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CarneVaca
05-06-2002, 08:36 AM
Got my first crack at playing a Model 1 on Saturday at a guitar show. That is one heavy guitar!! Considerably different from my Tele and my Radiator.

Didn't spend too much time with it, but enough to know that it would take some adjustment on my part because of the Piezo that sticks out a lot farther than the pickups on my guitars.

The seller was asking $3,300, not much less than what it costs new.

seteca
05-06-2002, 10:34 AM
Hey CarneVaca!

That's pretty awesome! I've yet to touch a Model 1 !!

But.....

Could you, or anybody, tell me EXACTLY what the deal is currently regarding Rick Turner Model 1s...because I would like to get one in the near future and preferably 1st hand...i.e. from the Turner company itself.

I live in the UK so access to the info. I need is quite limited...I know that www.smart-distribution.co.uk apparently are the sole importers of Rick Turner guitars into the UK, but nevertheless I'd like to know what the deal is in the U.S.....the price that S-D are asking for it seems a bit high even if you consider import costs (they're asking for about £4000 = ~$6000...).

Most importantly, how much does a Rick Turner Model One cost EXACTLY? (I've read a whole range of prices on the net, ranging from the impossibly low to the insanely high.)

ANY info. anybody could give me regarding purchasing one (first or second hand) I would REALLY appreciate.:nod:

Thanks!!!:)

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

CarneVaca
05-06-2002, 11:41 AM
Seteca:

I believe the Model 1s start at about $3,000 and go as high as $6,000. You should contact Rick himself if you are seriously considering buying one. He probably has a fairly lengthy waiting list, anyway, so if you are planning to buy it, say, a year from now, you might want to get the process going.

Rick is pretty accessible. Go to his site and you should get his e-mail from there. Otherwise, go to the Acoustic Guitar forum (acousticguitar.com) and leave him a message.

Good luck.

Pedro

seteca
05-06-2002, 07:27 PM
Thanks a lot Pedro!

His website seems to be down for some reason, and there's no direct contact info. on his Renaissance site, but with a bit of luck I managed to find his email through the website you suggested. I shall contact him later on this month.

Thanks again for the help!

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

witchywoman
05-06-2002, 07:45 PM
WOW!
Just looking at one of those would be too awesome, to
play one would probably kill me! Ultra coolness!!

witchywoman:) (In awe)

Skylark
05-07-2002, 05:01 PM
:wavey: Hi CarneVaca....
I thought the reason Lindsey got one was it had
a beefier sound on stage as compared to the lighter sounding
Tele he used for studio work!!! {Where is the piezo???}
Your comment surprises me as LB makes his Turners
look lighter to hang on his sore shoulder and easier
to play on stage than his heavy white Les Paul!
Just wondering!;) Rick Turner answered my email!!!
Good Luck...hope you Guitar Dreams come True! Sky:)

chiliD
05-08-2002, 02:27 AM
Compared to a Les Paul (especially Les Paul Customs like Lindsey's white one from 75-79...or Danny Kirwan's he had from 1969-72...Les Paul Standards are a bit lighter than the Customs)a Model 1 weighs significantly less...compared to a Strat or a Tele, they're a bit heavier...at least to me. But, then, mine's made with an Alder body instead of Mahogany like Lindsey's. I was really fortunate to have one made for me and given to me as a wedding present from my beautiful wife, Susan; 3 years ago. Mine is ELECTRONICALLY identical to the newer ones that Lindsey plays. No piezo, but with the active pseudo-parametric equalizer.
(I know the picture is pretty small, but the photo I'm using for my avatar is a photo of me with my Strat, my (then) Les Paul, and the Turner in the middle...taken the day the UPS "Brown" guy delivered the box containing the Turner)


(Sky..a piezo is an acoustic guitar pickup that is installed in the bridge of the guitar and is used to get acoustic guitar tones & colorings while playing an "electric guitar"...some interesting sounds can be attained by blending the piezo with the guitar's main pickup)

You have to contact Rick directly for Model 1's (we dealt as much with Phil Johnston as we did with Rick; but, since Phil left the company seemingly on short notice, Rick has had to do a lot of the nit-picky work himself. I don't know if he's gotten another "right hand man" since Phil's departure...I would imagine he has by now)...his main focus for the last 5 years or so has been the Renaissance line of "ampli-coustic" guitars...like the ones Lindsey played on "Bleed To Love Her" (RN-6) and "Sweet Girl" (RS-6) and basses (RB-4), like the one John McVie played on "Say You Love Me" from "The Dance". I'll be getting an RS-6 soon and I'll keep you posted on how THOSE are (the ones I've played, so far, are just awesome, without even plugging them in).

There really isn't an EXACT price for them...it all depends on what features you desire...what type of woods are used, what kind of finish, what electronics are installed, etc.

All I can say is that it took me all of 3 minutes to get used to (I kept "tripping" over the pickup when I played and had to reposition my right hand...can't rest my right wrist on the bridge in the same way that I could on my Les Paul (which I've since sold because it became irrelevant once I got the Turner) or Strat. But, actually by the hand adjustment, I found it was more comfortable for "finger-style" playing, too.

I hope this helped. No matter how descriptive the words are, there's just nothing that can be said or written to accurately relay the feeling of actually having a Turner in your hands.

CarneVaca
05-08-2002, 11:26 AM
ChiliD pretty much covered it. When I said it was heavy, I meant physically, and of course that is in comparison to my Tele and an even lighter electric I have, a Godin Radiator. The Tele can get pretty beefy, especially mine, which has an extra pickup, and I think Lindsey wanted the Turner for crispness on stage.

