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View Full Version : MY D'Aquisto Centura



luvmyshiner
March 21st, 2008, 09:40 PM
I didn't want to say anything until she arrived. Y'all remember what happened to the last Centura I bought.:cry:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/PC030003.jpg

Last Friday I won this beauty on ebay:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/d844_1.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/d90b_1.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/dc46_1.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/e15e_1.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/e192_1.jpg

A Benedetto floating pickup was added, and a luthier later made a larger pick guard to include both volume and a tone pot.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/d955_1.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/d9f8_1.jpg

Now, she was shipped via UPS, even though I offered to pay the extra to ship her USPS. I would love to tell you UPS got it right this time. But they didn't.:reallymad:

Fortunately, the only damage was that the glue gave where the pick guard was glued to the support brace. No biggie, it's something I can fix myself, AND I WILL. I WILL NOT LET UPS GET THEIR FILTHY HANDS ON THIS BEAUTY AGAIN.

Otherwise, she is mint. We're in Houston right now without my camera. But give me a few days and we'll have pics.

warren0728
March 21st, 2008, 09:57 PM
that is sweet...congrats! :drool: :drool: :drool:

ww

Robert
March 21st, 2008, 10:22 PM
Dang, that is sweet! Legendary brand!

Kodiak3D
March 21st, 2008, 10:31 PM
Very unique! I've never seen anything like that. Truly a beauty. :dude:

SuperSwede
March 22nd, 2008, 12:55 AM
:drool: oooohhhhhhhh

Justaguyin_nc
March 22nd, 2008, 02:14 AM
Wow, blow me away... that is one sweeeeet looking geetar!

Congrats!

street music
March 22nd, 2008, 04:41 AM
Shiner , Are you and CB hitting the road soon on that world tour? Just Kiddin"
That's a nice one, enjoy!

tot_Ou_tard
March 22nd, 2008, 05:49 AM
:drool: :drool: Abso-freakin' gorgeous, Shiner! :drool: :drool:


I'm glad that you can fix the guitar. If only we could fix UPS :saw:

just strum
March 22nd, 2008, 05:59 AM
Very, very cool!!!!

We will have to chat later. I'm sure it's a busy morning for both of us.

You got yourself a gem.:AOK: :AOK: :AOK:

Guitar Gal
March 22nd, 2008, 09:04 AM
Very nice Shiner :D

I'm sure you will take very good care of her now that she is safe in your hands :DR


GG

Steve206
March 22nd, 2008, 11:19 AM
Shiner,,

I guess good things do come to those who wait,,,,,,,,,,,

Steve

wingsdad
March 22nd, 2008, 11:36 AM
Ditto THAT, "206".

Yeah, Shiner, it looks like in the long run, you've scored an even better Centura than the 1st, with that floating pcikup, 'cuz now you've got the option to plug her in. :AOK:

Congrats on what looks like a gorgeous and glorious happy ending to your quest :)

Kazz
March 22nd, 2008, 01:23 PM
Way cool Shiner..can't wait to see more pix.

luvmyshiner
March 22nd, 2008, 02:44 PM
Thanks y'all. It's killing me that I haven't been able to play her yet because of the disconnected pick guard hanging from a wire. But fortunately the boy has been keeping us busy. We hit the Houston Museum of Natural Science today and saw the "Lucy" exhibit. It was outstanding. Definitely a once in a lifetime kind of thing. And the Centura will be waiting for me to fix when we get home tomorrow, so it's all good.:beer:

The boy's taking us out for sushi tonight, then we'll be cracking open a new bottle of Rowan's Creek Kentucky bourbon! Life is good in Houston, Texas.:dude:

just strum
March 22nd, 2008, 02:53 PM
We hit the Houston Museum of Natural Science today and saw the "Lucy" exhibit. It was outstanding. Definitely a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

And I thought they had buried her. I guess I should start reading People Magazine.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/i-love-lucy-114.jpg

warren0728
March 22nd, 2008, 03:45 PM
And the Centura will be waiting for me to fix when we get home tomorrow, so it's all good.

so you got yourself a roll of duct tape then i hope... :AOK:


then we'll be cracking open a new bottle of Rowan's Creek Kentucky bourbon! Life is good in Houston, Texas.:dude:
cheers!! -----> \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ <----- drinks for everybody! :beer:

ww

strumsalot
March 22nd, 2008, 03:58 PM
Congrats on the guit Shiner, I know you've wanted one of these for a very long time. I can't believe the luck you have with UPS. Oh well, bring it to Pearl so we can check it out.

luvmyshiner
March 22nd, 2008, 07:24 PM
so you got yourself a roll of duct tape then i hope... :AOK:


cheers!! -----> \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ <----- drinks for everybody! :beer:

ww

Got a couple of rolls Warren, just in case.:AOK: But I think I'll wait till tomorrow when I'm not drinkin' to get started.:beer:


Congrats on the guit Shiner, I know you've wanted one of these for a very long time. I can't believe the luck you have with UPS. Oh well, bring it to Pearl so we can check it out.

