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| What People are Saying:
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I gigged the Vox for the first time last night – what an awesome guitar ! I promised to give you a run down on how it played.
Firstly, this is the first time ever that I’ve played a guitar that feels the way this does. You may think I’m losing the plot slightly, but there’s something about it that just feels, well, alive !
It’s incredibly responsive & feels as if it’s leading your playing – you always feel that you can play something better, or smoother, or more dynamically, more emotionally – and you do.
I’ve owned & played all manner of guitars over the past 35 years, Gibsons, Fenders, Guild, Ibanez, Yamaha etc etc, the odd custom guitar, even down to a bunch of good copies & homebuilts but nothing that quite feels like this one. It’s a joy to play, set up incredibly well & with a vintage sound that makes your ears smile.
So speaking of sound, it’s very varied. The baseline is definitely vintage strat & you can pull out all the usual nasal quacking funky strat stuff, but it also has a bit of tele-type bite about it, particularly on the centre & bridge pickups.
The neck is very different though & you could easily sometimes think you’re playing a PRS, it still has the base strat sound but it’s also quite creamy, rich & smooth.
Favoured position is with neck & centre selected – it has a full-range sort of feel, sort of ballsy Strat with an edge, but roll off a wee bit of tone & you’re easily into PRS territory.
At higher gain settings the bridge pickup has a nice saturation about it without being too brittle & will happily feedback when required whilst still being very controllable. It’s easily better than my old Ibanez S540 for high-gain lead work – the Ibanez always sounded a bit flimsy, this one has punch & edge but still retains a fullness at the high end. Nice. Extremely positive comments on the sound from the rest of the band & our roadie.
Tuning & stability – excellent even under hot lighting. Neck – great feel. Narrower than I usually like them, but very easy to adapt to & at higher registers the string spacing is good.
I have to say that I think that both Lucy & yourself have done a phenomenal job & this is one superb guitar which will work well across the range, from light clean picking work through jazz, funk & soul into blues & rock.
I didn’t feel the need to get the 6 month old VG Strat out last night, this 47 year old instrument took 2 ½ hours in it’s stride without even losing tuning. Awesome.
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Mungo Duncan
Huggy Flares
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Ray
Guitar is playing very nicely - thanks very much for swift and excellent refret and tidy up and to lovely lucy for last minute adjustment - I was able to tremelo with enthusiasm.
regards
Charlie T
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Charlie Trott
Planet Funk
Hemel Today
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Hi Ray
I just wanted to say thanks for the tremendous job which you did repairing the finish on my son’s Stingray, you’d never know that there had been any damage at all.
In fact I think it looks better now than it did before. Shame to take it out & gig it !
As ever, my very best
Mungo
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Mungo Duncan
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Hi Ray & Lucy,
Thanks for fitting the Juicy pickups and the Washburn trem system onto my Gibson SG Supreme.
The guitar sounds and feels great now. I played it the very same night that I picked it up from you at our gig in Camden.
I thought the sounds coming out of my SG were wicked, and judging by the enthusiastic response from the crowd, they thought so too!!
So thanks once again for your skill, care and craftsmanship on another Elixir axe.
Take care,
Phil,
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Phil Denton
Elixir
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Dear Ray & Lucy,
I would like to state on record of your professionalism in fitting juicy Lucy’s pickups for my bass and many thanks to ray for making it sound superb.
I could not have asked for more but to me using my GK amplifier, it makes a vast difference in the quality of sound. I cannot emphasise more than that the pickups are
What makes the sound of bass crispy and taut in producing the sound I like it to be.
Many Thanks for all your hard work in advising me of what I needed and creating it for me
Kumar
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Kumar & Kandy
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Hi both.
Yesterday I spent a very pleasurable couple of hours playing my dear 'ol jazz bass and felt moved to send you this note.
This bass has a long story attached to it. Thankfully, it has a happy ending and one day I fully intend to write it all down. Suffice to say that the previous owner had not cared for it and when I happened upon it many years ago it was badly in need of some serious TLC and what better people to give it a new life than Ray and Lucy. Ray rebuilt it for me.
The end result is truly a work of art and has to be seen to be believed. The final touch was the recent addition of Lucy's pick-ups which has given it the rich and classic vintage voice that it deserves. Think early Robert Palmer and Little Feat.
It has a great range of sounds. Both pick-ups pushed nearly to their limits is frankly an awesome sound. Amazing bottom end a very clear mid punch. Wind off the neck pick-up a little, tweak the tone and you are given a lovely tight funky sound. Perfect for 'popping the octaves'. It is also impossible to get a harsh and brittle top end. Whatever combination you choose these pick-ups only deliver warm sounds.
They are highly recommended.
For this gift I am forever in your debt.
