MartyGrass Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 This one will be familiar to some of you. It's been posted a couple of times as it has been bought and sold. I see a Heritage tailpiece in its future. The finish is rose natural, and that's what the label says. To me, it looks like an almond sunburst with an extra dose of red added. The amber toggle switch cap is the selling point.
eljay Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 trade ya straight across for the 137 i just fleabayed! jk, of course. what a magnificent guitar! toggle tip is kool, too.
yoslate Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Love a Big Girl! The new project I'm working on has me playing the super Super out, something I haven't had much opportunity for. Been reluctant to take it out, as they're such special instruments. Decided, hell with it, let's play! Congrats, Mark! Taking delivery of a Super is a special event, indeed. That's a beautiful specimen! Play it!
DC Ron Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Wow, that's really nice. Don't really care much what they call the finish, that's really nice. Finish names are as we all know tricky. Rose Natural was one of the finishes for the Johnny Smith, and I never saw one close to yours. Maybe the pickguard, which looks to be a different finish, but not the body. Here's the back of my ASB SE, which reminds me a bunch of yours.
heritagefan7 Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 I KNEW this was you before I even looked at who started the thread. This is unfair---your box is getting too full of git pics. Mark, you truly have the best taste in guitars. This si gorgeous. Congratulations.
Gitfiddler Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 He shoots! He scores! AGAIN! What a gorgeous Super. I'd leave it just as it is...but then I'm a fan of the six finger tailpiece setup. Well done, MG.
MartyGrass Posted September 17, 2012 Author Posted September 17, 2012 The label says rose natural. I think Pressure has a Johnny Smith that's rose and looks like this. If I had to name the finish I'd say ALSB that is a little redder than my ALSB I currently have but would call the PG rose natural. But then I don't run the world. I intend to keep this for a month then give it to someone who has wanted it a long time.
Kuz Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Keep that one and sell myers your Unity ( in six months)!!!!!!
DC Ron Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 BTW, I like the six finger tailpiece better than the newer Heritage tailpieces on this model. Also, just realized a mistake in my previous post: My SE is ALSB, not ASB.
hotfordcoupe Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Ya got me droolin' again. It'll take me hours to dry out my computer. The wood on both of those is legendary.
sakis26 Posted September 17, 2012 Posted September 17, 2012 Just gorgeous!!!!Congratulations MG for another beautifull archtop.....ohhh that flame maple back and neck
Number8 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 I have to ask: Why do people keep selling this guitar? I only started trolling this forum last week and I've seen this thing bought and sold at least three times (searching the forum archives that is). What's the deal? It seems to me that Super Eagles are hard to come by so why does this keep getting passed around?
tsp17 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 Well done again MG. I like the finger tailpiece myself.
MartyGrass Posted September 19, 2012 Author Posted September 19, 2012 I have to ask: Why do people keep selling this guitar? I only started trolling this forum last week and I've seen this thing bought and sold at least three times (searching the forum archives that is). What's the deal? It seems to me that Super Eagles are hard to come by so why does this keep getting passed around? I bought it from a friend of mine who needed the money urgently. I intended on selling it and did. Later, that friend traded two of his other guitars to get the Super back. He's run into more major financial problems. I bought it once again but with the intention of turning it over to another friend who collects arch tops in three weeks. My candid opinion is that this guitar is drop dead gorgeous with a fast neck. It sounds only average for a Super Eagle. That's very good of course, but it's not enough to justify my keeping it. If I were to keep it I would change the pickups to something single coil sounding. So why does this guitar change hands so often? It's complicated, sorta like asking why Marilyn Monroe had so many husbands, as if it implies she's unappealing.
Gitfiddler Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 I bought it from a friend of mine who needed the money urgently. I intended on selling it and did. Later, that friend traded two of his other guitars to get the Super back. He's run into more major financial problems. I bought it once again but with the intention of turning it over to another friend who collects arch tops in three weeks. My candid opinion is that this guitar is drop dead gorgeous with a fast neck. It sounds only average for a Super Eagle. That's very good of course, but it's not enough to justify my keeping it. If I were to keep it I would change the pickups to something single coil sounding. So why does this guitar change hands so often? It's complicated, sorta like asking why Marilyn Monroe had so many husbands, as if it implies she's unappealing. That is one of the more artfully written comparisons I've ever read on a guitar forum...or any forum for that matter.
Number8 Posted September 19, 2012 Posted September 19, 2012 The analogy doesn't work. The SE would be Marilyn in this case and the husbands would be you guys (us guys if you count would-be suitors such as me). The husbands didn't dump Marilyn, she dumped them; meanwhile, you guys keep dumping the SE. All literary arguments aside, it looks like you answered the question: "It sounds only average for a Super Eagle". No instrument of that level of craftsmanship and value should sound only average.
