# NGD: Decibel dB1 Figured Mahogany Javelin!! (56k = Rebecca Black)



## bulb (Mar 30, 2011)

So here it is finally guys!
My Decibel Javelin is finally ready! (or mostly so!)
Darren worked hard to have it ready by the time we played the Mod Club in Toronto last night, and he just barely got it done (no thanks to the hardware he ordered arriving a week late) so the strings hadnt been on the guitar even 24 hours by the time the guitar hit the stage!

As a result i cant hold onto it just yet as there is still a bit of tweaking that Darren wants to do and he wants to let the guitar set and adjust for the next few weeks before sending her off to me, but MY GOD i loved it.

Playing a new guitar in our set on the spot can be nervewracking, but good lord this guitar sounded and played like what i was hoping for, everything was where it should be, and it felt so natural just jumping in. And the tone, good lord! So aggressive, and yet so clear and tight, the low strings just jump out and attack you and sound so full. And the high strings are bright in a chimey but not shrill or overbearing way.
Definitely a guitar that reacts so well to hard picking, which is something that i love.
I had wanted this as a live guitar, but with the way it sounds, it may end up on recordings as well!

Anyways here are some specs and pics for you to enjoy!

*Body * Figured South American mahogany
*Neck * Roasted curly maple, 3-piece with 2 figured mahogany stringers; scarf-jointed roasted curly maple headstock
*Fretboard* Roasted curly maple, 16&#8243; to 20&#8243; compound radius, 25.5&#8243; scale, 24 jumbo stainless steel frets
*Electronics* 
* Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7 calibrated set with distressed covers
* Free-Way 6-position toggle switch (gold plated) (bottom 3 hum, top 3 single w/ middle inner coils)
* Bourns Premium master volume 500k pot
* Kill switch (heavy-duty, momentary, gold plated)
* Recessed locking Neutrik output jack with gold contacts
* All interconnects made with RoHS-compliant lead-free solder and teflon-coated wire
*Hardware* 
Bridge: recessed Hipshot flat-mount fixed 7 (gold plated)
Bridge Saddles: Babicz Full Contact Hardware or GraphTech (Graphtech on there currently, lets see if Babicz sends us that extra saddle we need!)
Tuners: Hipshot Grip-Lock (gold plated)
Nut: GraphTech Tusq XL


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## JamesM (Mar 30, 2011)

Holy shit.


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## ScottyB724 (Mar 30, 2011)

Absolutely stunning, wowwwww


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## splinter8451 (Mar 30, 2011)

So good.


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## Winspear (Mar 30, 2011)

Congrats Misha, that is absolutely amazing! Is this the first guitar that Darren has 'released'?


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## arcadia fades (Mar 30, 2011)

flawless victory, sir.


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## Jinogalpa (Mar 30, 2011)

good god, that is a flamed maple neck !


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## Marv Attaxx (Mar 30, 2011)

I want one, too 
Congrats!!


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 30, 2011)

Fuck thats gorgeous. I want one so bad.


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## NickB11 (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow gorgeous...the shot of the back of the guitar is  especially with that flamed maple neck


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## cwhitey2 (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow that is classy


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## adrock (Mar 30, 2011)

saw these on facebook, but it is no less stunning here. absolutely stunning


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 30, 2011)

should have labeled as NSFW.

darren's work is top notch.


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## ian14892 (Mar 30, 2011)

looks so fun to play!


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## White Cluster (Mar 30, 2011)

FUCK YEAH...THAT IS AWESOME AND SO CAPS WORTHY..

Congrats Mischa and amazing work Darren.


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 30, 2011)

This guitar wins here, there and everywhere.
Absolutely stunning work, no words available


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## Bboren (Mar 30, 2011)

So Epic!


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## buffa d (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow, that looks sexy! I always love to see the woodgrain.

It's interesting to see that you wanted a mahogany body. I always thought that it didn't suit your music style.

