# NGD - Moderne



## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

No this isn't a Gibson Moderne or even an Epiphone version but it's pretty close and I have to say that this was a lucky Friday the 13th for me. I ordered this guitar from a dealer in Bend, Oregon, U.S.A. back on May the 3rd. The store is called Bend Guitar Den and you can find the website here: http://www.bendguitarden.com/ BTW there are some pretty amazing guitars there. This is a Dillion Moderne and it cost $699.00 U.S. plus $64.00 U.S. shipping. I mentioned on the forum before that I tried out an Epiphone Moderne at Long & McQuade when Gibson introduced them back in 1982. I could have bought it back then but for whatever reason I didn't and it kind of nagged at me for years. The Moderne body shape is something people either like or dislike. Obviously I like it. ) As for this Moderne, I originally ordered it on May 3rd and was wondering if it would ever get here. It seems like when it got to this side of the border, Canada Post kept delaying things. It was in Richmond B.C. for three days before they shipped it east then it was in the Mississauga area for another four days before it finally reached me May 13th. Here's the description of the Moderne:

New 2011 Made For Dillion USA Model DMOD-59 V. This is Dillion’s tribute to one of the most rare and sought after guitars. Dillion only made 12 pieces plus a Dillion custom fit bag. Check out these features: 2 piece Solid alder body, vintage style headstock with pearl Dillion logo, all gold hardware, set maple neck, 24-fret Indian rosewood finger board, 2.7 MM, medium jumbo hand polished frets, bone nut, D’Addario strings ( 10-46 ), 2 vintage Wilkinson alnico pickups, all Wilkinson hardware and gears, 2 volume, 1 master tone + 3 way selector. 24 3/4” scale, 12" fretboard Radius and 1 11/16 Nut width.

Some of the guitars have a coil switch selector but this one doesn't have it. I don't really need it anyway as my Epiphone Nighthawk already has that feature. The neck on this guitar is very comfortable and easy to play and even though the guitar is quite large it's very lightweight. I don't have a scale but I'm guessing it's in the 6 to 7 pound range. This is the kind of guitar that makes you want to play more. I have to buy a new strap for it so I'll be doing that tomorrow. I've also e-mailed the owner and told him about Guitars Canada and to check it out when he has time so don't be surprised if he joins up later. Now here are the photos I took earlier today of the guitar:

This is my nosy Maine **** cat, Samson checking out the gig bag.






























My equally nosy Himalayan cat, Sassy inspecting the Moderne.









This shot shows how thin the guitar is.









A rear view.









A shot of the serial number.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Sexy, me likey.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Wow. I've never been sure whether I like or hate that design. I think I like it now. Very nice!


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## bluezombie (May 7, 2007)

I've always found that guitar irresistibly odd. I'd rock it.

Good find man, HNGD


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## Todd68 (Mar 7, 2008)

Excellent! I love the odd ball Gibson designs.


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

Wow! That's beautiful! Great score man.


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## Mr Yerp (Feb 24, 2006)

Really nice!


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

dillion makes quality stuff. i don't understand why they're not a bigger name. nice instrument you got there. enjoy


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I'm not going to slag an otherwise lovely piece and loving reproduction, but do you find the spacing between the selector switch and the first pot next to it a little, er, cramped?


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

I forgot to mention in my initial post that this is the *only* guitar I've every wanted because of the body shape. I obviously know there are other factors to take into consideration like the sound of the pickups, scale length, neck size, comfort and playability, hardware, etc. Ever since I tried the Epiphone Moderne in 1982 it stayed with me. I have looked on Ebay over the years and I've seen several but the prices they wanted, even for the Epiphones were a little too rich for my blood. Usually I'm not a big fan of "radically" shaped guitars. I've owned a Gibson Flying V and a Tokai Explorer in the past but I ended up selling them because they didn't really suit me, but this one's a keeper. 



keto said:


> Sexy, me likey.


Thanks Keto. I like it as well. ;o)



Sneaky said:


> Wow. I've never been sure whether I like or hate that design. I think I like it now. Very nice!


Thanks Sneaky. I know what you mean, some people think it's ugly and others, like me, like it. 



bluezombie said:


> I've always found that guitar irresistibly odd. I'd rock it.
> Good find man, HNGD


Thanks bluezombie. I was lucky to get it. There aren't many left.



