Recently one of my customers tried his guitar out on a new amplifier. He really loved the sound. He spoke of having some buyer's remorse on his current amplifier. Up till the point of trying out the new amplifier, he was happy. Now he has an inner desire for a new sound - what he considers to be a better sound. We all suffer this. Sad, huh?
There's nothing wrong with this. It makes the guitar and amplifier world go around, and for those of us who build, provides us with an almost endless supply of customers! And that's a good thing.
To be honest, I also am in that camp. I own way too many guitars and amplifiers, and I also like to hear many, many different tones, always looking for that heavenly one. The trouble is, that sound never lasts too long, and off I go again, looking for another better one. So what makes us keep doing this? Did Chuck Berry change his "sound" once he dialed in that Johnny B. Goode sound, or Maybelline? Not that I can hear. Most of the major bands from the 60's and even 70's dialed in a certain sound, and ran with it. Les Paul always sounded like Les Paul, as did Chet Atkins, and many, many others.
But in this world of thousands of stomp boxes, and hundreds of amplifiers and guitars, players of all types are looking for the sound, forever changing equipment.
Many pro players say that it's really in your fingers, and that any given guitar played by a famous player will sound like that player, not like the guitar. There is some real truth in this, but it's not the whole picture. To put a David Gilmour on a double humbucker Ibanez, or sticking Brad Paisley on a Les Paul with Gibson Burstbuckers would certainly change their sound. Not the style, maybe, but the sound would definitely change.
So there it is. What guitar, amplifier, settings, stomp boxes, strings, picks and finger attack defines your sound? Have you ever even thought of that? Or do you just play the same way, trying out different instruments with different amps, and hope for the true tone/sound you've looked for your entire life?
My job is to build and sell custom guitars to the specifications of the new owners. So far, I'm doing fine. I build all types and manners of guitars, and I also offer a little better sustain and attack with my tonal chamber system. But I would also say that one of the biggest sellers for me is not the sound...are you ready? It's the look.
If 40% of all automobiles in the United States are sold on color, (and they are), it should be no surprise that an awful lot of guitars are sold on looks. Is there any real difference in sound in a flame maple top vs. a quilted maple top vs. a plain maple top? I sincerely doubt it...
Does sea foam green sound different than black? Heck, no...
But if you walk into any guitar store in the country the color palette just hits you square in the face. And that is a wonderful thing! The beautiful woods, the wonderful colors, all make our artistic senses go wild, including our musical senses. Some would even say they play better on a guitar of a certain type or wood style. Maybe so, who am I to judge?
And then there are the style purists. Let me break their bubble a little.
If you are a disciple of the Stratocaster with maple neck crowd, you might be surprised to know how many woods Fender has made Strat bodies out of in the last 60 years. Basswood, Alder, Poplar, Maple, Swamp Ash, just to name a few off the top of my head. And the paint has changed multiple times, from the original old nitro lacquer finishes which were banned in the mid 70's, to the thick, polyurethane finishes we sometimes see today. And in the old days, a lot of guitars were painted with car paint! Today, there is a lot of water based products out there, since the EPA has put their foot down on emissions. If some woods are better at being so-called "tone woods", what do all these changes do to Fenders over the years? And what is your guitar covered with? Red, or white, or natural would probably be a more honest answer. And the wood? Most of the owners of painted guitars cannot tell you. And that's a fact, unless they were told in the owner's manual, or found someone who sanded off their paint and posted the correct answer on a forum. Pros usually always know, but the bulk of us? Not a clue...
So a lot of things change and yet most things stay the same. What to do? I want my sound!!
I recommend the next time you try out a guitar, or commission someone to build one, remember this: Most any sound can be pried out of most guitars...
There are exceptions, of course, but listening to Slash run a high pitched, screaming solo out of his Les Paul tells you that not all of those Les Paul style guitars sound "brown". And examples like that just keep on coming.
It's all a combination, folks, of the things I listed above. How you listen, and what you like, is totally up to you. It's your sound. Once you begin to develop it, you will come back to it again and again. Just like Chuck Berry did so many years ago...
So let your artistic eyes and ears wander. If you love Redheart wood, that's great! If you favor Maple over Ebony, good for you. Tube amps over solid state? Ok with me! It matters not, because given the right situation, and combination of items, your signature sound will pop, and you will come back to that sound again and again.
