# Hi, my name is elq. I have an addiction.



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

It has been brought to my attention that I'm a bit of a gear whore... and I thought it might be a good idea to publicly share my private shame.

My list (as of 8/11/11) of custom guitars in some phase of being ordered.

Oni Fanned 8
BRj 6 String
KxK Fanned 7
KxK Fanned 8
Thorn 6
Vik Fanned 7
Decible AMX
Strandberg EGS

My hope in sharing this list is that others, suffering in private, will realize their addiction and seek help.










Let the healing begin now.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

Can I come over?


----------



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Can I come over?



Sure... you can do a reverse Hendrix on my lefty collection


----------



## Spaceman_Spiff (Aug 12, 2011)

Brag much? 

Seriously though that's awesome dude...I expect to see a ton of sexy NGD's


----------



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

Spaceman_Spiff said:


> Brag much?
> 
> Seriously though that's awesome dude...I expect to see a ton of sexy NGD's



 I didn't mean this to brag... it's more like -  where the fuck am I going to put 8 more guitars?


----------



## djpharoah (Aug 12, 2011)

Hi Eric - my name is Mesh. You've come to the right place - we're here to help you. You'll enjoy Gear Whores Anonymous.

Nice soon to be collection - too bad it's all inverse Hendrix shit


----------



## Spaceman_Spiff (Aug 12, 2011)

In my hands


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

The vik is my fault


----------



## Fiction (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> I didn't mean this to brag... it's more like -  where the fuck am I going to put 8 more guitars?



 Well I have a spare rack at mine, I'm sure I could keep that ViK on!


----------



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

thatguy87 said:


> Btw, how can one person afford that many customs at once. That's alot of money in guitars bro



I sell drugs to children and nuclear weapons to terrorists... doesn't everyone? 

Study hard kids!


----------



## Fiction (Aug 12, 2011)

I'm sure I would adapt to a lefty for a ViK, Those guitars leave me drooling everytime I see them.


----------



## Quitty (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


>



Dude! There's something wrong with your guitar!


----------



## Axel32 (Aug 12, 2011)

Wait, you have a large number of expensive, custom, guitars that i can actually play?! What did you say your address was again?...


----------



## flo (Aug 12, 2011)

Hang in there, dude. Together we will get out of this misery.


----------



## 3amsleep (Aug 12, 2011)

im sorry elq. doctors tell me that the only cure for your disease is to ship all your guitars immediately to my address.


----------



## sk3ks1s (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> Study hard kids!



Words to live by. 
Study hard, get a good job, buy shit.


----------



## Speculum Speculorum (Aug 12, 2011)

Yeah, I studied hard... at music composition in college. Now there's no money in it. Gawd-damn. However, I am waiting on a BRJ Jekyll 727 and when it arrives I will have a fully operational personal studio to play on... and write kick-ass tunes so I can eventually get all the guitars i want. Wish I was a lefty though. I'd just start stalking you! HAHA!


----------



## thrsher (Aug 12, 2011)

my current orders

brj 6
kxk fanned 7
strictly 7+1 (ships on monday)
vik duality 6

i almost was in on the vik run but ive been on a serious tatoo kick so that addiction took away from the run lol


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 12, 2011)

You have 8 in progress builds? damn dude. I keep it to one in progress at a time, for my own sanity. 




thatguy87 said:


> Btw, how can one person afford that many customs at once. That's alot of money in guitars bro




Probably the guitar equivalent of frequent flyer points.


----------



## scherzo1928 (Aug 12, 2011)

As far as I'm concerned, you should keep ordering guitars and showing them to us. You always seem to get the very best of the bestest... That kxk is a perfect example of what I mean.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 12, 2011)

The funniest part of this thread is that's only the on order list... not what's already in his collection 

You do make me look like a reasonable gear purchaser, which I am grateful for 

Also don't feel bad about your current on-order list, it's not that bad compared to what I have planned if a few things we're working on come through... Artinger, Forshage, Hartung, Oni, Thorn are names on the list to name a few in addition to the obvious additional KxK orders


----------



## MetalDaze (Aug 12, 2011)

As a fellow lefty and sufferer, I would like to admit my 'on order' sins:

- BRJ Hesperian 7
- BRJ Diva 6
- KxK Fanned 7
- Jackson KV2 (not custom specs, but we lefties have to wait for everything)
- Jackson Custom Shop Extreme Warrior

Between the two of us, we are doing the lefty community a favor by bringing some high quality lefties to life!


----------



## leandroab (Aug 12, 2011)

FUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait, you're a lefty?

FUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!


----------



## HighGain510 (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> I didn't mean this to brag... it's more like -  where the fuck am I going to put 8 more guitars?



I know of a SUPER SECRET STORAGE FACILITY!!!   They'd only get played a little, being backwards and all!  



djpharoah said:


> Hi Eric - my name is Mesh. You've come to the right place - we're here to help you. You'll enjoy Gear Whores Anonymous.
> 
> Nice soon to be collection - too bad it's all inverse Hendrix shit



As the founder of this institution, I'd like to say welcome Eric, we'll keep you on the straight and narrow of Gear Whoring! 



elq said:


> Study hard kids!



