Lets see your axes

[Moxie]

My latest weakness:

 

[Mark Blanchard]

Nice collection Ian. Love that carved topped SG.

Moxie's is that orange? Have you had that specially made to match your Explorer?

[Moxie]

Nope. Other than the Coodercaster that I'm making with an Eric Johnson Rosewood Strat and Lollar pickups (http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=Supro&Category_Code=steel-guitar-pickups and http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LGP&Product_Code=Gold_Foil ), my days of modding are over because a) it costs too much, and b) it takes too much time. And I'm radically culling my herd down to the axes I really love, this Firebird being one of them, for which I traded in a few. It's a bone-stock Skunk Baxter Firebird. I figure any guy who can play his ass off, redesign the anti-aircraft Aegis missile system, and was nominated to chair the Civilian Advisory Board for Ballistic Missile Defense probably knows a thing or two about modding an axe. The sheer variety of tones is astonishing. And as long as you use what Guthrie Govan refers to as "the unfortunately named 'Nut Sauce'", the tremolo works perfectly. 

 

A rather disturbing quote from Jeff: "My big thing is to look at existing technologies and try to see other ways they can be used, which happens in music all the time and happens to be what terrorists are incredibly good at."

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Loving the Firebird. 

[Moxie]

Here's a quick overview:

The Steinberger banjo tuners are, honestly, the best tuners I've ever used, period.

[Moxie]

Just picked up another 1979 Strat today, this one's in Ash.  It's in great condition with the original pups, pots and original solders.  The neck joint's tight and the pups sound great.  The previous Owner has owned it sine 1987.  I bought it up for £800, they're normally about £1400 in this condition.

Mark,

Don't know how I missed this, but depspite my deep and abiding love for my three EJ Strats, I have major lust for that ash beauty. If you ever wake up and find it missing, that'd be me. That is absolutely smokin'. I love an axe that's understated yet still seems to say it'll rip your ears off at a tousand yards.

What kind of pups? And a bullet truss rod? What years did they do that?

Really beatiful.

- Matt

[Mark Blanchard]

It's a 1979, all original CBS era, so big headstock, heavy ash bodies, 3 bolt neck joint, great tone to the pups and it's nothing like any other strat you'll find.  The guitar is fantastic to play and I'm very happy I got it.

 

Prices of 70s Strats have come down as the vintage guitar market crashed a while back, so now is a good time to grab a bargain.

 

I'd love a Custom shop like yours some day.  They're like the pinnacle of new Strats.

 

I've been toying with the idea of getting a 62 AVRI but I don't think I can get on with the 7.5" neck rad and vintage fret wire. 

[Moxie]

I'd love a Custom shop like yours some day.  They're like the pinnacle of new Strats.

 

Custom Shop Strat? I don't have one. I have a Warmoth FrankenStrat, two Fender Eric Johnson Rosewood Strats, and one Fender Maple Eric Johnson Strat. Or did you mean the Erlwine Automatic, which a lot of folks refer to as one of the first "SuperStrats"? If so, yes, it's amazing and is better than anything Fender could ever crank out. 

[Mark Blanchard]

I thought the Eric Johnson Strats were Custom Shops, just found out they're Artist Series.  Are they nice to play?  Any Pics?

[Chillidoggy]

Nice collection Ian. Love that carved topped SG.

Moxie's is that orange? Have you had that specially made to match your Explorer?

 

 

Yes, the Carved Top is pretty sexy. Reminds me of the missus somehow.

 

[ramjet]

Is she brown and stripey with a really long neck too?

[Chillidoggy]

More that it goes in and out in all the right places, really. As for neck, she's got more neck than a herd of giraffes.

[ColinH]

That Taylor is a very special guitar and Cocobolo is a beautiful wood.  And those Lowdens sell for £3k, you could by an M100 for that!

 

Not at all in the same league but just picked up another Strat with a nice Plus Top.  Seller didn't realise the pups had been upgraded, inside were Bare Knuckles pickups worth £175 .

 

 

Yeah the Taylor is nice. So is the Lowden - but only paid £2,100 for it!

Those Lowdens are fantastic. What year is it?

Hi - it was made in January 2009. It sounds great, particularly for fingerstyle, but, and it's just a personal thing, I prefer the American sound of a Martin or a Collings, so think I might be trading it in soon...

That Taylor is a very special guitar and Cocobolo is a beautiful wood.  And those Lowdens sell for £3k, you could by an M100 for that!

 

Not at all in the same league but just picked up another Strat with a nice Plus Top.  Seller didn't realise the pups had been upgraded, inside were Bare Knuckles pickups worth £175 .

 

 

Also, at the risk of sounding like a right idiot, what's an M100?! Love the Strat by the way. Want one...

[Bibs]

An M100...

 

[ColinH]

OK got it. Thanks Bibs. Think I'd rather have the guitars though.. (Am I allowed to say that?!)

[Mark Blanchard]

Just picked up a mint 1 year old Gibson Les Paul Custom VOS.  Very happy .

 

 

 

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Black Les Paul, I'm thinking....        

 

[Moxie]

You could put a Bixby on a brick and I'd go for it. You need that axe, for mental health and home defense reasons.

Speaking of which, I'm finally about to thin my herd by about 2/3rds via Reverb.com and eBay, but any TLFers interested in what I list (there'll be about a dozen new and/or dead mint guitars and innumerable esoteric pedals) will get a discount. Points awarded to whoever can name the first axe to go up tomorrow and what is extremely unusual about it from a technical standpoint (no Google Image cheating allowed):

[Mark Blanchard]

Why are you selling up?  Pressure from the Wife?

[Moxie]

Nope. I just had an epiphany that I simply had an absurd number of guitars and there were certain guitars that I had literally never played or maybe played for 30 minutes, and while fantastic and interesting, just didn't compel me to play them, while others did. So I just did a ruthless culling and figured they might as well go to others who'll dig 'em.

[Mark Blanchard]

Makes sense.  I'm selling a US Strat, a Tele 72 Deluxe and another old Strat to get this.  Keeps my wife happy.

[Moxie]

Black Les Paul, I'm thinking....        

Stirling,

If you're interested, I'll be at The Music Zoo sometime before Wednesday and could ask them to pull this baby out and give you my opinion: http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/21011/2008-Gibson-Custom-Shop-Jimmy-Page-Les-Paul-Custom-VOS--Stoptail-Electric-Guitar-Ebony---Used/

Without playing it, my opinion is that it ain't cheap!!!

Matt

[Mark Blanchard]

Wow!!   That looks nice, but a silly price.

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Stirling,

If you're interested, I'll be at The Music Zoo sometime before Wednesday and could ask them to pull this baby out and give you my opinion: http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/21011/2008-Gibson-Custom-Shop-Jimmy-Page-Les-Paul-Custom-VOS--Stoptail-Electric-Guitar-Ebony---Used/

Without playing it, my opinion is that it ain't cheap!!!

Matt

Oh yeah, that's a stunner! Shame about the price, although it's probably still cheaper than buying UK... but then shipping, import duty, VAT. Lovely guitar though. 

[Moxie]

We have a secret weapon and guitar maniac amongst us for delivering guitars from the US to Heathrow and avoiding all those pesky inconveniences. PM me if you're really interested in that axe.