Topic: The Guitar Topic (Read 1986432 times)

BaneAtvar · « **Reply #3800 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 10:57 »

pirate:

Meet the Sheraton.

I've played one, and it sounds beautiful. There are only 3 Epiphone semi-hollows: Casino, Riviera and Sheraton. The Dot is not nearly as good. Not even close.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3801 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 11:10 »

I've been looking at Sheratons, too.

But look:

ghalhglghlealhgl

I'm mostly just torn as to whether or not I want a guitar with P-90's or humbuckers.

Tehz · « **Reply #3802 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 11:59 »

I would love to own a Casino. Hot damn.

zerobar · « **Reply #3803 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 15:27 »

Alright, got my camera, so here's a few of the guitars I've had the pleasure of owning.

"Kramer" strat. I actually made this from a bunch of Fender parts, but you can't find fender headstock decals, so I used a Kramer one. To be fair, Kramer did make strat copies with strat headstocks, until Fender threatened to sue them in the early 80's.

Peavey Tracer II. Probably my favorite guitar right now, especially since it's not unusual to find them for around $100, and it's american made. The stock pickups are absolute trash though, but drop in you favorite set (this one's a dimarizio tone zone and air norton s) and the thing screams. Best neck i've ever played. thin profile, but ROUND not like most import ibanez's. Plus, the best thing is it's Gibson 24.75" scale, which means you can put the action at almost nothing, without it fretting out. The bridge worries me though, since Kahler doesn't make the model anymore, and parts are hard to find. Still, if you find one of these at a pawn shop BUY IT! As good as anything up to the $700 price range.

Here's my 7 string. The guy who owned it before my stripped the finish off and put a kahler on it. Fun guitar.

BaneAtvar · « **Reply #3804 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 17:54 »

That strat looks gorgeous. I love daphne blue (that's more of a greenish blue though, not sure on the colour) strats.

0.012 gauge strings, this thing is as stable as a rock. Loving it. CIJ though, not Fancy Shmancy AVRI.

greenMonkey · « **Reply #3805 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 18:04 »

Whatever. I've played my friends CIJ Jazzmaster and it rocks so hard.

zerobar · « **Reply #3806 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 18:09 »

^^Thank you. I had a friend who called it "Hospital Green," which is actually a pretty accurate descriptor. Pretty easy to put together, and affordable, too. Given the prices of parts on ebay, you cna build a strat with all american electronics and new liscensed hard parts for around $400. It plays better than any Mexi Strat I've ever used too.

When I finish the re-finish on my other Tracer, I'll have to post it up here. Amazing what you can do with some $3 cans of Krylon lacquer and some painters tape.

Bearer · « **Reply #3807 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 21:49 »

A fretless guitar?

zerobar · « **Reply #3808 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 22:04 »

^nice. Vai had a 3 neck Jem with a 6, 12 and 6 string fretless necks.

valley_parade · « **Reply #3809 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 04:59 »

I cancelled on the Duo-Sonic because the economy is fucking butthurting and I really CANNOT afford it right now.

Bleh. I guess my plan of attack now is to rebuild my Squier Bullet. Just needs tuners, pickups, and electronics.

Chad K. · « **Reply #3810 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 08:33 »

Might I suggest http://www.guitarfetish.com for pickups, tuners and electronics. All their stuff is ridiculously cheap and good. Definitely check out reviews of their pickups; they're top-notch and dirt cheap.

valley_parade · « **Reply #3811 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 08:39 »

Yeah, I was planning on getting everything I needed from Guitar Fetish. Actually, the guy with the Duo-Sonic replaced the stock pickups with GFS, and he's in love with the sound.

zerobar · « **Reply #3812 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 10:06 »

I'd never looked at GFS's prices on their website directly. Not bad. You could also go the route of buying some pickups from an American strat off ebay. That's what I did for my strat, and it cost me about $15 per pickup. They're about the same price as GFS, but, it's all up to what you want for sound.

valley_parade · « **Reply #3813 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 10:14 »

If I ever built a proper Strat, I'd probably buy Fender's Custom Shop '69 set (hand-wound by Abigail Ybarra).

BaneAtvar · « **Reply #3814 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 14:59 »

I got those on my American 40th Anniversary.

They sound REAL fat, so be wary of that. To proper sound decent, you really need a thick gauge of strings. Top notch definition and clarity, though.

They combine pretty well with rosewood fingerboards.

Ballard · « **Reply #3815 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 15:39 »

Guys I've decided that I'm getting an Elvis Costello Jazzmaster. It does not matter that it's $1600 and I am broke and don't have a job. This is happening. WE ARE NOT ARGUING THIS!

