I was thinking of going to a Guitar Kenter today

[Floyd Eye]

Well it was a fun trip. I tried a few semi hollows, mostly a bunch of dead ass sounding overpriced junk but I fell in love with a very alive cherry red 335. $3500!!! Not sure how to afford that but dammit son I can't get her outta my head....

I tried a Les Paul Supreme, not sure what the deal was, it was thicker than a regular LP. Like a fat LP. Nice, but wasn't a cherry 335....

I tried a bunch of used PRS'. Maybe I should've worn tan pants. A couple of them were nice but I was surprised how thin the solid bodies were. Ain't no way I'm paying 4g's used for a thin PRS with a blushed out finish. It sounded real nice but one of the used cheaper ones that looked like a fruit roll up was pretty equivalent sounding tbh.

Last time I went into GC looking for a guitar ( this was easy 15 years ago) I went specifically looking for a great acoustic or semi hollow. I played every fucking Martin, Taylor, Gibson, blah, blah, blah acoustic they had and a bunch of semis. Dots, 330s, 335s, etc.

In the end the best playing guitar they had was a Chinese $300 AE10 Ibanez. It played far better than the other Ibanez's and all those other 5k acoustics. It's less than 10' from me right now, strung up with Ernie Ball Slinkys. It's been plugged into an amp once. The day I brought it home just to make sure the electronics worked. I decided it was my beater. You know, the one I wouldn't cry over if it got smashed up at a drunken bonfire party. I have to say, 15 years in, if something happened to this guitar I would be devastated.

 

[VonBonfire]

Last time I went into GC looking for a guitar ( this was easy 15 years ago) I went specifically looking for a great acoustic or semi hollow. I played every fucking Martin, Taylor, Gibson, blah, blah, blah acoustic they had and a bunch of semis. Dots, 330s, 335s, etc.

In the end the best playing guitar they had was a Chinese $300 AE10 Ibanez. It played far better than the other Ibanez's and all those other 5k acoustics. It's less than 10' from me right now, strung up with Ernie Ball Slinkys. It's been plugged into an amp once. The day I brought it home just to make sure the electronics worked. I decided it was my beater. You know, the one I wouldn't cry over if it got smashed up at a drunken bonfire party. I have to say, 15 years in, if something happened to this guitar I would be devastated.

Last time I went to a REAL guitar shop, and I mean a shop with more than three guitars in it, was Sam Ash in Clearwater in 2012. There was two identical natural finish Epi Casinos (cue your John Lennon/Beatles love) there. One was a complete lifeless dud, the other was an amazing crazy resonant axe and I still kick myself for not just grabbing it at $450 new. I get your point, something can be pricey and not cut it at all, or cheap, and really sound great. That's why I went with this ES, I could actually lay hands on it, not blind order it like everything else I've bought while hoping for the best.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Last time I went to a REAL guitar shop, and I mean a shop with more than three guitars in it, was Sam Ash in Clearwater in 2012. There was two identical natural finish Epi Casinos (cue your John Lennon/Beatles love) there. One was a complete lifeless dud, the other was an amazing crazy resonant axe and I still kick myself for not just grabbing it at $450 new. I get your point, something can be pricey and not cut it at all, or cheap, and really sound great. That's why I went with this ES, I could actually lay hands on it, not blind order it like everything else I've bought while hoping for the best.

Well to that point, the best playing electric guitar I own or have ever played is a Carvin TL60 I ordered custom over the internet. Better than any of the Les Pauls I’ve owned or my SG or my Tele. The neck is just above reproach. Super low action, perfect width, frets are perfect. A flawless example of what I think a guitar neck should be. The electronics are good too. I don’t know why people shit on Carvin pickups. I like mine.

 

[VonBonfire]

Well to that point, the best playing electric guitar I own or have ever played is a Carvin TL60 I ordered custom over the internet. Better than any of the Les Pauls I’ve owned or my SG or my Tele. The neck is just above reproach. Super low action, perfect width, frets are perfect. A flawless example of what I think a guitar neck should be. The electronics are good too. I don’t know why people shit on Carvin pickups. I like mine.

I've never tried a Carvin before, never seen one of their guitars in real life, but worked with a bassist once who had worn a deep groove where you rest your thumb into his from many years of playing. Dude loved that bass, I'm sure he still has it. It was a good sounding bass.

I had a Epiphone Sheraton II Pro that had an action so buzz free and low I actually had to raise it to do blues bends on it because I couldn't grip the strings. That was a first. It was like pure shredder action. The problem was extreme neck dive cause of the canoe paddle sized headstock. I play and sing, so I gotta be able to go hands off sometimes without the headstock making a date with the stage floor. I regret letting that go cause it was worth spending $ to toss a bigsby on there to correct it. But that would've been about 80 percent of what I paid for it.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I've never tried a Carvin before, never seen one of their guitars in real life, but worked with a bassist once who had worn a deep groove where you rest your thumb into his from many years of playing. Dude loved that bass, I'm sure he still has it. It was a good sounding bass.

