I played a great X-175 in Paris, France.

[Los Angeles]

Went to the musician's district just south of Pigalle, and most of the stores just sold new US-made items at the requisite import markup. Once the Parisian brick-and-mortar store markup was added on top of that, and my head did some Euro-to-dollar math, I needed to stop and take a breath every once in a while.

Anyway, after hitting nearly every guitar shop in the area, I found what I think was the best among the bunch, a place called Le Guitarium, one of the only spots that actually featured vintage instruments. Inside, hidden away in the corner, was a beautiful blonde 1981 X-175. Perfect year for me and a great opportunity to feel a touch of home. I didn't get a photo of it as my french is terrible and my understanding of manners around the area was that whipping out your phone every two minutes is not appreciated. The good news is that they have photos of it on their website.

There were a couple of knocks in the finish, particularly one right in the middle of the back of the neck. Most of my own guitars have pockmarked necks, so this didn't bother me.

The setup was also not my preference. I like low action on the treble strings, gradually going higher towards the low strings. This guitar was set up so that all strings were at the same height, making the high strings a little high for my taste. Also, I think the pickups should be brought down a touch and more attention should be paid to adjusting the poles to better compensate for the jump in signal between the wound strings and the unwound. But I'm really picky. The fact that they pickups were close to the strings, gave me a really hot signal, and I had fun with that, so it all worked out. I like a bit of liquor in my punch bowl, anyway.

Once I got used to the feel of it, and after dropping the bottom two strings to D and G, I let her rip. GOOD TIMES!

And one of the best parts of the experience was the opportunity to play though something you can't get here: a Pigalle Amplifier. Wish I could have ordered the little combo amp right then and there, but that's a post for another time.

Anyway, here's the guitar on their website, though they did quote a price for me a few hundred less: http://www.leguitarium.fr/produit/guild-x-175-de-1981/

 

[Zelja]

Very cool Kent. Paris is an amazing city, hope you enjoy it to the fullest. Plus now you have seen guitar prices which all us non-Americans have to deal with!

And by all means tell us more about the Pigalle amps.

 

[bluesypicky]

Lots of fun to be had in the music shop quarters.... sorry you have to deal with the crappy weather that is pulling Roland Garros behind schedule with this annoying and constant on/off rain (more on than off at that) :grumpy:

Have fun anyway, thanks for the post!

 

[Los Angeles]

And by all means tell us more about the Pigalle amps.

UNFORTUNATELY, I don't have that much time to go in depth, so I'll try to squeeze in as much info as I can.

Pigalle Amplifiers (rough pronunciation, using phonetic american english: "pee-GUY-yeh") are named after a neighborhood (and Metro stop) on the near north side of Paris, not far from Moulin Rouge. The area has been a center of Parisian creativity for 200 years.

The amp I played was a combo amp, and I wish I wrote down the exact model name. Looking at their website, I believe that it was the Cabaret 20:

Seeing the brass faceplate, I assumed I was being plugged into yet another british amp variant. Boy, was I wrong. The moment I was plugged in, I was transported to blackface heaven, which surprised me given the crimson and yellow brass color scheme.

It rocks 2 6V6 power tubes, and the preamp features two 12Ax7's, one 12AT7, and one 12DW7 for the reverb.

Anyway, these are beautifully designed and constructed, wired point-to-point. and the sound is like a meatier Princeton, almost Blackface Bassman.

It is also just the right size for moving around. Not too big, not too small, and its taller/narrower cabinet is much more practical than the wide cabs used by Fender and other makers.

Finally, this is an amp that is great for those looking for a pedal platform. It takes a really big attack to force breakup at the preamp stage. when the power tubes kicked in, the sound wasn't a clip, it was a warm, gentle compression that responded to every nuance in the guitar.

The price is pretty up there, but if I had unlimited funds, I would be hard pressed to find a better practice/recording amp for my particular needs.

 

[Quantum Strummer]

Oooh, that amp is a looker! Seems to me there might be some Hiwatt DNA in the design too, given the combo of high headroom and a power stage that warms up & compresses but still holds together with increased preamp drive.

-Dave-

 

[Zelja]

Thanks for the write up on the amp Kent. Have they got any website other than their facebook page? They are pricey (2390 Euro for the Cabaret 20 combo on one site - hope that includes VAT!!) but you're right, nice size & good cleans for a pedal platform is exactly what I'd be looking for. Too many small amps break up too early. I love dirt (& especially that sonic space on the cusp of overdrive) but you have to have decent cleans. I have cousins in Paris, may have to get them on the lookout for a used one!

 

[kakerlak]

Oooh, that amp is a looker! Seems to me there might be some Hiwatt DNA in the design too, given the combo of high headroom and a power stage that warms up & compresses but still holds together with increased preamp drive.

-Dave-

Ooh Hi-Watts... Never dug the sound, but what pretty wiring. Back when my dad and I used to make the rounds flipping gear we had a Hi-Watt 1X12" combo for a brief while. It was a painful cranked, but so pretty inside -- all those right-angle bends...

 

[Quantum Strummer]

Hiwatts were designed to be PAs for guitar (& bass). Used on stage in large venues at near max volume via long runs of '70s-era high-ish capacitance cable…that's where they come into their own. At lower volumes they tend to sound clinical and tight.

Design-wise amps like the Pigalle are right in my wheelhouse.

-Dave-

 

[kakerlak]

Hiwatts were designed to be PAs for guitar (& bass). Used on stage in large venues at near max volume via long runs of '70s-era high-ish capacitance cable…that's where they come into their own. At lower volumes they tend to sound clinical and tight.

Design-wise amps like the Pigalle are right in my wheelhouse.

-Dave-

I've always been a BF Fender guy, particularly stuff with 10" speakers. I like Vox stuff ok, too. Never dug any EL-34 stuff or probably any 100 watt anything, lol, including Twins.

 

[Quantum Strummer]

I do a lot of my home playing at low/moderate volume with a pair of single-ended (one power tube) amps: a BF Vibro Champ and a Vox Pathfinder. The Vox is from the line of Thomas Organ tube amps made in late 1965 though mid '66 or so. The two work well together: the Champ has the spanky, kinda mid-scooped Fender sound while the Vox adds midrange sweetness. My particular Pathfinder has a "wrong" value cap in the tone stack that results in a darker than intended treble response. It's voiced a lot like the normal channel of an AC-30 actually. I really like it, and years ago when I had the amp serviced made sure that cap was left in place.

-Dave-