Let's see your guitar and bass gear!

In reply to logdog :

I stickered up the Peavey T120 bass I had in high school too. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Montaya either, but I’d guess it’s likely from Matsumoku. 

If you want to get rid of the stickers (can fully justify leaving it both ways), ronsonol lighter fluid will take them off without hurting the finish. 

I've seen a few Montaya basses pop up here and there. They are typically Korean/Chinese made, and from the 70's-80's. Yours does look interesting, as it has a high mass bridge and the Fender-style headstock. I'd toss some cheap electronics in it, some new GFS pickups, fix the nut, and play the hell out of it. 

The truss rod nut and tuners came in today.  I need to either fill in the existing holes for the tuner mounting screws or go up one size.  Since the old tuners were missing their bushings the strings pulled them cockeyed and the screws will no longer snug down.

Obviously a badger was chewing on the old nut.

I cleaned up the frets with some steel wool.  There is a good bit of wear.  Plus i have a pretty good ding in the edge of the fret board.  Not sure where that wound came from.  Might have been when I was pulling a Krist Novoselic at some point.

I just picked up a Ibanez Talman TMB100  for a decent price from GC. I have an Ibanez RX20 guitar that I have attempted to play off an on since middle school but I just haven't really felt it, so i have decide to try the bass instead. I might pick up a lap steel in a year or so as well.

In reply to MrChaos :

Never seen the Talman bass! That’s cool!!!

If you've been playing guitar, that's a perfect bass to make the transition with. I'm pretty sure those Talman basses are 3/4 scale, much like the Gibson/Epi EB basses (the ones that look like SG's).

Ever hear that old saying "never meet your heroes"? The premise is that you will be disappointed, as the person you looked up to or even worshipped would be a fraud or a jerk.

I met one of my guitar "heroes" yesterday: a Gibson Korina Explorer. It looked a lot like this:

I walked into a local Guitar Center yesterday with my nephew out of boredom to noodle around with some stuff. I've been playing a lot of guitar lately, and I wanted to try out some new stuff just for fun. Every time I walk in there, or any other guitar store for that matter, I look for Explorer-style guitars. I've always wanted to play one, but never have. Then, I see one of these up high on the wall. OH YES... FINALLY!!! Price tag on this one was $2799.99, by far the most expensive guitar I've ever laid hands on. So I take it down carefully and plug it in. 

It SUCKED. 

For some, the offset throws off their comfort, but I'm used to this from playing my Thunderbird bass, so this was not a problem. The problem was threefold: it felt super cheap, it played like crap, and it sounded like crap.  The neck was a similar profile to a Les Paul, but thinner. That was fine, but it felt (and looked) like Gibson's quality control was out to lunch when this one came down the line. I've played $99 Squiers with better fit and finish. And my 1993 Epiphone Les Paul Standard sounds WAY better and plays better to boot. That is unacceptable. I know that most guitars at Guitar Center are basically thrown up on the wall right out of the box, but this stuff can't be fixed by a proper setup. It was a turd. 

So, I put it back on the wall, and stroll over to the used section. Like a becaon of light, I see this:

It was an ESP LTD EX-360. LTD is the ESP Guitars equivalent to Epiphone; a cheaper line made in Korea or China that looks like the more expensive ones. This one was priced at $249.99, and you can usually pick them up for between $200-300. I picked it up just to compare to the Gibson. 

You know where this is going, right?

The cheap LTD blew the Gibson away in every single way. It played better, it sounded better, and the fit and finish was worlds better than the Gibson. It was a neck-through guitar, and it felt absolutely amazing. The tone, both clean and heavy, was fantastic (it has EMG 81/84's) and the hardware felt great. I had to put the thing back because there was no way I could take home another guitar right now and remain alive.  I will totally be keeping this one in mind, though. 

I've been reading about Gibson's financial troubles all over the place lately, and I can see why. If they are churning out these things that can't compete with guitars that typically cost $2,000 LESS, why would anyone in their right mind buy them? This has nothing to do with the "built in the USA" factor, either; there are other companies building high-end guitars here for a lot less that are worlds better. They are producing pure garbage, and they should feel bad that they are sullying one of the greatest names in guitar manufacturing. 

My brother's  custom built fretless acoustic bass.  All I know is its huge.  And he plays it stand up style while sitting on a stool.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Explorers can be an odd guitar.  I have a '94 Custom Shop model.  It's really nice guitar, but it was from a time when Gibson's Custom Shop was relatively new and they really did put out high-end guitars. Thinking about it, adjusted for inflation, that guitar is even today the most expensive one I've ever bought.  $1300 back in 1994.  Or about $2200 in today's money.  I don't know WTF I was thinking as I definitely wouldn't pay $2200 for it today...  

I've never seen a Gibson Explorer with a new asking price that high... Usually around $1200 or so, but I guess the korina wood drove the price higher.

Regardless, it's a guitar I pretty much only play standing.  And I'm constantly fiddling with the strap length depending on my mood.  Sometimes I feel like Hetfield (slung low) and sometimes like the Edge (higher).  The relationship of the bridge to the edge of the body means my hand position when playing will cause my wrist to ache.  I assume you get used to it if you play the guitar a lot but how Hetfield switches between the Explorer, V's and LP shapes is beyond me.  If I were to play my Explorer a lot, it would need to become my main guitar for awhile and I just like my Strat and LP too much.

