Incoming This Week GB10 **Update***

[Doctor Jeff]

That is a beaut!

You are a long way from Dave…probably best you don’t live near there, this might become habit-forming.

[yebdox]

Can't go wrong with a GB10. Would never let go of mine, fabulous neck, incredibly stable, versatile guitar, consistently solid workmanship. (Although I still haven't found a use for the bridge pickup.)

[Oscar67]

Although I still haven't found a use for the bridge pickup.

Oh, I’m so glad it’s on there. I use the dual pickup setting for funk. And the bridge with the tone rolled back a bit for stuff like Windy & Warm or whenever a whiff of twang is needed. The GB10 excels at pretty much anything that doesn’t require distortion.

[ruger9]

Oh, I’m so glad it’s on there. I use the dual pickup setting for funk. And the bridge with the tone rolled back a bit for stuff like Windy & Warm or whenever a whiff of twang is needed. The GB10 excels at pretty much anything that doesn’t require distortion.

Speaking of "distortion"... how do the floaters react (or "do") amp overdrive? I'm not talking rock, I'm talking like Charlie Christian or Kenny Burrell.... when you hit it hard, the amp distorts a little. Do the floaters do that was well as mounted pickups?

[Oscar67]

Speaking of "distortion"... how do the floaters react (or "do") amp overdrive? I'm not talking rock, I'm talking like Charlie Christian or Kenny Burrell.... when you hit it hard, the amp distorts a little. Do the floaters do that was well as mounted pickups?

That’s mostly a personal preference. I think the GB10 works well with a tiny bit of hair but that’s just me. Doesn’t sound the same as a mounted PAF, floaters do have a different voice, but I like it.

[yebdox]

Oh, I’m so glad it’s on there. I use the dual pickup setting for funk. And the bridge with the tone rolled back a bit for stuff like Windy & Warm or whenever a whiff of twang is needed. The GB10 excels at pretty much anything that doesn’t require distortion.

I get it. I just like the neck tone so much that I can't quite picture using the guitar any other way, but I'm glad people get some use out of the bridge. I have a limited vision at times, but that's what my other guitars are for. Maybe I will work on Windy and Warm (although I would probably pick up a case of Gretsch-itis that needed to be scratched.)

[Cunamara]

Speaking of "distortion"... how do the floaters react (or "do") amp overdrive? I'm not talking rock, I'm talking like Charlie Christian or Kenny Burrell.... when you hit it hard, the amp distorts a little. Do the floaters do that was well as mounted pickups?

The Ibanez floating pick ups for the GB line tend to be pretty hot, so they push the front end of the amp when the volume knobs are wide open. I would say the sound is somewhere between a full-size humbucker and a P-90/DeArmond, particularly when you push the amp into having just a little bit of hair on the notes.

[jzucker]

sweet. After all the dust has settled on my various archtops, the GB10 is probably my favorite.

[Skip Ellis]

[QUOTE=jzucker;1327513]sweet. After all the dust has settled on my various archtops, the GB10 is probably my favorite.[/QUOTE
First archtop I've been able to bond with

[Oscar67]

Mine’s always had an acoustic rattle on certain bass notes that I’ve been unable to trace, but at least it wasn’t heard through the amp. As in: past tense. Recently I did start hearing obnoxious rattles through the amp. Upon inspection of the neck pickup, two of the four globs of solder used to attach the pickup cover to the base plate are broken. Same with bridge pickup. So the cover vibrates sympathetically and because it’s metal, it’s heard through the amp. Nothing that can’t be fixed, but not good.

[Cunamara]

It is funny that this thread should pop up again, as I just dug out my GB10 last night to play it for a while. It has been languishing a bit since I bought the ES-175 a year ago. I also put a Pete Biltoft floater on my 17" archtop. It made that guitar sound great but between those two I've been ignoring the GB10. Today I played on it some more and felt it sounded a little "snare drum" compared to the other two archtops. By that I mean the response is very quick and crisp like the difference between a snare drum and a floor tom. I had installed John Pearse Jazz 0.012 strings on the archtop and really liked the results of that in combination with the new pickup, so today I put those on the GB10, as well. It's interesting how the heavier strings seem to have a stronger fundamental and less overtones, so it reduces the snare drum-like crispness and quickness just a little bit. I like it. Will give the strings a little time to break in and lose some of that new string sound.

It remains a wonderful and versatile guitar. Skip, how are you getting along with yours?

[Skip Ellis]

"......It remains a wonderful and versatile guitar. Skip, how are you getting along with yours?"

I still like it although I haven't been playing much lately. I've actually thought of changing out the Chromes for GHS 11-52 nickel burnished rockers and maybe play more 'Chet' stuff which was my first love. It's still a great guitar, though - no doubt about it.