Whats your' latest gear acquisition?

[golem]

[mention]sabasgr68[/mention]






As far as I know, it's based on this version of the guitar and uses the same pickups:



And it's highlighted in this video of guitars that failed (in the marketplace):

[UrenragK]

I got an oscillating spindle sander to go with my band saw today,

Went for a Triton tools model, and have to say it is absolutely brilliant, very pleased with it.

[sabasgr68]

@sabasgr68






As far as I know, it's based on this version of the guitar and uses the same pickups:



And it's highlighted in this video of guitars that failed (in the marketplace):

Gorgeous. Hope you like its sounds. Thanks for the pics!

[golem]

[mention]sabasgr68[/mention] it sounded decent with the old strings that were on there. I'll probably share my thoughts after I put new strings and play with the height of the pickups. Given the low prices of these in America right now, I'd say that it exceeded expectations. I think it would take a celebrity to start playing these for them to gain and traction and get a reissue from Taylor, but they are really good. Taylor put a lot of R&D into these.

[golem]

Now that I've changed strings and lowered the pickup height I can say I'm very impressed. The pickups are warmer and fatter than minihums found in the Gibsons 70's tributes, certainly warmer and fuller sounding than the wonderful firebird pickups [mention]andrewsrea[/mention] makes. I think that's at least partially do to them being a bit bigger than a Firebird or Gibson minihum would be. Probably the closest pickup that I've tried would be the PRS 408 pickups.

The tone control on this is perfect. At 10 they have a bit of single coil like bite that make it sound a bit more like a tele. Tapered off they got much closer to a Gibson 335/LP sort of tone pretty quickly.

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this. It makes me think I could get rid of the Knaggs Kenai and not feel like I'm missing a boutique level singelcut. That said, the Kenai is a more comfortable body shop has better access to the higher frets. But my Kenai is worth something like 4X what I paid for the SBX-1.

[mickey]

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this.

I can't imagine how you manage to play a guitar with a 15 inch wide neck!!!!!

[golem]

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this.

I can't imagine how you manage to play a guitar with a 15 inch wide neck!!!!!

oh [mention]mickey[/mention], what am I going to do with you. On a serious note, I'm sure a 15" radius is what Taylor's normally come with and exactly what people who already love the brand want.

[glasshand]

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this.

I can't imagine how you manage to play a guitar with a 15 inch wide neck!!!!!

Isn't that the new Agile 57-string guitar?

[mickey]

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this.

I can't imagine how you manage to play a guitar with a 15 inch wide neck!!!!!

oh @mickey, what am I going to do with you. On a serious note, I'm sure a 15" radius is what Taylor's normally come with and exactly what people who already love the brand want.

If Taylor players are anything like Martin players & you mention "neck radius" to them, you'll get a blank stare in return.
I've been messing with guitars since 1958 or 1959 and never heard the term "neck radius" until the 1980's.
What happened in the 1980's? I started jamming with guys who were basically Fender players.
And all those Fender players ever talked about was neck radius.
Since that time, I've learned that most Fender players are like that while virtually everyone else is infinitely more concerned with neck width, thickness & shape of the back of the neck.

[sabasgr68]

Now that I've changed strings and lowered the pickup height I can say I'm very impressed. The pickups are warmer and fatter than minihums found in the Gibsons 70's tributes, certainly warmer and fuller sounding than the wonderful firebird pickups @andrewsrea makes. I think that's at least partially do to them being a bit bigger than a Firebird or Gibson minihum would be. Probably the closest pickup that I've tried would be the PRS 408 pickups.

The tone control on this is perfect. At 10 they have a bit of single coil like bite that make it sound a bit more like a tele. Tapered off they got much closer to a Gibson 335/LP sort of tone pretty quickly.

Despite having a wider neck then is my preference at 15", the price on these make it pretty likely I'd keep rather than sell this. It makes me think I could get rid of the Knaggs Kenai and not feel like I'm missing a boutique level singelcut. That said, the Kenai is a more comfortable body shop has better access to the higher frets. But my Kenai is worth something like 4X what I paid for the SBX-1.

