Show us your pics!

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

 

[AGWAN]

:sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1: :sad1:

 

[Big V]

LOL :laughing3:

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Well, At least i'm happy lookin. HAHA!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Most of the bands I listen to have a violinist.  No one expects Devil Went Down To Georgia from any of them.  I can kind of see The Decemberists playing it, but I really cannot imagine Belle & Sebastian, Andrew Bird, Sufjan Stevens, or really any of the other ones I listen to being requested to play that.  There are a lot of bands that use instruments rather than the typical rock band setup these days, really.  It's not a novelty or a country thing to have a violin anymore. 

I was speaking from experience and of the ignoramuses that approached us upon seeing we had a fiddle player.  She was quite beaten down by the assumption that she lived to play those songs.  It was the equivalent of assuming tall people love to play and are good at basketball.

 

[anorakDan]

I like Dave Matthews band.

its Dave Matthews I don't really gel with.

You're not alone. I HATE the sound of his voice, and guitar player who loathes to use an electric guitar is no friend of mine.

 

[CrackedPepper]

Well, At least i'm happy lookin. HAHA!

I'll bet - where is your other hand?

 

[Firebird211]

Well, At least i'm happy lookin. HAHA!

I'll bet - where is your other hand?

Ahhhh, where are your eyes?

 

[AGWAN]

they are under a protective chitinous sheild, so that his prey can not harm them.

 

[ORCRiST]

Damn... I just saw this thread (prolly cause it was bumped), anyways, this picture of me doesn't suck (usually HATE
pics I'm in), plus womenz.  :icon_thumright:

ORC

 

[Cagey]

they are under a protective chitinous sheild, so that his prey can not harm them.

I got your chitinous shield!

I don't need one!​

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

This is me a few days after Xmas.  While I'm primarily a guitar player, I also wanted a bass to mess around with.  My wife picked me up one of the Squier J-Bass "Affinity" gig packs.  I have to say that it's a real nice bass for the money. 

 

[ORCRiST]

This is me a few days after Xmas.  While I'm primarily a guitar player, I also wanted a bass to mess around with.  My wife picked me up one of the Squier J-Bass "Affinity" gig packs.  I have to say that it's a real nice bass for the money. 

Why, what an amazingly kick-ass and tastful shirt you have!  :icon_thumright: :headbang:

This is for you Cagey...

 

[Cagey]

This is me a few days after Xmas.  While I'm primarily a guitar player, I also wanted a bass to mess around with.  My wife picked me up one of the Squier J-Bass "Affinity" gig packs.  I have to say that it's a real nice bass for the money. 

That's a nice piece. It's amazing how much bass you can get for your money these days. I had a similar urge a year or so ago, and bought an Agile that looks just like that, only black and 5 string. Can't play it worth a damn, but now I got a bass for "just in case" <grin>

Orc - thanks for the pic. Looks like a good candidate for a woodburning project on a Jaguar <grin>

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

This is me a few days after Xmas.  While I'm primarily a guitar player, I also wanted a bass to mess around with.  My wife picked me up one of the Squier J-Bass "Affinity" gig packs.  I have to say that it's a real nice bass for the money. 

That's a nice piece. It's amazing how much bass you can get for your money these days. I had a similar urge a year or so ago, and bought an Agile that looks just like that, only black and 5 string. Can't play it worth a damn, but now I got a bass for "just in case" <grin>

Orc - thanks for the pic. Looks like a good candidate for a woodburning project on a Jaguar <grin>

Thanks! 

I actually had the opportunity to play one back to back with an American Jazz last week, and quite honestly, I couldn't find a $900 difference between the two.  The biggest difference I noticed, aside from the obvious maple neck on the American model, was that the American model had jumbo frets, and was a little bit less "buzzy."  The neck profiles were very similar, as well as the playability, which really surprised me.

Even though they both played very similarly to each other, there was just something "better" about the American model, but I really don't know what it is.  I'm kinda left scratching my head...

This bass was real playable right out of the box, but the string action was a bit high.  After a truss rod adjustment and some work on the string action, it plays really nicely.

