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[Chad K.]

USIWHEUIHFUIAHSUIEHGIUSHIURHIUJGIMEDR HOW MUCH FOR ONE

Also hellion believe me if you want awesome solid-state get a Marshall MG-series amp. It is the Only Good Amp.

Actually, two other amazing solid states- the Fender Jazzmaster series and Fender Stage 160 (the discontinued model, not the crappy DSP model).  The Jazzmaster has some of the best clean tones I've ever heard, and, for whatever reason, some great crunch tones.  The downside- almost $2000 for the amp and cab.  The Stage 160, on the other hand, has 400 watts through two celestions.  It listed new at $400, and I got mine for about $200.  Check the reviews, it's amazing.  No metal, but for indie rock, blues, jazz, etc. it sounds crazy good.  Every guitarist I have ever played with has made serious offers to buy that amp, and one replaced his 5150 and Laney combo set up with it.  The thing smokes.

[Patrick]

The one thing I'm having troubles with on my MG is the fact that I can't adjust specific bands of midrange. Having only a 3-band EQ can be really shit, especially with high-output pickups like my SG's, because it took me ages to get good tone out of my amp again. I try to go for a Ted Leo sound with my SG and a Malkmus sound with my Squier, and it's -possible-, but it's a bitch and a half trying to get the mids where I want them.

[hellion]

Try a EQ pedal in you're FX loop.

I want to add the Diezel Einstein to my list while I'm at it.

[RipTatermen]

Dream setup:
Red guitar
Three chords
The truth

Also on wishlist:
A basement (rockin' toob amps are no fun if you live in an apartment)
Custom-24 PRS (I like the rotary pickup switch)
A James Iha
One of those built-in motorized tuner things where you push a button and it goes to any alternate tuning

Now that I think about it, I need a Corgan I can be the James Iha for. I can play rhythm during the solos, and write a couple mopey songs per album, and get yelled at a lot.

[doombilly]

I'm pretty set with what I got. I might buy an Eastwood T & C Deluxe one day. Also I'd like to mod out my MIM Tele with some SD P-Rails, a Warmouth neck and a decent bridge & Sperzels (basically keeping the the body).

[Bearer]

Dream setup:
Red guitar
Three chords
The truth

Quote for truth, but I'll take a nice sunburst thank you very much.  Either that or a dark blue American Strat Hard tail.

[Patrick]

Dude just buy a Squier Bullet off of Ebay. The only part on a Strat that really needs American-manufactured precision treatment is the moving parts of tremolo system. If you're worried about pickup quality, just buy the American-made ones aftermarket and save yourself something like $400.

[Lummer]

Dude, I can tolerate your praising of the Marshall MG to a certain extent due to beginner's enthusiasm and lack of experience, but that statement really is totally off the rails.
Wood quality and workmanship is, was and always will be the most important factor in a guitar, and a Squier just can not deliver on those fronts at all.

All respect and love to you, I think you're a grat guy, but you really, REALLY need some more experience in terms of gear, dude.

EDIT: Oh, right, quoting the above post is a no-no.

[Patrick]

Dude consider the following facts:

- I still have my friend's gorgeous '90s Epiphone Sheraton in my room right now
- I've played vintage Rickenbackers and Gibsons, AC30s and Fender Reverbs that my mate's dad owns
- I've played the ORIGINAL Bo Diddley square guitar while he was busy signing my Johnson Stratocopy
- I have my own Gibson
- I've been playing for 5 years and have been getting myself kicked out of music shops for playing and not buying for the duration

I'd say that with all of the above being on my checklist, I am pretty well qualified to comment! Any objections remaining?

[doombilly]

Dude just buy a Squier Bullet off of Ebay. The only part on a Strat that really needs American-manufactured precision treatment is the moving parts of tremolo system. If you're worried about pickup quality, just buy the American-made ones aftermarket and save yourself something like $400.

Meh, Fender produces a lot of guitars in a lot of places. The non moving parts of my MIM Telecaster bridge were designed/assembled by retards. And the frets are soft as fuck. And the tuners are functional but the worst of my whole lot.

