can occasionally be found for considerably less. Here's a link to Gibson's page on the Les Paul Ultima http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Les-Paul-Ultima.aspx and here's a close up the head stock. Thanks! I don't think I've ever seen that particular model. Sure is a looker. Thanks for the c/u of the headstock. I thought that inlay must've indicated some kind of anniversary model. Very cool. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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