That's all folks...

You start at the bottom - click to expand the pics - most are 144 dpi.

This is what 2 Snow Days gets you.  Will update as things change.

Believe I left out a Martin Backpacker that I traded for an Vintage Edyline Orca Kayak, but that was more of a long scale 6-string Mandolin...

And a cobby Chinese Epiphone Chet Atkins CEC; never adapted to nylon and that 2' nut neck, but get credit for trying it on.

The Amps - Johnson Millenium 150

Some bright fellow from Utah decided to make the ultimate cover band amp and is generally credited with success, despite the never-ending gnashing by the power tube purists. Whenever I plug into a 'big name' combo, I'm amazed at how harsh they sound in a small room at practice volume.

I don't cover anything, but I love total distortion played at a whisper, late at night after the spousal & kids are out for the count. Every sound a closet rocker could want with the spin of the big black knob.

Johnson sold out to a conglomerate and the JM150 became the Line6 Vetta, but 5 years later, they still keep their website up:

http://www.johnson-amp.com/

and John has his private amp page:

http://www.abyssmall.com/Johnson/mainframe.htm

Also keep a Johnson J-Station, a battery powered Roland Microcubes, a yellow Crate Taxi,
a cheapo Peavey 112 bass amp and that old 3W Silvertone running a scratchy 60's stereo console speaker.

Martin Alternative Resonator

A local craigs buy for 1/3 the cost of a National, with full electronics,
and carrying less than half the weight.

Way loud, even strung down to 13-59 (versus the factory 16-63 reso set) using a nickel 7 string set, minus the high E string.

Ever try a 2 fret bend on an 16 with your pinkie? Need to cut a new Micarta nut or super glue the high E notch to quiet that rattle though.

Currently tuned G minor.
Slide monster.

http://martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?p=m&m=ALternative%20II%20Resonator

Martin Alternative XT

Use to be my most expensive piece.
Martin made one run of 170 of these and sold them all at the NAMM show a couple years back. Seen one or two on eBay.

The big Portland Martin dealer got one, but decided to sell it after a year. Just my bad luck. My second 'store bought guitar'.

Kinda weird because that pickup is like the loudest shrieking shred metal pickup that Dimarzio makes.
Got it cranked way down and it rings, but what were they thinking? Who knows.

Got it working on a Tele vibe with the right amp model.

http://martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?m=Alternative%20XT&p=i

or

http://m2w.net/wiki/index.php/Alternative_XT

Eastwood Sidejack - Sold!

Some Canadian dude made his fortune in Silicon Valley, then decided to monetize his vintage guitar collecting hobby by having the the Chinese knock off his favorite pieces, thus Eastwood Guitars.

I was looking for something cheap to fulfill my P90 yearnings without an hour of tuning up the old 125, so this Mosrite copy looked like fun.

Set neck, heavy as hell, even with a 3" wide bass strap, same old crappy Chinese pots, and not enough of 'em.

Sold on craigs for a bunch more than the 250 that I paid via eBay, but need alot more for anything on the wish list.

His old messy site: http://www.myrareguitars.com/toplevel.html

His new slick site: http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/

Martin Alternative II

Now we're to the bones.
This was the prime axe prior to the CA takeover.
Currently tuned to open Low C.
Piezo pickups kick ass on magnetics.
Frequency response. Highs and Lows. Sub-harmonics.

Some Martin grandson thought that the family legacy shouldn't be dependant on the continued desecration of the Tongrass National Forest in Alaska, where all the worlds' instrument grade straight grain spuce is logged. Thus the Alternative Series. First they experimented with a carbon graphite top, then moved to the aluminum top over a Micarta body.

The seller actually wrapped the snakeskin case in a layer of brown paper and sent it via US Mail. Arrived with a yellow crust of ganja smoke on top; I'm still afraid to take it thru an airport.

Sat in the back of the truck for the duration of the 'Great Oval Tour of '06', hot, cold, desert dry to gulf coast dripping.

44 days without needing a tuning.

Try that with a hunk of wood.

http://martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?m=Alternative%20II&p=i

or

http://m2w.net/wiki/index.php/Alternative_II

Ovation Tangent MOB57

Another 'family' guitar.
Looks great!
Sounds just like an Ovation acoustically, Rocks out through an amp
Nobody adopted it.
Currently for sale with HSC.
$450 takes it.

Ashbory Bass

Carol's new bass.

Big metal wounds hurt your soft little pinkies?
Try big fat soft silicone rubber strings.

Invented by a couple amazing English lads.
Licenced to DeArmond, who was bought out by Fender.

Half scale; 30" long. Weighs, like nothing.
Sounds big and thumpy like a real double bass.
Played by jazz guys in clubs with real small stages

Read all about it at:
http://www.ashelec.demon.co.uk/ashbory/

Steinberger Spirit GU-7R - Sold!

Was Logan's Guitar.
He wanted something like the Sticks, except 'like a real guitar.'
But since he's only interested in being first seat french horn, it's gone.