I had a Epiphone Sheraton II Pro that had an action so buzz free and low I actually had to raise it to do blues bends on it because I couldn't grip the strings. That was a first. It was like pure shredder action. The problem was extreme neck dive cause of the canoe paddle sized headstock. I play and sing, so I gotta be able to go hands off sometimes without the headstock making a date with the stage floor. I regret letting that go cause it was worth spending $ to toss a bigsby on there to correct it. But that would've been about 80 percent of what I paid for it.

I had a Carvin bass too. A KOA LB76 (six string). It was a sweet player and sounded great. I tuned it DADGBC. Was great for shit like Badfish and some other Sublime tunes ( Eric Wilson was bad ass) and also handy for drop D shit.

I stupidly sold it. I don’t feel too bad though because I sold it to guy who was buying it for his daughter. They came over and she played that fucker like a pro. She might have been 14. Bet she’s amazing now.

 

[VonBonfire]

I had a Carvin bass too. A KOA LB76 (six string). It was a sweet player and sounded great. I tuned it DADGBC. Was great for shit like Badfish and some other Sublime tunes ( Eric Wilson was bad ass) and also handy for drop D shit.

Those six string Carvins were SICK. I'd def regret that too. I used to drool over those basses in the half width catalogs they'd always send. Beautiful fat slabs of ebony on those. Dang. You remember her name? It'd be cool to see how far she went with it!

 

[Floyd Eye]

Those six string Carvins were SICK. I'd def regret that too. I used to drool over those basses in the half width catalogs they'd always send. Beautiful fat slabs of ebony on those. Dang. You remember her name? It'd be cool to see how far she went with it!

I do not. Could have been Tal for all I know. I doubt it seriously though. Her dad didn’t have much money and she needed a bass for Jazz band. He apologetically got up to leave when I told him my asking price (He admitted that he kinda knew it was out of his price range but his daughter really wanted to come and play it.) By then I wanted that girl to have that bass though. I asked him what he could afford. I sold it to him for $400. I was trying to get $700 out of it.

 

[VonBonfire]

I do not. Could have been Tal for all I know. I doubt it seriously though. Her dad didn’t have much money and she needed a bass for Jazz band. He apologetically got up to leave when I told him my asking price (He admitted that he kinda knew it was out of his price range but his daughter really wanted to come and play it.) By then I wanted that girl to have that bass though. I asked him what he could afford. I sold it to him for $400. I was trying to get $700 out of it.

That's awesome though. Sucks at the time to take the hit but cutting someone $300 bucks slack could've changed her life forever and I bet she remembers that moment with a clarity. Also amazing is only asking $700 for a bass like that. Man times have changed. Just because of price increases since the early 2000's the ES I bought today is my first brand new guitar since like 99 or 2000 when they were blowing out those mirror image Jimi woodstock strats. I bought one brand new for $1,069 including tax. I had to borrow money for that one too though, LOL!

 

[Floyd Eye]

That's awesome though. Sucks at the time to take the hit but cutting someone $300 bucks slack could've changed her life forever and I bet she remembers that moment with a clarity. Also amazing is only asking $700 for a bass like that. Man times have changed. Just because of price increases since the early 2000's the ES I bought today is my first brand new guitar since like 99 or 2000 when they were blowing out those mirror image Jimi woodstock strats. I bought one brand new for $1,069 including tax. I had to borrow money for that one too though, LOL!

I’m a lot of things, especially if you listen to JD, but greedy isn’t one of them. I used to buy used, beat to fuck P basses ( I hate P basses), fix them up and give them away to poor kids who wanted to play bass, but couldn’t afford one. I was lucky. My old man was a bass player. When I was 8 or 9 he bought me a Kay SG copy he couldn’t really afford so I always try to support kids who want to play.

Cool story, one of the kids I gave a bass to has a really good band these days. I’ve mixed a couple shows for them. He’s better than I am.

 

[VonBonfire]

I’m a lot of things, especially if you listen to JD, but greedy isn’t one of them. I used to buy used, beat to fuck P basses ( I hate P basses), fix them up and give them away to poor kids who wanted to play bass, but couldn’t afford one. I was lucky. My old man was a bass player. When I was 8 or 9 he bought me a Kay SG copy he couldn’t really afford so I always try to support kids who want to play.

Cool story, one of the kids I gave a bass to has a really good band these days. I’ve mixed a couple shows for them. He’s better than I am.

Lol, nobody is listening to JD. I tried tho!

You were just paying it forward. Didn't know your old man played bass! My old man had a 65 jaguar but he weren't no guitarist haha.

