I need some stuff to go with my new Guitar, recommendations for amp, cable, strap all sorts

Dimple said:
It's like playing with a mature woman who knows what she's doing and boy does she feel good.
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Quite frankly...I love it....old guitars with mojo is where its at...not gleaming souless guitar shops...

I want a maple neck strat now with wear on the fingerboard.

Dimple sell it to me right now
 
Raymond Lin said:
I find Gibson's QC questionable, so to find one that i like the feel of, the sound of and the look of is quite a challenge.
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It's not a secret that Gibson USA sacrificed QC many times in its history to achieve sales targets, the most infamous being their "golden" "Norlin era" - late sixties to late seventies when popularity of the instrument rose but so did appetite for cash. Gibson (owned by Norlin at the time) began cutting corners and started stacking bodies from two or thee pieces. As the prime grade wood supply would become more and more expensive they moved on to a "sandwich" construction for some models, where two layers of glued wood were crossboarded under the carved top (often made of two or more pieces as well).
gibson_sandwich2_small.jpg

By mid seventies they reached "pancake" stage, where cheaper models were made of several thiner crossply layers with stuffing chips supporting curvatures in the top or necks and other malarky.
gibsonpancake_small.jpg

Gibson's excuse at the time was strengthening body for "sustain", but the effect was quite opposite, in addition to sheer weight of some of those wood combinations reaching 12-14 pounds around your neck, where normally you would expect Les Paul to weight around 8lb.

By the end of seventies, most of the top models were reverted back to single piece body with one piece top, but the trend continued on cheaper models reaching quite extreme combos of off-the-floor wood used in their instruments. And it wasn't just Gibson, a lot of copycat manufacturers looking for market share el cheapo followed the suit, finding most peculiar ways of building instruments from almost wafer thin scraps:
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So, bad QC and corner cutting is nothing new in "big name" league. And judging just by the number of models Gibson floods the market with in the last few years I guess cuts had to made somewhere...

Although, having said that - it is much harder to hide cost cutting in some models these days. My Les Paul BFG - it's one ugly motherlover, but I know 100% that the wood, construction and grade is solid. It's completely naked, so they just couldn't hide it in that model. Also, no issues with binding. It just doesn't have any :D


Fender Strat, its a possibility but I am still not sold on its looks. It looks weird and wrong to me. From the headstock, to that weird curve and the bottom to the pick guard.
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Fender headstock varied over the years. Big "CBS" headstock is a marketing ploy, it allowed for bigger decal (and counter weight for glued bodies?). 70ies headstock is fugly, I agree, but when it comes to Fender, I struggle to figure out how telecaster became so popular. It looks terrible, in its original design it sounded like a ton of 5p coins chucked against concrete floor and the headstock, my god, I would expect this thing on front page of News Of The World with headline "Alien crash lands in Roswell with pictures: 'poor thing broke its penis' says onlooker". Small headstock from 1954, as used to this day, is a perfection though. It's the most copied design of all time

sidebysideheadstocks.gif


Leo Fender had terrible eye for design though. When he sold Fender brand to CBS in 1965 and a decade later started collaborating with George Fullerton (co-designer of stratocaster) to open new venture - G&L - this were the best headstock designs they could come up with:
GL30U-15664_headstock_small.jpg

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Don't let me even start on bodies and pickguards... And yet, G&L is by far the best strat of that era that you could possibly get.

IMHO currently the closest strat-perfect thing in production are Gary Levinson's Blade guitars:
blade_black.png

Has passive pickups and active circut for boost, similar to Clapton strat, the sound is just crystal and sweet.


I am looking at PRS again too, actually found a Custom 24 (full fat) within budget.....and talking about budget, which is around £1k. as close as possible.
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£1000 or just over, in used guitar world would get you a decent (if simpler/uglier) USA Gibson Les Paul and a very decent Fender. I mean both, together, for that kind of money. Covers about 90% of genres. Or a very basic PRS.

What music do you want to play with your guitar. When you close your eyes and imagine that one perfect instrument playing, what's the tone in your head. I don't mean, what's your skill, just what does that "one" guitar sound like in perfect world? Give us a song title or video link.
 