Tehz · « **Reply #3816 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 19:46 »

Be sure to post plenty of pictures when that happens.

argh, just knowing that someone else is getting one of those and I'm not irritates me.

greenMonkey · « **Reply #3817 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 20:36 »

Quote from: Ballard on 10 Feb 2009, 15:39

Guys I've decided that I'm getting an Elvis Costello Jazzmaster. It does not matter that it's $1600 and I am broke and don't have a job. This is happening. WE ARE NOT ARGUING THIS!

I can't decide what I would like more: a Costello Jazzmaster or a tricked out G & L ASAT Classic Bluesboy Semi-Hollow with a Bigsby on it.

Ballard · « **Reply #3818 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 21:39 »

Quote from: Tehz on 10 Feb 2009, 19:46

Be sure to post plenty of pictures when that happens.

argh, just knowing that someone else is getting one of those and I'm not irritates me.

It's starting to be creepy how we're so similar. First the avatar, now this?

(Note: I'm not actually getting it. It's not that I have the money and am spending it on this when I should be spending it on something else. I don't have even close to the money. I am just being belligerent in hopes that it will score me a $1600 guitar!)

Quote from: greenMonkey on 10 Feb 2009, 20:36

I can't decide what I would like more

Nope, guess again.

edwinalink · « **Reply #3819 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 22:07 »

okay, like the bible this thread was just way to long to read(right now), but i currently have a B.C. Rich N.J. Warlock.

and I'd post pictures, but i hate the thing.

you wanna know why? no?

well I'll tell you anyways,

I'm left handed, I hate tremolos, its only skill is generic chugging. it wont stayed tuned for more than a minute.... AND ITS FLEXY AS ALL GET OUT!!!

so now im looking at this or a lefty shecter C-1...

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Left-Handed-Les-Paul-Custom-Electric-Guitar-102145414-i1150076.gc

and a boss GT-10... as for amps, still in the air, i know it wont be crate... not doing that again!

Ballard · « **Reply #3820 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 22:38 »

Why did you buy a B.C. Rich Warlock?

edwinalink · « **Reply #3821 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 22:42 »

i was young and stupid

it was pretty and cheap.

i guess thats how most bad relationships start!

also, I'm a bit of a metalhead, and it was just so METAL!

zerobar · « **Reply #3822 on:** 10 Feb 2009, 23:34 »

Well, if you don't like the trem, you can always block it. And, assuming the screws haven't loosened in the neck joint, it can always be shimmed tight. It might not make it great, but it'd go a long ways towards making it playable.

valley_parade · « **Reply #3823 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 04:54 »

Quote from: Ballard on 10 Feb 2009, 15:39

Guys I've decided that I'm getting an Elvis Costello Jazzmaster. It does not matter that it's $1600 and I am broke and don't have a job. This is happening. WE ARE NOT ARGUING THIS!

Gene, I'm pretty sure you could build a verrrrry similar guitar for under a grand. Or near a grand.

Noff · « **Reply #3824 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 07:26 »

Quote from: edwinalink on 10 Feb 2009, 22:07

okay, like the bible this thread was just way to long to read(right now), but i currently have a B.C. Rich N.J. Warlock.

and I'd post pictures, but i hate the thing.

you wanna know why? no?

well I'll tell you anyways,

I'm left handed, I hate tremolos, its only skill is generic chugging. it wont stayed tuned for more than a minute.... AND ITS FLEXY AS ALL GET OUT!!!

so now im looking at this or a lefty shecter C-1...

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Left-Handed-Les-Paul-Custom-Electric-Guitar-102145414-i1150076.gc

and a boss GT-10... as for amps, still in the air, i know it wont be crate... not doing that again!

Oooh ooh buy the C-1. The LP's have the most wildly inconsistent quality of anything epiphone makes. Schecter on the other hand is almost always a good deal.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3825 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 08:03 »

Agreed. Schecter are consistently pretty solid guitars. I nearly bought an S-1 Elite, once upon a time.

Ballard · « **Reply #3826 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 09:16 »

Quote from: valley_parade on 11 Feb 2009, 04:54

Quote from: Ballard on 10 Feb 2009, 15:39
Guys I've decided that I'm getting an Elvis Costello Jazzmaster. It does not matter that it's $1600 and I am broke and don't have a job. This is happening. WE ARE NOT ARGUING THIS!

Gene, I'm pretty sure you could build a verrrrry similar guitar for under a grand. Or near a grand.

