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Very bored without gigs, and you can only practice so much, so let's pass the time by sharing our number one instrument, and even a story about if you want. This is my 2000's (unsure on the year) Benedetto Bravo. I acquired it in a trade for an old Gibson that was my first true archtop. I could not bond with the Gibson due to the neck, and, as someone who played mainly a 330 and 335, I was looking for something smaller. The Bravo quickly become my go to for any jazz gig, rehearsal or practice session. It's an inspiring guitar to pickup an play, though I feel like I do not do it justice
. I sometimes miss that old woody Gibson tone, but this thing all around cannot be beat for me.
And a bonus of my recently acquired thinline Tele, which has become #1B and has its eyes on that top spot:
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04-24-2020 10:27 AM
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Countless guitars have come and gone over the last 10 years but somehow this always recaptures the top spot.
And a more recent look
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Well I've actually been having fun with my uke. Sending lots of "happy birthday" vids to people.
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1982 es 335 dot:
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+1 on the mods!
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Countless guitars have come and gone over the last 10 years but somehow this always recaptures the top spot.
And a more recent look
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Gorgeous!!! I am a sucker for Blonde 335s!!
Last edited by Paulie2; 04-28-2020 at 10:00 AM.
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Blonde ES models rule! Originally Posted by Paulie2
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I love all my guitars. But over and over, I reach for this one. A VOS1959 ES175 bought on impulse at CME when I was in Chicago. I planned just to visit the famous University of Chicago Oriental Institute Museum and immerse myself in the antiquities there, while also visiting some very dear friends in Wheaton. I decided on a whim to pop over to CME, more like a tourist visit than shopping. While there, I picked up this guitar, took it into one of their booths, and played it for about an hour. I was hooked.
When I inquired about buying it, they were so helpful, even reminded me if I'd buy it online I could (at that time) avoid the sales tax. So with my iPad I went online and bought it!
I have other finer guitars than this, some that perform better in many ways, but for some reason this one ends up in my hands by default when i just want to play a bit. I have no amplifier that it does not sound great through, but it sounds very different through various amps. I like it best though whatever amp I'm playing at the moment!
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Beautiful ES, and love the story as well. Its great when the guitar finds you when you are least expecting it. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
I love all my guitars. But over and over, I reach for this one. A VOS1959 ES175 bought on impulse at CME when I was in Chicago. I planned just to visit the famous University of Chicago Oriental Institute Museum and immerse myself in the antiquities there, while also visiting some very dear friends in Wheaton. I decided on a whim to pop over to CME, more like a tourist visit than shopping. While there, I picked up this guitar, took it into one of their booths, and played it for about an hour. I was hooked.
When I inquired about buying it, they were so helpful, even reminded me if I'd buy it online I could (at that time) avoid the sales tax. So with my iPad I went online and bought it!
I have other finer guitars than this, some that perform better in many ways, but for some reason this one ends up in my hands by default when i just want to play a bit. I have no amplifier that it does not sound great through, but it sounds very different through various amps. I like it best though whatever amp I'm playing at the moment!
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My trusty (Warmoth) Tele -home-grown in 1993- sees the most action these days, especially since I put in a new "Mastery" bridge - that took the guitar to new sonic heights .....
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My number one guitar is Billy Bean's modified 1964 ES-175. This guitar just sings. It was sent out for repairs for him by Billy Bean bio author Dr. Seth Greenberg. It had gotten smashed to smithereens when Billy fell with it or sat on it. A luthier friend of Dr. Greenberg's pieced it back together over a period lasting over a year - maybe two. The guitar has so many glue joints that it has it's own unique resonance and a beautiful voice. The pickup was moved to the end of the fretboard. The neck was replaced and is now a pleasant 25 1/2" scale. The following email excerpt is what I learned from a friend of Dr. Greenberg's, who hails from the Philadelphia area where Billy Bean's home was, regarding the neck on the guitar:
* Seth and I have been in touch and have been able to piece together (so to speak) the story of Billy’s guitar. Seth looked at his notes from his interview with Billy about the guitar. Here’s the entry:
"Well, I had a new neck put on the Gibson. It broke by the head where the strings attach. I had to get a new neck. Dave Strong told me about a guitar master who fixes guitars around your neighborhood, a German name. He did a good job."