MartyGrass Posted September 19, 2012 Author Posted September 19, 2012 So Marilyn just arrived. Nice box.
MartyGrass Posted September 19, 2012 Author Posted September 19, 2012 . All literary arguments aside, it looks like you answered the question: "It sounds only average for a Super Eagle". No instrument of that level of craftsmanship and value should sound only average. You missed the point. It sounds average for a Super Eagle. At the time I sold it I had four of them and had recently sold three others. I have a good sense for what Super Eagles tend to sound like. This one is middle of the road. The top is of medium thickness with parallel bracing. It is not tap tuned and it has a bridge pickup. The pickups are old Schallers. The body has the usual shallow depth of 3". Currently I have three H157s, two of which sound average for H157s. This isn't Lake Wobegon, where all Super Eagles are above average. And most luthiers would kill to produce an average sounding Super Eagle.
2bornot2bop Posted September 21, 2012 Posted September 21, 2012 You missed the point. It sounds average for a Super Eagle. At the time I sold it I had four of them and had recently sold three others. I have a good sense for what Super Eagles tend to sound like. This one is middle of the road. The top is of medium thickness with parallel bracing. It is not tap tuned and it has a bridge pickup. The pickups are old Schallers. The body has the usual shallow depth of 3". Currently I have three H157s, two of which sound average for H157s. This isn't Lake Wobegon, where all Super Eagles are above average. And most luthiers would kill to produce an average sounding Super Eagle. Hey Mark! I guess I'm a bit late to this party here. Sorry to hear about Peter's issues. Hope he's okay. What a great guy! Having had the privilege of owning Lady Rose, as I so dubbed her during her stay, I'd have to concur with your tonal assessment. Being my first big box, of course I was filled with anticipation for her arrival. After a while she became the archtop I couldn't take my eyes off of, yet her tonal characteristics were less than I'd been anticipating. Before selling her I was about to drop in a pair of SD '59's in the hope of creating the tone I'd hoped she'd have when she initially arrived. I thought better of doing that, and as it later turned out she soon returned to her previous owner. All in all, she's still the most gorgeously completed big box I've seen in person. Pictures truly don't do her justice...I should know, I took enuf of them!
Gitfiddler Posted September 21, 2012 Posted September 21, 2012 If the Super's acoustic tone is satisfactory, I bet that girl would really sing with another set of pickups. Maybe Seths, HRW's, Kent Armstrongs or Classic 57's. Whatever, that is just too beautiful of an instrument to not have the right set of p'ups in it to bring out its tonal possibilities. Matching the best p'up to an archtop can be a challenge. Another possibility is that the pots are not the best for that guitar. I love the acoustic tone of my Sweet 16, but it took 3 pickup swaps and as many tone pot changes to get the amplified tones out of her. Bottom line, I would love to have a shot at Lady Rose. As Luther Vandross sang..."If Only For One Night"!
2bornot2bop Posted September 21, 2012 Posted September 21, 2012 If the Super's acoustic tone is satisfactory, I bet that girl would really sing with another set of pickups. Maybe Seths, HRW's, Kent Armstrongs or Classic 57's. Whatever, that is just too beautiful of an instrument to not have the right set of p'ups in it to bring out its tonal possibilities. Matching the best p'up to an archtop can be a challenge. Another possibility is that the pots are not the best for that guitar. I love the acoustic tone of my Sweet 16, but it took 3 pickup swaps and as many tone pot changes to get the amplified tones out of her. Bottom line, I would love to have a shot at Lady Rose. As Luther Vandross sang..."If Only For One Night"! That's interesting Git'...you're the 2nd person in 24 hours I've read making almost the identical comment about dialing in a guitar's maximum possibilities via tone pot's and hb's. Nice if one has the expertise to do it themselves. Not so nice if you're paying someone else to do the work. Not that in my estimation Lady Rose wasn't worth it. I simply didn't want to go removing stock parts chasing rainbows that in the end could have resulted in worse results. It's my understanding she's perhaps about to get a pair of SD '59's and a few other updates. Good 4 her, she's very deserving of it. What the pix don't display is her extra binding layers, even a touch at the f-holes....Though I miss the gal there was a Ms. Tobacco Road in my future...we can't stop destiny.
MartyGrass Posted September 21, 2012 Author Posted September 21, 2012 It sounds fine acoustically. I don't think the Schallers match it well. The previous owner disagrees and has even used the SE on his latest CD along with his Super 400 with a Charlie Christian pickup. He could have swapped out the pups but loved the Schallers. My preference would be Gibson 57s, Seth Lovers, or maybe Phat Cats. Anyway, it's on its way to Aaron Cowles for a set up and to replace the electrical harness. It's "final" owner will pick it up from Aaron and decide on any pickup changes.
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