Thanks guys! Paul, I know, sorry.. I was hoping to get something into you, but just recently got back home with my guitars (was geo-bach'd for a while up in DC wrapping up a job. Maybe something creative with the '58s for next year!
LOL at cornering the market. Didn't start out that way, for sure! I originally had a FG 350v63, which I reluctantly decided to sell to finance a c58 (the JG one in the pic). Shortly after I got my JG new from NCM, there was a post on here about the MG (the one with the Lennon mods in the pic)--Todd Bradshaw had posted the auction one morning with a title something like "Someone Buy This!"...it was a really good BIN, with Lennon mods. When I got the guitar, it was in really good shape, but the Lennon mods were slightly off--a B-50 instead of a B-5, some odd radio knobs, etc.. I originally bought it with the idea of flipping it, but as happens with Rics, as most everyone here would agree, they get under your skin fairly quickly. I decided to get the right parts and keep it. I did have to fill two hole and drill two new ones for the B-5, as the screw width at the nameplate is slightly different from the B-50.
Around that time I decided to order a 1996, since I thought the guitar was simply beautiful with the AFG and F hole. Well, as all know, ordering and seeing are often far apart, so that's when I saw Gary Clausen's MG c58 in original config. At this point the collection idea hit me...and Gary was good enough to sell me his beautiful guitar!
After I got my 1996 from NCM, I just decided to complete the set with the c64, and knowing the wait times, figured it was safe to order. Gary/NCM was right on the money with his estimate on delivery. I ordered the guitar late Oct/early Nov '06 and he told me it would be a year. Bingo!
So I wound up with a series of 325s that sort of represent (to me anyway) different eras of JLs playing days. I do play them all pretty regularly (well, my definition of "playing" anyway

), so they're not closet queens by any means. It's funny, being similar to each other, yet they each have their own feel and nuances.
Bill