Will do Chad. I'll have her as good as new by next weekend.;)

spt
March 23rd, 2008, 09:30 AM
Thanks for sharing the pics...
Looks like it was worth waiting for. Nice catch!
Interesting bridge. I assume it's original but did not notice it on the first one...

mrmudcat
March 23rd, 2008, 10:19 AM
:master: Wow!!!

luvmyshiner
March 23rd, 2008, 12:00 PM
Thanks for sharing the pics...
Looks like it was worth waiting for. Nice catch!
Interesting bridge. I assume it's original but did not notice it on the first one...

Yeah, it's a floating bridge Spt. And it incorporates the original "accutone" bridge designed by Jimmy D'Aquisto. I'm not sure how it works just yet, but as I understand it, by moving the actual saddle in or out, you can "in theory" create near perfect intonation at any point on the fretboard. I'm sure I'll have to play around with it awhile to figure it out.

Katastrophe
March 23rd, 2008, 02:10 PM
*gulp*:drool:

Stunning guitfiddle, Shiner! Looks like the second time was the charm!

luvmyshiner
March 23rd, 2008, 03:55 PM
Ok, here's a quick picture of repairs in progress. I think my digital camera is finally biting the dust so I apologize for the quality. And Kazz, sorry for desecrating the pool table, but it makes such a great workbench.:beer: :beer:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/P3230006.jpg

duhvoodooman
March 23rd, 2008, 04:08 PM
That's a stunning looking instrument, Shiner! Can't wait to see more pix....

Simon
March 24th, 2008, 12:32 AM
That's good to see - happy for you, Shiner!!

evenkeel
March 24th, 2008, 04:21 PM
Wowie, Zowie!!! That's a beauty. Congrats

sunvalleylaw
March 24th, 2008, 04:52 PM
Nice Shiner! What a beautiful guitar! Glad UPS didn't muck it up too badly. i didn't know they bunged stuff up so much until reading here how people have been getting so much damaged stuff.

just strum
March 24th, 2008, 05:05 PM
I'm surprised at what I've read here about UPS. I know when I have something shipped I request UPS. Sweetwater uses FedEx and they have a note on my account that states "must ship UPS, will not accept FedEx". My issue with FedEx is everything that comes from them is late or they claim they were here and no one was home. I later find out they went to the wrong house and left the notice several houses down the street. As for USPS, it seems that they take two weeks.

Everyone seems to have their preferred carrier.

warren0728
March 24th, 2008, 05:12 PM
there's a guitar shop here in orlando that sells only used, vintage gear that has a statement on their homepage that they refuse to ship any items via ups....

http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/3547e83519724c2.gif (http://www.thefret.net/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=421)

guess that sums it up....

ww

Childbride
March 24th, 2008, 06:17 PM
:D

shiner found a grounding wire that had come loose while doing his repairs... he went to radio shack today to get a soldering iron for that and his amph project...

i hear tuning and strumming in the other room... [oooohhh she sounds like butter]

i see more pics in the near future... and a VERY relieved and happy husband! :AOK:

o... now she's playing plugged... happy shiner house!

just strum
March 24th, 2008, 06:36 PM
:D

shiner found a grounding wire that had come loose while doing his repairs... he went to radio shack today to get a soldering iron for that and his amph project...

i hear tuning and strumming in the other room... [oooohhh she sounds like butter]

i see more pics in the near future... and a VERY relieved and happy husband! :AOK:

o... now she's playing plugged... happy shiner house!

And the Tele?

street music
March 24th, 2008, 07:23 PM
Shiner, one of my co-workers plays mandolin, Gibson, with the moveable bridge. He had me take it to a local luthier to have the intonation set for a show he was playing in. That was the first time that I ever got to see anyone work with setting the intonation on such a instrument. He even went tothe point of marking a line with lead pencil on it just incase the bridge moved from some ruff pickin. I never dreamed there was so much to one little bridge but I bet that Centurion sounds great when you get it correct.:rockon:

luvmyshiner
March 24th, 2008, 07:31 PM
Well, got the pick guard brace glued back on, fixed the broken solder on the grounding wire, and she's up and running. So now for my friends on the fret, a little guitar porn.:bravo:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240001.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240002.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240003.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240004.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240005.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240006.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240011.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240013.jpg

luvmyshiner
March 24th, 2008, 07:32 PM
Now, for a few initial observations.

She sounds unbelievable. Very thick and husky, yet mellow and powerful. Like a beautiful woman who smokes too much. She's almost as loud unplugged as she is plugged in. I've got some new flat wound medium gauge jazz strings I'll put on her this weekend.

