guitarists and gear

So I've been on a gear rampage in the last 6 months or so. Not content with my previous 8 guitars, I had to splurge for 3 more. Got a couple Fender signature models (Lee Ranaldo Jazzmaster, Dave Murray Strat), as well as a 12 string Schecter Shoegazer off of e-Bay for about 150 under list price. And then I went out and finally got me a Vox AC30 (the C2 red combo, not a vintage one).

Gotta say that it has kind of inspired more of what I've been wanting to play for years now. The Vox is a classic amp used by many classic bands, but also one that is used abundantly these days and in the past by shoegazer bands. The 12 string through it just sparkles, particularly in single coil mode. The Jazzmaster glows. I jack up my reverb and delay and go to town with it. Truth be told, I haven't even gotten around to fiddling with the Strat or Jag or Les Paul on it yet, because I'm having way too much fun with these. Thank God I don't have a Telecaster or else I probably never would've gotten around to the Jazzmaster on it.

Anyway, thought I'd mix it up a bit on this board to all the pretentious musician types into a thread where they can have a circle jerk about their favorite gear.

Oh, pedal setup at the moment consists of Korg Pitchblack tuner > Son Of A Bee fuzz (Stomp Under Foot) > Vox wah > Marshall Shredmaster clone > Analogman mini-chorus > MXR mini-flanger > MXR EVH phaser > Hardwire Reverb > Hardwire Delay... I have some other fun pedals sitting off by the wayside too like the Boss Space Echo and the Digitech Whammy that I simply don't have the room for on my board. I also probably need to hook add my A-B switch if I'm going to play through the AC30 and want to use its gain channel.

OrigScreaminDemon said:

ELC, I figure you would appreciate this. I used to have one of these:

Click to expand...

Nice! Lots of clones out there of those, and I even have a clone myself.

I didn't realize just how many different versions (all sold under the Big Muff moniker) of the pedal there actually were though. This guy makes clones of all the different types that he can...

http://stompunderfoot.com/

relatively new amp for me...cabs, too...shit is rockin'

the amp is a dr. z maz 18 jr.

the cabs are both mojotones..one with a weber blue dog alnico, the other with a j.f. naylor special design ceramic...

i also have a newer guitar: a white gibson sg special 60's reissue (with p90's)...

try to get a pic up here tomorrow...it sure is purdy :heart:

Maybe you guys can help me choose which guitar to buy.

I'm fairly casual with my guitar playing, at least the last 5 years or so. I pretty much play only blues because it is just so damn fun.

I have a couple old fenders that no longer work, or they might if I put enough $$ in to them but I've been saving up to buy something really nice.

I can go up to the $1700 range, but obviously willing to spend a grand less. I've always wanted an american made strat. But I am open to other options.

Been looking at these today:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/2455391722.html


http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/msg/2483162556.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2478187258.html

or Teles:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2481553356.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2469452844.html

Anyone know how the tele's play? Don't think I've ever messed around with one.

Am I making a terrible decision by trying to buy something used off craiglist? I'd like to avoid giutar center-type mark-ups if possible.

TwentyONE said:

Maybe you guys can help me choose which guitar to buy.

I'm fairly casual with my guitar playing, at least the last 5 years or so. I pretty much play only blues because it is just so damn fun.

I have a couple old fenders that no longer work, or they might if I put enough $$ in to them but I've been saving up to buy something really nice.

I can go up to the $1700 range, but obviously willing to spend a grand less. I've always wanted an american made strat. But I am open to other options.

Been looking at these today:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/2455391722.html


http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/msg/2483162556.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2478187258.html

or Teles:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2481553356.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2469452844.html

Anyone know how the tele's play? Don't think I've ever messed around with one.

Am I making a terrible decision by trying to buy something used off craiglist? I'd like to avoid giutar center-type mark-ups if possible.

Click to expand...

i've owned several teles (two currently). my thinline is one of 3 go-to guitars out of the several that i own when it comes gig or studio time...had it better than 15 years...teles are the epitome of 'form follows function'.

hard to recommend guitars to people...i mean, lots of folks like les pauls...i think they're gorgeous, but i don't won't to spend 3 hours on stage with one!

i prefer a more 'medium' type action, using heavier gauged strings (11-50)...

so, what suits you when you pick up a guitar and play it? wide neck, flat profile or more of a 'c' shape...slim taper? lots of combinations!

if it's an electric guitar, do you want a more 'cutting' sound? strats and teles fit the bill there. want rounder tone? gibsons, PRS, etc. with humbuckers is the way to go...then the amp you pair the guitar with can have a decided say-so in how it all turns out sounding...

if you can find a used japanese fender strat or tele, that will likely be a good buy (and perhaps a reasonable investment). is the american worth the extra $$$? i've owned several newer and vintage fenders, and the ones i've kept (mostly) are the japanese...

good luck. few things more fun than hunting down new musical stuff and making it yours...

here's a link to the new rig getting its first real workout on a gig...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31883899&l=03085c17d0&id=1184304795

dime - wow...can't say I've seen a setup like that..2 10s (or 12s?...hard to tell what size they are from that shot) side-by-side under a head...you gotta lose those lime green tendencies man. Looks like you have two guitars with that color!

TwentyOne - how do your Fenders not work? You probably just have some dirty pots or need to solder something. Guitars just don't quit working unless you smash them onstage. Take Dime's advice on the guitar though. He knows gear a lot better that I do.

