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It arrived safe and sound. Mint condition except for a ding next to the f hole which is not that visible and although the term of the day "buttery action" was used, there are a couple high frets and the highest frets need to be brought down. I have been experimenting with fret work and may try to do this myself - I have had overall success with it even though my work is not clean...As is I can get the action to about 1.25mm at the 12th fret, but below the high frets if I dig in I get buzz. And of course the 24th fret being high makes the whole length buzz more if I dig in but this only seems to be an issue on the high e. The neck has no twist though and this has the potential to play as good as any other guitar I have and will probably play the easiest once it is fixed. I would rather have someone do the work but I can't bear to bring it in somewhere and wait for the work to be done when I have just got the guitar, especially because it is totally playable now with low action...it is just that I know it has the potential to be even better, which is good. The neck profile is not as round as I expected but I really like it - really comfortable and not too thin.
The wood appears darker than the pictures the seller used and it is really gorgeous. One of the nicer pm100's that I have seen. The inlay work is excellent (and now my '77 Artist 2630 has a friend with matching inlays, and so does the gb10 fingerboard on my wall from that deceased guitar rip).
The high fret access is just as good as I had imagined and the tone is just great. It is actually very bright, which I didn't expect given Pat's tone and the samples I heard on YouTube. When I record something over the weekend I will post it if anyone is interested.
The hardware is all top notch and feels solid and very high end. The tuners are the best of any guitar I have - really nice and accurate.
I was surprised at how resonant it is - acoustically you can of course tell it is a laminate but it has some serious volume and projection. I have not tried those 175's that I have read about here that are acoustically competent but i thought of that after hearing this. And speaking of a 175, the tone is very close which is cool. I have .012 Bebops on it so it will not compare as closely to the flatowund 175 sound but next to a round wound 175 I don't know if I could tell the difference.
I'll get some better photos eventually but here she is.
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06-02-2017 09:25 PM
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I'm glad it arrived safely. Congratulations on your NGD, and play it in good health!
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Beautiful hollowbody!
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These are great guitars. Enjoy your time together!
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Congrats! She is a beauty.
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Beautiful. I have played one of these guitars at my local music store several years ago and have coveted it ever since. Congratulations!!
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That's a beauty! Congrats, what a nice guitar - I love the design of these, and could easily find a place for one myself.
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Beautiful guitar Rio, enjoy. Here's my opinion that you didn't ask for: If you are "experimenting" with fretwork, stop right there and take this guitar to an experienced tech and have it done right. You want it to be all it can be, not just the best that you can get it to. Given your location you should have access to multiple top tier luthiers.
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Congrats .. I have the 97 version and I love it
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Thanks everyone
I totally agree. I did the work last night and it is better but not as good as it can be. I am going to take it in for a proper fret leveling because although it doesn't have a lot of wear on the frets, it does have some and I didn't get it perfect. I just don't like getting a guitar and then immediately having to not have access to it. So after a month or two, when I can few with not having it for as long as it takes to get properly worked on, I'll take it in.
Originally Posted by whiskey02
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If you haven't tried yet, and can swing it, I recommend having a plek done. I have only done on a tele and a Hamer Sunburst but the intonation is fabulous. Make sure to take to a reputable shop. If you are anywhere near Chicago, the Music Gallery did my tele and their tech is great. Also NTL Guitar in TN restored a water logged Hamer Sunburst for me and took it to Joe Glaser also near Nashville for a plek. He said Glaser thought the frets were already immaculate but my guy wanted her perfect, beyond reproach. It is the best playing solid body guitar I have. He has done fret jobs on other instruments without taking to Glaser for plek and they were excellent as well. I always like to mention the places where I receive excellent service. I live near Chicago but find the few extra bucks to ship to and from NTL Guitar is repaid in top service and reasonable cost. Hope you get this instrument up to snuff soon.
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Gorgeous Rio!
