And Now for Something Completely Different...

Keith1 · Jan 21, 2016

About this time of year I get twitchy and really miss the build up of getting a car sorted for the racing season or more latterly refitting the boat for re-launching in the Spring.

Well, that's all gone now but I do enjoy the stories of other people's efforts in readying their stuff for the coming warmer weather (except down-under of course, they're always ass backwards!)

So, I decided to pick up the guitar again and continue learning (a 60 year exercise so far!). Tapping into the old funeral expenses I have just purchased the following:

It's a Yamaha Pacifica 112V and a most excellent guitar for the money (£100). It looks like a Strat but has a Humbucker at the bridge - an unusual arrangement and it is both shorter and lighter than a Strat. It's beautifully made in Indonesia and is a pukka Yamaha product with all the attendant quality. I really like it and I hope I can do better on this than I did on the Matsumoku<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w

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molleur · Jan 21, 2016

COOL!

blueovalz · Jan 21, 2016

Here's to your success in making this baby sing.

Keith1 · Jan 21, 2016

Thanks guys. Like I said it's been nigh on 60 years. Keyboards - no problem but the guitar has evaded me. I gave up trying 2 years ago because, well, I wasn't in good shape and had practically given up everything, boat, cars, breathing (!:stunned

etc. Then I got onto a new treatment regime which has minimised the continuous infections and I actually now feel quite well again. Still can't do shit like walk about or anything but feel OK. Which means... it's very frustrating sitting here feeling OK but having nothing useful to do. Hence the geeetar!

I'm going to stick to it no matter how much my fingers hurt.

Ha! What a pussy.... :laugh:

Pete · Jan 21, 2016

Good for you Keith, I took up the guitar when I retired a couple of years ago I now have a Fender American Strat and a Maton acoustic. I have been taking lessons for two years and am still crap! Glad to read that you are living more comfortably.
Next time I'm in the U.K. I'll come round and we can jam together.

Keith1 · Jan 21, 2016

Ha! We're getting the Band back together!! :coolgleam:

This will be me when you get here...rockonsmile. :laugh: ::
(Short video of the Yamaha 112 Pacifica)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKFoRUqz3OU[/ame]

Pete · Jan 21, 2016

Sounds really good, I hope that's a demo tape and not you playing, cos if it's you after a few weeks I'm off to slash my wrists. Lol.

Doc Watson · Jan 21, 2016

Enjoy.... been playing on and off since I was 12.....got an ibanez there somewhere

blueovalz · Jan 21, 2016

Keith1 said:
I'm going to stick to it no matter how much my fingers hurt.

That's what she told me last night............badda boom.

Nick Brough · Jan 21, 2016

Keith1 said:
Ha! We're getting the Band back together!!

Great news, watch out for the penguin :laugh:

molleur · Jan 22, 2016

Something for the aviators out there, all true!

http://www.doyletics.com/tidbits/militaryadvice.pdf

Keith1 · Jan 22, 2016

Doc Watson said:
Enjoy.... been playing on and off since I was 12.....got an ibanez there somewhere

Blimey! 48mm Pan Pipes! You can join the band Andy :thumbsup:

ckouba · Jan 23, 2016

I have a fleet of guitars, including a Squire Strat which I picked up when I moved to Phoenix 10 years ago. All my good guitars were in storage til I found a place down there so I picked it up for $100. Now in Oregon, it hangs on the shop wall until a fun song comes on the radio when I'm out there, and then I play along. When it's over, it gets hung up again until the next one...

On the far wall by the light...

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I have a strong affinity for Les Pauls, including the 1971 model black custom I picked up because I am a 1971 model myself. Non-original just enough for me to not mind monkeying with it, it has coil taps and a Bigsby:

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Great fun, need to play more!!

Chris

Keith1 · Jan 23, 2016

Too many toys Chris! Your LP looks very much like my Matsumoku LP "tribute". No, that's wrong. My copy LP looks very much like your genuine LP!

That's a Dimarzio on the neck. Gives it a quite distinctive flavour.. Was thinking of a Bigsby myself. How did it work out?

Mark IV · Jan 23, 2016

Nick Brough said:
Great news, watch out for the penguin :laugh:

"No Ma'am, we're musicians"

One of the greatest "guy" films of all time still!

ckouba · Jan 23, 2016

Keith1 said:
Too many toys Chris!