This was a welcome surprise. The man he was talking about, with the “German name” was undoubtedly Eric Schulte, who lived near me in Frazier, Pa. I took guitars to him when I was in college in the mid-1970s. He was “the man” for guitarists, particularly jazz players, to repair their guitars. I left PA for NYC to work in the jazz record business (then law school) from 1976-86. Upon my return, I visited Eric to repair may old ES-345. Around 1990, I bought a D’Angelico Excel he had copied. From your description, I think there is little doubt that he not only replaced, but probably made the neck on Billy’s guitar, but also did the work moving the pickup, probably adding a pickup. He did excellent finish work, was a solid craftsman. I looked for the date of his passing, and found this interesting article about Eric, recapping many of the stories I heard from Eric over the years: Eric Schulte Custom Guitars | Vintage Guitar(R) magazine
I’d say, based on Seth’s notes, and the appearance of this guitar, that Eric, not the Gibson factory, did the work on Billy’s guitar. *
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Cool. Single neck humbucker solid body. What make and model is this guitar? Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Countless guitars have come and gone over the last 10 years but somehow this always recaptures the top spot.
And a more recent look
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I had a company building guitars for many years. We built this one specifically for me. It also has what I called "finger style spacing". 1 13/16" at the nut and 2 3/16" at the bridge. It's also a chambered body. Originally Posted by Tal_175
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#1 for 27 years now, it's been re-fretted a couple' times... '93 American Standard, it's got new tuners (locking, for faster string changes), and the pickups were swapped way back in the beginning (Texas Special neck and Rio Grande Muy Grande bridge), but otherwise stock.
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I rotate through a few.
Full hollow thin line with a set of AlumiTones:
My Tele with a Biltoff CC
My full sized hollow body with a floating Biltoff CC (excellent, BTW):
And my first guitar, a classical my Mom bought for me near Plaza Mayor forty years ago:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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My 575. Definitely my numero uno.
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I'm a "love the one you're with" type. Being blessed to have acquired a few nice gits I dutifully rotate them as much as possible.
Even though I had a rocky start with it and considered selling it off, after a bit of perseverance giving it some setup time my newer 335 is getting much of my play time split unevenly with my Pat Martino.
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If I'm being honest, my Number 1 is a custom built (by me) strat with a lightly quilted maple neck with a slab Brazilian rosewood board, abalone dots, compound radius 12"-16" and stainless steel frets. Pickups are Fender Texas Specials at neck and middle and a Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker at the bridge. To finish it, I had a photo of my True Number 1 laser engraved on the neck plate. This is a truly amazing guitar. While I adore my archtops for jazz, this Strat can do anything.
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Hey Guys, beautiful armaments here!
Who / what site do you use to host your beautiful images? I have photos, but Photobucket doesn't appeal to me anymore, they used to be free, but now just screw around with me.
Any free sites you can recommend. Thanks
Keep safe and keep playin'
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You can upload directly from a PC, dunno about phone or Mac. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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If I have to host images instead of upload, I use Google Drive. It's easy enough to make a directory public and keep everything else private. Or even just a file public, but I'm leery about that.
I should get around to taking pics of my #1, but I'm lazy, and prefer to play rather than take photos. Maybe later...
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You can upload photos from a Mac too. Sometimes it wants to turn the pics at a 90 degree angle, but it will upload. Go to "Your Message" at the bottom of this thread, pick the "Insert Image" icon and take it from there.
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#1 Guitar and #1 amp...back when it was safe to go outside and play with other boys and girls.
(Heritage H-555 & Heritage Liberty)
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My #1
1965 Gibson JS
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Holst Laminated Archtop (16"X2.75"):
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