Ibanez AEB 10 Bass

Kamon's Christmas Present Acoustic Bass.
So he could take it and play it at school.

Still lives with him off at college.

Ovation 1866 - 12 String all over again - Sold!

For near half the price of the dearly departed 1866, an eBay buy.
With mahogany neck instead of the composite neck on the original.
Never really rang out as loud and sharp as the original.

After playing Baggs and Fishmans, the Ovation's piezo sound thunked like a hunk of plastic  thru an amp.

Don't play it for months, take it down, and it was right in tune.
And that's most of what I wanted from a 12-string.

But with delay, echo, reverb and tremelo,
who needs 12 strings?

Fender Jaguar Baritone Special and Baritone HH - Both Sold!

Time to go Baritone!
Got both of these on eBay.
The 27" scale dual humbucker HH was just loud and noisy; sold it on craigs to a local heavy metal head banger.

The 28.5" scale Special was owned by Rontrose of the Supersuckers.
Just off a tour opening for Pearl Jam through Canada.
Spent the whole day in his basement in Tacoma playing his collection.

Has that classic Jaguar growl, low enough to rumble all the innards.
No tiny 24" scale and crummy Jag tremelo.

Thought it was a keeper, but slowly slipped out of favor.
Could rumble away with the hollow bodies in drop tuning with less stress on the old joints.

Sold to pay for a CA GXi. A sad day.

http://www.supersuckers.com/07website_dir/index.php

Hohner Professional G3T 'Hohnerberger Stick'

Ned Steinberger is the guitar design genius of the late 20th century.
Better designer than manufacturing tycoon. Licensing out his designs paid some of the bills, but the end was inevitable.

Now Steinberger is just another line in the Gibson family of profit centers.

Real American graphite Steinberger GL 6-strings are now over $3K on eBay.  And I have the carbon fiber thing covered with the CA Gxi pair.

But according to the stories, Ned really liked these little numbers;
a solid chunk of American maple carved by Samick in Korea.

When my Jagstang experience sent me searching the web for a tremelo that actually worked (returned to tune) I found one of these on craigslist in Seattle for $250; got another on eBay so I could keep one in open tune.

God's own noodling units, an absolute breeze to play, with chimey passive EMG's.  Got those active EMG 89's and SA's to swap in - just have to figure out the wiring with the 3 mini toggles instead of the 5-way.

The last solid body guitars I'd ever sell.
Well now, make it the only ones I have left.

Fender Jagstang - Sold!

1963. The Beatles. A Fender Jaguar was my first love.
That Teisco Sears knockoff was what I showed Grandma in the catalog.

Got around to that wicked Surf machine with tremelo thing.
Gave a new Jag a test drive at the guitar store; what a piece of junk!
Why do they lovingly copy every mistake in the history of guitar design?
Oh yeah, idiots will pay a grand, even if it's Japanese made.

For something affordable and Fender, found a Jagstang on craigslist in Seattle. Owned by female working bass player who got it second hand to try out the 6 string thing. Nearly perfect and stock except the missing trem bar and JB bridge pickup (like Kurt used). Amazing sounds!

The 24" scale was way small for my fat fingers and it was too heavy and valuable for the boyz to screw around with. Not really colllectible with the swapped (better) pickup and 50th anniv sticker removed.
Sold it to a kid down the street. So long, Kurt.

Learn all about Jags and their bastard offspring, with a guide to those weird switches: http://www.jag-stang.com/jsIndex.shtml

Jay Turser JT-RES - The Collection Begins - Sold!

There is no Jay Turser; it's a marketing company in New Jersey that imports cheap Chinese Guitars.

Always wanted a resonator, but the super heavy strings made my fingers hurt and who has 2 large for a National?

This little spider bridge Reso-Lectric knockoff was 200 plus shippin on eBay and is a bunch of fun, but typical of Chinese guitars, needs better pots or an active balance control between the piezo on the cone and the humbucker.

Sold it at a guitar swapmeet in a sweltering hotel ballroom. Didn't really intend to move it, but I was helping my guitar buddy man his booth and it was the only offer we got on over 50 guitars all day. Never set up across from the MESA factory amplifier booth, even if they assign you that spot!

http://www.jayturser.com/jt-res.php

1963 Gibson 125TDC

A friend rescued this forlorn piece of junk from the basement of a building being demolished in Portland and gave it to me,
because I fix stuff.

Split from bout to bout thru the tailpiece, bridge gone missing,
frets and fretboard ground to death by some hard bending neck choker.

Cleaned it up some and took it around to local luthiers,
who said the cost of repairs far exceeded the book value.

So I clamped it up as close as I could, tite-bonded the cracks, made a bridge out of purple heart and strung her up, tuned low and open.  Eventually I added new tuners, a repro adjustable bridge and a Seymor Duncan SH1 '59 in the bridge position.

Tuned way down to CFCFAC, the tuning stabilizes, its easy on the fingers and it's a screamin' P90 slide machine. Lonesome George.

Liking that P90 wail more every time I plug it in.

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/gibson4.html