Cranes in Cardiff has gone, I see

[Heathblue]

How many guitars do you guys play?

I currently have four. I like to swop them around which I find keeps my practice fresh. Two have whammy bars - one a Fender; the other a Floyd Rose - and each calls for a different technique, particularly when doing squealies.

Something else I use to keep fresh is different effects - wah-wah, tube screamer and a Line 6 Pod X3 which simulates different rigs.

I just have a Tele now but, post my brain clot cannot play very well, I find it difficult to co ordinate my left hand fingers, my lad has an Ibanez 4 string bass, his 1st bass, I bought it for him in Cranes, an Ibanez Roadstar II 4 string bass (a 1984 model), again I bought it for him from Cardiff guitars, A fender Jazz 4 string which he has had defretted by Dave Dern, A fender Jazz 4 String, A fender Jazz 5 string, a fender hybrid (jazz Precision), a squire 4 string Precision

[Heathblue]

My lad bought his recent Bass from PMT, a Fender USA Job, it recently let him down during a recording session, he took it to Dave Dearnaley for the repair he's not impressed with PMT. or with Fender!!!!, he has 3 older Fenders that haven't let him down and an Ibanez model circa 1984 which has never gone wonky on him. Bring back the Sound Centre

[Vimana.]

My lad bought his recent Bass from PMT, a Fender USA Job, it recently let him down during a recording session, he took it to Dave Dearnaley for the repair he's not impressed with PMT. or with Fender!!!!, he has 3 older Fenders that haven't let him down and an Ibanez model circa 1984 which has never gone wonky on him. Bring back the Sound Centre

Good to hear that Dave D. is still doing the do.
Now there is a bloke who knows his stuff.

[Heathblue]

Good to hear that Dave D. is still doing the do.
Now there is a bloke who knows his stuff.

I think back to when i used have a few guitars but could never afford the £350.0 Les Paul and Strats and had to settle for the £50.0 Avon and Eros copies, a little investment in a few early 70's Les Pauls grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[NYCBlue]

Do you have Guitar Center (or an equivalent) over there?

http://www.guitarcenter.com

[Vimana.]

Do you have Guitar Center (or an equivalent) over there?

http://www.guitarcenter.com

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.

[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]

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.

I think for PRS guitars for example, PMT are as good an outlet as any. The local branch get an order number from their HO and raise the order. The price for the model I pre-ordered seems to be be fixed for the moment wherever you buy, so I welcomed the chance to support my local store. And I had the chance to check out the playability of a similar guitar without feeling I was using the shop. When it's ready for collection I'll have a chance to play it and check it over for dins - something I worry about when buying blind. So far, all good - and there was a guy in there who obviously loved PRS guitars.

[Former Labour leader]

George Ostricher owns Cranes, he does the range of TangleWood guitars which he imports from a factory in South Korea. Mike the manager of Cranes left him last year to go and work at PMT and ever since then Crances realised they couldnt or didnt want to compete.

George is not a daft man though, he owns the Cranes building as well as countless other large buildings in Cardiff - so he wont be destitute any time soon. Last time I spoke to him he was thinking of opening a smaller shop and doing high end products only somewhere else in Cardiff.

A lovely fella and there is an old saying - if George has sold something to you - you have paid too much, if you have sold something to George - he hasn't paid enough for it.

A crafty old devil, that loves his music, he came to Cardiff in the 1940's with his parents from Hungary - and is a self made man.

He once sold me a guitar and a bike in my lunch hour - when all I wanted was a set of drum sticks .........

Blimey, there's a blast from the past. I recall meeting him when he was running a wimpy bar on Westgate St, must be 35 years ago. I remember him as a really nice guy. Clearly a business man, but when he picked your pocket you couldn't help smiling.

[Zenith]

My regret is selling my 1963 Strat. It was bought for £150 in 1965 which was the equivalent of about £1200 in today's money. How much is it worth now I wonder.

Around £9-10k now

[Wales-Bales]

Anybody buying new instruments nowadays has got to be nuts. The prices are way up, yet the prices of used gear is falling.

[NYCBlue]

I just have one bass these days, a Thunderbird. I've also got a Yamaha 6-string acoustic.

