Bad Luck Sprague
Gregg L
discovered a 2nd guitar he had taken along suffered a broken neck!!
Gregg
Joe Finn
news:rKmdndQrFp1ijJnW...@earthlink.com...
> On returning to Southern California after his tour with Diane Reeves,
> Peter discovered a 2nd guitar he had taken along suffered a broken neck!!
> Gregg
Wow. What are the chances? It's too bad. .....joe
--
Visit me on the web www.JoeFinn.net
>
Rick Stone
> "Gregg L" <him...@nowhere.net> wrote in message
> news:rKmdndQrFp1ijJnW...@earthlink.com...
>> On returning to Southern California after his tour with Diane Reeves,
>> Peter discovered a 2nd guitar he had taken along suffered a broken neck!!
>> Gregg
>
>
> Wow. What are the chances? It's too bad. .....joe
Unfortunately the "chances" seem to be "pretty likely." The airlines
have been notorious for damaging guitars for years. If you're forced to
check it, I'd probably EXPECT there to be some kind of damage. One of
the main reasons I don't play out of town is that I won't take my Comins
on a plane. Wouldn't even CONSIDER it. I've been looking out for a
cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and by
"cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in that price
range that's actually gig-worthy.
--
Rick Stone
email: rick...@rickstone.com
website: www.rickstone.com
epk: www.sonicbids.com/rickstone
Other sites: www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
www.facebook.com/rickstonemusic www.reverbnation.com/rickstone
www.youtube.com/jazzand www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand jazzguitarny.ning.com
drthoma...@gmail.com
>
> I've been looking out for a
> cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and by
> "cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in that price
> range that's actually gig-worthy.
You must have extremely demanding standards. I've played many
acceptable guitars that you could get for under a grand. What
charqacteristics are you seeking that can't be found in that price
range?
Tim McNamara
<b3228188-428c-4072...@d5g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
"tomb...@jhu.edu" <drthoma...@gmail.com> wrote:
My $180 Tele is reasonably gig worthy and, being pretty much a plank of
wood, maybe fairly resistant to the airline gorillas.
Gregg L
> Peter discovered a 2nd guitar he had taken along suffered a broken neck!!
> Gregg
Here's the story Peter posted about the latest.
Gregg
Hola Good People, it's great to be home! I just got back from a wild
ride all the way to Anguilla in the Caribbean playing with Dianne
Reeves and the group. Try and relive this marathon airplane stint with
me -- board a tiny plane in Carlsbad to L.A., sit around for a while,
then take a red eye to Miami arriving at 5 in the morning. Check into
the airport hotel and finally be granted some sleep in the horizontal
position versus the inhumanly vertical attempt in the airplane. You
know that vibe of trying to catch z's while sitting straight up with
your knees plowing into your chest? Whack! Then board a 12PM flight to
St. Maarten and from there, a small boat to Anguilla. This only took 20
hours! But Anguilla folks, well, it actually was worth that horrific
ride. What a magical place complete with perfect clean air, the trade
winds doing their hypnotic thing, the warm water the color of blue that
you only get in a few places in the world and the gentle people that
have mastered the state of FLOW. All of this mixed in with a great jazz
festival featuring Ahmad Jamal, Brian Lynch and on the last night, us!
Dianne on vocals, John Beasley on piano, Terry Lynn Carrington on
drums, Josh Hari on bass and me on the guitar. Super fun band and we
had a great show culminating with an ending vamp on Dianne's "Testify"
that went on into the late hours of the night. Endless!
OK, so the fun is over and I've taken my last swim in the wild blue.
It's up at 5AM and time to start the reverse cycle of boats, airplanes,
airports, layovers, vertical devil sleep, hunger and the search for
something real to eat. Take off your shoes and put the laptop in a
separate plastic container, oh bless you TSA gurus, long lines, show
your passport, customs and finally, 20 hours later, cozy Carlsbad
airport and lovely Stef there to pick me up. But alas, one last glitch
enters my the story --upon examining my electric guitar after it came
out of the baggage claim I discover, can you believe it, a BROKEN NECK?