Well, it´s so great that you like it that much. I searched for that Knaggs Kenai, and what a beauty it is too! If that´s the price relation between them, I too would keep the Taylor and get rid of the Kenai, using the difference for something else. Enjoy it!

[sabasgr68]

I can't imagine how you manage to play a guitar with a 15 inch wide neck!!!!!

oh @mickey, what am I going to do with you. On a serious note, I'm sure a 15" radius is what Taylor's normally come with and exactly what people who already love the brand want.

If Taylor players are anything like Martin players & you mention "neck radius" to them, you'll get a blank stare in return.
I've been messing with guitars since 1958 or 1959 and never heard the term "neck radius" until the 1980's.
What happened in the 1980's? I started jamming with guys who were basically Fender players.
And all those Fender players ever talked about was neck radius.
Since that time, I've learned that most Fender players are like that while virtually everyone else is infinitely more concerned with neck width, thickness & shape of the back of the neck.

I was born 10 years after you started messing with guitars, I guess things were simpler about them. I don´t have a wide experience regarding guitars and necks and whatever, but I do know that the 1 5/8 width on my AL3000 makes my fingers feel cramped. Other than that, I´m not sure how much all those other details would affect my playing comfort wise. You´re one of the masters here to me.

[sabasgr68]

[mention]Cyphre[/mention] [mention]ILuvTeles[/mention] [mention]tony1852[/mention]

You guys still have and use your Valeton Rushead Max gizmo? Now that the honeymoon is over, what do you think about it?

[mickey]

[q

If Taylor players are anything like Martin players & you mention "neck radius" to them, you'll get a blank stare in return.
I've been messing with guitars since 1958 or 1959 and never heard the term "neck radius" until the 1980's.
What happened in the 1980's? I started jamming with guys who were basically Fender players.
And all those Fender players ever talked about was neck radius.
Since that time, I've learned that most Fender players are like that while virtually everyone else is infinitely more concerned with neck width, thickness & shape of the back of the neck.

I was born 10 years after you started messing with guitars, I guess things were simpler about them. I don´t have a wide experience regarding guitars and necks and whatever, but I do know that the 1 5/8 width on my AL3000 makes my fingers feel cramped. Other than that, I´m not sure how much all those other details would affect my playing comfort wise. You´re one of the masters here to me.

Well, Sabas, things were probably simpler because you have more computer power in your phone than existed on planet Earth when I was born.
Also, we were a lot poorer back then. Most people I knew changed guitar strings about once per year because strings co$t $0.10 each (40% more than a Coca-cola at the time).
So, when a string broke you replaced it. Otherwise at Christmas or on your birthday you replaced the whole set.

I only knew of one brand of guitar strings back then "Black Diamond." If they came in different gauges, nobody seemed to know.

Guitars were Gibson, Gretsch, Martin, Fender & Garbage. Any of those name brands started at about a month's pay for the typical U.S. working man.
Most of the guitars sold thru mail order catalogs (Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery-Ward's, Alden's, etc.) And were made by either Kay or Harmony in Chicago.
Believe you me, they were garbage! Don't misunderstand me, Gibson, Gretsch, Martin & Fender were great, but most people could not afford them.

My fingers also feel cramped on a 1 5/8" neck. In my opinion, guitars with necks that narrow are made for people who play only one string at a time.
Too narrow for fingerpicking or any use of chords. Unfortunately, I've always played styles where my fretting hand is always holding a chord or partial chord.
Necks that are too thin (front to back) literally cause my hand to cramp! Too thick and I can't hang a thumb over. The shape of the back of the neck
has a lot to do with comfort. Myself, I've never been comfortable playing any guitar that has a "V" shape neck, but others love them.
Neck size/shape is a very personal thing that has much to do with you & your playing style.
I've never noticed any difference switching neck radius. But Fender folks will assure you it is the single most important spec.

