(01-18-2016, 12:52 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Just added a new guitar.  I bought it online, which I've only done once before and constantly tell others not to do.

Bought a Peavey Wolfgang Special (USA).  I normally wouldn't have bought one on ebay but the guy had it listed as the Korean model and it was just too good a deal to pass up.  Snagged it for $550 shipped.  These flametop models listed out at 1600 new back in the early 2000's.  

Man, I hope I like it.  It really scares me to invest that amount of coin in something I haven't played.  And I really need to stop buying gear for awhile now. (Been saying that for 20 years)  

You'll love it. I have 3 Peavey Wolfgangs (not the specials), they play fantastic and the necks play like butter.

Any of you guys know who Johnny Hiland is?

Tim McDonald(keys)and he are playing before us at a club this Friday.

The guy tears it up.  So does TM.

I've read about him but never listened to his playing until recently.  

He's a chicken pickin' guru, but jams sometimes with rock guys Steve Vai and Sammy Hagar too.

Check him out!  Really versatile player.

(01-19-2016, 08:38 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: Any of you guys know who Johnny Hiland is?

Tim McDonald(keys)and he are playing before us at a club this Friday.

The guy tears it up.  So does TM.

I've read about him but never listened to his playing until recently.  

He's a chicken pickin' guru, but jams sometimes with rock guys Steve Vai and Sammy Hagar too.

Check him out!  Really versatile player.

I remember seeing him in a lot of the mags a few years back.  I've watched a few videos before too.  Is he opening for you guys? Cuz, uh, that would be pretty impressive.

(01-19-2016, 06:06 PM)GodFather Wrote: You'll love it. I have 3 Peavey Wolfgangs (not the specials), they play fantastic and the necks play like butter.

I'm excited.  I should get it Thurs.

The guy listed it as a Korean Special, because I think he confused the flame top with quilt that was used on those.  This is one of the USA Wolfgang Special Deluxe's I think.  Unlike the other USA special it does actually have a maple cap.  It's not carved though, like on the Standards.  And it's only 1/4 of an inch as opposed to the 5/8.  But it's still sweet.

Question:  Did you oil your necks ever?  I'm debating on whether I should clean this one up at all.  Haven't done much research on it yet, but I know there's two schools of thought with these.

(01-19-2016, 06:06 PM)GodFather Wrote: I have 3 Peavey Wolfgangs (not the specials)

I would love to hear what else you have.  I'm assuming you snagged three these primarily based on color?  Or did you get a hardtail?  Between these and that Nash you mentioned, I'm guessing you probably have a few other real cool pieces.

I use a mexistrat (Fender Stratocaster - mexican version) with a cheap VOX tube amp.

I usually only play video game music, but since gametabs.net has been down for like a year and doesn't seem to want to come back up - I'll need to start learning more actual music other than Muse and Michael Jackson.

I added these to my wish list:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SPX3EU?colid=3BW46CE46T9IL&coliid=IM10F7TSW3HTN&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AF7TBY?colid=3BW46CE46T9IL&coliid=I3DD9KFRL94SDL&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img

(01-20-2016, 01:49 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I'm excited.  I should get it Thurs.

The guy listed it as a Korean Special, because I think he confused the flame top with quilt that was used on those.  This is one of the USA Wolfgang Special Deluxe's I think.  Unlike the other USA special it does actually have a maple cap.  It's not carved though, like on the Standards.  And it's only 1/4 of an inch as opposed to the 5/8.  But it's still sweet.

Question:  Did you oil your necks ever?  I'm debating on whether I should clean this one up at all.  Haven't done much research on it yet, but I know there's two schools of thought with these.

I only oil my necks with a rosewood neck, not maple. I just use polish to clean the necks on my wolfgang when changing strings. The rosewoods will get brittle and crack so its important to oil them up.

(01-20-2016, 02:27 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I would love to hear what else you have.  I'm assuming you snagged three these primarily based on color?  Or did you get a hardtail?  Between these and that Nash you mentioned, I'm guessing you probably have a few other real cool pieces.

