Dream guitars

Funk'n Metal said:
That's crazy. I had the chance to play one that a dear friend of mine owns, and was astonished by it. I'm surprised anyone else knows of them. It kind of bothered me seeing them sell a few and then double or more the price overnight as if they were the next thing. Last I checked they seem to build around a dozen a year and sell maybe one. That was also when they were $3-4k, now at $8-12k. Dude can keep them. Anyway, these are more like "dream" guitars to me more than anything as they have absolutely no provenance, imo, to demand that kind of money despite the craftsmanship that may be involved.
Click to expand...
I know of them too. Watch it as a fine carpentry shop on insta lol
 
braintheory said:
I understand where you’re coming from and was the same exact way for many many years going gaga over all these sleek looking boutique guitars and just assuming they must sound as good as they look, but it’s almost never been the case for me (maybe you or others may feel differently)

After trying and owning so many I just gave up after a while. I do have a GNG on the way, so will see about that, haven’t tried a GNG yet, but honestly vs my vintage Gibson’s, other vintage guitars, Marchione’s and a few others, most other guitars to me now just sound like POS’s in comparison to be blunt, so I’m just not very optimistic anymore with most newer guitars

I see you PM’ed, so I’ll say the rest there to not clog up this thread too much, but I already have quite a bit lol
Click to expand...
Hey, at least we bump the thread haha
 
CrystalSky said:
Oh, I sadly know little about you. Would be interesting to hear the story!
Click to expand...
Not much to hear. Bunch of bands in high school and college. Busked, gigged, and stripped through undergrad at UNLV, then Masters/DVM @ UW, onto being a Veterinarian for almost 10 years. Made some good investments with my husband over the years and decided I was tired of seeing abused animals and hearing armchair experts and Karens walk through my door everyday. No real reason to continue down that emotionally destructive path since I could afford not to. Played with a few bands afterwards leading up to Covid, but now I just try to spend as much time with my kids before they're too old and tend to my own opus.
 
braintheory said:
I know them partly since they’re within driving distance from me, a friend of mine locally has a whole bunch of them too, and also because I like trying also sort of things (leave no stone unturned), especially exotic woods where their tonal profile is less understood vs the usual mahogany, alder, ash, etc, so they came up in my searches lol

They definitely seemed very well made, no argument there, but if the tone is no good, it’s a zero in my book. My goal with gear is to try all the stuff with exceptional tone and I just don’t have time to keep track of stuff that isn’t that good sounding. It’s just very weird and off to me how these luthiers are almost all so immaculate with everything but how the damn thing actually sounds lol. Not just Barlow I’m talking about
Click to expand...
Glad you aren't their sales rep :ROFLMAO:
Agree though, as I've seen it across the spectrum of small builders. Worse though are all of the photo filters they use and when it shows up it looks like a high school shop project. Anyway, sometimes dream guitars end up sitting in the corner collecting dust.
Either way, I already have more than I need.
 
Funk'n Metal said:
Not much to hear. Bunch of bands in high school and college. Busked, gigged, and stripped through undergrad at UNLV, then Masters/DVM @ UW, onto being a Veterinarian for almost 10 years. Made some good investments with my husband over the years and decided I was tired of seeing abused animals and hearing armchair experts and Karens walk through my door everyday. No real reason to continue down that emotionally destructive path since I could afford not to. Played with a few bands afterwards leading up to Covid, but now I just try to spend as much time with my kids before they're too old and tend to my own opus.
Click to expand...
Wow, quite a story. Las Vegas to Washington and everything topped with a happy early retirement. Splendid 👏🏻
 
braintheory said:
I understand where you’re coming from and was the same exact way for many many years going gaga over all these sleek looking boutique guitars and just assuming they must sound as good as they look, but it’s almost never been the case for me (maybe you or others may feel differently)
Click to expand...

I had a revolving door through most of the 2000s (until the crash) where prices were semi-reasonable
and the emporium over on TGP was hopping with lots of small luthier stuff.

Owned (mostly used) all these at one time or another:
Thorn, Briggs, D'Pergo, Kirn, Melancon, McNaught, Vigier, early US Brian Moore, Vinetto, Mayones,
Suhr, Tyler, Anderson, and a few more I'm probably forgetting.

All amazing guitars and some ridiculous examples of craftsmanship but ended up moving all of them.
For pure tones and playability nothing ended up being head and shoulders above everything else.
 
