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Pics and video to be posted soon.
Thursday:
My wife, son, and I arrived at the show thursday afternoon around 1pm. It wasn't as crowded as I expected. Unfortunately we only stayed about 2 hours because my son was a little overstimulated. We took a quick tour of the major booths, which I'll describle in detail a bit later. We said hello to our good friends Jeb and Kevin at Brubaker Guitars and left soon after.
Friday:
The Moser Custom Shop Party was the highlight of my trip. A brief history: Neal Moser is a luthier extraordinaire. He worked at BC Rich in the late 70's/early 80s, designed the BC Rich Bich and Virgin, started GMW Guitars with Lee Garver and Dan Lawrence, and recently opened the Moser Custom Shop. His crew is the old BC Rich crew. The REALLY make handmade guitars. Everything is hand carved. Neal's got a site and a forum and invited forum members and friends to his house and shop for a party.
There were about 20-30 people in attendance. Killer guitars were all over the house. I played the first Moser Scythe from back in the day and the first one out of the new MCS shop.
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics4.htm
I played a killer blue early 80s Bich 10 string:
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics9.htm
One of Neal's customers let me play one of the Bich PMS guitars that looks like this:
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics10.htm
We spent a lot of time in the woodshop and got to see all the guitars in progress. Sal, one of Neal's builders and a builder from the age of 12, gave us a neck making demo. This dude hand carved a neck in like 5 minutes in front of our eyes. Amazing. I have it all on video too!!! Mal Stich, another of Neal's crew told us a lot of great stories about BCR back in the day and explained in great detail how the MCS guitars are built.
I can't say enough good things about Neal, his wife, family, employees, and friends. They are truly nice people unlike those FUCKS at BC Rich, which you'll hear more of shortly.
Saturday:
My day at the show alone. Whoo hoo! Play time!!! Throughout the day I hung out with Jeb and basically talked a lot of shit
Dean Guitars:
Killer stuff again. Perfect fit, finish, and playability. These guys make great stuff and it's very consistent. The Hardtails are Heavy, the Cadillacs have small necks, the pointy guitars and flat out amazing. I taped another Michael Angelo performance. This time he played the double neck guitar. Damn. You'll just have to wait till I post the video.
Jackson Guitars:
As usual, Jackson had a great selection of custom shop guitars. Every finish and graphic you can think of were on display. Camoflauge, polka dot, nebula, ghost flames. I really payed attention to the neck profiles this time. The fit and finish was impeccable. No fuck ups here. There's a new line of USA Charvels out. Star body, strat body, etc. They even had a few *gasp* strathead Charvels on display that played like buttah. Hell, even the import Jacksons, especially the SLS Solosit were killer. Hats off to Jackson for great guitars.
Peavey:
These guys had a new Explorer meets Destroyer guitar. Wonderful necks and finishes. I think these will be in the $700 and under price range but were great players. the new JSX amp was on display but I didn't play it; however I heard it non stop. It sounds like Satch. It's based in the XXX with less gain and other tweaks. I really like the XXX. The Cruch and Ultra are very different and VERY usable. Peavey also released a 300 watt all tube head thats basically a XXX with more power and selectable power. To me it was darker and muddier than the XXX.
Ibanez:
Nothing special here. Some neck thrus, some Icemen and Destroyers. Nice guitars but nothing mind blowing.
Diezel:
I liked these amps less than last year but they're still killer. Way too pricey for me but still very nice. Peter Diezel is a very nice guy and very helpful.
Laney:
I didn't try any amps but I got my picture taken with Paul Gilbert.
ESP:
These fuckers had all the ESP guitars strapped to the wall so you couldn't play them. Can you say LAME??? Of course the LTD's weren't strapped to the wall. Dave Mustaine, Tom Araya, and George Lynch signed for HOURS and you couldn't get in the booth without waiting forever. I peeked in and left. Mustaine looks shorter than you'd think. There were some nice finishes on their guitars but you'd think they'd let you PLAY the damn things. Jeebus.
BC Rich:
Fuck them. FUCK THEM ALL TO HELL. On thursday a very nice lady at the booth talked to me and my wife as I played some of their "handmade" guitars. On saturday I wanted to spend some time with the "handmade" guitars to really check out the quality of the new Ohio Custom Shop. As I was playing a gold Bich, some fat, balding, FUCKHEAD from BC Rich, comes up to me and says "please don't play the Handmades". Motherfucker. Motherfucker, I say!