Huh??? Wha? Sorry, I don't believe that's possible. And if it is, don't tell my wife.

Keith1 said:
Was thinking of a Bigsby myself. How did it work out?

I quite like them and this one is no different. I have added them to several after never having a tremolo (except on my Strats) and thoroughly enjoy them. The only one I've ever had an issue with is the one which came factory installed on my 5120, doesn't want to work well and actually creaks annoyingly a little bit.

On this one, it's a nickel finish unit but the guitar has gold hardware. I lose no sleep over it.

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The bridge pick up is something interesting, not sure how much I like it or how much longer it will last there... Just need to get motivated enough to do something about it.

Chris

iank2112 · Mar 9, 2016

I've been playing since I was 14, though I took a break from serious playing for about 15 years. Picked it back up again last year, trying to shake the cobwebs off. I have a 1987 US Kramer Baretta and a 1974 Fender Strat Tobacco Burst. The Strat was modded when I bought it in '84 (my first guitar), and I have done some more too it as well.

JeffYoung · Mar 14, 2016

Hey hey! Something we all share and love.

I've been playing since I was 12. Have far too many guitars - 76 Gibson Firebird, 80 Gibson SD Artist, 87 Gibson Les Paul Custom, 84 Fender Contemporary Strat (odd bird with 2 humbuckers); 03 Gibson Firebird VII in a very rare ice blue metallic, an unknown vintage Gibson SG with P90s, a late 70s Gibson J-45 and a very nice pawn shop find, an Alvarez-Yari DY-71

Enjoy the Yamaha, the Japanese make excellent, excellent guitars for the money.

Keith1 · Mar 14, 2016

That's a great collection Jeff. Unfortunately, prices for 'original' models over here are prohibitively expensive plus, you never know what you are going to get. Many fakes and 'replicas'.

The Yamaha is made in Indonesia now. I don't think many guitars are built in Japan any more even though Japanese companies are still very active. China & Indonesia seem to dominate manufacturing although some are still made in Korea and highly sought after (go figure!).

Which brings me on to a subject that really annoys me. Many people who should know better, loftily proclaim that they wouldn't want to own "Asian junk' and extoll the virtues of USA built models completely ignoring the irony that they actually mean Mexico. I have seen vintage films of Leo Fender's & Hohner's German factories and have compared it with modern production in Indonesia. All these films are readily available on YouTube.

What strikes you is that apart from the initial CNC cuts all subsequent assembly and fettling is done by hand in exactly the same way as it has been done for the past 60 or so years of electric guitar production, by skilled highly trained personnel. To suggest that just because a guitar was made in Asia, it is in some way junk or substandard is to close one's eyes to the reality that the West is not quite as clever or unique as it thinks.

Hardware is often a defining factor but that is relatively simple to swap out with your favourite and superior "American brands" which are likely made in China anyway! One such Indonesian factory had a pick-up winding machine programmed with literally thousands of coil variations to suit every conceivable scenario.

My Indonesian Yamaha is flawless. If anything it is too sterile so I might take a dremel and radius some of the sharper edges on the headstock to give it that rougher "Made in America" look! :laugh:

Hope y'all get where I'm coming from. Not knocking American products at all, just old fashioned ill conceived attitudes..

JeffYoung · Mar 14, 2016

Dude, I completely agree. Frankly, some of teh American made Fender and Gibson stuff is crap. They had good periods and bad periods.

I've played Ibanez and other Japanese Les Paul knock offs from teh 70s that were freaking awesome guitars. And one day, I'll own an Ibanez DT550 Destroyer just like Phil Collen...I've played a few and the quality is significantly better than any Gibson Explorer.

Of my guitars, the 76 Firebird and the 80 SD Artist are the "feel the quality" guitars. Just something about them. I love my 87 LP, it was the first really 'good" guitar I bought, in 1994 for $700!, buti've had a lot of work done to it to get it up to snuff. And my Alvarez Yairi is the match for the J-45. Love them both but I play the Ally more and it's been beat to shit by travel, etc.

Enjoy, and fully agree on Asian guitar craftmanship. Hell, I"ve played Fenders out of Mexico that were really, really nice guitars.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Keith

Jack

Terry Oxandale

Skinny Man

Keith

Pete McCluskey.

Keith

Pete McCluskey.

Doc Watson

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