matsaleh
Do we have any musicians, either amateur or professional, on the forum? I'm looking for some advice.
Is it possible to buy a genuine "Gibson Les Paul" standard guitar anywhere in Bali and if so, are they reasonably priced?
Bert, the question arose when my son saw your photo "Guitar Dreams" in the gallery. Do you have experience buying guitars? Are they genuine articles or only copies?
Tommy
hmm intresting that my location says germany? i'm using t-mobile w-lan at london airport.. i guess t-mobile is german? :)
matsaleh
Ah hah! I hadn't considered the humidity factor. With this in mind, Bali's probably not the ideal place to buy a guitar, even if a genuine Gibson was available.
Thanks for the feedback anyway Tommy.
matsaleh
Hi again Tommy,
Do you know if Duncan pickups are available somewhere in the south or maybe in Ubud? My son assures me you will know what he's talking about. :?:
Sanurian
I agree with Tommy that you'd be hard pressed to find a real Les Paul Gibson in Bali (for sale, that is). I've seen some copies, quite cheap - even "reasonable", probably play OK for a couple of years.
The biggest and most extensively stocked musician's shop I've seen here is [b]Tom's Music[/b] (on the Ngurah Rai By-Pass, 88X, Kuta). It's on the right-hand side of the By-Pass if you're coming from Sanur, just before the big roundabout that takes you to Kuta. Their telephone is (0361) 766787. If anyone has Seymour Duncan pick-ups, it'd most likely be them.
Good luck
:lol:
jill
Hi Matsaleh
as you all no im doing loads of surching on shopping in Bali & all say "Tommys" so id go straight there for any music stuff
good luck Jill :D
Tommy
No shops selling Gibson originals as far as i know. Most of shops got different asian brands and the cheaper brands below Gibson and Fender.. that is Epiphone and Fender Squire. I play both guitar and bass (and some other instruments) so i've had alook around in most major shops. If you're intrested in a bass though i can recommend the Washburn Force 4 which retails for around 3,5 to 4,5 million here.. an extremely solid wood bass with great mic'es. I used it for a professional studio recording in denpasar just 3 weeks ago and our studiotechnician was equally impressed by the clean sound. As for guitars i got USA Fender and Gibson abroad, but in Bali i'd settle for a Squire or Epiphone for now.. the humitidy DO things to instruments in Bali and great care should be taken if you ever get an expensive guitar to keep in Bali. Remember to have the AC on at least at +25c at all times to reduce humidity and keep it at a comfortable temperature, otherwise the neck might get crooked after a year or two. happy hunting! :wink:
phew! 5 rainy dark days in hongkong, now i'm in transit at london airprot (airport). it's that time of the year again.. to meet and greet family and friends. 8)
matsaleh
Thanks all for your assistance and recommendations. 8)
Tommy
Good recommendation Sanurian. That's one of the biggest and newest music shops around right now. I bought my Washburn Force 4 there for 3.5 million (while they sold it for 4.5 in Denpasar). They carry guitar brands as washburn, ibanez, squire (fender) but unfortunately not epiphone yet. They also have extensive marketing on their "own" korean brand which i can't remember the name of, but it's not a quality product. You might also check the music-section at Hero Supermarket (or Gunung Agung) in jl.tek umar and the small music-shop at ramayana ground floor to the left (one branch two shops) since they can at least get epiphone and also order any particular model. I don't think finding Duncan mic'es would be much of a problem, if not available in stock it could probably be ordered without much trouble.
I've been tempted to bring some of my guitars to Bali but after seeing what humidity and the climate did to my Ovation semi-acoustic i'd rather get a cheaper brand to use in Bali..or a decent brand which was produced under similar climate (the wood is already "used" to it and won't change as drastic).
Anyway.. :oops: Good luck! :wink:
Finally back on solid ground after 23 hours of travel-time and 10 hours stand-by. a total of 33 hours takes it's toll even on a healthy person. :shock: time to go for a loooong and nice rest. - Papa Bear
Sanurian
Hi Tommy
Thanks for your info. I already know lots of smaller music outlets around Denpasar, but [b]Tom's[/b] is still the most comprehensive.
I've got various guitars here that I've had for years. My oldest one, an acoustic that's been here more than 25 years, has gone through multiple colour changes. It's been loaned, lost, found again, loaned again, etc. The biggest damage it's suffered has been from some Balinese who never realised what they'd "borrowed" in the first place. A few bozos tried to adjust the neck, lower the action and all kinds of other stuff. It's a bloody miracle the thing can still be tuned and stay in tune. The colour changes have to be seen to be believed.
I have a hand-made [i]Fylde[/i] acoustic (that I don't lend). It's been all around the world and even if I don't touch it for ages, when I pull it out of its case, it's still always in tune. Mind you, it's built like a battleship and weighs nearly as much.
Then there's my early 70's [i]Fender Strat[/i]. It just keeps going and going. I've loaned it out to some very good Indonesian musicians in the past, and they always treated it with great respect. Even put shit on me for neglecting it. I'm not a guitar collector. To me, guitars are more or less just guitars - tools, in other words. If they sound good and stay in tune, I'm a happy man. Of course, I'm not [i]that[/i] stupid that I don't know the value of some of them.
Wanna buy a [i]Fylde[/i] or a [i]Strat[/i]? Make me an offer. I've also got a little steel-string Yamaha (3/4). It sells for about Rp500,000. Not bad, depending how big your fingers are.
