Eilif
Well-known member
We're talking the guitar, not the man.
The guitar in question: A_Lee_Sss_Std T_Gold Mpl_Match Shell_Pg, 920-53-11-03. It began it's life in San Luis Obispo and (I believe) was shipped to Dan's Guitars in Honolulu. There, it languished, hanging on the wall there for over four years.
I first noticed it the very first time I set foot in Dan's Guitars back in the Fall of 2003. I'd been wanting to learn to play the electric guitar for some years. At that point, already in my late 30s, I figured I'd better do it now or I'd never get to it...or at the very least, I figured it would be better to be a beginner and struggle through "Smoke On The Water" in my late 30s than in my early 60s. And by "better", I mean "less embarrassing."
Anyway, I went to Dan's because I knew he was a Music Man dealer, and because Luke is one of my guitar heroes (Hi there, "Aunty"! ), I figured I could do a lot worse than buying a Luke. So I step into Dan's store and have a look around. While I'm talking to him and to Cedric (an employee there), I'm checking out the guitars. They didn't have a Luke, but they did have several other EBMMs, including an Albert Lee and (if memory serves) a JP6 and a Steve Morse. My Luke finally arrived in 2004, and by the time I went to pick it up, I'd been back to Dan's several times. ("Has my guitar come in yet????") Each time I'd go, I'd notice the Albert still hanging there on the wall.
2005 came along, and I decided the Luke, while a great guitar, just wasn't my thing (although I'd like to get another one someday), so getting to take home Dan's own, personal EVH to try out for several days (since he didn't have an Axis in stock), I fall in love with it and order an Axis Super Sport. Because I ordered a premium top, the wait was especially long, but that didn't stop me from continuing to drop by the store now and again to see if my guitar had come in. And every time I'd go, I'd still see the Albert hanging up there on the wall. By then, the JP6 and Steve Morse were long gone, and other EBMMs had come and gone as well.
In 2006, Dan got in a 20th Anniversary Silhouette. I wasn't planning on getting one, but when I played it, I knew I had to have one. Cedric plugged it into a "baby" Vox amp (the DA5, the itty bitty one that can run on batteries), but even through that little amp, the 20th Silo felt so alive and sounded so good. And while I'm playing it and thinking that I've got to buy one of these, I notice the Albert still hanging up on the wall.
May 2007: a few days ago, I dropped by Dan's, as I usually do when I'm in that part of town. Dan wasn't there, so I chatted with Cedric a bit and took a look around the shop. Of course, the Albert was still there. But as I'm looking around, this chap comes in with a Marshall plexi re-issue, looking for Dan, as he wants to try out a different kind of power tube. Cedric tells him that Dan should be back in about 1/2 an hour, so he takes his Marshall, plugs into a 4x12, and grabs a Suhr dual-humbucking guitar off the wall and starts to play. I've got nothing better to do, and this guy plays pretty good, so I sit down on a stool and listen. Soon, we start talking as he's playing. I ask him what kind of guitars he has, and he says he mostly plays a strat. Then he puts the Suhr back up and brings down a Les Paul. Wondering what the EBMMs that Dan has in stock might sound like through that head, I suggest that he try the Silo Special HSS or the Albert since they might sound more like his Strat. So he puts the LP back up on the wall and brings down the Albert. Of the three guitars, that Albert had TONE! And in spades. It really sounded alive compared to the other two. And this guy, he just couldn't put the Albert down after that. Even when Dan returned to the shop, all this guy wanted to do was to play with the Albert. After about an hour, I had to leave, and the way this guy was looking at the Albert, I was thinking that he should buy it. He was really enjoying the Albert!
Today, I stopped by Dan's...and I noticed that the Albert was missing! I asked Cedric if that guy had bought the Albert, and Cedric confirmed that the guy did indeed purchase it!
So after hanging on that wall for over four years, I'm glad to see that Albert finally find a loving home. It couldn't have happened to a better guitar. And I like to think that I played a small part in helping that Albert get sold.
