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  1. #1

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    I've been teasing you guys a little in JoeD's HJS thread. I just had a great conversation with Chris Amato and tomorrow morning UPS Tom's River ships FIVE of Patrick's guitars to me. Yeah it was a long wait from the first contact, getting my divorce, telling my banker to make some financial moves once I was divorced and then WAITING. Tom Petty says the waiting is the hardest part. So without further adieu and stealing photos from threads they are:

    17 inch Unity
    HDA Excel
    Heritage Golden Eagle, single set pickup
    Heritage "Super Patrick"
    Heritage H150 burst

    Here's a group shot Patrick took some time ago, you can see the HDA on the left, next to it the 17 inch Unity, skip a guitar and you see my Golden Eagle with single set pickup...

    BigMike's Mega Heritage NGD...-dsc01044-1-1-jpg


    Then Patrick with the Super Patrick

    BigMike's Mega Heritage NGD...-dsc_2591_zps3d3ed31a-jpg
    BigMike's Mega Heritage NGD...-2002-r9-jpg

    Now believe me, in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep I looked at a raft of threads talking about the Unity (the 18inch one) and Patrick's other guitars. But like hearing about God's Love for Us if you got some story or photos not on this thread please share them. I'm all ears baby !! And when I get them I'll take glamour shots of the 5 Way !! LOL !! Not as good as Greg's but I'll TRY...

    Big

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  3. #2

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    "mega"

    I'll say!

  4. #3

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    All I can say is ... wow......... Bob

  5. #4

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    Right on Mike !!! Multiple NGD's.....sweet. May UPS have mercy on your soul.

  6. #5

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    Congrats in advance! You are a smart man. Some incredible wood is coming your way.

  7. #6

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    Big Mike, you are my hero!!

    OK, now will you adopt me??

    Seriously, that is some major wood you've come into, my friend.

    I have no stories of Patrick, but I do know that he only acquired the best of the best in guitars.

    Congratulations to you and to Chris. Play them in good health.

  8. #7

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    Congrats Big Mike. I'll agree with Bob and and another wow! Wow ... Wow You must be one happy guitar player!

    Cheers, Chris

  9. #8

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    Hey guys,
    Mike is probably going to kill me for this. But I'll deal with that.
    Over the past 11 months, the Amato's have gone through hell. The lose of a figure such as Patrick had a strong effect on each and every one of us here. Can you imagine what the lose of such a powerful figure in his own home would be like? I can't. The Amato's are getting through, slowly but surely. Christopher has been amazing. Holding everything together for his Mom was tough. But he selflessly did it. And continues to each and every day. The kid is an angel.
    A few people here had a hand in helping the family through the grieving period. If I mention any names, I will be leaving out an equal number of unmentioned people who helped Patrick's family. So I won't.

    Well, except for one person. And that person is Mike.

    He wont tell you what he did because that's the way he rolls. The man responsible for the upcoming NGD extravaganza is also responsible for going ABOVE and BEYOND in helping secure the future the Amato's will have left. When Chris gave me prices for the remaining guitars, Mike basically laughed at me and said I won't pay that. It's worth at least $500, $800, $1,000 more. He said "when I get the money, I'm gonna take care of my friend Patrick's family". And he did it unlike anything you could imagine. I'd get an email or a phone call every week. "Hey, I'm adding another one".. I think he is up to 6 now..
    Me and Vinny joke and call each other nut bags all the time. Well let me tell you, Mike is the most generous, loveable, genuine and caring nut bags of all time.

    Mikey, I am glad to know you buddy. If there is such a thing as Heaven, Patrick is there and he is watching everything that has gone on since he passed. And there are many things that he is happy about. But one thing that will leave him speechless, is how graciously you treated his most beloved family. Mikey you are a saint. Thanks for everything you did.

    Joe D

  10. #9

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    BigMike,

    Way to go! I came VERY close to buying Patrick's 18" Unity, myself. It's a beauty and it is a very, very special guitar. I think you will treasure it. I know you will like the single-pickup Super Eagle and the Heritage D'Angelico. Those are rare, outstanding guitars. The same is true of the "Super Patrick." As you are aware, Patrick acquired a tailpiece from the same supplier that provided Aaron Cowles with the ones he used on Unity guitars. Heritage put that on Patrick's Super Patrick. That guitar is built precisely to Patrick's specs. It is beautiful and I am certain it sounds and plays great.

    You have an instant uber-collection. I envy you, man.

    Welcome to the Unity club, by the way. Aaron Cowles was an exceptional luthier.

  11. #10

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    Right on BigMike, right on! I love how you roll, and look forward to hearing your impressions on each of those beauties! Congrats!!!

  12. #11

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    Congrats, Big Mike, nice collection. You are a good man for keeping them together. Hard to separate a collection that was built up with P2's unerring high standards. Those blonde Unity 17" and Heritage-D'Angelico 17" Excel are something else. That Super Patrick is one of its kind. Play them in good health. No case queens.

