I first hit SCGC factory. I traded a box of peppermint and peanut butter taffy from Dewars in Bakersfield for some Parabolic Strings. Carolyn was kind enough to give me the replacement/insurance value on my Brazilian/Sitka Dread Cutaway. It’s now at $19,500!
Next stop was Sylvan. Played every SCGC that wasn’t locked in the case, about 22 guitars. When it was all said and done, my favorite of them all was a Sitka EIR OM/PW. It had great clarity, separation, and plenty of volume. It was perfect for me as a finger style or flat picked box. Adirondack just wasn’t doing it for me today.
The Koa guitar was better than most, but I was stuck on the OM/PW and the FS of Redwood and EIR. If I had the money, I would have taken those two home with me.
The real surprise of the day were the two Goodall OOO guitars. The Cutaway with Cocobolo and Adirondack and the Standard with Mahogany and Adirondack were really head and shoulders above the Cruz tonally. With rounder, fatter, warmer tones, they were closer to my Dread, which translates to they sounded older, wiser, and more played in.
I then hit the Martin room where the 1962 NY really tickled my ear drums. Old wood has the magic. A OOO 28 from ‘47 was also showing its wonderful age. Both guitars were worth taking home.
For the heck of it, I plugged the ‘56 Les Paul TV Special into a Princeton Reverb reissue. With original finish and pickups, it sounded great, reminiscent of my sadly gone ‘58.
The drive up the coast was relaxed and uncrowded with perfect, head high blue waves in the Pacific.
Tomorrow will be Schoenberg’s followed by lunch with a friend who just got his first Tele. I brought my Tele andboth my Tweed Deluxes so we can get crazy.
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rubber Chicken
Plastic lobster
Jiminy Cricket.
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