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uncle_rufus said:
And, to Raymond - have you seen the Chapman guitars (from Rob Chapman of Andertons)?

ml1c.jpg
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That looks like Fender and PRS had an illegitimate child with its head backwards. It has a fat PRS esq body, a PRS knob placement and a fender esq headstock.

v0n said:
What music do you want to play with your guitar. When you close your eyes and imagine that one perfect instrument playing, what's the tone in your head. I don't mean, what's your skill, just what does that "one" guitar sound like in perfect world? Give us a song title or video link.
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Very nice history lesson there v0n! Thank you.

I understand the cost cutting part in production these days but when you have 2 lines of guitar, a cheaper epiphone line and your gibson line, one would think you want your big guns to be perfect, or as close to be. It's what your reputation will be built on. And when I'm spending that much money, it's scary to know they haven't paid the same level of scrutiny and eye for detail as I have expected. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Taylor, but I don't think so. The T5 is a similar price guitar to a LP standard and a hollow body is harder to construct than a solid. If one US company can do it, I don't see why another can't.

That plywood like guitar picture there is absolutely shocking! I'd expect that from a Fake, not a real Les Paul.

As for a song, it's hard to think one off my head this early in the morning but YouTube "Sparks Fly" or "Change" (Taylor Swift) and that 20 second intro. It's a little twang and tweedle sound.

For a little more well known, and this one will be an obvious answer, Dancing in the Dark or Born to Run, which I think he uses a tele? But I really don't want a tele, like you said, the shape is just ugly, it looks unfinished it feels there is a bit missing on the left of the guitar.

edit - Oh oh, another sound that i like is the Killer's first album - Hot Fuss.
 
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I disagree about the tele - they've got a certain something about them, if I was going to get one I'd got for this I think - speaks to me:

CVTele16.jpg


I can't get the songs to listen to from work but based on your description of the sound you're almost certainly going to want (at least one) single coils to get a good twangy sound. Ironically tele's as you've noted are known for that type of thing, but a strat would do just as well - they're very versatile
 
Just had a thought Raymond, have you considered the Fender Jazzmaster, Jaguar or even Telecaster? Something a bit different from the Stratocaster look but definitely all of these I've played have that Fender feel.

Also Gibson SG or Firebird (latter a bit of an acquired taste) but certainly different.

Gretsch do the Duo Jet series which you may be able to pick up 2nd hand for closer to £1k, something like the G6128T Duo Jet is a really nice guitar to play and personally find very versatile. Regret not buying it when I saw one at a good price. :/

That Tele is lovely Rufus! Another on my list of 'to buy before I die' for sure! My uncle has a deep red Tele with black pick guard with white trim and it looks stunning in real life.

I think the Tele is a very versatile guitar - just look at Paramore (sorry!) when Josh Farro played for them, quite a variety in rock, ballad etc. Thing is again we're talking the larger percentage the skill of the guitarist, the guitar and amp next and then possibly fx.
 
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The actual Tele in the pic is the Squier Classic-Vibe, which although a Squier I've heard has a build quality getting pretty close to the lower-end Mexican Fenders, but even cheaper!! £289 or something I think it can be had - all depends how much importance you put on the brand...

When I bought my amp the guy who was selling it was a bit of a Tele nut, so when I popped over to his house to try it he had quite a few I had a go on - including a very nice silver-sparkle, maple-neck, black pickguard one which had a seymour duncan lil' 59 humbucker in the bridge that sounded great :) He also had a very nice black one again with maple neck but a red tort pickguard and that also looked really slick
 
Raymond Lin said:
That plywood like guitar picture there is absolutely shocking! I'd expect that from a Fake, not a real Les Paul.


It's a little twang and tweedle sound.

which I think he uses a tele? But I really don't want a tele, like you said, the shape is just ugly, it looks unfinished it feels there is a bit missing on the left of the guitar.
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I doubt that pic of the ply is a real USA Gibson...

Tele's are no doubt fantastic guitars...The balance and looks for me ooze cool.

Sounds to me you want an ornament not a guitar Ray.....