But I guess it does 

edit: I just visited the website and that AMX 7 looks really cool! My god.
Though, I do think that they're out of my price range.


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## Jet9 (Mar 30, 2011)

hooooly shit.


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## iamrichlol (Mar 30, 2011)

I emailed him a few weeks ago after seeing this guitar, but hes not taking orders for a while... fuck I have to get one.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 30, 2011)

Yikes that is a beauty. Cudos for playing it on the spot, I know it takes me a few days before I am comfortable with a guitar. Either a testament to you, Darrens work, or both I guess.


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## CooleyJr (Mar 30, 2011)

Hell yes!! I've been watching the build of that thing through the Decibel facebook watching all the progress pictures. Glad it turned out even sexier than I ever imagined! Have fun with it Misha.


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 30, 2011)

I'm speechless 

You sir have some of the hottest looking guitars I've seen. This and your blackmachine are pure win.


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## yingmin (Mar 30, 2011)

Bulb: tirelessly working to own every guitar.


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## Nazca (Mar 30, 2011)

A guitar like that. God, if I owned it I would frame it. I would be too scared too touch it incase I leave a finger print.

Art.


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## ROAR (Mar 30, 2011)

Oh my god... It's just flawless.


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## HumanFuseBen (Mar 30, 2011)

This is one of the few times i look at a guitar and say that i would NOT swirl it! : D
congrats, it looks amazing!


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## White Cluster (Mar 30, 2011)

But does it Djent? Mmmmm


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## kruneh (Mar 30, 2011)

Just WOW!
This turned out awesome, a futuristic superclassy string machine 
The gold hardware is a nice touch and the Hipshot tuners looks awesome.
I really like the headstock too, it´s both classy and aggresive.
The engraved carbon fiber is another great detail, and the woods are spectacular 

Honestly, I din´t think it would be such a masterpiece, that´s why I can´t stop writing superlatives 

Congrats to owner and builder


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## OrsusMetal (Mar 30, 2011)

That looks awesome. It is definitely cool to see more of Darren's work being put out. I am really liking the look of them.


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## Asrial (Mar 30, 2011)

Quick, I sense demonic presences linger around the guitar! Send it to me, FAST! Or else you will succumb to their curse! 

Or wait, just kidding. And holy fuck.


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## Speculum Speculorum (Mar 30, 2011)

Misha, one day we're going to see you on American Pickers, and you'll be one of those guys that's like "Oh no, I couldn't sell that guitar. That's the 10,000th guitar I ever bought. Sentimental value."

In other words, you are one lucky, lucky bastard.


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## Fred the Shred (Mar 30, 2011)

It came out fantastic, as expected - I had high hopes in this build, and it most certainly didn't disappoint! Congrats to Misha AND Darren for the gorgeous instrument.


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## isispelican (Mar 30, 2011)

oh, my, god


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## redskyharbor (Mar 30, 2011)

Anyone else need a change of underwear? 

Beautiful axe, man.


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Mar 30, 2011)

Amazing design, stunning woods, Darren you are mi Idol.


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## 0 Xero 0 (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow... this guitar is astoundingly gorgeous. I have one request... a soundclick clip featuring this please?!


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## GATA4 (Mar 30, 2011)

That is an amazing instrument, sir. Congrats


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## Sebastian (Mar 30, 2011)

Just awesome!


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## jsousa (Mar 30, 2011)

badass! vids clips?


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## Steve-Om (Mar 30, 2011)

dear lord O___O

im drooling all over my keyboard, what an incredible piece of art

simply awesome !

congrats on the amazing new acquitision Misha !!!


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## Moltar (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow I have always wanted one of these! I live close to Darren and always thought it would be awesome to design a guitar with him and watch him build it step by step


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## Cynic (Mar 30, 2011)

0 Xero 0 said:


> Wow... this guitar is astoundingly gorgeous. I have one request... a soundclick clip featuring this please?!



