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Gabriel Leopardi
Hello guys! The last week I have been contacted by an important Argentinean luthier called Pablo Lojo. He has been working making guitar for many years to important musicians here. As he likes Cirse and my work at GMC, he decided to offer me building one of his models called "LOJO ROSA" with all details about electronics, pick ups and colors specially customized by me.

He has made a guitar as a present for James Hetfield, and gave it when Metallica played at the Antartida:

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I went to his workshop and tried many of his models, and I decided that I like this one:

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Its sounds killer, it's a very versatile guitar that can get big powerful sounds like my Les Paul but also can emulate those classic Fender sounds, and it seems that everything between. I feel that it will be a very useful guitar for GMC guitar lessons but also for playing with Cirse.

I decided that I wanted it looking like this guitar that he made based on PRS single cut (without pickguard, this color and with gold bridge)

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Today we have been discussing about the top, and this is the maple that he will use. It's very original, isn't it?

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If you are curious you his website to see his works: http://www.pablolojoluthier.com/

These are some more pics that I took when I visited him:

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I still have to decide the pick ups, I was planing for something similar to the Seymour that I have in my Gibson (jb and Jazz).


What do you think? Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
bleez
man, that's brilliant biggrin.gif congrats dude!
Lovely finish he put on the PRS style guitar, that will be cool with the maple top you picked.
It will be a bit strange to see you without a Les Paul cool.gif
Spock


That's KILLER!!!

Congratulations man!
Todd Simpson
Super Congrats! Always a good day when you have a custom build on the way!!!
TreyDeschamp
That's awesome! Reminds me of when Muris was building his guitar and showing the progression!

Mertay
Congrats smile.gif

The Top wood you choose looks similar to the tele's on one of the pictures, cut angle is right between quilt and flame I guess. I don't think I've seen many like that smile.gif

A custom guitar is so personal its hard for me to comment. If I had a hard time with the final solutions worst case I'd go with a pickguard as changing any electronics later is much easier (knobs, switches, pickups...) cause all thats needed is cutting a new pickguard (shaping the wood is also reversible but a long process). Though on the other hand humbuckers today gives so many options it hard to go wrong unless one is looking for a highly specific sound.

Any ideas for neck profile? for example I've always wanted an ibanez RG with a Jackson neck just for fun biggrin.gif options of details are so endless if I had the chance I'd go to a guitar shop and play everything there till kicked out biggrin.gif
Cosmin Lupu
Congrats Gabi!

And choosing a PRS as an inspiration tongue.gif That's always gonna bring up something good!

I would definitely go for some more aggressive pickups - a custom model requires some great quality parts, so maybe you would consider Bareknuckle as well? About the neck - you are accustomed to the Gibson neck, which I don't particularly fancy - would you consider something else, or you'd want to stick to what you are already comfy with?
Mudbone
Looks like its going to turn out to be a very nice guitar biggrin.gif

As far as pickups, the DiMarzio Joe Satriani set looks a great set. In fact, I'm looking to get a pair myself lol I think they're great because they're not really that hot, which allows for more dynamics. They can also handle high gain stuff as well, as numerous YouTube videos demonstrate.

The new EMG 57/66 set look very promising. It seems like the best qualities of both passive and active have been combined into one pickup.

Darius Wave
Congrats Gab! smile.gif It looks like it's gonna be awesome smile.gif Luthier's guitars has some hidden magic smile.gif
Sensible Jones
Wow! Congrats Gab!! What a Birthday Present!!
That's going to be one very special guitar. You could consider the Dimarzio Evolution pick-ups (Steve Vai models) as an alternative.
biggrin.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (Mertay @ Jun 19 2014, 07:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats smile.gif

The Top wood you choose looks similar to the tele's on one of the pictures, cut angle is right between quilt and flame I guess. I don't think I've seen many like that smile.gif

A custom guitar is so personal its hard for me to comment. If I had a hard time with the final solutions worst case I'd go with a pickguard as changing any electronics later is much easier (knobs, switches, pickups...) cause all thats needed is cutting a new pickguard (shaping the wood is also reversible but a long process). Though on the other hand humbuckers today gives so many options it hard to go wrong unless one is looking for a highly specific sound.

