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Lovin’ the koa!!

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I’ve only seen 2 RS models, and I spent alot of time looking, ‘cause the specs are near ideal to me –

Great sounding guitar – nice little video. But yeah, just gotta change the hat –

 

😉

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Well, we actually did a small addition to the house, that why I get 2 closets!

I’ve been meaning to sell a couple, and there is at least 1 empty case.  Guess this is the time to get started. Time to read thru Reverb policies –

It’s hard when a number of these are sentimental keeps – they’d never go out to a gig, and I usually pull them out and play them when I want to remember the people or circumstances around them coming into my life. Maybe I need to let some of that go  –   having just lost my dad and needing to decide how much of his stuff I can hang onto, this may be the best time to start dealing with it all  –

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I am so glad to see others having to store guitars in showers and wall shelves –  I was afraid it was just me!

ok –  closet 1

Closet 2 –

Living room floor –  this is what gets me in trouble, when my wife wants to have guests over, and I can’t find places for all the guitar cases –

No pics of the shop though –  have to take those tomorrow –

 

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Mine is in a “standard?” Poster frame – its a couple inches too large in each direction, but not evenly or proportional to the poster. Its keeping it clean and flat for now.

I think custom framing is a bit pricey, but the price is the least of my concerns when I go in – there are so many darn options for frame sizes, designs and colors, then all the matting options, and even 4 or more glass choices – I get completely overwhelmed. I don’t really love my frame, but for a reasonable price, it was done –

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This should really be moved to the general discussion section –  but I have been really happy with the Visesnut case I have – extremely small and very lightweight – almost too much, you can’t even keep an extra set of strings in the pocket – and it has a strap that runs around the inside of the case so you can “snug” your guitar into it. The only issue is they’ve changed models and their pricing and shipping models, so I’m not sure which I’d go with or what it costs now. The one I have was the 000/OM model, and it fits from a 00 all the way to a F  –

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Darn thats good looking!  I have been wrestling with the reality that I have guitar cases piled up everywhere, and I need to cull things down some – pretty envious that you can get that much goodness in such a consolidated and accessible space –

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Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Gotta check with Richard and Carolyn, see what’s on their schedules – would be great to have a bunch of other shop people available too –

But I think its a great idea – maybe a 42-½ Anniversary?

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Thats an interesting video –  and you certainly demonstrate the possible value of it. I think I need to try a couple experiments myself –

oh –  and nice guitar!!

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Wish I could find a frame that fit it so nicely! Did you have that custom framed?

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That looks like an interesting product, but I would want to feel and try it before committing that much money to one – Does it fit in the case when you put your guitar away?

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Maple is (should be) one of the sustainable natives that we should utilize more.  But be that as it may –

Pulled the old strings and pulled the saddle – it has a glued on transducer, with a very thin ebony shim under it all  –

I kinda like the perpendicular volume wheel in the sound hole –

While I had the phone out, got an interior pic –

So – new strings now on,  and they definitely are more alive, and have more attack, even on the low E, but plugged in, zero output from the low E, so as soon as I can arrange it, this pickup comes out and something else – probably the UltraTonic – goes in, and a new bone saddle as well.

Still loving it, but I need to spend more time with these flat-wounds before I decide they’re keepers –

 

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Took it into my “studio” today (studio? Workshop/warehouse/storeroom/mancave?)  and got a chance to plug her in – no low E coming thru at all, but the low E sounds kinda tubby anyway, which I am kinda liking – strumming it sounds almost like a upright bass playing behind me – no attack, but a resonant and rich bass tone acting like a foundation for the other strings. But I went by GC and bought a new set of flat wounds, so maybe tomorrow I’ll check what kinda pickup this thing has and see if there is a problem with something.

Curly maple and sitka — ‘91, #174 –  just a lovely and sweet sounding combo that seems to not be in much demand, so I’ve found a few of these at really reasonable prices. My closets full – if more come up for sale, I’d highly recommend buying them! This has the beautiful single black line that runs up through the back, then on up thru the neck and out the headstock. Curly maple neck,  creamy ivoroid binding,  simple ebony fretboard – to my eye, it is the qunitessential Santa Cruz creation.

So far, the wife hasn’t balanced the paypal account, so I’m still good! But there may be a fire sale soon – trying to keep her happy –

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She has flat wounds on, and the feel is pretty cool. Gonna put a new set on, since these are pretty old. And it has some pickup in it – not sure what, but we’ll plug her in and see –

A couple of my unskilled attempts at being artsy –

 

 

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Its good to hear your experience with a mahogany F – I had an all mahogany F, but it didn’t ring my bell. I was searching for a replacement for a ‘29 000, and the F just wasn’t the sound I was looking for. Every FS I’ve seen has been eir,  and almost every FTC has been maple. There was one of the 40th anniversary FTCs in mahogany, which I only tried briefly and lightly, and couldn’t say I was overwhelmed with it (it was VERY pretty, though) and I got a few minutes with the FTC in granadillo that went to NAMM, and that I was EXTREMELY taken by.  Unfortunately, the back of an FTC tales about same amount of material as the backs of 3 regular guitars, so its not likely they’ll make many in the more exotic woods.  My 12 string F in walnut is fantastic to my ear – its a very warm and musical 12 string – and I’m pretty sure that thicker walnut blanks would be more easily available for an FTC, but I don’t know if the walnut would have the right tonal characteristics for a carved back. Maybe Richard has already tried it –

But the rest of the FTC is pretty much normal, so there are all the usual options for tops, fretboards, inlays and other decorations – and the maple is a beautiful material that takes toners and stains really well, so you could do some really cool things – Theres a maple archtop I love thats got an incredible emerald green stain thats absolutely gorgeous. And I’ve seen a picture of the same model in an azure blue thats probably just as nice.  A little custom binding, some nice dyed inlay material, it could really be quite sweet.

An FTC would make an incredible canvas to create a really special and unique guitar – the hardest part would be deciding on the details that would make it uniquely yours, but Richard would be the perfect person to advise and help make that happen.

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