Who else plays guitar here?

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I just met one of our members at the Epiphone forum while cruising over there for a few minutes.

I know Gywn plays (and records) as do I, but who else here has musical ability?

Some family pictures:

A Dean Vendetta that I refinished and rewired with new electronics and hardware. It's now A Dean Bavarian Custom. Sure was a hit at my Oktoberfest party.





My Epiphone LP Custom with SD '59 pickups and Gibson TP-6 tailpiece, CTS pots and Gibson knobs, and Switchcraft hardware:





VOX amplification. 50 watts of police-calling British tone:




And my Jazz Box, an Epiphone ES-175. No, I don't play jazz, but it does rock pretty good:

[Trevor Hale]

Nice Guitars Mike.

I seem to have 2 left feet when it comes to musical instruments..  I think I will stick with the ones that read EGT or ITT.

Nice to learn more about you though.

Trev

[jackpilot]

Whaooo, nice instruments
I used to play, classical on nylon strings, and RnR on a flat cheapo electric guitar. Made some money though with a small band when I was a student. Actually bought my first car with that!
Still have a guitar and a dusty ampli.

[warvet]

Wow guys!
Those are beautiful!  Personally when it comes to playing instruments I SUCK!! LOL But truly those are amzing nice instruments.
Thanks for sharing some of your personal hobby stuff guys. I love hearing this kind of stuff.
Tim
A340

[AndyT]

I have a Takamine Ghost and an Esteban to take to the beach.  No electrics but I was thinking about an SG.

[autocadplease]

I play classical guitar. I know .... boring!

[jackpilot]

Not at all   !!!
Hi Grant, nice to see you here.

[AndyT]

Grant,
I like classical.  I just can not get my wrist around that far.

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I like classical guitar too, but I can't play it.

[autocadplease]

Well, I am in good company it seems!
A very easy classical/Spanish guitar piece is Romanza. Google "Romanza tabs" - anyone should be able to play it.

[AndyT]

I recorded this one today.  I learned it yesterday.  Still a beginner so watch those runway incursions!

Blessed Be Your Name (Cover)

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Not bad at all Andy. That hurt my fingers just watching it. I have a Seagull acoustic and an Alverez 12 string, but I haven't played either in ages. My acoustic calouses on my fingertips are all but gone.

I'm thinking of buying the Epiphone acoustic/electric SST model. Sounds like an acoustic but plays like an electric.

[when acting as a wave]

I also play the guitar and record. I don't actually have any pics of my guitars at the moment but I'll upload some tomorrow.

Here's the new foot pedal contraption that I made a while ago though. I got frustrated at having to set so much up at the start of each practice/gig, so I decided to combine all of the electronic bits and pieces into one unit: now I just need to plug in one plug and fit my leads. The guitar plugs into a separate (back-up) tuner, goes through to a Pandora PX5D, and exits out into a replica VOX AC30. The foot-switch toggles between different effects on the Pandora.

[when acting as a wave]

Alright, so here are a few of my more commonly employed guitars ...


An Epiphone Les Paul Custom.


A Gibson SG which I could never get to stay in tune, despite much tinkering; hence the Epiphone purchase.


An Ibanez TCY10 electric-acoustic. Note that stickers are no real substitute for a proper pickguard ...


And finally, a cheap little classical guitar, simultaneously the most and least rock 'n roll-looking guitar I have.

[Trevor Hale]

WOW, that is quite the collection

[AndyT]

Thanks Mike! I'm still working on it, but its getting there!

Wave,
How do you like that Talman?  How is the sound?  Any decent bass from it? 

Nice stompbox too!

If you really don't like the SG, just send it to me.  I'll gladly suffer for you. LOL!

[Boeing Skunk Works]

S'right Andy! Keep up the practising too. I still play the same stuff over and over and over to get better.

Hey Wave, how do you like the pickups on your Custom?

I didn't care much for mine, but I waited to buy a decent amp and try them for a few more months. They just weren't making it for me. I changed them out for SD '59's for both neck and bridge.

The VOX amp and this LP Custom are now a match made in musical heaven. I love 'em both together. I wouldn't sell or trade this Epi LP for a Gibson if it were the same price.

[when acting as a wave]

Thanks Trevor, it kinda just keeps on growing. I think there's nine guitars laying about the house now, without me ever actively trying to collect them ... 'tis a mystery to the whole family

Andy, nice sounds there. I've actually been meaning to write something with a capo for a while now but I've never quite mastered how to best incorporate one. I see them used a lot though and always like their effect.

Ah, the stomp box, I think my bandmates expected me to turn up using a plank of wood with a switch on it when I first mentioned the idea of making something myself ...  and the SG, despite its problems, still looks nice sitting in our lounge (a terrible thing to say, I know) ...