This is unfathomable! This is a different guitar from 2 weeks ago. That
one is still in negotiation as to whether or not it'll get replaced or
repaired. This week's guitar is a Michael Stevens Fender Custom Shop
axe that I had made for me 20 years ago. I love it and it's sort of a
rare instrument. Anyway, it was in a good strong case but somehow
through the long day of travel from St. Maarten to Carlsbad either some
prankster got a hold of it and once again paid his physical respects to
Pete Townsend or perhaps Mister Murphy elbowed his way into the mix and
created that perfect storm of freezing temperatures, brittle guitar, a
big bang here and there and then presto--Peter has another decapitated
axe to deal with. Unhappiness in Leucadia! Oh well, I'll work it out.
So far United has said they won't pay for it but the good news is that
I've connected with a friend of mine who not only plays wonderful
bluegrass music and has recorded in my studio but who also is an
attorney that's done a lot of legal work with musical instruments
intersecting with the airlines. His name is Dwight Worden and he's
graciously offered to help with my 2 broken guitar neck saga and feels
pretty good about me getting some bucks to get them repaired or
replaced. He said there will be a bunch of details and steps to deal
with but if we follow through, the law has a little mercy built into it
to help the roaming troubadour to continue to spread the good news of
music. Details switch, turned on...
Dan Adler
> In article
> <b3228188-428c-4072-8fca-a98574cbd...@d5g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
>
> "tombr...@jhu.edu" <drthomasfbr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Nov 18, 4:23 pm, Rick Stone <rickst...@rickstone.com> wrote:
>
> > > I've been looking out for a
> > > cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and
> > > by "cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in
> > > that price range that's actually gig-worthy.
>
> > You must have extremely demanding standards. I've played many
> > acceptable guitars that you could get for under a grand. What
> > charqacteristics are you seeking that can't be found in that price
> > range?
>
> My $180 Tele is reasonably gig worthy and, being pretty much a plank of
> wood, maybe fairly resistant to the airline gorillas.
Not really, here's the pic of Peter's latest guitar break. His archtop
broke in a similar way. This has to be someone hurling it vertically
down from 2-3 stories high since the case was not damaged. I don't
think any guitar in any case, with any amount of padding would survive
that.
http://petersprague.com/EmailFlyer/BustedMichaelStevens3.jpg
pmfan57
What a horror story. You're right. That was done on purpose, or by a
huge stack of luggage collapsing.
Mark Cleary
back good as new. A good number to clamps and needles to stick in the
joints it can be solid again. My last neck break like this required 18
gage veterinarian needle to get the glue in all the joints. Worked well
and I did not need a RX to get the needles.
--
Deacon Mark Cleary
Epiphany Roman Catholic Church
Jazzer
<mcle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Not what anyone likes to see but based on the photo he can have it put
>back good as new. A good number to clamps and needles to stick in the
>joints it can be solid again. My last neck break like this required 18
>gage veterinarian needle to get the glue in all the joints. Worked well
>and I did not need a RX to get the needles.
Yup I agree.
Very unfortunate.
I broke the neck on my Gibson at home being careless and I almost
started to cry.
I was going to bring it in to my local guitar repair guy but it was
the weekend and figured that it needed to fixed as quickly as possible
(not true).
I went out and bought some wood glue and clamped her down real good.
It's been fine ever since (a few years ago). Some say that necks are
stronger at the seam than had they not been broken in the first place.
It just hurt me psychologically for a few weeks.
Joe Finn
news:c0e33c03-d24f-4557...@l2g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
>>>http://petersprague.com/EmailFlyer/BustedMichaelStevens3.jpg
Hhhhmmm...
If the case was not damaged this would seem to indicate a very specific
intent on the part of the perpetrator. Did they put the instrument back in
the case after they broke it? ...joe
335
or thrown from a substantial height.
Rick Stone
I've gotten spoiled playing these Comins. I've got two of them; a 17"
and an 18". Both carved top with floating pickup.
