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Patrick 2 - I don't know if you've driven in the UK, but its not much fun. I understand we have more cars per square mile than anywhere else on earth, (even Japan,) and they are all always on the road whenever I drive anywhere. Its a quirky English sorta thing, but we don't do straight roads and we are trying for the 'most traffic lights/roundabouts/general obstructions' award too. Four hours drive in Canada (the nearest I've been to the USA), no problem.
JoeDeNisco - I love your image of the UK with Inns, ale and fish and chips - sounds great. The reality is, you are more likely to stay in a Travel-lodge, Holiday Inn or Best Western as they are the cheapest, (and everywhere here now,) and Ale and Fish and Chips are very variable commodities.
ATH - hope you are happy with the L5, wish I could manage one, nowadays.
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04-08-2015 05:58 AM
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Not sure that's quite true. I nominate the roads of Los Angeles for the least distance per hour...
Originally Posted by bananafist
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Try Bangkok. Originally Posted by Franz 1997
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While ATH is recovering from his drive to Gibson guitar nirvana, I remember Bangalore ....
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I agree with many of those posting above. If I were spending however much on a L5 - my first and if it works out, probably only L5 - then £100 and a day out of my life to satisfy myself that it's up to scratch would be nothing. In fact, I'd regard that as an investment in my satisfaction with what I'd be buying.
Plus, I'd be taking the transit risk out of the hands of the courier company and having it transported by someone I trust - ME!
Not being rude but this is a no-brainer. Your biggest problem will be not stopping on the drive back, just to have a little play of your new L5. You lucky bloke!!
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High guys,
Woke up this morning and instantly knew something was different. The feeling you get Xmas day, before you realise IT IS XMAS!
Looked down beside my bed and saw a big case saying GIBSON. I knew what was inside :-)
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congrats, I returned the '76 I got yesterday. It had repair plugs showing on the side of the neck. I have my eye on a '78 now. Should get it this week.
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Glad you made it safely home and got some much needed sleep. Anxious to hear your feelings on the guitar once you've had it in hand (literally) for a while and played it. If I had work scheduled I'd be calling in SICK and staying home, taking massive doses of the antibiotic L-5... LOL
You know everyone wants one of these, or a Heritage Golden Eagle, so there's a lot of envy dripping here. I think if I was going to make that kind of commitment again (I had a '69 Super 400) I'd get up to Guitars n Jazz and work with Lou Del Rosso to be sure I find what I want and play it a bunch before I lay down that money.
Good luck, we want updates !!! (say it 20 times).
BigMike
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Dang Originally Posted by jzucker
Sorry to hear about the issues with the 76
Better luck with the next one ...
IMHO you should keep looking for a good L5 and hang on to it for a while before you forsake all others in favor of your 175
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Good point bananafist. Here in the US we're fortunate to have wonderful highways for long distance driving. Long road trips are [for me] more relaxing and therapeutic than they are tiring and traumatic. Especially now with the Sync feature in my newest Ford Expedition. I've got some 70+ CDs loaded onto a USB. I just press a button on my steering wheel and tell the sweet lady in Sync what I want to hear. She says . . "Sync . . please say a command". I'll respond with something like "play Wes Montgomery Smokin' at The Half Note". She'll confim back to me . . "Playing Wes Montgomery Smokin' at the Half Note". Ant then, magically . . there it is!! Originally Posted by bananafist
My wife unfortunately struggles with RA. So, the longer road trips have become difficult for her. But, when she is up to joining me . . there's no jazz, no Satelite Fox News . . nothing. Just good one on one unterrupted conversation. Then, we usually check into a nice hotel for a relaxing evening dinner and possibly a hot tub whirlpool . . which works wonders for her RA. Then, it's on to the "dancing in the sheets". (And . . yeah . . the 5 minutes quip was a joke.) So, when I do a road trip to pick up a guitar, it's more of a reralxing vacation and adventure. That's why I don't mind it at all.
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The radio in my car doesn't work very well. I get Radio 4 (its all talking). I also have no cruise control. Originally Posted by Patrick2
I woud equate driving in the US like this
For 1 hour of US driving add another 45mins onto that for UK plus the added stress.
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It is like waking up in the morning with a newfound love and realising that she looks even better in the new day than she did last night in the gloaming. Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
Some fellows are lucky like that.
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Damn.. No gentle rolling hills with sheep grazing either? And from what I've seen on Wheeler Dealers it rains all the time too.. Come to NEW Jersey. Its still everything the old UK used to be. Originally Posted by bananafist
Arch - Congrats! If it was me instead of the case being next to the bed, the guitar would have found its way into the bed with me, we would have been spooning.... My wife would have slept in the case.
