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Thanks so much. It’s been quite awhile, but I believe it’s the typical 1.692” or 43 millimeter.

Nothing other than copper foil shielding, which helps, but doesn’t eliminate hum. I don’t have a lot of hum issues here in my studio though. Pretty electrically quiet environment. But to answer your question, I deal with him the same way everyone always has. Just quick with the volume knob. If the venue is so electrically noisy that the hum comes through even in a full band mix, then I may have to resort to the hum cancelling positions for everything. Not ideal, but the quality of the show is the first priority.

For me, it’s not so much a matter of “better”, but rather the Tone Master’s ability to replicate most of the specific characteristics of a classic blackface Fender. It’s not perfect, but it does it better than most. The Catalyst produces nice sounds in its own right, nothing at all wrong with it; a hand wired Marshall doesn’t do blackface Fender either. Just depends what you’re after. Thanks so much for watching.

Thank you so much.

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Of course - a little something for the "G&L Fullerton Deluxe Fund". 😉 Jk, just showing appreciation for what you do.

Thank you so much. I agree. No reason it can’t be a main guitar.

Nice. Glad it’s working for you and thanks so much for watching.

That’d be an interesting comparison, unfortunately I haven’t the resources to acquire those guitars all at once and it’d just be dumb luck if it happened. Especially now with the used market so sluggish. My channel has grown tremendously but it’s still not in a place where’s there’s any financial backing. And I’m a musician, not someone with a lucrative day job. But I will keep it in mind. I did review a USA Legacy and also did a comparison with the Tribute version. Thanks so much for watching. It helps.

Nice. I have to ask, is it a made in Japan model? 86 was the year the Japan plant burned down and production was moved to Korea afterward so I’m just curious since I was under the impression there were no Matsumoku made models from 86. But maybe they managed to get some out before the fire. Thanks so much for watching.

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Yes it says "Japan" on the tag glued inside the body. I guess this is one of the last units ever made. I don't think the TA-100 was ever made outside of Matsumoku.

Yes, I’ve never seen a TA100 made outside Japan. I was just surprised any had been made that late. Every one I’ve seen has been early 80s. I’m guessing yours is a rarity. Very cool. Enjoy it my friend.

You know, I originally planned to keep that one but after a couple of shows I decided a more 60s style neck suited me better. I loved the way it sounded, but I ended up with the 150th Anniversary Sheraton, which is similar quality quality but has a 60s neck, a vibrato tailpiece that works amazingly well, and the Gibson mini humbuckers which seem slightly more versatile, in that I don’t have to grab a Strat when I want a more focused sound. It did need more luthier work but that’s probably just luck of the draw.

They’re both nice quality, but feel very different. My preference would be the T486 with its neck profile and Seymour Duncan pickups. But it’s really going to come down to which neck you prefer.

That’s great. Yeah I was very impressed with that one. Thanks so much for watching.

I should hope so. LOL

@@johnmendoza7475 Three and a half years of daily use, plus loads of 3 hour shows and still going strong. Fender reports extremely low failure rates, plus they are serviceable. I suppose time will tell, but I’ve seen no indication this thing won’t outlive me. Thanks for watching.

@leonardgriffieblues5845 I am glad it is working great for you. it is hard to find that. My concern is all this digital stuff ages very poorly and becomes obsolete in a few years. like a computer because it is a computer. Then their value drops like a stone. My point to point ampshowever, are still running strong 60 years in and have gone up in value by a factor of five.

​​⁠Yes, I’ve played all the classics. I recently used to tour with a 68 Super Reverb. I had a pair of them. Unfortunately my scoliosis has gotten to the point where carrying anything heavier than 25 lbs. lays me up for weeks. At first I went to 15 to 20 watt tube heads but carrying a head and a cab doubled the strain, so the Tone Master has been a godsend in that respect. I still slightly prefer the tube heads, and it’s possible I may feel well enough to go back to them. But on stage, in a mix, thankfully the difference is fairly negligible. Thanks so much for engaging

@leonardgriffieblues5845 you sound like a great guy. wish you the best.

And you my friend.

@@darlacurrey-colter3844 Thank you my friend, and thanks for watching.

