What Happened To The Defective Gibson Custom Shop R0? KYG Guitar Podcast

[@baileywatts1304]

Phil, I hear you saying that you really appreciate us all staying all the way till the end, but I gotta say, i truly appreciate you having all the questions indexed. I usually listen to around 85% of the show every week, and being able find the stuff I find really neat, or especially to go back to the start of a section if I a doing something else and need to go back to listen to part again. It's really good, and honestly it makes a two hour podcast a lot easier to enjoy. Thank you.

[@aukinotanga4530]

i agree with everything you say. On the timestamps though, i find there are questions and discussions between the timestamps that are interesting thats not included :) Just be aware you may miss that but yeah timestamps are great for the important stuff.

[@baileywatts1304]

@@aukinotanga4530 will keep in mind and keep watching

[@gutsrage9616]

Hey Phil glad to see your doing better but get some more rest man you need some time to recover don't push yourself to hard 🙂

[@jfrankcarr]

On tuning stability, look at the stringing technique first. I've had a many a guitar brought to me where the owner said, "It won't stay in tune" and the problem was that it wasn't strung right.

[@MooreMusicGuitars]

Phillip, thank you for the kind words about your experience with us, even though the guitar had issues. Any time we can help you in the future, we would love to.

[@donttalktome4696]

New guitars always inspire me to write and learn more music. Just got a PRS SE 2408 based on your video and love it. Thanks Phil!

[@edc3093]

Phil, I am so sorry that you have had a negative experience with your Gibson Custom Shop Historic R0 which you discuss at 12:56. I've purchased three Gibson guitars over the past four years - sight unseen. The first guitar is a 2018 Gibson Les Paul Standard Mojave Burst. While the finish may not be absolutely perfect, the playability is perfect. I purchased it from GC. I have no complaints about that guitar and enjoy playing it. The second guitar is a 2020 Gibson 60th anniversary custom shop R0 Historic Reissue VOS v3 in Bourbon Burst. That guitar also came from GC and was delivered in absolutely perfect playing condition. It was a present for my birthday and I have enjoyed playing it immensely. The last guitar is the new Gibson ES-335 dot "the timeless tradition" in Gloss Olive Drab. While it is not a Custom Shop or limited edition guitar, it is available only for purchase directly from Gibson . Gibson made the entire process easy. I received the guitar approximately 10 days from ordering it and it was delivered by a nationally-recognized carrier, who even took care to stand it up gently when he came to my door. The guitar was delivered in perfect condition. The setup was/is absolutely perfect and it plays and sounds outstanding. This is my first ES-335 and now I understand why some guitar players have exclusively played the ES-335. I enjoy playing all three Gibson guitars immensely. I'm sorry that you and others that have not had good fortune in purchasing their Gibson guitars but my experiences have been much better.

[@kevincorbin9875]

Glad you're doing better, Phil. I lost my brother to COVID last week, so I know it's no joke. Take care, and glad to see you back on your feet.

[@MrMd5555]

Man, that sucks to hear. Sorry for your loss & sending thoughts & prayers your way

[@viperocco]

Love my mustang micro. Very versatile, plugs right into my Mac and works great with GarageBand. Also the Bluetooth feature is useful.

[@ImprobableJoe]

I'm with you on the modding guitars... I've seen too many people over the years online ordering a budget new guitar and a bunch of upgrades, and to me it is just nonsense. Play your guitar, live with it with the rest of your gear, keep the stuff that works and upgrade the stuff that doesn't with a specific goal in mind. Adjust the pickup heights, make sure the intonation is right and the nut is cut correctly. Change the strings a few times before you spend $500 on new pickups.

[@eddepreist9178]

I enjoyed your talk on finding inspiration without spending on big ticket new gear. I've always loved the sound of slide guitar but never felt comfortable with a full slide. After watching your review of the Black Mountain slide ring I thought "why not". Got one and tried it on my acoustic/electric tuned to open D. The light bulbs started popping and the grin was on. After pulling the phosphor/bronze 9s and putting on DR "Pure Blues" pure nickel 10s it got so much better. So for under $50 I helped ease the GAS for awhile.

