Guitars anyone???
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@ddtrash I’m consistently tempted to pick up one of his sig Jaguars. Never really too crazy about signature guitars, but they did a really great job with that one. Plays and sounds killer.
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@popvulture we need to talk D-18’s sometime. I’ve got a ‘71 that’s been completely overhauled. Frets, bridge (moved and correctly placed for proper intonation), saddle , bridge plate, tuners all replaced. Neck reset, k&k western mini installed, couple cracks repaired… even had the luthier slightly scallop the braces. I bought it used on eBay with this intent and it really turned into a wonderful guitar.
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@SKT man that sounds awesome! I've heard really great things about k&k pickups, and have been planning on replacing the Fishman pickup in mine with a Pure Mini. My D18 is a Golden Era, not sure what year but I think probably maybe 2010ish or so, but I bought it used at Chicago Music Exchange. I just went in planning to look at some acoustics with no plans to buy, ended up checking out a ton of Martins, and this one just grabbed my attention. I keep playing other acoustics to compare, nice Collings etc that cost 3x what I paid for the GE, and I still haven't found anything I like better. It came with the Fishman, which is fine, but it's a soundhole pickup — it doesn't look too intrusive but I'd rather it not be there.
Post some pics of your D18 sometime — I'd love to see!
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I love the k&k’s…I think they have such a “transparent” sound. I’ve had quite a few guitars with them installed and have never been disappointed. Those Martin GE are awesome and I bet yours sounds fantastic. Lately I’ve been playing a Collings CJ with a short scale the most. The scale length makes it just a hair easier for me to play as my hands get a bit older. Here’s a pic of the D-18 and my Collings CJ. The CJ was actually a prototype for what they now call the CJ35. I like to think Bill had a lot to do with its build ( in 2011).
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@popvulture I have pics but I’m sworn to keeping them to myself right now. It is literally mint. No fading. No finish checking! The guitar looks new, the case looks new, every hang tag is in the case and they all look new. It has the original strap that looks new. Completely bonkers.
@popvulture said in Guitars anyone???:
That’s pretty wild — curious to know if any of the red is still intact. Maybe so if it’s been sitting in a case all these years.
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@JunkPants yeah a respected vintage guitar dealer is brokering the sale so it’s legit. Vince Gill is also in the mix now, I’m curious to see who ends up with it.
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@xtcclassic hoping at some point when the deal is done you’ll be able to share some of the pics. Fun to follow along here
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@SKT those are both beautiful!
Funny you mention the CJ35 — I played one of the new ones (CJ45T?) last week and it was by far the best of the Collings I checked out, sounded absolutely wonderful. The interesting thing though is that the neck on it is goddamn enormous, like just under 1" at the first fret. I really like big necks, but when it gets tough to wrap my thumb around when I'm playing an F chord, it's a bit too much for my taste. Tbh I don't know that I've ever played any other acoustic with a neck that big. Anyway, my thought was basically that I loved the guitar but seriously hope they make a version with a slightly more reasonable neck down the line.
WTB
IHSH-IHG-BLK XXL
Sugar Cane Coke Stripe SS L charcoal -
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@mikebarhoot this cracks me up. Guitar players all have the same problem with cases everywhere!
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Haha yes, my girlfriend is always opening a closet somewhere like "WHAT? MORE CASES?"
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@popvulture I haven’t played a new Collings in a long time but that sounds like a damn big neck! Had to measure mine now and it’s quite a bit smaller than that (with a 1 3/4 nut width). Actually my D-18 has a “bigger” neck but a smaller nut width (1 11/16). Go figure.
I think Collings acoustics are really tricky. A lot sound sterile and thin to me. But when you find a good sounding one, paired with the amazing fit and finish, they’re amazing. Lately though I’ve been thinking I could sell all my guitars for an old Gibson J45 and that would do me right for a long time. -
@SKT I hear you on all of that. Old Gibsons can be pretty special. I had a '66 Country Western for many years, was sort of my main acoustic, especially for recording, but it often fell short of being my go-to because it had the opposite problem: a way too skinny neck. It felt like an SG or something. I've got big hands, so I just could never really get into an ideal groove with it, but man did it sound fantastic. It had that really woody, Nick Drake-y kind of thing.
Re: Collings' inconsistency, I definitely agree — I've played some that were absolutely magical, and some that were totally lifeless duds. All of them were built impeccably, so I can't really say what contributes to that uniqueness (the wood I suppose), but I'd say the same for pretty much all other brands. When I bought my Martin, I played five or six others at CME that just didn't do it for whatever reason. I've played Fender Custom Shops that were absolute garbage, and Mexican Fenders that just had it in spades. Regardless, I enjoy hunting em down haha.
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@popvulture ha! The hunt is where it’s at!
Edit: And this is why I can’t go into guitar shop anymore
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So, so true.
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Someone say old Gibsons? gratuitous old photo of my ‘49 L4 with monkey bar and unnamed amp (probably mid-late ‘50s)
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@mikebarhoot thats an awesome duo Mike
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Ooh, look what finally popped up on eBay...
Vox Pathfinder 21oz Denim from around 2017, our very own piece of Iron Heart rock n' roll history! Not the best sounding amp in the world, but looks cool as hell - hoping @Giles might be able to shed some light on how this collab came about?
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@SamD Very cool! Didn't know about these.