Todd68 said:


> Excellent! I love the odd ball Gibson designs.


Thanks Todd68. Hard to believe Gibson came up with this way back in the 50's along with the Flying V and the Explorer. They all still have a radical shape even now. Imagine what people thought then? Yikes! )



Alex Csank said:


> Wow! That's beautiful! Great score man.


Thanks Alex. It's been a long time coming.



Mr Yerp said:


> Really nice!


Thanks Mr Yerp. 



cheezyridr said:


> dillion makes quality stuff. i don't understand why they're not a bigger name. nice instrument you got there. enjoy


Thanks and I agree with you 100% cheezyridr. I'd honestly say that in terms of "bang for the buck" guitars, I'd rank Dillion alongside Trevor Wilkinsons "Vintage" brand guitars and Fenders Squier series.
BTW the neck on this guitar is very comfortable. I'd put it in the same league as my PRS CE and my G&L Comanche.



mhammer said:


> I'm not going to slag an otherwise lovely piece and loving reproduction, but do you find the spacing between the selector switch and the first pot next to it a little, er, cramped?


Thanks Mark. It looks that way in the photos but if you see it from the side view and looking down while you're playing, it really isn't that cramped.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I love the look of a Moderne, so even a well done copy looks great.

And if you like playing it, even better.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

I like the looks much more than the Logical repro.


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## droptop88 (Aug 25, 2006)

Sculpted goodness!


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

ugh! not a fan of the headstock on the logical!


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I dig the Dillion, but then again, I also like the more esoteric Gibson designs as well. Is it quite bright with the alder body and maple neck? Just wondering....


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

zontar said:


> I love the look of a Moderne, so even a well done copy looks great.
> And if you like playing it, even better.


Thanks zontar. The neck on this guitar is great and the playability is very good as well. It's one of those, sometimes rare, guitars that I immediately felt comfortable with.



bobb said:


> I like the looks much more than the Logical repro.


You *would* have to post that bobb. It's making me feel a little bit of buyers remorse now. ( I'll have to check out the Logical Guitars website. Just did and holy cow, the price on this is quite a bit lower than the Dillion. I wish I had have known about it before. Oh well. 



droptop88 said:


> Sculpted goodness!


I don't know if that's for the Logical or the Dillion but thanks droptop88. )



cheezyridr said:


> ugh! not a fan of the headstock on the logical!


Well actually the Logical is much closer, if not exactly the same, as the specs of the genuine Gibson and Epiphone Moderne. The "Gumby" headstock on the Logical is the same and the wing on the
side isn't as pointed as the Dillions is. Also this has the correct 22 frets and the Dillion has 24. I'm just wondering though if it's as light and has the same neck as mine does and if the pickups are as good? If I lived in Vancouver I'd be checking out the Logical for sure.



gtone said:


> I dig the Dillion, but then again, I also like the more esoteric Gibson designs as well. Is it quite bright with the alder body and maple neck? Just wondering....


Thanks gtone. Actually, surprisingly enough it doesn't have an overly bright sound to it. It has more of a Les Paul-ish tone. It's not like, say a Tele or Strat. I've also found the pickups seem to have a lower output than some of my other guitars.


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

Congrats on a great guitar! I always wanted one of the Gibson or Epis, and decided to try to make my own, but along the way I changed the shape a bit and came up with this, which I admittedly post too many pictures of:










ANYWAY, I love the look of your Dillion!
-Mikey


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

Kenmac said:


> Thanks zontar. The neck on this guitar is great and the playability is very good as well. It's one of those, sometimes rare, guitars that I immediately felt comfortable with.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Neither version has the correct control layout. The Logical that I played had a really bad mismatch with the wood. Neck on this particular one just didn't feel right. I couldn't place the problem, it just didn't feel right in my hands.

For reference, I compare against the 82 Gibson reissue. Still kicking myself for not buying one then but $850 seemed outrageous at the time. Here's a good side by side of all three.