[@aaronwebb1548]

Glad you're well man, sending love to you and the family. I'd be interested to see what Peavey decided to do with this new amp line. I've got two of the old Peavey Vypyrs, a VIP1 (20 watts) and the old tube powered 60 watt version. The sanpera pedal makes them crazy versatile. They're pretty brilliant, though I've had a knob break and replacements are impossible to find, so the little one's got an odd knob. That and the VIP1 has some trouble with the knobs being digital, they turn faster than the settings actually change, faster than the lights move on the dial. Overall I think the older model has been far more reliable, but weighs 5 times as much and I've used the little one to play outdoors at a wedding no problem. They can take quite a beating too, which is nice as a punk playing around in garages and such. Thanks for all you do Phil, stay free and rock on!

[@csbartholow]

Glad you are back! Really glad to hear you and your wife got through Covid alright. I really enjoy watching your show for your honest insight and advice. Take care and stay well.

[@Virtual-Media]

As a casual viewer for some time, I never realized how valuable this channel was. After a few videos all the way through I’m excited about actually learning the art and skills of a luthier.

[@atonofspiders]

Watched this video over the last 4 days, thank you Phil, for the great discussion and great outlook.

[@jerryblankenship9627]

So glad you’re back Phil. I didn’t realize how often I watch the podcast on Friday’s.

[@justinm1766]

This was a joy to watch today. Listening, and sometimes playing guitar or bass, and picking up a lot of great advice from you Phil!

[@AArchAngell]

Glad you're feeling better

[@tommymills326]

Phill, I'm so sorry to hear you had to deal with Covid. I had a battle with it in January of last year despite staying in my apartment and being extremely careful. I hope you and your wife are doing much better. BTW, I broke my favorite coffee mug the other day and it shattered all over my floor.... So, I figured I'd replace it with one of Yours! haha . Much love and respect my friend.

[@msh6865]

Glad you're back Phil! I've used felt picks when playing acoustic Bass and had good results. My "budget" pedals are just low mileage Boss. Hard to beat them. Millions sold and used by everyone from touring musician's to bedroom dreamers.

[@bobravenscraft5376]

Dude there is a small shop online talking guitars they have No Content boring. You talk detail thru out. ROCK ON VH4EVER!!!!

[@sammydavej]

I tend to play bass with a pick more than fingers (due to tendonitis), and those felt picks are great for that.

[@kristopherkrahl1597]

So happy you and the Mrs are feeling better! Get extra rest this week wherever you can find the time. See ya next week!

[@guitarsickness7064]

Ur the most likeable person on the internet. I truly love ur channel and ur personality. Thanks for doing what u do! 🤘

[@ue4058]

This is an excellent channel. Always thoughtful and very informative.

[@Nugmania1]

Phillip as always Thanks for your service , I do agree strongly as the name of the channel is Know your gear, lol, before you modify any guitar, figure out what you don’t like. That would require to play the damm thing for longer than 10 minutes. Don’t feel guilty when your customer gives you money for unnecessary surgery

[@thomasraven]

Glad you're doing better, Phill. Best wishes!

[@alanturingandthetapes5575]

re: gear for inspiration i think there are a lot of good ways to get inspired and getting a different style guitar is certainly one (expensive) way to do that. i have two guitars, the latter being a short-scale (24") mustang that i found helped me out a lot creatively vs. my other guitar (a telecaster). some less expensive options are: detuning a longer guitar and capoing it to get a shorter-scale feel, getting a slide, trying alternative tunings (my favorite being open E), and trying out a few different modes (use a scale you already know and love but try to think of a different note as your root/home note). those are all different things that have helped me write new songs in the past year or two. there are also lots of instruments other than guitar you can try!

[@CheddarKungPao]

Funny coincidence, I just bought an SE A60E from Moore Guitars. I'm digging it. Glad you're feeling better dude!

[@DavidHBurkart]

Glad y'all healed well!

[@ctm6761]

Love the guys over at Rainbow Guitars here in Tucson! I have a couple of Fender Custom Shop Strats that I have from them. Awesome service and they have awesome stock!

[@ddg8795]

Phil I believe your point on this being emotional along with scientific explains why PRS can charge a premium for a 10 top. The extra figuring causes an emotional response that maybe inspires someone but for sure makes the upcharge way easier to look past. Playing with my EMOTIONS!

[@barbmelle3136]

That is like anything top tier. If you look at ANYTHING at a place like Tiffany's New York, it is all about the hype of the bling. They don't sell anything that is actually better.