By the way - what's mine? A smooth, clean high edged humbucker sound with just a hint of reverb. That's my favorite. Sometimes with just a bit of distortion, but just a bit, a teeny bit...
Tsunami
Tsunami SUT Ultra
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Is there a NEW guitar out there that you would pay $3500 for? 12-12-2011
I was thinking this morning, about the value of things. As I called customers on my day job, I know that some of our services where I work are expensive, but we try to give true value. For some people, it seems excessive, but most of our field techs don't make that much, and we have an excellent reputation in our local area. We work out of a smallish metal building, keep our overhead as low as possible, and try to pass all that along to our customers.
As I think about my Tsunami Guitar business, I think sometimes that I am charging too little. Certainly, no one has ever, ever told me that I charge too much. But then there is the value for the dollar thing, and in truth, I really don't want to feel like I am making more off a person than is fair. And I'm a fairly conservative guy!! But I've always been that way about my woodworking.
Oh, I've seen guys try to charge hundreds of dollars for something made of wood, and since I know how many hours they should have spent, sometimes it galls me a little. But then, beauty...and money, is in the eye of the purchaser. Either way, I also know that people sometimes get the perception that if it's cheaply priced, it must be cheaply made. That is not always the case, trust me...Jags can break just as fast as Fords. You are paying for a name, and a look.
So I decided to ask...is there a guitar out there, (NEW, not vintage), that you think is worth the $3500 or more they are asking? And it could be an assembly line guitar from a major manufacturer, or a custom shop guitar. I have to be honest...for me, no. I'm not a gigging player, so maybe owning a tool that expensive for work would be different. But in all honesty, I just don't see it.
And I know that since I have been in this business now for a couple years, I've managed to get into three organizations that build electric guitars. And I know from my own woodworking and the dozens that I have built what it takes. Although some I've seen are certainly worth more than I charge, I find anything over about $1500 to be a bit much. Fluff going into the pocket of the builder, so to speak.
So I thought I would ask...How about you?
Tsunami
As I think about my Tsunami Guitar business, I think sometimes that I am charging too little. Certainly, no one has ever, ever told me that I charge too much. But then there is the value for the dollar thing, and in truth, I really don't want to feel like I am making more off a person than is fair. And I'm a fairly conservative guy!! But I've always been that way about my woodworking.
Oh, I've seen guys try to charge hundreds of dollars for something made of wood, and since I know how many hours they should have spent, sometimes it galls me a little. But then, beauty...and money, is in the eye of the purchaser. Either way, I also know that people sometimes get the perception that if it's cheaply priced, it must be cheaply made. That is not always the case, trust me...Jags can break just as fast as Fords. You are paying for a name, and a look.
So I decided to ask...is there a guitar out there, (NEW, not vintage), that you think is worth the $3500 or more they are asking? And it could be an assembly line guitar from a major manufacturer, or a custom shop guitar. I have to be honest...for me, no. I'm not a gigging player, so maybe owning a tool that expensive for work would be different. But in all honesty, I just don't see it.
And I know that since I have been in this business now for a couple years, I've managed to get into three organizations that build electric guitars. And I know from my own woodworking and the dozens that I have built what it takes. Although some I've seen are certainly worth more than I charge, I find anything over about $1500 to be a bit much. Fluff going into the pocket of the builder, so to speak.
So I thought I would ask...How about you?
Tsunami
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Odd and Strange Guitars 12-8-2011
When I first started playing guitar seriously in January 2008, I bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112, and a small Line 6 -15 watt amp. For a while, at least, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then I heard another guitar being played by someone else. It didn't sound the same, and was cooler than mine. Hmmmm.
I began to take a real look at all the offerings available, and to be honest, it was just overwhelming. Sometimes I can see why guitarists have GAS, or guitar acquisition syndrome. Premier Guitar calls it "the relentless pursuit of tone."
Now I know that statement is aimed at them selling more magazines, but there is a truth in that, along with the other major player, looks. A maple cap on a Gibson Les Paul is supposed to slightly brighten the sound. But a flame maple cap is the same, and looks a heck of a lot better! And to finish it all off, a cherry burst coating is the icing on the cake.