 

[Cagey]

I actually had the opportunity to play one back to back with an American Jazz last week, and quite honestly, I couldn't find a $900 difference between the two.  The biggest difference I noticed, aside from the obvious maple neck on the American model, was that the American model had jumbo frets, and was a little bit less "buzzy."  The neck profiles were very similar, as well as the playability, which really surprised me.

Even though they both played very similarly to each other, there was just something "better" about the American model, but I really don't know what it is.  I'm kinda left scratching my head...

This bass was real playable right out of the box, but the string action was a bit high.  After a truss rod adjustment and some work on the string action, it plays really nicely.

The power of suggestion is tremendous; you expect the American version to be better, so somehow it just is.

But, when you consider that all the hardware and electronics are all made overseas for both versions, and the wood for both is mainly either imported from Canada or grown in the northern US, which is then cut on CNC machines running identical programs, how much difference can there be? Unless there are runs in the paint, or sloppy setup (which is easily corrected), there usually isn't much to point at.

You can't blame the pricing differential entirely on wage differences, although that's substantial. But, there are a tremendous number of "hidden" costs in American-made goods that have nothing to do with the end product. Taxes, regulations, fees, EPA compliance, insurance - the list is long. All those things cost money that does nothing for the product or the consumer. By the time you're done, something that should cost $200 to make costs $500 to make, and then it gets marked up several times through jobbers, distributors, transportation, and retailers until it costs $1,000+

Joe guitar player only wants the best he can get for his money, so he tries to balance cost vs. quality, and the poor American manufacturer can't compete.

We've done it to ourselves. We want some some obscure mouse to have a nice habitat, so we can't harvest trees. We want clean air, so we can't apply finishes to what we make. We want to deliver healthy alien babies, so we have high taxes to pay for public services. We want to own a house in the 'burbs so we have to have high wages. All this raises prices on goods until there are no manufacturing jobs, so there's no way to pay taxes and no way to make enough money to pay for all the other silliness. It's a snake eating its tail.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I actually had the opportunity to play one back to back with an American Jazz last week, and quite honestly, I couldn't find a $900 difference between the two.  The biggest difference I noticed, aside from the obvious maple neck on the American model, was that the American model had jumbo frets, and was a little bit less "buzzy."  The neck profiles were very similar, as well as the playability, which really surprised me.

Even though they both played very similarly to each other, there was just something "better" about the American model, but I really don't know what it is.  I'm kinda left scratching my head...

This bass was real playable right out of the box, but the string action was a bit high.  After a truss rod adjustment and some work on the string action, it plays really nicely.

The power of suggestion is tremendous; you expect the American version to be better, so somehow it just is.

But, when you consider that all the hardware and electronics are all made overseas for both versions, and the wood for both is mainly either imported from Canada or grown in the northern US, which is then cut on CNC machines running identical programs, how much difference can there be? Unless there are runs in the paint, or sloppy setup (which is easily corrected), there usually isn't much to point at.

You can't blame the pricing differential entirely on wage differences, although that's substantial. But, there are a tremendous number of "hidden" costs in American-made goods that have nothing to do with the end product. Taxes, regulations, fees, EPA compliance, insurance - the list is long. All those things cost money that does nothing for the product or the consumer. By the time you're done, something that should cost $200 to make costs $500 to make, and then it gets marked up several times through jobbers, distributors, transportation, and retailers until it costs $1,000+

Joe guitar player only wants the best he can get for his money, so he tries to balance cost vs. quality, and the poor American manufacturer can't compete.

We've done it to ourselves. We want some some obscure mouse to have a nice habitat, so we can't harvest trees. We want clean air, so we can't apply finishes to what we make. We want to deliver healthy alien babies, so we have high taxes to pay for public services. We want to own a house in the 'burbs so we have to have high wages. All this raises prices on goods until there are no manufacturing jobs, so there's no way to pay taxes and no way to make enough money to pay for all the other silliness. It's a snake eating its tail.

Yep, true on all accounts, though there is just something very appealing about owning an American-made guitar.  In fact, that's how I wound up with a Warmoth guitar.

