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Topic: Ambered, "aged" binding, BRIGHT WHITE NUTS! |
David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2006 12:06 pm |
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It seems like a whole lot of guitars nowadays are being made with imitation-old binding, I guess to trick you into thinking the $269 Korean guitar you just bought new is actually a 50's throwback or at least as good as an old Les Paul. Damn - that's crafty. Except, on some or even most of these guitars with "ambered" binding, they use BRIGHT WHITE PLASTIC for the nuts, knobs, switch goobers etc. I have a Korean DeArmond M75-T that's so nice I just rewarded it with some Grovers, and they managed to use both amber binding and yellowy, "aged" pearly plastic for the name and fleur-di thingie on the head stock, and then inlayed the fingerboard with BRIGHT WHITE PEARLY PLASTIC BLOCKS. I guess I could pop 'em out and soak them in urine for a while to see what happens, but it was easier to just write this post.
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"The sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his own room." - Pascal
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 8 Mar 2006 5:04 pm
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| BOY, I hope no non-paid representative of a certain Korean guitar company reads this!!! |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 8 Mar 2006 7:31 pm
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| Man! This place is vicious sometimes! |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 8 Mar 2006 8:18 pm
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Binding appears to yellow with age because the clear lacquer finish over the binding yellows within a relatively short time span. Much faster than white plastic, so in real life you will see many older guitars with yellow binding and non-yellowed white plastic.
BRIGHT WHITE PEARLY PLASTIC BLOCKS are meant to simulate mother of pearl, aren't they? MOP doesn't yellow unless there's clear lacquer over it, peghead inlays would seem to yellow since there's clear lacquer over everything but rosewood or ebony fretboards rarely are finished and their inlays would not yellow for one heck of a long time, if ever.
And SG, you're a real riot. |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 5:20 pm
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"And SG, you're a real riot."
TEE HEE.
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 5:34 pm
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Well, since Stephen (note the correct spelling) brought it up, let me point out Ravenwest guitars have REAL ABALONE inlay on their fretboards on their flagship 3350 and 450 models, as well as on some (but not all) of their others.
Here 's a picture.
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/ravguitar_1885_24549768
Thank you Stephen. I would not have mentioned this if you had not so graciously reminded me. [This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 09 March 2006 at 09:30 PM.] |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 8:03 pm
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REAL ABALONE
Is that illegal? |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 9:36 pm
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| I think he meant to say, "Ah, Baloney!" Nuthin' illegal 'bout that. |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 9:37 pm
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Well there sure is plenty of that around here.
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 10:04 pm
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"Well, since Stephen (note the correct spelling) brought it up,"
Actually, Mike, David Mason, who started this thread, brought it up. I was thinking about these inexpensive import guitars tonight, as I was restringing my Les Paul. I believe you have a new MSA Millenium on order. They cost what, 4 grand or more? A lot of work in those, or any other steel guitar. So if some guy started bringing in an offshore-built pedal steel guitar, that looked real pretty, and sold for about 1000.00 for a LOADED D-10, would you be willing to turn your back on Reese, and buy, and recommend, the cheaper axe? |
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Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 10:33 pm
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I find the exchange of ideas very,... what's the word..?
EJL |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 10:35 pm
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| That's EXACTLY the word I was thinking of, Eric. |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 10:48 pm
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| I'm still laughing at "BRIGHT WHITE NUTS!" |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 11:13 pm
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| Quote: |
| if some guy started bringing in an offshore-built pedal steel guitar, that looked real pretty, and sold for about 1000.00 for a LOADED D-10, would you be willing to turn your back on Reese, and buy, and recommend, the cheaper axe? |
My personal friendship with Reece notwithstanding, if a Korean company could make a steel guitar as good as a Millennium for a tenth the price, yes, I'd buy one.
The operative words here are "as good as."
It it merely looked pretty, but was not well built, or didn't work well or sound good, then the answer is no. I would not buy one.
Stephen you say that you're not angry, and you don't have an axe to grind, but your posts reek of anger and hostility.