Well I have aa dark cherry wolfgang standard with floyd and two stop tails wolfgang standards. I have two Nash's 57 Tele and a 52 Tele with a Lollar Imperial humbucker in the neck position and a special wound pickup for the bridge. I have a George Benson original Ibenez hollow body. Two strats, an Eric Johnson strat and a 1980 American original. I also have 3 Taylor acoustics and Takamine classical acoustic. 

They all have their own personality and are great depending on what style Im playing.

I finally got around to buying myself a 5-string bass. It's a kick in the ass because the B string is too low for my tuner to pick up on, so I either need to go get a tuner I can plug into or tune it by ear.

And I still have my old Ibanez that's a bit underused these days. Too much work, not enough time for fun unfortunately. Not to mention all the traveling I've had to do since right after Christmas (winter and funerals - my favorite :-/)

(01-20-2016, 02:06 PM)GodFather Wrote: I only oil my necks with a rosewood neck, not maple. I just use polish to clean the necks on my wolfgang when changing strings. The rosewoods will get brittle and crack so its important to oil them up.

Oh, yeah, I use fretboard conditioner on my guitars with rosewood every few months and on my one ebony one every string change.

I've read two schools of thought on the wolfgang:  1.) Never clean or oil it, let is absorb all of the oil, sweat and dirt from your hands.  I think Eddie himself recommends/does this. 2.) Wipe it down every time after you play, use lemon oil on it, and if needed, use occassionally use #0000 finest steel wool to remove any dirt buildup/stain.

(01-20-2016, 03:08 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: I finally got around to buying myself a 5-string bass. It's a kick in the ass because the B string is too low for my tuner to pick up on, so I either need to go get a tuner I can plug into or tune it by ear.

Assuming your intonation is spot on, you can always just fret the string higher up the neck and tune that way.  just tune from the 5th fret of that B.  And if it's having trouble reading that try the 10th fret for an A.  It should start picking something up somewhere down there.

(01-20-2016, 04:19 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Assuming your intonation is spot on, you can always just fret the string higher up the neck and tune that way.  just tune from the 5th fret of that B.  And if it's having trouble reading that try the 10th fret for an A.  It should start picking something up somewhere down there.

Truth be told it never even occurred to me to tune a higher note.

Habit makes me try open tuning or not at all - I've really gotta get around to breaking it.

(01-20-2016, 02:06 PM)GodFather Wrote: I only oil my necks with a rosewood neck, not maple. I just use polish to clean the necks on my wolfgang when changing strings. The rosewoods will get brittle and crack so its important to oil them up.


Well I have aa dark cherry wolfgang standard with floyd and two stop tails wolfgang standards. I have two Nash's 57 Tele and a 52 Tele with a Lollar Imperial humbucker in the neck position and a special wound pickup for the bridge. I have a George Benson original Ibenez hollow body. Two strats, an Eric Johnson strat and a 1980 American original. I also have 3 Taylor acoustics and Takamine classical acoustic. 

They all have their own personality and are great depending on what style Im playing.

That's a sweet collection.  What styles do you play?

Are the Nash Tele's twangy, bluesy like the Fender's?

I used to play(left handed) but arthritis ended that. 

Speaking of arthritis, in one of your earlier posts you asked about local guitarists.  He hasn't been able to play for awhile due to arthritis, but, in his day, Mike Wheeler was pretty wicked.  Also one of the nicest guys I've ever known.

(01-09-2016, 03:11 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: 3) Line 6 JTV

What do you think of this one?  I've never played a Variax.  Does it see much use?

(01-20-2016, 01:43 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I remember seeing him in a lot of the mags a few years back.  I've watched a few videos before too.  Is he opening for you guys?  Cuz, uh, that would be pretty impressive.

No, to the opening part.  They were last minute booked due to them being in the area.

