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Post by Hohn on Jul 14, 2006 17:33:05 GMT -7
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Post by Hohn on Jul 14, 2006 18:18:13 GMT -7
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Post by dock66 on Jul 14, 2006 19:25:29 GMT -7
Beautyfull guitars.Blue diamond quilt maple top and birdseye maple top ? Very nice indeed.You must get deliciouse tone from those PUs.
dock66
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Post by billyguitar on Jul 14, 2006 20:17:56 GMT -7
Looks as good as anything I've seen anywhere.
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Post by Hohn on Jul 15, 2006 8:41:08 GMT -7
It's a real testament to the guitars that they can make even my current rig sound pretty decent.
The "strat" with Kinmans at first was not my favorite-- it was very tiring to play. Then I realized was simply overplaying it. I was used to something that was so difficult to play, that I wasn't just relaxing and letting the playing happen. Once I got the setup dialed in, I really came to enjoy it. The nut is a hair narrower than I'm used to-- i think it's 1 5/8"' instead of the typical 1 11/16". This made string bends a little tougher. But I stepped down to 10s and all is well. I can say now that I LOVE this guitar-- and the tone is good. The saddle is a MannMade USA piece-- very stable and helps for a good setup. Neck pup blues with a TS9 is lots of of fun!
The blue "tele" is a very enjoyable to play. The maple over swamp ash (like the strat is) is a combo that I really like-- adding just a little more snap to the attack (to my ears, anyhow). The thinline design gives it a lot of "air" in the sound, and this is complimented by the Bardens. The Bardens are HOT HOT pups-- but they don't sound as hot as they are because they have air and clarity to them. But they are noticeably hotter than the Kinmans in the other fiddle-- when swapping, I have to adjust volume. For convenience, I just play 10s on both, though 11s on the Tele sound great and are very playable.
Once the Stang gets here, I'm going to try to piece together some clips. I don't have much of anything for home rec, so it will probably be awhile. More's the pity--- they really are a treat to play and hear. No, I'm not biased:)
If I could play these thing half as well as they are made, I'd be pretty dang good:) Sadly, that's not the case:(
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Post by billyguitar on Jul 15, 2006 8:56:29 GMT -7
You'll love the Ray with these guitars. A sweet sounding guitar just sounds sweeter in a Ray. With those Bardens you'll want to plug into the low input and turn the cut off and then slowly open it up until you find the right amount of sparkle.
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Post by Hohn on Jul 17, 2006 9:34:25 GMT -7
Anyone else play or even heard of Zion guitars? They seem to be a pretty unknown make, even in "booteek" circles.
I guess they were bigger in the 80s or something and then they started declining when they dinked with their business model. The founder's been sick for a while now, and it's a different guy at the helm (but he's still been there all along as head luthier, IIRC).
I figured given the composition of board members here (and our propensity for GAS), there might be at least ONE other Zion floating around here!
justin
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Post by rcrecelius on Jul 17, 2006 10:38:43 GMT -7
A tele that purty shouldnt be running around with a naked switch
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Post by Hohn on Jul 17, 2006 11:56:35 GMT -7
Sorry-- that's my daughter's doing. She gets a kick out of switching pickups while I play. She's a year old, so I let it go (and she's gentle:)
I leave it off so she doesn't stick it in her mouth and choke.
JH
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Post by guitarman1 on Jul 19, 2006 6:52:59 GMT -7
Anyone else play or even heard of Zion guitars? They seem to be a pretty unknown make, even in "booteek" circles. I guess they were bigger in the 80s or something and then they started declining when they dinked with their business model. The founder's been sick for a while now, and it's a different guy at the helm (but he's still been there all along as head luthier, IIRC). I figured given the composition of board members here (and our propensity for GAS), there might be at least ONE other Zion floating around here! justin I had a Zion in the 90s that was made when Ken Hoover (the founder you mentioned) was running the entire business by himself. Unfortunately, Ken did become ill and his health declined quickly. I think that is why he took on a partner. I had the opportunity to stop in at Ken's shop/showroom in Winston-Salem, just prior to his illness. Ken is a great guy and a true craftsman. His guitars are top notch. I notice one off yours has the PRS type tremolo, as mine did. From briefly looking at the website, it appears they are now using Wilkinsons instead. I really prefer the PRS style.
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Post by groovedr on Aug 22, 2006 21:31:01 GMT -7
Man those are niiiiiice looking guitars. Do they sound as good as they look? Where can they be found? Are they way expensive? Again, you have some great looking guitars.
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Post by skydog958 on Aug 22, 2006 21:56:30 GMT -7
Man those are niiiiiice looking guitars. Do they sound as good as they look? Where can they be found? Are they way expensive? Again, you have some great looking guitars. eBay brotha groovedr. They are just below the Suhr/Anderson/Grosh prices for the fancy ones. I'm still waiting to play mine.
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Post by johngourlay on Aug 22, 2006 23:16:34 GMT -7
They are gorgeous. I want one. Now.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Aug 23, 2006 13:16:16 GMT -7
Look to be done very nice . Both guitars are swept deep so you can get at upper bout easy . Can't say I've heard or seen one in my parts . I may look into a Suhr later this year as we now have a dealer in Ottawa who wants to sell me one .
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2006 16:26:32 GMT -7
Very nice!
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Post by groovedr on Aug 24, 2006 18:36:27 GMT -7
Thanks Skydog, love the Hendrix quote. Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
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Post by skydog958 on Aug 25, 2006 17:28:47 GMT -7
Thanks Skydog, love the Hendrix quote. Excuse me while I kiss the sky. Thanks! Got it from a biography about him I read called "Room Full of Mirrors" Karma! P.S. Got the Zion back. Now gotta get the amp fixed
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Post by groovedr on Aug 25, 2006 18:01:51 GMT -7
Skydog, what kind of stuff do you play?
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Post by skydog958 on Aug 25, 2006 18:06:51 GMT -7
Well, what I aspire to play is Classic Rock mixed with plenty o' blues (say, from Zep/Cream/Free to Guy/Winter/SRV/insert-blues-legend-here). Problem is, not many people my age are into that (mostly emo and hardcore...ick). Thus far the band's I've been involved with are Modern Rock.
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Post by skydog958 on Aug 28, 2006 17:57:31 GMT -7
I finally got to play my Zion through my Z!!
I love the clean or clean-with-hair tones. Plenty of spank on it (ash body with maple top, maple/maple neck). I liked it better on cleaner sounds then gainier sounds. It's supposedly has Fralins in it (dunno what model, but the D magnets are raised pretty high).
I'm still getting used to the neck...it's much thinner than I am used to, narrower nut, and the frets are small for me. Action is lower than usual, and the scale is longer. I'm used to thick U shaped Gibson necks with jumbo frets and wide nuts, but I'm getting a handle on it.
I shall inform more as I continue to play around with it. Plan to post pics too.
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