Why do you feel it necessary to be so negative?[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 09 March 2006 at 11:20 PM.] |
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Pat Kelly
From:
Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 9 Mar 2006 11:20 pm
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| Some of these guys got lost. OK. Here's a signpost [This message was edited by Pat Kelly on 09 March 2006 at 11:21 PM.] |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 12:18 am
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| Quality instruments for the masses, or standard of living for the craftsman? You're both right. It seems like lots of broke musicians still seem to find a way to acquire "special" guitars. One of my first guitars was a Tokai Telecaster. I still use it all the time but over the years I've paid luthiers plenty to build and modify guitars for me. I think most people who play a lot want a guitar that has some character or is at least recognized by other musicians as something to be admired. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 3:04 am
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| I really LIKE my DeArmond, now that I've changed the tuners - cheap guitars can be like that sometimes. One of these years I might have to paint that BRIGHT WHITE NUT yellow, though.... |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 5:04 am
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Mike, I am not angry, nor do I feel that my posts have been negative. I HAVE asked some questions that are on a lot of peoples' minds, though.
Tell me, why do you carry such paranoia around with you, especially regarding me? I promise I won't hurt you  :. I think Henry got it right, though. A lot of us are willing to spend a bit more on instruments, and cut corners somewhere else. [This message was edited by Stephen Gambrell on 10 March 2006 at 05:07 AM.] |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 5:21 am
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Crackled finishes, yellowed bindings, pick-guards, and knobs don't look cool to me, they just look old.
If just looking old was a good thing, or was considered "cool", you'd see a lot of us grey hairs on MTV.
Such is not the case. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 6:05 am
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| nor do I feel that my posts have been negative. |
Yeah, right. Your comments in the other thread about the Earvana nuts aren't negative and the guitars in general aren't negative.
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| A lot of us are willing to spend a bit more on instruments |
And I'm one of them. I have (as you yourelf pointed out) a Millennium on order, and I own 2 Rigel mandolins, each of which costs more than the average steel. I own about 50 instruments altogether, more than half of which are guitars, including all the major brand names. My instrument collection was appraised for insurance purposes at $70,000.
So what does it mean that when I'm in my music room, surrounded by all these fine and expensive instruments, any one of which I can play at any time, and I'm as satisfied with the Korean guitars as I am with the American ones? Or that when I'm recording, I will use them without hesitation?
There was a time when the Korean guitars were not very good. My initial impression of the guitars I saw from that country was negative. But living in L.A. as I do, I get to go to the NAMM show every year and check out all the new instruments, and I've seen how they have improved over the years.
I admit I was once a brand name snob, until I actually sat down with some of these guitars and tried them out. I was astonished at how good they were/are.
Stephen, I honestly believe that if you played these guitars, you'd agree that they are thoroughly professional quality instruments, more than adaquet for both recording and live performance. I hope you get the chance to try a few of them out. I think you'll be very pleasently surprised.
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My web site
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Pat Kelly
From:
Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 12:13 pm
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Stephen,
You might not be angry or negative, but you sure as hell do have a very abrasive way of making your point.
This is pretty much an issue of free trade and the same old arguments were trotted out before you guys started driving round in Toyotas.
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 3:03 pm
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Mr, Kelly,
You wanna see abrasive????
GET OUT OF MY FACE!!!
Edited to add:
Mike,
I don't care what you play, OK? The Rigel mandolins are fine instruments. I remember playing Jimmy Gaudreau's, right after he got it. If I were a full-time mandolin player, I would consider owning one.
I'm sure the Raven guitars are just fine. Really. [This message was edited by Stephen Gambrell on 10 March 2006 at 03:06 PM.] |
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Pat Kelly
From:
Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 3:57 pm
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| Touche.......or whatever. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 4:49 pm
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Stephen, I realize it's probably not possible for you to make the trip. but I'd like to extend an invitation for you to come to L.A. for our steel jam on April 29. You'd have a great time meeting and picking with all the California players, you could see and play the guitars for yourself, and most of all, you and I could meet in person and shake hands.
If it's possible for you to come, I'll pick you up at the airport and arrange for a motel room for you (my treat) down the street from the restaurant.
Incidentally, by sherr coincidence, only today the folks at Rigel put a picture of my 2 mandolins on their web site, on this page.
http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/article_132.shtml
Mine are the 2 matching blue A models, one with F holes and one with an oval hole. The picture will probably remain there between 2 and 3 weeks.
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My web site
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 10 Mar 2006 9:16 pm
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Thanks for the invite, Mike, but it's a long way from South Carolina to California for a jam! I hope you dudes have fun, though. The "California" steel players have been a huge influence, even though I STILL don't know what J.D. Maness is doing!
What kind of backup band do you guys have? |
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