I have had a few American Tele's over the years...But this one is a keeper.
 
v0n said:
Although, having said that - it is much harder to hide cost cutting in some models these days. My Les Paul BFG - it's one ugly motherlover, but I know 100% that the wood, construction and grade is solid. It's completely naked, so they just couldn't hide it in that model. Also, no issues with binding. It just doesn't have any :D

.
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My Gibson LP zebrawood is Satin finish...No issues with binding and no wings on the headstock.

Its a naked beauty.
 
Just before Christmas my rhythm guitarist came with a Telecaster (he has at least 6) because he wanted an authentic sound on a couple of Quo tunes we do and he needs to be in an alternative tuning on the 4th fret with a capo.
My lead guitarist took it for the 2nd set and played it all te way through but me and the bass player kept looking at each other because the sound wasn't rock enough for what we do.
The following gig the rhythm guitarist bought 2 Telecasters and gave one to teh lead guitarist to use.
Once again me and the bass player looked at each other and at teh end of the firts spot I said 'Are you going to tell him or me?' so we both told him together '**** that Tele off and put your Strat back on' :D
The tonal change was huge but the difference between his Strat, Les Paul and SG is virtually none.
 
easyrider said:
I doubt that pic of the ply is a real USA Gibson...

Tele's are no doubt fantastic guitars...The balance and looks for me ooze cool.

Sounds to me you want an ornament not a guitar Ray.....
I have had a few American Tele's over the years...But this one is a keeper.
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Haha, I wouldn't say ornament as I do play both the guitars that I have. You can blame my background (design and photography), I like things with a nice aesthetics, especially when it is into 4 figures sums, there is a certain expectation there and I feel cheated if it's not at a certain standard when it's at a certain price point. With regards to the look of the tele, I think all that space on the left which looks funny, it looks like they were making a strat but forgot to make that double cut and left it at that, the curve of the body where the strap button is, to me, is the wrong radius. With the pick guard around that area curved to the opposite direction feels odd. The straight alignment of the knobs and blade switch at a 90 degree angle to the straight line of the bottom of the pick guard make the guitar feels angular and more square than it really is. The entire aesthetic language of that guitar design feels like there is a lot of concepts put together, with none really particular that has taken the lead. That's how I see the Tele.

I do like the Strat look (except the headstock), in particular the tip with that blob of a circle…I am not a fan of it. It's just merely my opinion but looks is a personal thing.

Anyway, enough about looks, guitars are meant to be played so I am going to try a few out this weekend and see what my heart says.

In terms of sound, I do love the sound of the Tele as I love Bruce's sound, but I don't need to get 100% of that sound, somewhere close would do me. I guess something versatile?

Anyway, at the end of the day, I'll follow my heart, that is what's most important.
 
Ray, where about are you residing as I am sure one of us is close enough to go out shopping with you rather than advising on the fly. We can then show you what tones you can get etc. Last time I bought a Gibson and strat privately both sellers were gobsmacked at what you could get from the guitars as all they did was tinker..

Last few hours to get this for £900

http://guitarvillage.uk.com/product...andard-New-Mystic-Blue-Rosewood-Inc-Case.aspx
 
Scrutinize said:
Ray, where about are you residing as I am sure one of us is close enough to go out shopping with you rather than advising on the fly. We can then show you what tones you can get etc. Last time I bought a Gibson and strat privately both sellers were gobsmacked at what you could get from the guitars as all they did was tinker..

Last few hours to get this for £900

http://guitarvillage.uk.com/product...andard-New-Mystic-Blue-Rosewood-Inc-Case.aspx
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Birmingham in the week.
Hereford in the weekend.

oooh, that looks like a nice Strat.
 
Scrutinize said:
Ray, where about are you residing as I am sure one of us is close enough to go out shopping with you rather than advising on the fly. We can then show you what tones you can get etc. Last time I bought a Gibson and strat privately both sellers were gobsmacked at what you could get from the guitars as all they did was tinker..
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:D

"So yeah here she is, feel free to have a try"

"I hope this guitar isn't under-aged becaus-"

***BOWWWWWW INSANE NOODLING***

:eek:
 
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