Donnie B said:
I had a revolving door through most of the 2000s (until the crash) where prices were semi-reasonable
and the emporium over on TGP was hopping with lots of small luthier stuff.

Owned (mostly used) all these at one time or another:
Thorn, Briggs, D'Pergo, Kirn, Melancon, McNaught, Vigier, early US Brian Moore, Vinetto, Mayones,
Suhr, Tyler, Anderson, and a few more I'm probably forgetting.

All amazing guitars and some ridiculous examples of craftsmanship but ended up moving all of them.
For pure tones and playability nothing ended up being head and shoulders above everything else.
Click to expand...
Which were the best? I bet Anderson was among them!

And by crash you mean crysis? I was going to school back in those beautiful days of reasonable prices. I sometimes envy you guys, because you could easily buy todays unobtainium during those days.
 
CrystalSky said:
Which were the best?
Click to expand...

The one I easily kept the longest was a Briggs Avatar.
Best overall from a build and finish? McNaught SC.

Mine was similar to this.

DTM_VSC_QuiltTop_and_back_AB_all_logo.jpg
 
Donnie B said:
The one I easily kept the longest was a Briggs Avatar.
Best overall from a build and finish? McNaught SC.

Mine was similar to this.

DTM_VSC_QuiltTop_and_back_AB_all_logo.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks tasty! I guess you are not into metal much?

Briggs are surprisingly reasonably priced even today.

have you tried Nik Huber?
 
Funk'n Metal said:
Glad you aren't their sales rep :ROFLMAO:
Agree though, as I've seen it across the spectrum of small builders. Worse though are all of the photo filters they use and when it shows up it looks like a high school shop project. Anyway, sometimes dream guitars end up sitting in the corner collecting dust.
Either way, I already have more than I need.
Click to expand...
Other than a small handful of current made amps & guitars that I found to be the real deal for me (as good as my favorite vintage stuff), I’d make a terrible sales rep for almost any other brands made today LOL. I got a lot of good vintage stuff before covid, worked at a store briefly where I got some of it from, and it just spoiled me haha
 
Last edited:
Donnie B said:
I had a revolving door through most of the 2000s (until the crash) where prices were semi-reasonable
and the emporium over on TGP was hopping with lots of small luthier stuff.

Owned (mostly used) all these at one time or another:
Thorn, Briggs, D'Pergo, Kirn, Melancon, McNaught, Vigier, early US Brian Moore, Vinetto, Mayones,
Suhr, Tyler, Anderson, and a few more I'm probably forgetting.

All amazing guitars and some ridiculous examples of craftsmanship but ended up moving all of them.
For pure tones and playability nothing ended up being head and shoulders above everything else.
Click to expand...
I’m always hoping to find something that is special and a lot better than others and only found those what I mentioned earlier in this thread to deliver for me there. I’ve not tried any Briggs’s, Melancon’s or Vinetto’s, but owned or at least tried from friends or stores all the others you mentioned
 
CrystalSky said:
Looks tasty! I guess you are not into metal much?

Briggs are surprisingly reasonably priced even today.

have you tried Nik Huber?
Click to expand...
I owned a Nik Huber Dolphin and have tried lots of other Dolphin and Orca models by them. Again very well made, great playing guitars, most sounded good, some not as good, but not on the level of the guitars I’ve enjoyed most in sound. I don’t know what they go for these days, but they at least used to be very expensive. So many other guitars I’d prefer soundwise to them for those prices
 
braintheory said:
I owned a Nik Huber Dolphin and have tried lots of other Dolphin and Orca models by them. Again very well made, great playing guitars, most sounded good, some not as good, but not on the level of the guitars I’ve enjoyed most in sound. I don’t know what they go for these days, but they at least used to be very expensive. So many other guitars I’d prefer soundwise to them for those prices
Click to expand...
Yeah, they are as expensive nowadays. Look nice though 😁
 
I just want an ebony LPC.

Foolishly passed on one for cheap a few years back and grabbed a Suhr. With current prices both new and used I doubt I'll be spending money on one anytime soon.
 
I have plenty of my dream guitars. Les Paul Goldtop, ESP, multiple PRS (594, Tremonti, Singlecut, S2 Studio, GG5 bass), several G&L's that I have speced out, lots of high end basses as well as I am still primarily a bass player (MTD, Fbass, etc).

I'm a lucky guy.

I would love a nice early Hamer Standard though. Such great guitars.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top