So I stand up, look down at him and say "dude, I have 3 of your handmade guitars, and one of them is a NAMM Show guitar". He then says "oh, oh, okay, you can play them". I just cut him off and said "whatever, goodbye" and walked away sooooo fucking pissed. I get to play their guitars because I met a quota? Fuck them. They just lost a customer for life. And for the record guys, LEARN TO SET THE FUCKING ACTION ON YOUR GUITARS. LEARN HOW TO NOT DO SLOPPY BINDING. BE NICE TO YOUR FUCKING CUSTOMERS. I seriously considering slapping that guy. If you don't want the guitars played, put a sign up. Don't display them. Anyways....
EMG Pickups:
Some of the coolest people around. Can't say enough good things about their pickups and customer service.
VHT Amps:
I really wanted to like the high end heads. Alas, they're just not for me. Too brittle and tight up front. They're very high quality, just not for me. Scratch that one off the list.
Framus:
Holy crap. What a freaking amp!!! The Framus Cobra is awesome!!! El 34s. 3 Channels. Imaging a Recto without any flub, a sizzling high end notch switches of death. I love this amp.
Bogner:
The Bogner Uberschall is amazing. 2 Channels, super high gain. It's very warm and articulate. I spoke with the Bogner folks for a while and they were very informative. Hell, I even bought an Uberschall shirt. This amp sounds great at all gain levels. Great job on the amps, guys!!!
Gibson:
3,000 Les Pauls.
Marshall:
Wall of Marshalls. Literally.
Around 5:15pm on saturday I get back to the Brubaker Booth and my very friend Jebb is jamming with Reverend Jones and Amy Shugar from Michael Schenker's touring band. I took some pics and filmed most of the jam. Rev and Amy are very very cool and laid back and both are great players.
People I met and celebrity sightings:
Vernon Reid was behind me at the concession stand.
Got my pic taken with Scott Ian
Walked by Warren DiMartini
Walked by Vinnie and Carmine Appice about a minute after I saw Warren
Saw Robert Sweet of Stryper waiting in line for Paul Stanley
Saw Joe Satriani at the Peavey booth
Walked by Steve Vai on my way to EMG
Saw George Lynch, Tom Araya, and Dave Mustaine in the ESP Booth
Chatted with Metal Mike Chlasciak
Stood in line near Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer at LAX
I'm probably forgetting something or someone. Pics and video soon!!!
Thursday:
My wife, son, and I arrived at the show thursday afternoon around 1pm. It wasn't as crowded as I expected. Unfortunately we only stayed about 2 hours because my son was a little overstimulated. We took a quick tour of the major booths, which I'll describle in detail a bit later. We said hello to our good friends Jeb and Kevin at Brubaker Guitars and left soon after.
Friday:
The Moser Custom Shop Party was the highlight of my trip. A brief history: Neal Moser is a luthier extraordinaire. He worked at BC Rich in the late 70's/early 80s, designed the BC Rich Bich and Virgin, started GMW Guitars with Lee Garver and Dan Lawrence, and recently opened the Moser Custom Shop. His crew is the old BC Rich crew. The REALLY make handmade guitars. Everything is hand carved. Neal's got a site and a forum and invited forum members and friends to his house and shop for a party.
There were about 20-30 people in attendance. Killer guitars were all over the house. I played the first Moser Scythe from back in the day and the first one out of the new MCS shop.
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics4.htm
I played a killer blue early 80s Bich 10 string:
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics9.htm
One of Neal's customers let me play one of the Bich PMS guitars that looks like this:
www.nealmoser.com/guitarpics10.htm
We spent a lot of time in the woodshop and got to see all the guitars in progress. Sal, one of Neal's builders and a builder from the age of 12, gave us a neck making demo. This dude hand carved a neck in like 5 minutes in front of our eyes. Amazing. I have it all on video too!!! Mal Stich, another of Neal's crew told us a lot of great stories about BCR back in the day and explained in great detail how the MCS guitars are built.
I can't say enough good things about Neal, his wife, family, employees, and friends. They are truly nice people unlike those FUCKS at BC Rich, which you'll hear more of shortly.
Saturday:
My day at the show alone. Whoo hoo! Play time!!! Throughout the day I hung out with Jeb and basically talked a lot of shit
Dean Guitars:
Killer stuff again. Perfect fit, finish, and playability. These guys make great stuff and it's very consistent. The Hardtails are Heavy, the Cadillacs have small necks, the pointy guitars and flat out amazing. I taped another Michael Angelo performance. This time he played the double neck guitar. Damn. You'll just have to wait till I post the video.