Any ideas for neck profile? for example I've always wanted an ibanez RG with a Jackson neck just for fun biggrin.gif options of details are so endless if I had the chance I'd go to a guitar shop and play everything there till kicked out biggrin.gif



yeah, I tried many necks from Lojo's guitars and I decided that I prefered the one that he used for the guitar I'm holding in the picture. It's a bit thinner than my les paul but it's close. I think that it's very similar to the one that Single cuts have. I find my les paul neck very comfortable, I'm use to it, I don't feel comfortable with extra slim necks like the ones that Jackson or Ibanez guitar have.

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 20 2014, 03:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats Gabi!

And choosing a PRS as an inspiration tongue.gif That's always gonna bring up something good!

I would definitely go for some more aggressive pickups - a custom model requires some great quality parts, so maybe you would consider Bareknuckle as well? About the neck - you are accustomed to the Gibson neck, which I don't particularly fancy - would you consider something else, or you'd want to stick to what you are already comfy with?



As I told Mertay, it will be something close to single cut neck, I think that you must really know what I'm talking about. You are an official PRS endorser! smile.gif

About the pick ups, honestly I've never tried those ones. What can you tell me? What's the difference with the Seymour Duncan's that I'm using in my Gibson? (jazz and jb)

QUOTE (Mudbone @ Jun 20 2014, 04:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Looks like its going to turn out to be a very nice guitar biggrin.gif

As far as pickups, the DiMarzio Joe Satriani set looks a great set. In fact, I'm looking to get a pair myself lol I think they're great because they're not really that hot, which allows for more dynamics. They can also handle high gain stuff as well, as numerous YouTube videos demonstrate.

The new EMG 57/66 set look very promising. It seems like the best qualities of both passive and active have been combined into one pickup.



QUOTE (Sensible Jones @ Jun 20 2014, 11:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wow! Congrats Gab!! What a Birthday Present!!
That's going to be one very special guitar. You could consider the Dimarzio Evolution pick-ups (Steve Vai models) as an alternative.
biggrin.gif


Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will definitely explore a bit more about pick ups. I definitely need something aggressive but with good dynamics and sustain and also something that respects the guitar that you are using. I've tried some pick ups that seem to sound always the same, no matter in which guitar you put them. Also, I don't like active pick ups that sound too compressed and without dynamics.

Also, those of you who know me well surely knows that I need something versatile, that goes from pop, punk to extreme metal. Yeah, I know it's tricky, but I think it's possible. Please let me know if you have more suggestions regarding pick ups.

Thanks!!
klasaine
Awesome! ... and happy birthday!
PosterBoy
Check out Bare Knuckle Rebel Yells. Steve Steven's signature pickups. I've heard some great sounds from Les Pauls with them in
Cosmin Lupu
Hey Gabi! I tried pretty much all the PRS necks and I am most delighted by the thin wide shape smile.gif I dislike the Akerfeldt model neck, because it resembles Gibson too much biggrin.gif Well, my experience with these pickups is mostly based on the sound they deliver on one of my band mates baritone - he has a Cold Sweat neck pickup installed and that pickup alone, made a 320 dollars guitar sound AMAZING! I think you should definitely write them and tell them about your project and they will most surely recommend a pickup set that goes well with your tastes wink.gif

Other than that, I haven't tried more vintage oriented pickups from them, so I'd first check things out a bit more if I were you - but write them, definitely!
Mudbone
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 20 2014, 01:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
About the pick ups, honestly I've never tried those ones. What can you tell me? What's the difference with the Seymour Duncan's that I'm using in my Gibson? (jazz and jb)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will definitely explore a bit more about pick ups. I definitely need something aggressive but with good dynamics and sustain and also something that respects the guitar that you are using. I've tried some pick ups that seem to sound always the same, no matter in which guitar you put them. Also, I don't like active pick ups that sound too compressed and without dynamics.

Also, those of you who know me well surely knows that I need something versatile, that goes from pop, punk to extreme metal. Yeah, I know it's tricky, but I think it's possible. Please let me know if you have more suggestions regarding pick ups.

Thanks!!


I haven't tried either the EMG 57/66 or the DiMarzio Satriani set, so I can't really give you firsthand experience. Those are the ones that currently appeal to me... and we got similar tastes in music so I thought you might appreciate them biggrin.gif

If you want a pickup that is affected by the guitar construction, then an older style pickup might be what you're looking for. Supposedly pickups that are built to old manufacturing standards are slightly microphonic, and that makes them more sensitive to the vibrations of the guitar.