People ask me all the time "ZOMG how do you afford all that stuff!" and that's what I tell them too.  Work your ass off in school and it pays off (maybe not if you're in for a music major )!


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 12, 2011)

MetalDaze said:


> As a fellow lefty and sufferer, I would like to admit my 'on order' sins:
> 
> - BRJ Hesperian 7
> - BRJ Diva 6
> ...



Don't you mean "but 'lo' is I for all that fine wood hast been used for waste". I am a lefty but I don't bother playing backwards


----------



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

re: cost and money -

When I was a kid and started seriously playing guitar, being a lefty really sucked the only company that made nice reasonably priced guitar was carvin, so for years I was a dedicated carvin player. 

A few years ago, a friend bought a top of the line custom Classical guitar. I was getting sick of carvin, and I after seeing his very positive experience with the process, I became curious about the logistics of getting a custom guitar on my own.

I didn't really know of any luthiers who built electric guitars, so I looked into my friend's luthier as a basis. His fees started at $6k. Far more expensive than the $1500 I was paying at carvin (and far less fancy). 

When I balked, he pointed me to Ervin Somogyi - who's guitars started at ~$20k. Be thankful that you don't play classical, acoustic, or on archtops - electric guitars are damn cheap in comparison.

I eventually found this ss.org and the rest is history...




SirMyghin said:


> You have 8 in progress builds? damn dude. I keep it to one in progress at a time, for my own sanity.



I found that when I had only 1 guitar in progress, I was driving myself nuts wanting the know how far along it was... with 8, I'm much more at peace... I even forget about them at times - which makes the wait much easier 




scherzo1928 said:


> As far as I'm concerned, you should keep ordering guitars and showing them to us. You always seem to get the very best of the bestest... That kxk is a perfect example of what I mean.





Guitars are like women in that I find soo many desirable. At least guitars don't get jealous. 



technomancer said:


> The funniest part of this thread is that's only the on order list... not what's already in his collection



I only have 11 guitar at home now, and only 4 are built by small companies/luthiers. So injecting 8 new customs into that collection is a pretty dramatic change. 



technomancer said:


> You do make me look like a reasonable gear purchaser, which I am grateful for



 



technomancer said:


> Also don't feel bad about your current on-order list, it's not that bad compared to what I have planned if a few things we're working on come through... Artinger, Forshage, Hartung, Oni, Thorn are names on the list to name a few in addition to the obvious additional KxK orders



Hartung, Myka, another Oni, another Thorn, another KxK, and Aringer are all on my gas list. Will it ever end?

Oh and..


Spoiler














HighGain510 said:


> I know of a SUPER SECRET STORAGE FACILITY!!!   They'd only get played a little, being backwards and all!
> 
> 
> As the founder of this institution, I'd like to say welcome Eric, we'll keep you on the straight and narrow of Gear Whoring!
> ...







Spoiler











It's inevitable in any thread about a new BlackMachine or Oni or KxK or Daemoness or Vik or whatever, someone asks how to afford it.

Doing well in school is a proxy for knowing your shit inside out and having a good brain. I went to school for physics but never once worked as a physicist - I do "machine learning". Busting your ass to learn things that other people value pays off 


One thing about this hobby - I never expected to buy expensive lumber, let alone spend long hours looking longingly at sites that sell it.


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 12, 2011)

> It's inevitable in any thread about a new BlackMachine or Oni or KxK or Daemoness or Vik or whatever, someone asks how to afford it.



That is because a lot of the posters are teenagers, and therefore devoid of tact/etiquette  In all seriousness the value of money doesn't really set in until you are at the real life stage and working for decent pay. I still think that is a rude question though.


----------



## scherzo1928 (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> One thing about this hobby - I never expected to buy expensive lumber, let alone spend long hours looking longingly at sites that sell it.


 
Tell me about it. Not only do I stare at pics of wood all day (I said it) trying to find the top for my next build... I often inform forum members of who is selling the pieces of lumber they are looking for.


----------



## Hollowway (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> One thing about this hobby - I never expected to buy expensive lumber, let alone spend long hours looking longingly at sites that sell it.


 
Haha, so true! I never thought about it, but my wife will look over my shoulder and be like, "what are you looking at?" and I'm on Gilmer or Cook woods. 

And for those asking how he (we) afford these, when you consider what adults do as hobbies, even 10 high end customs are reasonable. I have a friend that is making payments on a $60,000 ski boat. After a few seasons that will be worth maybe 1/3 of what he paid for it. A KxK or Vik? Minimal depreciation.

If anything we should be talking about how depressing it is that those of us who are musicians for a living have a harder time buying instruments (economically) than those of us who do virtually anything else.  It's unfortunate how little the world appreciates art these days.


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 12, 2011)

^^^ Not to mention what adults do for vices, one of the things that keeps me from smoking is how many guitars it costs a year 

As far as appreciation of art goes, I don't agree there. Art is well appreciated, we just don't appreciate the notion that people expect to be able to live off of Art. (in which I agree).


