yoslate

I was speaking metaphorically.

Chris, This! The changes are, for the most part, small, but there are a lot of them, and they are identifiable...I think. Those changes are like a formula or a recipe, tweaked by a brilliant chemist or chef (Edwin, Pete?), both of whom rely on a deep, empirical working knowledge of chemistry. And then, somehow, that empiricism turns into voodoo in the result. And, to quote Brent,..."LOL."

Welcome, Mike! And nice 137...but aren't they all?! Should serve you very well! (And I had a good laugh at your screen name...largely because I can relate.)

This guitar.com piece is the review that sealed the deal for me. Pored over it several times, reading and listening, as I was making my mind up. This one from Max Guitar pretty difficult to resist, as well:

Wolfe Mcleod. Winder in Seattle. He's crossed paths with a lot of hitters in the Pacific Northwest (eg. Jason Lollar). Been in business since the mid-nineties. His pickups are really nice terrific. And as has been testified, customer service second to none. Great phone hang!

So you've taken delivery on the Custom Core, Don? Anxious to hear what you think. Mine feels like I've been playing it for decades. Just one of those things...this one and I were seemingly made for each other. Hope yours is whatever you wanted it to be! Let us know.

Hangar, They're AlNiCo III's, and mine meter at the neck: 7.55, and the bridge: 7.57.

Pretty much this....

Apologies for not having written more extensively on my Custom Core 150. I just haven't been free to. But rest assured, Brent, who's had more Heritage guitars pass through his hands than any five of us, has rendered a spot-on appraisal. As I said, I don't have time to address the differences between, for example, my '06 20th Anniversary and the Custom core. For example: There is no measurable dimension on the CC headstock that's the same as on the 20th Ann (or my '96 535). Jack placement is completely different (much lower on the bout of the CC). the cutaways are different, the CC's being shallower, with a more relaxed radius. The heel on the CC is much more robust than that of the 20th Ann. I could go on. They are not the same guitar. The attention to aggregate details (fit and finish everywhere) on the CC, as Brent alluded, results in a superior instrument, and I've owned $6K Custom Shops. I suspect Edwin Wilson and Pete Farmer got together and, with their vast experience, decided how they wanted to dot every minute "i" and cross every little "t" on the Custom Cores to make the very best Les Paul type guitar they could conjure. Sure enough did!

Bill Frisell is an iconoclastic genius. Tardy clearly gets him. Wonderful!

Noted jazz master Henry Juszkiewicz plays chords inaccessible to anyone else. Note this one: Em/F#(add 2)sorta, with the thumb damped F#, the E-and-a-half, and the C#-and-three-quarters. A player's player.

Completely unrelated issues. You'll pay for it with money...and perhaps spousal censure. So it goes. And to paraphrase, if eight was nine, would you care?

Interesting thread on this topic...rather than the usual binary love 'em-hate 'em survey. I like old things. Good place to be now, given my age.... I've always been a fan of distressed, aged, whatever you want to call it. I guess that harkens back to my early experiences with vintage guitars (then, they were just "used") and the nicks, bumps, bruises and lack of shiny newness, which always spoke to their experiences, and often, the simple fact they were usually good instruments, not to mention more affordable than new. So I've owned a few intentionally aged instruments. Two in particular were G. Custom Shop Lesters, an R4 Robbie Krieger, and an R7 Goldtop. They were both terrific! Could gig 'em with impunity and they had a great "old boots" feel. The R7 was an ideal platform for my vintage PAF's! Close as I'll ever get to the "real thing." That guitar was a lot of fun! And boy, did G beat that one up! Pretty extreme. The Krieger was supposed to replicate the original's crazing, dings and all. Less abused than the Goldtop, but still had been given a whuppin'. Both had a nice, broken-way-in feel. Which brings me to my latest, the Custom Core 150, with Artisan Aging. It's different from the others. There are some pinhead-sized dings spread out over it, just into the finish, but nothing that reveals wood. The hairline crazing is all over the guitar, everywhere, but consistently fine so that in low light, or from five feet away, you can't really see it. And the finish has a consistent, dull-ish semi-gloss patina that suggests a little oxidation of the clear coat or wear...without looking worn. Just as with so many other features on the guitar, the finish seems a very, very consciously thought-out and executed feature. I think buzzy's comment above suggests the same. The effect is almost more tactile, than visual. The "aging" is certainly there, but subtle, tasteful; it's really more of a patina or an actual finish than the "event" it is with the G's or on Bill Nash's pieces.

Looks a great candidate for a repair to have been done correctly and been fine. And good advice on the photos! Whenever I receive a shipped guitar, the first thing I do is take pics of the box and packing job, and if I can, of the delivery guy bringing up the walk, it to the house.

This! Brent, you could improve that headstock job 100%.