I second this.


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## 77zark77 (Mar 30, 2011)




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## darren (Mar 30, 2011)

White Cluster said:


> But does it Djent? Mmmmm



When we were sitting in the Green Room backstage, Bulb made it djent through his MicroCube on the Classic Stack setting with pretty low gain. (I'm not even kidding.) It's all in his attack, and was pretty incredible to see and hear. I couldn't get that sound out of the guitar. Not even close. 

Thanks for the kind words, guys! This is hopefully the first of many... "dB1" is actually the serial number. Each guitar will be consecutively numbered and every guitar (hopefully) will have a page on the site corresponding to its serial number, so there's a historical documentation of the build process. Could also help with IDing instruments if they're lost or stolen.


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## Xaios (Mar 30, 2011)

Seriously, amazing guitar. Darren, I'm absolutely loving the body shape, it's just stunning. Just plain fucking perfection.


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## JaeSwift (Mar 30, 2011)

Glad to see Darren getting the promotion he deserves. Stunning woods and craftsmanship.

Out of interest, you were very much in to Alder/lighter weight wood bodied guitars citing they sound more Djenty. Why so much Mahogany on your customs?


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## bulb (Mar 30, 2011)

JaeSwift said:


> Glad to see Darren getting the promotion he deserves. Stunning woods and craftsmanship.
> 
> Out of interest, you were very much in to Alder/lighter weight wood bodied guitars citing they sound more Djenty. Why so much Mahogany on your customs?



I'm starting to realize that wood densities play a much larger role in tone than just the kind of wood. The use of a wood and even the grain can make a difference. I found a lot of mahogany guitars that I liked and have started getting into that. Alder is great, but in my experience they can be a little lacking in the low mids.


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## theperfectcell6 (Mar 30, 2011)

splinter8451 said:


> So good.





Jealous!


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## Guitarman700 (Mar 30, 2011)

There are no words...


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## darren (Mar 30, 2011)

There are many different kinds of mahogany. Mahogany from Central and South America is faster-growing and much less dense (therefore lighter and more resonant) than the African varieties. The body on dB1 is one piece of figured South America mahogany. 

I'll have to throw the whole guitar on a scale, but the radius top also probably reduces the weight considerably.


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## Opion (Mar 30, 2011)

Seriously dude, this has got to be the tastiest guitar I have ever seen you own. If that strandberg that you might be getting can't top this...fuck, I don't think anything will. 

Nice inscription on the control cavity as well, must make ya feel like a special bugger  Congrats, duder!


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## shadscbr (Mar 30, 2011)

Fantastic guitar!! I love everything about it 

Awesome to see such great interaction between builder and player 

Shad


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## JaeSwift (Mar 30, 2011)

bulb said:


> I'm starting to realize that wood densities play a much larger role in tone than just the kind of wood. The use of a wood and even the grain can make a difference. I found a lot of mahogany guitars that I liked and have started getting into that. Alder is great, but in my experience they can be a little lacking in the low mids.



That's interesting...Why not opt for Walnut then, which was what I believe Darren used on his original? Or add a maple cap?

Really, I'm intruiged, especially by the way you attack the strings. You seem to really get a recognizable, unique tone out of any guitar whilst a lot of people stare themselves blind on how they need Alder/Swamp Ash to get the kind of attack you do.

Also, you're fixed on bolt-ons? I saw your Mayones at the Tilburg show (Thanks for coming out and taking the time to talk to me btw, that pic on my Facebook is gonna be there forever!) surprisingly enough, had a neck-thru construction. I was wondering if you ever tried set-neck, which seems to be the medium between both of them.

And Darren, I've never heard/seen South American Mahogany, would it classify as Sipo or am I thinking completely wrong?


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## EliNoPants (Mar 30, 2011)

bulb - jealous
Darren - well that's two builds in a row that have come out awesome, i'm still pretty psyched to see how the Stealth X design you have on your site turns out


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## darren (Mar 30, 2011)

JaeSwift said:


> And Darren, I've never heard/seen South American Mahogany, would it classify as Sipo or am I thinking completely wrong?



