Akubra Overload

[monbla256]

Don't you remember his Stratocaster and guitar strap ? I first saw him in Austin back in '74 with the Cobras.

 

[Neophyte]

I hardly even recognize the name Stevie Ray Vaughan...I am horribly underexposed to quality music ...

 

[monbla256]

Your'e to be excused for that. He died 20 years ago this August. Guitar players & small planes - not a good combo

 

[JimC]

Don't you remember his Stratocaster and guitar strap ? I first saw him in Austin back in '74 with the Cobras.

I didn't realize how good he was until he was gone. I lived in Ft Worth in the 60's through early 80's and didn't pay a lot of attention to him and Jimmy back then. I was doing the C&W thing then. Later I got interested in blues and started trying to learn some of his songs and licks, the guy was phenomenally good!

 

[monbla256]

Next to Jimmy and Jeff Beck, probably the BESt ever !! I was going to school in Austin back then ( early '70s) and saw him and Jimmy alot

 

[JimC]

You never knew who would show up at their shows. Delbert McClinton, BB and/or Albert King, Johnny Watson, Billy Gibbons.

 

[Heavyduti]

Thanks mon
I'm not sure which Akubra green this one was called. I think it is the original band - the lines you see are just there from how the hats were stacked when they were sent to me. In the pic of me wearing it they are gone because I had brushed it.

I love my Cattleman too - it's still one of my favorites.

The original RM crease was cool but it just didn't work for me for whatever reason. I tried to like it on me but it didn't work.

For the record you are correct; that was the original band, it has not been changed.

 

[MarkD]

Your'e to be excused for that. He died 20 years ago this August. Guitar players & small planes - not a good combo

Actually he died right up in my neck of the woods. He played an outdoor venue called Alpine Valley which has an adjacent ski hill. It is out in the boonies so Stevie had a helicopter lined up that night to take him to probably Milwaukee or Chicago. It was foggy that night when the pilot took off and ran the chopper right into the ski hill killing all aboard as I remember.

A tragic loss of a bundle of talent...

 

[Mr E Train]

New Fed IV in moonstone...

 

[Neophyte]

New Fed IV in moonstone...

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

It looks incredible, Mr. E!

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I love Stevie Ray Vaughn in short bursts. I can listen to about 20 minutes of him before he just gets too repetitive for me. But he always had some great hats.

His aircraft accident was only about 2 hours north of me. I remember the day he died. It was such a shock. It was also sad because he had only recently cleaned himself up and set his life on the right track before he died. In interviews here in the news in Chicago the few days before, he seemed so happy with himself for kicking drugs and the bottle and getting healthy. A shame.

 

[theinterchange]

New Fed IV in moonstone...

Fantastic hat, Mr E! Gotta love those Federations!

I need to make getting a light grey hat [probably a moonstone Fed IV] higher on my priority list, but I mostly wear shoes that I'm more comfortable wearing brown and green hats with. Yes, I feel that hats need to match shoes, I'm weird. Well, I mostly wear boots of some sort, be they work, hiking, or hunting year round, and there's not a black pair in the lot.

Randy

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

Every time I see "moonstone" the Van Morrison song Moon Dance comes into my head.

It's a glorious night for a moonstone
With the stars up above on your head
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of Akbura Brims....

 

[danofarlington]

Every time I see "moonstone" the Van Morrison song Moon Dance comes into my head.

It's a glorious night for a moonstone
With the stars up above on your head
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of Akbura Brims....

Speaking of Van Morrison and hats, I saw him in concert here in Virginia three or four suumers ago. Besides my own Panama, he had the best Panama hat in the house. It was a great hat. His band was superlative, by the way.

 

[The Good]

OK, here's my story so far... My next Akubra made hat will very likely be the Stylemaster, acorn color.

It will be one of my two serious dress hats (I feel my Fed IV is a bit too casual for that in it's current condition, although the homburg can be a bit too formal sometimes too), and I plan on it arriving by Christmas. As far as a another hat (by Christmas) is concerned, I am seriously considering an Open Road style by the custom hatter Jaxonbilt, with a cattleman's crease, maybe having him block it slightly tapered. They offer a platinum silver color that is just very difficult to find elsewhere these days, and that is what I think appeals to me most in that style, for now. As far as my third potential Akubra is concerned, I wouldn't mind going for this someday either:

The Akubra Overlander. This one may be a favorable option for me if I'm not going custom on a western style hat. In my opinion, it has western looks, and the lower crown with taper may look great for me. This is a hat I wouldn't mind treating roughly for sure.

By summer, my hat collection should look like this: brown Federation IV, grey Stetson St. Regis, acorn Stylemaster, and silver platinum Open Road. That Overlander will come later, maybe next year. I think this is quite versatile, anybody else think the same? I know I'm a wider-brimmed kind of guy here mostly, but I plan on acquiring the right stingy-brim fedora/trilby eventually too.

 

[Neophyte]

I think this is quite versatile, anybody else think the same?

I've been following your journey for quite some time. It's been fun seeing what you'd finally decide on.