[Lummer]

Dude consider the following facts:

- I still have my friend's gorgeous '90s Epiphone Sheraton in my room right now
- I've played vintage Rickenbackers and Gibsons, AC30s and Fender Reverbs that my mate's dad owns
- I've played the ORIGINAL Bo Diddley square guitar while he was busy signing my Johnson Stratocopy
- I have my own Gibson
- I've been playing for 5 years and have been getting myself kicked out of music shops for playing and not buying for the duration

I'd say that with all of the above being on my checklist, I am pretty well qualified to comment! Any objections remaining?

Okay, fair is fair. It's just the praising of a Marshall MG-series and the recommendation of a Squier Bullet that just DOES NOT compute. I simply cannot understand how you can like that amp on par with so many others, I really can't.

What really did grate me the most though, was this: "The only part on a Strat that really needs American-manufactured precision treatment is the moving parts of tremolo system."
That's what caused me to go off like that. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sorry if I seemed like an ass saying it like that, but that statement really is wrong.

[Spluff]

I've gotta back Lummer on these points.

[Bearer]

Yeah, I too would definitely say the quality on an American made Fender would be better than one made in, say, Mexico or Japan (although the quality on my Korean made Koa Strat is actually really good).

And speaking of my Koa Strat, I just ordered a 250K Push/Pull Volume Pot for it that will allow me to turn on the bridge pickup whenever I want with whatever else is on the 5-way selector.  I want to install it myself, but judging from the fact that I've never really soldered much before and don't want to mess up my baby, I'll probably get this guy who builds tube-amps to put it in (depending on the price of course; The Pot itself was only $9)

Yay for the Neck/bridge.  I'll have a Telocaster!

[Patrick]

Ohohohohoho, now you got me interested.

What's the difference between hand-wound and machine-wound pickups, then? I can understand (because I can hear) the difference between most tube amps and most solid-state amps. I can't tell any difference between hand-wound and machine-wound pickups. There's a difference in sound and volume relating to the amount of wire wound around each pickup, but I really don't understand what the fuss is over hand-wound pickups. Do skin cells really give your tone that much of a raw, organic boost? I highly doubt it.

The main difference in guitar prices is how pretty or rare the wood is, how it's manipulated into becoming a guitar, and how the finish is done. Example: a Gibson CS-356 and a Gibson ES-339 are the EXACT SAME GUITAR, except the CS-356 is all carved from a single piece of mahogany and has a bookmatched grade AAAA flame maple top and is covered in gold-plated hardware, while the ES-339 is made the exact same way as an ES-335: Maple back, maple sides, bookmatched grade AAA flame maple top, and standard-issue nickel hardware.

Does a 356 play better than a 339? No. Does it sound any different? Yes, the multi-piece maple gives it a brighter attack and is much quicker to feed back.

Now, let's compare the Squier Bullet to a hardtail American Stratocaster. American Strat has a standard Fender two-piece alder body, same as a MexiStrat, but it's prettier wood than you'll ever find in a Mexi. The Bullet is slightly thinner and made out of plywood, hence the lack of a transparent finish. Both options are structurally legit for this application, and the plywood is in fact stronger due to the fact that it's fucking plywood, but is lighter than the alder and therefore there doesn't need to be as much of it to keep the sustain going. Pickups in the American Strat? I am pretty sure they're machine-wound, just like the Squier. No difference there, except the American Strat has a way to stop hum better than any pure single-coil. The pickup mounts on the American Strat aren't made out of shitty soft plastic like the Squier's are, and are less likely to strip out during adjustments. Pickguard is the exact same. The bridge-and-tailpiece unit on the hardtail version of the American Strat is mass-produced just like the Bullet's.

And since this is a hardtail, the tremolo is a moot point anyway.

Really, you're just paying for more choice woods, better pickups and electronics (which can be replaced EASILY on the Squier), and much more professional out-of-the-box setup (which you can do yourself if you're not too lazy to Google it). And the wood's a damn ripoff if you're just buying a guitar with a solid opaque finish. All of this just so you can have a different serial number and "Fender" decal slapped on the headstock? Bloody robbery.