The owner of the club really likes Johnny and jumped at the opportunity to have him play there.

So they are playing earlier 5-8pm and we are playing the usual later time slot.

I'd like to meet the guy.  Seems like he knows a lot of other famous musicians and it would be interesting to hear some stories.

I thought this vid was pretty cool of him sitting in with Sammy Hagar.

(01-20-2016, 05:52 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: What do you think of this one?  I've never played a Variax.  Does it see much use?

It's a pretty decent built guitar for a Line 6 model and it stays in tune pretty well.

I used it playing gigs in the past because of the ability to switch between electric and acoustic sounds easily.

Playing gigs with an acoustic is hassle unless you are doing strictly acoustic stuff.

Especially when you keep switching back and forth from song to song.

It sounds pretty good on the acoustic sounds when running straight into the board.

The Clean channel on your amp it is "just okay".  There are some minor artifacts in different modes.

I bought that USA Strat Deluxe(which plays great BTW)and usually tote this thing for back up anymore.

(01-20-2016, 04:46 PM)McC Wrote: That's a sweet collection.  What styles do you play?

Are the Nash Tele's twangy, bluesy like the Fender's?

I used to play(left handed) but arthritis ended that. 

Speaking of arthritis, in one of your earlier posts you asked about local guitarists.  He hasn't been able to play for awhile due to arthritis, but, in his day, Mike Wheeler was pretty wicked.  Also one of the nicest guys I've ever known.

Thanks. I grew up playing rock and blues, and went to school for jazz. 

The Nash with the single coils, definitely has that classic twangy sound but my 52 with the hum bucker in the neck position has a real full deep tone thats great for playing jazz with. It also sounds great playing the Joe Bonamassa style stuff that he uses his Les Paul with.

(01-20-2016, 04:12 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Oh, yeah, I use fretboard conditioner on my guitars with rosewood every few months and on my one ebony one every string change.

I've read two schools of thought on the wolfgang:  1.) Never clean or oil it, let is absorb all of the oil, sweat and dirt from your hands.  I think Eddie himself recommends/does this. 2.) Wipe it down every time after you play, use lemon oil on it, and if needed, use occassionally use #0000 finest steel wool to remove any dirt buildup/stain.

Im glad you posted this. DO NOT ever use a steel wool of any kind on a maple neck fretboard. That is the biggest no no you can do. 

(01-20-2016, 11:32 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: I use a mexistrat (Fender Stratocaster - mexican version) with a cheap VOX tube amp.

I usually only play video game music, but since gametabs.net has been down for like a year and doesn't seem to want to come back up - I'll need to start learning more actual music other than Muse and Michael Jackson.

I added these to my wish list:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SPX3EU?colid=3BW46CE46T9IL&coliid=IM10F7TSW3HTN&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AF7TBY?colid=3BW46CE46T9IL&coliid=I3DD9KFRL94SDL&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img

I'm usually not a fan of the "Studio" models but have not tried this one.

Gibson really disappointed me in their mid-tier models.  They feel kind of cheap IMO.

Which sucks when you dish out over $1,000 bucks for one.

It's kind of strange when a top model Epiphone Paul seems better made than the Gibson mid-tier ones.

My theory is that if someone is expected to shell out $600-$700 bucks for an Epi that it better be good versus a $1,000 and slightly above Gibsons you're at least getting the "Gibson Les Paul" name on the headstock.

The Gibsons that are upward of $2,000 and above, the quality jumps up.

This response isn't solely for you Reuben.  I'm sharing some thoughts/opinions.

Just curious to what others might think to this...

(01-20-2016, 08:42 PM)GodFather Wrote: Im glad you posted this. DO NOT ever use a steel wool of any kind on a maple neck fretboard. That is the biggest no no you can do. 

A finished (gloss or satin) maple neck though.  I see no reason it would be bad for one without a finish, but could be wrong.