You've got two earthtones in that list, one formal (the Stylemaster) and one outdoorsy (the FedIV). You've got two grey/white hats, the Regis is more formal, and the Open Road can serve both purposes just fine. A low crowned western (the taper on the Overlander is only front to back, from the looks of it) to top it all off.

If you're asking about versatility, there's no question: you've got it!

 

[monbla256]

OK, here's my story so far... My next Akubra made hat will very likely be the Stylemaster, acorn color.

It will be one of my two serious dress hats (I feel my Fed IV is a bit too casual for that in it's current condition, although the homburg can be a bit too formal sometimes too), and I plan on it arriving by Christmas. As far as a another hat (by Christmas) is concerned, I am seriously considering an Open Road style by the custom hatter Jaxonbilt, with a cattleman's crease, maybe having him block it slightly tapered. They offer a platinum silver color that is just very difficult to find elsewhere these days, and that is what I think appeals to me most in that style, for now. As far as my third potential Akubra is concerned, I wouldn't mind going for this someday either:

The Akubra Overlander. This one may be a favorable option for me if I'm not going custom on a western style hat. In my opinion, it has western looks, and the lower crown with taper may look great for me. This is a hat I wouldn't mind treating roughly for sure.

By summer, my hat collection should look like this: brown Federation IV, grey Stetson St. Regis, acorn Stylemaster, and silver platinum Open Road. That Overlander will come later, maybe next year. I think this is quite versatile, anybody else think the same? I know I'm a wider-brimmed kind of guy here mostly, but I plan on acquiring the right stingy-brim fedora/trilby eventually too.

I like your first two Akubra's ( especially the Stylemaster as I have one and REALLY like it ) As for your choice for a "Western" Akubra, flat pinched front telescope crowned westerns just don't work for me as to that genre of hat. I like the braided hat band ( as sold by DM) and the color is nice as well. My choice for an Australian hat to go "western" with would be the Coober Pedy as sold by DM. JMHO You need to satisfy yourself

 

[theinterchange]

I think the Overlander is a nice hat, J.B.And like Neophyte, it's been interesting following your logic and dialogue about hats. You're cautious about things*, which can be good, especially where limited funds for purchases is involved. Out of curiosity, what features make the right stingy for you? See, I think that the Stylemaster on most looks stingy when in reality it isn't.

Randy

*I've made some mistakes in hat buying that I wish I hadn't, especially a few years ago before I really got a feel for what I like. BUT, I must say the one mistake I made that I regret most was selling my silverbelly Campdraft.

 

[The Good]

I've been following your journey for quite some time. It's been fun seeing what you'd finally decide on.

You've got two earthtones in that list, one formal (the Stylemaster) and one outdoorsy (the FedIV). You've got two grey/white hats, the Regis is more formal, and the Open Road can serve both purposes just fine. A low crowned western (the taper on the Overlander is only front to back, from the looks of it) to top it all off.

If you're asking about versatility, there's no question: you've got it!

Yep, it looks like it! Anything after these goals are met is a bit a mystery, to be honest. Maybe an Art Fawcett somewhere down the road, and perhaps another vintage or two...

I like your first two Akubra's ( especially the Stylemaster as I have one and REALLY like it ) As for your choice for a "Western" Akubra, flat pinched front telescope crowned westerns just don't work for me as to that genre of hat. I like the braided hat band ( as sold by DM) and the color is nice as well. My choice for an Australian hat to go "western" with would be the Coober Pedy as sold by DM. JMHO You need to satisfy yourself

Hmm, the Coober Pedy is a nice hat, and looks good on others, but aesthetically there's something about it that doesn't strike me the same as the Overlander, or some of the other models. I'm not sure if I'm sold on that one, quite frankly. I actually like telescope/tycoon crease crowns, as they sit on my head the most comfortably. Center creases just feel as though they're plopped on top of my head, leaving a bit of space in between the top and my hair. When it comes to the cattleman creased Open Road, well that's a matter of me liking the style I guess. I could always make it telescope if I wanted to.

I think the Overlander is a nice hat, J.B.And like Neophyte, it's been interesting following your logic and dialogue about hats. You're cautious about things*, which can be good, especially where limited funds for purchases is involved. Out of curiosity, what features make the right stingy for you? See, I think that the Stylemaster on most looks stingy when in reality it isn't.

Randy

*I've made some mistakes in hat buying that I wish I hadn't, especially a few years ago before I really got a feel for what I like. BUT, I must say the one mistake I made that I regret most was selling my silverbelly Campdraft.

I'm very cautious, anything over a hundred dollars is quite a lot of money for me. So yeah, you could say that. I try to go for anything I see myself actually wearing. The thing is though, I feel that I wear hats often enough to justify the variety.

Also, about the stingy-brim. I would probably see myself considering something at two inches in width, which may or may not be properly stingy, but I can't see myself going for anything extremely narrow. The bottom line is, someday I'd like a smaller looking hat, one that can be worn relatively inconspicuously, and seeing as the current trend is towards such styles, I think it'll work. It'll also look good as a dress hat, in addition to being casual.

 

[DRB]

The Good: because you do not have a large face, I could see you looking your best in a Stylemaster. Just one opinion.