[RipTatermen]

Playing a lot of guitars is great, but you won't notice the subtle differences just from trying them out. It's not necessarily a US/not US thing, either. Gibson can be kind of crap; a good Epi, with better hardware added, can be far superior to much of what Gibson is putting out, for much less. And their acoustic factory in Bozeman is legendarily incompetent. Craftsmanship seems to be kind of a crapshoot with Fender, but it's safe to assume that a hecho en Mexico axe will have inferior wood, a lumpier neck, etc., and that the components, soldering, pups, tuners, etc. are all of lower quality. A lot of these issues are undetectable to the casual consumer, though, so they don't necessarily have to be a big issue if they don't bother the player. I used to think Godin were awesome, and they are, but after shaping necks at PRS for a year, I can't go near one, 'cause they're seriously some of the worst necks I've ever felt. Plenty of people like Godin, though, and good for them! And Taylor famously makes acoustics out of shipping palettes that apparently sound great. I think it mostly just boils down to being happy and comfortable with one's instrument. OK, enough rambling.

[imapiratearg]

I'm going to have to agree with Patrick, Lummer.  Squire makes some seriously choice guitars.  There's a Squire Tele Custom at the guitar shop I frequent with dual P-90s and a maple neck, and it sounds bloody brilliant.  It plays just as well as any American Stratocaster to boot.  I think I played an American Highway Stratocaster, and the Tele sounded just as good, if not better, and played just as well.

[Patrick]

And Taylor famously makes acoustics out of shipping palettes that apparently sound great

I'm gonna make an electric with my dad out of parts of a shipping pallet that once contained an airplane wing. To be fair, it's some pretty choice Romanian birch (and such a huge solid slab of it, too!), but still.

[imapiratearg]

Those are the best sounding shipping palettes I have ever heard, if that's the case with Taylors.

[Nodaisho]

Gibson can be kind of crap; a good Epi, with better hardware added, can be far superior to much of what Gibson is putting out, for much less.

That include the faded specials? I have seen Epis that only cost maybe a hundred dollars less, but the faded special is the cheapest Gibson I have ever seen, of course.

It isn't a bullet, but the Squier I have played has such a nice action that I almost don't like it, because I am barely getting any feedback that I am actually holding down the strings. Reminds me of the semi-hollow my first teacher had. No buzzing whatsoever, though, and it has a pretty nice neck, especially considering the $150 cost, where fret edges that aren't dangerous to your hands are considered unnecessary luxuries.

[Spluff]

Squiers and Epiphones can be great, they can also be terrible. They vary wildly, due to the nature of their production.

[Nodaisho]

Honestly, I think the people making them first get drunk off their asses, then pick what quality each of the parts is going to be by throwing blindfolded at a dartboard.

[RipTatermen]

Here's the deal with the pallet guitars. I totally spelled pallet wrong before. I'd love to have one, if they were commensurately priced, but oh well.
I can't speak to specific Gibsons, I'm just saying that as a rule, paying more for a US-made Gibson does not guarantee a better product than an Epi from Koh-rea or wherever.

[spluk]

about making an electric guitar...
unless you have all the proper tools, it is a pain to make.
I decided to make one because i am cheap.  I also didn't know weather i would end up liking the guitar either.
I still dont know but am enrolled in a begining guitar class at school next year.
Also, dont make a neck.  Just buy one.  After the fifth or sixth try i just gave up.  Hit ebay or a pawn shop.
I used plywood and it turned out pretty nice.  Kinda ran out of time in the finishing department.
I also decided to handmake the pickups.  It is a hand wound single coil of 4.5Kohm resistance.
For some reason though it is a fairly quiet guitar.  The amp i tested it on had to be truned to 10 to get a comfortable sound level out of it.
I think i remedied this by putting another magnet on top of the strings over the pickup.  It seems to work but i dont know why.  multiplies the volume by about 3 times.  Also kinda distorts it a little.  Almost sounds like an overdrive.  I dont know weather to recommend trying this with a fancy guitar though.
It sounds pretty good for roughly $100.
about 60 photos of the process.  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000316&l=f2961&id=1015564627

[Patrick]

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/archive/older/pallet.html

Just for the record, this completely reamed my browser (Firefox).

unless you have all the proper tools, it is a pain to make.

