-
Ya know I was planning on sending this up to Pete Moreno, based on what I thought the condition was via the ad pics, the seller was very conservative in his estimation of it's condition, meaning not bragging on it being super clean. Well for a 30 year old guitar it's pretty damn minty to me. So I inclined to talk to Mr. Beaumont or any of you Chicago area guys and get a referral on who to go to. It just needs a rewire, a little shining up and the attachment of the pick guard and other parts. I'm beside myself how nice it is.
Big
-
11-08-2018 11:25 AM
-
Second attempt... "Likes" worked this time. Thanks for your reply, Mike. Such a beautiful guitar! Happy for you!
-
I slapped an older BRW bridge I had that has notches on it and tuned her up. The neck is a tiny bit beefy, but I haven't been playing much and in no time I was very comfortable on it. I decided I'm taking it up to Chicago Music Exchange and have their team work on it. I MAY go with the original 6 hole layout of a Gibson ES5, so they'd drill one hole up near the bridge on the outside and one hole down near the tailpiece on the inside. It would look just about perfect and historically correct. Compare the ES5 pic earlier in the thread and my reply with a pic of the Unity below it.
This is about as cool as it gets boys...
Big
-
You know that Aaron carved a thick neck. This attracted me greatly to 100th #2.
Keep us in the loop on progress with this Unity.
Thanks
-
Beautiful, congratulations! I am sure you will enjoy that guitar!
Make sure to post more pics when all the parts are back on! ;-)
And a sound clip or movie of you playing Stormy Monday Blues on it, with the guitar in your neck....
-
?I've got an appointment for Tuesday up at CME, large crew of repairs guys, two wiring guys, I've had a couple emails with the guy who will work on it. He thinks it's cooler than all get out. I've been playing it a lot. These Unity necks just feel so right in my hands. I am truly Blessed I found it.
Big
-
Can’t wait to hear it over the new TremorVerb amp!
(How are both coming along?)
-
My neighbor drove me up to CME, most of ya'll only buy online from them. It's on the 3300 block of North Lincoln and MAN is that place plush. Being I'm sight impaired I asked for help at the front counter, turns out wiring and repairs is down stairs, and I really wasn't feeling confident about walking down a flight of stairs.
So they called Phil who I'd exchanged emails with and he came up. Right away he liked the guitar, I showed him all the parts I got together (GB10 bridge, Lollar pickup covers, Aaron's pick guard and all the wiring stuff). This Phil is confident and very competent. We talked briefly and agreed on a 4 knob arrangement: I was reluctant to change the way Aaron built it, and Phil was too (I showed him a lot of Unity photos). So it's gonna be a simple deal: 3 volume knobs and one master tone knob and the 5 way switch. They'll adjust the GB10 bridge and nut for the TI Jazz Swing 12's I also included. There's a chance, a slim chance I might get it back before Thanksgiving... I got some Gibson bell looking knobs that go to 11, Phil knew what that meant... LOL.
All in all a good morning. You DO NOT want to go into CME with a credit card boys... I barely looked at it from the front desk and it's really posh.
Big
So last night I decided to tackle a long delayed project: namely to sort through all the cases in my office and reorganize the arrangement so all my very favorites were up in front. I must have moved 20 guitars around. Opened a lot of cases and got all the Unity's, my L5's and my Rosewood Crest in front. Tuned them all up and played each one. That's a lot of work - those cases for the Unitys weigh a damn ton alone. It was worth it. Today it's snowing and I get to relax and play guitars...
Big
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-15-2018 at 02:45 PM.
-
Beautiful guitar, Big Mike!
-
Good memories
-
Phil at CME emailed me last night that he's got her all wired up. He's off Sunday and Monday but will recurve the GB10 bridge I included, mount the pick guard and do a setup with the TI Jazz Swings I brought with the guitar. Wednesday Noon I take delivery... Can't wait.
Big
-
Mike,
Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
All 4 guitars that I bought last year from CME required a lot of extra setup by my own hands. I specified that I like my action LAPWOB (low as possible without buzzing) and all 4 guitars came with a medium action. One of the guitars (59 reissue 175) was shipped to me with the bridge on backwards. It was easy enough for me to fix everything, but, I would not bring a guitar to them for any work requiring a skilled luthier. When you go to pick up your guitar, spend some time playing it and make sure it is satisfactory to your taste before leaving the store.