The Sheptones are supposedly some of the most responsive vintage style pickups out there. And you can play any style of music with them, not just classic rock. I'd get a set if I wasn't so broke haha laugh.gif

Sheptone Humbuckers




Cosmin Lupu
Hey again Gabi - I think that the best thing to do is contacting the producers and telling them about your configuration and the guitar design and other important tech specs - I think that every serious producer should be available for counseling potential clients in respect to their needs.

As I mentioned, Bareknuckle are practicing this and it felt really nice to find such a nice and extensive answer to my questions from their sales person.
Kristofer Dahl
This sounds amazing Gab!

Since you have a luthier to your disposal - you can ask for a guitar with a more complex wiring scheme.

Most versatile would be a H-S-H configuration with 5 way toggle switch and coil split for the humbucker pickups. This would give you both strat, les paul and in between tones.

Furthermore you could add

* treble bleed

* parallel routing switch for the humbuckers

* phase switch

Typically pickups such as JB/59 (and probably even JB/jazz) are recommended for splitting since they are high output and work well for that. These pickups are considered standard and therefore you can find a lot of relevant information when googling about the possible configurations. They are also what you are currently used to, and known to work very well 'in the mix'.

I think you should do quite some googling to understand what these different things do - so that you can make the most out of this brilliant opportunity!
Cosmin Lupu
Hey Kris smile.gif Thanks for the tip with the treble bleed! I had no clue about it, but I looked it up and I found an extremely interesting pdf which I want to share with everyone here: Treble Bleed explained

For those of you who were in my situation, here's a little excerpt of the article in the PDF, explaining what treble bleed is all about:

'You may have noticed that as you turn your electric guitar's volume pot down the sound loses treble becoming progressively bassier. This is particularly noticeable with single coil pickups - humbuckers are not affected nearly as much. This treble loss is not a problem for everyone, as many guitarists prefer to roll off the volume slightly to get a slightly darker and less overdriven sound for rhythm playing. Turning up the volume for leads then not only boosts drive, but brightens the sound too, helping it cut through the mix better. So I'd say the golden rule is - listen to your guitar, if the loss of treble is too extreme for your taste, start tweaking. If it sounds fine to your ears - leave things as they are'


Hope this helps wink.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
Thanks guys for all this info, I'm not very into this stuff but the guitar that I tried from him included a function that allowed you to make the pick ups "single" and it definitely sounded like a Strato! I said him: I want mine like this one! It's awesome how much versatile the guitar becomes.

Thanks Kris for those details, I will definitely check the three features that you listed there. Also, I didn't know that having high output pick ups was an advantage when you decide to split them.

Pablo, the luthier is monitoring this thread so we will be discussing this things to get the best of this guitar. smile.gif

He also send me a picture from the rosewood he will be using for the neck. biggrin.gif

Isn't it beautiful? wub.gif

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GregH
Very nice!
SixStringSamurai
Congrats!

...James is looking a bit tired, isn't he?
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 25 2014, 03:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks guys for all this info, I'm not very into this stuff but the guitar that I tried from him included a function that allowed you to make the pick ups "single" and it definitely sounded like a Strato! I said him: I want mine like this one! It's awesome how much versatile the guitar becomes.

Thanks Kris for those details, I will definitely check the three features that you listed there. Also, I didn't know that having high output pick ups was an advantage when you decide to split them.

Pablo, the luthier is monitoring this thread so we will be discussing this things to get the best of this guitar. smile.gif

He also send me a picture from the rosewood he will be using for the neck. biggrin.gif

Isn't it beautiful? wub.gif

Click to view attachment


Ohoo! It looks very beautiful! Tell us Gabi, what kind of inlays will the neck have? Did you think of something reltad to Cirse, maybe? biggrin.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (SixStringSamurai @ Jun 25 2014, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats!

...James is looking a bit tired, isn't he?


haha yeah, he seems tired. They are all the time touring!

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 26 2014, 03:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Ohoo! It looks very beautiful! Tell us Gabi, what kind of inlays will the neck have? Did you think of something reltad to Cirse, maybe? biggrin.gif


I haven't thought on this but it's not a bad idea, maybe something connected to my name in the 12th fret... I'm not sure, do you have some cool examples?
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 28 2014, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
haha yeah, he seems tired. They are all the time touring!



I haven't thought on this but it's not a bad idea, maybe something connected to my name in the 12th fret... I'm not sure, do you have some cool examples?