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## logical guitars (May 17, 2011)

*Another Moderne*

Great pictures of the Moderne! Thanks for the comments on our Moderne! The Wilkinson pickups should have the same tone as the Dillon. I assume the one that bobb played was in Vancouver as that is currently the only one in a music store. We have spoken with the shop about the wood mismatch problem, which we agree is unfortunate. It doesnt affect the playability but it does detract from the overall beauty of the guitar. That problem, fortunately, was confined to that one guitar. We are surprised you didn't like the neck, but that seems to be an individual preference as other players have said they do like the neck feel. Anybody wanting to see one of ours in Toronto or Montreal, contact Steve's Music, who is our dealer out there and ask them to order one in for you to check out! And if you do check out our website, please have a look at some of the other guitars that we offer. We think there are some interesting choices!


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

logical guitars said:


> Great pictures of the Moderne! Thanks for the comments on our Moderne! The Wilkinson pickups should have the same tone as the Dillon. I assume the one that bobb played was in Vancouver as that is currently the only one in a music store. We have spoken with the shop about the wood mismatch problem, which we agree is unfortunate. It doesnt affect the playability but it does detract from the overall beauty of the guitar. That problem, fortunately, was confined to that one guitar. We are surprised you didn't like the neck, but that seems to be an individual preference as other players have said they do like the neck feel. Anybody wanting to see one of ours in Toronto or Montreal, contact Steve's Music, who is our dealer out there and ask them to order one in for you to check out! And if you do check out our website, please have a look at some of the other guitars that we offer. We think there are some interesting choices!


I just checked out your website. You have some VERY interesting looking guitars there! I had never even heard of your brand until this thread. I may just have to drop by at Steve's (even though I don't really like the attitude and arrogance of the staff at the Montreal store!) and check them out. Your "Johnny", "Kirk", "Mr. Edge" and "Moderne" are all very good-looking tributes of the originals to me, and your acrylic guitars like the "Angus" are also pretty sharp. I'd sure like to try some of them out soon.

Anyway, I do not wish to hijack this thread. So back to comments about the nice Dillion 'Moderne' tribute!


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## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

Personally I see nothing wrong with the mismatched wood. I happen to think it adds character, now it it becomes a structural problem then yes it would have to be changed. I would not refuse to buy a guitar that looked that way, on the other hand if the neck felt wrong to me I would simply walk away. I have a guitar posted on the acoustic forum it's on page 5 under it's called the boss, this guitar has a three piece top all Sitka spruce, two different colours. When they are natural finish I think it enhances the look (just my humble opinion). I also had never heard of Logical guitars before and I'm going to take some time and visit the web page.


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## Alistair6 (Jul 9, 2007)

im pretty sure Gibson plans on doing a reissue of the moderne this year which i was surprised by. a list was circulated with some European pricing on various new and reissue models that gibson will be releasing this year and the moderne was on there.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

Spikezone said:


> Congrats on a great guitar! I always wanted one of the Gibson or Epis, and decided to try to make my own, but along the way I changed the shape a bit and came up with this, which I admittedly post too many pictures of:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Mikey, I've seen your homemade guitar before and I think it's a neat and original take on the Moderne.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

logical guitars said:


> Great pictures of the Moderne! Thanks for the comments on our Moderne! The Wilkinson pickups should have the same tone as the Dillon. I assume the one that bobb played was in Vancouver as that is currently the only one in a music store. We have spoken with the shop about the wood mismatch problem, which we agree is unfortunate. It doesnt affect the playability but it does detract from the overall beauty of the guitar. That problem, fortunately, was confined to that one guitar. We are surprised you didn't like the neck, but that seems to be an individual preference as other players have said they do like the neck feel. Anybody wanting to see one of ours in Toronto or Montreal, contact Steve's Music, who is our dealer out there and ask them to order one in for you to check out! And if you do check out our website, please have a look at some of the other guitars that we offer. We think there are some interesting choices!


Thanks Terence and it's nice to see you here. I e-mailed him earlier to let him know that one of his companies guitars was posted in this thread. I've already replied to your other e-mail with some questions about your Logical Moderne so I hope to hear from you soon.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

Alistair6 said:


> im pretty sure Gibson plans on doing a reissue of the moderne this year which i was surprised by. a list was circulated with some European pricing on various new and reissue models that gibson will be releasing this year and the moderne was on there.


Yeah I was on the "For Henry" forum over at Gibson for awhile earlier this year and I mentioned a few times that I'd like to see them re-issue the Moderne. The only thing is they'd probably want at least 2 grand for theirs and IMO it probably wouldn't be as well built or have the same quality as the Dillion or the Logical. We'll see I guess.


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