In all seriousness, the next morning is the time when you know you did the right thing, or the wrong thing. It sounds like you had no remorse this morning and that's a good thing! Enjoy the Guitar. Its Lovely.
Joe D.Last edited by Max405; 04-08-2015 at 12:18 PM.
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Lolol Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
It had crossed my mind. Minus the Bread Knife ;-)
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Just drive! Have fun for 4 Hours in your car and even more on the way back...
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2b can't wait to see pics like only you can take 'em! Mega congrats!!!
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I second that! You and Arch take some droolworthy photos. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Well this seems like a happy ending
I can't wait to see it...and maybe hear it?
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Sorry guys blew my chance to get some good pics today. Will hopefully have some tomorrow.
I will also be doing a sound clip.
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While we're waiting for the pictures at it's Forever Home and the sound clip let me tell you a story.
I was living in Santiago Chile in 1999 and 2000. My "father in law" had a "campo", a small farm in the high hills above the coast some 30 miles from Valpariso, a big port and where the Senate of Chile was seated. Just making the road trip to the Campo was 3 hours, max speeds on Chilean highways (quote unquote) was 80km tops (like 55 mph). There were no direct routes, you went along canyons and thru mountain tunnels. OK, so on Saturday the family goes into Valpariso for lunch and some flea market shopping in the farmers market area (good shopping). I spot a very rare all 14k Accutron 214 also known as the Spaceview watch. Very rare and very hard to find. The owner wasn't there but I got my young charge to talk to the person running the booth and I got the guy's cell number. Back in the far outskirts of Santiago I finally get ahold of the guy. He want's a mere $100.00 for it, he says if you shake it it runs for a bit. So I arrange to go meet him in his town, which is going to be about 3 1/2 hours of local bus rides across Santiago (a VERY spread out town nestled in between mountains), a subway ride farther south and then a long bus ride thru rural areas to this place, all I know is I will meet him in the coffee shop to do the deal. I speak no Spanish except to say a few words and curse some. I take this long trip, meet the guy, check out the watch and we do the exchange. I then take the bus back to the rural bus stop, the subway back to the center of town and the bus that weaves across JFK back out to Alto Los Condes. I left at 8am and got back at 5:30 pm exhausted and dehydrated. My father in law was at my place waiting to hear of my adventure with a very fancy "tea" set for me. It was really something else. When I got back to the States I got the watch serviced by a certified Accutron repair guy and then traded the watch (which was sort of small on my big wrist )for two Accutron Astronauts, both very nice. Hows that for chasing fools gold ??
This is what the Astronaut looked like, got one with the black face and one with a polished silver face. Still have them both, like most old watches they need service now.
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 04-08-2015 at 07:47 PM.
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Beautiful story mate and I WANT THAT WATCH (the first one). Thanks for sharing. Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
While we're waiting for the pictures at it's Forever Home and the sound clip let me tell you a story.
I was living in Santiago Chile in 1999 and 2000. My "father in law" had a "campo", a small farm in the high hills above the coast some 30 miles from Valpariso, a big port and where the Senate of Chile was seated. Just making the road trip to the Campo was 3 hours, max speeds on Chilean highways (quote unquote) was 80km tops (like 55 mph). There were no direct routes, you went along canyons and thru mountain tunnels. OK, so on Saturday the family goes into Valpariso for lunch and some flea market shopping in the farmers market area (good shopping). I spot a very rare all 14k Accutron 214 also known as the Spaceview watch. Very rare and very hard to find. The owner wasn't there but I got my young charge to talk to the person running the booth and I got the guy's cell number. Back in the far outskirts of Santiago I finally get ahold of the guy. He want's a mere $100.00 for it, he says if you shake it it runs for a bit. So I arrange to go meet him in his town, which is going to be about 3 1/2 hours of local bus rides across Santiago (a VERY spread out town nestled in between mountains), a subway ride farther south and then a long bus ride thru rural areas to this place, all I know is I will meet him in the coffee shop to do the deal. I speak no Spanish except to say a few words and curse some. I take this long trip, meet the guy, check out the watch and we do the exchange. I then take the bus back to the rural bus stop, the subway back to the center of town and the bus that weaves across JFK back out to Alto Los Condes. I left at 8am and got back at 5:30 pm exhausted and dehydrated. My father in law was at my place waiting to hear of my adventure with a very fancy "tea" set for me. It was really something else. When I got back to the States I got the watch serviced by a certified Accutron repair guy and then traded the watch (which was sort of small on my big wrist )for two Accutron Astronauts, both very nice. Hows that for chasing fools gold ??
