NGD - Happy birthday to me...

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Larry Mal
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:57 am

Japanese Gretsches are great.

Congratulations! Only problem is, like, what guitar do you buy next after that one?
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am

Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:04 am

Despot wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:39 am
Yep. It's simply that logic of price versus quality.

I can no longer justify the cost of having expensive old things while we continue to live under someone else's roof, paying for the privilege. But even in saying that I spent days playing the two back to back before ultimately coming to the conclusion that there was no valid reason for having the old one instead of the new one. Once I'd actually made that decision it was easy to let it go ... and it has been easy since then to let others go. As I type this I'm looking at cases on the other side of the room - I know at least two more of those will go, and I'm okay with that too.

If modern Gretsch guitars were duds I could see the logic in saving up for an old one - hell ... some of the mid/late '60s ones aren't even that expensive compared to new models. But they're not - the Japanese guitars are some of the best they've ever made. There's no reason to have an old one other than a desire to have an old one ... and that's not enough of a reason for me anymore*



*I say that knowing that I'll be keeping at least two old guitars. In the case of both it's because they came my way relatively cheap and I doubt I could replace them with something new that sounds as good as they do.
Exactly.

Thing is, it is cool if you can swing an old guitar or two, especially one of the magic ones, but it is hard to say that all of them are magic.

There have been a ton of people on the internet saying that my new production Gibson guitar is a train wreck...they list all these faults like a list of shame. I see none of these faults on my 2015 guitar. It just rocks.

Sure it would be cool to have an all-vintage stable, and myself at 25 years of age aimed at that...but at 41 I am happy to have a couple of old ones that happen to be great and some newer ones that are the future vintage guitars
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:05 am

mbene085 wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:48 am
Despot, you are absolutely right. Japanese Gretsches are super reliably great guitars. I don't think I have ever played a dud. I have a Bo Diddley sig and it's probably the best-playing guitar I own. It also has he TV Classics and sounds divine.

Happy birthday, Zhivago. That's a gorgeous guitar. Enjoy it in good health.
Thank you so much, and you are right, the attention to detail on my Japanese guitar is second to none, and Penguins have a ton of inlays etc. 8)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:06 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:57 am
Japanese Gretsches are great.

Congratulations! Only problem is, like, what guitar do you buy next after that one?
There is one left on the real bucket list...but I will keep it as a surprise 8)

Thanks Larry! :)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:07 am

Well, hopefully something with a little style and flash to it next time.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:08 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am
Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
Heheh thanks Mark, in my defence, I nailed “Ohio” the other day from Neil’s solo video that he did in 2010, where he plays it solo on a Falcon :)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:08 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:07 am
Well, hopefully something with a little style and flash to it next time.
One can only hope!! :D
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by Despot » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:11 am

zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:06 am
Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:57 am
Japanese Gretsches are great.

Congratulations! Only problem is, like, what guitar do you buy next after that one?
There is one left on the real bucket list...but I will keep it as a surprise 8)

Thanks Larry! :)
Telecaster?

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:17 am

zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:08 am
PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am
Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
Heheh thanks Mark, in my defence, I nailed “Ohio” the other day from Neil’s solo video that he did in 2010, where he plays it solo on a Falcon :)
I bet!! I know we have a mutual love of Mr Young, which made me so surprised when you sold the tweed amp (you did, right?). I'm actually counting the days until you put an aluminium guard on that Les Paul of yours! ;)

It's funny, I've seen so many photos of Neil Young holding the White Falcon over the years but they've all been black & white! It's only when I started using the interwebs that I came to realise it had gold hardware. Gaaah!! Heheheheheh!
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by shadowplay » Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:23 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am
Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
IMO Falcons sit outside taste in the same way Facel Vegas do. On any other guitar I'd hate the appointments but on a Falcon and only on a Falcon (and a Disco Pingu :D ) they work. It's a bit like only Tutankhamun could get away with all that gold without looking all Trump Tower goes to Dubai. In fact legend says that the boy king's Falcon was entombed separately inside a lost pyramid of tone. :whistle:

They were straight up the first guitar I actually noticed, I mean I noticed guitars but I pretty much just wanted 'A' guitar until I saw this Falcon which I now know isn't one of the really desirable ones but as a young teen it looked fucking majestic when I saw it on I think Riverside, though I did want to clean it up.

D
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:37 am

Despot wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:11 am
zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:06 am
Larry Mal wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:57 am
Japanese Gretsches are great.

Congratulations! Only problem is, like, what guitar do you buy next after that one?
There is one left on the real bucket list...but I will keep it as a surprise 8)

Thanks Larry! :)
Telecaster?
It's from the other company...usually white...you should be familiar (I am really giving it away now!) ;)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:39 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:17 am
zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:08 am
PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am
Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
Heheh thanks Mark, in my defence, I nailed “Ohio” the other day from Neil’s solo video that he did in 2010, where he plays it solo on a Falcon :)
I bet!! I know we have a mutual love of Mr Young, which made me so surprised when you sold the tweed amp (you did, right?). I'm actually counting the days until you put an aluminium guard on that Les Paul of yours! ;)

It's funny, I've seen so many photos of Neil Young holding the White Falcon over the years but they've all been black & white! It's only when I started using the interwebs that I came to realise it had gold hardware. Gaaah!! Heheheheheh!
hehehe!! yep, I did sell the tweed Princeton...but...I did keep my 5E3 Tweed Deluxe spec'd out to run 6L6 valves too like Neil's, so I am still in the camp!! :) 8)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:41 am

shadowplay wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:23 am
PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:58 am
Woah!! Congratulations!!!

Now, I'll just get it out there straight away now & say (prepares to get slapped) that I've always found White Falcons kinda fugly. A bit too blingy & I just don't like gold hardware. Nonetheless, I appreciate the craftsmanship & I've heard enough about these to know that you've probably picked a winner.

Also, let's face it, you've got a stoopidly good collection of guitars now & this probably fits right in. 8)
IMO Falcons sit outside taste in the same way Facel Vegas do. On any other guitar I'd hate the appointments but on a Falcon and only on a Falcon (and a Disco Pingu :D ) they work. It's a bit like only Tutankhamun could get away with all that gold without looking all Trump Tower goes to Dubai. In fact legend says that the boy king's Falcon was entombed separately inside a lost pyramid of tone. :whistle:

They were straight up the first guitar I actually noticed, I mean I noticed guitars but I pretty much just wanted 'A' guitar until I saw this Falcon which I now know isn't one of the really desirable ones but as a young teen it looked fucking majestic when I saw it on I think Riverside, though I did want to clean it up.

D
Hahah! I remember the Falcon from that video! It was aired a few times in the 90s MTV shows. I actually played a White Falcon through 70s plexi with a Hot Plate attenuator and it was a religious experience...one of the few times when the looks matched the sounds!! :-*
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by valley_parade » Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:26 am

Yannis, dude. That is gorgeous.

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