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"Comfort Food" Guitars


KuruPrionz

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First, my story. Then, hopefully your stories!

 

When I was about 6-7, I would open the Sears Roebuck catalog to the guitars and stare longingly at the Silvertone Danelectro dophin nose U-1 guitar.

It was blue, it was super cool looking and it was only $37.95.

Even though we were a family of six with limited means, I just knew that somehow Mom and Dad would get me one of those guitars.

 

But, they couldn't and didn't. And I've always wanted one. Fast forward to now (I'm 64) and I have one. An eBay auction that stayed fairly low. It's black, most of them were black with copper being the next most popular color. Blue ones are extremely rare and therefore quite a bit more expensive if/when you can even find one. I've got a bit of work to do on this one but it is in very good condition overall and it is one of the older ones which were better made (the fretboard was sanded smooth at the factory, later ones often have pretty roughly sanded boards).

 

I have a pickguard, the Silvertone logo and the back cover for it. I already put the knobs on, those are from another, massively boogered old Dano.

Photo attached.

 

That's my story. What's YOUR "Comfort Food" guitar? :- D Cheers, Kuru

606.thumb.jpg.19ad59a924f91ae4560c2ad37e3c6e5f.jpg

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I always wanted a Les Paul, and never could afford one. I eventually got a second-hand 61 Les Paul SG, with the sideways tailpiece. This was back in the mid 60s so it hadn't achieved collectible status...but it was stolen a few years later, by a club owner who skipped town after taking everything we had. Showing up for rehearsal the next day, only to find a locked club, was a sobering (and very unfortunate) experience.

 

Then when I started working at Gibson, one of my first assignments was to go over the press release for...YES! A re-issue of the 61 Les Paul SG!

 

That had always been a gaping and sad hole in my guitar collection. I went to Gibson USA's plant manager and said "Someday, one of these will come off the line and it will be dropped, or scratched, or have some issue. Don't saw it in half!! As long as it's playable, tell me what you want for it and I'll bring over a check."

 

And he said "Well, I made three prototypes. Two of them went to Billy Gibbons. I can't sell a prototype, you want the other one?"

 

[gasp]

 

So now my beloved 61 Les Paul SG is back. Well, not actually the one I had...but with the re-issue, the vibrato tailpiece actually returns to pitch, which the old one never did :)

 

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Most of my early Guitar heroes played the SG; Pete Townshend, Carlos Santana, John Cipollina, the list goes on, but you get the idea. I hadn't owned a 'real' SG in quite a while, when one of the Guitar guys at my nearest GC offered me a new, but somewhat shopworn black 2003 SG Special for $660. At the time, I think they were going for closer to $900+/-? Black being my favorite Guitar color, I took the offer.

 

Around two years ago, looking for a back-up, (I like to have a back-up for any piece of gear I regularly depend on) I found a Cherry Red 2003 SG Special, used but not abused, that just felt right at home as soon as I picked it up. I'd auditioned a number of other SG's & LP's at the time, and none of them felt like this one, so I brought it home to go with my black one.

 

My other "comfort food" Guitar is more than an acquired taste for some; I've been an Ovation fan since I got my first Balladeer back in 1974. I came to prefer the Super-Shallow bowl models, and eventually set my sights on a Custom Legend. Of course, the price of the Custom Legend model made it a bit of a reach, so I was more than willing to settle for the less ornate Legend.

 

I did find a nice black Legend, at first which lasted me some years until it developed a fatal crack, right at Thanksgiving, 2018. Scanning Used gear listings, I wasn't hopeful about finding another one right away. Then, looking around in the same place where I'd found the Cherry Red SG Special, there was a very nice black Custom Legend, with the HSC, for somewhere around $400!?!? When I took it off the rack, the store owner, who's known me for a long time, said, "$350 for you." I plugged it in, tried it out, and took it home.

 

There have been "wish list" Guitars that I think I'd love to have, like a Firebird VII, but not having owned nor played them, I don't know that I'd really enjoy them as much as either of my SG's?

 

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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I have had a lot of guitars, I started out with a Stella like some other folks did around here, Then I bought a Telecaster (50's), then I bought some acoustics Guild mostly back then, and after that several Ovations. I went from the Telecaster to a Gibson SG late 60's model I traded that for a Les Paul Custom and $300 to a Crazy Charlie friend of mine, after a few weeks we both decided the trade needed to be undone I got the SG back and the $300 then I went out and bought an Ibanez Artist (which was the prettiest guitar I ever owned) Later on I had several Les Paul Customs, a Phil Petillo guitar he made for me to my specs. Then I bought a Gibson Faded SG with ebony fingerboard and half moon inlays. I had a Gibson ES 345 for a while. I of course sold all of those guitars over time. I also built quite a few guitars from parts (Partscasters) I gave some of them to my kid. The one day I bought my Ibanez RG321 for several hundred dollars new which was unplayable until I filed the jumbo frets (three times) and re-soldered the tone control. I still have that one. I then bought an Agile Strat Clone and put in Fender Vintage Noiseless pups in it. I also did build a parts caster when I lived at the RV park inside the St Augustine Flea Market. back in the mid 90's. One of my buddies still has the 60's SG I sold him a long time ago.