Well, if I were in your stead, I would most probably relate it to Cirse - but I think writing Cirse could be a bit too much - or maybe not - but I would create something that symbolizes Cirse - I LOVED that tree you guys used for your previous album - this one:



You could use it I think wink.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
The tree of life! It's a very cool idea Cosmin! I will ask Pablo if it's possible to get something like this. smile.gif

Thanks for the amazing suggestion!
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 30 2014, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The tree of life! It's a very cool idea Cosmin! I will ask Pablo if it's possible to get something like this. smile.gif

Thanks for the amazing suggestion!


Glad you like it Gabi smile.gif

I love that kind of design - illustrated but fantastic somehow - it takes my mind very far!

If I will ever have a custom axe, I will definitely have the Days of Confusion brain/chestnut logo we used on 'Seeds'!
Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 1 2014, 08:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Glad you like it Gabi smile.gif

I love that kind of design - illustrated but fantastic somehow - it takes my mind very far!

If I will ever have a custom axe, I will definitely have the Days of Confusion brain/chestnut logo we used on 'Seeds'!



That's would be killer... I can see the day when PRS creates the Custom Cosmin Lupu Guitar! smile.gif This will happen.
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jul 7 2014, 04:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That's would be killer... I can see the day when PRS creates the Custom Cosmin Lupu Guitar! smile.gif This will happen.


Hopefully biggrin.gif Until then, I began shooting a Youtube show, fully spoken in Romanian, for the PRS community here - it's called the Romanian PRS Experience and on Sunday, we did the pilot/teaser. Check out these beauties:

Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 8 2014, 04:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hopefully biggrin.gif Until then, I began shooting a Youtube show, fully spoken in Romanian, for the PRS community here - it's called the Romanian PRS Experience and on Sunday, we did the pilot/teaser. Check out these beauties:


Wou!! You a rounded of beautiful ladies! biggrin.gif

What's that show based on? It sounds interesting!
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jul 8 2014, 01:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wou!! You a rounded of beautiful ladies! biggrin.gif

What's that show based on? It sounds interesting!


I'm planning to make a post about it tonight, related on how to promote yourself as a center of influence in respect to guitar playing and thus raise awareness on your image as a player biggrin.gif Me and a close friend - who's exactly my opposite, that means VERY tech wise and true connoisseur of gear - believe me, he has seen ad tried pretty much EVERYTHING there is to try out there - have started a Youtube show concept, meant to popularize the PRS brand in Romania. It will feature reviews of both SE, S and USA models and storytelling with famous PRS users from Romania smile.gif The teaser will be ready this week and I will share it here as well wink.gif
Sensible Jones
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 8 2014, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The teaser will be ready this week and I will share it here as well wink.gif

This sounds great Cosmin! I'm looking forward to it, especially as I'm more of a Gear Head than a player like your friend!
biggrin.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 8 2014, 10:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm planning to make a post about it tonight, related on how to promote yourself as a center of influence in respect to guitar playing and thus raise awareness on your image as a player biggrin.gif Me and a close friend - who's exactly my opposite, that means VERY tech wise and true connoisseur of gear - believe me, he has seen ad tried pretty much EVERYTHING there is to try out there - have started a Youtube show concept, meant to popularize the PRS brand in Romania. It will feature reviews of both SE, S and USA models and storytelling with famous PRS users from Romania smile.gif The teaser will be ready this week and I will share it here as well wink.gif



It sounds very interesting! I hope that there will be a version with English subtitles. smile.gif
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jul 8 2014, 06:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It sounds very interesting! I hope that there will be a version with English subtitles. smile.gif


Hehe! It should be a lot of work - if I find someone who's up to the task, sure, why not? I just received the first version of the teaser, but I am not too satisfied with what I played - they asked me to play for about 20 minutes and they took some phrases out of there. I think it's best that I compose something, although I have till Sunday, darn it biggrin.gif

I need to come up with some sort of a jingle of sorts - something catchy that won't last for more than 15-20 seconds, that takes the guitar from clean to distortion. I should start working!
Gabriel Leopardi
Everything together!!