In reply to Ian F :

The price was shocking. It's not even listed on the Guitar Center site or even Gibson's site, but it was a brand new guitar. Either way, it was embarrassing at that price. 

And yes, just like other offsets and weird shapes like the V, these are easier to play while standing up. The LTD was also easier to play sitting down than the Explorer, which I found weird. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I have a Cort Explorer (not effector!) that was given to me from my uncle. It has always had intermittent electronics, so I plan to go though with new POTS and pickups at some point.

It's a really cool guitar, but it is VERY heavy and can be awkward with the strap. I've had trouble finding much detail on them and any possible value, though I haven't looked in a while. 

Not mine, but pretty much the same:

In reply to MrChaos :

I have thought about picking one of those up when the maple fret board comes out in a few months.  I think it looks sweet.

A recent bass I modified for a present for my dad, kinda eclectic but fits his style perfectly

And my latest pawn shop score, Korean Danoelectro baritone

In reply to Tony Sestito :

prob one of the reason gibson is going bankrupt.

Antihero said:

A recent bass I modified for a present for my dad, kinda eclectic but fits his style perfectly

This rules. What did it start off as, a Bronco?

Tony Sestito said:

Antihero said:

A recent bass I modified for a present for my dad, kinda eclectic but fits his style perfectly

This rules. What did it start off as, a Bronco?

Yes it did, great little basses.

I also put the lightest coats of paint i could get away with on it so itll "battle damage" fast for him because he likes well used instruments

In reply to Antihero :

It looks awesome! I bet that thing is a blast to play, too. Nice work!

Tony Sestito said:

In reply to Antihero :

It looks awesome! I bet that thing is a blast to play, too. Nice work!

Thanks! I was stunned at how nice it was stock, it even sounded pretty decent.

Its setup with flatwounds and i wired it for maximum lowend, its ridiculous how bassy it is.....which is perfect for my dad

While I was in Connecticut this week, I picked this used Schecter at the Guitar Center by New Haven.  It had just hit the floor and they had it tagged for only 225.  I used to be in a band with a guy that swore by Schecter.  I've played a few but none spoke to me like this Omen did.  The finish is amazing. 

My normal travel companion, my trusty Peavey, was a little jealous when I brought the Schecter back to the room but I explained the Omen was not replacing it as the road warrior.

In reply to logdog :

Schecter makes some really nice stuff for relatively short money. That one you snagged looks great! I am in love with that one that looks like a cross between a Tele Bass and a P-Bass, especially in blonde and black. Wowzers. 

Tony Sestito said:

Ever hear that old saying "never meet your heroes"? The premise is that you will be disappointed, as the person you looked up to or even worshipped would be a fraud or a jerk.

I met one of my guitar "heroes" yesterday: a Gibson Korina Explorer. It looked a lot like this:

I walked into a local Guitar Center yesterday with my nephew out of boredom to noodle around with some stuff. I've been playing a lot of guitar lately, and I wanted to try out some new stuff just for fun. Every time I walk in there, or any other guitar store for that matter, I look for Explorer-style guitars. I've always wanted to play one, but never have. Then, I see one of these up high on the wall. OH YES... FINALLY!!! Price tag on this one was $2799.99, by far the most expensive guitar I've ever laid hands on. So I take it down carefully and plug it in. 

It SUCKED. 

For some, the offset throws off their comfort, but I'm used to this from playing my Thunderbird bass, so this was not a problem. The problem was threefold: it felt super cheap, it played like crap, and it sounded like crap.  The neck was a similar profile to a Les Paul, but thinner. That was fine, but it felt (and looked) like Gibson's quality control was out to lunch when this one came down the line. I've played $99 Squiers with better fit and finish. And my 1993 Epiphone Les Paul Standard sounds WAY better and plays better to boot. That is unacceptable. I know that most guitars at Guitar Center are basically thrown up on the wall right out of the box, but this stuff can't be fixed by a proper setup. It was a turd. 

So, I put it back on the wall, and stroll over to the used section. Like a becaon of light, I see this:

It was an ESP LTD EX-360. LTD is the ESP Guitars equivalent to Epiphone; a cheaper line made in Korea or China that looks like the more expensive ones. This one was priced at $249.99, and you can usually pick them up for between $200-300. I picked it up just to compare to the Gibson. 

You know where this is going, right?

The cheap LTD blew the Gibson away in every single way. It played better, it sounded better, and the fit and finish was worlds better than the Gibson. It was a neck-through guitar, and it felt absolutely amazing. The tone, both clean and heavy, was fantastic (it has EMG 81/84's) and the hardware felt great. I had to put the thing back because there was no way I could take home another guitar right now and remain alive.  I will totally be keeping this one in mind, though. 

I've been reading about Gibson's financial troubles all over the place lately, and I can see why. If they are churning out these things that can't compete with guitars that typically cost $2,000 LESS, why would anyone in their right mind buy them? This has nothing to do with the "built in the USA" factor, either; there are other companies building high-end guitars here for a lot less that are worlds better. They are producing pure garbage, and they should feel bad that they are sullying one of the greatest names in guitar manufacturing. 

 

Well... Gibson filed for bankruptcy today. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-01/gibson-files-for-bankruptcy-with-deal-to-renew-guitar-business

Hopefully, if they come out of this, the next Explorer I play won't be a heaping pile of firewood. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

So the rumors were true after all.  It sounds like the current CEO will be a free agent in the not-too-distant future too.