I like the stylish cutaway on the bass side. Unique guitars deserve credibility. This one is very credible.
Im happy for you Rio, enjoy the guitar.
Joe D
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Thanks Joe! The more I play it the more I love it - it is so comfortable and the sound is really just what I want from a laminate archtop. It is weird playing around 12th-14th position and feeling like I am playing around 10th position - my thumb still moves instinctively expecting the heel to be there but it isn't. It has opened up some great creative doors.
Bobby - if there were a plek within driving distance I would do it. I have always been curious about them and have heard very good things. I really don't want to risk shipping it even though the risk is relatively low and the extra time and cost shipping it is something I want to avoid. It is going to feel like too much time as it is to drop it off when I do decide to do that. I think I will live with it for a while as is...it kills me knowing that it could play better but as is it still plays better than any other guitar I have. I am very curious what it will feel like after a proper fret leveling though.
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Congrats Rio ! I love single pickup jazz boxes. A simple level and polish and you will have a dynamic jazz machine.
Enjoy !
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Looks great , is it nice to play in F
up there ?
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Thanks guys
Yeah, it is great playing past the 12th fret. It is such a good idea that I wonder why there aren't many other guitars with the heel higher up and a small second cutaway. It still sounds very good acoustically and for a laminate the utility far outweighs and small loss of acoustic volume from having it IMO.
We are wrapping up the Jimmy Raney solo study group over in the improv forum so I decided to record it on this guitar. I am still tweaking the sound as I get accustomed to what I want to get out of it, but so far so good I think.
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nice color on that one.
oh, and nice solo w/cat-like phrasing.
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Nice playing & tone!
Has anyone compared the older PM100/120 with the current PM200?
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If I could get her to jump up on demand it would be nice because the sound of cat fur muting the strings is a neat effect.
I really like the color too - I am a sucker for darker blonde guitars. The only other blonde guitar I have is a '77 D'Agostino and even though it is older, it is a very light blonde and in the photos the seller put up for the guitar it looked lighter so I was pleased to see that it is like this when I got it.
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Rio, Very nice video, you handsome devil you!
Great sound, great playing and nice touch with the cat.
I like the tight response of the PM. You can immediately hear its focus.
Great job, great guitar and thanks for sharing!
Joe D.
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Thanks Joe
It does have a very focused sound a tight response that I am really digging. I think the Bebops suit it well (although the 3rd swing is a flatwound Benson - I have a whole bunch of extra 3rd strings to no have to use the plain 3rd that ships with the .012 gauge Bebops, although I do use it on my semi and it doesn't sound that bad)
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Rio,
I really like that tone.
GT
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Nice tone! And consider the cat to be a trainer in dealing with that audience member who insists on having a high-db conversation with you during your solo. Distraction practice is essential for dealing with the Public. Bless their hearts.
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Thanks guys! I am still in love with the feel and sound of the guitar. I just took it out to its first gig tonight which was an organ trio with a trumpeter making it a quartet. It was outside so the volume was medium loud and wow, the guitar sits really well in the mix of a group. Got some compliments which felt good, but really my own satisfaction with the sound is priceless because I didn't have to fiddle with anything - just plugged into the Bud and played. It is also extremely comfortable to play standing up - they didn't have any extra chairs and I am glad they didn't because with the L5 I am used to sitting even though I do enjoy standing and being able to move with the music. I need to put more time in to get used to the fretboard though - the heel being higher up, the extra fret access and shorter scale had me not able to keep my eyes closed as much as I would have liked.
Also, it looks like I will be the owner of a 175 next week at some point. Very excited about that and what I am really looking forward to doing is making a video comparing my '77 D'Agostino lawsuit 175, pm100 and the new 175. I certainly don't need the 175 but I couldn't pass it up. I think I need to make myself not buy any guitars for a while after that...we will see how that goes.
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I am looking forward to hearing you play on these guitars !! Originally Posted by rio
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