Guitar consulting job ...

[GPW]

   Every Thursday is my "guitar R&D"  job ....  I travel across the Miss. river and go to NOGC for the day ....   Get to check out new guitars, and exotic wood , and generally brainstorm with the owner about new innovative musical instrument  ideas, electronics , and the meaning of Life ...   What a Great job ...   

  Recently a dealer posted a new video ...  Really shows off these guitars to good advantage, played by a talented musician ...  Thought you guys might enjoy it ...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VQtsgz_99nQ#at=23

[Franky G-String]

                                                     

There was a point in time where I just knew I was going to hear the player slap the top percussively because I forgot I was hearing an electric.

[FC]

Oh, boy. That is gorgeous. I would probably have to sell a kidney for one of them. Please tell me that towards the end I hear a violin, please.

[GPW]

  Going to work tomorrow ... hope I get to play something new ... 

[Franky G-String]

 Going to work tomorrow ... hope I get to play something new ...  

Do they do any "entry level" guitars?  You know, something like that but with a solid mahogany body and neck?  Something closer to 2K than 5K?

[GPW]

  RGT , upon my urgings , he's developing a "plank" ... something more affordable ...    My rationale was , "not everybody can afford a 5K guitar" , no matter how beautiful they are ...     
  As it is right now , he can only make 2 guitars in about 6 weeks ...   I told him with a plank he could make 4 or 5 a month ...    I got to "feel" &  fondle the new neck ...   a bolt on with a tele ish style headstock , but with the normal headstock angle  ... not flat like a Fender , and a volute so it won't break like a Gibson.     Can't wait to get my hands on one to try out on one of my guitars ...   I told him that the necks should be available separately ... for guys like me ...   

  You need to come on down and check out the shop ...  very interesting , and all the free sawdust you want ...       Good coffee too !!!   

[Franky G-String]

Sounds interesting...making replacement necks...I wonder why volutes are not more popular...maybe the added strength does not outweigh the loss of feel for many     I think Gibson stopped doing them because they deviated from the original design to much and still didn't stop neck breaks  

Yes, you're right...I need to get out more 

[GPW]

     RGT, I think that Gibson didn't use them because they were a pain for production , they do add to the strength if properly designed and don't interfere with the feel if the shape is right ...   we
ve never broken a headstock at NOGC , and that included a little guitar bashing on concrete after Katrina...  we tested the "soakers" ...

   Speaking of soakers , a 57 Strat came in today for re-Everything    .... had been a Katrina soaker and was just NASTY  ...  Wonder why they waited so long ...   We're also scanning the neck profile to have on file , that guitar has a nice V shaped profile , very comfortable  with almost no shoulders ... Different from todays offerings ...


  Come on down and visit , we'll do lunch ...   

[Franky G-String]

     RGT, I think that Gibson didn't use them because they were a pain for production , they do add to the strength if properly designed and don't interfere with the feel if the shape is right ...   we
ve never broken a headstock at NOGC , and that included a little guitar bashing on concrete after Katrina...  we tested the "soakers" ...

   Speaking of soakers , a 57 Strat came in today for re-Everything    .... had been a Katrina soaker and was just NASTY  ...  Wonder why they waited so long ...   We're also scanning the neck profile to have on file , that guitar has a nice V shaped profile , very comfortable  with almost no shoulders ... Different from todays offerings ...


  Come on down and visit , we'll do lunch ...   

I've heard a soaker can come out better than before if properly repaired.  Sometimes it takes up to a year of the neck hanging to dry out.  Those guys in Nashville are learning this now...

[GPW]

  Actually I re-built several K soakers , and despite the staining (impossible to remove ), I think they came out fine ...  One of mine that got it , I re-built , named it Katrina, and it sounded mellower ... was Bright before , much better mids now (go figure)  ...  Plays fine , just isn't as pretty as it was before , and it took a while to get the Stink out of it ...     Everything that was in the COE induced flood had that particular nasty stench ... the whole town reeked  for a year  ....   Just Awful ...     Every free Ken time I got one in for re-build it had that same smell .... grrrrr!!!    First thing they got was a check to see if the truss rod was free,and a good Hose down... with bleach too ...   Some I had to pack the cavities with baking soda , they stunk so bad... 

[GPW]

  Here's a pic of mine, restored  ...

[GPW]

BTW, the pups (potted) were fine  (after a good rinse ) ... but everything else was rusted solid ...  frets just needed  a good cleaning and polishing ...

[Franky G-String]

I didn't get to see the guitars...we got the firearms.  I was able to hone my skills at removing rust.  One guy put his whole collection in his attic hoping to save them from the flood.  He came home to discover his house had caught on fire...in the attic.  So that was about thirty burned guns right there.  Many were brought in that had been underwater for months.  We ended up repairing almost 300 flood damaged firearms in the year after Katrina.  I had 5 gallon buckets full of broken scopes, rifles waiting for six months in a corner before anyone got a chance to even look at them, it was crazy, but they were all test fired and returned to the customers fully functional...eventually.

   I never thought I'd say this, but Katrina is beautiful!!!  Looks like a modified PRS with Gibson hardware.  How is the fretboard done?

[GPW]

   Out of the ashes .... er, waters...    
     I guess you could be a gunsmith by now huh ?    Nothing like a lot of experience !!! 

[Mr. Big]

Take a job on a ship.
they only do 3 to 6 mo tours
bring the guitar
and a 4 tk.
I kno U got skills,
so by the time you get back,
you will have a nice $bond$
and have your first two albums done.
(there is not much to do)