[@heartislikeawheel]

Glad you’re feeling better, Phil!

[@CarlyonProduction]

Best wishes to you and your family, Phil!

[@joshbeer414]

Great stuff Phil. Very helpful stuff in this livestream

[@davidschleich3385]

Glad to hear you're doing better Phil, and are at the tail end of Covid. Funny you mentioned the possibility of getting it from the dentist. I got Covid 3 weeks ago, along with the rest of my family, and I think I got it from the dentist as well. I've been really careful over the last 2 years, and have been avoiding the dentist, but felt it was time to go. Well, 2 days after going for my standard cleaning, I started to have symptoms like you mentioned, then tested positive a couple days later. Thanks for all you do, I really enjoy your videos!

[@CarolDailey]

Yamaha THR 30ii. Great small amp. Glad you’re feeling better!

[@Leo9ine]

Trust me Phil, that Jim Lil video is worth watching. It is truly scientific research that the guitar community needed. It is not click bait or cork sniffing

[@caileanhunt8679]

Talking of finding the cheap pedal you love. I recently bought a Nux xtc overdrive, it makes me really happy and I play more. The joyo sweet baby is my favorate low gain pedal. Great tones for very little cash. Glad you feel better Phil!

[@usmcyounggun6879]

The Nux Mighty Air is unbeatable for a practice amp. The price and the features are great like the wireless and rechargeable battery and perfect size to sit on a nightstand or end table.

[@HOUSEDOMEFUNKofficial]

Gonna hafta do some warm-up drinkin before you hit the air next week, Phil. So glad to see you back down to business, buddy.

[@SpecialReserve]

Exactly why I own a SE Starla Phil, hence thumbnail. Great pickups, has massive bang for the buck. I've always gone left field on my purchases whatever they are, I don't follow the norm. It's simple but beautiful it's it's own way by being different.

[@jfturner67]

I bought the Starla almost two years ago - my first PRS - and I love it. It still feels like home to me. A couple months ago, I installed the Les Trem on it, and it is now very Gretch-like, but with the wide fat neck that I prefer.

[@dfarr6518]

I bought the metallic green starla last year and I love it. Great sound from the pickups. I've swapped all my other prs pickups but I love the starla's, won't swap them. It's a light weight, great sounding guitar.

[@jfturner67]

@@dfarr6518 That’s the same one I have! Love it

[@GearGasms]

I had the Vid in December as a mild cold and lost my smell for 3 weeks but that’s it.

[@MrLegion501st]

I think you hit something on me with the your advice on buying new gear. I'm still learning, basically a beginner, and I bought an Epi SG standard from 2020, cool guitar, but still cannot dominate it. Still, there are times I feel with no motivation and others that something comes to me and want to see new instruments to get when I get better, but I think you are right with you advice.

[@stephenshoihet2590]

You're right, cepacol lozenges are awesome! I always keep some around for sore throats. Glad you're feeling better 🙂

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

Such a great Video/Podcast... I love my Heavy Relic Friedman "Phil McKnight" Vintage S guitar!!! It's so well done... and it's honestly one of the best playing and sounding guitars in my growing collection! I might have a serious GAS problem, but that is the most expensive guitar I ever bought... the total opposite of an exotic guitar... and worth every penny!!!

[@CountrySixStringer]

Thanks for the information on those Cepacol. I placed an order and it will be here Monday. They come in a 3 pack, so I guess down the road if I get a normal cold with a sore throat, I'm covered.

[@nellayema2455]

I used to get colds with a sore throat often, and always had Cepacol spray around to numb the sore throat.

[@christopherprice3226]

I live in Evansville. Moore is my local bought 3 USA Fenders and 2 Core Prs. As well as 3 amps 1 mesa 1 Prs and 1 Fender. Plus a ton of $200 to$1000 pedals and cheaper guitars. Great store and great staff. So good my wife surprised me with the Fender Brent Mason the day it came out. I was oblivious but it was a special occasion and the Moore staff new what I dug and helped my wife surprise me.

[@dewey7330]

On amps. It’s all about the dollar for tone. 😁 great show as always

[@JunkfoodZombieGuns]

A good alternative to the Spark practice amp is the Blackstar ID Core 10 V3. You can get a variety of sounds and the stereo reverb/delay is really cool.

