Guitar trip part II
In our last episode, sexybass, hsifyppah, and I had gone to Guitar Center to track down an elusive and rare Gibson Gothic Flying V, only to find that the original owner had desecrated the guitar by replacing the pickups with EMGs, which are active rather than passive and very sterile. Did I want the guitar? Yes...as evidenced by the fact that I had it cradled like a teddy bear as we explored the rest of the store. But...I needed to make sure that I could restore the guitar to its original sound without paying too much for the restoration. The accessories guy wanted to sell me two Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups then and there, but at $120 apiece that put the total price of the guitar way above what I wanted to spend without thinking about it. He was also trying to get me to put a layaway on the guitar, or buy it under their 30-day return policy, neither which I wanted to do.
Went home and did some research the next day. Found cheaper pickups than they wanted at Guitar Center, and also determined the exact original pickups that were used. At that point I had an option...since I knew I'd have to open the guitar up anyway, I could either replace the original pickups, or go with the original pickup in the neck and put the hotter Dirty Fingers in the bridge. But, I did determine that restoring the guitar would not be the deal-breaker that it might have been, and that it in fact was possible.
Called Guitar Center, and they agreed to put it behind the counter for me...another instance where the long history with the store worked to my benefit. On Wednesday I drove up after work with a Bundle and met mike46 there, and we drooled over it together. Except there was one problem...the case that they had was *not* an appropriate case for the Flying V...way too much movement inside the case. After much searching they found an SKB case specifically for the Flying V in the back of the store, and we then found a drum key for it to qualify for the financing deal they had. I've learned the hard way that when you find *that* guitar, you jump on it and deal with the finances later, assuming the price is appropriate to the guitar, of course. Figuring out that I could replace the pickups affordably kept it within that range...of course, the real irony is that after we finally found the key, they knocked $20 bucks off the Dirty Fingers and the Gibson pickups are on the "list".
While we were looking for the key I found a djembe that I had been drooling over since I first saw it..but this time it was $100 off and inside the affordable range...so it came home with me too.
Here's a picture of the guitar:
And of its sister guitars:
Now, the big question. Do I hot rod the new one, or the Explorer (the one on the far left and the one featured here)?
Went home and did some research the next day. Found cheaper pickups than they wanted at Guitar Center, and also determined the exact original pickups that were used. At that point I had an option...since I knew I'd have to open the guitar up anyway, I could either replace the original pickups, or go with the original pickup in the neck and put the hotter Dirty Fingers in the bridge. But, I did determine that restoring the guitar would not be the deal-breaker that it might have been, and that it in fact was possible.
Called Guitar Center, and they agreed to put it behind the counter for me...another instance where the long history with the store worked to my benefit. On Wednesday I drove up after work with a Bundle and met mike46 there, and we drooled over it together. Except there was one problem...the case that they had was *not* an appropriate case for the Flying V...way too much movement inside the case. After much searching they found an SKB case specifically for the Flying V in the back of the store, and we then found a drum key for it to qualify for the financing deal they had. I've learned the hard way that when you find *that* guitar, you jump on it and deal with the finances later, assuming the price is appropriate to the guitar, of course. Figuring out that I could replace the pickups affordably kept it within that range...of course, the real irony is that after we finally found the key, they knocked $20 bucks off the Dirty Fingers and the Gibson pickups are on the "list".
While we were looking for the key I found a djembe that I had been drooling over since I first saw it..but this time it was $100 off and inside the affordable range...so it came home with me too.
Here's a picture of the guitar:
And of its sister guitars:
Now, the big question. Do I hot rod the new one, or the Explorer (the one on the far left and the one featured here)?