The guitar in question: A_Lee_Sss_Std T_Gold Mpl_Match Shell_Pg, 920-53-11-03. It began it's life in San Luis Obispo and (I believe) was shipped to Dan's Guitars in Honolulu. There, it languished, hanging on the wall there for over four years.
I first noticed it the very first time I set foot in Dan's Guitars back in the Fall of 2003. I'd been wanting to learn to play the electric guitar for some years. At that point, already in my late 30s, I figured I'd better do it now or I'd never get to it...or at the very least, I figured it would be better to be a beginner and struggle through "Smoke On The Water" in my late 30s than in my early 60s. And by "better", I mean "less embarrassing."
Anyway, I went to Dan's because I knew he was a Music Man dealer, and because Luke is one of my guitar heroes (Hi there, "Aunty"!
), I figured I could do a lot worse than buying a Luke. So I step into Dan's store and have a look around. While I'm talking to him and to Cedric (an employee there), I'm checking out the guitars. They didn't have a Luke, but they did have several other EBMMs, including an Albert Lee and (if memory serves) a JP6 and a Steve Morse. My Luke finally arrived in 2004, and by the time I went to pick it up, I'd been back to Dan's several times. ("Has my guitar come in yet????") Each time I'd go, I'd notice the Albert still hanging there on the wall.2005 came along, and I decided the Luke, while a great guitar, just wasn't my thing (although I'd like to get another one someday), so getting to take home Dan's own, personal EVH to try out for several days (since he didn't have an Axis in stock), I fall in love with it and order an Axis Super Sport. Because I ordered a premium top, the wait was especially long, but that didn't stop me from continuing to drop by the store now and again to see if my guitar had come in. And every time I'd go, I'd still see the Albert hanging up there on the wall. By then, the JP6 and Steve Morse were long gone, and other EBMMs had come and gone as well.
In 2006, Dan got in a 20th Anniversary Silhouette. I wasn't planning on getting one, but when I played it, I knew I had to have one. Cedric plugged it into a "baby" Vox amp (the DA5, the itty bitty one that can run on batteries), but even through that little amp, the 20th Silo felt so alive and sounded so good. And while I'm playing it and thinking that I've got to buy one of these, I notice the Albert still hanging up on the wall.
May 2007: a few days ago, I dropped by Dan's, as I usually do when I'm in that part of town. Dan wasn't there, so I chatted with Cedric a bit and took a look around the shop. Of course, the Albert was still there. But as I'm looking around, this chap comes in with a Marshall plexi re-issue, looking for Dan, as he wants to try out a different kind of power tube. Cedric tells him that Dan should be back in about 1/2 an hour, so he takes his Marshall, plugs into a 4x12, and grabs a Suhr dual-humbucking guitar off the wall and starts to play. I've got nothing better to do, and this guy plays pretty good, so I sit down on a stool and listen. Soon, we start talking as he's playing. I ask him what kind of guitars he has, and he says he mostly plays a strat. Then he puts the Suhr back up and brings down a Les Paul. Wondering what the EBMMs that Dan has in stock might sound like through that head, I suggest that he try the Silo Special HSS or the Albert since they might sound more like his Strat. So he puts the LP back up on the wall and brings down the Albert. Of the three guitars, that Albert had TONE! And in spades. It really sounded alive compared to the other two. And this guy, he just couldn't put the Albert down after that. Even when Dan returned to the shop, all this guy wanted to do was to play with the Albert. After about an hour, I had to leave, and the way this guy was looking at the Albert, I was thinking that he should buy it. He was really enjoying the Albert!
Today, I stopped by Dan's...and I noticed that the Albert was missing!
I asked Cedric if that guy had bought the Albert, and Cedric confirmed that the guy did indeed purchase it! So after hanging on that wall for over four years, I'm glad to see that Albert finally find a loving home. It couldn't have happened to a better guitar. And I like to think that I played a small part in helping that Albert get sold.