All part of the effort to get you to buy that guitar!
But then, most of us cannot afford these wonderful instruments. So there are a whole host of companies that have appeared over the last few decades who have tried to fill that "I can't afford it" gap. And foremost in these offerings are the Asian rim offerings from Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, some India, and of course China.
Some truly strange and wonderful designs have come and gone over the years, and my collection is aimed straight at them. I love the oddballs, the misfits, the models that appeared for one or two years, never to be seen again. Strange controls, weird pickups, laminated necks, oddball paint jobs, it's all there. And most of it, even today, is cheap enough for anyone trying to begin a guitar collection.
Some will not gain much monetary ground. They are the ones that either were just too numerous, or possibly turn off so many guitarists even the collectors don't want them. But then there are the special ones that we covet.
I've got a few, tucked away. Nothing very expensive, but all of them restored. I hope they are all gaining in value. Some day I'll find out. My "Musical 401K".
How do I find these? Well, first off, I stay off eBay. It seems like about 4 out of 10 stories I read about eBay purchases the buyers are not totally happy. I have to hold what I am buying, feel it in my hands. At least then I know what I am about to purchase.
So for me, used music stores and pawn shops are my prime sources. Sometimes a quick look at my local Craigslist. But you have to be diligent. You cannot walk into a pawn shop once every six months and hope to find the gold. You should pick out two or three that will seem to pass a lot of guitars thru, and visit them often. Same with music stores. Guitar Center is NOT the place to look at used equipment if you collect. Negotiation is slim, and their pricing is high to begin with. They know exactly what they have, and push that limit. No, I haunt about 6 or 7 shops in my area, and once in a while, bingo!
Let me tell you about one, actually maybe my favorite.
About mid 2009, I walked into this usual pawn shop I favored. Their negotiations were tough. Family owned, the founder sits behind the long, glass counter that runs the length of the store. It's a run down shop, with a lot of junk everywhere. They make much more money in the pawn end than they do in the sale end, so they are used to things hanging on the walls for months, if not years. They put a price on it, and that's that.
I walked in one day, and here was a hollowbody, in the Gibson 335 style, very old. It had held a knockoff Bigsby at one time, but someone had hacksawed off the handle and spring, to leave just the string bar and tailpiece. There was one trapezoid inlay missing in the neck. The body was amazingly in good shape, but by the wear on the frets, you could see this guitar had seen some serious play. But what caught my attention was the headstock. TRUETONE, it said. But not in the usual crown in circle Truetone that we all are used to seeing. These were block letters, inlaid in the headstock, mother-of-toilet seat.
$150 was the asking price. I looked at the knobs. Aluminum tophat with stamped "V" and "T" in the top. One looked a little different, like someone had lost one and made a new one in high school metalshop class. Who knows? Everything else, including the double bar humbuckers seemed original. I passed.
Two months later on a usual visit, I walked in again. The price strangely had been lowered to $120. This was not usual for this shop. I approached them with an offer of $100 and was instantly turned down. $120 cash out the door was their best offer.
Next day I went in with the cash. I now owned a TRUETONE of unknown origins.
My initial research turned up nothing. The entire Truetone universe seemed to rotate around that Crown logo that all collectors of odd and strange are familiar with. My only hint was hand stamped numbers on the neck plate. EG-665-2HR, with 1018 below.
I typed in all types of combinations on the Internet, with no luck. I am pretty good on the Internet. Usually when this happens, either the guitar was so remote and quick to disappear that no one has documented it, or it was so bad no one wants to give it mention. Or.....it was a private label guitar.
In the meantime, I also looked at the entire lineup of Bigsbys, and found they make a "retro" unit that is pretty reasonable. It even had the faux leather inlay circle, where I could take the fake leather out of the remaining piece of the one I got with this guitar, and apply it to the Bigsby. I ordered one and put it on. It fit perfectly. At least they knew how to knock-off properly!
The inlay was another problem. Finding the plastic is easy, getting it to be tinted the same as a very old guitar is another problem. I solved it by heating it very slightly which opened the pores, then dipping it in medium brown stain for about fifteen seconds. As it cooled the pores pulled in just a little stain. It worked, and I cut and inlaid the piece into the neck.