I've got a Fender D'Aquisto, but it's a laminate and totally
unresponsive. Like playing a plank of wood. And it's way over the
$1,000 limit I'm setting for a travel axe (the Elite seems to be going
for over $2,000 now).
I've got a $350 Ibanez Artcore that's kind of a fun guitar if I've got
to play a loud gig, but not really something that I'd take to a serious
jazz gig if people were actually paying to hear me play.
Tried Frank DiBussolo's Benedetto "Buster" which is a laminate, kind of
squawky, but acceptable for a laminate. But they're about $5,000.
I'm pretty particular about my sound and the feel of an instrument.
I've gotten used to a 22 fret neck, and a lot of cheaper archtops only
go to 20.
drthoma...@gmail.com
> tombr...@jhu.edu wrote:
> > On Nov 18, 4:23 pm, Rick Stone <rickst...@rickstone.com> wrote:
> >> I've been looking out for a
> >> cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and by
> >> "cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in that price
> >> range that's actually gig-worthy.
>
> > You must have extremely demanding standards. I've played many
> > acceptable guitars that you could get for under a grand. What
> > charqacteristics are you seeking that can't be found in that price
> > range?
>
> I've gotten spoiled playing these Comins. I've got two of them; a 17"
> and an 18". Both carved top with floating pickup.
>
> I've got a Fender D'Aquisto, but it's a laminate and totally
> unresponsive. Like playing a plank of wood. And it's way over the
> $1,000 limit I'm setting for a travel axe (the Elite seems to be going
> for over $2,000 now).
>
> I've got a $350 Ibanez Artcore that's kind of a fun guitar if I've got
> to play a loud gig, but not really something that I'd take to a serious
> jazz gig if people were actually paying to hear me play.
>
> Tried Frank DiBussolo's Benedetto "Buster" which is a laminate, kind of
> squawky, but acceptable for a laminate. But they're about $5,000.
>
> I'm pretty particular about my sound and the feel of an instrument.
> I've gotten used to a 22 fret neck, and a lot of cheaper archtops only
> go to 20.
I see what you mean. If you have to have a carved archtop, $1000 is
pretty low end. But that's still a lot of money to me, and I wouldn't
even want to risk that much in an airplane hold. That's why guys buy
teles.
335
> tombr...@jhu.edu wrote:
> > On Nov 18, 4:23 pm, Rick Stone <rickst...@rickstone.com> wrote:
> >> I've been looking out for a
> >> cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and by
> >> "cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in that price
> >> range that's actually gig-worthy.
>
> > You must have extremely demanding standards. I've played many
> > acceptable guitars that you could get for under a grand. What
> > charqacteristics are you seeking that can't be found in that price
> > range?
>
> I've gotten spoiled playing these Comins. I've got two of them; a 17"
> and an 18". Both carved top with floating pickup.
>
> I've got a Fender D'Aquisto, but it's a laminate and totally
> unresponsive. Like playing a plank of wood. And it's way over the
> $1,000 limit I'm setting for a travel axe (the Elite seems to be going
> for over $2,000 now).
>
> I've got a $350 Ibanez Artcore that's kind of a fun guitar if I've got
> to play a loud gig, but not really something that I'd take to a serious
> jazz gig if people were actually paying to hear me play.
>
> Tried Frank DiBussolo's Benedetto "Buster" which is a laminate, kind of
> squawky, but acceptable for a laminate. But they're about $5,000.
>
> I'm pretty particular about my sound and the feel of an instrument.
> I've gotten used to a 22 fret neck, and a lot of cheaper archtops only
> go to 20.
>
maybe the hofner jazzica would work. it has 22 frets and a nice
acoustic sound. I've seen used ones go for 1500.
sheetsofsound
> >news:rKmdndQrFp1ijJnW...@earthlink.com...
> >> On returning to Southern California after his tour with Diane Reeves,
> >> Peter discovered a 2nd guitar he had taken along suffered a broken neck!!
