Guitar GAS
Been taking guitar lessons for about 18 months now. Invested in a Harley Benton Custom Line CLG-414CE NT WN, which I think is a grand auditorium acoustic.
Recently acquired a Harley Benton Fusion-III HSH EB FBB. As I understand it, “Fusion-III” is the third generation of the “Fusion” range, the “HSH” refers to the pickups, humbucker/single coil/humbucker (some Fusion-IIIs are HSS, some are HH) , the “EB” indicates a macassar ebony fingerboard and the “FBB” means the stained veneer is “flamed Bengal burst”. For some reason, that’s significantly cheaper than other colours - maybe it’s the neck that’s different.
Was watching Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny recently (and Jaco, obviously) and both were playing Ibanez archtops. I believe Joni played the Ibanez GB10-NT George Benson (indeed she’s said to have toured with five of them strung for different tunings), and I assume Pat played his signature model. Both are obviously insanely expensive, but the GB10EM-AA at £600 is something we mortals could aspire to (though dramatically more than I’ve paid for any bass or guitar).
With my interest in slimline archtops piqued, I read a rave review of the EART E-35. At £330, it’s not much more than half the price of the Ibanez.
From more reviews I read yesterday, I’ve learned that an Epiphone at £480 is very highly regarded, but inevitably, Harley Benton does one for £210, which has attracted some good reviews.
I’ve had a couple of unexpected expenses in the past couple of months, so I’m not going to rush into any major purchases soon. I think the Ibanez is out of the running, but the other three are definitely worth considering. The EART is about the same price as the most expensive bass I ever bought (and twice the price of the second-dearest). The Epiphone is obviously significantly more. And, as usual, the Harley Benton is so cheap it’s almost a no-brainer.