Links? I finally checked out GFS but they pretty much only have Strat and Tele parts. And I'm looking at Warmoth right now but it's pretty confusing.

How hard would this be?

valley_parade · « **Reply #3827 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 09:33 »

I'd go with dguitarparts.com for your body and other stuff. They sell jag/jazz/mustang bits.

Also, Musikraft if you want a neck with the Jazzmaster headstock.
https://www.musikraft.com/product-info.php?pid66.html

edwinalink · « **Reply #3828 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 11:17 »

thanks noff and imapiratergh! i think i will!

now if the neck on the c-1 feels a bit fender-y, that would also be awesome. as all the fenders/strats i ever messed with always felt great in the neck!

and the epi/gibson necks felt a bit to fat. not gigantic and rectangular like my warlock. but im a beginner, so the easier the better!

and zerobar,

thanks for the advice, but im pretty sure there's a crack in it. and i just cant stand anything about it!

but... for the future, how does one "block" a trem? that would really open up my guitar choices!

zerobar · « **Reply #3829 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 12:17 »

All you do is find or make a piece of wood that'll fit tightly behind the block of the trem (the part the springs attach to) and the body of the guitar. That way, the trem can't move forward, and the tension of the strings prevents it from moving backward (if you have a floating trem). You essentially turn your trem equipped guitar into a hardtail.

I do this as an intermediate process when setting up floyds, so that when the guitar is in tune, the bridge is level. It helps to get the spring tension right.

edwinalink · « **Reply #3830 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 13:17 »

i have a floyd rose, so i may try that.

but the C-1 im looking at is 600, so i can buy it soon.

i really hope it doesnt suck!

???

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Schecter-C-1-Artist-Limited-Edition-Left-Handed-Electric-Guitar-516751-i1149086.gc

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #3831 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 13:35 »

So at the moment all i have is a fender squier acoustic which is nice but has a really fat neck which makes playing quite hard and a busted old mexican strat which i really don't like.

I want a new guitar but i'm unsure whether to get electric or acoustic. These are a couple of options i like the look of but the acoustic may be a little bit too expensive.

Maton EMC225

Maton MS500

By the way, buying either of these would help stimulate the australian economy for anyone who has read the rebate thread in I Like HURRRRR.

doombilly · « **Reply #3832 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 16:07 »

So I took a 4 hour long "class" on how to do setups on guitars. I got the frets dressed and a complete setup on my '78 Mustang. I've been so busy I've not even had a chance to play that guitar.

#Edit

And I waited until the luthier guy picked it up, because the little mofo weighs about 2x as most guitars I've played. He kept looking at the grain and siad it was probably either oak or ash. Either way, I have this thing around my neck and it's like I strapped a Buick to my torso.

zerobar · « **Reply #3833 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 18:04 »

I'd seen an epiphone from the 80's at a pawn shop called a "Genesis." Single heaviest guitar I have ever picked up. Probably twice as much as a les paul. even weirder was it was about the size of a les paul. Kinda looked like a double cut les paul. Apparently they were very popular with punk bands in the 80's because they were cheap, punchy, and the neck joint was relatively weak, so you could smash 'em pretty easily.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3834 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 20:48 »

So, I think I am very sloppy at playing the guitar. I bet I have a bunch of very bad habits. For instance: my pinky seems to naturally curl away from the fretboard, leaving only my first three fingers above it for the most part.

Grr.

Ballard · « **Reply #3835 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 21:14 »

protip: this is the one time playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band will ever help you play actual guitar

Just use the blue and orange buttons a lot and your pinky strength and accuracy will improve greatly. It's how I learned to play four finger lead guitar instead of just three.

zerobar · « **Reply #3836 on:** 11 Feb 2009, 23:38 »

Either that, or i just learned to use my pinky more by running major scales across the fretboard and forcing myself to use my pinky. After a while, it starts to feel normal.

^I have to say that, either because of doing scales the "proper way," or because of playing rock band/guitar hero at a high level, that my switches between "1 to 4" stretches and "1 to 5" stretches became much easier.

Honestly, the best way I found to get better at lead guitar was just to run scales in all different ways. Look up on www.ultimate-guitar.com the Steve Vai "10 hour guitar workout." It's got some great exercises to get your brain thinking the "lead guitarist" way.

valley_parade · « **Reply #3837 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 04:52 »

Quote from: zerobar on 11 Feb 2009, 12:17

I do this as an intermediate process when setting up floyds, so that when the guitar is in tune, the bridge is level. It helps to get the spring tension right.