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The luthier told me that he is just starting with this one. He's been very busy, and that's a very good thing. Check out these beauties that he has been doing:


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Mertay
I have a feeling yours will look better than those smile.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
QUOTE (Mertay @ Aug 26 2014, 09:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I have a feeling yours will look better than those smile.gif



It will! biggrin.gif
Cosmin Lupu
I don't know if I told you this already, Gabi, but these axes take my mind towards the PRS S2 Starla or Singlecut/Semihollow singlecut biggrin.gif

Check'em out here, if you haven't already - maybe you will get some ideas to discuss with the luthier - who knows?

http://www.prsguitars.com/s2series/guitars/
Gabriel Leopardi
Thanks for the link Cosmin! Yeah, they are close to these ones! I'll explore them. Mine will be close to the Single cut one.

I'm still defining color and pick ups. I'm not totally sure about which ones choose. I want something versatile, that can go from powerful metal tones to nice clean ones, with good dynamics. If you guys have some more ideas please let me know!
bleez
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Aug 27 2014, 03:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I want something versatile, that can go from powerful metal tones to nice clean ones, with good dynamics. If you guys have some more ideas please let me know!

have you looked at the seymour 'sentient'? Keith Merrow uses one in the neck of his KM-7 ( you get it in a 6 string version as well ). He picked it for the same reasons you mentioned.

the official description -
"It’s voiced to capture a blend of vintage PAF and modern tones with enough output to deliver harmonically rich distorted lead tones but subtle enough to give you deep, detailed cleans. Think of it as combining the best qualities of the ’59 Model and the Jazz: clarity, detail, depth, attack and expression."

Ive listened to a few demos of it in the KM7 and it does sound nice.
Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Aug 27 2014, 02:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks for the link Cosmin! Yeah, they are close to these ones! I'll explore them. Mine will be close to the Single cut one.

I'm still defining color and pick ups. I'm not totally sure about which ones choose. I want something versatile, that can go from powerful metal tones to nice clean ones, with good dynamics. If you guys have some more ideas please let me know!


Hey Gabi! Glad you like them smile.gif Tell me man, have you written an email to the people at Bareknuckle pickups by any chance? If not, you should, as they are very helpful and they will recommend a set of pickups based on your specified needs. Please do go ahead and write them at this address if you haven't done it already:

[email protected] or [email protected]

Best of luck!
Gabriel Leopardi
Thanks Cosmin and Bleez for the suggestions! I've been talking with Lojo, the luthier, and he suggested some handmade pick ups called Ardizzi (https://www.facebook.com/ardizzipickups) that are done here and that are exactly what I'm looking for. They are clean but have enough gain for modern distorted sounds. I think that Sentient description fit good with these ones.

I can get these ones cheaper and soon, since we are having big limitations with imported stuff. The electronics will allow me to set them as single and double pick ups and I will have 8 different combinations to get different tones.

[attachment=38600:ardizzi.jpg

Gabriel Leopardi
More news! biggrin.gif

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Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Aug 28 2014, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks Cosmin and Bleez for the suggestions! I've been talking with Lojo, the luthier, and he suggested some handmade pick ups called Ardizzi (https://www.facebook.com/ardizzipickups) that are done here and that are exactly what I'm looking for. They are clean but have enough gain for modern distorted sounds. I think that Sentient description fit good with these ones.

I can get these ones cheaper and soon, since we are having big limitations with imported stuff. The electronics will allow me to set them as single and double pick ups and I will have 8 different combinations to get different tones.

[attachment=38600:ardizzi.jpg


Wow! The cover looks amazing biggrin.gif I'll definitely take a look at them smile.gif Somehow I imagine your guitar as a spacy looking instrument now, because of the pickup design!

So, he cut out the body and the neck already, out of what I can see biggrin.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
My pick ups aren't gold! Mines are silver.
Gabriel Leopardi
Hey guys! I promised updates... check this out! biggrin.gif


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Cosmin Lupu
QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Sep 2 2014, 01:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey guys! I promised updates... check this out! biggrin.gif


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Hah! What's actually happening during this stage? Is the neck forced to stay in a perfectly horizontal position with those metal devices?
Sensible Jones
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 2 2014, 06:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hah! What's actually happening during this stage? Is the neck forced to stay in a perfectly horizontal position with those metal devices?

No mate, that's the Fretboard being glued to the main part of the neck after the Truss Rod has been installed. All the clamps are holding the two parts together, under pressure, whilst the glue dries.
smile.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
Exactly! Jones is right. I'll visit the luthier this week. biggrin.gif
Mith
Digging the headstock
Gabriel Leopardi
Lojo is going really fast!! smile.gif I'm starting to feel so anxious.


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