----------



## thatguy87 (Aug 12, 2011)

Well I'm in the military and don't get paid well enough to have a slew of custom guitars on order (I guess I should consider that I'm still a pretty shitty player as well) so I just can't justify 4k on one guitar.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

Then join the American army and get paid a lot more 

I know a few guys that are Canadian but are going to be joining the 'merican army just for that reason.


----------



## thatguy87 (Aug 12, 2011)

I'm in the American Air Force. I won't touch the army. sorry I like being treated like a person.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

Oops, figured you were British.


----------



## HighGain510 (Aug 12, 2011)

elq said:


> I do "machine learning".



Wow, that's pretty sweet man! We should chat sometime, I don't know much about that field but it is interesting to me so I'd love to pick your brain about it!


----------



## thatguy87 (Aug 12, 2011)

no worries. back to the topic! I guess given my level of playing skill, I am a gear whore, but every guitar I own (aside from the one I'm piecing together) are production guitars.

Ibanez MMM1
Ibanez Apex 2
'93 MexiStrat in candy apple red modded and going to be modded more when I get back to the states...
OOTS/ET Guitars Ibanez copy in process

and if you wanna count it, another OOTS body (most likely another ET neck) planned for in the future.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

Dude you're getting a swirl done by Alan? Fuck you! :jealous:


----------



## thatguy87 (Aug 12, 2011)

Lol he actually GAVE me a second body when I went to get the red/white/blue swirl because it's a bit fucked up, said it was gonna end up in the burn pile. The one good thing about being stationed over here: I got to meet Alan and talk to him for like an hour and eventually I hope to go down Cornwall to the BKP shop. Anyway, you can see both bodies in the thread http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...ustomizations/162694-custom-ibanez-build.html


----------



## Hollowway (Aug 12, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> As far as appreciation of art goes, I don't agree there. Art is well appreciated, we just don't appreciate the notion that people expect to be able to live off of Art. (in which I agree).


 
I may be a little cynical on this, but I'm not sure I'd say that art is _well_ appreciated by the general public. But I'm intentionally removing episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians as an acceptable art form. I'm still not entirely sure what those girls expect to live off of, but it ain't art or any kind of talent.


----------



## MetalDaze (Aug 12, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> I may be a little cynical on this, but I'm not sure I'd say that art is _well_ appreciated by the general public. But I'm intentionally removing episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians as an acceptable art form. I'm still not entirely sure what those girls expect to live off of, but it ain't art or any kind of talent.



Is it not obvious?


----------



## Hollowway (Aug 12, 2011)

MetalDaze said:


> Is it not obvious?


----------



## elq (Aug 12, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> Haha, so true! I never thought about it, but my wife will look over my shoulder and be like, "what are you looking at?" and I'm on Gilmer or Cook woods.




This reminds me of conversations that start "why do you have soo many guitars?" to which I reply "why do you have soo many pairs of shoes?".




Hollowway said:


> And for those asking how he (we) afford these, when you consider what adults do as hobbies, even 10 high end customs are reasonable. I have a friend that is making payments on a $60,000 ski boat. After a few seasons that will be worth maybe 1/3 of what he paid for it. A KxK or Vik? Minimal depreciation.
> 
> If anything we should be talking about how depressing it is that those of us who are musicians for a living have a harder time buying instruments (economically) than those of us who do virtually anything else.  It's unfortunate how little the world appreciates art these days.








scherzo1928 said:


> Tell me about it. Not only do I stare at pics of wood all day (I said it) trying to find the top for my next build... I often inform forum members of who is selling the pieces of lumber they are looking for.



It's a sickness man... who needs crack? I've got rosewood!




SirMyghin said:


> That is because a lot of the posters are teenagers, and therefore devoid of tact/etiquette  In all seriousness the value of money doesn't really set in until you are at the real life stage and working for decent pay. I still think that is a rude question though.



The variation I personally find most rude is the implication that someone is lucky or that their parents are buying the guitars for them, I think bulb gets that one every single time he posts an NGD 



HighGain510 said:


> Wow, that's pretty sweet man! We should chat sometime, I don't know much about that field but it is interesting to me so I'd love to pick your brain about it!



I shall PM you my contact details.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 12, 2011)

HighGain510 said:


> Wow, that's pretty sweet man! We should chat sometime, I don't know much about that field but it is interesting to me so I'd love to pick your brain about it!



I find it hilarious that three out of the four or five biggest whores in here are computer geeks  (counting myself as one of the three).



elq said:


> It's a sickness man... who needs crack? I've got rosewood!



Ain't that the truth... the one that's been killing me recently is Fraser though... I need to stay the hell of their website as they keep posting piece after post of awesome maple 

Also damn you for pointing out Myka guitars


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3 (Aug 12, 2011)

Now I can't wait to finish these last 2 and a half years of my bachelor degree XD 

My list shall be very long.