[@CountrySixStringer]

If I were to buy a Gibson, I've always wanted an ES-335, or even an ES-339. I used to be a Gibson guy back in the 60's and 70''s. Then switched to the Ibanez AR300cs (1980) model. From there I went to Fender and PRS.

[@srh361]

I've bought two Gibson custom shop Les Pauls, a Les Paul custom and an R7, and while in the end they're great guitars but I had to go through a couple guitars in both instances to get a good one as the custom arrived and the bridge humbucker didn't work, checked off on the check list but didn't work and the R7 showed up with a huge divot in the fretboard at the thirteenth fret. Both instances turned my stomach but in the end the guitars I ended up with are great guitars.

[@Atka59]

Hi Phil, Gee, I'm so sorry to hear that you and your wife had to endure the dreaded COVID!! I have had a 20 year immune suppressive illness, likely a Lymes variant, that produced a pretty much constant state of various co-infections. Not mentioned to troll for pity, but to let you know I understand what a bummer ill health can be, especially COVID with all of the pre-loaded fear. You weathered it well!! You look and sound great, and are already back to your usual effervescent self. Keep up the good work, I much appreciate it, you're a standard barer among musicians!!

[@RandallHayter]

Really liked the bridge feel discussion. I keep my Steinberger bridge unlocked for the smooth touch, even without having the trem arm installed. Interesting conversation all the way to the end.

[@maxmustardman298]

What kind of Steinberger bridge do you have ? Ive been wondering if the R and S trems can only be locked and thus act like a hardtail bridge or if they can also be used in dive only mode, like a normal strat trem for instance

[@RandallHayter]

@@maxmustardman298 Stock R trem. When it’s locked, it doesn’t move.

[@maxmustardman298]

@@RandallHayter thanks

[@chadking3194]

For a spark alternative I use an older thr10c Yamaha amp but run it often on the flat channel and run a wash fuzz on through a cheap joyo american sound pedal. Very nice tones at low bedroom volumes. I do use other channels as well but for pedals I found the flat forfeit channel works best

[@amickcaldwell2104]

Get well, brother

[@christopherprice3226]

As a exotic wood,I dig Koa have a high end Breedlove. Its so stunning to behold. Darker sound is a bummer.

[@CountrySixStringer]

I purchased a 2020 Squire Paranormal Cabronita. On upgrading, I found the tuners sloppy. I found Gotoh made the exact fit and they lock. I did replace the bridge with a Gotoh as well. I played the guitar for a number of months to give the pickups a chance. I like the neck and body very much so I dropped a pair of Lollar P90's that had the exact cover replacements. The guitar sounds amazing. I'm glad I went through the process of giving the OEM pickups a chance, but the replacements are top notch.

[@j.jester7821]

I work for a music store in 91 when the first custom shops were being distributed. They were beautiful paint jobs. QC was a real problem. uncured finishs we ended up with discoloration on the the laquer even using special guitar hangers and stands. the finishs on may gibson we received still felt tacky at times. we had to send dozens of guitars back. that turned me off to gibson guitars long ago. Fender during that same time was improving quality and making guitars that cost less and were of consistent quality.

[@johnnysix7162]

How do you feel about it now? My experience in the last 2-3 years Fender has been absolutely terrible.

[@olearywu]

Lovepedal is back. Sale going on right now on Amp 11 and much more. Also, re: killer pedals regardless of price - Origin Effects Custom Revival Drive with Footswitch & their Cali76 Stacked Compressor are both fantastic. Worth every cent. I'd also say: either Strymon's blueSky or El Capistan or both. Either gets me what I need. One of the two are always on the back-end of my pedal chain. All of these should hold most of their price, too.

[@justcruisen67]

Welcome back Phil. Glad you and the family got through it! As for Spark amp alternatives, have you looked into any of the Vox line like the Mini Go 50, VT40X or the ADIO Air GT?

[@JoeKyser]

I am huge epiphone fan. I have a 62 Custom Shop reissue SG that is amazing. A 2010 Acoustic Texan, again its amazing. The Gubsom counterparts are not really that much better, if they are.

