u/Happy_Television_501

I’m not sure how much to tell of the 30 year story of this guitar. Bought it in the mid 90’s in my early 20’s after seeing a documentary on TV about the Stratocaster. If I remember right it was $289. Played it in a hard rock band I was in at the time. Put some Lace Sensors in it. Kind of fell off playing it around 2000 and it started collecting dust.

About six years ago, I decided to put David Gilmour EMG electronics in it. Played it a bit but it didn’t really click.

Since then I’ve been playing guitar more and more, up to 10-20 hours a week for the past few years. And have been really figuring out that love a good tremolo arm. I have multiple guitars with trem arms that I love. But only recently I found the tremolo arm for this old girl and HOLY SHIT I love the way this thing feels and plays. The range is incredible. They really got it right with this old design.

And the EMGs are pretty awesome as well. I realized that they are kind of too punchy and in your face for clean playing, they sound best when given a light growl. The Klone I have from Noise Space Audio is freaking perfect. I go Cali76 compressor, Klone, slapback delay, into the Deluxe Reverb, freaking amazing. I’m playing it more now than I play all my other (some much more valuable) guitars put together.

For those of you in the US who ordered early and are still waiting, Criterion's price just dropped $60. You can cancel your order and then reorder it at the new price.

We had no idea how lucky we were. Living in the San Francisco East Bay, I could walk into Rasputin Records in Pleasant Hill and just take my pick. Exile on Main Street, $8. Multiple copies of Clash Sandinista, $6 to $10. All my Blondie Records $3 to $5. Every single Ozzy Black Sabbath album, a whole row of duplicates all $6 or $8. I’m glad I bought a lot of records back then, but when I think of these places now, it just seems unreal. Those were the golden days. What is the equivalent now? What are we snoozing on that we will look back on in the same way?

My pride and joy. I should probably bag all of them but I HATE BAGS

-my 14 year old son after watching Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

All original releases. Some of the jackets are a bit wore, but they all sound superb. Someone stole random records of mine a couple decades ago including all of the Mercyful Fate which breaks my heart to think about. But life goes on!

Hadn’t heard of this band. They thanked Radio Birdman on the back cover so I picked it up. Kind of rowdy, punk-influenced tunes along the lines of The Replacements’ first album or any of the west coast, big beat kind of stuff that was everywhere in the mid 80’s.

She has full healthy leaves at the base and also at the ends of each vine (not visible here) but she’s been losing all the leaves in the middle. Used to be very full. I keep her well watered, not too much I don’t think, and I gave her plant food this spring. What else can I do?

I was about to throw down somewhere around $80 for an original mono, but then saw that this was coming out and got my order in. Not sure when I’m going to play it, it feels like a huge deal to drop that needle the first time. Never actually have had this album on vinyl

I posted the second picture yesterday, thought I’d share the rest so y’all can see how the collection is rounded out.

The three on the left are the ones I’ve been playing the most over the past month. Third from left is a Squier CV Baritone Tele. The Strat is a ‘96 Mexi that I bought 30 years ago, more recently I put in a EMG David Gilmour faceplate/pickup set. On the far right is my Taylor Jumbo that I got for super cheap and then had fixed up proper.

Besides these 14 guitars, there is a 3/4 scale that my kid didn’t really get into, two classicals, and a steel string Mitchell acoustic that I got 35 years ago and is miraculously still in one piece after adventures you people might not believe.