Edit: From Peavey


The following tips should be taken into consideration to retain the good looks and sound of your EVH Wolfgang guitar:



Wash hands thoroughly before playing to minimize the effects of excessive dirt and skin acids. Wipe the instrument down with a soft, dry cloth after each use. The oil finished neck should be cleaned and replenished periodically, such as during string changes. We recommend using Peavey Lemon-oil (http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.c ... %20Kit.cfm) for this but many of the commercially available fingerboard or lemon oils are suitable. Do not use oils containing stains or pigments as they may stain the neck. Also, do not apply a paste wax to the neck. Paste wax is fine for oil finishes on instrument bodies and furniture, but it can cause a wax build up resulting in a "sticky" or "gummy" neck feel.



Using a soft, clean cloth; apply only enough oil to moisten the wood surface of the neck. Allow the oil to absorb into the wood for a few minutes, and then wipe off any excess. If excessively dirty, apply the oil using a soft-bristled toothbrush, and gently scrub the surface to loosen and remove any dirt and grime. Wipe off any excess.



Small surface scratches and stains on the neck can be removed with #0000 ultra fine steel wool, or an equivalent synthetic steel wool. Do not allow steel wool or shavings to be exposed to the pickups, frets or finished body and peghead surfaces. Regular use and cleaning will keep the frets clean and shiny. If the frets should need additional work, it is recommended to let an experienced technician perform this operation. Do not scrub the fret surfaces with steel wool unless the fingerboard is properly masked as staining of the maple fingerboard may occur.



Clean and shine the guitar body and peghead surface with a soft, clean cloth and a polish suitable for hard, gloss finishes, such as Peavey Guitar Polish. Do not use water- or alcohol-based polishes on the oil finished neck surface. They can raise the wood grain resulting in a rough surface texture and possibly cause damage to the neck. Store your instrument in the case when it's not in use. We include a desiccant pack inside the Wolfgang case to help absorb moisture if needed. If a humidifier is needed, you can either use a commercially available product or make one yourself by enclosing a slightly damp sponge inside a small, plastic salt or pepper shaker.

(01-20-2016, 08:45 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: I'm usually not a fan of the "Studio" models but have not tried this one.

Gibson really disappointed me in their mid-tier models.  They feel kind of cheap IMO.

Which sucks when you dish out over $1,000 bucks for one.

It's kind of strange when a top model Epiphone Paul seems better made than the Gibson mid-tier ones.

My theory is that if someone is expected to shell out $600-$700 bucks for an Epi that it better be good versus a $1,000 and slightly above Gibsons you're at least getting the "Gibson Les Paul" name on the headstock.

The Gibsons that are upward of $2,000 and above, the quality jumps up.

This response isn't solely for you Reuben.  I'm sharing some thoughts/opinions.

Just curious to what others might think to this...

I haven't played much of the new stuff but it seems like a lot of people aren't all two impressed with Gibson's quality nowadays.  Fwiw, I too just bought an Epiphone Standard Plus and absolutely love it. It's not the same feel to me as a real one, the weight and balance is a little different, but it plays fantastic. Fit and finish are good too.

And IMHO their pricing has gotten to the point where it's a little ridiculous.  Street price on a Les Paul Standard is $2,799.  A Les Paul Custom is $4,799.   Street.  List is $6,800.Craziness.  Off the top of my head, I think in around 2000 those Standards were about $1,800 and the Customs around $2,750.  They've damn near doubled.  The new studio is $1,499.  When I worked at GC these could all day long at 899.

Meanwhile, the quality of the imports has never been better.  What you can get for 500 is pretty damn amazing.

For me, if I'm shelling out that type of coin and have to have a Les Paul I'd either look at Heritage (Original Kalamazoo plant) or I'm looking at a slightly older one.  There was a Studio they did in the early 80's that they actually did in Sunburst, with binding.  But it has the dot inlays instead of the trapazoid.  And it's out of the old plant.  I'm guessing you could get one of these for around the same price as the new ones.