Musicians! Expose your G.A.S.!

[tomEisenbraun]

Otherwise referred to as Gear Acquisition Syndrome...

On second thought, I hate that acronym. However, I just realized after  snapping some serious guitar p0rn a week or so ago that we should have a spot to sport our wood (six-strings, guys. come on...)

Anyways, what are you rockin'? I'll get it started with my two beauts:

First is the Warmoth Les Paul that I bought and wired up junior year of high school for an internship that wound up getting me the job at the guitar repair shop. Quilted, almost wild maple top on a mahogany back. Mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. We painted the front of the headstock black like a Gibson and my graphic designer uncle helped me come up with the Eisenbraun logo that we put at the top there. Sucker's heavy as hell, but can seriously crank. I've got some pickups in there that have bass-sized pole pieces in, kind of like if Seymour Duncan made their Quarter Pounder pickup into a humbucker. They're a little too modern sounding, and the neck pickup stays relatively muddy, but I've got them coil-tappable with push/pull pots in the respective tone knobs, and they sound quite snappy with the pots popped. Not quite thick enough to sound like a Strat, but approaching an older, quieter Tele tone. Still though, I'm looking around at replacements. Originally had a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a Pearly Gates in the neck. I wouldn't be opposed to working back through the Seymour Duncan line to find a tone that suits the guitar well. Maybe even try some P-90s or those pickups that go into a '72 Tele Deluxe (the split single coil that takes up a humbucker's sized spot). Enough with the talk. On with the pictures:



Really get the grain and the guitar here as a whole on this next one. Sorry about the chest hair. No fretboard markers, which is kind of an interesting look, but one I've come to dig as being different...


Here's a closer look at the headstock and all its dusty glory. Locking tuners, but I can't remember which brand at the moment... We also cut the truss rod cover out of a piece of scrap maple and dyed it amber to match the body. I think it's a nice little accent.



I've also got a Nashville Tele that I made a serious steal on. This has actually been my main guitar since I got it, because it's a bit more mellow and doesn't overwhelm my amp the way the Paul does with it's serious pickups. This thing really sings, and I love all the gritty single-coil-ness of it. The middle pickup is wonderful, because you can get those beautiful in-between tones that only a Strat can provide. I wouldn't be opposed to wiring it up without it and getting a 3-way switch and seeing if I prefer the bridge-neck in-between tone more than the neck-middle tone, but I'm happy as a clam with it at the moment.



As for my amp, I'm running a Peavey Delta Blues. It's a 30 watt all-tube amp with a beautiful Class A clean channel and a 15" speaker that makes for some serious freaking balls. My neighbors probably hate me with the way this thing sends the walls into sympathetic vibration on low notes. It's also got a beautiful tube tremolo to it.

I run a Dunlop Univibe between the guitar and the amp's input and have a Line6 DL-4 in the effects loop and I'm pretty damn satisfied with my tone. I could maybe use a Turboscreamer or some other sort of drive box to give a little more crunch and sustain to the drive channel, but I'm not dissatisfied with it at all right now.

So what are you guys running? Post some pics!

[tomEisenbraun]

Seeing as the forum has been rather...active... today, anybody got any gear to post?

[getinthevan]

That Les Paul is a beautiful guitar, Tom.  

Apparently I have no good pictures of any of my equipment on my computer or online.  So I need to find/take some pictures before I return here.  But I will be back, though it may take a couple days as my things are at a couple different people's houses right now.

[tomEisenbraun]

Take your time! Would love to see it though!

[mjkoehler]

Acoustic is an Alverez. Just a basic model, which is alright for me. The Electric is just a Fender Squire. It's on "load" until I buy my own. I'm going to end up getting a hollow body. I'm leaning towards a Peavy model that my local store has. It sounds greats, is candy apple red, and is clunky as all get out. Like a good hollow body should be.

[tomEisenbraun]

Nice! Which model are you looking at?

[dragonboy]

I love these pics!

Gosh darn Tom, your guitars are sweet!!!

[mjkoehler]

Nice! Which model are you looking at?

This one.

http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm?action=detail&item=113643

[tomEisenbraun]

Nice! Which model are you looking at?

This one.

http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm?action=detail&item=113643

Only thing that concerns me there is that they actually advertise the fact that it's a plywood body. If you really dig the way it's been sounding, go for it. Nothing against it if it's got the tone you like. However, I would suggest checking this one out: http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-ESPPS1

ESP/LTD have a pretty solid reputation. Same price range and it's got a mahogany body and neck, which makes for a more lasting instrument in the long run.