There I was, pricing out my dream guitar, a USA Custom Shop B.C. Rich Warlock, when all my dreams came crashing down after ringing the register to $5000+.  :sad1:  When it comes to guitars, in my eyes, the B.C. Rich Custom Shop guitars are in a league of their own, and nothing comes close.  They're simply just...awesome.  arty07:

Well, feeling a bit down on my luck, I remembered seeing ads for Warmoth from YEARS ago, and decided to look'em up, and do some research.  I found a lot of reviews, and most people had nothing but good things to say about them, so I crossed my fingers and pulled the trigger.

Ironically enough, I found my "dream guitar" in the form of the Warmoth.  Even though I had someone else assemble it and set it up, I personally chose all the bits and pieces, which I found to be much more gratifying than just checking some boxes, then waiting 6-12 months for my guitar to show up at my door.  :cool01:

The only complaint I have about my Warmoth is that while the paint on the body is a beautiful color, it's extremely thin, and flaws aplenty.  Warmoth refused to acknowledge the issues.  I called in hopes to address the concern, and was immediately cut off mid-sentence with a, "No, we don't cover that."  They certainly didn't have any problem taking my $200+ for that paint job, though!  As for the neck, the neck is a work of art.  It's so gorgeous, I don't even wanna play the guitar; I just wanna stare at the neck.  :hello2:

Whatever the case, minor complaints aside, it's a fantastic instrument.  Unfortunately, I've had only one opportunity to play a Warmoth other than my own, and it played horribly.  It was clear that the person who assembled it had no clue what he/she was doing, which is a shame, because the woods were absolutely gorgeous.  It just goes to show that a guitar is only as good as the person who builds it.

 

[Cagey]

Like you, I've only ever played one other Warmoth besides mine and it was a similar experience. Wasn't impressed at all. Oddly enough, it was the main guitar of one of the best players I've ever met. How he played that thing I'll never know. Guy was magical on the thing, though.

It's funny, but I hadn't even considered that other than the bass, all my guitars are American-made now.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Like you, I've only ever played one other Warmoth besides mine and it was a similar experience. Wasn't impressed at all. Oddly enough, it was the main guitar of one of the best players I've ever met. How he played that thing I'll never know. Guy was magical on the thing, though.

It's funny, but I hadn't even considered that other than the bass, all my guitars are American-made now.

My first American guitar was my 1994 Fender Tele Plus.  It looks amazing, and plays amazing.  I think I've played a Tele from every country they're made in, and the American one just stands head and shoulders above the rest of them.  There's not even a comparison.  I feel the gap has closed a bit since.

 

[Jusatele]

It is interesting to read these post about American Vs Other. We do not hold the market on well made, In fact Ibenez, a very respected name is Japanese and I can remember in the 80s owning some quality Japanese made Fender guitars. I think Cagey nailed it with the fact of the CNC produced parts, I pick up some Mexican made Fender stuff now and am amazed they sell for so cheap.
I prefer American made because of not just quality issues but I want to support my country. I built Barn Door Tele with a Warmoth neck and body not to get around any pricing, but to get what I wanted which I could not find the body/pickup combo anywhere else. I also wanted top quality in the parts. Now I am looking at what may be considered a boutique Es 335 clone, Extremely well made with decent hardware for just over a grand, and with top of the line hardware for 1800 and a super uber neck job. I can afford the just over a grand, made here in Ca. I know that I would pay at least twice this from Gibson with questionable quality.
I think we are at a place in history when technology has given us a few things : places like Warmoth that we can get super nice parts and finishes if we want and assemble our own, Manufacturers that can build smaller numbers and do not have to charge like Boutique did 5 years ago, availability of knowledge and parts like never before. And if we use these we can get product we want. I can say that it has made the difference between American and offshore of the same line look closer each year, and that maybe if we can source the parts and get a quality axe for under a grand paying retail for parts, then we should consider 600 for off shore a bargin and reevaluate the over a grand for mass produced American value.
Just thoughts I came up with reading a few of the last post in this thread.