Ok, let’s talk music gear. What do you use and what do you want to eventually get?
I use-
Guitar- 1961 Fender Telecaster (sunburst, excellent condition)
1999 G&L ASAT Classic Semi-Hollow (my favorite)
1996 Fender American Lone Star Strat
1997 Peavey Odyssey
1989 Jackson Dinky Strat
1986 Charvel San Dimas
A few different acoustics
Amps- Fender Twin, Fender HR Deluxe (both tube amps) and an Ampeg SS-140.
Effects- Maxon OD808 Overdrive, Boss DD-3 Delay, Boss CS-3 Compression, Boss GE-7 Equalizer, MXR Phase 90 Phaser.
Board- Yamaha Pro Mix 01 w/JBL speakers (used more with keyboards than guitar).
I use Fender Heavy picks but I drill several small holes in them for better grip.
D’Addario XL (10-46) strings, changed once every two to three weeks.
What I want- Vintage Les Paul and a Roland JC-120 amp (great sounding solid state amp).
Nah, I’m 37 and have been playing since I was 8. Here’s a tip- never trade in. Keep what you have and save to get what you want. You’ll regret getting rid of your gear. I wish I could have my beginner guitars back.
How do you like the Les Paul Studio? Those are good guitars. No need for the frills of a Standard or Classic, etc. The Studio’s are just fine.
How long have you been playing?
My fiance just bought me a Martin DXK2 Acoustic. It’s very nice, and cheap for a Martin.
My electric is my dad’s old 1970’s strat with just a fender practice amp. I’m giving it back in a few months at which point I’ll probably by an Ibanez of some sort with a nice amp.
Nice. The Classic has some hot pick-ups. They really bite through the bass/drums, a perfect rock guitar. I like 1960’s neck (if it has that one). The Marshall is made for loud playing. The amp’s character comes out at about 6 on the volume…
It’s a fender, classic black with white pick guard, but don’t know anything more specific than that. All I know is my dad bought it in the 70s brand new. He had some reasoning for thinking it was made in Mexico, but I forget why he thought that. It’s in pretty good shape, but not pristine so that may decrease it’s value a bit. I would still say at least $1500, maybe in the 2-3 range. It only has a three-way selector, so it’s older than 1977, but I’d have to ask my dad if he had any more information than that.
I’m into a little metal, but mostly I like how it played for solos. My brother had an S series and it was nice for that. Very fast and good tone.
You may like the Ibanez for the Wizard neck, or one like it. The neck is flat and very fast. Great for soloing but awkward for chording.
Make sure your Dad checks the serial number to make sure it isn’t an American (although depending on the model it should say on the guitar). Could be worth more money than you think.
What’s you budget for the guitar? There are many out there that are great deals…
I’ve been playing since I was about 16. I’ve had guitars from truetone, yamaha, ibanez, fender, and I’ll be getting that LP soon. And yes, it’s got 498r and 500t’s in it w/ the 60’s neck. I’ve had a pignose amp, an old no name tube amp, a couple of solid state peaveys, some crate combos, a JCM900 dual reverb head, a valvestate 8100 head, (when they first came out), a fender 2x12 combo, and probably some others that I can’t think of. I’ve ran so many different effects over the years that I probably couldn’t name them all either, but I did have a digitech rp-1 which was processor of the year in…1994 which was pretty interesting.
Now I just want the marshall combo, and the LP and maybe a wah pedal occasionally.
I actually started a thread w/ this same theme someplace too.
'94 Quilted Flame Top Les Paul (heavy bastard) Pickups switched out to Seymour Duncan Screaming Demons
Line6 SpiderIII Modelling Amp (all effects onboard, and no need for pedals … download any sound/effect you want, and kept in memory)
D’addario 11’s
Matte heavy picks
Want original Kalamazoo Les Paul, preferably 1968 model, black
Want original Blue Voodoo stack
Looking into Ibanez (ZR-1 tremolo system is best in the world … ball bearing, return to zero is flawless, going forward or back)
A friend has an original Martin D-2 acoustic … number 3 from production … trying to get him to give it up, he doesn’t play any longer.