Lord Rippington of Fishery.
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Graham Wright
The Guv'nors
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I have been using Ray and Lucy for the past couple of years and I wouldn’t let anyone else fiddle with my G-string!
For over a year I used Seymour Duncan pickups on my Tele and could never get to grips with how disappointing their tone was.
However all it took was one conversation with Lucy and Ray and I was given a pair of the finest hot vintage Tele pickups I have ever heard!
If you’re not happy with your pickups then don’t take a chance with ones that are not tailored to your exact specs, otherwise you will never be satisfied!
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Leigh Lewis
Guitarist for White Room
www.myspace.com/whiteroomrock
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Ray,
just a quick note to say thank you - for your inspiration and shear craftsmanship that went in to restoring my 68 Tele.
It sounds, plays and looks fantastic. The most fun i have had spending money in a long long time!
all the best,
Paul.
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Paul Brock
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Hi Boys and Girls....
Just a short note to say thanks for bringing my 1955 Gibson Les Paul Jnr back to life. Its never sounded or felt so good.
The attention to detail is astounding!!!
Cooperman and Cooperwoman come to rescue once again!!!
Best Wishes Nick
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Nick Robinson
Session Guitarist
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You don't have to be an experienced player to benefit from 'Uncle' Ray's craftsmanship!
infact I would
say that novice's to the instrument, (like me), definitely benefit from his expertise, Uncle Ray makes any
production guitar easier to play, as well as sounding better.
I first visited Uncle Ray on a recommendation
from the right honorable Dave 'Bucket' Colwell, and I'm ashamed to say that I have been back
EIGHT times in the past two years as I struggle, (- it's a very enjoyable struggle!), to work out which
guitar style suits me best.
I'm addicted to playing, and keep chopping and changing instruments,
(- eventually I'll do the sensible thing and commission him to make me one), but Uncle Ray patiently nods,
rolls his eyes, and works his magic on each and everyone. Even so- called "Custom Shop' instruments need a
'Ray Cooper' set-up. Admittedly my guitar 'habit' means I am now virtually bankrupt, but I cannot
imagine playing a guitar that Uncle Ray, (and Lucy), HAVEN'T breathed on - in pursuit of tone, what would
be the point? Lovely people, although I'm still convinced Uncle Ray was a great train robber in a previous life...
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Steve Deeks
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I love you guys and thanks for fixing my Dad’s guitar. He is over the moon with it!
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Sue Weaver
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Ray Cooper! Guitar Maker Extraordinare!!!
What a buzz it was to visit Ray Coopers guitar workshop. I watched the master and his very clever daughter Lucy at work first hand.
These lovely people have worked with many of the biggest names in the music business.
Paul ( Greenie) sat down and played.
Ray listened.
" Do you see what I mean"( Greenie)
" Yes "
" We can do this and this and this and this and we can get that sorted out" says Ray!
I didn,t know what they were talking about. it sounded good to me but when I heard the guitar the next week after Ray had done this and this and this- there is no doubt the guitar sounded fantastic.
Ray was working on a Les Paul Special from the 1950s when I was there. The guitar is valued at thirty thousand Euros but Ray still took time to work on my humble four hundred pound guitar.
Lovely people and very clever with it.
Thanks again Lucy and Ray.
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Tommy Ross
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Gigged the perspex strat on Sat, sounded awesome, really noticed the difference in tone & power, many thanks.
For the first time I really enjoyed the way it sounded & it was a pleasure to play it. Best gig we've done in a while!
Cheers
Mungo
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Ray has maintained all of my guitars over the past 12 years & each and every one has sounded and played 100% better for his attentions. The oustanding thing for me is that Ray has appreciated every one of them, even the inexpensive ones, for what they are & what they can do, and has put in the same care and attention to detail into them so that they give 100% of what they're capable of. I have a beautiful Les Paul goldtop copy that my wife bought me 13 years ago to get me back into playing after a 12-year layoff and I can honestly say that after Ray had finished work it sounded and felt far better than most of the Gibsons that I've played recently.
Just my view ?
Absolutely not, all of my guitar-playing friends will backme up. Ray's a true craftsman and I won't let anyone else near my guitars.
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Mungo Duncan
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For over 10 years, Ray has been fixing, tweaking and CARING for my guitars.
From set-ups to refrets to completely rebuilding vintage guitars and pick-ups, to
a standard so high, reliability is guarateed.
Many artists and guitar techs, on taking my recommendation, have been more than satisfied and for my own part, I recently commisioned Ray to build two custom Telecasters, both fine instrumments.
He has proved again he is a true master of his craft.
Lead Guitar for the following bands:
Bad Company, Humble Pie,The Choir Boys and The Jones Gang.
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Dave 'Bucket' Colwell
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I have "grown up" with Ray.