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3 (Aug 12, 2011)

technomancer said:


> I find it hilarious that three out of the four or five biggest whores in here are computer geeks  (counting myself as one of the three).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

i'm a computer engineering major  I'm going on the networking track


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 12, 2011)

I thought it was odd too, but then I realized we're on an internet forum and that's the kind of people you get posting.


----------



## Empryrean (Aug 12, 2011)

You guys


----------



## elq (Aug 13, 2011)

technomancer said:


> I find it hilarious that three out of the four or five biggest whores in here are computer geeks  (counting myself as one of the three).



funny that... I guess computer geeks are paid well and have excellent taste 




technomancer said:


> Ain't that the truth... the one that's been killing me recently is Fraser though... I need to stay the hell of their website as they keep posting piece after post of awesome maple
> 
> Also damn you for pointing out Myka guitars



I've actually added a few wood sites to a blacklist (the so-called productivity list) on my home dns server. After you posted that burl-maple, Fraser immediately got added to that list 

David Myka's guitars are just gorgeous. I don't particularly care for single-cuts in general, but some examples of Myka's work have really caused me to question that 


Oh... and it turns out that I kind of forgot about a 9th. I've been trying to find someone to build -







A reflected version of a JPM100 including a backwards ibby logo.

But I can't find anyone (I would trust) to take my money other than ET guitars, and they won't reply to me


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 13, 2011)

Ran will probably do it.


----------



## elq (Aug 13, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Ran will probably do it.



Yeah. I know... I just don't know if I can trust them. I'll do a little more research on them.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 13, 2011)

Yeah, I've never heard anything bad about them, but never anything really great either sans a few threads.

You can buy a 'guitar skin', thing. You could always try that? Maybe even just buy a backwards RG then send it to someone to do the pain/decal.


----------



## elq (Aug 13, 2011)

I won't do a skin. Well, maybe if it was very well installed and clear-coated afterwards.

And I don't really want to convert an ibby as I don't want an ibby 

What told ET I was interested in -

- Lefty RG
- Mahogany Body with a maple Cap, painted as in the image
- flamed maple neck, oil finish, headstock painted as in the image
- ebony board, bound in white with offset abalone dots
- stainless 6105 frets
- gotoh floyd and tuners

And I asked for pricing differential for stained flame maple top (like the anniversary jpm100).

Ibanez does not make a guitar suitable for conversion. The closest would be the 3120 - and I didn't care for the neck on the 3120 I owned (too damn thin).


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 13, 2011)

Yeah it really sucks that there are barely any reputable people doing clones out there. They all seem to dissapear after a month


----------



## djpharoah (Aug 13, 2011)

technomancer said:


> I find it hilarious that three out of the four or five biggest whores in here are computer geeks  (counting myself as one of the three).


Engineers FTW


----------



## infernalservice (Aug 13, 2011)

I have a masters in computer science, but my actual job function sits more on the technical side of things. I just budget myself and invest in company stock (which I get at a nice discount). I also tutor on the side. This let's me buy guitars without tapping into my paychecks too often. Not smoking or eating fast-food helps too. 

Anyways all I have on order right now is another prs. My other two orders came in this week. Give me a month or two though. Something always comes up.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> I won't do a skin. Well, maybe if it was very well installed and clear-coated afterwards.
> 
> And I don't really want to convert an ibby as I don't want an ibby
> 
> ...



That will be awesome if you can find a builder 

Oh and what's killing me about Fraser is I now have two pieces from them, and am considering a third... but they've all been separate orders, the damn shipping is a pain I think 1/3 of what I spent was shipping


----------



## scherzo1928 (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> I've actually added a few wood sites to a blacklist (the so-called productivity list) on my home dns server. After you posted that burl-maple, Fraser immediately got added to that list


 
Hehe, I'm the one that found that burl 

So yeah, I you're looking for a piece of wood, I've probably seen it being sold somewhere.

edit: on the other hand, I saw oregon wild wood because of a link you posted


----------



## Scruffy1012 (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> It has been brought to my attention that I'm a bit of a gear whore... and I thought it might be a good idea to publicly share my private shame.
> 
> 
> My list (as of 8/11/11) of custom guitars in some phase of being ordered.
> ...


 
Are you bill gates ?


----------



## thatguy87 (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> Ibanez does not make a guitar suitable for conversion. The closest would be the 3120 - and I didn't care for the neck on the 3120 I owned (too damn thin).



Surely you jest! The one huge reason I play Ibanez is because of the thinness of the neck; the thinner the better. Round necks cramp my hands.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 13, 2011)

thatguy87 said:


> Surely you jest! The one huge reason I play Ibanez is because of the thinness of the neck; the thinner the better. Round necks cramp my hands.



I'm the exact opposite... if the neck is too thin it kills my hands 

Totally a personal preference thing


----------



## elq (Aug 13, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Yeah it really sucks that there are barely any reputable people doing clones out there. They all seem to dissapear after a month





technomancer said:


> That will be awesome if you can find a builder



I know why it's hard to find someone very skilled and reputable to build a clone - they want to build a niche and a reputation, I understand completely.

