GuitArcher

The guilt is overwhelming... I've never really bonded with this, or any, Les Paul.  I want to love them, but they're just not my bag.  Back when I picked this one up for a steal though, my daughter named  it. It's like animals - don't let the kids give them a name unless you're going to keep them. And for a long time I stuck to this premise, until I came across a Paisley Jazzmaster that gave me the fizzy feeling James May so often invokes. I needed to get rid of some guitars, and this one was near top of the list. Sorry Lassie, it's time to go out behind the shed and turn you into glue. I may have just confused 3 different animals and movies... At any rate, I posted locally and within two days I received a number of inquiries, the most promising of which was a gentleman from north of me who was willing to drive down (about an hour) to check it out "as soon as possible", but was also very clear on his desire to "do this at your ( my ) co

Another year means time for gear? Well that was terrible, but if you're looking for comedy you're in the wrong place.  As I predicted, things after Christmas started to heat up, with fresh Christmas disappointments driving owners to sell their least cherished items so they could pursue the object of their latest affections. Happy Hunting in the New Year. Epiphone ES339 - $400 A few weeks ago it wasn't uncommon to see these selling for somewhere between $500 and $600.  While this may have been wishful thinking on the sellers part,  the post Christmas blues are seeing prices on these drop pretty quickly.  This example alone when from $500 to $400 in increments of $25 in about a day. I don't think you'll see these go much lower, so if you're in the market, strike while the getting is good.  Giving that I've seen Epiphone "Dot Studios" (stripped down Epi Es335s with only one volume and tone) posted at $400 and up, this is a pretty go

Here's a roundup from about 2 years ago that for some reason went unpublished.  What interests me the most is the SGJ, which go for much more than $400 currently. Fender Esquire GT w/EMG 81 ($450) I'm not including this because I think the price is particularly good (it isn't).  Still, this (along with the Esquire Celtic) were very cool Korean variants with a single volume/humbucker set necks with unique finishes (the GT had the Shelby Cobra finish, the Esquire some inlay that the Lilith Fair crowd goes for).  Made in Korea - not that it matters.  People ascribe too much value on place of manufacture rather than the quality of the instrument itself. I don't feel one way or the other about the EMG 81 - they're good pickups, but they're a one trick pony... They're really good at that one trick, but still.  That finish is killer though, with the matching headstock, and $100 less would be a steal.  I'm watching this one carefully. Digression:

Everyone goes through ebbs and flows with their guitar obsession, and I'm not different.  After acquiring the rosewood Eric Johnson, and selling the Squier 51 to Henman, I went into a holding pattern on guitars.  No desire for anything new, and no desire to sell anything I own. Also video games.  I'll admit I'm rather taken with a few video games right now (Titanfall 2 is really that good IMHO), so... A digression - While I don't intended to turn this into a video game review site, I really have to say how impressed I am with that game.  I've been a pretty solid COD guy since COD4 (and played the original COD on by first Mac), but this is another level.  No surprise that it comes from the MW2 developers.  Everyone has been chasing their success for 10 years. Blame Video Games.  Parents blame everything on them anyway. Let's get back into it. Gibson Les Paul Classic - $1900 At some point last year one of these came up and I commented on how much I

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

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, the bridge was set too high,

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 Canadian dollar where i

A few months ago, a family member came to town on a visit. He brought a guitar. I had mentioned on a previous visit that I had taken some of mine apart and replaced parts, and he was eager to find out what I could do with his. Challenge accepted? Well, I've let it sit around for a few months, but I've finally made some progress... But we've got a long way to go.

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

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&

This might be the best deal I've ever had on Kijiji. For $250 and a bit of gas, I took home an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Considering these go for $300-$450 typically, it's a good deal. But throw in a case and the fact that it is a really excellent example of this particular model, and it's an excellent one. Feel Shame I dislike Epiphone. This will be a recurring theme. Haters gonna hate. One of the many, many problems I've had with Epiphone was with the name itself. An Epiphone Les Paul? Pfft. Fender uses its name on products in the same price range as this, so why not Gibson? Likely something to do with "Made in the USA," but don't quote me on that. That headstock taunts you - you know that shape alone will give away your lifetime of bad choices to all who view it. "Oh, an Epiphone? Yeah, they're nice too," they say in their judge-y-est tone whilst dismissing all future opinions of yours. Feel shame, you unclean wretch.