I hope you are well pleased with the results.
-
I'm not at all concerned because this guitar was built by Aaron Cowles and though it sat in a case for 16 years unplayed when I put a brw bridge I had laying around on it and tuned it up it was rock solid. The work Phil will be doing besides the wiring is so small potatoes I know he can handle it: attach the pick guard and install TI Jazz Swing 12s and set it up.
And he insists that I play it there so he knows I'm happy with it.
I can't wait to get her done... my Thanksgiving Weekend schedule is me playing this guitar between pivotal college games... Rough life huh ??
Big
(besides he likes the cigars I already gave him)Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-19-2018 at 12:08 PM.
-
Cowles' guitars are quite well put together. I think Mike is correct in thinking that the work CME is doing can't go south in any significant way. The underlying instrument is first-class, to begin with.
Now, can you put a fine instrument in front of a bunch of first-graders, call them craftsmen, and find that they botch the repairs? Boy, howdy. OTOH, CME isn't employing first-graders.
My hunch? Mike will come away pleased. Anyway, he is going to have another--unique--Unity. Cool.
-
Matter of fact I think I'm taking another Aaron Cowles built guitar to CME Wednesday to the Restoration and Repair guys, this 1989 "The Standard". For now I just want them to buff it up some, reglue the binding to the pickguard, install said pickguard and wire up the Kent Armstrong PAF01 pickup attached to it and string her up with a new set of TI Jazz Swing 12s, she's already setup for fat strings... The other night when I was reorganizing the pile of wood I have in the office I played this one a long time acoustically. It's every bit as swell sonically as my Citation...
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-19-2018 at 01:22 PM.
-
Again, this is small potatoes stuff, I want to play it plugged in sooner than later. At some point when it is warmer I'll take it up to Pete Moreno and have him replace the headstock overlay which says The Standard in the same script logo of the one on Citations that says The Gibson... As is now you can't see The Standard under "star effect" on the headstock unless you get it in the right light and at JUST the right angle... Most of the guitar is suited with parts for a Citation: tuners, tailpiece and so on... In hand that finish is real purty. I want this back the way Aaron built it.
Big
-
I'd consider a BJB pickup for that "Standard." Beautiful guitar!
-
It was in the high 20s and very windy when we left so I decided to leave The Stanard for another day. We left early wanting to hit Dinkels for brunch and baked goods, hit CME and get the guitar and get off the street. Seemed like the bakery part of Dinkels got crazy packed just as we were leaving. Scored 2 pounds of their assorted butter cookies (so good) and bought a Black Forest cake for my birthday...
Cross the street to CME and Phil came right up with the guitar and told me all about it. The bridge fit just about perfect so he didn't waste too much time getting that. Truss rod has plenty of room either way. Both 5 way switches in the case were shot so he went with a pretty efficient wiring: 3 way switch, middle pickup always on (but you dial it off or way down with it's volume knob). So neck/middle, middle, bridge/middle... It's got Lindy Fralin P90s and I just ran it through the Texas Flood for a bit, super nice. If I want the dark jazz tone I can get it on any of the settings. I want a funky Chickn' Pickn' no problem either. It's flexible but not so complex I need a damn degree to operate it. I'm impressed. $230.00 for the wiring and setup including all CTS parts - he said they aim to do any electronic work in a week at most.
We got back just as traffic going toward downtown was building up. I'm in baby until Monday... Hope you all have a safe Thanksgiving Holiday. Smoke one for me tomorrow Hammer, I'm 72...
Big
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 11-21-2018 at 03:39 PM.
-
The switch set up is traditional and will keep you busy and happy.
That was a fair price for the work.
Very nice.
-
Wow that looks WAY better than when you got it!
-
Looks georgeous! I bet it sounds great, too - will we get a demo?
-
I'm really double pleased with this guitar... I was pretty sure I wasn't going to regret this once I got it rewired and setup and I was right. Next week I'k taking The Standard in and have him give that the once over, it too doesn't need much and I really want to hear that plugged in.
Big
-
wowser. NICE!
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions