Fiesta Red
Doctor of Teleocity
Happy New Lap Steel Guitar Day!
I never do this anymore...I went to a shop, saw something in the corner that’s been somewhere on the GAS List for a while, and bought it without any major research, hand wringing or extensive meditation. When I was much younger, I regularly made impulse purchases, but it’s been years since I did so.
I also hardly ever buy anything new. I’d rather somebody else take the depreciation hit.
Because of a surprise work project, I found myself on the opposite end of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex from my home, so I thought I would drop by The Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas before heading home.
The Guitar Sanctuary is a “Dreamer/Not Gonna Happen/Dentists & Lawyers” Shop for me. Most of their guitars are Custom Shop or high-end boutique instruments; for example, the first time I went there several years ago, there was a Turner Model One hanging on the wall...I’ve also played a $5000 Custom Shop Telecaster there, and $4500 Duesenberg half-scale 12-string instrument.
I’m firmly blue-collar...the only thing I’ve ever bought from them was the Dr. Z’s Brake Lite Attenuator that resides in my Vibroverb...
Anyway, hidden in the corner of the amp room was a surprise—a cheap Hecho-en-China Gretsch G5715 Electromatic Lap Steel in Black Sparkle finish...and it was even cheaper than I expected!
I borrowed a steel, sat down and plugged it into an (outrageously expensive) Mesa Boogie amp and...
WOAH!
This thing sounded great.
I played it for 20 minutes, quickly looked up what the going rate for these were (new)...and they were asking $150 less than the street price.
So I bought it.
Pardon my terrible photography skills. It looks cooler/better than these pics show.
It’s my first steel guitar (although I’ve played borrowed ones off and on for years, and borrowed many a square-neck resonator, too).
It’s also my first Gretsch, if you don’t count the Dorado 12-string given to my daughter and I a couple of years ago.
Bought the gig bag, too...because why the heck not?
So now I have to dig out the old steel I have laying around here somewhere...in the meantime, I’ll just use a giant deep-wall socket.
I never do this anymore...I went to a shop, saw something in the corner that’s been somewhere on the GAS List for a while, and bought it without any major research, hand wringing or extensive meditation. When I was much younger, I regularly made impulse purchases, but it’s been years since I did so.
I also hardly ever buy anything new. I’d rather somebody else take the depreciation hit.
Because of a surprise work project, I found myself on the opposite end of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex from my home, so I thought I would drop by The Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas before heading home.
The Guitar Sanctuary is a “Dreamer/Not Gonna Happen/Dentists & Lawyers” Shop for me. Most of their guitars are Custom Shop or high-end boutique instruments; for example, the first time I went there several years ago, there was a Turner Model One hanging on the wall...I’ve also played a $5000 Custom Shop Telecaster there, and $4500 Duesenberg half-scale 12-string instrument.
I’m firmly blue-collar...the only thing I’ve ever bought from them was the Dr. Z’s Brake Lite Attenuator that resides in my Vibroverb...
Anyway, hidden in the corner of the amp room was a surprise—a cheap Hecho-en-China Gretsch G5715 Electromatic Lap Steel in Black Sparkle finish...and it was even cheaper than I expected!
I borrowed a steel, sat down and plugged it into an (outrageously expensive) Mesa Boogie amp and...
WOAH!
This thing sounded great.
I played it for 20 minutes, quickly looked up what the going rate for these were (new)...and they were asking $150 less than the street price.
So I bought it.
Pardon my terrible photography skills. It looks cooler/better than these pics show.
It’s my first steel guitar (although I’ve played borrowed ones off and on for years, and borrowed many a square-neck resonator, too).
It’s also my first Gretsch, if you don’t count the Dorado 12-string given to my daughter and I a couple of years ago.
Bought the gig bag, too...because why the heck not?
So now I have to dig out the old steel I have laying around here somewhere...in the meantime, I’ll just use a giant deep-wall socket.