I'm not sure of the exact species, but it's not Sipo, which is an African species of mahogany. South American mahogany is lighter in weight and is more likely to be the same species as Honduran mahogany. The lighter weight makes for much more comfortable and resonant instruments. African mahoganies tend to be much more dense and heavy.

Honduras Mahogany


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## shogunate (Mar 31, 2011)

God I love that body design. It's hard to see new shapes that aren't (pretty much) copies of what's been done 5000 times. The javelin is a gorgeous shape and looks insanely comfy..... That bolt joint looks better than some neck throughs, shit thee not.


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## buffa d (Mar 31, 2011)

bulb said:


> I'm starting to realize that wood densities play a much larger role in tone than just the kind of wood. The use of a wood and even the grain can make a difference. I found a lot of mahogany guitars that I liked and have started getting into that. Alder is great, but in my experience they can be a little lacking in the low mids.



This kinda makes me want a Mayones Setius 7


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## signalgrey (Mar 31, 2011)

do fucking want.


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## ShadyDavey (Mar 31, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Holy shit.





Summed it up nicely - _staggering_ work.


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## AcousticMinja (Mar 31, 2011)

No words.


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## yingmin (Mar 31, 2011)

Out of curiosity, why do you buy so many different guitars? Do you just like having a lot of variety? Or are the dozens of guitars you go through not really giving you what you're after? Are you trying to find the one guitar that's completely right for you, or do you just like buying new things to have around?


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 31, 2011)

yingmin said:


> Out of curiosity, why do you buy so many different guitars? Do you just like having a lot of variety? Or are the dozens of guitars you go through not really giving you what you're after? Are you trying to find the one guitar that's completely right for you, or do you just like buying new things to have around?



I don't think it's buying, actually...I feel a lot of relatively minor guitar builders are perceiving how big Misha's following is and how good internet word-of-mouth is, and that's why they're "investing" in guitars made for him, or Periphery. They're just doing 1+1 and this reflects in great publicity for them, and of course he loves gear so he's always happy to try new stuff on his hands. Basically it's a win-win situation. Correct me if I'm wrong misha.


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## JaeSwift (Mar 31, 2011)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> I don't think it's buying, actually...I feel a lot of relatively minor guitar builders are perceiving how big Misha's following is and how good internet word-of-mouth is, and that's why they're "investing" in guitars made for him, or Periphery. They're just doing 1+1 and this reflects in great publicity for them, and of course he loves gear so he's always happy to try new stuff on his hands. Basically it's a win-win situation. Correct me if I'm wrong misha.



In essence, an artist endorsement is a marketing/communications tool. Some builders have been smart, taking advantage of those that have high popularity and are also very much in touch with their fan base. Especially when it comes to more technical genres of music, I bet that a lot of that fanbase also consists of guitarists that in turn would really want one of them awesome sexy guitars.


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## buffa d (Mar 31, 2011)

Hmmm.. I wonder if those dB2 or dB3 are for sale


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## Vicissitude27 (Mar 31, 2011)




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## yingmin (Mar 31, 2011)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> I don't think it's buying, actually...I feel a lot of relatively minor guitar builders are perceiving how big Misha's following is and how good internet word-of-mouth is, and that's why they're "investing" in guitars made for him, or Periphery. They're just doing 1+1 and this reflects in great publicity for them, and of course he loves gear so he's always happy to try new stuff on his hands. Basically it's a win-win situation. Correct me if I'm wrong misha.





JaeSwift said:


> In essence, an artist endorsement is a marketing/communications tool. Some builders have been smart, taking advantage of those that have high popularity and are also very much in touch with their fan base. Especially when it comes to more technical genres of music, I bet that a lot of that fanbase also consists of guitarists that in turn would really want one of them awesome sexy guitars.