Based on appearances, Ran and Shamray seem to make well built and nice looking guitars with no problem cloning. In fact, I first became aware of Vik because he built a (very very nice) Shur clone.





technomancer said:


> Oh and what's killing me about Fraser is I now have two pieces from them, and am considering a third... but they've all been separate orders, the damn shipping is a pain I think 1/3 of what I spent was shipping



You obviously need to place larger orders to cost average down the shipping fees. 




scherzo1928 said:


> Hehe, I'm the one that found that burl
> 
> So yeah, I you're looking for a piece of wood, I've probably seen it being sold somewhere.
> 
> edit: on the other hand, I saw oregon wild wood because of a link you posted



 Koa. Heavily figured. Large enough for a one-piece body. Go!




thatguy87 said:


> Surely you jest! The one huge reason I play Ibanez is because of the thinness of the neck; the thinner the better. Round necks cramp my hands.



I have no problems at all with the neck on a jp6, or the jp7 or my KxK - they're all thin. The 3120 was just too thin.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> I know why it's hard to find someone very skilled and reputable to build a clone - they want to build a niche and a reputation, I understand completely.
> 
> Based on appearances, Ran and Shamray seem to make well built and nice looking guitars with no problem cloning. In fact, I first became aware of Vik because he built a (very very nice) Shur clone.



Wow I had no idea Vik was a clone builder... 



elq said:


> You obviously need to place larger orders to cost average down the shipping fees.



Yeah and more money to pay for the orders  




elq said:


> Koa. Heavily figured. Large enough for a one-piece body. Go!



Not addressed to me but Koa - guitar back and side sets at wholesale prices. (they have more available than their "Available Sets" page shows, you basically need to contact them.)


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 13, 2011)

technomancer said:


> Wow I had no idea Vik was a clone builder...



That is interesting no? Either way I don't think it detracts from his not clone work. 

Small necks kill my hands too, ideally they come in just shy of 1" thick.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 13, 2011)

I had no idea either, I guess he wanted to move away from that image so hence the new site and 0 reference to his early work


----------



## elq (Aug 13, 2011)

I have no problem with it either, if I did I wouldn't have sent him money.

It just seems to a way to earn a living building guitars that is very common in eastern Europe.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 13, 2011)

elq said:


> I have no problem with it either, if I did I wouldn't have sent him money.
> 
> It just seems to a way to earn a living building guitars that is very common in eastern Europe.



No real problem with it, was just completely unaware of it


----------



## Might-is-Right (Aug 13, 2011)

I love this thread! I find it interesting to see what some of you have on order and possess as collections. My third KxK is shipping in about a week. I swiped up that DCii7 from the in stock page awhile back. Truth be told my guitar GAS has been taken care of for now with the KxKs. I do however reserve the right to change my mind. 

I'm intentionally not going to check out any of the luthiers you guys mentioned in this thread...don't want to risk stirring anything up.

I have to say that you guys who are GASsing for and buying wood are taking it to a whole 'nother level. Keep up the good work!!!


----------



## thewildturkey (Aug 14, 2011)

Wow, thats some serious gas... I used to think I was bad, but I feel pretty ok now!

That fingerboard on the KxK aswell..... wow man, that is beyond killer!


----------



## 3amsleep (Aug 14, 2011)

i'll just leave this here...


----------



## Rokkaholic (Aug 20, 2011)

elq said:


> Doing well in school is a proxy for knowing your shit inside out and having a good brain. I went to school for physics but never once worked as a physicist - I do "machine learning". Busting your ass to learn things that other people value pays off



I'm in my sophomore year of my undergraduate degree in Physics. Trust me, it is very tough, but I guarantee that this guy deserves the large salary that he is probably earning. Hope to be in his place in a few years! Btw what univ did you go to elq?


----------



## elq (Aug 20, 2011)

Rokkaholic said:


> I'm in my sophomore year of my undergraduate degree in Physics. Trust me, it is very tough, but I guarantee that this guy deserves the large salary that he is probably earning. Hope to be in his place in a few years! Btw what univ did you go to elq?



Good luck!

Caltech.


----------



## Konfyouzd (Aug 20, 2011)

What the fuck do you do for a living?


----------



## elq (Aug 20, 2011)

Konfyouzd said:


> What the fuck do you do for a living?






elq said:


> ...
> I do "machine learning".



and/or



elq said:


> I sell drugs to children and nuclear weapons to terrorists... doesn't everyone?


----------



## Konfyouzd (Aug 20, 2011)

Yea I technically do "machine learning" for a living too... 

I don't have 40k to drop on guitars, though...


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Aug 20, 2011)

Don't be rude! 





(I've always wanted to use that smiley)


----------



## narad (Aug 23, 2011)

What the hell. I'm a machine learning phd student. Where are you guys working? There should not be so many of us here...


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 23, 2011)

Machine learning, that is stuff in the vein of artificial neural networks and genetic programs and such right? Gets a lot of use in my discipline by the water/enviro side.


----------



## narad (Aug 23, 2011)

Yup, though those two areas were the big 80/90s concentrations. In my particular area the big keywords are now loglinear/maxent/Bayesian models.