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

Whenever I buy a new guitar, if it does not come with locking tuners, I ALWAYS buy locking tuners alongside the guitar. That is a hardware requirement for me. IT MUST have locking tuners. No exceptions. But something like pickups, I play whatever pickups came in the guitar. I have never even once seen the need in replacing pickups when I can get the gnarliest metal tones with a stock Paul Reed Smith SE SVN and an Amp Tweaker Tight Metal Pro, and the grooviest reggae tones with that same stock Paul Reed Smith SE SVN running into an Effectrode Blackbird. Yes. Reggae in Drop A. So much fun! It goes to show how the pedals do so much more for the tone than the pickups ever will, so that is where you should focus your attention if you want a different tone.

[@nellayema2455]

Glad you're feeling better! I ordered a new Les Paul Junior Tribute DC Bass in early 2020. It is a short-scale bass. I loved it until I noticed that the tuner holes through the head stock were way larger than the diameter of the HipShot tuners that it came with. I discovered the issue when I noticed that the washers on the face of the head stock did not cover the holes completely. I returned it immediately. I wound up buying an import G&L Tribute Series Fallout short-scale bass because, even though I really wanted a Gibson, Covid was on, and I could not see one in person before purchasing. I did not trust that if I ordered one that it would not have the same issue. Sad. I love the Fallout, so in the end, I'm happy.

[@fredstevens799]

Nella, sorry to hear - I got the same bass and just checked and they must have fixed that issue - no gaps visible on mine. I also got a Tribute LP Special DC (same timeframe) that I had to do a lot of work on - finally fixed it by replacing the bridge with a StewMac upgrade - the original was seriously flawed! Could not set a decent string action or intonate correctly. Of all my guitars, most Asian-built, the Gibsons have the most flaws. Oddly, (or maybe not...) I got an Epiphone LP Jr. single-cut with the same compensated wrap-tail bridge and it works fine.

[@mikec6733]

I'm using D'addario Pure Nickel 10-45, too! I'm pretty new to electric guitar. I just thought the idea of being old fashioned, and slightly more mellow, might be a cool addition to my tone. My guitar is an Ibanez AMV10A. Semi-hollow body, but smaller than an ES-335. Only using a Hotone 5 watt solid state Amp with headphones, exclusively, cause I live in an apartment. I guess I like the Pure Nickel strings, but don't know how it'll all be when I start using a larger tube amp. I have an Egnater Tweaker 15 head, and a 1x12 cab with a Jensen Torpedo speaker.

[@mcheustis]

Starla SE: Plays amazingly well. The DS-2 pickups were too dark for me. Had to swap them out. I'll keep it forever.

[@d_charon9704]

For me I love the body shape of a Fender Telecaster, but I've had a hard time falling in love with the fender single coil tone. So I made sure to correct that. But who knows...when I was young, I never though I'd like a Telecaster body shape.

[@oliverdepauw5663]

Fender sells a telecaster with 2 humbuckers i know im late but it does exist.

[@d_charon9704]

@@oliverdepauw5663 Thanks Oliver. I did see that as well. I’ve got some custom Teles built that I absolutely love.

[@peterchilds9491]

Thanks Phil for the Cepacol advice. We picked up a couple of boxes. There was plenty on the shelf. Hoping we don't have to use it.👍

[@mcheustis]

If you like the Tone ender sound, the Keeley Fuzz Bender does it great with a few more controls thrown in.

[@dontnowhatimdoing8650]

Phil, Please consider the Quilter Superblock US/UK series to play against the Spark/Katana. Really impressed with their new Aviator Mach 3 but out of the "practice" price point for a comp video, Their Superblock series uses the same tech in a pedalboard/ravel size with 25 "tube equivalent" watts, multiple voicings/channels, FX loop, XLR & Headphone out. Just a suggestion that I don't see covered in guitar youtube. Keep up the good work, glad y'all are doing better!!!

[@Dram1984]

I agree that the proliferation of veneers has complexity ruined “fancy tops”. When I bought my Les Paul I searched for the plainest top I could.

[@anotheryoutubed]

Are you the one person in the world that can tell a veneer vs. a solid top?

[@dannyb13579]

Not sure if anyone’s mentioned it but Thomann’s carry Maybach! Also on the Maybach website they guarantee that all their Lester guitars are under 9 pounds. Would love to see you review it, been thinking about buying one

[@jackhaskell694]

Guitar Pickers in Scottsdale is a Nash dealer. I picked up a T-52 there and love it.

