cmatthes Posted December 3, 2017 Author Posted December 3, 2017 Can't forget about Daisy, the friendly shop dawg!
ArnieZ Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 Stunning guitar! But this is no surprise given the builder arniez
hamerhead Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 2 hours ago, cmatthes said: How does he get water to sit sideways like that? That's gotta be in my top 3 or 4 guitars of all time. Amazing.
The Shark Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 Just beautiful. Fantastic, Chris. Mike's a genius!
PaGator Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 Another amazing build! Congratulations it is stunning
unfun75 Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 Good stuff. I read that you went with the ebony TRC to match the fretboard. Did you consider a TRC that matched body finish?
devrock Posted December 4, 2017 Posted December 4, 2017 9 hours ago, cmatthes said: Can't forget about Daisy, the friendly shop dawg! I think I still have hair on my clothes and in my car from that dog a few months ago.
RobB Posted December 5, 2017 Posted December 5, 2017 Absolutely. As I scrolled thru I was struck dumb (not that I was talking to anybody to begin with...) marveling at the level of craftsmanship and skill. Amazed that mere humans (Mike, Bernie Rico, Bob Benedetto, Thorn, et al) have the skills acquired of the angels. It's humbling to witness.
geowolves Posted December 5, 2017 Posted December 5, 2017 On 12/3/2017 at 11:56 AM, cmatthes said: I should let the pics do the talking, but the lowdown - this is a perfect, light weight, that balances perfectly on a strap or sitting down. The neck is amazing too - really nice, fat and round profile, and it is super comfortable up and down everywhere. I plugged it in, and the 3 TVJ PowerTrons are a solid match. The 1-3-5 positions are round, full and clear, and the 2-4 positions are like a thicker Strat "in-between" quack. the "2" position is instant Knopfler/Gurley territory, and the "4" gets that Hendrix/SRV thang. The Gotoh trem is a really great surprise. It is super smooth, and stays in perfect tune with the Sperzel locking tuners (and a well-cut nut!). Everything is, as expected, top notch. When you look at it, you don't want to stop looking at it, and when you're playing it, you don't want to stop playing it! The Reverse 6-in-line is a thing of beauty. The bevel and contouring is where the artistry really shows. The flame from the neck wood shows through to the front as a compliment to the jet black ebony of the headstock and fingerboard. When Mike and I were initially discussing the build, I was thinking about binding the headstock too, but Mike suggested this, and said "trust me". I'm glad I did - it's one of my favorite features, and looks KILLER! This is a tough finish to capture in photos for some reason - it is actually a bit richer looking in person, and looks everything from Teal to Blue to Aquamarine depending on the light. We swung by the old Hamer/Ovation/Guild factory to snap a few pics down by the river on the old table that's still there (got a great tour of the reopened Ovation shop from Darren too!). Mike and I grabbed lunch at the Parrot Delaney Tavern, which occupies much of the space that the Hamer/Ovation sales offices used to. Our table was pretty much where Jol's old office used to be - I think I was sitting under where a NightRanger Platinum album once hung! Really awesome day, really amazing guitar! Un-Fricken-Real! Congratulations! Once again - WOW!!!
Jakeboy Posted December 5, 2017 Posted December 5, 2017 Chris , I am speechless......what a match for your Ultimate.....that headstock!! And the quilt!! ....and everything else! Enjoy & Congrats!
cmatthes Posted December 5, 2017 Author Posted December 5, 2017 I was playing it extensively last night, and it truly gets more awesome to me every time I pick it up. I got the Luminlay fully charged, and it was glowing even with the lights on. I tried to capture the "my view" of the figuring on the neck - it looks so 3D and like super deep water when in hand - no pics were able to begin to do that justice!
Jakeboy Posted December 5, 2017 Posted December 5, 2017 I bet....I am considering a custom order from Mike in a somewhat similar vein....
Menehune Posted December 6, 2017 Posted December 6, 2017 On 11/29/2017 at 11:35 AM, cmatthes said: The fretboard work is some of the coolest stuff to see Mike do, in my opinion. This is the jet black ebony board with perfect MOP Crown inlays and triple stacked Ivoroid binding... I love how Mike rounds the binding to match the fret profiles On 11/29/2017 at 11:56 PM, cmatthes said: I thought I'd request something a little different for the side dots... Not going to lose THESE on a dark stage! Tritium capsules, or photofluorescent?
Menehune Posted December 6, 2017 Posted December 6, 2017 27 minutes ago, cmatthes said: Luminlay Super Blue: Welp, all I had to do was read on a few more 'graphs and I'd have learned that. A clever touch to a gorgeous guitar. Thanks for sharing.
BubbaVO Posted December 6, 2017 Posted December 6, 2017 I'm just grinning. What a cool guitar. That headstock was quite a surprise - beautiful. Really fits the other elements of the guitar so well. Enjoy.
cmatthes Posted December 6, 2017 Author Posted December 6, 2017 A few "in progress" shots that I can reveal now that the cat's outta the bag... One has been on Mike's website since maybe March?
DBraz Posted December 6, 2017 Posted December 6, 2017 Magnificent. The headstock works so well with the rest of the guitar. Seeing it come together is awesome.
bubs_42 Posted December 6, 2017 Posted December 6, 2017 1 hour ago, DBraz said: Magnificent. The headstock works so well with the rest of the guitar. Seeing it come together is awesome. That headstock works great with that body style.
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