My wife has a '63 Gibson Melody Maker and an Epiphone SG. The Melody Maker is sweet.

Sometimes I toy with the idea of getting a short-scale bass, like an EB-0. I've also always wanted to get an Epiphone Rivoli and a Rickenbacker 4001. I've played both quite a bit but never owned either.

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

I actually invented the guitar.

[Vimana.]

I'm a fair way down the path of actually building guitars. Got a £70 Tele kit; several How To books; some specialist tools including a sander and a router and have been following the Crimson Guitar Vids on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/CrimsonCustomGuitars)
I've also got a Harmony H77 on which I'm going to experiment - including adding a Bigsby.

The guy from Crimson is a good resource. He is quite intense though ;)

I actually invented the guitar.

U dun evn go 2 Cranes

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

The guy from Crimson is a good resource. He is quite intense though ;)



U dun evn go 2 Cranes

[Steve R]

The guy from Crimson is a good resource. He is quite intense though ;)



U dun evn go 2 Cranes

[Wales-Bales]

Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, A near vintage Gibson Les Paul Standad, 1983 Squier MIJ '57 reissue JV Precision, and a Kemper Profiler amp. All bought used, and in fantastic condition with regards to age. TBF, I've saved myself quite a bit of money, and will probably make a profit or break-even on anything I sell. I still need 3 more guitars though. A Gibson J-45, Gibson SG with P90's, and a Schecter Hellcat VI. I'm just waiting for the right deals to come along.

[Cyclops]

Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, A near vintage Gibson Les Paul Standad, 1983 Squier MIJ '57 reissue JV Precision.

Yes, yes - but how many frets do each of them have and, more importantly, what COLOUR are they?

[Wales-Bales]

Yes, yes - but how many frets do each of them have and, more importantly, what COLOUR are they?

I have conservative tastes .. black /mn bass, white /rw strat, wine red /rw LP, and white blonde /mn tele. Have you got one of those Kemper gadgets? I sold all my amps and pedals for a pretty penny, much better now I can play at all hours, and it's marvelous for recording The benefits of not drinking and giving the football a miss since Red Vince came along is an enhanced mancave

[jon1959]

Air guitar! It never lets me down.

[lardy]

Anyone played a Brian May? I tried one at A Strings in ponty (Andrew is my favourite dealer around S Wales, recommend a visit) and thought it was amazing. Couldn't believe the range of tones just by flicking a switch on the body.

[Zenith]

Anyone played a Brian May? I tried one at A Strings in ponty (Andrew is my favourite dealer around S Wales, recommend a visit) and thought it was amazing. Couldn't believe the range of tones just by flicking a switch on the body.

From experience I have found A Strings a bit useless, when I went in with my Jazz hollowbody for a setup (I phoned beforehand as well) the guy took a look and said yeah not much we can do really, that's the best it'll be. Now I know guitars very well and I damn well knew it could be a lot better.

Then the main guy, Andrew, just went off on the phone and said I'll be back in 5 mins - half hour later he wasn't. The younger guy moved the floating bridge a couple times and said yeah this is great now, bollocks was it. I said I would pay for the time anyway and he said buy a couple packs of strings to cover it, which came to 30 feckin quid.

Got it set up in Blackwood and it now plays like it should do. On another note, Took my Strat Elite (2016) to Gareth in Cardiff as I was recommended by a few people and he did feck all on that as well. The problem I had with fret buzz was still there 10 days later with no difference, I said this at the time and he gave me a load of bullshit and said £78 please. Daylight robbery here guys.

[Cyclops]

Got it set up in Blackwood and it now plays like it should do. On another note, Took my Strat Elite (2016) to Gareth in Cardiff as I was recommended by a few people and he did feck all on that as well. The problem I had with fret buzz was still there 10 days later with no difference, I said this at the time and he gave me a load of bullshit and said £78 please. Daylight robbery here guys.

I set my Strat and Tele up using Haynes manuals by Paul Balmer. Totally eliminated fret buzz.

Get excellent mpg now!

(PS I also find coconut oil to be effective for the moving parts of a Floyd Rose)