[@terrorbirds9835]

The fender xl 50 champion is a great Katana alternative and has probably the best clean sound in the price range

[@Kevzilla100]

The Mustang GTX 100 is $499, but out of stock on the Fender website. Some retailers still have them, either buy one soon or it may be a while.

[@ronnienose8608]

I loved 'The Crown.'

[@srwaite7]

When dealing with Guitar Center, decades of experience suggests dealing with the manager on scratch and dent products. The lower levels dudes don’t seem to care but managers understand and do reasonable discounts. 🎸🖖🏻

[@rr-dee895]

Great show. as usual thx Phil glad you beat the covid

[@VandalHaven]

i always smile when i see your cosmic hippo plushie

[@doubleotwentyone]

Hi Phil, great you're feeling better. I was very interested in your comments re D'Addario Pure Nickel 10-45 strings, as I use them on my Telecaster, which is a very bright sounding guitar particularly on the bridge pickup, and I use different string gauges on each of my electrics (all by D'Addario), finding different gauges work on different guitars, but all the rest being standard nickel wound.

[@wesleymorris1]

A great example on wood having to do somewhat with the vibration on the pickups, Jimi Hendrix used to tap the back of the neck, the pickups would pick up vibration through the guitar and strings. I tried this I think it sounds different if you do it to a all mahogany guitars, then with maple neck ash body/alder body.

[@guntherabrahamowicz4659]

Hi Phil, Lovepedal is still around. They're in the very tail end of one of their impromptu weekend sales on their shopify site now. There was a hiatus apparently due to some non-pedal-related stuff but they've been back up for a number of months now.

[@alangreenway6695]

When it comes to what affects tone, I would argue the shape and the weight of the guitar affects tone, but not just due to resonance, but how it makes you hold the guitar and how easy it is to play. I have a Les Paul ‘57 reissue, and the neck thickness and body weight makes me play differently and more concentrated than I do on my really skinny SG, and that effects tone. Also I really appreciate Phil because he gets there’s more than one opinion and suggests ‘do your thing’, instead of decrying there is only one way like some guitar youtubers.

[@vtatai]

As far as Spark alternatives go, I'd throw the Nux Mighty Air in the mix. It is not great sounding, but it is so small as to fit in my backpack, and requires no cables at all. It ticks all the boxes for a travel amp: wireless transmitter/receiver, battery powered, Bluetooth, drum tracks, and has an app that works.

[@Gene_Cali]

Guitars are like a box of assorted chocolates. I love my 12.5 box of chocolates. :-) Thanks for your show Phil.

[@CountrySixStringer]

I gig with the Katana Mk2 50/25w amp. Not for big gigs, but for small venues. At the end of the night, when you are tired... That Katana is sure back friendly.

[@rosieotis]

Love my Yamaha THR10!!! (The older one)

[@captaintony1227]

Welcome to the covid club. Be thankful you got the Omicron and not a worse variant. It definitely sucked but it wasn't the worst time I've ever been sick. Everyone's going to catch this strand whether they're vaccinated or not so it's best to get it out of the way and move on. Glad to hear your doing better.

[@Lesspaw41]

I agree. My wife got it for 2 days. Day 3 we were taking walks. She was back to work day 5. My mom has cancer and it was like a cold for her with mild congestion. Mine was the 1 day Covid. Fever and headache. My kid never caught it and we didn't quarantine him or us.🤷‍♂️ It by far was nowhere near the worst cold or flu I've ever had.

[@PoppysGuitar]

The loss of tone from altering the wood is absolutely true. I had a guitar that I loved an original metal front 1983 Zemaitis that developed a neck problem. Tony repaired it by replacing the neck with a new neck with rosewood fb as opposed to ebony and it was never the same sounding after that. I tried changing the fb back to ebony but no luck. Many years later, the guitar was stolen from Ed Roman shop in Las Vegas and ended up with an allegedly famous guitar player. A guy claiming to be a lawyer called after I saw the guitar for sale on a Rebel Guitars website and said the "famous" person would sell it back to me for $30K and oh btw the neck headstock had suffered a break. I said "you can't make money off me by stealing my guitar" and that was that. Never heard from him again.

[@bellachi9575]

RE:Omicron & throat lozenges. I had it mid January. Used Sucrets lozenges which also has anesthetic. Also gargling with hot salty water. Both help get through it. Worst sore throat I’ve ever had.

