I suppose I've been putting this off long enough...

[FrankenFretter]

Hello all fellow Fret members! I'm Sean, currently residing in the state of Oregon, near Salem. I've only lived here about 10 months now, having lived my entire life before that in the state of Washington, mostly near the Bellingham area. I became engaged to a wonderful lady (who happens to be 12 years younger than I am. Yay me!) who lives here in Oregon, which is why I relocated.

I started playing guitar in 1982. My brother and I had inherited some money from an uncle that passed away, and decided to invest in some musical gear. He drew the short straw, and became the bassist. We bought guitars, amps and a budget PA, and formed a band with some other friends. Although we never went very far with the band, it was a great experience, and I still have many happy memories of that time in my life.

I got married in my late 20s, and had to sell my gear to pay rent after moving to the Seattle area. At that time, I wasn't playing often anyway, and I pretty much gave up on ever picking up another guitar. Time moved on, and after a divorce and several years of thinking about picking it up again, I did just that. A friend had a Steinberger for sale, and I picked that up with the bonus of a Schecter Black Hawk for an additional $100. That was about two years ago now, and I've been slowly (very slowly) relearning guitar. Life with my new family (my fiancee and her daughter) takes up much of my time, but I do play when I have the chance. I may not be improving much, but I still love it.

I'm kind of the king of cheap guitars; I own two SXs, a Douglas, and my beloved Schecter. My next purchase is, hopefully, an Epi Les Paul. I've always wanted a Les Paul, but I can't justify spending over a grand on one at my meager skill level.

I don't have any pics posted here, but if you go to http://picasaweb.google.com/seancasstic/Guitars#, you can see what I currently have to work with.

I love this forum, and usually spend my lunch hour just going through all the thread that interest me.

I hope that's an adequate intro...if you have more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[SuperSwede]

Welcome welcome!!

 

[MAXIFUNK]

Very cool stuff.
This Newbie says welcome.

 

[Robert]

Welcome Sean! Thanks for joining. Good introduction! :AOK:

 

[Spudman]

Thanks for the info. I used to play around Washington in the early 80s and our agent had us booked in Bellingham. 2 weeks before we were supposed to be there the gig got cancelled so I never got to see Bellingham. I think we ended up in Mabton instead.

Welcome to thefret.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Youch, Mabton instead of B-ham. Speedy'OTubs used to be a fun place up there. Hi FrankenFretter! I am from Tacoma and after being in Seattle for college moved to Salem for law school. I remember thinking for the first half year that Salem wouldn't have been half bad if the ice age had kept going and brought the Sound down there, but I grew to really like it with the coast an easy drive west, the falls and hiking, skiing out east, and good clubs in Portland to the north. Congrats on your new upcoming nuptials and return to guitar. Welcome and thanks for the great intro!

 

[oldguy]

Welcome to TheFret. Glad to have you here, and thanks for the nice introduction.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Welcome Sean!

 

[FrankenFretter]

Youch, Mabton instead of B-ham. Speedy'OTubs used to be a fun place up there. Hi FrankenFretter! I am from Tacoma and after being in Seattle for college moved to Salem for law school. I remember thinking for the first half year that Salem wouldn't have been half bad if the ice age had kept going and brought the Sound down there, but I grew to really like it with the coast an easy drive west, the falls and hiking, skiing out east, and good clubs in Portland to the north. Congrats on your new upcoming nuptials and return to guitar. Welcome and thanks for the great intro!

Yeah, Speedy O's was a great place. It closed down in the 90s, and a lot of other great music venues closed in the three years or so before I left. B'ham is a beautiful place, but there's not much there for a music scene anymore, which is a terrible shame. Once home to the Mono Men, The Posies, and Death Cab for Cutie, it was once a real garage rock Mecca. Now...not so much.

Salem also has a defined lack of music sceneness (sure, that's a word). But you're right, it is close enough to Silver Falls, the coast and the mountains. It's not all bad, just very different. The little town I live in, just southwest of Salem, is nice and quiet. Very suitable for raising a family.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome! Much appreciated!

 

[Auriemma]

Welcome Sean,

Many of us have had to take a hiatus from our playing. My reason was a beagle that was afraid of guitars, go figure.

As for wanting an Epi LP... you already have an SX and a Douglas. From what I have read, an Agile AL-3000 series will smoke the Epi in quality, playabilty, and price.

 

[evenkeel]

Welcome to the group. :beer: :beer:

 

[FrankenFretter]

Welcome Sean,

Many of us have had to take a hiatus from our playing. My reason was a beagle that was afraid of guitars, go figure.

As for wanting an Epi LP... you already have an SX and a Douglas. From what I have read, an Agile AL-3000 series will smoke the Epi in quality, playabilty, and price.

Good to know. I have been looking at the Agiles as well. They don't quite have the finish I'd like (the Heritage Cherry Burst), but I can probably live with that. Thanks for that info.

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

Hello, fellow Oregonian. I'm in Corvallis, and relocated here for the same reason as you, a fine woman. But I came all the way from Pennsylvania! I've got cheap
guitars, too - a Dot Studio and a Takamine. They do the job just fine. I've been thinking about one of those SX Strats so I could have a Fender sound, too. How are they?

 

[FrankenFretter]

Hello, fellow Oregonian. I'm in Corvallis, and relocated here for the same reason as you, a fine woman. But I came all the way from Pennsylvania! I've got cheap
guitars, too - a Dot Studio and a Takamine. They do the job just fine. I've been thinking about one of those SX Strats so I could have a Fender sound, too. How are they?

The neck on my SX Strat is really nice, C-shaped and satin finished. The stock pickups were actually not too bad, but I've decided to replace almost everything (see "SX Strat: My first modding project"). I've never owned a "genuine" Fender, so I have no basis for comparison, but I'm very happy with my purchase.