See also: standard feature on Eric Clapton Strats.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3838 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 08:25 »

Quote from: zerobar on 11 Feb 2009, 23:38

Honestly, the best way I found to get better at lead guitar was just to run scales in all different ways. Look up on www.ultimate-guitar.com the Steve Vai "10 hour guitar workout." It's got some great exercises to get your brain thinking the "lead guitarist" way.

I'm trying to teach myself to do this stuff while also learning how to play and read at the same time. I took a little theory, so I can read music, but it's translating it to the instrument that is difficult. I'm taking classes in guitar, and my professor always stresses the importance of running scales as exercises and I always tell myself I need to do this, but instead I always opt for playing along with songs on my computer. :\

Ballard · « **Reply #3839 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 08:35 »

Except fuck Steve Vai and FUCK guitar teachers who stress playing scales til your fingers fall off.

That is a godawful teaching method. The best thing is to inspire yourself to learn new things. Learn a few chords, then learn a song that you love that forces you to practice those chords. Learn a few scales (not how to shred them, just the notes they consist of) and then rock out to someone else's band til you feel comfortable playing a solo. And so on and so forth.

What you're doing is how people burn out.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3840 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 08:37 »

Oh trust me, I think I've sat down once so far and tried to read a piece (it was fairly successful, but it was a simple little bit). The rest of the time, I am figuring out Beatles and Bob Marley songs by ear.

zerobar · « **Reply #3841 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 09:53 »

Well, I'm not saying that you should be trying to "run scales until your fingers fall off," but I do find that doing exercises that have you play notes in a scale in a different way than ascending/descending, make it alot easier to play solos that don't just "run scales." It also gets you to find more interesting ways to play things when you want to write your own lead stuff. I agree entirely about just doing scales, it doesn't make you a good guitarist if all you can do is shred scales over and over. But knowing where the scale lies on the fretboard can also get you to find different inversions of chords, as well.

I guess I'm just a proponent of KNOWING your scales not FOCUSING on them.

imapiratearg · « **Reply #3842 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 10:58 »

Well, yes. What I meant by "My professors stresses the importance of scales," I just meant that he says a good regimen of about 20 minutes of exercises with scales and chords a day will improve your playing.

Also, guys. I think I've figured out my ever-evolving Ideal Guitar. I want the right combination of sustain, jangle, warmth and bite at an affordable price. So basically, I'm thinking of buying a used Epiphone Sheraton and fitting it with some Guitar Fetish Retrotron pickups. Good idea? Bad idea?

zerobar · « **Reply #3843 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 13:53 »

There are plenty of hollow body guitars out there, but I guess all that matters is that it has the features/looks/feel that you want. Have you played one before? If I'm spending that much money on a guitar, I make sure I've either played one, or a comparable one from the same company, to make sure I like it. If that's the case, then go for it.

Bearer · « **Reply #3844 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 15:06 »

This custom short scale bass neck from ebay:

+ Natural clear-coat finish solid mahogany telecaster body from Warmoth
+ Various electronics

= Awesome ass project bass, yes or no?

I plan on extending the neck rout into the normal neck pickup spot and moving the bridge all the way back as far as I can to maintain the 30" scale length.

Ballard · « **Reply #3845 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 15:18 »

I dunno how much I'd dig the Tele shape as a bass but otherwise, fuck yeah building your own bass sounds awesome.

Bearer · « **Reply #3846 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 15:27 »

Yeah, it would basically look like this:

Just without the F-hole, and with the actuall tele pickguard and control knobs...also just a clear coat finish

Ballard · « **Reply #3847 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 15:50 »

Actually I like the idea of a Thinline bass more than just a regular Tele.

Bearer · « **Reply #3848 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 17:32 »

You know, the more I think about it the more the idea of a thinline tele-bass is growing on me. I think I may just do that rather than the solid. Then again, the project is basically hinging on me winning that neck (which incidentally has a Piezo pickup routed into the base of the neck).

greenMonkey · « **Reply #3849 on:** 12 Feb 2009, 18:47 »

Dude, a shortscale Thinline Tele-Bass would be awesome. The only hollow-body Tele-bass I've ever seen is the G&L one, and it is a long scale so it looks pretty awkward. I think a shortscale would be gorgeous though. And I love the sound of semi-hollowbody basses (my friend has a Mosrite Celebrity bass and while it is ridiculously neck heavy it is a joy to play and has utterly beautiful tone).

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Author Topic: The Guitar Topic (Read 1986432 times)