murkat Posted May 6, 2012 Posted May 6, 2012 Glad you are Happy Scotty. I am no god, immortal. Just human, loves what He is doing with a passion. PPL referred clapton as a god at one time. I do not care for Clapton.
velorush Posted May 6, 2012 Posted May 6, 2012 Got to see these up close last week. What you can't see from the photos is the absolutely impossible detail, especially on the checkerboard guitar.
svl Posted May 6, 2012 Author Posted May 6, 2012 Jay, you can try to hide from the truth, but "godlike" is more than just a KMFDM song. It's you in a nutshell. We all know that Jay is also the most down-to-earth, humble guy ever, so it's no surprise he plays down the complements. None-the-less, he is THE most incredible builder/technician/luthier/tinkerer around, BAR NONE, and his work isn't just purty to look at, it's also the cat's PJs when it comes to playability. To answer the questions, indeed, those are my beloved Kahlers holding down the trem fort- the checkerboard one is sporting the new Teflon glass rollers, and though I haven't had a chance to ride 'em in the full-on rodeo yet, they do seem to make a difference in sustain and clarity. The sunburst Sunburst will be getting them as well, I'm pretty damn sure. The sunburst Sunburst also has the heavier springs onboard- I'm givin' 'em a shot at Jay's suggestion as I have always used the standard springs in my Kahlers. The checkerboard is my trusty #1 formerly black 1982 Sunburst, whose new finish just has me blown away. We decided to do this as a "vintage" finish that left the mojo of the last 30 years intact, and man was that a great move (again, Jay's conception). You can still see the checking, the dings are still there, the "white" aspects of the checkerboard are properly aged to match the binding and PUPs yellowing and it totally looks like it was done this way at the factory in '82. So SHHHHH- don't rat out our little secret and let's see if Uncle Dick makes a nasty call to Jol after he sees it! The sunburst Sunburst is a beautifully topped and finished 1980 bound and crowned, which I grabbed for a ridiculously low price late last year. It had a very ugly neck break close to the heal, and evidently (according to the cat I got it from) wasn't played much after the break (which happened long long long ago). Makes sense to me, as the guitar was in amazing shape except for the break repair- it was sold to me as "playable" but incredibly ugly (it was also ridiculously bumpy and annoying to play around). No finesse was used in the repair and it looked and felt like ass, but the worst part was the thing was completely unstable and warbled like a guitar snob whining about me slapping a Kahler on it. Our "guitar lord and savior" stabilized the neck break, making it a MONSTER to play- I knew the tone was fantastic, but the rods he inserted (insert your own dirty joke here) not only killed the warble but also increased the sustain tenfold. And as you can see, I also had Jay rout it for a Kahler (the '82 was Kahlered when I bought it, which is WHY I bought it). I've already laughed my ass off at the people bitching on the "Expert" board about me "ruining a vintage guitar with a hunk of shit", but figured a response here could be fun. I use Kahlers because I LOVE them- I'm not a Floyd cat, but I am a trem cat (it's part and parcel of my playing style), and I've used Kahlers on almost all my guitars since the '80s. I'm not a guy to "ruin a vintage instrument", but I am a guy who will adapt a tool to fit my needs. The neck break on the '80 Sunburst made it the perfect candidate to become my back-up #2 main axe as it would never have the collectibility or value an "intact" guitar would have, but would always remain a "player" guitar for anyone lucky enough to have it (which is me, and will someday be either my son, daughter or both). I would never do a major renovation on a guitar with the collectible aspect attached to it (my '82 Namm show Hamer Phantom Doubleneck is safe, as are all my other unbroken, near mint toys), but I am a guy who's playing for the ducats, and I need guitars that fit me, are ones I love to play and do what I need them to do. In my case it's original Dimarzio, setneck mahogany pre-1984 Hamers, Sunbursts and Specials in particular. What really pushed me to send this to Jay and get 'er done was the "accident' that happened to me three songs in at the debut Off Broadway USA concert last month. I had just finished a song, thought something sounded off on the '82 (again, my #1) and went to do a quick tune check and realized my D saddle was off. This was a no break, two hour straight concert setting, so I couldn't call timeout and pull out the tools. Had to switch to my '81 Vector (Kahlerless, for those keeping score) for the rest of the show, and even though it is an amazing guitar which I deeply love, it screwed me for various parts of the concert (ever try to play a V behind your head, or even with your teeth? It's a bitch in any event, and sometimes impossible. And doing a guitar battle with a god like John Ivan without my trusty trem is liking taking a plastic butter knife to a gunfight- I'm not a slouch, but with a guy at that incredible level of skill I need every advantage I can get). So, long story longer I decided to keep that sitch from ever happening again and give myself a duplicate back-up to solve the prob. Again, many many many many many many many thanks to the master, who is often imitated but NEVER duplicated, the God, the undefeated and undisputed champion of the guitar world, the one AND ONLY Jay Kolanda. Love ya, bro, you are the best! Edited to answer the question- 1/2 inch checkerboard squares.
jisham Posted May 6, 2012 Posted May 6, 2012 I think they look fantastic and if I ever need work done, I know where I'll get it done. Bad. Ass.
serial Posted May 7, 2012 Posted May 7, 2012 LOVE the checkerboard one, but it needs black knobs and a switch!Kahler fan here-no Floyd zone. Digging these two!
svl Posted May 7, 2012 Author Posted May 7, 2012 Too funny, Serial. I replaced the middle knob with a black to match the theme!
Mark Posted May 9, 2012 Posted May 9, 2012 Jay is a very knowledgeable and helpful dude, he doesn't judge, and is patient.. which is rare with someone of with that talent.. and a jaw dropping WOW on those Sunbursts
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