For any other guitarists reading this, I have one word of warning. If you have acoustic guitars lying around, watch out for wasps! They love building nests inside, no matter what kind of music you play. Imagine this: you want to run through a new song and stir up a hornet's nest. Can be nasty.
And that doesn't only apply to guitars. Keep an eye out for wasps trying to build nests in your computer, head-phone jacks, nearly anything with an inviting hole. I've had to stuff blue/yellow-tack in some just to keep them out. And then there are ants, of course, and god knows what else.
8)
Tommy
hehe intresting. never had any wasps goin' near mine, but on the other hand i never leave them outside. i like the reading of your guitars as i love playing them and as you put it.. use it as a tool. if it doesn't feel good playing or sound good i don't really see the point in keeping it. if is feels good and sounds good then it is pure love. right now a have a few guitars but only one in Bali.
Ovation semi-acoustic, brought it to bali a couple of years ago and the mice stopped working due to humidity (started rusting). i recently re-finished and adjusted it into an acoustic. Sounds alright, but not nearly as good as it did before
Gibson L6-S 1976, santanas old flagship in the 70s. got it a few years back. 2 big fat humbuckers. clean maple body and neck, rosewood fret. good to have for studiorecording as is gives an intresting and different sound.
Fender Strat Standard USA late 90s, got this about 2 years ago since it's an old favorite of mine. i had a 70s strat in my teens but it was abit different. the only thing i remember was that i really liked the neck and sound, so it was inevitable for me to get another one. i love the clean sound of the strat.
Levin Dreadnought acoustic, and old 70s production by the Levin company during which time it was owned by Martin Co. not the highest quality but i got it really cheap and it's the only dreadnought i got.. also it's made in Sweden so there's some sentimental value to it too.
Martin OM-21, got this honey from the states last year. this guitar is absolutely beautiful and sounds like dream. it's the Orchestra Model which gives a more "folk-guitar" like feel to it. not as big and bulky as the dreadnought but still with a rich sound.
well.. quite alot of guitars but all of them have a special place in my heart and also all of them have a different sound and feel. i don't think i'll be bringin any of them to bali though since i've already experienced the recession of my ovation... but i'll surely get a few guitars when i get my little studio done. ;)
Tommy
This is what i got from the Martin Co website about humidity and care..
[quote]Your guitar is made of thin wood which is easily affected by temperature and humidity. This combination is the most important single part of your guitar’s surroundings. Martin keeps the factory at a constant 45-55 percent humidity and 72-77 degrees Fahrenheit. If either humidity or temperature get far away from these factory conditions, your guitar is in danger. A rapid change in temperature or exposure to cold can cause small cracks in the finish. These are lacquer checks. We recommend the use of a hygrometer/ thermometer to measure the relative humidity and temperature surrounding your guitar.
As humidity increases, moisture content of wood goes up rapidly, causing it to expand and swell. A gradual increase in humidity won’t generally do permanent damage to your instrument. When very high humidity is combined with high temperature, glue joints could possibly become weakened and may even open slightly. If your guitar is exposed to high temperature or humidity for any length of time, the glue under the bridge could weaken causing the bridge to pull off.
Rapid changes in local humidity are what you want to guard against. If, for instance, you place your guitar near a source of dry heat, the humidity around it will drop much faster than it would naturally, although a sudden dry spell can have the same effect. If the moisture content of wood is forced down in a hurry, portions of it shrink faster than others, causing cracks and open joints. Don’t set your instrument next to a source of heat or hang it on a wall where it will dry out. At all costs, avoid hanging your guitar on an outside wall during winter months. The wall will be cooler than the inside air. The result is a conflict between the temperature of the top and back, with potential damage as a result.
Should the guitar be exposed to freezing temperatures, let it warm to room temperature while still in its case. This lets it come up to room temperature more slowly, decreasing the possibility of wood and finish cracks.
Caution should be taken if you choose to use a humidifier to combat low humidity. Moisture in direct contact with the guitar could cause damage, as can the rubber or vinyl parts of a humidifier.
We recommend storing your guitar in its case when not in use. Humidity is easier to control in a smaller space. Don’t bother loosening the strings when putting your guitar away unless it won’t be used again for several months. Constantly tightening and loosening strings quickly ruins their sound.
The Martin hard case supports the neck and body of your guitar as evenly as possible. It’s important that you don’t let anything lie under the head (the tuning machine end), as this could damage the neck and body.
[/quote]
sambal
I have bought 3 guitars over the years and they have all been from Mata Hari in either DPS or Kuta square. Two were acoustics; Yamaha F-350 and a Vantage that was made in Indo somewhere I think though it could be Japanese made. Both play and sound great and have lasted well here in Hawaii. I also bought a Yamaha electric from MataHari, it was a Pacifica model. When I contacted Yamaha here in the States they told me that many of their guitars are made in Indo or SE Asia anyway and the price was much better there than what I would have paid for in the states. I have visited Toms and was impressed with the selection, though the Korean brand mentioned does seem rather funky, don't think it would be a good buy. I would think the best way to maintain a guitar over there would be to keep it in a decent case when not being used, protect it from the variances in humidity and weather as much as possible.....
Tommy
Yeah a good solid case is very important in this climate. hehe i remember that korean brand they're trying to sell at Tom's. It's abit of a "industry"-brand.. never heard of it but they got "everything" already.. base, guitar, spanish, acoutstic etc etc. I prefer brands that specialize in only a few high-quality models or the major quality-brands, not an industry-brand who's trying to mimic others and do everything at once.. with lower quality. :wink:
