The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

G'day, all!! As a follower of these forums, I felt the need to add my 10 cents worth!!
I have 2 (normal) electric guitars; one an old Yamaha set up for slide; ie raised bridge and nut - and my pride and joy, a Vantage VA900, which is in stock condition. Having played a '58 Telecaster until I got the VA - brand new in 1980 - , I didn't realise you could get so many tones from a guitar, and that they could be so easy to play!! I have not wanted to own another electric since and I have played many, many others just to see what I was missing?! As an added irony, in the early 90's I was playing in a covers band where all of the guitars were Uncle Matt's - my VA, a Westone Thunder bass(I think), and an Aria, (looked like the one in jbyear's address column)
If anyones interested there is a pic in the Vantage forum. I now have a 1950's NZ-made lap steel and an early 1970's Kasuga banjo onstage as well. I suppose this qualifies me as really, really crusty, eh!!
To finish, I don't really think it matters what Uncle Matt we play, as long as we DO PLAY 'em!! I would hate to see the Fender/Gibson wall art thing happen to proper players' instruments

although my electra x-330 does a better jazz sound (b/c it was rewired...).

2 years and 8 more Matts later and the one that is getting the most action is a Westone Clipper CL4112, simply because it's the last one I have restored!



...and the fact that I'm a closet Tele-nut, and super-teles are SO much cooler than super-strats!!

absolutely.

Well, I'm certainly a late-comer to this thread, but the guitar I play most is an AP II PE-180. It's a factory 2nd with several cosmetic & non-threatening structural flaws that have appeared over time through some very well done cover-up jobs (the sides have caved in in several places, most likely because they weren't formed properly before the guitar was made, & these spots were "expertly" covered over).

There's something wrong with the wiring, but whatever it is makes the guitar in the neck pickup setting sound absolutely HUGE. The bridge pickup sounds weak & thin, & I've thought of repairing/refinishing it--but I like the neck position sound so much I'm afraid to change anything on it.

With the neck pickup, the guitar gets this big, thumpy, bassy sound--like a cross between a cello & a really nice old upright piano.

Had I not found this guitar (in spite of the fact I paid too much for it, not knowing it was a 2nd), I would have packed it in & quit playing altogether. I'm not sure whether the fact I'm still playing is a good thing or a bad thing.

Is a Robert Conti PE-190 available anywhere (Japan?) & what would be the going rate for one?

Bumping up this thread...

I cast my vote for Westone primarily because my Spectrum ST is my first Mats guitar, bought new in '85. I gigged with it and even recorded with it when we did a studio demo album 18 years ago (on tape yet!). Since getting GAS last year I have added 4 more Westones and 4 Vantages to the collection for a total of 9 Mats guitars.

Ya know, that Internet thingy makes you immortal it seems, and I came across an online PDF newsletter of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in which there was a (very) small picture and write up about me and some of the the "boys" playing a patio gig at a homecoming BBQ in 2004. I blew it up for fun:



It's a tad fuzzy at this size but I'm the goof in the shades in the middle playing my trusty Spectrum ST. The reprobate on the left is my lifelong band buddy and best friend, Glenn, and the other two are his associates that we sometimes got together with for occasions like this. They're all "Dr's." I'm just "Mr." (kinda got fed up with it all after the Masters Degree).

I normally would have my Ovation in the stand next to me so perhaps this was taken during a sound check or something. You can also see my cream coloured Roland Cube 100 in the background on an angled stand.

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

Hey, I resemble that!!

Yes. Yes you do!!

Good pic Barry - like it loads with an ST in there!!

I voted Vantage cause my Vantage Ghost is simply stunning. But I also love my Westbury's and my Vox Standard 24. The Ghost won it because I play it more than all the rest of my Matts put together.

The Ghost is just beautiful, fits like a glove and is better than some of my Gibsons.

Westone Spectrum LX. Only one I've got.... so far... tbc!