MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Pete, I don't see any mentions to the GOM lately. Have you still got it? How does it compare to the others?
Good question! As you can see, it is still in my Avatar pic.
It has been spoken for for a while, on deposit sold to a guy in France. He was at first going to come over to get it in June, but now he is coming this week. I was using the proceeds from that sale to pay for my Private Stock in the oven, which hasn't come in yet. So I didn't really mind waiting for him. Plus he is a nice guy and was so excited to find one of these rare "1 of 26" guitars! I always dig it when I feel good about where one of my guitars is heading off to.
I have been mostly keeping it in the case to keep it pristine for its new buyer, but I did pull it out once or twice to compare to the Core and Wood Library 594's as those came in.
Like many Private Stocks with hand-selected woods, the GOM has some extra special mojo going on, very light at 7 pounds 5 ounces, while the Core and WL 594's have averaged about 8 pounds. The GOM has an "extra gear" with some resonance that is very much stimulated by a "loop" when played at volume, very lively. One of the best sounding guitars I have owned, in the top 5 or 10 in that regard.
That being said, I was very amazed with how great the Core and WL 594's sounded head-to-head against the GOM. Before I took my "Honey" finished Core GOM to CA, I A/B'ed them, and was amazed that while the GOM had they special resonance and sizzle, to my ears the GOM sounded like a great "Ted" (DC 245), which is to say it sounds like short scale PRS that sounds Les Paul-like, whereas the Core 594 sounded much more so just like a great Historic Les Paul, more so than the GOM, or like my b3 SL's, which also sound like a great Les Paul in their own right, albeit with the 594 having lower output pickups than the b3. I mean that in a very flattering way, as a result of getting the GOM and my b3 SL's I sold/traded away the two best Les Paul's I ever owned, and question whether I will buy another one again. They sound great, have that history and vibe, but the ergonomics are really not good on a relative basis, for me, and there always seems to be quality annoyances despite the $5-8K price tag (for a Custom Shop Historic)...
Anyway, here are some pics of the GOM with a newer friend:
I would say that for looks and vintage vibe, the Livingston Lemonburst Willcutt's Wood Library 594 can hang right in there with the GOM!!
I will miss the GOM, but I am off to my next chapter of the 594 adventure, spec'ing my own Private Stock versions of this great model! First one in soon, hopefully...