Now I had a complete guitar with lousy frets. I looked over the wire, and it was a strange size. Only five frets were troublesome, so I pulled and reversed five of them so the bad edge was more to the lower strings. A little adjustment and it improved greatly. Not perfect for intense playing, but good enough. Polished, cleaned, with new strings, it looked grand with it's new Bigsby, but what in the world was this thing??
I kept at the Internet until one evening I discovered it. But with a different nameplate. Norma. Same guitar, same pickups, knobs, there was my chopped off tremolo complete. Even the same color. Norma, and in the same block lettering. It was listed for $995US WHOH! The information listed with the offering said that Greco had made a few guitars for Western Auto before Kay and Harmony took over completely in the mid 60's. (Take that with a grain of salt - it's the Internet, after all!) But it sounded right, and the wiring inside matched the era. The seller claimed 1960 as the year. Hmmmm.
I went back a few weeks later to the site and it had been sold.
But later, I found some on eBay. One Norma, one Truetone. They sold for much less, but the conditions were poor. No one was really sure, but most agreed that they probably were very early Western Auto guitars, made by Greco in Japan. One person even claimed early 50's! (I kind of doubt that, but who knows?)
And my four digit serial number, if that is truly one, is the lowest I have seen. 1018.
So mine hangs in my little studio I use for players to try out their new guitars. I have been offered many times to sell it, but it's not for sale. It's part of my Odd and Strange collection, and very special to me. I can't even find a case, the lower bouts are too wide. Probably came originally with a cheap, chipboard case, long gone. I did see one picture of one with a case. When I do plug it up, about once a year, the humbuckers sound just as good, I bet, as they did the day some lucky person walked it out of, (hopefully), a Western Auto store. If it has some other background, I don't care. I have shown it to numerous people, some who have been in the business for decades, and no one has ever seen that logo. My kind of guitar!
I must admit, this is one of the most interesting hobbies I have ever pursued. I keep looking, and I just never know. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you go months without finding anything of worth. That's what makes it so much fun - walking into a pawn shop, or an old music store, you just never know!!!
See any old Samick Artist Editions Series lately? I'm kind of looking for the 12 string model - the rarest one! I've already found the simple black model, and the more rare pink birdseye maple cap model. But I really want that 12 string. Great guitars!
Good hunting, keep on rocking, and watch for my next Tsunami's Ramblings.
Tsunami
I began to take a real look at all the offerings available, and to be honest, it was just overwhelming. Sometimes I can see why guitarists have GAS, or guitar acquisition syndrome. Premier Guitar calls it "the relentless pursuit of tone."
Now I know that statement is aimed at them selling more magazines, but there is a truth in that, along with the other major player, looks. A maple cap on a Gibson Les Paul is supposed to slightly brighten the sound. But a flame maple cap is the same, and looks a heck of a lot better! And to finish it all off, a cherry burst coating is the icing on the cake.
All part of the effort to get you to buy that guitar!
But then, most of us cannot afford these wonderful instruments. So there are a whole host of companies that have appeared over the last few decades who have tried to fill that "I can't afford it" gap. And foremost in these offerings are the Asian rim offerings from Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, some India, and of course China.
Some truly strange and wonderful designs have come and gone over the years, and my collection is aimed straight at them. I love the oddballs, the misfits, the models that appeared for one or two years, never to be seen again. Strange controls, weird pickups, laminated necks, oddball paint jobs, it's all there. And most of it, even today, is cheap enough for anyone trying to begin a guitar collection.
Some will not gain much monetary ground. They are the ones that either were just too numerous, or possibly turn off so many guitarists even the collectors don't want them. But then there are the special ones that we covet.
I've got a few, tucked away. Nothing very expensive, but all of them restored. I hope they are all gaining in value. Some day I'll find out. My "Musical 401K".
How do I find these? Well, first off, I stay off eBay. It seems like about 4 out of 10 stories I read about eBay purchases the buyers are not totally happy. I have to hold what I am buying, feel it in my hands. At least then I know what I am about to purchase.
