AlanC Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 This is my Johnny Smith which I've been progressively restoring to its former glory. Still an absolute beauty through a Polytone. Gigged with it a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boles Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Love the historic photos, Danny. You have a beautiful and well-thought out collection of some really fantastic guitars. How do you decide when to buy and sell? Do people come to you with guitars? Or do you have a specific hunting method? Are you always able to buy or do you set a yearly budget for new stuff? The Le Grande looks awesome and I admit I don't know much about that keen guitar. What's the difference in sound and playability and functionality between, say, a WesMo and a Le Grande? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 This is my Johnny Smith which I've been progressively restoring to its former glory. Still an absolute beauty through a Polytone. Gigged with it a week ago. Alan, that's a beauty. Do I detect a bit of greenish corrosion beginning to form on the pickup edges? The tortoise-shell material of the pickguard could be in the early stages of "gassing out" (chemical decomposition), where it begins to show spots of lighter color (it will eventually begin to form cracks and fall apart). If that's beginning to occur, I would strongly advise you to think about having a new one built, otherwise the plating on your pickups, bridge adjustment wheels, tailpiece, etc will be at risk of corrosion from the gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanC Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Alan, that's a beauty. Do I detect a bit of greenish corrosion beginning to form on the pickup edges? The tortoise-shell material of the pickguard could be in the early stages of "gassing out" (chemical decomposition), where it begins to show spots of lighter color (it will eventually begin to form cracks and fall apart). If that's beginning to occur, I would strongly advise you to think about having a new one built, otherwise the plating on your pickups, bridge adjustment wheels, tailpiece, etc will be at risk of corrosion from the gas. Jim you are correct. The decomposition is quite bad. The other problem is that the existing plate has warped and the bridge pickup is too far away from the strings. Sound wise however I play with it blended between the two with most sound coming from the neck pickup. The sound is gorgeous. I've just sourced a Johnny Smith replica pick plate from Archtop.com and also new tone and volume controls as they are locked on to the existing plate. Thanks for your comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny W. Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Love the historic photos, Danny. You have a beautiful and well-thought out collection of some really fantastic guitars. How do you decide when to buy and sell? Do people come to you with guitars? Or do you have a specific hunting method? Are you always able to buy or do you set a yearly budget for new stuff? The Le Grande looks awesome and I admit I don't know much about that keen guitar. What's the difference in sound and playability and functionality between, say, a WesMo and a Le Grande? Thank you for the kind words. I haven't bought a guitar in seven years, and I have no method, other than checking dealer lists and Ebay for likely purchases. My rule is that if I buy one I sell one, which makes me picky, since all my current guitars are pretty nice. For many years I was a serious collector and cast a wider net, buying as many as 20 guitars in a year, and typically selling an equal number, but now I just keep guitars I really like to play and gig with, and stick with a very limited pallet--just singular L-5's and similar floater-equipped models, and a few nice semi's. The LeGrand differs from a Wes in having a floating humbucker, rather than a set-in one. Therefore it is built with what Gibson calls "acoustical bracing", which is cross-braced and lighter than the parallel bracing on a CES-type guitar. It's also a little thinner than an L-5 and generally has a thinner top, giving it a brighter, "stringier" tone. There are cosmetic differences too. Which is better is a matter of personal choice. The playability is the same, although the thinner body on the LeGrand might be more comfortable for some--it is for me. I usually prefer to gig with set-in pickups, since floaters are more prone to feedback. Danny W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boles Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Thank you for the kind words. I haven't bought a guitar in seven years, and I have no method, other than checking dealer lists and Ebay for likely purchases. My rule is that if I buy one I sell one, which makes me picky, since all my current guitars are pretty nice. For many years I was a serious collector and cast a wider net, buying as many as 20 guitars in a year, and typically selling an equal number, but now I just keep guitars I really like to play and gig with, and stick with a very limited pallet--just singular L-5's and similar floater-equipped models, and a few nice semi's. The LeGrand differs from a Wes in having a floating humbucker, rather than a set-in one. Therefore it is built with what Gibson calls "acoustical bracing", which is cross-braced and lighter than the parallel bracing on a CES-type guitar. It's also a little thinner than an L-5 and generally has a thinner top, giving it a brighter, "stringier" tone. There are cosmetic differences too. Which is better is a matter of personal choice. The playability is the same, although the thinner body on the LeGrand might be more comfortable for some--it is for me. I usually prefer to gig with set-in pickups, since floaters are more prone to feedback. Danny W. I like your strategy, Danny. When I started my guitar gathering a few year ago, I was all over the place. Strats, Teles, Les Pauls... quantity was more important than quality as I tried to find the sound and the fell that best suited my style. Now that I've discovered Archtops -- everything I already have pales in comparison. I'm going to follow your example and start to narrow my interest to the L5 niche you've so perceptively curated. You have excellent taste and a precise collection and if you ever decide to pare down your collection, you know where to find me! SMILE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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