guitar amps and guitars

[jeepster]

England, I didn't know you played? What's your set up?

[englandmj7]

England, I didn't know you played? What's your set up?

Pretty much nothing at the moment.

I was in a band in high school and played a borrowed Les Paul Custom as well as a cheap Fender Standard Strat off and on through college. About a year ago I bought a decent Ibanez acoustic, started taking lessons again and am feeling pretty good with my playing, so I'm looking to invest in a nice electric in the near future.

Problem is that I'm torn between buying a new guitar vs. a vintage motorcycle.

Fuck.

[jeepster]

Pretty much nothing at the moment.

I was in a band in high school and played a borrowed Les Paul Custom as well as a cheap Fender Standard Strat off and on through college. About a year ago I bought a decent Ibanez acoustic, started taking lessons again and am feeling pretty good with my playing, so I'm looking to invest in a nice electric in the near future.

Problem is that I'm torn between buying a new guitar vs. a vintage motorcycle.

Fuck.

honestly, you can find a les paul studio, which are pretty sturdy in my opinion, for relatively cheap on ebay. like $400 for a decent condition model. you could probably do both if you are willing to drop the money on a gibson then just work your ass off for a little longer to get the motorcycle. either way, its a good investment on both items.

[englandmj7]

honestly, you can find a les paul studio, which are pretty sturdy in my opinion, for relatively cheap on ebay. like $400 for a decent condition model. you could probably do both if you are willing to drop the money on a gibson then just work your ass off for a little longer to get the motorcycle. either way, its a good investment on both items.

It might just be me, but I don't really like the feel of the Studios.

I could definitely buy both right now; unfortunately it's not the money as much as justifying it to the wife. Savor your time alone.

[jeepster]

It might just be me, but I don't really like the feel of the Studios.

I could definitely buy both right now; unfortunately it's not the money as much as justifying it to the wife. Savor your time alone.

you should just go demo LP's @ like guitar center or something. They have a bunch of budget versions that are nice and there are plenty of good knockoffs out there (Greco are the best, but those are ebay/vintage shop finds). good luck though.

[Joshua James Barry]

Yeah the studios are pretty average. I highly recommend the Les Paul Classics for the lower end of the Les Paul scale. The pick ups in them sound great, I even reckon they sound better than the burstbuckers in the standards, and the 57 classics in the traditionals.

Just also wondering about Wah pedals?

Never played around with any before, are the dunlop ones the way to go?

Any models in particular that are decent?

[Jkerman]

Im going to probley sell my rickenbacker 330. I was going to get a Les Paul Studio or a Taylor Classic. Which do you think I should go with?

[Phishphood]

you should just go demo LP's @ like guitar center or something. They have a bunch of budget versions that are nice and there are plenty of good knockoffs out there (Greco are the best, but those are ebay/vintage shop finds). good luck though.

I think the ESP Navigator series would be the best Japanes LPs, but you pay dearly for them

The easiest option now would probably be an Edwards from ESP. On par with the other lawsuit guitars, but you can buy them new which saves some hassle

http://instruments.search.ebay.com/edwards_Musical-Instruments_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfposZ07657QQfrppZ50QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQmaxrecordsreturnedZ300QQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZ619QQsadisZ200QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZunknown

Type in Edwards and hit enter, they'll ship to the US

http://ishibashi.co.jp/store/

[poly800rock]

england, don't go to guitar center to buy a guitar. there are plenty of better places in LA to buy a rig. Guitar center/Sam Ash suck in every way.

[Frutiger]

For all you vintage guitar heads, here are some of the girls:

Enjoy.

[addynicky]

I mostly record bands but I do play some...

Electrics:

Gibson SG Standard, ebony (fairly beat up)

Gibson Les Paul Standard, wine red/gold hardware

Gibson SG reissue w/P90's, guitar of the week (pretty much an SG classic)

Gibson Billy Armstrong LP Jr. w/Fralin P90

Gibson L6, Midnight Special (stock pickups, changed tuners)

Epiphone Sheraton II w/57 classic pickups

Fender 57 strat reissue, anniversary edition, white w/gold hardware

Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass

Acoustics:

Gibson J45

Seagull Folk cutaway w/gloss top

Cordoba 55R classical, spruce/rosewood

2 x cheap Yamaha acoustics

cheap Yamaha classical

Amps:

Vox AC50CP2 2x12 combo (kinda crappy but it works)

Fender Champ (stock tube)

Pedals:

cheap Boss distortion

Boss Delay

Boss tuner

[dismalfuture]

jesus christ Fruitiger.

Is there anything halfway decent and electric that I can cop for $500? How do airlines feel about guitars as a carryon these days?

[rjacobs]

A Huss & Dalton acoustic. You damn kids.

[Fookums]

^^

used carvin on ebay.

[Jkerman]

Just a heads up I have my Rickenbacker 330 For Sale/Trade(for tele or SG) in the marketplace.

[jeepster]

jesus christ Fruitiger.

Is there anything halfway decent and electric that I can cop for $500? How do airlines feel about guitars as a carryon these days?

dismal, look up Greco's on ebay, they're usually kinda cheap, in your price range, and are superior quality to any/all lawsuit/copy guitars. if not Greco, than maybe Tokai or another jap lawsuit brand, those are usually the best for around that price.

[Clockwork_killa]

Some of the epiphones are really pretty decent, they are afterall owned by Gibson.