    Big Mike, are these the last guitars of P2's collection? They are all sold by now?

    (I recall Hammertone called dibs on that 17 Unity when news broke that P2 passed on? Thought that it was long sold to Hammertone.)
    Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-19-2016 at 02:28 AM.

  13. #12

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    Man, that's a lot of sexy for one damned room. A lot.

  14. #13

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    Wow, thats a mega ngd indeed. Congrats !

  15. #14

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    Can you spell " O-R-G-Y" ??

    Congratulations, you got guns enough for a battle ship and nary a misfire!

    Thanks for the picture of Patrick.

  16. #15

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    WOW BIG - Mega congrats - that is quite a collection that is coming your way! Enjoy every single one of them as you got to know them.

    Among all the glorious glory of these guitars, to me the "Super-Patrick" is standing out. What an amazing guitar! Incidentally, I believe that this guitar was built the same time as the golden eagle in my Avatar. Patrick told me that he drove to Alaska to get a special kind of spruce for the top. He bought enough that from the rest of the wood Heritage built my golden eagle. Hence, your Super-Patrick and my GE are siblings so to say :-)

    Enjoy this treasure for a long time to come!

  17. #16

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    BigMike !
    What an amazing NGD !
    Congrats, and respect for what you've done.
    Play these beauties in good health !

  18. #17

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    Big congratulations, Big Mike! You'll be in guitar heaven when those beauties arrive, no doubt. And way to go taking care of the family of "a friend in need".

    "Major Wood" - wasn't he a character in Dr. Strangelove?

  19. #18

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    Stunning!
    Congratulations BigMike.

  20. #19

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    Jeez JoeD, what do I say to you man... You were so helpful in counseling me I don't know how to thank you.

    You know I didn't know about these guitars being available until the day I got here to Chicago, not two weeks after my own mother died... So I could really empathize with the Amatos and their feeling of deep loss. And when I saw the Unity and that Angel on the headstock it really spoke to me, my Mom just leaving us AND the fact her maiden name and the last name of my Godfather and benefactor being ANGELL I really heard that thing calling to me. Walking around in this place I have photos of my folks everywhere, those pictures talk to me (no I'm not that much of a nut bag, you know what I mean) and when writing Chris I just felt I had to do what was truly right by them.

    I made a couple of great friends in this: Joe first, what a dude. I can't express gratitude like he does, ya have to hang out with me to know me. And Chris really showed some true character, what a great kid. I always wanted a Heritage and now I'm gonna have a Heritage Sampler - and reading Patrick's posts over since this started I hope he's happy I'm gonna have and play them.

    I really appreciate the info about the spruce top on the Super Patrick and would love to hear any more anecdotes any of you have. Let's make this thread a tribute to Patrick Amato and his guitars.

    Thanks to all of you for the compliments. I'll get to shooting some really clear photos of all of them. The Unity I sort of bought on Faith, there weren't really any clear full photos of it, it was paired with the 18 inch Unity in that thread and you'd could pick it out of some of Patrick's group shops but I just KNEW it was gonna be my couch guitar. Talk about gear lust or GAS...


    Thanks guys

    Big

  21. #20

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    Chris just texted me this picture of a picture, he's including it with some other things of Patricks. This photo will be hanging in my office/music room... Patrick and Kevin Cowles and a Unity, can't tell if it's mine yet. Will know when I see the photo in person.

    BigMike's Mega Heritage NGD...-img_8035-jpg
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 07-19-2016 at 09:13 PM.

  22. #21

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    To address questions about what is left, Chris and I talked about that only an hour or so ago. There are the 3 Ronaldo strats, a 335 type and a wine burst Golden Eagle (set pickup I believe).

    Patrick had a full inventory list of his guitars and what he thought they were worth.
    Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 07-19-2016 at 11:21 AM.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
    ….(I recall Hammertone called dibs on that 17 Unity when news broke that P2 passed on? Thought that it was long sold to Hammertone.)
    I had a nice chat with Chris about the 18", then decided to pass - I already have an acoustic SE that is pretty much the same thing, and that was the point at which I decided to stop the madness.

    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    Patrick acquired a tailpiece from the same supplier that provided Aaron Cowles with the ones he used on Unity guitars. Heritage put that on Patrick's Super Patrick. ...

    ABM Model 1281. Mueller doesn't make it anymore, except on a custom order basis. Sam Koontz liked to use these as well. The standard version, available in gold, nickel or chrome, had smooth surfaces. These was a fancier version as well, available on request:

    Attached Images Attached Images BigMike's Mega Heritage NGD...-abm-1281-1-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 07-19-2016 at 12:58 PM.

  24. #23

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    ​Great info Hammertone, thank you so much.

  25. #24

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    Congratulations. That's an impressive stash of fine guitars. Play them in health.

  26. #25

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    BigMike,

    The Bible states that "true" religion is taking care of the fatherless and the widows. Those beautiful guitars are not the only blessings that are coming your way.