----------



## elq (Aug 24, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> Machine learning, that is stuff in the vein of artificial neural networks and genetic programs and such right? Gets a lot of use in my discipline by the water/enviro side.





narad said:


> Yup, though those two areas were the big 80/90s concentrations. In my particular area the big keywords are now loglinear/maxent/Bayesian models.



GA/GP is for the most part a flop commercially (at least in the circles I work in). ANN's are still heavily used. PGMs are starting to make inroads but you'd be shocked how widely used very simple methods, such as decision trees and logistic regression, are. 

One of the things that always amuses me is how disparate academia and industry is. Every time I go to KDD or ICML or NIPS it just gets worse. 

A friendly suggestion - unless you want a career in academia, don't be tempted to publish the same one god damn paper over and over again for 5 years, which is the, depressing, norm


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 24, 2011)

I know what you mean Elq, I am wrapping up a Master's and want nothing to do with academia anymore. The papers are overall quite convoluted, people publish almost the same thing for 15-20 years. Yet it always needs a bit more research for reasons you are never told or shown.


----------



## Speculum Speculorum (Aug 24, 2011)

Academia is just plain nuts anymore, in my opinion. I realized that when I finished my Bachelor's in music composition and realized that I would be about $200k in debt in order to make $30,000 a year for the next decade. Maybe - big maybe - after 20 years I'd be making about $60,000. I'm glad for the education, but there's no way I'm going back for my MA or PhD/doctorate.


----------



## technomancer (Aug 24, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> I know what you mean Elq, I am wrapping up a Master's and want nothing to do with academia anymore. The papers are overall quite convoluted, people publish almost the same thing for 15-20 years. Yet it always needs a bit more research for reasons you are never told or shown.



That reason would be the need to keep getting more grant money  The point of academic research isn't to actually accomplish anything, but to continue to get funds to support the researcher.


----------



## SirMyghin (Aug 24, 2011)

technomancer said:


> That reason would be the need to keep getting more grant money  The point of academic research isn't to actually accomplish anything, but to continue to get funds to support the researcher.




And how, we must all compete for research dollars, fame, and academic glory!  THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE >researcher as entirely brilliant as me, I mean, come one, just look at me, you only live and strive to be as great as the name I am riding that I worked hard to establish<. That might be a bit over jaded but oh well. 





Speculum Speculorum said:


> Academia is just plain nuts anymore, in my opinion. I realized that when I finished my Bachelor's in music composition and realized that I would be about $200k in debt in order to make $30,000 a year for the next decade. Maybe - big maybe - after 20 years I'd be making about $60,000. I'm glad for the education, but there's no way I'm going back for my MA or PhD/doctorate.



Well you see, when you do important research they pay you for it . I actually make money getting my Master's. Academia is research, not schools themselves btw. Has nothing to do with administration.


----------



## narad (Aug 24, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> And how, we must all compete for research dollars, fame, and academic glory!  THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE >researcher as entirely brilliant as me, I mean, come one, just look at me, you only live and strive to be as great as the name I am riding that I worked hard to establish<. That might be a bit over jaded but oh well.



I disagree with the notion of recycled papers being the focus at major conferences - sure some slip in, that's peer review for you - but by and large those advancements must be incremental. At the 2nd tier conferences and below it gets pretty awful, but I still see merit in most of the papers at major ones.

But that quote there, that's dead-on to me! I'm totally guilty for being academic fame-focused at the moment - it's like I have Alzheimer's and I have these fleeting moments of clarity, and then it's back to the grind for the next paper deadline. Though everyone needs some kind of carrot to chase.


----------



## IB-studjent- (Sep 2, 2011)

elq, how long did it take Ola strandberg to reply to your email? And do you happen to know what the waiting time is ?


----------



## elq (Sep 2, 2011)

Ola responded to my query in an hour or so.

I got on his list in early July. At the time he mentioned an expected delivery of March of 2012.


----------



## AwakenNoMore (Sep 2, 2011)

lefties unite!

cool gear man!


----------



## technomancer (Sep 2, 2011)

You know I realized we skipped something important... what are the SPECS for all of those wonderful orders


----------



## elq (Sep 2, 2011)

technomancer said:


> You know I realized we skipped something important... what are the SPECS for all of those wonderful orders






Oni Fanned 8
Swamp ash body, pau ferro neck, ringed gidgee top, oak binding, 635mm - 695mm scale, piezo.

BRj 6 String
A black friday run guitar. Hog neck and wings, flamed maple top, oil finish, a painkiller in the bridge and a q-tuner in the neck.

KxK Fanned 7
mahogany wings, pau ferro neck, bubinga top, snakewood fretboard.

KxK Fanned 8
mahogany wings, pau ferro neck, walnut top, ebony fretboard (but I might pickup another snakewood board).

Thorn 6
chambered black limba body, brazilian kingwood neck and board, koa top, tortoise binding, HSH, thorn hardtail bridge.

Vik Fanned 7
Mahogany body, burl top, IRW neck, ebony board, zebra bobins burl/ebony, piezo.