[@editcreative01]

I have a NuX Mighty amp - it's a tiny little desktop unit with a sim software interface not unlike the Spark. It sounds good for it's size and sits on my desk at work. Around $200. There's also a wireless option and the headphone jack is great for lunchtime practice at work.

[@MXP250]

Spark alternative: Please try the Fender Mustang GTX 50. You can hook up your phone to it and edit amp settings. It’s about 399. I have the GTX 100 and love it. I never used a Spark. The Fender sold me. My favorite amp. Modeling different amps and effects based on real ones. Graphic interface with your smartphone to edit amps and effects. I can’t do it justice. I would even be willing to send you mine to try.

[@jray5363]

I bought the GTX100 because of the Spark amp. The Spark is a great amp, so easy to use. And it sounds great. The software and graphics are very similar. The GTX offers more options and sounds. I always fall for the bigger is better mentality, so after I got a bonus at work, I picked up the GTX. The clean Fender sounds, which I favor most of the time, are beautiful on that amp. I thought it would be the last amp I’d buy. And then the honeymoon ended. Due mostly to my lousy internet service (thanks Verizon), and it’s propensity to automatically update itself, I can no longer connect the amp to the phone. The ease of use with the phone was a main selling point. You can still use it manually, and it still sounds great, just not as much fun. I would still recommend it to anyone with good internet. The GTX50 is probably a better choice for playing at home. The 100 is so loud, I never go past 1/3 of the way up. On the flip side, The Spark offers great portability, connectivity, and ease of use. It’s a perfect little practice amp. The way the software works on both just seems like a no brainer. It just makes things so easy, and much more fun.

[@CountrySixStringer]

On string guages, I'm a 9 to 46 user. I find that playing styles from Country to Rock... I like the ease of double stop bends and such. I use one brand of string for every guitar, but will tweak the amp to get what I want from the guitar. I do know that strings can make a difference, I just don't go there.

[@SpecialReserve]

I had a Godin LGX, a lovely guitar

[@SteveSanchez0]

Phil check out the Monoprice Stage Right 15w tube amp on the channel.. it’s sub $300 and alot of bang for the buck.

[@justmehere6094]

Alternatives to Katana/Spark: Blackstar Silverline - imho sounds better than Katana, but is pricey. Blackstar ID: Core series - Katana price range PARTICULARLY the ID:Core Beam, a Spark alternative. Fender Mustang LT Vox VT-20X

[@rick00770]

Thanks for tips on strings and string trees. So glad you came through that flu bug. A couple my friends had it , said it kills your energy. Really hope you feeling much better.

[@McDowellCountyYoungLife]

Info @ Guitar Center online THIS MONTH. Ordered two used Larrivee acoustics from two separate stores (OM40R and 03). BOTH guitars shipped without cases even though it was in description that cases were included Had to call both stores, neither of them apologized, both did send replacement cases (one Larrivee case and one Martin case) but the worst part is that one of the store clerks said "Yes theres no way for our used guitar system to track cases but good thing we caught this in time". Woof. I caught it both times and had to wait two weeks, I'm at a loss for words. Plus both guitars were filthy. Like gross.

[@brooksroman2918]

I work at GC and the used system definitely tracks cases lol. The main way they get left out is if the associate who buys the instrument doesn’t check off that it has a case, but then it would not list that it has a case anywhere in the listing. If it says it has one online, the case tag will literally be attached to the instrument’s SKU. They dropped the ball there

[@Hikaru109Ichijyo]

good guitar stuff, also like the knowledge tidbits like the split coil . . . lol bad day at the factory . . . so sad about the gibson, man, if this was a ferrari you'd take the 1 second to get to 60 and the odometer spazzes out or it has a crash dent on the side "gives it character". TY for the heads up about Gibson having to play them in person I'm all for supporting US made, with but Fender price hiking and Gibson just riding on the brand name and weird QA . . . a part of me wishes Sire and other quality intruments come in and take over the guitar market for all the iconic guitar needs, it will force Fender and Gibson to change like Toyota did in the late 70's and 80's for American car makers, make American really mean it and catch up. I think for my Gibson guitar fixes I'll go with Heritage, they are still expensive but say their H-535 is close to half of Gibson's ES-355 .. .

[@christopherhall5315]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Supro Delta King series. Thanks, Phil.