> >> Gregg
>
> > Wow. What are the chances? It's too bad. .....joe
>
> Unfortunately the "chances" seem to be "pretty likely." The airlines
> have been notorious for damaging guitars for years. If you're forced to
> check it, I'd probably EXPECT there to be some kind of damage. One of
> the main reasons I don't play out of town is that I won't take my Comins
> on a plane. Wouldn't even CONSIDER it. I've been looking out for a
> cheap axe that I could use for travel and still stand to play (and by
> "cheap" I mean around $1,000). There's not much out there in that price
> range that's actually gig-worthy.
There's plenty of stuff in that range. Look for a used Ibanez 335
style guitar with the maple neck or go the Tele with a humbucker
route.
Bg
>
> If the case was not damaged this would seem to indicate a very specific
> intent on the part of the perpetrator. Did they put the instrument back in
> the case after they broke it? ...joe
>
that you should stuff something (Bubble pak sponge, towels etc)
behind the headstock and neck in the case, so that if the case lands
flat and hard on the ground, that the head stock be supported.
Guild had some problems with their case levering the neck joint out of
place because there was no Headstock or neck support.
Bg
Rick Stone
Jack,
I sold my Ibanez Artist (the 335 style from the 70s with the butterfly
pickups) a few years back for $800. An okay guitar, but not something I
found myself wanting to play jazz on.
I know that Bickert makes a tele work fine, but I don't find them very
comfortable to play. I'm really looking for an instrument that I don't
have to change my technique for. Your arm really sits differently on a
arched as opposed to a flat top instrument, and also the size of the box
changes this. And a solid body responds in a much different way than an
acoustic. I liked the solid that Comins made, but ultimately decided
that it wasn't right for me (he let me keep it for several months and I
played gigs ith it). I'd like to have Bill make me a thin-line 16"
laminate version of his "Concert" model, which should be the best
compromise of size and feel, but this will be WAY out of the $1,000
range I'm thinking of. Hopefully if I use a snug fitting featherweight
case and put THAT inside of one of those "Extreme" cases, I'll have
something that the airlines would have trouble breaking (but ya never
know! Seems like they try pretty hard.)
Dan Adler
> I've got a Fender D'Aquisto, but it's a laminate and totally
> unresponsive. Like playing a plank of wood.
What do you mean? The Comins is a great guitar for sure, but if you're
talking about the same Fender you used on "Far East" - it sounded
great on that album... maybe it has more to do with how if feels to
play than how it sounds?
pmfan57
Avi Rothbard recorded a great sideman session with Pete Zimmer on
which he plays a cheap Ibanez Artcore guitar. He sounds great
replacing piano on the session. The best jazz guitar sounds come from
laminate guitars anyway.
Jazzer
wrote:
>Avi Rothbard recorded a great sideman session with Pete Zimmer on
>which he plays a cheap Ibanez Artcore guitar. He sounds great
>replacing piano on the session. The best jazz guitar sounds come from
>laminate guitars anyway.
Artcores are the Rodney Dangerfield of jazz guitars. :)
They are cheap only in price.
In craftsmanship and quality they are great guitars.
I tried out a couple in a store a couple of years ago and was blown
away by them. I didn't want to put them down.
Sure they don't have the Gibson vibe, feel or tone, but quality-wise
they are a great bargain. They have their own sound.
If I had to take a hollow-body guitar on a plane knowing it might go
in cargo, an Artcore would be a perfect candidate.
Rick Stone
Yeah Dan, it's the same one, and for sure it's a matter of "feels" to
play. I've gotten very spoiled playing these carved tops that really
give something back to you when you're playing. I know I'm probably a
PITA about this, I mean I HATE 175s even MORE than the Fender D'Aquisto,
so that should tell you something.
I think it has a lot to do with what you feel (or DON'T feel) coming off
the back of the instrument when you play. MUCH more noticeable to me
than to somebody listening.
