GuitArcher

I wish I had something clever to say, but I don't.

I'm sure we all have certain pieces of gear that carry some value beyond practical use, but lack any sentimental attachment.  For me, that piece of gear is the Fulltone Fulldrive 2. My first recollection of the FD2, beyond magazine mentions, was it's appearance in a major guitar shop in Japan, listed for about 45,000 yen, which is about $400 USD.  You see, the FD2 was hot stateside, and getting anything that was hot in the States in Japan meant paying a serious premium... Aside: Cool versioning history of the FD2 here . A premium I had no interest in paying, what with the plethora of Japanese builders offering pedals I had never seen or heard about.  I remember picking up a Sobbat Drive Breaker 3 as an alternative, but also recall being disappointed to the point of seldom using it. I'd like it back just for the graphic. In any case, when I returned to Canada and got the opportunity to buy a Fulldrive 2, I jumped, especially since this was the 10th An...

Another Monday, another collection of cool gear from the weekend.

Nothing quite like picking up a new guitar to get you shopping for more guitars. I didn't say it made any sense... Get more, want more? More guitars, more problems? That Buddha guy may have been onto something… Ibanez SA160 - $250 If you're looking for a good all around guitar for not a lot of money, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than this these days. Although the same $250 got me an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with some negotiating and travel, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for something to cover the maximum number of bases. I almost jumped on this one, before jumping at the Squier 51 - Call me crazy, but not that crazy. In one of the more recent Anderton's videos, Rob Chapman passed on this in favour of a Yamaha Pacifica. No doubt that this looks better than that, but it does make you wonder... Actually, no it doesn't. Pass. 1986 Fender Contemporary Stratocaster - $350 I've developed a soft spot for Contempora...

I've owned a handful of Gibsons over the years, but none of them seem to stick.  They're not bad guitars, but I always find myself gravitating back to Fender. So when the time comes to move something, the Fenders are dear, the Gibsons are expendable, and there is no shortage of teenagers who want to own their first real Gibson. This was the first one I owned - A 1996 Gibson Les Paul Studio in Wine Red. I bought it in Japan, from Ishibashi , when I was a guitar-less gaijin and itching to start playing again.  When you live in an apartment that is the size of a single car garage, having a hobby can be pretty important. For the low price of 63,000 yen it was mine.  Japan is amazing for used gear, as there seemed to be a stigma around buying something used.  There were ( are?) entire department store sized floors filled with used guitars, many of which are the kind you see selling for far too much, with tags like "lawsuit years". I really liked this Les Paul...