Michael Howley
Member
Hi,
I?m new to this forum and have recently become the owner of a Cats Eyes CE-150J. Having hassled the Hell out of poor old Bob at Tokai Europe I thought I should address my questions to the forum members.
As a guitar player; I suck. I have played since the late seventies and have never progressed beyond basic chords and very primitive finger picking. If I?m being brutally honest it is misguided finger plonking rather than picking.
I started out with a Hondo 2 that I bought new for ?50 in 1979. It had an unusual feature that allowed it to play exactly the same note on frets 12, 13, 14 and 15 on the high E string, not that I ever take such long haul trips to that end of the fretboard.
In the late eighties I traded my Hondo for a Takamine Jasmine with in-built pick up. This cost about ?275 and was a whole lot better than the Hondo. I played a lot more and improved my standard to the point where I was able to peer up at the foothills of mediocrity. A distinct lack of ability and a matching deficit in time ensured that I never transcended the gap between poor amateur and Open Night Godliness: coupled with the fact that I never had the nerve to sing unless I was solo in a lead lined bunker.
By day, I teach English and maths to building apprentices and unemployed don?twannabees. Obviously, I am not very popular with my students: I blame it on the subject and not on my personality.
Back to guitars, I have bought the Cats Eye CE-150J and have ascertained that the J stands for Jacaranda option meaning the back and sides are solid Brazilian Rosewood and the top is of Sitka spruce. I?m not sure whether the finish is nitro cellulose or lacquer.
With regards to age, the serial number is 060301. I assume (?) that this means the guitar is dated to 30 January 2006. The sound is excellent; I tried it side by side with a Martin D-28 and couldn?t tell the difference. However, I am not an expert and would like to know how these guitars are rated in general.
Below are links to a range of badly taken photographs showing the guitar. I promise to return to this task and produce other, more acceptable images, at a later date.
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Back.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Front.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=HeadstockBack.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=HeadstockFront.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Label.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Tuner.jpg&newest=1
Many thanks for your time and any advice will be well received.
Michael
I?m new to this forum and have recently become the owner of a Cats Eyes CE-150J. Having hassled the Hell out of poor old Bob at Tokai Europe I thought I should address my questions to the forum members.
As a guitar player; I suck. I have played since the late seventies and have never progressed beyond basic chords and very primitive finger picking. If I?m being brutally honest it is misguided finger plonking rather than picking.
I started out with a Hondo 2 that I bought new for ?50 in 1979. It had an unusual feature that allowed it to play exactly the same note on frets 12, 13, 14 and 15 on the high E string, not that I ever take such long haul trips to that end of the fretboard.
In the late eighties I traded my Hondo for a Takamine Jasmine with in-built pick up. This cost about ?275 and was a whole lot better than the Hondo. I played a lot more and improved my standard to the point where I was able to peer up at the foothills of mediocrity. A distinct lack of ability and a matching deficit in time ensured that I never transcended the gap between poor amateur and Open Night Godliness: coupled with the fact that I never had the nerve to sing unless I was solo in a lead lined bunker.
By day, I teach English and maths to building apprentices and unemployed don?twannabees. Obviously, I am not very popular with my students: I blame it on the subject and not on my personality.
Back to guitars, I have bought the Cats Eye CE-150J and have ascertained that the J stands for Jacaranda option meaning the back and sides are solid Brazilian Rosewood and the top is of Sitka spruce. I?m not sure whether the finish is nitro cellulose or lacquer.
With regards to age, the serial number is 060301. I assume (?) that this means the guitar is dated to 30 January 2006. The sound is excellent; I tried it side by side with a Martin D-28 and couldn?t tell the difference. However, I am not an expert and would like to know how these guitars are rated in general.
Below are links to a range of badly taken photographs showing the guitar. I promise to return to this task and produce other, more acceptable images, at a later date.
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Back.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Front.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=HeadstockBack.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=HeadstockFront.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Label.jpg&newest=1
http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/MichaelHowley/?action=view¤t=Tuner.jpg&newest=1
Many thanks for your time and any advice will be well received.
Michael