Have you checked out Heritage Guitars? They are made by the Gibson guys who stayed in Michigan when Gibson moved south. Basically, they are the old Les Paul’s, but better. I played one a few months ago, outstanding guitar. Much better than any Gibson I ever played.
Check them out- heritageguitar.com/
Heard of them, never seen/played one personally … which is obviously a must. Have always been a Les Paul player … really can’t stand the thin sound of most other guitars. The Heritage are a bit … well, unattractive. Which is fine if the hold the sustain and give the low bellow. A friend of mine, Schwagg, picked up the latest Ibanez RG … looks great, plays fast as hell, has the ZR-1 tremolo which holds up under the most extreme torture … and it sounds like a bucket of ass … thin, weak ass at that; even though Ibanez touted that the body acoustics were equally to the mahogany body of any Les Paul … coughcoughNOTcoughcough
I think sometimes you find a sound, and that’s just what you play because of the sound … for me, it has always been Les Paul, stock or modded.
I usually play a mild overdrive (set to zero with the Maxon pedal) and some clean stuff, so we’re after different tones. A Danny Gatton meets Allan Holdsworth style…very odd.
That’s why I love the G&L ASAT Classic Semi-Hollow body. Not thin at all, like most Tele’s, but penetrating and full. Perfect sound for my set-up.
I agree on the Les Paul sound. They are great ‘dirty’ guitars, the Heritage I played matched them, however. I found the quality is bit better, FLAWLESS guitars. You gotta hold one.
One guitar I can’t stand is any PRS…such a boring sound. No character at all.
One very underrated guitar- The Music Man (Ernie Ball) Silhouette, especially the 20th anniversary model. Unbelievable. Music Man makes some great guitars.
I’ve got a Peavey Odyssey that’s pretty underrated, as well.
Gads, I’ve never liked the Peavey sound … never liked anything Peavey as a matter of point.
The only other guitar that I have actually held up to Les, was some of the '80’s Washburn models, high end mind you. If not for their necessity of making body styles that were unbearably uncomfortable, they were otherwise well made guitars. Strat/strat bodies have never been my preference, and hollow body electrics just don’t cut it in my estimation. The only thing worse is the Telecaster … blech. Guitar center in Cincinnati might have Heritage, they are big enough … I’ll check them out. Plus, I “need” fret room and jumbo frets … Heritage cover that? How is the pickup performance on Heritage … not familiar with the type they use, after looking at the site … ?
Mind you, I’m a throwback player, perhaps one of the last of my kind. I haven’t found anyone I can stand playing with in over 15 years. I guess I’ll do my Paleozoic playing, completely solo.
P.S. Oops, one I missed … I owned an ESP custom back in the eighties … that was a monster … wonder if they are still around …
Update: ESP does still exist … although they look like they have become a bit formulaic in their styling, they still have their custom shop open. Suddenly, I feel rejuvenated and likely that my savings might take a fair hit … chubbchubb … oh yes, all is right with the world!!!
I hate Peavey Guitars, but they made one great one- the Odyssey. Check it out. Top notch guitar.
Heritage builds to order, if you want. They build during the winter and take summers off, to golf. You gotta check them out, I promise you’ll love them. A have a few friends who swore by Gibson and now won’t even pick one up. All Heritage for them. I used to work on guitars and the number one guitar I had to work on was Gibson. 70% Gibson, easily. From what I hear now Gibson’s are still the guitar that tech’s need to work on the most.
I used to play metal and rock, back in the 80’s. I still have an old Charvel and Jackson.
The ASAT I have is a semi-hollow, only ok for distortion, but I use OD only.
I agree that Tele’s are awful thin sounding. I have a 1961 and never play it. Keep for an investment, that’s all. The Les Paul Goldtops from the 50’s are hot right now. Their worth has doubled in the last two years.
