RE: Further OT: Selmer Clones (was RE: Joscho Stephan)

[Warren Sirota <wsirota@wsdesigns.com>]

Thanks for asking about the guitar.

It's not "super"-vintage, but it's a 1978 tobacco sunburst Guild Artist
Award that I picked up about 10 years ago - gorgeous guitar, carved top,
etc. If I have my history right, it's a "pre-Fender Guild", for whatever
that's worth. Someone told me they thought it might be a "New Hampshire
Guild", which apparently is some special thing that I can't seem to track
down, but I don't know. I didn't include a picture here because of the
chronic bandwidth complaints, but there's one on the home page at
www.warrensirota.com. That's me playing it when I still had (some) hair. 

It's a great guitar, but, when I'm totally unsentimental about it, I'm not
convinced that you couldn't get a plywood-top guitar that sounds just as
good amplified (acoustic is another story) for half the price. OTOH,
plywood-top archtops seem to be rather overpriced themselves these days (I
had a Gibson ES 175 that I got used in '76 or so for $600 and sold in about
1988 or 90 to a music store for about the same amt - I can't believe what
those decent-but-hardly-stellar guitars are going for now. Mine only had 
one
pickup and hardly any "bite", so I'm sure the 2-pickup models have a better
sound and are worth more. Still.... over $3K new? Seems over the top to 
me).


Every time I mentally try on the idea of selling the Guild, something 
inside
rebels (especially since I'm doing regular jazz gigs once again). But, I
could probably pick up a good used plywood-top archtop (like maybe a 
Gretsch
Bryan Setzer?) *and* a Selmer clone, *and* a Tele and still have money left
over from what this guitar would fetch, so I think about that possibility.
And, actually, I would like to get a better soldbody MIDI controller than 
my
current one (an excellent guitar made from Warmouth and other parts, but 
not
a great controller).

Of course, getting all these guitars doesn't do anything for the real 
issue,
which is having the time to master the styles that they're made for and a
context in which to use them! 

There's just so much money that I can keep in equipment stock at any time -
sometimes tough choices must be made. (Although, vintage guitars are a
better investment vehicle than many others, so maybe I should just try and
persuade my wife that guitars are important retirement investments, and we
should put as much money as we can into the best instruments possible. 
Yeah,
that's the ticket...)

Right now, since I'm gigging, I'll probably just put some gig money into
giving the Guild a top-notch fret job (it's ready), and then maybe I'll
start saving for the next instrument. Given where I'm going with looping
right now, that instrument will probably be a solidbody MIDI controller to
complement my nylon-string controller. I'm predisposed toward getting one 
of
the Godins, since I really like my nylon-string, but I'm going to have to
research Tele-style MIDI controllers too (don't think I've seen one yet, 
but
I'm sure they must be available. Maybe even from Fender). Given the gig 
rate
at present, it'll probably be close to the end of the year before I 
actually
spring for one, unless an unforseen windfall occurs.

Best wishes,
Warren Sirota


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Mimlitsch [mailto:pmimlitsch@mac.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 7:18 PM
> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> Subject: Re: Further OT: Selmer Clones (was RE: Joscho Stephan)
>
>
> Warren;
> Just curious - what kind of vintage archtop are you playing?  I'm an
> Epi player/ recovering collector :). - Paul
> On May 3, 2006, at 3:47 PM, Warren Sirota wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the info, David. My purchases are constrained now, but I
> > often
> > debate in my head the merits of selling my vintage archtop
> and using
> > the
> > proceeds for a non-vintage archtop plus... Well, who knows?
> One or two
> > other
> > guitars, to be sure.
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Warren Sirota
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: David Rolling [mailto:david_rolling@sympatico.ca]
> >> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 5:06 PM
> >> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> >> Subject: RE: Further OT: Selmer Clones (was RE: Joscho Stephan)
> >>
> >>
> >> Hey Warren,
> >>
> >> I'm up in Canada, so I had to buy online, and I started
> with a Gitane
> >> (Saga) 250M, which is the long scale (27") "lead" guitar w/small
> >> oval hole. Cost me
> >> around $600 US from Elderly's.. VERY brash loud guitar. fast
> >> attack, quick
> >> decay.. definitely in the ballpark soundwise- but you gotta
> >> use those light
> >> silver coated 'manouche' style strings, and the guitar was shipping
> >> w/generic bronzes. Guys like Bireli Lagrene can use a 25 cent
> >> dunlop pick,
> >> but I also NEED a fat (2-3mm!!) gypsyjazz pick.. I like
> >> Wegens (at 15 bucks
> >> a pop! I've only got one!!).
> >>
> >> The big problem w/the 250M was the neck profile - skinnier than an
> >> electric 'shredder', I just couldn't get used to it, so I
> traded up
> >> for a John Jorgenson signature Gitane (DG300) which cost around a
> >> grand. Warmer tone
> >> (rosewood & spruce as opposed to maple) BUT BEST OF ALL, a
> >> real chunky
> >> selmeroid neck- highly recommended.
> >>
> >> Michael Horowitz @djangobooks.com has started selling a
> whole slew of
> >> GJ guitars, and this one's almost $200 cheaper than I paid -
> >> plus he's got a
> >> guy who'll do a setup, so the guitar'll be good to go right
> >> out the box
> >> (I've had to do some work on more than one Korean made guitar).
> >>
> >> I've bought some books, DVDs & CDs from Michael, and I wouldn't
> >> hesitate to buy a guitar from him. If I ever decide to get really
> >> serious about this
> >> style, I'd probably get something a bit more upscale
> >> (Deii'Arte, maybe?)
> >> from Michael, but the DG300 is actually a pretty fine
> guitar.. Angelo
> >> DeBarre was playing one last time I saw him, and it sounded
> >> just as good as
> >> any Dupont, Favino, etc.. and Joscho himself was playing a
> >> Hofner!?! if
> >> memory serves, but cats like him can make anything sound good..
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope this helps!
> >>
> >> david
> >>
> >>> From: Warren Sirota <wsirota@wsdesigns.com>
> >>> Reply-To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> >>> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> >>> Subject: Further OT: Selmer Clones (was RE: Joscho Stephan)
> >>> Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 11:44:42 -0400
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: David Rolling [mailto:david_rolling@sympatico.ca]
> >>>  any of them could pull off 1 1/10 of what this guy does.
> >>>>
> >>>> I'm a long-time looper myself, but as a guitarist as
> >> well, Django's
> >>>> always been an inspiration to me. I recently got a Chinese-made
> >>>> Selmer clone (something else the snobs turn their noses up at -
> >>>> everybody knows you've got to have a $2500 guitar to
> play Django)
> >>>> but if I sat in a room practicing
> >>>> for 100 years, I'd still be unable to play like Joscho..
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Me neither... But what kind of guitar did you get, what'd
> >> you pay for
> >>> it, how do you like it? (if you don't mind...)
> >>
> >>
> >
>