[jeepster]

Some of the epiphones are really pretty decent, they are afterall owned by Gibson.

ehhh

only the really high-end Epi's are worth time, unless its a Sheraton II, which are beautiful guitars (and I regret passing one up a couple years ago for around $400, color was awful though)

[U MAD]

Black Beauty is a really good Epiphone

[bencap]

early epiphone's are where it's at. my buddy has a late 80's gibson les paul custom (sg body, three pickups). Plays great, looks fucking great too. Cream/off white colored with gold hardware. Almost all the semi hollowbodies from around then are really really solid too.

[dismalfuture]

How much should I pay for a decent Gibson LP Special reissue?

[jeepster]

How much should I pay for a decent Gibson LP Special reissue?

w/ p-90's? what year reissue?>

[dismalfuture]

p90s or p100's, doesn't matter. cheapest Gibson LP Special I can get, heritage cherry or tv yellow, doesn't matter.

[operationjake]

epiphones are garbage all around. sure they're nice guitars for a certain demographic, but when you start playing gigs or taking your tone seriously, you should only be paying for american made guitars (with the exception of jap made jags or jazzmasters, etc.). you truly get what you pay for.

on that note, the "faded" gibson lines are decent because you get exactly what you pay for: a shitty looking guitar with gibson tone and sound. my experience with them (faded SGs, Vs and explorers) has been bad because they don't have nice finishes which ends up with them looking worse and worse the more they're played, despite them giving almost the exact tone as the standards.

i can understand if you're tight on cash and want to go the epi route (and acutally as i think about it, as jeep said, the sheraton is a nice guitar that is epi exclusive so they have that going for them) but it's better to cough up the dough and have a longer lasting guitar (that is, if you're playing daily and gigging regularly).

[U MAD]

I bought a cheaper guitar because both it and the fancier version both just sound like my amplifier (Dot Studio)

[operationjake]

uh... what?

i'm guessing you meant to say they sound the same through your amp.

oh, i forgot to mention, if you're running through a solid state amp, both a gibson and and epi will be greattttttly hindered and it's quite hard to tell the tonal differences unless you have a good quality solid state amp (oxymoron). under a tube amp, though, you can tell the differences between the wood, lacquer quality, pickup hotness, neck response, strings, etc. point being: tube or bust if you want to sound for realz.

[U MAD]

duh, it's a gigantic Ampeg combo. I shouldn't have said they sounded the same. All guitars sound different but they all take on the flavour of the amplifier as it overdrives. And I don't really think anything sounds better or worse... That said I am going to swap out the pickups in my guitar whenever I get around to it.

[operationjake]

gigantic ampeg combo? i hope you're talking about a bass amp, because every ampeg combo i know of for electric guitar is 50 watts or less... not so gigantic, but quite nice nevertheless.

yes, each guitar takes on the flavor of the amp, but what if the amp is like a beautifully clean slate? i've played 59/60's fender tweed amps (no reissue) and their "flavor" is a beautiful, undulating shine of a clean tone. some amps color the tone of a guitar to the point where a single coil p-90 sounds no different than a ceramic humbucker. the tweed amps are amazing though, it's like losing your tonal virginity in your ears.

/nerd

anyways. good luck with the pickup swap. what you planning on throwing in the dot?

[U MAD]

It's a 60 watt "V3" from like 1983. Play loud enough for a heck of a lot of overdrive but it's fairly touch sensitive, like I can get it clean or dirty without touching the knobs, you know how it is. Hadn't really put a lot of thought into the swap, probably some similar humbucker to the one in there and a P90 or something in the other spot, just for versatility. Hadn't even put much thought towards neck and bridge positions. It's a long way off, there's other stuff I'd rather (and have to) spend my money on currently.

[Phishphood]

epiphones are garbage all around. sure they're nice guitars for a certain demographic, but when you start playing gigs or taking your tone seriously, you should only be paying for american made guitars (with the exception of jap made jags or jazzmasters, etc.). you truly get what you pay for.

on that note, the "faded" gibson lines are decent because you get exactly what you pay for: a shitty looking guitar with gibson tone and sound. my experience with them (faded SGs, Vs and explorers) has been bad because they don't have nice finishes which ends up with them looking worse and worse the more they're played, despite them giving almost the exact tone as the standards.

i can understand if you're tight on cash and want to go the epi route (and acutally as i think about it, as jeep said, the sheraton is a nice guitar that is epi exclusive so they have that going for them) but it's better to cough up the dough and have a longer lasting guitar (that is, if you're playing daily and gigging regularly).

I'm not a big fan of epiphones, except for the elitist series, but none of what you said was remotely accurate. My biggest complaint with epiphones is that they feel cheap, the finish is plasticy and the fretboard isn't the best wood, but with a good set of pickups I highly doubt you would be able to tell the difference. The idea that a gigging guitarist must play an american made guitar is total bs. I've heard amazing players get amazing tones with korean made Schecters and LTDs. 'Serious' players use whatever works, if you can find an epiphone that feels as good or better than a Gibson by all means buy it. Throw in some nice pickups and you're set, why spend money you don't have to

And you don't always get what you pay for, especially Gibsons. A new LP Custom is almost $4000 now, which is completely ridiculous. For that much money you could get a Suhr, an Anderson, or several PRS's or Hamers. All of those companies use higher quality materials and have much tighter quality control than Gibson