Perhaps, but it really doesn't strike me as the best endorsement if he has a different guitar every time you see him.


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## Fred the Shred (Mar 31, 2011)

Considering it's their guitars, I can't say I care that much - in the end of the day, I didn't spend a cent, Misha got shiny new guitars, and the brands do get promotion from Misha appearing live and whanot with those, albeit not as markedly so as with "official" endorsements. This is a common practice, to be frank.


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## JamesM (Mar 31, 2011)

^

I smell jealousy. 

Yes, mine too.


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## illimmigrant (Mar 31, 2011)

Misha, have you, or anyone really ever tried a guitar with a Koa body instead?
Darren, any input on the tonal difference between Koa and Mahogany?


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## yingmin (Mar 31, 2011)

The Armada said:


> ^
> 
> I smell jealousy.


Then you're reading far, far too much into my posts.


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## darren (Mar 31, 2011)

illimmigrant said:


> Misha, have you, or anyone really ever tried a guitar with a Koa body instead?
> Darren, any input on the tonal difference between Koa and Mahogany?



I don't have any experience with Koa, so i really can't comment other than repeating what i've read elsewhere. And considering it's now endangered and can no longer be harvested, i may NEVER get an opportunity to use it.


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## bulb (Mar 31, 2011)

yingmin said:


> Out of curiosity, why do you buy so many different guitars? Do you just like having a lot of variety? Or are the dozens of guitars you go through not really giving you what you're after? Are you trying to find the one guitar that's completely right for you, or do you just like buying new things to have around?



First off i love guitars and gear in general and they all have their own sound and their own feel. They are very different, especially when you get to a certain caliber of guitar, its not so much about one being better than the other, so much as they are all amazing in their own unique way.

After that, i like to have an arsenal of live guitars and recording guitars, they each serve different purposes, but keep in mind that in a live show, im usually playing 3-4 guitars depending on the set every night.
And for the studio i like having a lot of different sounds.
So believe me, the guitars i own get used, and the ones that dont get used get sold, and then i use that money to buy more gear that will get used.

And for the record, endorsement or not i would still be doing this and playing these brands, i dont seek endorsements to get free shit which is why i dont sign on exclusively. I just love gear, and i dont mind paying for guitars if that means having the freedom to play what i want!

Hope that clears that up.


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## yingmin (Mar 31, 2011)

Fair enough. I was mostly just curious because I'm the complete opposite: I've never really had the desire to have lots of different guitars around for variety. I like having one or two guitars that really give me what I need. I've played my Parker Fly more or less exclusively since I got it, and depending on how much I like my incoming Steinberger, I'll have two guitars to choose from, but don't see much need to have any more than that. Same with 7s; after I get my JPXI, I won't want another 7, except maybe a second JP to have as a backup. We're just very different people in that respect.


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## bulb (Mar 31, 2011)

yingmin said:


> Fair enough. I was mostly just curious because I'm the complete opposite: I've never really had the desire to have lots of different guitars around for variety. I like having one or two guitars that really give me what I need. I've played my Parker Fly more or less exclusively since I got it, and depending on how much I like my incoming Steinberger, I'll have two guitars to choose from, but don't see much need to have any more than that. Same with 7s; after I get my JPXI, I won't want another 7, except maybe a second JP to have as a backup. We're just very different people in that respect.



indeed we are


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 31, 2011)

What do you do for a living? No way you can afford all these goodie goodies with touring (if you can then awesome!)


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## 0 Xero 0 (Mar 31, 2011)

He's a producer. He started solely as a producer for Haunted Shores (he's a member now too), he did An Obscure Signal, collaborated/produced Animals as Leaders, and a couple others.


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## Randy (Mar 31, 2011)

As enthralling as this conversation is, the question of how Misha makes his money has been asked a bazillion times. He produces, but I believe he and the other guys still have dayjobs back home.