Be sure to catch my video on the SE 594 as well as the DGT. I slightly preferred the 594 overall, though I thought the SE DGT pickups were just a little nicer. It’s hard to go far wrong with either and it’ll probably come down to neck and control layout preference. Thanks so much for watching.

Thanks so much my friend.

That would have been a short video. LOL

Thanks so much.

Haven’t gotten that one in my hands. The general consensus seems to be it’s a nice guitar, which I would expect since I own the 150th Sheraton. That said, I’d expect a very different experience to an original.

Thank you, I am.

Thank you so much my friend.

Well, I’d say, unless you like the look with the Bigsby, and more importantly, need a Bigsby, then you’ve made a wise choice.

Thanks so much. Glad you got a chuckle. 😊

Yes, Gibson used up all the New York parts before making their own. I’m a little surprised to hear of them in the mid 60s since I thought they’d pretty much exhausted the old stock by about 62, but the history’s pretty murky from back then. Thanks so much for watching.

It is nice. Thanks so much for watching.

Thank you my friend. Appreciated.

Thank you my friend.

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 Will you make a play test on a Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's one day ? 🥰

I did exactly that about four months ago: czcams.com/video/8BZRylkfeHg/video.htmlsi=KIbx-cix-ADBM7D1

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 I'm sorry. Thank you Leonard 🙂

Thanks so much.

Probably similar to mine! Take care my friend.

Very nice. It’s been decades and it still amazes me what good luthiers can accomplish. Thanks so much for watching.

Yes, it plays wonderfully. Thanks.

Thanks. I’d use it live if I was playing nothing but old school, traditional blues.

It does. Thanks so much for watching.

That’s pretty much where I am. The fact is, it can be made with a worn in feel without looking beat up, which seems the best of both worlds. Thanks for watching.

I believe you’re right, but those pots are long gone. It’s been a couple decades or so but I seem to recall the pots were going bad when the pickup died. At first my Luther replaced the pots with a conventional arrangement and the pickup with a 70s Gibson mini humbucker. It sounded nice but ultimately I wanted it to look original so I had the custom pickup built into the old housing, which I was glad I’d kept. This pickup suits the guitar really well. I told Pete what I was after and he describes it as a cross between a Charlie Christian and a gold foil.

it does sound sweet for sure Thanks Leonard.

Thanks.

Thanks so much.

Yaaaa 😊

Hey, I resemble that remark! LOL Thanks for watching.

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 I’m 66 so I’m old too

I’m sure they would. Thanks so much for watching.

And thank you so much for watching.

Thanks. Yeah, it’s a nice one.

Thanks my man.

And a happy 4th to you my friend.

Thank you so much. Appreciated.

Interesting. That review was a year ago and I haven’t had the guitar for about that long, but I can’t imagine stating that without having checked. No way to know if the one I had was an anomaly but you can clearly hear I’m not getting the full humbucker in position 2. Thanks for watching.

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 It's easy to test. In the 2nd position lightly tap one of the magnet on each coil, You can hear it through the amp. I was not trying to be mean.

@@user-zn6gz4ub7w Yes, I’ve been doing that for decades. It’s possible it’s a tap, not a split, which would still give a signal but it’d be weaker. Again, I no longer have the guitar so I’m in no position to take another look. It’s also possible I read the specs and it sounded that way so I didn’t feel the need to test it. Still, it does not sound like a full humbucker in position 2. I suppose a phase reversal could account for it as well. I’m not saying yours isn’t wired as you say, but I won’t be getting another in my hands to test and see if yours is the anomaly or the one I reviewed.

No argument from me. 😊 Thanks for watching.

I like mini humbuckers as well. You don’t see a lot of them outside of Epiphone vintage reissues. Gibson created the mini humbucker specifically to give Epiphone its own identity way back in the Kalamazoo days, and didn’t use them on Gibsons until they moved Epiphone production to Japan and were left with a surplus (Firebird pickups are a completely different design). They have popped up on a number of other manufacturer’s guitars but it’s still not common other than on jazz archtops. Despite fans of the design like you and I, I’m afraid the vast majority of buyers tend to opt for full size humbuckers. But I agree, a semi hollow with mini buckers is a very cool sound, which is why I own a 150th Anniversary Sheraton.

👍🏼😎