He is the loveliest man, he has the loveliest children and he makes some of the best guitars in the world.
No exageration, this man is a craftsmans craftsman.
Paul (Lead Guitar) has done the rounds playing with people like :
Suzi Quatro,
Brian Knight, Screaming Lord Sutch and many more.........
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Paul Green
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Ray and co.
Just a quick note to say thanks for all the work done on my Shine jazz
copy.It now feels great and with no annoying buzz too.The action is just
right!
One day I might be rich enough to commission you to build me
something???!!!!
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Mark Anderson
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Hey Ray and Co,
I wanted to send you this BIG THANK YOU! for the EXCELLENT work done on my guitars recently.
They both play like an absolute DREAM.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Best Regards
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Ned Steele
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I got my Ray Cooper Strat style guitar in 1987. She was hand made to the
size of my hands and I got the chance to feel the wood at many stages of
her
development to check the neck was perfect for me. She did many sessions
for
Virgin Artists and many hundreds of gigs over the UK and Europe and she
still sings like a bird. I have hardly taken it to Ray in all that time
because nothing has ever gone wrong.
She has recently performed on Guitar Institute freshers nights, see pics
at
www.maxsguitarschool.co.uk with Barbs ( great R&B singer ) Terry Gregory
on
Bass ( Martin Taylor and loads of others ) Gary O'Toole on kit ( around
great session player ) Iain Scott ( Afterburner, Frank Gambale ).
My
lovely
Strat is currently working with John Verity ex Argent, Pheonix, Charlie
etc.
check out www.johnverity.com
These guitars are worth every penny.
Max Milligan LLCM(TD) The Guitar Institute. London
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Max Milligan |
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Great to see the two of you in your natural habitat doing what comes natural. Getting excited about guitars. I've got your link on my website now and I must say you've got some pretty impressive endorsments. Hope you're both well and will speak soon.
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Mac Macleod
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Just want to say thanks to Ray! He recently re finished my Les Paul standard in a beautiful washed cherry sunburst, the finish is so good it looks better than a Gibson custom shop finish. Seriously! I'm very happy and would recommend Ray 100% to anyone, his work is pure remarkable.
Cheers Ray!
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Mark Stow
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Ray first set up a wrecked old Yari guitar for me in about 1976 and turned it into something special. Since then he has had a hand in all of my instruments, with a couple of noticeable exceptions, where I have had to go to Ray after "shop set ups" and he has had to sort out other peoples cock ups.
Whilst Ray has very strong views on things, (comming from a passion for getting the job done right) he does listen to what people want and he has the knack of getting intangible things just right.
If you take the time to get any instrument set up to Ray's standards and your individual style you will discover an unlocked potential in you instrument and your playing.
PS is the Adamas 12 string ready,
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Bob Templeman
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A couple of weeks ago I asked Ray to put a vintage Precision pick-up on my
G&L L2000 bass. I loved the guitar, the neck, action, balance and the look,
but wanted to get that "chunky" sound out of it. Ray thought about it, gave
me some proposals, and suggested that he construct and wind the pick-up
himself. Other adjustments were necessary, and we agreed on how these would
be achieved.
Last Saturday (17th January 2003) I visited Ray's workshop and took delivery
of the modified G&L. When I got it home and hooked it into my EBS TD650 with
Bergantino cabinets, it was awesome! Ray had given me the Precision sound I
was looking for, but had also made sure that the active circuitry of the G&L
was used to the utmost effect, providing a range of sounds from vintage to
modern (and everywhere in between) I am still only beginning to familiarise
myself with.
Well done, Ray - no wonder your reputation is as it is!
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Simon Wheatley,
Hertfordshire, UK
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I've just collected my brand new baby from Ray's (it's the 'Epiphone
Olympic/Coronet' styled one you can see in the Gallery)
and this guitar; it's just the real deal.
When I first strapped that beauty on I couldn't believe my ears, this guitar's
tone is just unbelievable, it made my chest vibrate while I was only playing a
few chords acoustically!!! Imagine the buzz when I plugged it in. Not only is
the tone as warm and rich as a badass Les Paul Junior, but the sustain... I
can't really explain - you have to experience it yourself - truly astounding.
I don't know if its the same stock wood for the body and neck or the
craftsmanship or both, all I know is that when I hit a note it rings almost
like an acoustic guitar but it's solid mahogany... there, go figure.
Although I'm definitely not the best guitar player around, this baby's tone
gives me some sort of confidence that makes me want to play more and more... Nice
1 Ray Mate!
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Giuseppe Graceffa
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"It was twenty years ago this year (2003), when I approached my friend, Ray
Cooper and asked if he would assemble a bass guitar for me with active
circuitry, together we sat and discussed the possibilities.
