GuitArcher

It would seem that I'm having a more difficult time selling my Les Paul Studio than I would have predicted.  It isn't the end of the world, and makes for a compelling AND unavoidable reason for keeping it. It did get me thinking about why my thinking was so far off the mark. I'm still here. I've commented before on why I think Gibson made a huge mistake in pricing the SGJ and LPJ as they did, and it feels like their chickens are coming home to roost. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that makes me a giant cock. That image search could have ended poorly. Stupid pricing decisions, combined with their infamous rosewood seizure, have combined to create the perfect shit-storm on the used market. Half-Baked Ideas In 2011, US Agents raided Gibson and confiscated most of their rosewood.  Apparently, it had something to do with acquiring Indian Rosewood that wasn't "finished" by Indian workers.  Under Indian law, that meant it was illegal to ex...

Since acquiring my Eric Johnson Rosewood Stratocaster, it's been pretty clear that I need to move an instrument or two.  This isn't so much a money thing, as it is a guilt thing. And no, it's not my wife making me guilty. With eleven guitars now in the collection, only a handful get played on a regular basis.  Given the limited amount of time I have to play everyday, making a point to play each one would restrict me to no more than 10 minutes or so with each instrument, and at that point it feels like you're just making sure  each one gets played on a given day to justify it. The result is obvious.  There are only 3 or 4 guitars that get played regularly.  The rest are ignored to varying degrees, or looked at as nice "wall pieces", and little else. My Gibson Les Paul Studio, sadly, falls into the later group. Why you no love Gibson? It's no secret, especially if you read previous posts, that my attention is firmly drawn by the Fender cam...

It's been quite awhile since I've done anything guitar related.  It's not that I've stopped playing, it's just that for the first time in forever I'm satisfied with what I have. Well, no, that's not quite right. I'm never satisfied, only appeased for short periods of time (Czechoslovakia only tides you over so long, right?) .  Those periods are usually extended when Kijiji is filled with nothing but $1200 US Stratocasters.  A guitar that a year ago was worth maybe $800 is now worth a cool grand? Seriously? Stranger still, there are some prices that seem to have gone the other way.  SG Standards are regularly appearing for less than a grand, which is great value if you ask me.  Wanna bet this is because of the great pricing confusion Gibson caused with the SGJ? Anyway, I wanted to get back into the mix, so I posted both Les Paul's currently in the collection, just to see what was out there. The most interesting offer has come on the Gibson...

Life gets busy sometimes, and with Christmas right around the corner, it's not likely to get any calmer.  Even so, this can be a great time to keep a sharp eye out for great gear.  Folks need money for gifts, extra cash to augment their Christmas money (mostly the kids), or are desperate to pay off the credit card bills (which is why you should be sharp towards the end of January too, when Christmas bills come due. If it comes off as a bit Grinchy, that's because it probably is.  Still, I'm not sure why the Christmas spirit means I have to care about other people's consumer debt ratio... Line 6 DT25 - $700 $700 for a Line 6 you ask?  Well, clearly you don't know about the DT25.  This is free of the digital bells and whistles, and is one of the products born of the alliance with Bogner.  My personal experience is limited with these, but friends tell me they are absolutely outstanding amps in terms of flexibility and authenticity of sound. This exa...

I’ve been exceptionally happy with the recent LP Studio, which may be a problem - The more guitars in the collection I like, the fewer I have to sell and trade. Nobody said this was a cheap hobby… Marshall JTM-1 -$600 I'm as close to being romantically in love with an s I think is possible with the Marshall DSL-1. This is part of the same limited run, this time being a version of the JTM 45 rather than the JCM 2000. If the DSL-1 is any indication, this would be a fantastic little amp. Sure, $600 may seem like a lot for a practice amp, but good practice amps make you want to play, and isn't that the point? EB Axis Super Sport Rosewood Neck - $1599 I've never owned an Ernie Ball, much less a guitar with a solid rosewood neck, so this one caught my eye. Unfortunately, this brown is a touch uninspiring. George Harrison aside, I've never been sure why "all rosewood" is or should be a thing. The all rosewood neck though is something that interest...

Yesterday, I finally sold the Contemporary Stratocaster.  Another case of cool guitar, but meh. Enter the latest addition to the family.  A Gibson Les Paul Studio in Wine Red. I had one of these a few years ago , and my recent LP-itis had me looking for something from the family of Lester.  I threw a few offers out and got a bite on an example I had noted in my post on Les-Paul-itis . Just so happened that the bite was as close to a dead ringer for the last one as you could get.  And no, I didn't pay the asking price. Old Les Paul, this is new Les Paul. Of immediate note was how light this example is.  I don't have a scale, but this is so close to the 7.5lbs of my Eric Johnson Stratocaster as to not be able to tell the difference.  It is much lighter than my American Telecaster for sure.  Must be chambered. As soon as I got it home it was off with the strings for a cleaning and a setup.  The neck didn't have enough relief, t...