Decible AMX
specs not completely set as Darren hasn't officially started taking orders yet, but I'm thinking -
7 strings, Figured koa or flamed roasted maple (if possible) for the body, IRW neck.

Strandberg EGS
7 string, chambered ash body, IRW neck-through, wenge top with f-hole.


----------



## Sicarius (Sep 2, 2011)

technomancer said:


> I find it hilarious that three out of the four or five biggest whores in here are computer geeks  (counting myself as one of the three).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ha, I'm in the Cisco Networking track at my school and will transfer soon.

Once I lad my "coushy" job, I'll be a gear whore, as well.

Just gotta do the right saving and moving about of funds to afford the Custom shop prices.


----------



## elq (Sep 2, 2011)

A new neck for my strat arrived today -













A nice one-piece goncalo alves Warmoth neck, with stainless frets. 

Oddly cheaper than refretting the stock fender neck with stainless.


----------



## technomancer (Sep 2, 2011)

Sweet


----------



## JPMike (Sep 2, 2011)

My orders so far:

BRJ Jekyll 724
BRJ Hesperian Slimline 727. 

I am sick too.


----------



## mikernaut (Sep 3, 2011)

ahhh the good ol' gear whoring sickness. Why do I continue to torture myself by looking at new guitars when I have no $ to spend on them currently, hahaha

My brother drives me mental, he works and ATI/AMD and actually complains to me about not knowing what to do with all his money. He needs to start playing guitar. hahahah


----------



## AnarchyDivine88 (Sep 7, 2011)

Wow, and I thought I had a problem for buying an Agile Septor 827 while my custom 10 string is still being built. It's nice to see people that are further into their guitar addictions than me...kind of a glimpse into my future.

VERY nice choice of woods: pau ferro, snakewood, koa. I would love to have a koa guitar. In fact, I think my next one will be made of koa...oh no...it's happening again...I'm fiending


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 6, 2011)

BUMP, how has the list changed now?


----------



## elq (Dec 6, 2011)

Heh.

Delivered:
Thorn 6

Still In Progress:
Oni Fanned 8
KxK Fanned 7
KxK Fanned 8

Started:
Vik Fanned 7
Decible AMX (though it's now going to be a Javalin)

Still pending:
Strandberg

No longer interested in:
BRj 6 String


I think one more will be added to the completed list soon-ish.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 6, 2011)

Order a Somogyi now


----------



## elq (Dec 6, 2011)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Order a Somogyi now



Heh. I would probably order a Parker arch-top if I wanted to drop that much money on a guitar


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 6, 2011)

His stuff does look really cool, especially the floaty joint.


----------



## HighGain510 (Dec 6, 2011)

elq said:


> No longer interested in:
> BRj 6 String



I lol'd.


----------



## elq (Dec 11, 2011)

A couple of new things.

* A pair of Oni pickups will be going into my Decible.
* An Oni fanned 6 string tuned in 5ths is pending


----------



## Hollowway (Dec 12, 2011)

What are the specs on your Oni 8? (and Oni 6, too.)


----------



## elq (Dec 12, 2011)

The 8:
* Swamp Ash body.
* Ringed Gidgee top
* Tasmanian Oak binding all around.
* Pau Ferro neck (with 2 Tasmanian Oak stringers)
* Not sure about the fretboard wood (we've talked about Mulga and Lancewood).
* Stainless frets.
* 2 humbuckers.
* Piezos


The 6 is going to be "builders choice" - Dan gets carte blanche on the specs.


----------



## Hollowway (Dec 12, 2011)

Holy crap I don't even recognize half of those woods!  I'm gonna have to do some googling!


----------



## mikemueller2112 (Dec 12, 2011)

Fuck, you are going to have a sick amount of toys. I ordered my first custom a month or two ago, the wait sucks, so I can see why you've got a few on the go haha. May have to treat myself next year to something else, not sure what I want at this point.


----------



## elq (Dec 12, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> Holy crap I don't even recognize half of those woods!  I'm gonna have to do some googling!



For the most part they're native to Australia. I never heard of most of them either, which is why my next Oni is builders choice 



mikemueller2112 said:


> Fuck, you are going to have a sick amount of toys. I ordered my first custom a month or two ago, the wait sucks, so I can see why you've got a few on the go haha. May have to treat myself next year to something else, not sure what I want at this point.




I have lots of awesome guitars, so waiting is pretty easy. It is a fantastic time to be playing guitar!


----------



## mikemueller2112 (Dec 12, 2011)

elq said:


> For the most part they're native to Australia. I never heard of most of them either, which is why my next Oni is builders choice
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No question there. Lots of luthiers building amazing instruments, and thanks to the internet, can gain some exposure. Found ViK because of here, and now can't wait to get my hands on it. Still looking around at my next potential purchase, Oni and Strandberg are high on the list.


----------



## JP Universe (Dec 13, 2011)

The more I come to this thread, the more I want an Oni....