The Talman, however, is an absolute dream to play, really nice sound and feel to it, which was pure chance really because I bought it second-hand without even picking it up off the wall. I just needed an electro-acoustic for the band and that happened to be the one to grab my attention first. As far as the bass goes, I'm bit of a shambles when it comes to that sort of detail - more a songwriter than a proper musician perhaps ... I absolutely love this guitar though.

Hey there Boeing Skunk Works. A similar situation with regards the pickups on the Epiphone too I'm afraid, though I'm certainly becoming more aware of this type of stuff. Judging by your own customisations though, you certainly know exactly what you're doing with the hardware side of things! My excuse is that up until a year ago I was just the background rhythm guitarist on my acoustic and could hide away, but with the departure of our lead guitarist extraordanaire I suddenly had to move onto the electric, which (as I found out rather quickly!) is a whole new world, and the matter of conquering a decent tone and all the rest is very much a work in progress (we record each of the band's practice sessions and review the sounds therein, adjusting various settings accordingly).

I'm with you on the Epi and Vox combination though, even with mine as standard. It probably didn't help the SG's cause that it felt like a coffee table around my neck either ...

What sort of music do y'all play/write by the way?

[rhysb]

I have to admit to being a bit of a rockstar in my university days and was indeed in a band that was eventually signed by a sublabel of universal records! 2 EP's and an album that never got off the ground (no pun intended) but fun all the least seems like years ago!

Anyway my collection of guitars includes:

3 Fender Jaguars, one 1964 candy apple red, one 62 re-issue in sunburst and one in white with red pickguard!
1 Fender Jazzmaster in sunburst
1 Fender VI baritone in candy apple red (very rare)
1 Gibson SG Junior in dark cherry.

[Boeing Skunk Works]

I play mostly '80's rock. RUSH, Pat Benetar, Men at Work, Fleetwood Mac, Styx, Ted Nugent, etc. Not much into the new music since about '90.

Have you tried changing those Gibson tuners out for something else? I have Grover replacements on the LP and I used Wilkinson on the Bavarian. Both work well and keep them tuned.

Have a look here: http://www.allparts.com/ and here, http://store.guitarfetish.com/index.html]
[url]http://store.guitarfetish.com/index.html[/url]

I've purchased from both and they're reasonable and fast.

[AndyT]

Yep, get away from the Gibson tuners and if you feel so inclined, trade the bridge out for a full contact version by Jeff Babicz.  Awesome stuff.

Writing with a capo is just like writing without one.  Try it, you'll like it.

My music styles are mostly 60s, 70s and 80s Rock with modified Christian lyrics.  Still love the music, just had to change the words.  LOL

[when acting as a wave]

Yeah, I really do need to look at making some alterations if it's ever to get any proper use again, be a shame not to. Thanks for the sites Boeing, I'll check 'em out in more detail later on - I guess there's much research for me to do.

Seems to be a few crossovers in our music as well; Lindesy Buckingham is one of my favourite artists and Fleetwood Mac (specifically Rumours and Say You will) are always on around the house). Also, that early Buckingham Nicks album, which is fantastic. Early Queen (up to 1978 or so) is also a favourite band, early ZZ Top as well. Modern stuff would include Elliott Smith, and more obscure bands like Toe, Frog Eyes (or anything to do with Carey Mercer) and Neutral Milk Hotel ... or anything else that uses off-putting time signatures and finger patterns!

[Aerosim Solutions]

Gwyn's toys -

Yamaha FG720S-12string accoustic
Epiphone "Joe Pass" special in cherry sunburst (was my dads)
Yamaha RBX 200 Bass guitar
Roland HP103 digital piano
Roland EP85 digital piano
Roland D20 synth/sequencer
Roland E56 synth
Casio WK-3700 workstation
Yamaha SY22 totally fragged synth!
Peavey Unity 12 channel desk
Yamaha R100 reverb unit
Yamaha MSR 400 powered speakers x 2
and a Roland DT6 electronic drum kit which I'm crap at!!!
21 years of gigging and counting...

Gwyn

[Kennair]

Yeah I can attest to Gwyn having some serious stuff.

Personally I have:

Taylor 714c acoustic (absolutely superb!)
Fender 1992 Strat
Fender twin solid state 100W amp
Boss GT8 processor
ESP Horizon
Cort 6 sting steel
Watson 6 string steel
Yamaha nylon string classical
Kawai CN31 digital piano

All sounds impressive but my son makes more use of it all these days than me.  Oh well perhaps musical retirement awaits.

Thanks for the post Mike.

Ken.

[Boeing Skunk Works]

After weeks of debate, I've decided not to move the 727 into the below area. The equipment below takes up much more room than the sim does so I'll be leaving it where it is for now.

My new room:




All of this will be moved out yet again at the end of July to stud out the walls, insulate and install electrical.