[golem]

[mention]mickey[/mention] When I first started out I didn't care about radius. My first good guitar was a MIJ Ibanes S series of some sort (never knew the model). I liked the guitar but in some respects I didn't find it comfortable. A decade or so later when I got back into guitar I started to realize that certain guitars felt more comfortable. One thing I noticed was that it was pretty rare that necks with very thin profiles or wide radius necks that I didn't like. Eventually I learned what neck profiles were when I started liking PRS necks. I haven't got it down to a science yet, but I have a good sense of what necks I'll like by the measurements. Radius is one of the easiest measurements to get, whereas profiles I find aren't always listed and even when they are they seem to differ a bit between brand. That's one reason I'm less likely to focus on the profile.

But anyways... I like what I like and do focus on neck radius and profiles. I agree about necks that are too thin causing my hands to cramp. And I find that even with my preferences there will some times be a guitar that I find seems to override my preferences for reasons I can't discern.

[sabasgr68]

[q

If Taylor players are anything like Martin players & you mention "neck radius" to them, you'll get a blank stare in return.
I've been messing with guitars since 1958 or 1959 and never heard the term "neck radius" until the 1980's.
What happened in the 1980's? I started jamming with guys who were basically Fender players.
And all those Fender players ever talked about was neck radius.
Since that time, I've learned that most Fender players are like that while virtually everyone else is infinitely more concerned with neck width, thickness & shape of the back of the neck.

I was born 10 years after you started messing with guitars, I guess things were simpler about them. I don´t have a wide experience regarding guitars and necks and whatever, but I do know that the 1 5/8 width on my AL3000 makes my fingers feel cramped. Other than that, I´m not sure how much all those other details would affect my playing comfort wise. You´re one of the masters here to me.

Well, Sabas, things were probably simpler because you have more computer power in your phone than existed on planet Earth when I was born.
Also, we were a lot poorer back then. Most people I knew changed guitar strings about once per year because strings co$t $0.10 each (40% more than a Coca-cola at the time).
So, when a string broke you replaced it. Otherwise at Christmas or on your birthday you replaced the whole set.

I only knew of one brand of guitar strings back then "Black Diamond." If they came in different gauges, nobody seemed to know.

Guitars were Gibson, Gretsch, Martin, Fender & Garbage. Any of those name brands started at about a month's pay for the typical U.S. working man.
Most of the guitars sold thru mail order catalogs (Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery-Ward's, Alden's, etc.) And were made by either Kay or Harmony in Chicago.
Believe you me, they were garbage! Don't misunderstand me, Gibson, Gretsch, Martin & Fender were great, but most people could not afford them.

My fingers also feel cramped on a 1 5/8" neck. In my opinion, guitars with necks that narrow are made for people who play only one string at a time.
Too narrow for fingerpicking or any use of chords. Unfortunately, I've always played styles where my fretting hand is always holding a chord or partial chord.
Necks that are too thin (front to back) literally cause my hand to cramp! Too thick and I can't hang a thumb over. The shape of the back of the neck
has a lot to do with comfort. Myself, I've never been comfortable playing any guitar that has a "V" shape neck, but others love them.
Neck size/shape is a very personal thing that has much to do with you & your playing style.
I've never noticed any difference switching neck radius. But Fender folks will assure you it is the single most important spec.

LOL It was more or less the same for me when I was given my acoustic no brand name guitar when I was 12 - it qualifies as Garbage, but it is still hanging in my wall, and still gets played sometimes -. I changed strings when they broke, and didn´t care for the brand, just the one(s) that I could buy. And I was happy. I don´t think I was actually aware of guitar brand names. They were just guitars for me. The only thing that mattered was the color.

I remember that I bought my first electric around 1990-91, and it was a SSS strat style - not Fender or Squier, probably a copy, and it was black, of course -. Believe it or not, I never changed the strings in the 5-6 years I had it, and never even did a set up on it. And I expected it to sound good! I was a crappy player back then, to be honest. I had no idea on how to play electric guitars, how to use distortion, etc.

I would like to try those different neck shapes just to know the feeling.

Haha... Same as we Agile folks assure that the single most important thing is neck stability!

Thanks for sharing part of your story.

[ILuvTeles]

@Cyphre @ILuvTeles @tony1852

You guys still have and use your Valeton Rushead Max gizmo? Now that the honeymoon is over, what do you think about it?

