metallica_00

Wouldn't worry too much about theft - realistically your laptop, iPod, and xbox are going be taken before anybody thinks about snagging a big ungainly amp or guitar.

Never had a problem. Lived in dorms all four years, always with many roommates. As long as you are reasonably respectful of others (ie you can't just play whenever you want or super late at night) it's never a problem. I always had 15+ watt tube combos with me in college. I played in bands (college jazz band + rock bands) so I needed a real amp with me. Dorms are loud places anyway. There's usually somebody (often multiple people) drunk, high, or playing music or videogames loud anyway, so what's different about a guitar? Although I suppose people's reactions might be a little less positive if you are playing chugga chugga all the time or are painfully bad to listen to

more acoustic less electric. I can play electric all day no prob, but acoustic rips my fingers right up

I found this guitar in a friend's basement when I was back in high school; it was his older brother's guitar from the early-90s. The brother (who is actually a very good player, does lots of bluegrass stuff now) had left this guitar neglected in the family basement, complete with the stickers and a non-working pickup. I installed a GFS Mean 90, new pots and jack from GFS as well. Amazingly, didn't need to adjust setup - and it's a good player! Just some intonation tweaks and obviously fresh strings. Left the stickers on, it's got some "mojo". The Mean 90 is a cool pickup and when I did it I already had a superstrat with hot humbuckers so I wanted something different. Now, I sold the superstrat and just have a 335 and a Strat - so I may get another kind of pickup for it that fits my stable better.

I am lucky in that I have always been a saver. I think it's more a personality thing then anything else. It blows my mind when I see the 'must sell gear - lost job need food' posts. I love my guitars as much or more then anybody else, but before I drop money on gear I have the bills paid, money put into savings and extra on the mortgage. Luckily, this country is going through a corrective cycle that will teach irresponsible people that having credit card balances and houses they can't afford is not a good thing. Definitely interesting, coming out of school during a cycle when many people have overlevered themselves...I am very steadfast in not letting myself get into any kind of debt. Obviously, for some things, you have to, if I were to go get an MBA or buy a house down the line. But in my personal life, I would never go into debt for a guitar or a trip etc. I don't understand how people do that but many do. I could walk into the Boston GC right now and buy any guitar in it that I wanted. But I won't let myself do it. And I'm okay with that. It makes it all that much better when you do go get something and know you earned it.

Kind of interesting...I just graduated from college, and got a very good job that pays well for a 23-year old. So time for tons of gear, right? I have money to spend on discretionary things, but, sometimes preferences shift. Another guitar vs taking a week off to take a trip out to Colorado to ski the pow? I'm lucky enough especially in this economy to not have to worry about necessities (which for me are basic...no mortgage (though I do have rent), no kids, no car, no outstanding student loans etc). Basically, as much as I'd love to hoard guitars, I kind of realized I'd like to spend my money on getting out there, traveling, doing things as well.

I was recently watching the 2007 crossroads festival DVD. Wide range of talents there. Some guys like Derek trucks, jeff beck, and sonny landreth are totally transcendant players. On the flip side - Robbie Robertson and Jimmie Vaughan could barely put a bend in tune. And frankly, Clapton sounded fantastic, but a ton of that was due to the huge and super tight best of the best band playing behind him. From a playing standpoint, I could have traded solos with him and not be ashamed. For most player though, it's the influence they had on music, not guitar playing, that made them so popular. And there's certainly technique in the subtleties - many would argue he is not a "technical" player because he doesn't play fast, but you try emulating that vibrato technique and tone! All the ripping YouTube players in their bedrooms are evidence to this - taste, phrasing, tone, and SONGS make you a hero.

Can you really blame it on the weather? As a fellow new England dweller, none of my guitars from affinity squires to g&ls and heritages have ever had any issue with the frets sprouting out. Yeah, winters dry as summers humid but my own opinion is that fret ends are probably more of a qc thing than a weather thing. Unacceptable for ebmm to have that issue. In general I won't give any guitar at GC credit/discredit for being a good or bad player as far as setup. guitars are completely neglected on those walls. But sharp frets I definitely take offense to.

Many people seem to like them but I have a contrasting point of view: I played one of their top-end aged strats. It was over $500 new. Had sprout and sharp ends on every fret - the worst I have ever seen. The sound was unremarkable. The faux aging looked awful. Rather than painting the guitar as new and then creating the wear, they essentially paint a pattern on the guitar that looks like wear - and then finish a clearcoat over the worn spots! Now, that's not an issue if you opt for a regular finish but overall I would say the quality on this guitar would have been suspect at even half the price. I can't speak for their other models, and maybe this was a really bad apple, but i'm sure you will see alot of postive raves in this thread but my experience was exactly the opposite.

Sorry, it sucks. There are many aspects of guitar tone that are subjective, I firmly believe the suckitude of the DS-1 is fact.

Plenty of guitars that I DON'T want. But even then, I've got 3 queued up which I DO want and it would probably cost me about $8K to get them if shopping used/economically. Don't even get me started on amps... Patience is a virtue.

You must have missed my post

Heritage H150 Goldtop with Lollar minibuckers

It's up there for me. I've always wanted to keep it a hobby and never be a pro - but I spend a lot of time both playing (and looking at gear) and it. A great lazy Sunday is playing and forum browsing for me. Otherwise, I'm a pretty big skier (raced collegiately), want to get into road biking this summer, day job as an analyst on an investment fund covering the power & energy industry which is something I find interesting as well.

For the sake of making money of an endorsement I would probably want some overpriced imported midrange guitar of which i get a nice chunk of the margin. From a players standpoint, I would want an exactingly design no compromises instrument from a top builder.