Gasalcoholics anonymous? whoever said this was a help group?

[Dandolin]

luck!

[qersty]

Been obsessed with getting a boss sd-2 for no reason at all recently. I dont even know what it sounds like. It appeared in a dream of mine but there it had a verb and chorus built in. Is it a sign?

[dubkitty]

well, i'm sorted. they gave me $1150 for the 360, which was a bit less than the $1200 i'd expected but close enough. i got the Aristocrat, which turns out to be a nearly-new sunburst MIK--the current models are MIC and commensurately less nice--and...a candy apple red Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster. needless to say, i am stoked. i've been needing a JM forever, and the little Guild is so nice that all the sales people noodled on it and agreed "that's a nice guitar." gig bags, new strings x2, and a purple nylon strap to match my Loveless t-shirt included. and i have $75 in residual store credit. photos when i get home 120 miles from now

[Dandolin]

score! much happiness with that pair

[MaxMaps]

well, i'm sorted. they gave me $1150 for the 360, which was a bit less than the $1200 i'd expected but close enough. i got the Aristocrat, which turns out to be a nearly-new sunburst MIK--the current models are MIC and commensurately less nice--and...a candy apple red Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster. needless to say, i am stoked. i've been needing a JM forever, and the little Guild is so nice that all the sales people noodled on it and agreed "that's a nice guitar." gig bags, new strings x2, and a purple nylon strap to match my Loveless t-shirt included. and i have $75 in residual store credit. photos when i get home 120 miles from now

That sounds like a fair deal. We need pics!

[Gone Fission]

Happy double NGD, Dubs! That sounds like a good deal for what you want.

[dubkitty]

i have to resize the pictures to upload them as attachments. the Guild is just fucking perfect. it's actually a tiny archtop without f-holes, with a carved spruce top (!) and mahogany back/sides with kerfed lining. the Franz-design P-90s are much clearer and more articulate than the Gibson-style ones in the Tokai Les Paul Special. i gather that they're wound to ~6.4K, but they're quite snappy when you push them hard. the neck pickup is utterly gorgeous, and the bridge pickup is hiding a big-ass knife under its coat. it likes effects, too. and it's so light and comfortable. it couldn't be an ounce over 6.5 pounds if that, lighter than the 360.

it was built in 2012, during a relatively brief period when Mike Lewis of FMIC, the guy who put together the licensing deal with Fred Gretsch that shepherded their quality and authenticity to a point where the new guitars were sometimes better than vintage examples, was tasked to do a similar rework/back-to-vintage take on Guild electrics (the acoustic line went on in a similar fashion to pre-Fender Guild) with the first period-correct reissues of the Starfires and Starfire Basses, Aristocrat, X-170 and X-175 archtops, and some of the weirdo models like the Thunderbird with the Jaguar switches and kickstand. they specced the Franz P-90s and Gold Tone humbuckers from vintage examples, and generally did a similar job with Korean production to Gretsch's Japanese pro line, but IMO at a more reasonable price point. for 3 or 4 years the weight of Fender was behind the brand...until it wasn't. in 2014 FMIC abruptly offloaded Guild to a company called Cordoba, who moved production to China and cut prices/corners to try and gain market share. nobody really knows why Fender threw in the towel; informed people have speculated that there just wasn't the constituency for Guild electrics as is the case with Gretsch whose fan base can be a wee bit cult-like. in any case, i snagged a really good one.

the Jazzmaster, by way of contrast, became a project as soon as i got it out of the Official Fender(tm) Gig Bag. it's two years old, and has been well used. i've been learning the mysterious ways of the Mustang-style bridge Squier or the previous owner were nice enough to install. i'm having to raise the bridge on the pivot screws significantly because when intonating and setting the string height (have i mentioned that i hate setting the string height on Fender guitars?) the saddle lengthways adjustment screws end up at such an acute angle that the tip of the screw frets out the string unless you fiddle it. the last owner also had wrapped the bridge posts with electrical tape which i removed while remembering Devi Ever. at the moment it's sitting out on the sofa drying after i conditioned the flaming hell out of the fretboard, which was so dry that it was all streaky and weird. two rounds of magic fretboard juice and it looks as nice as the Guild's from 5 feet away.

