Topic: Guitar from Arthur's Music Store arrived today :-)
A week or so ago I talked about while watching a video of JB and Norm giving a discussion about guitars Joe briefly talked about Arthur's Music Store being the oldest family owned music store in the country. Immediately I knew I should give them a call and see if there was anything I could buy from them to help support their store. Knowing my budget wasn't necessarily on the high side I figured my phone call would result in me purchasing possibly a t-shirt with the store's name, maybe a set of guitar strings, a guitar strap, etc.
During my conversation with a very friendly sales associate I found out they actually had a Japanese built late 80s or early 90s Ibanez RG560. The amazing part was the price, $225. It was all original and in rather nice condition. Sure, it had a few bumps and bruises but I didn't care. These guitars are known for taking a beating and still playing great. There was no giving it a second thought, bought it on the spot. An even further surprise was that they agreed to install brand new strings of my choice and do a complete set-up. With it having a floating bridge it's nice knowing someone else was going to be taking the time to get that thing in tune, bridge perfectly aligned, and intonated.
Today my "new" Ibanez RG560 arrived and WOW, I could not be happier. During the days prior to it getting here I figured I'd replace the bridge humbucker with a Duncan JB and possibly the two single coils also with Seymour Duncans...lil' JB and lil' 59. Well, that idea is out the window. The guitar sounds and plays AMAZING. Sure, replacing the original pickups might yield a little better tone. But, these are darn good AND I decided to follow what Joe has said so many times, tone comes from the fingers/hands. So, I am set on making these pickups sound just as good as any expensive set of pickups. With the guitar being set-up perfectly every note on it sings.
I have to thank Joe B. for the heads up about Arthur's Music Store and, of course, the fine people at Arthur's for giving me such a great deal on a remarkable guitar. Well, that's my story for today. Oh, I found out about the guitar because I ASKED if they by chance they had anything within my humble budget. We never know what is possible if we fail to simply ask. The worst that can happen is you're told "no". Big deal. In this case I was told "yes" and for that I am grateful.