RJoseph133

If I'm not mistaken, the older semi-hollowbody Carvins were license-built by Hofner in Germany. The electronics and setup was done in CA.

That kind of attitude will get you thrown the fuck off the Gear Page, guy. So will a reply of "fuck her already and get it over with" in a thread started by a landscaper about how an old lady client of his had a habit of watching his every move whenever he cut her grass. Ask me how I know! Hahaha! I guess that's why I've never been on the Gear Page...I do want to hear the landscaper story, though...

Leo Fender could barely strum a G chord...exactly the same thing could be said of Theodore McCarty...his biggest concern with the shipments of curly maple at Gibson was whether he could swing a big enough deal so he could have enough fancy wood to panel his dining room walls BEFORE he gave a whit about the tops of Les Pauls. There isn't anyhing wrong with this; just remember it was all about business, and the aforementioned two weren't really very concerned with producing any sort of "magic" sound...they were about making a buck for their companies. I'm sure if either of them had even the slightest idea of what a 1958 Strat or a 1958 Lester would be worth 20 years after the fact, they probably would have stashed a few in a closet somewhere for sale later. Also, remember the basic fact that in a blind sound test, 99.9 percent of the "tone snobs" on the planet, myself included, couldn't tell the difference between a 2004 Strat and a 1962 Strat.

Sad.

Graham Maby on bass...truly underrated and truly an incredible player...

Dood! Great score...I checked out that bass...weren't they asking $800 for it about a month back? I actually wanted to buy it (I offered $500) and the knucklehead manager made a huge stink about "how undervalued this bass already was." The 2-Tek really adds to this bass. It is about as close to mint as it can be, too, if I remember correctly. Again...Great score!

Cheap Trick, at least in the Budokan era. Their albums were great, but tame. Live at Budokan still, at least in my mind, is the pentultimate live document.

I use Shure in-ears. When I first got them, I used to push my bass up in my own separate monitor mix, not blasting loud, but louder than I probably should have. As I got more used to the system, I began running the main "out" feed into my in-ears; the bass isn't as pronounced, but the overall mix is worth it. Once you get used to the "gelling" sound of your band and your contribution, you never can go back...it took me 20 years to get this! Mind you, this only works if your entire band has in-ears, you run every instrument through the PA, and get at least 90% of your band's overall sound this way. I think that the sound level of the band has gone down by at least 50% since we went in-ear; no more "me louder" sound duels or freaky monitor wedge feedback. I have stopped using any amplification whatsoever anymore. And, my earbuds are running very quietly for the most part; I'm sure the dB levels of our stage volume was far greater before. This far offsets, in my opinion, the fact that you are feeding a confined sound source directly into your ear canal.

I'm more rawk now (40) than I ever was at 16...in everything, life, job and band. I wouldn't go back to 16 or 21 even if I could. Well, if I could go back and buy a few Standards for $350 I might...

---> Tech 21 BassDriver (into PA) Don't laugh! That's exactly my setup for the past three years. If you have a nice, efficient PA system, it is absolutely the best way to go. My old rig was a GK RB800 through Hartke 1x15 and 4X10 cabs My sound has never been better. My back feels a lot better, too.

Only if it's gory!

That was very classy. Have you considered therapy? Hahaha! Why yes, I have...but I think that the therapist would need therapy after I finish with him! Seriously, come on. Who needs therapy more? Eddie for being a whack job, his multitudes of "yes men" who facilitate his behavior, or me for stating the obvious?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I happen to get a wierd thrill out of Eddie self-imploding. Talk about a great rock-n-roll story. So he's always blasted. So his wife left him. So he can't keep his band(s) together. Let's face it; as incredible as he was, the guy really hasn't done anything worthwhile since the early '90's. Want proof? Listen to those past 4 "songs" Van Hagar recorded a few years back. I can't wait for all the books written about him after he croaks.

That is hilarious. I guess the trainwreck value at some of these jams is priceless for some...which probably would include me. I love a good trainwreck. The problem is that the establishment usually charges a cover, your beer is overpriced, the guy who ends up sitting next to you is either an asshole or has all of the reasons the CIA had Kennedy offed, blah, blah blah...And, on top of all this, some guy is wailing away on his artificially worn Stratty, playing the exact same stuff the guy before him just finished. Maybe I'm just old and cranky, but I always seem to find that these "jam nights" end up being cutting contests between guitar players who aren't very good "team players" to begin with, or else they'd be in bands already. I'm most certainly not slamming anybody who loves to go to these things, but the "nice, talented guy who just wants to play" is very much the exception to the rule here.

This is absolutely the only way to do a "jam night." Elitist or not, this is the only way to keep things under control. As twisted as this sounds, I have heard the aforementioned SRV clone in probably 15 different people; none of them really could play anything beyond the I-IV-V. If that. I absolutely hate jam nights with a passion. If you feel the need to get out and play, get a band together, rehearse a couple tunes and sit in on an open mic night somewhere. I know it's not a popular thing to say in this forum, but blues guitar solos are only enjoyable to the blues guitar player playing the friggin' solo. 99% of everybody else in attendance is cringing. My band has a "no-jam" policy that was the result of the way-too-nice guitar player taking everybody's word about how "great" they were. One word:trainwreck. Without exception. We only let someone that is a known entity to the band play, and even then, it's the last song of the last set.

Nah, just a collector. I SHOULD sell 90% of them. I really just don't know where to start... Not to get too "real world" here, but last year I was in the stages of divorce (thankfully now reconciled) and the "asset division" of most of my collection (the ones I picked up before we got married didn't count) was a big chunk of Eddie Murphy's famous "half."

Sorry; no group shot of all of them...I do however, have a group shot of all of my Hamer basses, well, at least the Hamer basses that I used to have. I have added a few and subtracted a few since it was taken. I have a few nice Hamer guitars, as well. They are all insured; the yearly premium is pretty steep, and the guitars that I play out at gigs are NOT covered by this insurance; it only covers the "collection." Most of them live in a storage vault at my business. My current playmates, give or take a few, live in their cases on shelves in my basement "music room." Believe it or not, they all manage to get played. I have never re-strung more than one at a time! The worst "re-stringing" ones are the Rickenbacker 12 string guitars, without a doubt. Hamer 12 string basses are expensive, but easy to string! As Darc has said, there are a few of us here with some purty cool collections; Mr. Fung and Mr. Maye are two people just off the top of my head who have fantastic collections, as well as being great guys.

Um, dude...that would be 224. 24 over 200. Well, actually more. I'm really not proud of the collection's number in itself, but it most certainly gives me a pretty good grasp on what is "good" or not in the guitar/bass world. Which, in a roundabout way, when I say one guitar in my collection "shames" the rest, there is a pretty good gauging point. As I've previously said, you don't have to believe me. My wife would rather your number be right.

Last time I counted, 24 over. Of course, I've added a few since the last time I actually did count. No Squiers or Epiphones, either. You don't have to believe me.

Ahem. I have over 200 guitars and basses. My bone stock 1978 P-Bass absolutely shames all of my other basses; this includes comparing Alembic, Tobias (MTD,) Modulus, Steinberger, Zon, etc. This isn't to say that the aforementioned basses are bad; quite the contrary, but...I got my P-Bass for $150.00 in 1984. My bone stock 1995 PRS Custom 24 absolutely shames all of my other guitars; this includes comparing Gibson, Fender (both Gibson and Fender from the 1950's onward,) Hamer, Steinberger, etc. This isn't to say the aforementioned guitars are bad; quite the contrary, but...I got my 1995 PRS Custom 24 for $1650 in 1997. One can reasonably rest assured that the quality of a NEW guitar will reflect in its price; A new Gibson, despite what the detractors say, will almost always be better than a new Squier, for instance. A new Hamer will almost always be better than a new Gibson. 'Course, spending $1500 on a new guitar will not guarantee it will be a great or even good, guitar. Confusing enough? Good! What does this mean? It is absolutely meaningless, as well as impossible to make a "scientific" decision on "the 10 points of guitar (or bass) comparison" simply because every single one is totally different. Even Steinberger's L series of basses and GL series of guitar, all graphite and cranked out of the exact same mold, can, and do, sound radically different from each other. Why is the hot blonde that you've been pining for hopelessly for years so stuck on her obnoxious, fat, lazy loser boyfriend? Let's solve that question scientifically first; after that's all done, we'll get to guitars! That's a statement in absurdium to prove my point; when you are dealing with intangiables, no science or engineering will ever be able to answer some questions. Play it. Do you like it? Is it worth what the person selling it is after to your ears? That is the ONLY way to choose the "right" guitar.

Yes...I am hoping...hooooope...hoooooope....

Hi Ken! This one's a used one; albeit in very good shape. The body has some blemishes, but no real dents or dings to speak of. I'll probably try and shine it up soon. I got this one from "The Music Crib," ever heard of it? Cute little place, often times he has some pretty good scores in there as he does a lot of trade-in business.

Flushed with my recent score, a strange voice in my head kept telling me..."Go baaaaack...Go baaaaaack." So I did. And lookie what else I managed to find, all covered in dust, in the back room of the mysterious music store... OK, the above story is BS. This fine little one-owner '89 Cali was hiding in another M&P store in Oak Park. BUT, unlike the Impact bass, this example was very bottomfeeder friendly; exactly what everyone around here offers... It has a very nice raw neck, (beautiful) ebony fingerboard with boomers, OBL pickups. The black body looks a little splotchy, but nothing a good buff couldn't take care of. It plays wonderfully, also...probably the nicest action imaginable with very little tweaking. Supposedly, things like this come in threes. At least I'll keep hoping for it...

Funnily enough, I'm hitting the big 4-0 next week and I have never felt better in my life. I hope I didn't just jinx myself. Shit.

Guitar through Marshall, Fender or Boogie amps. Not at the same time. Bass through GK amp. No f/x. I think I sound pretty good. Maybe others beg to differ.