Jackson Guitars:
As usual, Jackson had a great selection of custom shop guitars. Every finish and graphic you can think of were on display. Camoflauge, polka dot, nebula, ghost flames. I really payed attention to the neck profiles this time. The fit and finish was impeccable. No fuck ups here. There's a new line of USA Charvels out. Star body, strat body, etc. They even had a few *gasp* strathead Charvels on display that played like buttah. Hell, even the import Jacksons, especially the SLS Solosit were killer. Hats off to Jackson for great guitars.
Peavey:
These guys had a new Explorer meets Destroyer guitar. Wonderful necks and finishes. I think these will be in the $700 and under price range but were great players. the new JSX amp was on display but I didn't play it; however I heard it non stop. It sounds like Satch. It's based in the XXX with less gain and other tweaks. I really like the XXX. The Cruch and Ultra are very different and VERY usable. Peavey also released a 300 watt all tube head thats basically a XXX with more power and selectable power. To me it was darker and muddier than the XXX.
Ibanez:
Nothing special here. Some neck thrus, some Icemen and Destroyers. Nice guitars but nothing mind blowing.
Diezel:
I liked these amps less than last year but they're still killer. Way too pricey for me but still very nice. Peter Diezel is a very nice guy and very helpful.
Laney:
I didn't try any amps but I got my picture taken with Paul Gilbert.
ESP:
These fuckers had all the ESP guitars strapped to the wall so you couldn't play them. Can you say LAME??? Of course the LTD's weren't strapped to the wall. Dave Mustaine, Tom Araya, and George Lynch signed for HOURS and you couldn't get in the booth without waiting forever. I peeked in and left. Mustaine looks shorter than you'd think. There were some nice finishes on their guitars but you'd think they'd let you PLAY the damn things. Jeebus.
BC Rich:
Fuck them. FUCK THEM ALL TO HELL. On thursday a very nice lady at the booth talked to me and my wife as I played some of their "handmade" guitars. On saturday I wanted to spend some time with the "handmade" guitars to really check out the quality of the new Ohio Custom Shop. As I was playing a gold Bich, some fat, balding, FUCKHEAD from BC Rich, comes up to me and says "please don't play the Handmades". Motherfucker. Motherfucker, I say!
So I stand up, look down at him and say "dude, I have 3 of your handmade guitars, and one of them is a NAMM Show guitar". He then says "oh, oh, okay, you can play them". I just cut him off and said "whatever, goodbye" and walked away sooooo fucking pissed. I get to play their guitars because I met a quota? Fuck them. They just lost a customer for life. And for the record guys, LEARN TO SET THE FUCKING ACTION ON YOUR GUITARS. LEARN HOW TO NOT DO SLOPPY BINDING. BE NICE TO YOUR FUCKING CUSTOMERS. I seriously considering slapping that guy. If you don't want the guitars played, put a sign up. Don't display them. Anyways....
EMG Pickups:
Some of the coolest people around. Can't say enough good things about their pickups and customer service.
VHT Amps:
I really wanted to like the high end heads. Alas, they're just not for me. Too brittle and tight up front. They're very high quality, just not for me. Scratch that one off the list.
Framus:
Holy crap. What a freaking amp!!! The Framus Cobra is awesome!!! El 34s. 3 Channels. Imaging a Recto without any flub, a sizzling high end notch switches of death. I love this amp.
Bogner:
The Bogner Uberschall is amazing. 2 Channels, super high gain. It's very warm and articulate. I spoke with the Bogner folks for a while and they were very informative. Hell, I even bought an Uberschall shirt. This amp sounds great at all gain levels. Great job on the amps, guys!!!
Gibson:
3,000 Les Pauls.
Marshall:
Wall of Marshalls. Literally.
Around 5:15pm on saturday I get back to the Brubaker Booth and my very friend Jebb is jamming with Reverend Jones and Amy Shugar from Michael Schenker's touring band. I took some pics and filmed most of the jam. Rev and Amy are very very cool and laid back and both are great players.
People I met and celebrity sightings:
Vernon Reid was behind me at the concession stand.
Got my pic taken with Scott Ian
Walked by Warren DiMartini
Walked by Vinnie and Carmine Appice about a minute after I saw Warren
Saw Robert Sweet of Stryper waiting in line for Paul Stanley
Saw Joe Satriani at the Peavey booth
Walked by Steve Vai on my way to EMG
Saw George Lynch, Tom Araya, and Dave Mustaine in the ESP Booth
Chatted with Metal Mike Chlasciak
Stood in line near Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer at LAX
I'm probably forgetting something or someone. Pics and video soon!!!
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