This is what the Astronaut looked like, got one with the black face and one with a polished silver face. Still have them both, like most old watches they need service now.
I also want an original one of these two :-))
The one in the middle
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Quite a surprise I must say, but a nice one. Congrats from my side, too. Play it in good health! Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
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There's nuthin' like a good buy on a used L5!
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Just to clear something up (apparently staying awake till 5:30 am doesn't help you sleep the following night)
Just because I bought an L5 doesn't mean I'm any more or less of a Gibson fan than before. Sure some models I like more than others and some I outright don't like. Some with good reasons and some perhaps with not (personal taste).
Can I find a couple of reasons to bash even the L5? Yes, and in due course I will point them out. Thats the important bit I want you guys to remember. I don't ignore things or over look things because I love it, or because I'm supposed to and just keep quirt. I am more than happy to point out the downfalls of any guitar, none are above appraisal in my eyes, no matter how much I love them, no matter how much I'm supposed to love them and how much financial self interest I have in talking them up.
Context is a hard thing and even I can go on a little too much (I'm taking that crown Patrick :-) about a model or point but thats because I believe fundamentally in the sharing of information and honesty. I just have to always bare in mind that there are facts and opinions.
I know that some people I outright annoy (not intentionally) but thats an outcome of the above process that sometimes I'm prepared to face. I'm also happy to eat some humble pie too. A along as I believe what i'm saying is honest to my knowledge.
So with all this in mind I want to thank all of you, for your patience and understanding of me. I feel like you have all given me a very fair chance to express myself and for that I'm exceedingly grateful. I also want to say thank you for the lessons I have learnt and the great information you guys have shared.
I remembered just before going to pick this guitar up, I wish 2B, Patrick, Jabba and others were here to give me the all clear. Not that I needed it per say but having you guys behind me is a strange but lovely feeling, in the dark hours, on a small road, driving far away to pick up a guitar.
The truth is, I wont be able to keep it because I simply cannot afford to. My luck is being able to buy things I cant afford, enjoy them briefly and then pass them on as if I was never there. I was just able to squeeze into this because the stars aligned but it wasn't luck, I put in an insane amount of work to make them do so ;-)
Anyway a big round of applause of the gang at TJGF
Last edited by Archie; 04-08-2015 at 11:01 PM.
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so you drove 4 hrs each way to buy a guitar that you had already decided to cut loose even before you got in the car. interesting... Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
Just to clear something up (apparently staying awake till 5:30 am doesn't help you sleep the following night)
Just because I bought an L5 doesn't mean I'm any more or less of a Gibson fan than before. Sure some models I like more than others and some I outright don't like. Some with good reasons and some perhaps with not (personal taste).
Can I find a couple of reasons to bash even the L5? Yes, and in due course I will point them out. Thats the important bit I want you guys to remember. I don't ignore things or over look things because I love it, or because I'm supposed to and just keep quirt. I am more than happy to point out the downfalls of any guitar, none are above appraisal in my eyes, no matter how much I love them, no matter how much I'm supposed to love them and how much financial self interest I have in talking them up.
Context is a hard thing and even I can go on a little too much (I'm taking that crown Patrick :-) about a model or point but thats because I believe fundamentally in the sharing of information and honesty. I just have to always bare in mind that there are facts and opinions.
I know that some people I outright annoy (not intentionally) but thats an outcome of the above process that sometimes I'm prepared to face. I'm also happy to eat some humble pie too. A along as I believe what i'm saying is honest to my knowledge.
So with all this in mind I want to thank all of you, for your patience and understanding of me. I feel like you have all given me a very fair chance to express myself and for that I'm exceedingly grateful. I also want to say thank you for the lessons I have learnt and the great information you guys have shared.
I remembered just before going to pick this guitar up, I wish 2B, Patrick, Jabba and others were here to give me the all clear. Not that I needed it per say but having you guys behind me is a strange but lovely feeling, in the dark hours, on a small road, driving far away to pick up a guitar.
The truth is, I wont be able to keep it because I simply cannot afford to. My luck is being able to buy things I cant afford, enjoy them briefly and then pass them on as if I was never there. I was just able to squeeze into this because the stars aligned but it wasn't luck, I put in an insane amount of work to make them do so ;-)
Anyway a big round of applause of the gang at TJGF
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