So for me, used music stores and pawn shops are my prime sources. Sometimes a quick look at my local Craigslist. But you have to be diligent. You cannot walk into a pawn shop once every six months and hope to find the gold. You should pick out two or three that will seem to pass a lot of guitars thru, and visit them often. Same with music stores. Guitar Center is NOT the place to look at used equipment if you collect. Negotiation is slim, and their pricing is high to begin with. They know exactly what they have, and push that limit. No, I haunt about 6 or 7 shops in my area, and once in a while, bingo!
Let me tell you about one, actually maybe my favorite.
About mid 2009, I walked into this usual pawn shop I favored. Their negotiations were tough. Family owned, the founder sits behind the long, glass counter that runs the length of the store. It's a run down shop, with a lot of junk everywhere. They make much more money in the pawn end than they do in the sale end, so they are used to things hanging on the walls for months, if not years. They put a price on it, and that's that.
I walked in one day, and here was a hollowbody, in the Gibson 335 style, very old. It had held a knockoff Bigsby at one time, but someone had hacksawed off the handle and spring, to leave just the string bar and tailpiece. There was one trapezoid inlay missing in the neck. The body was amazingly in good shape, but by the wear on the frets, you could see this guitar had seen some serious play. But what caught my attention was the headstock. TRUETONE, it said. But not in the usual crown in circle Truetone that we all are used to seeing. These were block letters, inlaid in the headstock, mother-of-toilet seat.
$150 was the asking price. I looked at the knobs. Aluminum tophat with stamped "V" and "T" in the top. One looked a little different, like someone had lost one and made a new one in high school metalshop class. Who knows? Everything else, including the double bar humbuckers seemed original. I passed.
Two months later on a usual visit, I walked in again. The price strangely had been lowered to $120. This was not usual for this shop. I approached them with an offer of $100 and was instantly turned down. $120 cash out the door was their best offer.
Next day I went in with the cash. I now owned a TRUETONE of unknown origins.
My initial research turned up nothing. The entire Truetone universe seemed to rotate around that Crown logo that all collectors of odd and strange are familiar with. My only hint was hand stamped numbers on the neck plate. EG-665-2HR, with 1018 below.
I typed in all types of combinations on the Internet, with no luck. I am pretty good on the Internet. Usually when this happens, either the guitar was so remote and quick to disappear that no one has documented it, or it was so bad no one wants to give it mention. Or.....it was a private label guitar.
In the meantime, I also looked at the entire lineup of Bigsbys, and found they make a "retro" unit that is pretty reasonable. It even had the faux leather inlay circle, where I could take the fake leather out of the remaining piece of the one I got with this guitar, and apply it to the Bigsby. I ordered one and put it on. It fit perfectly. At least they knew how to knock-off properly!
The inlay was another problem. Finding the plastic is easy, getting it to be tinted the same as a very old guitar is another problem. I solved it by heating it very slightly which opened the pores, then dipping it in medium brown stain for about fifteen seconds. As it cooled the pores pulled in just a little stain. It worked, and I cut and inlaid the piece into the neck.
Now I had a complete guitar with lousy frets. I looked over the wire, and it was a strange size. Only five frets were troublesome, so I pulled and reversed five of them so the bad edge was more to the lower strings. A little adjustment and it improved greatly. Not perfect for intense playing, but good enough. Polished, cleaned, with new strings, it looked grand with it's new Bigsby, but what in the world was this thing??
I kept at the Internet until one evening I discovered it. But with a different nameplate. Norma. Same guitar, same pickups, knobs, there was my chopped off tremolo complete. Even the same color. Norma, and in the same block lettering. It was listed for $995US WHOH! The information listed with the offering said that Greco had made a few guitars for Western Auto before Kay and Harmony took over completely in the mid 60's. (Take that with a grain of salt - it's the Internet, after all!) But it sounded right, and the wiring inside matched the era. The seller claimed 1960 as the year. Hmmmm.
I went back a few weeks later to the site and it had been sold.
But later, I found some on eBay. One Norma, one Truetone. They sold for much less, but the conditions were poor. No one was really sure, but most agreed that they probably were very early Western Auto guitars, made by Greco in Japan. One person even claimed early 50's! (I kind of doubt that, but who knows?)
And my four digit serial number, if that is truly one, is the lowest I have seen. 1018.