Ray asked me what sort of style bass I had in mind, I told him I fancied a
shape similar to a Fender Precision in hard wood with nice grain, a through
neck with Jazz bass dimensions and gold plated hardware – quite simple really –
my job done!
At regular intervals I popped over to Ray’s workshop and we discussed progress
and how the instrument was shaping up, it took a lot of hours and patience
finally ending up with the ‘Genie’ – an absolute gem. (Lou - please email
me pictures)
Ray’s knowledge and expert craftsmanship produced this fine instrument of true
quality and playability and I have gigged with it happily ever since. Now,
twenty years on, I have returned the ‘Genie’ to it’s maker and have decided to
renew it’s circuits with more modern and powerful units which it deserves.
Ray’s enthusiasm has never waned and it actually rubs off onto you. I look
forward to another twenty years of use when I will probably be playing it from
my rocking chair.
My thanks and best wishes to you Ray – a fine and rare craftsman."
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Lou Wicks |
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"I was after something special, a guitar that was curvaceous and beautiful. I
particularly liked the Ibanez JS1000, I wanted varied tones like the ones that
you get from Telecasters, Strats & Les Pauls, I wanted a guitar that didn't
look like a violin on me (Bigus Barstardus). Above all I wanted a unique
instrument that every guitarist would be envious of.
You would have thought asking for the criteria above Ray would have told me to
get lost...
After many meetings and visits to music shops (where I was offered a
particularly good price on a midnight blue JS1000 with gunmetal fittings), Ray
produced 2 x blocks of wood (which looked nothing like a guitar?) I was so
tempted to get the Ibanez, surely it would take ages to transform these blocks
into my dream?
It was riveting, I was travelling to see Ray on every available day off, taking
photos of each stage, pestering Ray at least twice a week on the phone.
I am now the proud owner of a Ray Cooper custom guitar, it is everything I
asked for and more, Ray tells me that Julian couldn't put it down when it was
first completed, I always get asked 'what is that you're playing' at gigs, when
I take it to Ray he looks like a proud father. I have seen and played many of
Rays creations and they have all been top quality instruments, but I believe he
has made his best yet, the 71401 certainly satisfies the needs of this fussy
bastard."
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Gary (Blast)
Furniss |
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"To my mind, Ray Cooper is the finest Bass Guitar maker around. He has made my
instruments to perfection, they look great, play wonderfully and sing across
the whole musical spectrum from low notes to the highest harmonics.
Ray is able to turn an idea into wood then into a sound. Each instrument is
unique in sound and touch.
As I push my playing hard I know these instruments will not let me down and
produce no boundaries. I could not play my music on any other instruments.
Thank you Ray for the past and future years."
Some of Dave's left handed bass guitars can be seen in the
Gallery
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Dave Harvey |
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"Ray Cooper, master Luther of this parish, is a very talented and knowledgeable
man. He has been servicing my guitars for 18 years and during that time he has
been a one-stop shop for all of my musical instrument needs.
He has delivered an expert customisation and maintenance service as well as
helping me with sourcing and instrument valuation. His work is utterly reliable
and guitars that go through his hands are a joy to play.
I wouldn't entrust this work to anyone else."
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Graham Wright
Top Bass Player...
The Guv'nors |
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A guitarist since age 14, a guitar teacher since 17, with
experience of television and radio work, session and studio work, live
situations ranging crowds in local pubs to festivals of 30,000 people – Julian
Cooper is an accomplished and fluent guitarist and therefore an excellent judge
of quality.
“I like to think I’m a good enough guitarist now to be able to judge tone,
quality, craftsmanship, playability and of course style and coolness! My
fathers guitars posses all of these qualities and they still work after two
tours – one with a thrash band – now that’s saying something!
I play them, I love them, they are unique and sound and feel great. What more
could a man want apart from free strings!
You cannot beat the sound of real wood and the time spent shaping that wood. I
get more power and tone than I could from a production model and I’m not just
saying that, because I still have to pay for these babies of mine.”
Julian’s influences range from Al di Meda and Paco di Lucia to
Zakk Wilde and Dimebag Darrell with a little ZZ-Top on the way. He is 28 and
still teaching and recording.
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Julian Cooper |
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"I've always found Ray's work to be of the highest standard - including my
beautiful Walnut Custom which can be seen in the Gallery.
I watched this guitar as Ray transformed it from a lump of wood into the the
shapely creature it is now, choosing the neck profile (copied from my favourite
Strat), all the hardware and body styling. - My thanks to Lucy for the
headstock design - you should have seen what Ray wanted to do."
Bob’s influences range from Wilko to Johnson. He is 32 and never
been kissed.
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Bob Marvellous
mundijong
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Email your comments... Review@RayCooperGuitars.com
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