Cranes in Cardiff has gone, I see

[NYCBlue]

Not really.
Mainly independents, though some quite big - e.g. Andertons and the like - but dotted around the country, and usually just one main outlet.

So what's left in Cardiff if you're looking for a music gear.

[Cyclops]

So what's left in Cardiff if you're looking for a music gear.

Nobles is still trading. They shifted from Llanishen (where I bought my Washburn Hawk a long time ago) to Crwys Road and thence to Old Church Road at Whitchurch. Different Noble now behind the counter to 1979. That luthier at Dinas Powis seems to have disappeared.....

[Veg1960]

Nobles is still trading. They shifted from Llanishen (where I bought my Washburn Hawk a long time ago) to Crwys Road and thence to Old Church Road at Whitchurch. Different Noble now behind the counter to 1979. That luthier at Dinas Powis seems to have disappeared.....

Personally I'd take the Washburn Hawk over a PRS SE any day of the week. I do have a soft spot for that lovely old Jap stuff

[Cyclops]

Personally I'd take the Washburn Hawk over a PRS SE any day of the week. I do have a soft spot for that lovely old Jap stuff

I still love playing the Hawk - it's my instrument of choice and cost me about £750 in 1979. I'm buying the PRS for the Floyd Rose whammy bar - and the neck dimensions are very close to the Hawk; so the playability is almost the same. The pick-up configuration is also similar to the Hawk, and a selling point of the PRS SE Floyd is its 85/15 pick-ups

[Veg1960]

I love those old Washburns - never had one of the Hawk Series but have an A15 and A20. The A20 is killer! Those EMGs may take a bit of getting used to, with the Floyd should be very different from the Washburn

[Cyclops]

I love those old Washburns - never had one of the Hawk Series but have an A15 and A20. The A20 is killer! Those EMGs may take a bit of getting used to, with the Floyd should be very different from the Washburn

I've got a Floyd on an Ibanez so I know what I'm getting. Although the Ibanez has a thinner neck, I find it harder to play than the Washburn because of the jumbo frets. The up-side is when I go back to the Hawk, it feels so fast!

[Veg1960]

I've got a Floyd on an Ibanez so I know what I'm getting. Although the Ibanez has a thinner neck, I find it harder to play than the Washburn because of the jumbo frets. The up-side is when I go back to the Hawk, it feels so fast!

Those EMGs will be a lot more aggressive sounding that the old Di Marzios in your Wing series. It's great to have the contrast between the two

[NYCBlue]

I bought a Hohner 335 copy in blonde from Nobles on Crwys Road in about 1990. It was a surprisingly good guitar. I think my son has it now.

[Veg1960]

I've never had a decent semi, so not really familiar with them. I once passed over a Cherry Red Edwards 335 in Cash Converters for £125.00 - I didn't know what it was. Doh! By the time I hit google it was gone

[NYCBlue]

I've never had a decent semi, so not really familiar with them. I once passed over a Cherry Red Edwards 335 in Cash Converters for £125.00 - I didn't know what it was. Doh! By the time I hit google it was gone

Ouch!

[Vimana.]

I still love playing the Hawk - it's my instrument of choice and cost me about £750 in 1979. I'm buying the PRS for the Floyd Rose whammy bar - and the neck dimensions are very close to the Hawk; so the playability is almost the same. The pick-up configuration is also similar to the Hawk, and a selling point of the PRS SE Floyd is its 85/15 pick-ups

I'd never seen a Washburn Hawk, or at least I had forgotten if I had - I had to google it.
Looks like it comes from the same factory or 'gakki' (Matsumoko I guess) as the venerable Westone Thunder.
But yeah, it's much prettier ;)

I like old late 70's - 80's Japanese guitars too, mainly the F style.
I've bought and sold a few over the years, Greco, Fernandes, early Tokai, Antoria , early Ibanez etc . Early JV Squire's too.
Not kept any. Doh...
My Strat still has an old Tokai body though ;)

[Veg1960]

Got an old Greco Strat - Lovely! Not as nice as my battered old JV Squier though -Had that for 25 years and still my main squeeze

[Vimana.]

Got an old Greco Strat - Lovely! Not as nice as my battered old JV Squier though -Had that for 25 years and still my main squeeze

Good stuff

Edit: yeah .. I spelled Squier wrong earlier ..;)

[Heathblue]

Got an old Greco Strat - Lovely! Not as nice as my battered old JV Squier though -Had that for 25 years and still my main squeeze

I used to have an EKO 12 string Jumbo with a pick-up, my Dad got it for me, fell off a back of a lorry ended up in the Rompney Castle where he acquired it for me

[Veg1960]

I'd never seen a Washburn Hawk, or at least I had forgotten if I had - I had to google it.
Looks like it comes from the same factory or 'gakki' (Matsumoko I guess) as the venerable Westone Thunder.
But yeah, it's much prettier ;)

I like old late 70's - 80's Japanese guitars too, mainly the F style.
I've bought and sold a few over the years, Greco, Fernandes, early Tokai, Antoria , early Ibanez etc . Early JV Squire's too.
Not kept any. Doh...
My Strat still has an old Tokai body though ;)

I picked up a Westone Thunder Jet for £15.00 a while ago. One of my students has a Gibson Les Paul Tribute - The Westone is a better guitar in every respect