I haven't been playing much lately, but when I have & used the Valeton I like it. It took a while to dial in sounds I liked, the flange is a bit much for me, so I keep it at a minimum or off. I also sent one to my son in the Air Force & he is enjoying his. He can rock out in his room at all hours.

[mickey]

LOL It was more or less the same for me when I was given my acoustic no brand name guitar when I was 12 - it qualifies as Garbage, but it is still hanging in my wall, and still gets played sometimes -. I changed strings when they broke, and didn´t care for the brand, just the one(s) that I could buy. And I was happy. I don´t think I was actually aware of guitar brand names. They were just guitars for me. The only thing that mattered was the color.

I remember that I bought my first electric around 1990-91, and it was a SSS strat style - not Fender or Squier, probably a copy, and it was black, of course -. Believe it or not, I never changed the strings in the 5-6 years I had it, and never even did a set up on it. And I expected it to sound good! I was a crappy player back then, to be honest. I had no idea on how to play electric guitars, how to use distortion, etc.

I would like to try those different neck shapes just to know the feeling.

Haha... Same as we Agile folks assure that the single most important thing is neck stability!

Thanks for sharing part of your story.

Glad to be of service my friend. I look forward to the day when you can go to a music store & try out for yourself all the various neck variations.

[dabbler]

I never hung around a bunch of Fender players to talk shop, but I WILL say, I can understand their obsession with radius. I played Fender copies cause they fit my pocketbook. The first time I picked up a Fender in a music store and started to play the VERY FIRST thing I noticed was that 9.5 inch radius, and I didn't like it AT ALL.

So I can understand that if you learned on a small radius neck and that's what you were used to, playing on a flatter neck would be very strange. And if you liked that small radius, you would look for guitars, ahem Fenders, with that radius.

I also learned over time that I like necks in the thicker side, while a lot of folks prefer thin ones.

Different strokes for different folks.

[sabasgr68]

@Cyphre @ILuvTeles @tony1852

You guys still have and use your Valeton Rushead Max gizmo? Now that the honeymoon is over, what do you think about it?

I haven't been playing much lately, but when I have & used the Valeton I like it. It took a while to dial in sounds I liked, the flange is a bit much for me, so I keep it at a minimum or off. I also sent one to my son in the Air Force & he is enjoying his. He can rock out in his room at all hours.

Thanks for the update, Thomas! That´s great; glad he´s enjoying it too! Air Force, eh? Proud dad yourself, I´m sure... Take care!

[sabasgr68]

Glad to be of service my friend. I look forward to the day when you can go to a music store & try out for yourself all the various neck variations.

Well, if I ever step on US soil, be sure that that´s one of the first things I´d do, along with sharing some coffee with you AGFers - and some other delights like donuts and pizza -.

[Razzle]

A Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus, Amber

[Spike]

A few weeks ago, I was on Sweetwater's site looking for a set of studio monitors for my recording PC. EVERY single and set of studio monitors were sold out and on back order (must be a lot of recording going on during quarantine). Well, with the exception of the very high dollar speakers.

I called my sales engineer and he put in an order for a set of Presonus Eris 4.5 Bluetooth monitors for me. He called to tell me they were in late last week so I took a trip over to pick them up. I also met a guy at the parking lot to sell one of my strats (see my post in the CL Trials and Trib of CL/FB, etc thread).

Love these speakers. I have a 3.5 set that I hooked up to my work computer in my home office. These Presonus speakers sound amazing!

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SW 5.jpg

[golem]

[mention]Spike[/mention] so you live next to sweetwater?

[Spike]

[mention]golem[/mention] No, it’s a 60 mile drive.

It’s probably a good thing I don’t.

[voodoorat]

traded the vox ac30s1 for this, gretsch g5230t in firebird red w/ ohsc. pickups are the hs filter'trons.

image.png

don't have a real strong impression yet--looks good, feels good. haven't really had a chance to plug it in much yet. guy has 11's on it and the action is a hair higher than i like, i'll set it up with 10's or maybe even 9's sometime in the intermediate future and lower the action (if that doesn't lower it by itself which it may). the amp wasn't getting used at all (since i got the ac30c2) and i paid $500 for it so it seemed like a guitar would be something that i might actually use, feels like a roughly fair trade.