 

I now have 3 guitars all of them cheaply bought and then set up by me. The Ibanez RG321, the Agile Strat Clone, and the parts caster that I built at the RV park inside the flea market in St. Augustine. My favorite all time guitars are the three that I have now.

 

I sold the Petillo custom made, the last Les Paul of the 4 or 5 that I have owned, the Faded SG, and my last Ovation several years ago and I do not miss a single lone of them.

 

 

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I"m not sure I really have one. I came to guitar in my 20s, and while I have guitar idols with iconic axes- I own a couple of the same, and have some on the ol" G.A.S. list- I don"t know if I have any deep connections like those mentioned above.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Thanks for the stories Winston and DBM!!!

 

I plan on posting a Favorite Guitar thread soon, a little different theme.

 

I had one of my other Comfort Food guitars for many years but sold it. I guess I got it out of my system. It was a mid 60's Harmony flat top, the body was all Honduras Mahogany and the back and top were single pieces.

During my junior high years, I would walk about a quarter of a mile through the suburbs of Fresno and go visit the Hesters. Mom and two daughters, Dad was at work.

 

They were all gorgeous and fun to hang out with. Best of all, Mom had that Harmony guitar and they liked me to play it. So I did, because red head girls...

 

Many years later I spotted one at a friend's house, leaning in the corner. It had a neck like a banana but good condition otherwise. I gave him $25 for it.

Removed the fingerboard, channeled the neck for a piece of 1/2" square steel rod (same thing Martin used for decades) and glued the fretboard back on, clamping everything down to the workbench so the neck would be straight. It worked fine, was a good sounding and playing guitar and I liked it. But, no red head girls. And I had better guitars. So somebody else is having fun with it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Mine is easy, my 2011 Fender Deluxe Player. A beautiful crimson with a 12 inch radius neck, which I like a lot. I think it's the only Fender with that neck. It was blemished, so we got it for $500. If you look really hard at my avatar you can see the blemish. It's a barely visible on the top of the horn.
Jenny S.
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Mine is easy, my 2011 Fender Deluxe Player. A beautiful crimson with a 12 inch radius neck, which I like a lot. I think it's the only Fender with that neck. It was blemished, so we got it for $500. If you look really hard at my avatar you can see the blemish. It's a barely visible on the top of the horn.

 

Nice one, surfergirl! I like the 12" radius much better than the standard Fender 7.5" and 9.5" which are too curved for my tastes.

The Silvertone at the top of the page has a 16" radius which means you can get super low action and still stretch the strings as much as you want without them "tinking" out.

Just two steel bars in the neck, no adjustable truss rod. A non-adjustable guitar does not require adjustment! Cheers, Kuru

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Leo got it right the first time.

 

Overall, I would agree. The track record is indesputable. For me personally, no.

 

I don't favor a 7.5" radius, you need to raise the action up pretty high to be able to execute the step and half or more bends that are part of my style.

Tiny frets don't cut it either and I learned the hard way that refretting a vintage Fender is a recipe for disaster as the frets were pushed into the slots from the sides and the maple necks were all finished after the frets were put in so you are looking at a major operation to safely remove the frets. The rosewood boards are a little easier but you will chip the fretboard in many places if you try to remove the frets from the top. And, who has equipment to push frets out from the side? Not me!!!

 

Leo's original intention was that the player could just buy a new neck when the frets were worn out.

 

As good as the pickups sound, I do not tolerate hum. Single coils hum, no two ways about it. My comfort food Dano is pretty well shielded but it hums, maybe not as much as a Tele or Strat but it does.

I also prefer a hardtail, Fender did offer them so that is a matter of choice.

 

All that said, the design of a Strat is pure genius!!! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Still trying to get what you mean by "comfort food guitar".

 

I thought it was like the guitar you always wanted but never got or eventually did. Others seem to have taken it as your favorite.

 

The first guitar I can say that made me go "wow" and pay attention, as I was just starting to play, was a camp counselor's black Gibson Les Paul into a Marshall combo. So for that point of view, I've always wanted a Les Paul, but never owned one. I still prefer humbuckers, so most of my guitars have those. My ES-335 is the closest I've come. Amp wise, I've settled on the Vox -ish sound, with the Genz Benz Black Pearl.