I still love P-Basses though. Nice thick sound for a blues band w/flats. A guy I used to work with used to buy crap bodies and I'd strip and respray them and he'd toss me a few bucks, reassemble, and sell them. For a while I had a fretless jazz bass I tossed together from random parts. Should've kept it to have a bass around but I get tired of stuff that turns into a collection, takes up space, and needs maintenance. If I didn't gig I probably wouldn't own any guitars.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Lol, nobody is listening to JD. I tried tho!

You were just paying it forward. Didn't know your old man played bass! My old man had a 65 jaguar but he weren't no guitarist haha.

I still love P-Basses though. Nice thick sound for a blues band w/flats. A guy I used to work with used to buy crap bodies and I'd strip and respray them and he'd toss me a few bucks, reassemble, and sell them. For a while I had a fretless jazz bass I tossed together from random parts. Should've kept it to have a bass around but I get tired of stuff that turns into a collection, takes up space, and needs maintenance. If I didn't gig I probably wouldn't own any guitars.

I have a P with flats on it. Chromes. Just for the blues gigs. Well, I don’t gig anymore so I don’t know why I have it. It’s nice on the fingers. I also have a Mustang with flats and a great American Deluxe J bass.

 

[VonBonfire]

I have a P with flats on it. Chromes. Just for the blues gigs. Well, I don’t gig anymore so I don’t know why I have it. It’s nice on the fingers. I also have a Mustang with flats and a great American Deluxe J bass.

You never know, it might get in your blood again. Chromes were the first flats I tried on a guitar but all the sets are too thick for my taste. The LaBella set is 9-39 and I just change the top two strings to 10 and 11.5. They are the only ones making flats that light. I tried going to a 9 and even a 9.5 but there is a noticeable loss of sustain going under 10.

 

[Floyd Eye]

You never know, it might get in your blood again. Chromes were the first flats I tried on a guitar but all the sets are too thick for my taste. The LaBella set is 9-39 and I just change the top two strings to 10 and 11.5. They are the only ones making flats that light. I tried going to a 9 and even a 9.5 but there is a noticeable loss of sustain going under 10.

I never got too far in the weeds with flats but generally I like medium to heavy strings. Especially the Roto 66s. I will say I prefer the ELX 90s on my Spector. That bass is way to good for my dumb ass.

 

[VonBonfire]

I never got too far in the weeds with flats but generally I like medium to heavy strings. Especially the Roto 66s. I will say I prefer the ELX 90s on my Spector. That bass is way to good for my dumb ass.

Have you ever tried a Woodcraft bass? Friend of mine turned up at a jam last month with a five string. Thought it was an EBMM but he said Woodcraft when I asked him. Really nice, fat sounding bass.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Have you ever tried a Woodcraft bass? Friend of mine turned up at a jam last month with a five string. Thought it was an EBMM but he said Woodcraft when I asked him. Really nice, fat sounding bass.

Never heard of them. A buddy of mine recently bought a Dingwall and that thing is pretty great. The fucking insanely beautiful, but unfortunately lesbian bass player in another band I know has a Pedulla, which until I got my Spector was the nicest instrument I ever hand my hands on.

 

[VonBonfire]

Never heard of them. A buddy of mine recently bought a Dingwall and that thing is pretty great. The fucking insanely beautiful, but unfortunately lesbian bass player in another band I know has a Pedulla, which until I got my Spector was the nicest instrument I ever hand my hands on.

What Spector model you got? You sure seem to love it!

 

[Floyd Eye]

What Spector model you got? You sure seem to love it!

I got the Mike Starr Tribute bass. It's essentially a Euro LX4. They only made them in 2015 and they were built to order. About 50 in total. I always wanted a Woodstock era NS2, but after playing one I couldn't tell a difference playing it other than the Woodstock was made out of a really nice looking piece of wood. It also had the Haz pre, which is great, but I actually prefer the TonePump so...

 

[VonBonfire]

I got the Mike Starr Tribute bass. It's essentially a Euro LX4. They only made them in 2015 and they were built to order. About 50 in total. I always wanted a Woodstock era NS2, but after playing one I couldn't tell a difference playing it other than the Woodstock was made out of a really nice looking piece of wood. It also had the Haz pre, which is great, but I actually prefer the TonePump so...View attachment 418472

White and gold, killer! One of my favorite guitar color combos. Nice bass. Only fifty made!?!? A lifetime axe right there. Looks like your cab has seen a few road miles!

 

[Floyd Eye]

White and gold, killer! One of my favorite guitar color combos. Nice bass. Only fifty made!?!? A lifetime axe right there. Looks like your cab has seen a few road miles!

The Carvin is the same color scheme.

 

[Floyd Eye]

White and gold, killer! One of my favorite guitar color combos. Nice bass. Only fifty made!?!? A lifetime axe right there. Looks like your cab has seen a few road miles!

Yeah that cab is great. I chose it over a brand new 2015 Heritage 810. Because it sounds better. When I was gigging I kept it in a tour grade roadcase I bought off the guy from Brookroyal. Still got the case. It's next door full of my wife's tools so she can roll it around wherever she needs it.