My Musical Equipment "Wish List"
Below, sorted by category, is music equipment that I want to own some day. I may never, because I am seeking to retire in about 2017, so I don't know if any of this will materialize. But still, a person can want something without necessarily having to go get it, right?
Guitars
Some of the guitars I would like to own are shown below. A short paragraph accompanies each, to explain why I want each particular one.
ELECTRIC GUITARS:
An electric guitar I'd like to own is this Rickenbacher 330 12-String guitar. This is the guitar that Roger McGuinn of the Byrds musical group plays today. I'm not sure if it is the same one he used with the Byrds, but it is the one he plays today. This guitar can be bought for around $2900 and is a beautiful sounding semi-acoustic 12-string. Many people think that 12-strings are difficult to play but believe me they are not. There really isn't a lot of difference between playing a 6-string and a 12-string. I have wanted one of these ever since John Lennon played a similar 6-string Rickenbacher when he was with the Beatles and since Roger McGuinn played one in the Byrds.
PROBABLY UNATTAINABLE FOR ME.
Another electric guitar I'd like to own is this Conn CSE-5 6-String guitar. This guitar was made only in 1979 or 1980 by the Conn Guitar Division of Conn-Selmer. Conn was only in the business for about 9 years...then discontinued production. Almost all Conn guitars were made in Japan. The CSE-5 was a unique Conn design--not a copy of any other instrument. The tuners, pickups, and hardware were all high quality. The body design was neck-through. I am still seeking this guitar to own. Appearing below is a catalog page from a 1980 Conn Electric Guitar Catalog.
ABOVE: CONN CSE-5 6-STRING ELECTRIC. It will be mine!!!
ACOUSTIC GUITARS:
Although I would not turn this guitar down if it was offered to me, I really do not want to buy one. It is shown here because it is, I believe,
the standard by which all other acoustic guitars are measured. It is a
Martin HD-28. It was my dream guitar. I once wanted it more than any of the others on this page, and it is likely to cost half again as much as any of them. It features herringbone binding and purfling, and solid spruce top with solid rosewood sides and back. I actually took the plunge and put one in layaway, but by the time I had sold all my other guitars (well, not all, but most of them) I still owed $1400 on it. I had no other resources, so I returned it from layaway and bought the Seagull Artist Studio--which I found to be a quite nice substitute. This is only shown here because it is representative of the guitar that I do plan to build soon--except that mine will be acoustic electric and will be my own design. It will be the same quality as this Martin, but for the price of the materials only--the labor will be mine. I will begin that project in the Spring of 2011, using money made by selling my McCullough guitar to buy materials.
Below is a Takamine F-360S. It is a solid-top guitar with sides and back of rosewood. It is an amazing-sounding guitar. The quality is amazing and it was produced in the 70's when Takamine guitar company was beginning to export significant numbers of guitars to the USA. It had many features similar to Martin--including the copying of the Martin style logo (except it says "Takamine"). Under threat of lawsuit by Martin, Takamine discontinued imitating the Martin and began their own unique designed guitars and headstocks. This one features solid woods and excellent sound. I see them for sale frequently (well--3-4 times a year) but they usually sell for $350-700...something I just cannot afford right now. Actually I would be happy with any of the series, the F-360S, F-307S, F-363S, or F-365S.
Photos of some of these are forthcoming. Photos of these guitars are rare. But a couple of more guitars (acoustic) that I would love to own are the Conn brand F-30 (pictured at right--courtesy of Bruce Lamont). The F-30 is a 12-String guitar that was produced from 1974 thru 1977. Another instrument I'd like to own is a Conn F-28. This guitar is a solid top model and is one of Conn's nicest. It was produced in 1978 only. It features rosewood sides and back, and a solid spruce top. Another is the F-20 or F-200. Both guitars are solid top with Maple back and sides (pictured below left). Last but not least, I would like a C-20, C-200, C-30, C-300, C-31 (Pictured below), or C-33. These are classical guitar models that all feature rosewood bodies with solid spruce tops. The C-20, C-200, C-30, and C-300 were all made prior to 1974. The C-31 was made 1974-1978, and the C-33 was made only in 1978.
I want the following amplifiers. There aren't many, but I thought these would be neat to own. Really, the ones I have now might be ok with replacement speakers that provide better range, although I am pretty well satisfied for the time being with what I have. But again, this is a wish list.
This first one is a Marshall AS50R, which is an acoustic amplifier. I like this amp (no longer manufactured or sold new--it has been replaced by the newer Marshall AS50D) because it has solid construction (the Marshall name) and great sound even at high sound levels. It is a 50W output amp, but much bigger. The front panel is simple to operate--you don't have to have a manual to figure it out. I have put the AS50R side-by-side with the newer AS50D. Not much difference that I am aware of. But maybe Marshall fixed some problems that I'm unaware of..
MARSHALL AS50R 50W ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIER MARSHALL AS50D 50W ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIER
If I acquire one of the above electric guitars on my wish list, I would want one of the below amplifiers for it. The first is a Fender Twin Reverb. They are pricey--the reissues are about $1200. But the reissue has newer more modern technology features than the 1960's version, and they pack some real punch. A tube amp can't be beat for clean sound!
FENDER TWIN-REVERB '65 REISSUE
Next, below is a Fender Deluxe Reverb. It is similar to the Twin Reverb, except that it has one speaker instead of two. Also a nice amp and also somewhat pricey for me--in the $900-$1000 range.
Next below is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. This amp is a magnificent tube amp for the price of around $795-900. Still out of my price range but a great tube amp.
Finally, below is a Ampeg B-100R 100-Watt Bass amp. It features a tube preamp, and is otherwise solid state. A rugged amp with great reliability and low to no distortion.