The problems are all related to the modifications made by the previous owner. First, the volume knobs extend above the strings, and are placed right where I like to play the strings, which means my fingers keep running into them.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240007.jpg

Second, the owner originally installed the pickup with just a volume knob, but then later decided he need both volume and tone. So he had a larger pick guard made and installed the tone pot. He was kind enough to send the original pick guard and you can see the difference.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240012.jpg

The problem is the new pick guard is thicker than the original, and since it extends farther, it rises to the point that the pick guard is almost parallel to the strings. Hopefully you can see it in this picture.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/My%20DAquisto/P3240010.jpg

I appreciate the fact that he had enough sense not to start drilling holes in this beautiful guitar. But I can't help but feel there is a better solution. In a worst case scenario I could just take her back to a straight acoustic, or go back to the original pick guard and just leave out the volume and tone pot. No more then I play amped, it really wouldn't be a problem. Or I could try to figure out a creative way to move the controls without doing anything stupid like drilling holes in her.

I figure I need to just play her and get a feel for her before making any decisions, but if any of my fellow fretters have a few ideas, I'd love to here them.

Bottom line, she is worth every penny I paid for her AND I may still get to do a few mods.:bravo:

warren0728
March 24th, 2008, 07:41 PM
man that is a beautiful guitar....is there anyway to use the original pickguard and keep the tone and volume knobs.....maybe make a new pickguard with shorter shaft pots to lower there "presence" :drool: :drool: :drool: "

anyway you look at it it is a beautiful instrument!!

ww

strumsalot
March 24th, 2008, 07:47 PM
Looking good Shiner! :AOK: Can't wait to see it!

luvmyshiner
March 24th, 2008, 08:03 PM
Interesting thought Warren. I would actually prefer to have the controls closer to the neck, maybe even on the other side of the pickup. One problem is they would have to be very thin. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the pots actually have felt on the bottom to keep them from scratching the guitar top.

Chad, she'll be coming with us to Pearl in a couple of weeks.:bravo:

Dreadman
March 24th, 2008, 10:33 PM
Nice ride man!

If you wouldn't mind a wider pickguard or one with a unique shape you could always make a new one that holds the pots over (into) the soundhole. You can get it pretty low that way.

Kazz
March 25th, 2008, 05:04 AM
Shiner...I used my pool table the weekend before last when I was working on Jordan's strat.

evenkeel
March 25th, 2008, 05:53 AM
Now, for a few initial observations.I figure I need to just play her and get a feel for her before making any decisions, but if any of my fellow fretters have a few ideas, I'd love to here them.
:bravo:

Shiner,
She's such a beauty. I think you are 100% right. For a while just play her, don't do a thing. Once you get a better feel for her then decide what, if anything, you want to do. Funny, how doing nothing is very often the right thing to do.

mrmudcat
March 25th, 2008, 06:04 AM
Nice ride man!

If you wouldn't mind a wider pickguard or one with a unique shape you could always make a new one that holds the pots over (into) the soundhole. You can get it pretty low that way.


Great idea .The pots being placed where they are is the problem.I have even seen the knobs (wheels) inside the soundhole even with or right on the edge underneath:rockon:

luvmyshiner
March 25th, 2008, 08:09 AM
Nice ride man!

If you wouldn't mind a wider pickguard or one with a unique shape you could always make a new one that holds the pots over (into) the soundhole. You can get it pretty low that way.

Now that's a thought Dread. I still have the original pick guard so I can always take her back to stock as long as I don't make any permanent modifications. Installing a new pick guard certainly wouldn't be permanent.


Shiner...I used my pool table the weekend before last when I was working on Jordan's strat.

Heh, heh, unfortunately most of my projects end up there at one point or another Kazz.:D


Shiner,
She's such a beauty. I think you are 100% right. For a while just play her, don't do a thing. Once you get a better feel for her then decide what, if anything, you want to do. Funny, how doing nothing is very often the right thing to do.

That's the plan Evenkeel. I ain't doin' nothin' till I get used to her. By the way, welcome back. How was the Bahamas?

sunvalleylaw
March 25th, 2008, 08:29 AM
Yeah, don't do anything but turn up your amph more! You gotta get some screaming solos out of that thing that are louder than it is acoustically! (Maniacal laughter fades into the distance. LOL!!) Looks beautiful! Can't wait to see what you decide to do ultimately, and of course, to hear some clips. :-)

evenkeel
March 25th, 2008, 09:16 AM
That's the plan Evenkeel. I ain't doin' nothin' till I get used to her. By the way, welcome back. How was the Bahamas?

Had a great time. Posted some stories and pics over on the washie forum. Cruise on over and check it out.

Tone2TheBone
March 25th, 2008, 01:59 PM
Sorry I'm late to the party. Nice geetar. Very unique.