next i need to go under the pickguard...there's something weird about the main volume control, and the tone roller for the rhythm circuit is out of whack in a way that makes it scrape against the pickguard slot. i expect the little bracket is bent. i'm going to button it up after i get these setup-level things done because i'm going to New Jersey next weekend to jam with Gretsch Pages people and want to take the new toys. once i get back i'll order 1M pots. i also want to change some of the plastics; the pickguard is tortoise which is fine, but the switches, knobs, and pickup covers are black which makes the tortoise look flat and the knobs and pickup selector switch difficult to see on the dark red/brown background, and the Strat-style knobs have got to go. some 60s JMs in CAR used tortoise pickguards with white covers and period knobs, which go much better with Squier tortoiseshell. the pickups are fine and dandy, with the snappy early JM sound rather than the "surfy" sounding later 60s version. i need to figure out how to adjust the spring tension on the tremolo, which currently isn't floppy enough for seasick strumming with the amplifier trem on. i sound like I'm complaining, but i knew i would have to mess with it before i left the store. that's why it was $350 out the door. so i have a sofa full of fun out in the next room, just waiting for tomorrow.

[goosekevin]

sounds like you got a great deal dubkitty! glad you are enjoying the guild so much! jm project is always gonna be a fun time too

[Gone Fission]

Good details on that Guild. I remember in the ‘00s I was seeing some vintage Guild electrics, usually hollow-bodies, onstage with various bands on their TV appearances. Fender may have thought that those designs finally had their moment. But I’ve known since the 80s that Guild electrics don’t sell commensurately to their quality. Which keeps a lot off the market—if it’s that good but fetches that little, better to keep it.

[goroth]

Been obsessed with getting a boss sd-2 for no reason at all recently. I dont even know what it sounds like. It appeared in a dream of mine but there it had a verb and chorus built in. Is it a sign?

They're good. They sound like a TS.

They may not have reverb or chorus in them though.
Reverb is in the fingers.

[Dandolin]

and chorus is only in the mind

[Blackened Soul]

Coming


Now I just have to find my old univox... and see if it actually still works... this tape was super cheap so I thought is was worth it since the price of Univox EchoChamber EC-80As are on a rise... even broken ones...

[Dandolin]

that thing is sexy
I have a coupla dictaphones, but they don't take SexyTapeTM

[K2000]

I finally bought two Tone Bender pedals that I’ve been looking at for a while... an MXR Brown Acid Fuzz and a Keeley Fuzz Bender.

I decided that I need to make purchases when I see things at a fair price, instead of wasting time window shopping endlessly.

[Dowi]

i have to resize the pictures to upload them as attachments. the Guild is just fucking perfect. it's actually a tiny archtop without f-holes, with a carved spruce top (!) and mahogany back/sides with kerfed lining. the Franz-design P-90s are much clearer and more articulate than the Gibson-style ones in the Tokai Les Paul Special. i gather that they're wound to ~6.4K, but they're quite snappy when you push them hard. the neck pickup is utterly gorgeous, and the bridge pickup is hiding a big-ass knife under its coat. it likes effects, too. and it's so light and comfortable. it couldn't be an ounce over 6.5 pounds if that, lighter than the 360.

it was built in 2012, during a relatively brief period when Mike Lewis of FMIC, the guy who put together the licensing deal with Fred Gretsch that shepherded their quality and authenticity to a point where the new guitars were sometimes better than vintage examples, was tasked to do a similar rework/back-to-vintage take on Guild electrics (the acoustic line went on in a similar fashion to pre-Fender Guild) with the first period-correct reissues of the Starfires and Starfire Basses, Aristocrat, X-170 and X-175 archtops, and some of the weirdo models like the Thunderbird with the Jaguar switches and kickstand. they specced the Franz P-90s and Gold Tone humbuckers from vintage examples, and generally did a similar job with Korean production to Gretsch's Japanese pro line, but IMO at a more reasonable price point. for 3 or 4 years the weight of Fender was behind the brand...until it wasn't. in 2014 FMIC abruptly offloaded Guild to a company called Cordoba, who moved production to China and cut prices/corners to try and gain market share. nobody really knows why Fender threw in the towel; informed people have speculated that there just wasn't the constituency for Guild electrics as is the case with Gretsch whose fan base can be a wee bit cult-like. in any case, i snagged a really good one.

glad you snagged it, plus thanks for the insight about the history of the Korea/China thing, my Starfire is from the very same period and made in Korea, and is the guitar i've played the most in my entire life. Curious to hear more opnions on this one down the line, as i previously said this one seems a guitar i should really like.