What's old is new again…..

[Matt Hayden]

A friend gave me a couple of 1980s-era guitars…..neither was exactly playable when they came in – they both needed setup.   So I’m setting them up.  Behold the weirdness that was the 80s…..

This is the first one – an Ibanez R530 from 1985 or so.  It sounds wonderful and plays remarkably well.   Just finished getting it set up – it’s got the old-style Floyd Rose which requires cutting off the string balls, and there’s more work to do to remove some rust, but the frets are polished and it’s got a set of 10s.  Not bad at all – the pickups are coil-tapped with push-pull pots, and can do everything from Strat to LP.

The other is a Roland GR-707 synth guitar sans synth.  The GR-700 synth module was damaged in a flood, so I’m hunting one, or else I’ll figure out a software emulator.

The instrument is remarkably stable – the carbon fiber bar parallel to the neck does help keep it in tune.  It actually plays pretty well on a strap.  It looks like Devo, though it plays pretty well.  The trem on this thing is some kind of mutant Kahler derivative and it’s…interesting….to work on; the springs tend to want to go everywhere.

 

[Daniel]

!

Retro-cool

!

There was a band called Zebra out of Canada I think had a near-hit on MTV in the 80s.  Guitarist used a GR-707.  I have been mildly interested in them ever since.

Daniel

[Matt Hayden]

Hmm. You want the GR-707?  It’s set up and it plays beautifully, but honestly I’m not playing much electric anymore – it’s mostly here because of the novelty value.

[Daniel]

That is too kind.  🙂

I’m playing electric mandolin, not much guitar at all.  Though I keep threatening to get my Tele fixed up.

I’m afraid it would likely languish as much here as there.

Might give you a shout soon about the amps you’re kindly storing for me.

D

[indexless]

Matt, these are cool…..Curt Mandgin makes a loop end electric string I think, easier than cutting off the balls.

[Matt Hayden]

I’m going to have to look into those strings!!

[Author]

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