Wow...sounds like a good time!
This week was wet and muddy here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I work outside quite a bit (I work for the big, bad cable company that is now associated with the peacock symbol), and therefore get wet and muddy myself quite often. It can be pretty miserable, and I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there who can relate. Nothing works right in the rain; your fingers get dirty and wet, and everything is slippery and hard to work with. I've been living in the Northwest long enough that I should've stopped complaining many, many years ago...but I haven't.
I had a job, the last job of the night that entailed replacing an aerial drop (service line) in my customer's back yard. I was there with another tech, a tech that had the original job that I was helping out. We were there for almost two hours, for reasons that I won't go into. Now so far, that probably doesn't sound like a rewarding experience, does it? And now, as Andy Rooney says, here's the rest of the story:
When I was in my customer's house, I noticed a headstock sticking out from behind a chair. It was a Guild, and I commented that you don't see that many Guilds around anymore. That, of course, triggered a conversation. My customer is a guitar player that's been playing for many years, and he said, "You have to see the basement", which should have made the serial killer red flag go up, but of course I didn't even blink an eye. In his basement he has no less than three old Fender Blackfaces, an old Sears tube amp that looks insane, and a fine selection of nice axes. Not the serial killer kind, either. He has a beautiful Guild archtop, a sweet Strat, and the coup de grace; a 1956 Les Paul Junior. The finish was well-aged, and very cracked everywhere, as it was when he bought it. Still...a beauty. And I got to touch it! I wouldn't have presumed to try and play it, my playing would have embarrassed us both, but I did get to fondle it adoringly.
That made my week. That, and the fact that he invited me to drop in and jam on Saturdays, when he has a bass player friend over. I think I'd better spend some time polishing up my chops first, so I don't break down in tears from sheer mortification.
It was amazing to see so much cool vintage stuff in one room, where nothing had a price tag, and there was no obnoxious salesperson. I have to go back, even if I don’t play, just so I can hear him play and bathe in the vintage vibes.
-Sean
Guitars: Lots.
Amphs: More than last year.
Pedals: Many, although I go straight from guitar to amp more often lately.
Wow...sounds like a good time!
-Kodiak
Guitars:
Washburn Idol 64 DL w/GFS Dream 180 pups
Washburn X-33 w/GFS 60's-70's Grey Bottom Non Stagger Overwound
Stagg G300 SG w/GFS Power Rails
Art & Lutherie Acoustic
That was a day worth going to work! Cool that you got to hold such a vintage guitar, and even cooler that he invited you back.
You did wash your hands, didn't you?
Guitars
Wilburn Versatare, '52 FrankenTele(Fender licensed parts), Fender USA Roadhouse Strat, Fender USA Standard B-bender Telecaster, Agile AL 3000 w/ WCR pickups, Ibanez MIJ V300 Acoustic, Squier Precision Bass,
Amps
Ceriatone Overtone Special, Musicman 212 Sixty-Five, Fender Blues Jr., Peavey Classic 30, Fender Super Reverb, Traynor YCV-40 WR Anniversary w/ matching 1x12 ext. cab, Epiphone SoCal 50w head w/ matching 4x12 cab (Lady Luck speakers), Avatar 2x12 semi-open back cab w/ Celestion speakers
Pedals
Digitech Bad Monkey, Digitech Jamman, DVM's ZYS, Goodrich volume pedal
Amazing story, and you get to go back!
I can't wait to get back to a job, even if it doesn't have cool vintage toys!
Guitar: Gibson SG Standard Natural Burst, Squier CV 50's Tele, Hell Guitars No. 2, Squier CV 50's Strat, Reverend Club King 290, Taylor 522e 12-Fret mahogany,
Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Short Scale
Amp: Fender Super Champ X2 Head, Egnater Tweaker 15, Fender Mustang I, Acoustic B20 1x12 bass amp
Pedal: Budda Budwah wah, Wampler Ego Compressor, Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Wampler Velvet Fuzz, Seven Sisters Eve Tremolo, TC Electronics Gravy Tri Chorus & Vibrato, Catalinbread Echorec, TC Electronic Alter Ego 2 Delay, Hardwire Supernatural Ambient Verb, MXR Carbon Copy, Catalinbread RAH, Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker, BYOC Mouse 2.0 Distortion, BYOC Boost/OD-2
Great story Frank, I meet a lot of great people while working in the field too. It's great to meet others who play.