The tools my dad and I are going to be using are a lathe, bandsaw, router, drill press, drill, files, belt sander, and airbrush. We've been reverse-engineering other electric guitars (Fender and Gibson style) for two years now. I'm pretty sure we can give those old boys at Gibson a run for their money. Remember, my old man and I are just doing what Brian May and his dad did several years ago.

A trick to necks is to cut them absolutely straight, if not with a very minute (read: hardly noticeable) convex curve before string tension and truss adjustment. That way, when you put strings on it, it will cause it to straighten out or bow a tiny bit concave. Makes life easier for your truss rod that way.

Another important thing about necks is that if you have already fixed your bridge to the guitar, if you make even a millimeter's worth of error in making the pocket for your neck joint, you are going to have intonation problems for the entire life of your guitar. Attach the neck first (especially if you're setting the neck instead of bolting it on). When you've attached the neck, only then should you fix the bridge, and my old man has created a special little jig for bridge mounting on acoustics (hence why my restored Kay intonates like a damn Stradivarius).

Since the slab of birch that my dad and I have is seriously so friggin' big, we're just going to make the whole thing out of one piece. We'll just rout a truss rod groove and install it, slap a fretboard, frets, and a graphite nut on there (don't know yet what scale length I want though), find where to attach the bridge using a modified version of my dad's little mount-preparation jig, mount the roller tune-o-matic bridge and Jag trem tailpiece on there, and then and only then will we start routing for pickups and electronics cavities (always good to have all that shit aligned).

I still haven't decided whether I want this sucker to have PAFs, P-90s or, god forbid, even Duncan Quarter Pound Jag pickups. Here's where I'm going to ask for suggestions. I want to have that delicious rhythm sound that PAFs make when you're using two of them at the same time, but I want the bright, snappy "DOO DOODEE DOO" sound that you get out of a Telecaster's neck pickup (see: "Slipped And Fell In Love" by Alan Jackson), and I want the bright, snappy sound of the PAF bridge. I'll have a volume and tone pot for each pickup just 'cause I refuse to have any less.

I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't go back to the dude we got the wood from and see if he has any more of that pallet left, because damned if I don't want a guitar with a pair of each of those kinds of pickups just for the lulz.

[valley_parade]

It's just the praising of a Marshall MG-series and the recommendation of a Squier Bullet that just DOES NOT compute. I simply cannot understand how you can like that amp on par with so many others, I really can't.

They're surprisingly good.

There's a Squire Tele Custom at the guitar shop I frequent with dual P-90s and a maple neck, and it sounds bloody brilliant.

Ah yes, the Custom II. My friend's got one.

(PS: keep bringing up the quality, Squier. You're making some nice, affordable shit right now)

[FireAarro]

i made guitar

lego pickup winder = badassssss

[A Wet Helmet]

A bunch of stuff about making a guitar
about 60 photos of the process.  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2000316&l=f2961&id=1015564627

Hey man... I can help you out a little bit just from having looked at your photos.   I make guitars myself, including winding my own pickups on a home made winding machine, so I know every bit of your pain.

First of all, big freaking kudos to you for putting a guitar together for about $100.  I average about $600 per guitar on mine and my wife would be thrilled if I would just cut that in half, much less if I could build one for $100.

Here's some hints in the pickup department: 

You say that your wire is breaking a lot.  Yep, it'll do that.  That wire isn't made to come off the spool the way you have it set up, like it's a spool of thread on a sewing machine.  It needs to pull off the end of the spool.  I actually use a cymbal stand I "borrowed" from my son's drum kit lowered way down with the very top (where the cymbal attaches) at about a 45 degree angle.   I've found that it pulls far easier if it's lower than the winder too.   

If the pickup works but is very quiet there are usually two reasons for that.

1) It's not powerful enough.  Put more wraps on that sucker and make sure you're not using a magnet that's too weak.   Changing to 43 gauge wire makes a huge difference in the number of wraps you can get on a coil.  It wouldn't seem like it, but it does.  Also make sure that when you're wrapping you're getting that stuff on there tight.  Winding fast with slack wire I can fill a single coil bobbin in about 2k turns.  Winding slowly with enough tension on the damn thing that I'm sure the wire will break any second, I get almost 8k.  There is a huge output difference between the two, obviously.