----------



## elq (Dec 13, 2011)

Good 

Dan is absolutely awesome to work with and has amazing taste. I recommend him with no reservations at all. I can say the same for Rob (KxK) and Ron Thorn.


----------



## MetalMike04 (Dec 14, 2011)

okay 1st off.

IM LEFTY CAN I COME OVER!!!

nice location btw too!!! 

of yeah nice guitars too


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Dec 14, 2011)

Another lefty on SSO that lives in the Bay Area?!?! WTF?


----------



## MetalMike04 (Dec 14, 2011)

haha yeah, although my collection isn't quite as extensive, if only haha

RG1570 Prestige....Black of course

Modded MexStrat in electric blue!


----------



## technomancer (Dec 14, 2011)

elq said:


> Good
> 
> Dan is absolutely awesome to work with and has amazing taste. I recommend him with no reservations at all. I can say the same for Rob (KxK) and Ron Thorn.



This post reads like a list of things I own or intend to order


----------



## Hollowway (Dec 14, 2011)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Another lefty on SSO that lives in the Bay Area?!?! WTF?



Hence the name "the left coast."


----------



## elq (Feb 19, 2012)

Another addition...

KxK 7S.
Maple neck.
Mahogany wings.
Maple fretboard.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Feb 19, 2012)

I love your avatar. 

Congrats on the upcoming addition as well.


----------



## thrsher (Feb 19, 2012)

elq said:


> Another addition...
> 
> KxK 7S.
> Maple neck.
> ...


 
Great minds think alike


----------



## mphsc (Feb 19, 2012)

elq said:


> Another addition...
> 
> KxK 7S.
> Maple neck.
> ...



Congrats duder.


----------



## Lirtle (Feb 20, 2012)

Hahaha sounds like we're all going to have the same specs on these kxks. 
Mines house of kolor ne502 neon pink.


----------



## Rook (Feb 20, 2012)

Lol, I love a true gear whore, I also love the quantity of engineers here, I'm in masters EE w Computer Science. I already work a lot but not as an engineer, I do internships in the summer though.

I currently have on order:
BRJ 6 - should come by the summer, not confirmed though
Strandberg 7 - should start later this year
Decibel Javelin - Hahahaha no clue when that's gunna happen
Vik Duality 7 - going through the process as we speak, was quoted 18 months or less

You don't have to have an amazing job to afford these things, just work hard, work a lot, and don't spend any money.
On anything.
Ever.
My girlfriend hates how tight I am, I spend enough on rent, food and running my car, the rest stays in my pocket. Trading gear has helped my income no end and working in a restaurant, the harder I work the more money I get.

Elq, when did you get on the Decibel list? I didn't know he'd even started on his actual list yet.


----------



## elq (Feb 20, 2012)

Fun111 said:


> Elq, when did you get on the Decibel list? I didn't know he'd even started on his actual list yet.



Darren opened the waiting list last June. I'm first on the list and my build has started.


----------



## Rook (Feb 20, 2012)

Nice! I got on in September and think I'm one of the last on the list...


----------



## technomancer (Feb 20, 2012)

elq said:


> Another addition...
> 
> KxK 7S.
> Maple neck.
> ...



Sweet color


----------



## IB-studjent- (Apr 11, 2012)

I'm a sick guy,

Vik duality 8 with a 3" and very tasty specs:
Curly maple top in faded fire finish
Mahogany back 
Maple neck with wa
lnut fillets 
Flamed maple fb in satin finish with abalone side dots 
adm single bridges 
Vik pickups with fiber bobbins

Vik ****** 6 string
Wont say the model yet but it'll be very awesome
Going to be a silver burst with ebony fb 
single p90 pickup 
black binding with white strip 
chrome hardware ( gotoh wrap round bridge) 
and ohh yeah, it's going to be a baritone
and last but not least a Strandberg 7

swamp ash body with satin black finish
maple fb 
and multi colored bridge


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Apr 11, 2012)

You guys should ask for a month off sso, I noticed my GAS went away after 2 weeks.


----------



## IB-studjent- (Apr 11, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> You guys should ask for a month off sso, I noticed my GAS went away after 2 weeks.



I'm not annoyed by my GAS, my parents are !


----------



## Rook (Apr 11, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> You guys should ask for a month off sso, I noticed my GAS went away after 2 weeks.



Oh THAT's where you went.


----------



## Quitty (Apr 11, 2012)

Fun111 said:


> Oh THAT's where you went.



I bet his wife chimes in every couple of weeks to ask a mod to get his ass off the site before he buys another guitar...
(no offense, stealth - i bet you' turn out to be a great guy if i ever get to see you active..)


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Apr 11, 2012)

Im 14!


----------



## elq (Apr 11, 2012)

Quitty said:


> I bet his mom chimes in every couple of weeks to ask a mod to get his ass off the site before he buys another guitar...
> (no offense, stealth - i bet you' turn out to be a great guy if i ever get to see you active..)



Fixed



Stealthdjentstic said:


> I act like I'm 14!



Fixed!


----------



## Stealthdjentstic (Apr 11, 2012)

Eat shit my hairy legged friend


----------