Here are the interesting pieces I've come across on Kijiji in the past week. If this list is any indication, I'm due for a Gibson soon. More guitars after the jump. Gibson SGJ - $450 A good, simple guitar.  Satin finish, 2014 Anniversary inlay at the 12th fret, and a real garage rocker vibe. Totally cool, except for the price.  $450 is insane.  I saw this EXACT SAME GUITAR at Best Buy (ugh) for $349.99.  Despite my distaste for Best Buy, I picked it up and it seemed fine, so I'm not sure why this sell thinks they can get $50 more than retail.   Fender FSR Stratocaster - $1100 This is a cool Strat.  Mahogany body with a black headstock?  Looks like Fender is trying to ape someone else's look.  Gee I wonder.  Though the seller didn't mention it, I'm fairly certain this guitar has a compound radius as well - the fret board gets flatter the farther up you go.  One more reason this isn't your best friend's Strat.  With the C...

Last week, I received a trade offer on my Contemporary Stratocaster, but not before I had to answer a few questions. First, I was asked where I'd put the value of the Strat.  I replied it was tough to say, and that the best bet was to make the offer - the worst I could say was no.  Besides, you never negotiate against yourself. He responded that he wasn't sure my guitar was worth what his was, so he'd think about it and get back to me.  Fine by me, but you could have thought about it without getting me involved. Two days later, "Trader Joe" offers his Epiphone "Elite" SG in a straight up trade. Sigh. Elitist Attitudes My opinion of Epiphone has been slowly shifting since my acquisition of that Les Paul awhile back, but I'm still not what you'd call a fan overall.  Still, I'm trying to temper my bias, so I wasn't ready to dismiss this offer right away.  Both guitars are in the "more than $500, less than $1K...

Sorry for the long time between posts... I've had three guitars posted on Kijiji for a few weeks.  I'm not necessarily keen on selling all of them, but I always keep a few irons in the fire, as you never know what is going to come up.  Sometimes a great trade offer, sometimes you find that person who absolutely must have what you're selling ($$$), and sometimes you get to deal with a bunch of ass-hats. Thankfully, I was spared the ass-hat parade this week. Patience Pays Off? After dealing with the aforementioned parade in weeks past, I was just about ready to give up on selling the Squier Standard Stratocaster for now.  I've had some EMGs and a wireless connection kit sitting in my toolbox waiting to get used, and the All-Black-Strat seemed to be the right candidate for the temporary sound lift. This, but with EMGs.  RAWK. Patience paid off though, and I've got a buyer at asking price.  He emailed last night and tried to haggle on pri...

When I was a kid, I imagined myself having a room full of guitars - two rows on each wall, with one wall saved for the requisite wall of amplifiers. Also a door, but that was less important. This was an accurate predictor of my future - I didn't dream of being a rock star, I'd dream of owning a lot of guitars. If you're a rock star you probably own a lot of guitars.  You'd probably even have vintage guitar dealers in your pocket, calling you every time something amazing came through the door.  That wasn't my dream - I'd spend most of high school playing in various bands, but I was never going to make music my life. But guitars?  Yeah, it was always about the guitars... Fast forward to today, and my teen aged self would probably be pretty happy -  10 guitars currently hanging in the basement, all enjoyed to varying degrees, all varying in value and sentiment.  No, I don't have a wall of amps - adulthood has to rear it's head once and awhile. Here...

For the second year, I spent a Sunday morning at the Elmira Vintage Guitar Show.  Whenever I could, I pulled out a camera to capture a quick pic (before getting bowled over by the crowd).  Despite being a small town show, there's definitely enough to keep your attention for a few hours.  Pics after the jump.

When you "watch" an ad on Kijiji, you're doing it for one reason and one reason alone - you want to see how long the ad will stay up.  If you wanted to buy, you'd send an offer then and there.  But the longer the item remains unsold, the more likely the seller will accept an offer under the ask (and the more likely you can justify the purchase in your head).  Or so the thinking goes anyway... If you do this, you'll notice that sellers fall into a few categories:

The last time the Trade Train rolled into the station, we unloaded a Dr. Z Maz 38 head and a Leyland Sound 2x12 cabinet in exchange for a Gibson Les Paul DC Faded, a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, and $300. The train had left the station, and this passenger was pretty happy. Train is rollin'. Tickets! Happy for awhile of course.  The Gibson DC wasn't doing it for me - a cool guitar, but I felt no connection to it, and to be honest I don't love P90 pickups. Time for a new ad!  Remember the rules: Take nice pictures - more people will click your ad and read about your super awesome guitar Post as a trade - Unless you are hard up for cash, always post as a trade first.  You can always mention in the description that you'll consider a cash offer.   Don't oversell!  Provide a description, but be factual.  The pictures do the talking. Time went by and the typical offers popped up.  Some of my favorites included: An Epiphone LP 100 and $5...