2) Move the pickup a little closer to the strings.  It's hard to tell from your photos, but less than a 1/4" can make a huge difference in how much output you're getting from your pickup.  I will confess though, I've never built myself a transverse mounted bar pickup.  I don't know what kind of unique considerations you get with something like that.  I'm actually sitting here trying to work out the gauss field in my head based on your photos and thinking that I need to google a little bit.

[spluk]

http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn238/splukzor/
the magnets in the pickup are the small one on the right.
there are five of them and are connected together on both sides by a small metal plate to help even the field (5 magnets, 6 strings  )
as far as i know, they are high-grade neodymium.  What grade, i am not sure, but they are really potent.
it is about .25'' from the strings.
The one that i place on top to get the amplification effect is the large one on the left.
to get that effect though, the magnet has to be almost on top of the strings and feeling the pull of the pickup magnets.
I think that the ineteraction of the two magnets are creating a more intense field inbetween allowing more energy to transfer into the pickup wire.
I am not sure though, we haven't really got there in physics class yet, but i am hoping to know more about it by the end of the year (school year)

[Patrick]

Dude now you've got me curious and I really want to try it. I still have that middle pickup that I ripped out of my Squier, I bet I could use that magnet...

(5 minutes later)

Hm, interesting. If anything, when I put the extra pickup above the other pickup at any distance, it didn't do anything. Interestingly, though, when I moved it toward the bridge, I actually had a -decrease- in volume. If I moved it around, I got a strange crackly sound.

Edit: Wait a second, how far away are the strings themselves from the pickup that's wired into the guitar? Do you think that might have something to do with it? I'd adjust pickup height in relation to the strings on my own guitar to test it out, but the last time I did that the mount stripped, heh.

[doombilly]

Wow Patrick, the birch beast sounds like a great project. I wish I didn't live several state away from my dad. And we weren't both too old to do some stuff. But I swear I want to mod out my tele and get him to make me a cursive logo with our surname for the headstock. He's always been good at free-handing stuff like that.

[spluk]

well, i didn't use a second pickup, just a really big magnet.
also, the side of the magnet has to be attracted to the pickup, not repulsing.
The spacing between the pickup on the bottom is .25'' from the strings and the magnet on top is practically on the strings but not touching because then it alters the pitch and you get a REALLY loud distorted tone.
it might also be because of the uniqueness of my handbuilt pickup..
I will try to make an mp3 w/ and w/o out the magnet.

[spluk]

okay, i made an mp3. It might be a little soft. http://media.putfile.com/guitar-test-70
keep in mind i dont know how to play guitar yet, so it is just one note.
The first one is without the magnet, the second with.
The difference (besides in volume) is much more noticable at high volumes with hard strumming.
This was recorded through my stereo, not an amp due to not owning an amp.
You also have to trust me that i didn't fiddle with the gain or anything between notes.
a picture for what i am doing with the magnetduring the secon note.
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/nn238/splukzor/

[PECOAE]

OK, so my guitar teacher finally told my dad off about my having a shitty acoustic.

SO I'M GETTING A NEW ACOUSTIC! $400 budget.

I don't really like Yamahas and stuff and I like really oaky, woody woods.

[Caspian]

Bought a Marshall MS-4 Micro stack today, quite good indeed! Whenthe gain goes above 6 or so it sounds like poo, but I'm honestly quite impressed by the clean sounds, and the sounds when you get the power amp distortion.

I was going to buy an acoustic for the camping trip, but the MS-4 sounds sweet, and we all know that electric guitars > acoustic guitars.

Furthermore, I will finally be getting another Les Paul in a fortnight or so! (Last one was stolen). I can only hope it was as good as my last one- it was unbelievably heavy, far heavier then any other LP I've ever played, but despite that (or perhaps because of it) it sounded freaking huge, and I'm a pretty big dude so the weight didn't worry me all that much.