 

But as for "comfort" in that it feels right and fits most styles, my PRS SE Semihollow would be the one. Pickups were upgraded to a DiMarzio Bluesbucker in the neck and a SD Pearly Gates in the bridge. And I just upgraded the bridge to a Hipshot Baby Grand.

"Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion)

NEW band Old band

 

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Still trying to get what you mean by "comfort food guitar".

 

I thought it was like the guitar you always wanted but never got or eventually did. Others seem to have taken it as your favorite.

 

The first guitar I can say that made me go "wow" and pay attention, as I was just starting to play, was a camp counselor's black Gibson Les Paul into a Marshall combo. So for that point of view, I've always wanted a Les Paul, but never owned one. I still prefer humbuckers, so most of my guitars have those. My ES-335 is the closest I've come. Amp wise, I've settled on the Vox -ish sound, with the Genz Benz Black Pearl.

 

But as for "comfort" in that it feels right and fits most styles, my PRS SE Semihollow would be the one. Pickups were upgraded to a DiMarzio Bluesbucker in the neck and a SD Pearly Gates in the bridge. And I just upgraded the bridge to a Hipshot Baby Grand.

 

I knew different players would have different interpretations of the meaning when I posted it. So I posted a "favorite guitar" thread too.

Your premise is very similar to mine - the guitar you really wanted but never got and then, finally did get. That is my Silvertone in the first post of the thread.

In my mind, a "comfort food guitar" is a lifelong sort of thing and a "favorite guitar" is more of a work in progress. My current favorite is subject to change, I have ideas for building another with "improvements" based on things I notice about the current one. A comfort food guitar doesn't go through that process, it is what it is.

 

I lusted for Les Pauls too. And I have owned an 86 335 Studio model since 88, a keeper.

8 Les Pauls in, I found happy new homes for all of them. Just not my thing. I owned them more or less consecutively, I don't think I've ever had more than 2 at any one time.

I'd buy another, either a double cutaway Jr or one of the early Les Paul Custom Lite models with the slimmer and lighter body. But only if I get an amazing price, I don't really lust for them.

 

Great post, thanks! Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I like playing my different guitars with different necks and feels, electronics, etc. Acoustic Taylor steel string, Acoustic Taylor nylon string, Acoustic Takamine Parlor steel string, Gibson LP, 3 Fender Strats (ebony, maple, rosewood), Epiphone ES-175, Conti Heirloom, Taylor T5, Taylor T3b...sold or gave away my Jag and Jazzmaster recently. My guitars may not all be pristine but they have few dings and I don't loan them out! :cool:

 

My "Favorite and Comfort" guitar is my semi-hollow archtop Conti Heirloom jazz guitar (which I waited for about 10 years to buy), so I'll post this on the other two threads as well too LOL! :cool: :cool:

Take care, Larryz
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@ Skip, I hope I didn't derail either thread for you...I may have to give up all of my guitars when my fretting hand takes a crap on me. I'll keep one or two of them as long as I can still play a little. Even though I still like all of them, I may sell a few. :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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I may have to give up all of my guitars when my fretting hand takes a crap on me. I'll keep one or two of them as long as I can still play a little.

 

I am nearing the end of my serious playing days, I have neuropathy in my feet and hands, and I simply cannot get my playing real clean (Not that it was ever "THAT" clean anyways) But it is frustrating. One day I can play fairly well, the next day it is a swamp of clams. My picking hand suffers worse than my fretting hand, both of which are suffering from my old age can't remember s**t disease. However some days the playing goes well and that makes me feel better about it for that day. And the neuropathy is the reason I sold off my 2 Gibson's and the Petillo. There seems to be no way to play out so it is now just "something to do" to pass the time each day to keep the boredom at bay.

 

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Yipe-I was going to post something, then after reading your post I thought, my guitars don't fit either definition.

Maybe time for a third definition.

 

Please don't let that stop you, this thread is just for fun, a way of getting to know each other.

 

So, whatcha got? Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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+1 DBM, I too have a case of CRS (can't remember sh*t) LOL! Lately my fretting hand just start shaking for no reason which causes more vibrato than intended LOL! A new old age twist. I've had other issues with my fretting hand but they have subsided quite a bit. My playing-out-days are coming to a close too! We'll get through it together! :cheers:
Take care, Larryz
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  • 3 weeks later...
+1 DBM, I too have a case of CRS (can't remember sh*t) LOL! Lately my fretting hand just start shaking for no reason which causes more vibrato than intended LOL! A new old age twist. I've had other issues with my fretting hand but they have subsided quite a bit. My playing-out-days are coming to a close too! We'll get through it together! :cheers:

 

yeah some day we may be able to do a jam or two on my way to Cobb area. I have friends near Sacramento where I could stay the night (trust me they would just love to see Lynda and I visit for a day or two without any trouble). They sold their 2 properties here in our retirement community and still have one which they rent out and I care-take, they stay the winter in that town which is connected to Sacramento right off of I-5 I think. South and west a little bit of downtown.