Also interesting are Ibanez's Artcore series, which retail in the same range and feature an all maple body construction. Not my favorite choice of tonewoods, but I've not personally played one of these, so they coudl be kind of nice. Would provide a nice brightness which a hollowbody can sometimes lack. Definitely a play before you buy, or a buy from Guitar Center and keep the receipt and play around a bit. Check it out here: http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-Artcore-AF75-Electric-Guitar?sku=519453

[tomEisenbraun]

And thank you, Andrew! I really love the sunburstedness of both of those, and take a lot of pride in presenting them in their full beauty (plus or minus some dust).

Also, forgot to mention the Taylor 110 that serves as my main songwriter. It's six years old now, and I got it basically right when they introduced the line. It was really their lowest full-size model then, and they cut some corners to keep it affordable. They've since upgraded them with a wooden headstock instead of the cheap black plastic-y overlay that's on mine, which also means that my truss rod is only accessible through the soundhole, instead of the in the headstock. But I've beaten some serious tone into it, and it will always be my baby, I don't care how much better they make them.

Here's some of the "beating" I've given it (might have to look at the screen sort of slanty to see the strum stripes--this was from a few years ago. lots more of them now, down well into the body below the pickguard, too):


Don't have a better picture of it than that.

Also, I have an old Ibanez GAX70 that I bought from a friend at school for $75 my freshman year of high school. Cashed in on the humbucker action because I was SO FUCKING METAL. So fucking metal, in fact, that I took my pocket knife and some duct tape and gave the sucker some damn flames!


Then I moved schools and got bored one day and had some model paint and did this to it.

I'm still trying to figure out if the plant with teeth at the bottom is more Mario or the Wall...

[getinthevan]

Ha, nice work with the bottle cap knobs.  A friend of mine made a bunch of beer cap knobs.  Last I saw he wasn't using any of them though.

I was actually near all my equipment today, had a camera with me and not once did I think to take any pictures (except of all our empty beer bottles...  ;D).  Tomorrow perhaps.

[bold99]

These are great!

I would add mine if I knew how to add a picture...anyone?

[tomEisenbraun]

These are great!

I would add mine if I knew how to add a picture...anyone?

www.photobucket.com is a great and easy way to add picture. You'll need to sign up, but it's free and you won't get spam or anything from them. www.flickr.com is a lot more intense and a lot more community-based, but that one's cool, too. I'd suggest photobucket for posting on here, though.

[bold99]

These are great!

I would add mine if I knew how to add a picture...anyone?

www.photobucket.com is a great and easy way to add picture. You'll need to sign up, but it's free and you won't get spam or anything from them. www.flickr.com is a lot more intense and a lot more community-based, but that one's cool, too. I'd suggest photobucket for posting on here, though.

ok cool thanks.

[tomEisenbraun]

These are great!

I would add mine if I knew how to add a picture...anyone?

www.photobucket.com is a great and easy way to add picture. You'll need to sign up, but it's free and you won't get spam or anything from them. www.flickr.com is a lot more intense and a lot more community-based, but that one's cool, too. I'd suggest photobucket for posting on here, though.

ok cool thanks.

any luck yet?

[getinthevan]

Here's the rig I've been using the last year or so.  The head on the floor next to the cab is what I was using for the several years before that.  Sadly, only the bass is mine.  The rest belongs to my friend's family.  

Spector 6-String w/ active pickups.  Don't recall the model.  I got it used.  I talked my friend into going to the music shop and as soon as I picked it up, I knew I wasn't going home without it.  No bass has felt right since then.  


I just got home with one of these!  QSC GX5 Power Amp


I will use it with this:  iBook G4 and Phonic Helix MX FW24 Mixer.  The mixer has a firewire out which I'm running into stupid Garageband.  By early next year I will have a new computer and Pro Tools.  



I'm still working on pictures of my other 2 basses and my amp, but I don't use any of them very often these days.

[weeniebeenie]

I don't know all that much about guitars but this is the nicest thing I've ever played. It's my sister's Gretsch.

[mjkoehler]

I don't know all that much about guitars but this is the nicest thing I've ever played. It's my sister's Gretsch.

Fantastic! That is a beautiful guitar

[weeniebeenie]

I don't know all that much about guitars but this is the nicest thing I've ever played. It's my sister's Gretsch.

Fantastic! That is a beautiful guitar

Thanks. :)

[tomEisenbraun]

Good Lord it is. What color is it?