[onewheelwizzard]

Guys, someone who recently moved into my house has one of these.  I got to play it tonight (I totally don't appreciate guitars fully because I play bass but it still felt pretty amazing).

I think his dad used to run Gibson.  Like, literally.

[David_Dovey]

Wow, that's way pretty.

I assistant engineered on a friend's recording last night where the guitarist had a semi-hollow thinline Tele. Like so:



I splooged.

edited for smaller pic

[Caspian]

There need to be more blue guitars out there. Seriously, Sunburst= not that great.

[David_Dovey]

Also more purple sparkle guitars

[Beastmouth]

OK, so my guitar teacher finally told my dad off about my having a shitty acoustic.

SO I'M GETTING A NEW ACOUSTIC! $400 budget.

I don't really like Yamahas and stuff and I like really oaky, woody woods.

If you go for one of the pricier Yamahas you can get a damn fine nylonstring


Also, who gives a shit what color the jazzmaster is?  I just want one that's left-handed!

[FireAarro]

OK, so my guitar teacher finally told my dad off about my having a shitty acoustic.

SO I'M GETTING A NEW ACOUSTIC! $400 budget.

I don't really like Yamahas and stuff and I like really oaky, woody woods.

If you go for one of the pricier Yamahas you can get a damn fine nylonstring


Also, who gives a shit what color the jazzmaster is?  I just want one that's left-handed!

Japan still makes lefty Jazzmasters.

[Spluff]

I assistant engineered on a friend's recording last night where the guitarist had a semi-hollow thinline Tele. Like so:

That's pretty cool, what does it sound like?

[imapiratearg]

Also more purple sparkle guitars

J Mascis Signature Jazzmaster

WOOO!

I don't really like Yamahas and stuff and I like really oaky, woody woods.

If you go for one of the pricier Yamahas you can get a damn fine nylonstring

He said he doesn't really like Yamahas.  Washburn makes some pretty nice guitars for cheap.  My D10S apparently sounds pretty awesome, as all my friends love how it sounds, and it was only $250 with a case.  It's mahogany sides and back, and spruce top, I believe.

[valley_parade]

A: STOP FUCKING MAKING ROBOT GUITARS, GIBSON

B: LEAVE THE FUCKING PURPLE SPARKLY THINGS TO FENDER, GIBSON.

C: WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CHARGING $2700 FOR A LES PAUL STUDIO, GIBSON?

[David_Dovey]

That's pretty cool, what does it sound like?

We actually ran the guitar straight into a DI box, so I got to hear the guitar's tone, uncoloured by amp or pedal or anything.

To describe the tone in a simple phrase? Liquid sex.

P.S; GIBSON. NO.

[doombilly]

WOOO!

I don't really like Yamahas and stuff and I like really oaky, woody woods.

If you go for one of the pricier Yamahas you can get a damn fine nylonstring

He said he doesn't really like Yamahas.  Washburn makes some pretty nice guitars for cheap.  My D10S apparently sounds pretty awesome, as all my friends love how it sounds, and it was only $250 with a case.  It's mahogany sides and back, and spruce top, I believe.

Hmm. There are a lot of acoustics in that price range. DO NOT get a $200ish dollar Epiphone acoustic. You can probably find a Seagull in that range. They play wonderful but don't sound the best.
http://musical-instruments.pricegrabber.com/acoustic-guitars/m/19863639/st=product/sv=title/

[Gemmwah]

I like the purple, but WHAT.

[Patrick]

The one thing I'd like to see with a robot guitar is to see how fast it tunes. Because what if it tunes all shitty-slow?

I would be the cockbag who would use a looper pedal and play bluesy shit in open G (think "Travelling Riverside Blues", Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions), then start up the looper, go back to drop D, solo for a bit, and then go back to open G and finish.

Also, thanks to Shane's linkage, I want the one with P-90s.

Hooooooooly fuck, Hagstrom, I love you

[valley_parade]

I like the purple, but WHAT.

Say no to the Man! Get the Mascis Jazzmaster instead!

[Patrick]

You can strip it and give it a real colour!

[valley_parade]

Dude, I think the Mascis Jazzmaster looks awesome in purple/gold.