ELC: the cabs have 12's in them...one alnico, the other ceramic...i can taylor my rig better to the size of the gig. and of course, those cabs are stackable if stage space is more at a premium...although the head is only 18 watts...it's a LOUD 18 (class 'a'...like a vox). i'd say the sound of the amp is a nice cross between the british and the american. it's very responsive to picking/playing dynamics...compresses nicely when romped on...

i am sure you are enjoying the ac30...intend to have one at some point. and i think i'm jealous of the red color!

the other sea-foam green strat belongs to my guitar playing cohort there, rob fender...the thinline tele is mine...

i've had that strat since '88. been my #1 since i got it...it's a'57 re-issue (japanese)...

TwentyOne: you most likely have a bad input jack or some other connectivity issue...and double check the cord you are using before settling on the guitar as the problem...

this is what i have - http://modguitar.com/archives/18

and a little bitty marshall amp. good for home playing only

here's the gibson stock photo of the new sg i have. i changed the v-t knobs to those with the foil center caps...more appropriate for the 60's re-issue aspect, too...

still getting this one dialed in to suit me...and i'm getting close!

Milhouse - very strange looking Kramer that you've got there!

dime - sweet SG. They're great looking guitars anyway, but I get a little bored by them being mostly the same color. The white is a nice change of pace. I have a Gibson LP Doublecut Plus and have never really liked it that much, but the AC30 gives it a more interesting dynamic. It and my Dave Murray Fender are definitely the two "hottest" sounding guitars on the AC30, though I'm still more partial to the cleaner guitars on it like my Jazzmaster.

ELC: my buddy Jamie Dose in Velvet Truckstop has a double-cut LP, and it is a fine sounding guitar...it's all over the record i did for them...i bet that LP and the Vox can scream...

that sg is soooo light, and not the least bit neck-heavy like some of that ilk can be...think i may change the caps in the control circuitry...

Milhouse does have an interesting guitar there. that pickup angle is certainly unique. never seen another humbucker arrayed in that way, but it makes sense...that guitar probably will increase in value as time goes on...just my guess on that!

always fun to do this, ELC. thanks for starting the thread...

interesting (new)guitar style i found today...

looks kinda like an older danelectro style or the modern jerry jones variant, but these are hollow bodies...pretty damn cool...might have to put one of these in the arsenal!

http://worlandguitars.com/worlatron/

oooh man, don't know about those. I checked out the YouTube videos, which are really pretty lo-fi and unimpressive. I'm sure the guitars sound better than they do on there, but they look like toys to me. Not really my thing, but if you get one, chime in and let us know how it is.

the guitarist on the company's website youtubes seems to favor some chorus on his sound...not exactly what i'm looking for...i would have gone with a completely straight up sound...just amp and guitar at various volumes and pickup settings...agreed that the sound doesn't seem to come through...but so much of that is in the player's hands anyway...will chime in if i pick one up...just thought it a bit neat and different...

Gear dudes, I need some help. Been playing exclusively acoustic for about 10 years with a Martin and Taylor. Looking to get into the electric game but am clueless about all of it. What would I need to buy if I was looking to play in a band? Own amp? Pedals? I Play mostly southern rock/70's jam stuff.

Also, what is a good moderately priced guitar to start out with?

What kind of music are you going to be playing? Gear recommendations are heavily dependent on that.

Oh wait, I see now that you play jam stuff. OK. Well, you can go a lot of routes with that. Will you be doing lead or rhythm stuff? I'm guessing you want good clean tones that can be overdriven, so I'm not sure a Tele is right for you. Can't go wrong with a Fender Strat though. However, since you're playing what you are, feel free to look around. Don't think you need a Gibson or a PRS, but maybe look at something different like a Schecter. They have a rep as metal guitars, but they're quite versatile really and have a few different styles. Probably more of a lead guitar though. I got one of their 12 string Stargazer models that are kind of Rickenbacher knockoffs, but holy hell they sound great and can be swapped to single coil mode by pulling up on the knobs. They sell them as 6 strings. Korean made but single body and lots of sustain.

I wouldn't recommend a Marshall for what you're doing. Fender amps are a good bet. Good blend of hard and soft without being mostly a hard amp, which is what Marshalls and Mesa Boogies are known for. Traynor is also a good option for something less expensive and less well known. They're a Canadian outfit and have a great warranty that can't be beat. I'm jizzing all over my Vox AC30 right now, but I don't think it's really a jam band amp. It is, however, very good with clean tones and extremely pedal friendly.

For pedals, I don't think you need anything too special. If you're a tone freak and have to go true bypass, there are a number of pedals for that. Digitech has a series of Hardwire pedals that are fantastic and for all kinds of players. What you probably will want is a blues overdrive, and perhaps a reverb and delay. They're Hardwire series covers all of those avenues. Boss also makes pedals for all three. Honestly, I'd shop around a bit. Can't go wrong with those two options, but personally I'd go with the bypass options that Hardwire provides for a couple extra bucks. You will probably also want a chorus pedal, which is also available through Hardwire. When it comes to pedals, you'd be surprised at how much you need or want or end up wanting. I would also recommend picking up a Pedaltrain pedal board with a built in power supply (they aren't sold that way at the story, but people sell them that way on e-bay) on e-bay. Don't buy one though if you're looking at only 3-4 pedals.

mercurydime said:

here's the gibson stock photo of the new sg i have. i changed the v-t knobs to those with the foil center caps...more appropriate for the 60's re-issue aspect, too...

still getting this one dialed in to suit me...and i'm getting close!

Click to expand...

Mercury. like the P90's. I don't have a guitar with P90's yet and I have a bunch of guitars. For some reason, I am fascinated with a Gibson Les Paul Jr with P90's. I has a Jr when I was a kid so maybe that's the reason. The SG looks great.

I play and own mostly acoustic guitars, but have a handful of electrics too. I primarily have Les Pauls and Teles.