Hallmark Owner's Corner!

[jfine]

Oh, MAAAN...now you're making me wish I'd gotten a 59 Custom! That's just beautiful! When you get the time, please post a review of the 59--do you know if it differs much in tuning stability, tone, and neck shape from the 60?

[Veenture]

Here's a look at the 59.

Very, very nice Christian, you lucky man. BTW, I notice all the pole pieces on the bridge pup have been 'turned' closer towards the strings. Did this set-up come like that from Hallmark or was the adjustment made after purchase

[Bob Shade]

Hey Christian! The mute stay's in place while in use. Some of them stick a bit until a bit of use. Try bringing the mute all the way up to the strings and I bet it will stay. Then do not put it all the way back down, just enough to un dampen the strings. Please let me know if this works, it should.

Best, Bob

[GattonFan]

Very nice! I had my eye on that 59 C until I saw that blue flame - couldn't resist. Maybe a 59 C in the future - that thing is a beaty ... Congrats!
Dennis

[chunners]

I didn't do any adjustments.
My friend loaned me his red, white and blue custom 60 some months ago when I was shopping for guitars. I used it at a gig and fell in love with the design, sound and playability. This was before I set eyes on the 59.

The 59 stays in tune great....depending on how much and how hard the vibrato is deployed.....to be expected with vibrato guitars. Even then....it doesn't go completely out of whack...just a little. And really.....for what I play, I'm not using the vibrato all that much and when i do....it's very gentle. So this isn't really a problem.

The tone on the 59 to me seems to be very similar....if not identical to the Custom 60. I use D'addario flatwound 11s...which is what my buddy had on his when I borrowed it. To me....flatwound 10's sound to thin and "tinny" when you get in the upper registers.

The action on this guitar is VERY low....and very FAST. I like this. However....I have noticed that when I'm playing up above the 12th fret....the notes on the lower strings....G,B, and E...sort of loose a fullness of tone. They sound "kerplinkity"....for lack of a better word...you know what I mean....HA!
It's like when you get up that high....the action is almost too low.
It's not that bad though....but it might be some sort of a set up issue that might need to be resolved.

Has anyone else noticed this? My Jazzmaster did this too.

Overall though....this guitar is really exceptional. And talk about a head turner. Musicians and non-musicians alike instantly notice this thing. Like I said before....for my band....this thing....along with my Telecaster is just about as good as it gets.
For Bakersfield style country.....the 59 pretty much nails it.....one could argue more so than the Tele. But then that leads to a whole geeky history of the Telecaster vs. Mosrite in early California country music....and most people at most gigs(outside of Deke's Geek festival) just want to dance and drink. So....people either "get it" or they don't.

Outside of functionality....on this guitar....it's the little extra's(side jack, pinstriped binding, headstock etc.) that make it for me...and these little extra's are well worth the little extra money.

Bob...I fooled around with the mute....it does work....but I still prefer the sound of my palm. Thanks for the tip.

I almost got a '60....even gave Bob a deposit for one....then the more I thought about, the more I thought that the '59 just seemed like "my guitar". Seriously though....either the 59 or the 60.....these are GREAT instruments and you can't go wrong with either.

In fact....now I'm thinking I might need a pearl white custom 60!
(anyone want to buy my Grestch?...it's signed by Duane Eddy) (:

Christian

[Bob Shade]

Hey Christian!

Am glad to hear the tip on the mute is working for you. Very nice review too thanks so much!

Bob

[CookieMan]

...the whammy bar. Soon after I started swinging it around, it loosened up and started swinging and creaking like a fence gate. I wanted it to stay where I left it. Easy, he said.
Take the tailpiece off next time you change strings. It's just four screws into the body, and you don't want to scratch your brand new thousand-dollar guitar do you? Well, he had me there.
Next, he said, unscrew the bar assembly from the bottom, and take out the paper disk that lies directly under the lever itself. That paper disc is your template for the solution to your problem. Use it to cut a similar disc out of leather. You can obtain one square inch of leather if you can obtain a thousand dollar guitar.
Put the leather washer back in the same place that you found the paper, and you're in business.

I just performed the leather washer surgery on my 60C - everything went smoothly, although I think I lost a few liters of sweat in the process! (I'm no pro when it comes to these things).

Many thanks to Twango, Meshugga Mel, Bob Shade and everyone else who posted their tips and photos on the forum - couldn't have done it without you.

[Bob Shade]

Hey guys!

There is a guy out there that has mentioned the weight of our case is like a tank and is built like one. I can agree with the latter. We just got an image from a guy who purchased a Swept-Wing and it got ran over in the Hallmark case!

The guitar survived unscathed and the case is still going strong although it did put a crack in it. Good thing it was not in gig bag or a United Airlines flight.



Bob

[101Volts]

Now that's impressive. Do you take orders for custom cases too?

Austin

[Bob Shade]

What guitar do you need a case for? We may be able to help.

Bob