I love Corvallis. Great McMeniman's there. Also great Vietnamese food over by Ross.

How do you like your Dot? One of these days I'm going to aquire a hollow, or semi-hollow body for myself. The Dot is one I've considered.

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

I love Corvallis. Great McMeniman's there. Also great Vietnamese food over by Ross.

How do you like your Dot? One of these days I'm going to aquire a hollow, or semi-hollow body for myself. The Dot is one I've considered.

Vietnamese place closed recently. I had heard it was good, but never went there.

The Dot Studio has to be one of the best Semihollow buys out there. The HOTCH bridge pickup often isn't too popular, but swapping pickups is easy enough. In fact, I replaced my pickups with GFS Mean 90s, and I really like the guitar a lot the way it is. It's nicely made, and has a typical Gibson-type neck profile. The only thing I don't particularly like is the big frets, but they're just so popular.....I also installed a short 335-style pickguard, because I'm more comfortable with one. It's solid black to go with the all-black hardware scheme. My Dot is a factory 2nd, with some MINOR finish flaws - a lot nicer than a lot of first-quality ones I've seen at stores. I only paid $199 new at MF. So, with new pickups and pickguard, I only have $300 in a very nice semihollow. BTW, I found that I actually really like the single volume & tone controls.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Welcome Sean, from the opposite corner of the USA.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, Speedy O's was a great place.

LOL, I still have a big silk screened poster in the garage advertising Jumbalassy for after the Ski to Sea race we used to do every year. I acquired it after the show was over. Fun times!

 

[FrankenFretter]

LOL, I still have a big silk screened poster in the garage advertising Jumbalassy for after the Ski to Sea race we used to do every year. I acquired it after the show was over. Fun times!

One of my friend's father was in Jumbalassy. And the Ski to Sea...ah, memories. I competed in 2000, doing the canoe leg of the race. One of my happiest memories.

Looks like you do some mountain biking. That's one of the things I really miss about Bellingham; the famous Galbraith Mountain. Since I've moved here, the Cannondale just gathers dust.

 

[aeolian]

I'll be, another one from Oregon! I'm in the Portland area and hang out here on this cyberspace every once in a while 'cause it is a nice spot.

 

[FrankenFretter]

I'll be, another one from Oregon! I'm in the Portland area and hang out here on this cyberspace every once in a while 'cause it is a nice spot.

Ah, P-town. Civilization, as it were. I work up that way once in a while, mostly in the West Linn, Lake Oswego, Oregon City areas. It's a nice break once in a while to get out of Salem and see some green grass and green trees. Less cowboy hats and rifle racks, too.

From what I've heard, if I want to find a decent music store, I'll need to come up that way. I did try to check out Guitar Castle in Salem the other day, but they were closed. A little place, but it looks like it has character. What's your favorite music store in the Portland area, Aeolian?

 

[aeolian]

I like Portland Music on MLK Blvd, the Guitar Center in Tigard is actually quite nice (specially if you are checking out acoustics), and a mom & pop place named Five Star Guitars on 185th Ave on the west side because the owner is just a very nice guy.

Apple Music likely has the largest collection of stuff, but I haven't been there in many years because the place has a reputation of trying to extract the maximum number of dollars possible.

 

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Love Oregon.
I can see why people move there.
We just returned from a week at the dunes.

I rolled my Rzr:

 

[bigG]

Well, looks like I missed this one! Sorry about that. :thwap:

Welcome aboard 2 months ago, Franken! :beer:

 

[duhvoodooman]

I missed this one, too!

Welcome to The Fret, FF! :AOK: :dude: :beer: :rockon:

We have lots of "kings" of cheap guitars here. Another brand for you to check out are the Xaviere guitars from Guitar Fetish. I have two--a Strat copy and a Tele copy--and have found both to be excellent values. Pics available HERE.

 

[FrankenFretter]

I missed this one, too!

Welcome to The Fret, FF! :AOK: :dude: :beer: :rockon:

We have lots of "kings" of cheap guitars here. Another brand for you to check out are the Xaviere guitars from Guitar Fetish. I have two--a Strat copy and a Tele copy--and have found both to be excellent values. Pics available HERE.

Yeah, DVM, I look at that site pretty much daily. If I ever do buy a Tele knock-off, that's probably where I'll buy it. Nice pickups there, too. I have a set of the Power Rails in my Schecter, and I love them. Still trying to put my strat together with the Texas Premiums. One of these days...

 

[duhvoodooman]

Yeah, DVM, I look at that site pretty much daily. If I ever do buy a Tele knock-off, that's probably where I'll buy it. Nice pickups there, too. I have a set of the Power Rails in my Schecter, and I love them. Still trying to put my strat together with the Texas Premiums. One of these days...

On the XV-870 Strat copy I bought, I think the GFS pickups in it are really good. I was looking for a very classic/vintage Strat tone in that guitar (my "real" Strat has the hotter Fender CS Texas Specials to scratch my SRV itch), and they give me that. But I was disappointed by the pickups in the XV-820 Tele. It may be the influence of the ash body and maple fretboard, but I found the stock p'ups to be too bright, bordering on harsh, and not enough body to the tone. Picked up a set of the Fender Hot Alnico 3's off eBay, and they took care of the issue nicely. Really like how the guitar sounds now--still a very distinct Tele tone but smoother/rounder and with plenty of cojones. The guitar has always played well, and now it sounds good, as well. The only real drawback is the weight. That ash body (obviously not the light southern swamp ash variety) weighs a ton. The guitar is easily as heavy as my Les Paul. But I mostly play sitting down, so no big deal for me.