Is that right, ChiliD?

chiliD
05-08-2002, 06:58 PM
Actually, I think Lindsey went for the Turner because with a twist of a knob he could go from a beefy Les Paul tone to a real bitey Tele tone and a whole pallette of colors in-between, without having to switch guitars. The only time he really switches electric guitars these days is either the guitar has gone out of tune, or for a song with an alternate tuning (dropped "D" or open "D" seem to be his favorite alternate tunings)..like "The Chain", "World Turning", "Gold Dust Woman". And, of course when he goes to do acoustic songs.

mylittledemon
05-10-2002, 02:14 PM
Hey there Seteca,

I was in talks with Mr. Turner a few months ago discussing purchasing a Model One myself. You can email him at:

RTurner466@aol.com

Anyhow...the current price on the Model 1LB (Lindsey's exact model) is roughly $4000. Yikes huh? I would love to have one, but I can't afford that so I'll stick to my other 4 guitars.

Rick is very accomodating to customers' needs; and he will let you pay installments on it as well. He offered to let me pay minimum $150 per month no interest, then when it was half paid for, he would send me the guitar and I'd continue to make payments.

seteca
05-11-2002, 03:20 PM
Hey MyLittleDemon!:cool:

Thanks a lot, the $150 per month sounds very comfortable...I'll drop him an email later on this month. If I can make an agreement like that with him it'll be perfect, the only problem is the fact that I live in the UK, so import costs are gonna be annoying.

Thanks again,

:wavey::wavey: :wavey:

P.S. Thanks a lot ChiliD for all the info. aswell:)

MastaCow
09-28-2002, 08:03 AM
I ordered a Turner Model One in early April with alot of custom features(qulited maple top, gold hardware, purfling, rosewood pickup surround and tailpiece, ebony knobs and tuning peges.....) and it is going to cost around $4500. Rick's turnaround is as little as 3 months now, depending on what you ordered. The reason mine is taking longer is because I visited Rick in May and found some of the figure in the wood was not to my liking( beautiful, just not my cup of tea). Rick said "I can stand here and try no make you feel better, but I think the best thing for me to do is start over, no problem." So he started over with very, very, very specific specs from me. Rick told me this week that the guitar will ship to me in about 2 weeks.

Rick also told me he is going to LA in January to fine tune Lindsey's and John's guitars and basses before they go out on tour.

Rick is an easy person to work with, at least that has been my experience so far.

MikeD
09-28-2002, 08:45 AM
Wow...that's a bit much for a college kid to afford on a monthly basis. I'm barely making ends meet as it is. Anyone know where they can be picked up second hand?

seteca
09-28-2002, 08:57 AM
Congratulations...! It's a fantastic guitar, the best part is the smell of that wood when you open the case for the first time...! You'll see what I mean when you get yours....:)

It's funny, I ordered my Model 1 from Rick a day after my previous post on this thread! That's how long ago this thread is from!!

I received mine about 6 weeks ago. Another relatively quick job...3 months or so....very fast compared to usual M1 waiting times...

So did you get it "fully-loaded" like me..?? Q.P. EQ.....Piezo bridge...coil-tap...?? The piezo works like a dream when you have your amp really loud (obviously on clean settings) or going through a PA system....

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

MastaCow
10-30-2002, 04:45 PM
I know this is an old dead thread, but I just wanted to say I got my Model 1-C-LB-P today! All I can say is stunning. It doesn't get any better than this. I will post pictures later.

chiliD
10-30-2002, 05:24 PM
Welcome to the "Model 1 Club"!!

seteca
10-30-2002, 05:40 PM
A very warm welcome to the Club...:):cool:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

wondergirl9847
10-30-2002, 07:59 PM
...but CONGRATULATIONS on gettin one!! WOOHOO!! :D

estranged4life
10-31-2002, 03:37 AM
but since my hand is healing whereas the pain has very much subsided, I'm thinking of getting either a Rickenbacker (4003 Model) or Hofner Bass (Violin Bass)...I miss having a guitar to play with (But I still do own my Johnson Model Ukelele..LOL!!!) Brian J.

CarneVaca
10-31-2002, 10:46 AM
Brian, forget the bass. Unless you have made a definite choice to play bass, you should stick the guitar. You'll get much more enjoyment out of it because the guitar (especially acoustic) is essentially a solo instrument that can also be used in an ensemble. Not so with the bass.

The Rickenbacker should be cool. But those are expensive. In that same style, check out the Godin Radiator (about $400) and the Jackson/Charvel Surfcaster (about $650). Or, if you want to really go cheap, pick up a Danelectro. There are various models, starting at around $200, and they are a lot of fun.

A have a Godin myself, and it is a sweet-playing, cool-sounding guitar.

chiliD
10-31-2002, 02:38 PM
By the time you spend the "post-purchase" price of modifications on Danelectros to bring 'em up to speed (new bridge, new tuning pegs, etc) you might as well get a Turner. Danelectros, though they have great tone and playability, don't seem to stay in tune for more than two or three bars...and that's if you don't try bending strings.

MastaCow
11-02-2002, 06:21 PM
Here is a picture. It's not very good but you can see most of the differences between my guitar and the standard Model One.

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/mastacow/full_194_p2453.jpg

wondergirl9847
11-02-2002, 06:31 PM
Masta...it's GORGEOUS!! Very different color and that wavy effect is really cool!! :thumbsup: Thanks for sharing your picture with us!! :D

estranged4life
11-02-2002, 06:38 PM
I like the "Satin" look of yer guitar MastaCow, I always see that type of finish in the Carvin catalogs I always receive on the mail...Brian J.