*Anyway, if it's all the same, let's please keep this thread about the guitar or things directly affiliated with it (ie. not discussing how much money bands make, etc.)*


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## bulb (Mar 31, 2011)

i also very carefully buy and sell gear, i only buy good deals, and always sell for at least what i paid and oftentimes more, so sometimes i make money by having gear. For example, i just made 500 bucks off of a diezel vh4 i sold, so basically i got to have a diezel vh4 for a few months, have some fun with it, and made some good money doing so!


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## JaeSwift (Mar 31, 2011)

bulb said:


> i also very carefully buy and sell gear, i only buy good deals, and always sell for at least what i paid and oftentimes more, so sometimes i make money by having gear. For example, i just made 500 bucks off of a diezel vh4 i sold, so basically i got to have a diezel vh4 for a few months, have some fun with it, and made some good money doing so!



Good business then 

In any case, really nice guitar, hope to see you come to the Netherlands again (please come to Amsterdam this time instead of Tilburg ;<_<) with that axe on the stage! 

Also, are you now set on Aftermaths for every guitar? Or do you have a set you use with different guitars, i.e Crunchlab/Liquifire on a basswood bodied axe, Aftermath on Mahogany, Cold Sweat on Swamp Ash etc. etc. ? How do the Aftermaths compliment that dB1 (Darren, I'de love to hear your input on pickups too!)


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## ROAR (Mar 31, 2011)

Are you gonna have this guitar for the rest of the tour?
If so, can I touch it...


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## Variant (Mar 31, 2011)

Positively insane, Mischa. Darren has proven yet again that his concepts are both sound and exemplary.


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## Fred the Shred (Mar 31, 2011)

Forgive me if I come across as blunt, but exactly how is Misha's personal way of life any of our concern? One thing is to know what he does musically, the other is prying his sources of income.

This topic should be about the gorgeous piece Darren built, not about Misha's IRS.


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## darren (Mar 31, 2011)

And here's Misha seeing it for the first time:


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## Gears_of_Djent (Mar 31, 2011)

Im very jelly of the back plate with your name on it....try stealing this guitar.


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## ivancic1al (Mar 31, 2011)

Glad to see he liked it.  It came out soo nice!


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## cyril v (Apr 1, 2011)

Darren absolutely came through on that one... every little detail is just absolutely oozing with awesome. Congrats to both of you! 

Lets see some more awesome build threads!


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## Stealthdjentstic (Apr 1, 2011)

bulb said:


> i also very carefully buy and sell gear, i only buy good deals, and always sell for at least what i paid and oftentimes more, so sometimes i make money by having gear. For example, i just made 500 bucks off of a diezel vh4 i sold, so basically i got to have a diezel vh4 for a few months, have some fun with it, and made some good money doing so!



Respect, I'm doing the same thing at the moment 

Nothing beats flipping gear!


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## Fred the Shred (Apr 1, 2011)

^ This statement is true. Having your gear financing itself is a great way to get new stuff and sometimes profit from it.


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## darren (Apr 1, 2011)

Also keep in mind that Misha teaches lessons while on tour and the band moves a LOT of merch, which helps them out immensely while on the road. But yeah... questioning people's income and how they earn it is in poor taste.


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## gregmarx7 (Apr 1, 2011)

This guitar is amazing. Congratulations to Misha, and also to Darren for constructing such a wonderful instrument!


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## AxeHappy (Apr 1, 2011)

Fantastic guitar! 

It's so ridiculous that I _almost_ signed up to tweeter just to get tweets (SP?) from you.

Outstanding work Darren and Congratulations to Bulb!


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## Kill Some Bears (Apr 5, 2011)

Wow, that's amazing D: I want one so bad!


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## EverybodyKungFu (Apr 5, 2011)

There is now poop in my pants from this. I remember looking at some of the Decibel prototypes or whathaveyou a grip ago... it's turned out like my dreams. I feel like I must have one.


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