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I guess my "comfort food" guitar would be my Faded Flying V. I first saw a V in '65 or '66. It was on a TV show called "Where The Action Is", a Dick Clark after school rock show. The Kinks were on, and Dave Davies was playing a 58 V. He had apparently picked it up cheap from a US store it had been hanging up in a display since they came out. It was the most fabulous "space age" sci-fi hunk of wood and metal I ever saw. Of course, I wanted it!

I stumbled across Wishbone Ash around '71, and Andy Powell's red V reignited my desire for one. Somebody I knew had brought an Ibanez Rocket Roll back from overseas. It had a bolt-on neck, but I didn't know any better, so I traded a 68 Tele for it, the first of many really dumb trades I've made over the years. I eventually got into bad straits and had to give it to a guy to cover a debt.

Many years and guitars later, Gibson started reissuing Flying Vs in their Faded Series, at a price I could afford. So, I got one in cherry. And, I made up my mind then and there, anyone who wants it can have it when they pry it out of my cold dead hands!

It's not my go-to axe, but there's an emotional connection that makes me feel good whenever I play it.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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Nice, skipclone 1 has something for us when opportunity arises and picker has a good one!

 

Picker, I've always dug Explorers and made myself one from scratch a LONG time ago. It was a bolt on neck, successful failure. Too heavy, I didn't get how a truss rod worked and tried to make my own, put a single coil on it that hummed, etc. So, it's long gone.

 

I'd still like an Explorer but not maybe quite a comfort food guitar. 3 or 4 years ago I was in a pawn shop that knew I would buy all of the stuff they'd pawned that turned out to be unsellable for various reasons and picked up an Epiphone Goth Explorer with a Floyd Rose installed aftermarket. I still haven't gotten around to getting it up and running and when I do I will probably sell it. It weighs a TON for one thing. The satin grey-black doesn't wear well, some of it is shiny and some is flat. I tried to polish it so it was all shiny and I still don't like the color.

 

Maybe someday...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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At some point, I"d like to get my hands on a Red Special replica. Probably one of the ones May is selling himself. But I would make sure it had the Burns Trisonic pickups, so I"d have to budget for that.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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At some point, I"d like to get my hands on a Red Special replica. Probably one of the ones May is selling himself. But I would make sure it had the Burns Trisonic pickups, so I"d have to budget for that.

 

A friend has the version that came out after Guild stopped making them.

The Guild was nice, I played one. Neck too skinny for me but others might love it.

 

I don't recall the pickups but they sounded good.

 

In the end, to sound like Brian May, one must BE Brian May. Great musician!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Okay guys-

Here is my 'comfort food' guitar-but it has an uncomfortable ethical issue attached.

Some years ago, a resident in my building had heard me playing guitar. She said that a friends of hers

had broken up with a partner. He left a guitar at her place. She didn't want his stuff sitting around so the resident

at our building offered to take it. But she didn't play. She asked me if I would like to have it. I said, well I already have

several guitars but I would take a look at it. When she brought it, the strings were like something you would see

lining a prison wall. It was in dire need of cleaning and the neck relief needed adjusting. But it seemed to stay in tune.

It was from a Japanese maker I never heard of.

I said, okay I'll take it. A backup acoustic is not a bad thing. I already had one but, it was developing its own issues,

like a broken internal pickup and a major crack in the body. I did some major cleaning, got a new set of strings and adjusted neck

relief. At the time I noticed something different about it, but didn't give it much thought. Between that time and my friend

asking me to play 'Change the World' so he could sing it to his just-married wife, my suspicions had grown and a quick test by

our mutual good buddy seemed to confirm. At this point, the strings are still a little high near the soundhole but it is definitely playable and has

a chimey, bell-like tone.

Now the issue. The pickguard and truss rod cover were the parts that made me curious. Then I thought, uh oh. Old Japanese guitar company.

Both parts are genuine tortoise shell. Now, I'm pretty sure the CITIES agreement has a clause for instruments made before it was implemented. But

U.S. customs infamously destroyed an antique piano, due to the ivory keys.

I have always been an environmental advocate. I'm also a guitar player. I don't want to give it away, destroying it would not accomplish anything.

For now I'm just enjoying the sound.

[/img]

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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