Dan Adler
> Dan Adler wrote:
> > On Nov 19, 5:08 pm, Rick Stone <rickst...@rickstone.com> wrote:
> >> I've got a Fender D'Aquisto, but it's a laminate and totally
> >> unresponsive. Like playing a plank of wood.
>
> > What do you mean? The Comins is a great guitar for sure, but if you're
> > talking about the same Fender you used on "Far East" - it sounded
> > great on that album... maybe it has more to do with how if feels to
> > play than how it sounds?
>
> > -Dan
> >http://danadler.com
>
> Yeah Dan, it's the same one, and for sure it's a matter of "feels" to
> play. I've gotten very spoiled playing these carved tops that really
> give something back to you when you're playing. I know I'm probably a
> PITA about this, I mean I HATE 175s even MORE than the Fender D'Aquisto,
> so that should tell you something.
>
> I think it has a lot to do with what you feel (or DON'T feel) coming off
> the back of the instrument when you play. MUCH more noticeable to me
> than to somebody listening.
>
Rick,
I have to admit I have no clue what you are talking about, but then,
I've never owned a carved top (whatever that means)...
pmfan57
There is a little bouncy feedback you get from playing, for example,
single note lines on a more resonant instrument. But generally the
laminated top guitars sound better. I do like the sound of my
Heritage Eagle Classic amplified, but I think I can get just as good
an amplified sound from my Mike Stern "tele."
Rick Stone
Dan,
You'll have to come over and play one of my Comins for a day. I think
after that, you'll totally get it (of course the danger is that like me,
you could become an addict "don't worry kid, the first one's free.")
Rick Stone
> maybe the hofner jazzica would work. it has 22 frets and a nice
> acoustic sound. I've seen used ones go for 1500.
I couldn't find a cheap deal on a Jazzica, but I just ordered a Hofner
H1J5 archtop on eBay for $489. It's a bit larger (a 17" laminate) but
might be an okay guitar to leave at the college for teaching. I'm
assuming that it'll probably need some neck and fret-work (just about
everything I've ever tried in the under $1,000 category is pretty rough
out-of-the-box), and we'll have to see how this stock pickup is.
drthoma...@gmail.com
> 335 wrote:
> > maybe the hofner jazzica would work. it has 22 frets and a nice
> > acoustic sound. I've seen used ones go for 1500.
>
> I couldn't find a cheap deal on a Jazzica, but I just ordered a Hofner
> H1J5 archtop on eBay for $489. It's a bit larger (a 17" laminate) but
> might be an okay guitar to leave at the college for teaching. I'm
> assuming that it'll probably need some neck and fret-work (just about
> everything I've ever tried in the under $1,000 category is pretty rough
> out-of-the-box), and we'll have to see how this stock pickup is.
Have you checked out the recent Hofner carved tops (President and Vice
President)? Those are supposed to be pretty nice, and under two grand
I believe. I don't know if they're any better than the Eastmans though.
Rick Stone
Thing is, I'm not looking for a guitar to replace anything that I
currently play. I mainly just bought this so that my Comins guitar
won't take such a beating with the dry heat in that building during the
winter. I share that office with 6 other professors, and some of them
don't always keep the door locked. Don't really wan't to leave a guitar
worth more than $500 or so unguarded like that.
Greger Hoel
> Avi Rothbard recorded a great sideman session with Pete Zimmer on
> which he plays a cheap Ibanez Artcore guitar. He sounds great
> replacing piano on the session. The best jazz guitar sounds come from
> laminate guitars anyway.
Except L5s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esfSRZHy4hA&fmt=18
--
Always cross a vampire; never moon a werewolf
Bg
>
> > Avi Rothbard recorded a great sideman session with Pete Zimmer on
> > which he plays a cheap Ibanez Artcore guitar. He sounds great
> > replacing piano on the session. The best jazz guitar sounds come from
> > laminate guitars anyway.
>
> Except L5s:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esfSRZHy4hA&fmt=18
>
> --
with his Tal Farlow, which is a laminate.
I guess it's the body size and Scale length?
Bg