So mine hangs in my little studio I use for players to try out their new guitars. I have been offered many times to sell it, but it's not for sale. It's part of my Odd and Strange collection, and very special to me. I can't even find a case, the lower bouts are too wide. Probably came originally with a cheap, chipboard case, long gone. I did see one picture of one with a case. When I do plug it up, about once a year, the humbuckers sound just as good, I bet, as they did the day some lucky person walked it out of, (hopefully), a Western Auto store. If it has some other background, I don't care. I have shown it to numerous people, some who have been in the business for decades, and no one has ever seen that logo. My kind of guitar!
I must admit, this is one of the most interesting hobbies I have ever pursued. I keep looking, and I just never know. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you go months without finding anything of worth. That's what makes it so much fun - walking into a pawn shop, or an old music store, you just never know!!!
See any old Samick Artist Editions Series lately? I'm kind of looking for the 12 string model - the rarest one! I've already found the simple black model, and the more rare pink birdseye maple cap model. But I really want that 12 string. Great guitars!
Good hunting, keep on rocking, and watch for my next Tsunami's Ramblings.
Tsunami
Monday, December 5, 2011
Why I build what I build 12-5-2011
I've always loved the sound of a guitar. I suspect you do too, otherwise you would not be here. From the early days when my parents made me sell off the Danelectro I had purchased, until now, there is nothing quite like the siren song that a guitar can produce.
So in 2008, with all the kids grown and gone, the motorcycle bug kind of out of me, I decided that finally, I would learn some serious playing.
And about eighteen months later, trying to tackle five fret chords, I was asked why, why, why, with 39 years of woodworking under my belt, including 12 years as a professional refinisher, and years of commission building just about everything wood, why won't I build a guitar?
So I designed one and did it. The fellow who had challenged me asked to buy it. My wife commented, "If you think you might do this again, why not keep the first one?'
That was, as of this writing, 34 guitars ago, with 3-4 on the books to build, not started yet.
It was a natural combination of my love of the instrument, the understanding of the wood and how to work it, and my manufacturing maintenance and electrician background all put together.
So off I went, and here we are...
People often say to me I don't charge enough for my guitars, but that's a subject I'll address in an upcoming blog post. For now, just understand that the happiest time of any given day for me, save when I am in church, is being in my shop, working on someones new guitar. Having my wife come down and ask why we have to sell it, or my neighbor coming by with his dogs and rubbing his hand over the smooth, exotic wood. It all fits. It just does.
They say some things can actually slow down your heartbeat. For me, I really believe seeing the body of a guitar come to life is one of those moments. Many people have asked to watch me, or to teach them, and honestly, I turn them all down. I'm selfish...this is my time to relax, to rest, to bring to life an instrument that when played, will bring happiness. Soppy? Yes, I suppose. But it's true.
Thanks for coming to my blog. Plenty more interesting reflections, comments, information to come!!
Tsunami
So in 2008, with all the kids grown and gone, the motorcycle bug kind of out of me, I decided that finally, I would learn some serious playing.
And about eighteen months later, trying to tackle five fret chords, I was asked why, why, why, with 39 years of woodworking under my belt, including 12 years as a professional refinisher, and years of commission building just about everything wood, why won't I build a guitar?
So I designed one and did it. The fellow who had challenged me asked to buy it. My wife commented, "If you think you might do this again, why not keep the first one?'
That was, as of this writing, 34 guitars ago, with 3-4 on the books to build, not started yet.
It was a natural combination of my love of the instrument, the understanding of the wood and how to work it, and my manufacturing maintenance and electrician background all put together.
So off I went, and here we are...
People often say to me I don't charge enough for my guitars, but that's a subject I'll address in an upcoming blog post. For now, just understand that the happiest time of any given day for me, save when I am in church, is being in my shop, working on someones new guitar. Having my wife come down and ask why we have to sell it, or my neighbor coming by with his dogs and rubbing his hand over the smooth, exotic wood. It all fits. It just does.
They say some things can actually slow down your heartbeat. For me, I really believe seeing the body of a guitar come to life is one of those moments. Many people have asked to watch me, or to teach them, and honestly, I turn them all down. I'm selfish...this is my time to relax, to rest, to bring to life an instrument that when played, will bring happiness. Soppy? Yes, I suppose. But it's true.
Thanks for coming to my blog. Plenty more interesting reflections, comments, information to come!!
Tsunami
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