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andynpeters

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Dec 28, 2004
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(about 6 months late)
Around 1998 I started what was called a "Hi-Tech" Duo in those days with a girl singer. It took off rapidly, to the extent that at the end of the year I gave up the day job and became a "pro" (ie unemployed).
Things kept going well and in May'99 I ordered a Purple Silhouette Special. I'd never played an EBMM, but they had good reviews, it was light, it was purple and it was left handed. It showed up in September '99
Silo.jpg

SSPurple1.jpg


At first I was disappointed with the colour, having expected something brighter, but the singer loved it so it went to work.
We got really lucky after that & spent the next 5 years touring the world i ships, hotels, bars, parties,weddings.........we played in China, the USA, the UK, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Spain, France Africa...........and the SS was the guitar I used. I generally had another one in a case, but it was never needed.
In all that time I never broke a string, never touched the truss rod and never had a problem. Thoroughly reliable guitar.
Also in all that time it was never plugged into an amp, just a Boss GT5 into the PA, always on the middle setting, giving clean, dirty, fuzz, wah,synth and acoustic sounds as required.

So the duo broke up, and I stopped playing regularly. It went back to Machinehead for a fret dress but then fell out of favour as I didn't like it through an amp....the pickups seemed too harsh and scrapey to me (not complaining, probably just a tad too rocky)and I wanted a softer, more liquid sound. I was mostly playing blues for fun & found myself turning to other guitars. I thought about selling it (as I did with my Red Sparkle SS)
P1010018.jpg

but it held too many memories and had too many stories to tell. Then we moved to Spain


Fast forward to this year, playing blues from time to time, using an ASSMM90 and also a Deluxe Strat.......but that Pearl Purple is still such a nice colour.....so I started to wonder whether there were some changes I could make so it would make the sounds in my head........and maybe take me through another decade......?????
 
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andynpeters

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Joined
Dec 28, 2004
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1,378
Location
Wonderland
It surely does look sweet.....but that's nothing compared to the way it sounds.
The new scratchplate came from Chandlers. I removed the old one, disconnected the jack and battery box and put in a new set of Fender Samarium Cobalt pickups.Don't need to worry about connecting the noise reduction system as the pickups are totally noiseless. Didn't bother with their S1 series/parallel switching system as all that seems to do is muddy the sound in all positions (maybe I'm missing the point....???)
It now sounds exactly the way I want it to.....a blues monster with the sweetest clean sound around.
Apologies to anyone who thinks I'm trying to impose something on a guitar that it was never designed to do, but for me the change is awesome. Can't help wondering if this is how an Albert Lee would sound.
Anyway, I am now back in love with it again and hope it's going to serve me well for more decades to come.
 

threeminutesboy

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May 11, 2003
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6,907
Location
France
It surely does look sweet.....but that's nothing compared to the way it sounds.
The new scratchplate came from Chandlers. I removed the old one, disconnected the jack and battery box and put in a new set of Fender Samarium Cobalt pickups.Don't need to worry about connecting the noise reduction system as the pickups are totally noiseless. Didn't bother with their S1 series/parallel switching system as all that seems to do is muddy the sound in all positions (maybe I'm missing the point....???)
It now sounds exactly the way I want it to.....a blues monster with the sweetest clean sound around.
Apologies to anyone who thinks I'm trying to impose something on a guitar that it was never designed to do, but for me the change is awesome. Can't help wondering if this is how an Albert Lee would sound.
Anyway, I am now back in love with it again and hope it's going to serve me well for more decades to come.

good job ! I'm sure this guitar will be used for another 10 years
 

RocketRalf

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Dec 10, 2007
Messages
1,119
Location
Sydney
Silhouettes are really cool. I too would like a purple one, but not that purple. It's not bad, though.

You don't have to apologize, we like [reversible] mods here! The Silo and SS were intended to have easily replaceable pickguards, so it's all fine.
 

John C

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Aug 16, 2004
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Kansas City
Nice one Andy! The purple on purple is a really cool look.

Jack - yours is nice also; that old pearl purple (and the old pearl green from that same era) were nice colors.
 

andynpeters

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Dec 28, 2004
Messages
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Location
Wonderland
Andy - is it wired up like a $trat now?

It is beautiful btw.. :)

Yes it is (wired like a strat).
In fact I think it looks even classier in the photos, the pickguard is rather pinker in person, but the flash bled it out.
It was pretty much the third member of the band.......we even had matching clothes made
Miragead.jpg

......here's aother shot of it from a Miami photo shoot
Mirage1.jpg

We never used these, because Jane thought she looked like a waxwork!!

Thanks for all the positive comments....wonder how many of you have been using the same EBMM for a decade.....though I guess that's another thread.
Stand by to be nauseated by shots of me playing it in my purple suit!
 

straycat113

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Aug 17, 2009
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Born and bred in Brooklyn NY
That was a hell of a story and great guitars always manage to stay around. Sorry you and Jane are not working together anymore but from the looks of the clothing I figure you played Tarzan to her Jane on occasion.lol
 

andynpeters

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Dec 28, 2004
Messages
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Location
Wonderland
That was a hell of a story and great guitars always manage to stay around. Sorry you and Jane are not working together anymore but from the looks of the clothing I figure you played Tarzan to her Jane on occasion.lol
No, I'm too scared of heights to swing through the trees!
After a few years of doing nothing musically we both ended up in the same Spanish town.......she's playing drums on the blues jam video I posted here 2 weeks ago
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2SlWGNE7_0"]YouTube- Nothing But The Blues[/ame]
 
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GWDavis28

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Jun 23, 2003
Messages
12,785
Location
Mass
Andy, love that color man!!!

P1010018.jpg


Haven't seen too many red sparkle Silo Specials, gotta be a rare color.

Glenn |B)
 
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