Anybody in to guitars?


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Good post Bennerley, long ago I have given up the ghost on owning a dream guitar... and now not a guitar snob,my lads mates come to our converted forge house to jam,I have a strat copy,a Hondo from '73 which the young uns won't put down when they visit..they seem to love old instruments even if they were crappy copies back then.my cheap battered Akai bass,they love that,went into a pub the other week to collect my lads kit..the landlord gave me a burns guitar and a ' crybaby'!!.. been dumped!!

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For my 14th birthday in August 1964 my older sister Marion took me to The Odeon in Nottingham to see The Beatles in “A Hard Days Night”. I'd started listening to The Fabs when Marion brought home thei

It was done in a flash. It obviously affected his playing momentarily but it didn't detract from the song. He was the absolute master. As I've stated elsewhere on other topics, I've seen nearly every

Someone can dump a Burns Split Sonic or Bison Bass my way any time!!!!!!

I had a Split Sonic played it until it took a fall at the Horse and Jockey, Bulwell, Knocked the headstock clean of! the funeral was a private quiet affair! I did have it repaired, a really great job but they never seem to play the same. Apart from the Gibson EB2 basses I've owned, two and one Epiphone version [love em' cab crushing monsters that they are] the best guitar I ever owned was a jap built Fender Strat re-issue, it knocked spots of any yank Strat! it had such a tonal range the top end would break windows and you could play bass solo's on the bottom end! Sadly, stolen. Just realised the F95 is in my profile pic!

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There's something about old guitars - even cheap ones.

I remember when my brother and I got the parts for a Watkins Rapier and spent ages in my dad's garage trying to spray it and put it together. The wood was like chipboard and the pickups were toytown.

Made us appreciate what was good about Gibsons and Fenders!

Robert Smith (of The Cure) had a favourite guitar. A Woolworths Top 20 which he used with a Roland amp with its Chorus control turned right up.

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If you fancy a new quality guitar electric or acoustic have a look at PRS guitars. They are now the 3rd largest manufacturer of guitars in the world and are all hand made apart from a CNC routing machine. They have US made ones in the region of £800 to £8000+ and cheaper ones made in Korea usually designated 'SE' which some people say means 'student edition' but that's not true. The main difference with PRS is that the Korean made ones are as revered as much as the US made guitars and, in my experience, play equally as well unlike Fender and Gibson who's non-US made guitars are classed as second rate and really aren't up to the quality of the US made ones.

I have a couple of SE's available if anyone wants first dibs before I stick 'em on eBay or Gumtree:

This is one of the earliest SE's made by PRS - it a 2001 PRS Santana signature SE

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This is a 2004 (if I remember correctly) PRS Paul Allender SE signature - it's a proper shredders machine so if you like your heavy stuff this the beasty for you. Note the bat inlays on the fretboard, quite unusual, PRS normally have moons or falcons.

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Both guitars are used but in good condition fully working with no major dings or scratches. They're both reasonably priced. If anyone is interested please PM me, I don't want to discuss finances in public, I would but the mods may not like it, I dunno.

Both are cheap and would make excellent Christmas presents thumbsup

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I'm a fan of most of the 'classic' guitars like Strats and Les Pauls but I particularly like some of the more unusual looking models.

I really like the Thomas Maltese Surfer that Ian Hunter used to use. He said he got rid of it because it got photographed more than he did !

There's a guitar made by a company called Parker which feels as though it has a metal body (I think it's actually carbon fibre).

Has quite a unique tone.

In italy I worked with a guitarist who played a Paridis guitar. Electric but with nylon strings AND with a sub-octave for every string.

And of course, who can foget the Dan Armstrong plexi guitar. Clear plastic.

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I didn't know Gibson manufactured the brand outside the US. -- where are they made ?

I don't include Epiphone although I have a '96 Epi Les Paul and a 2008 Gibson Les Paul Supreme -- the difference of £2k in the prices I paid isn't really reflected in the sound/quality of the 2 guitars, but do like the 2 Eggles I have -- a '97 Berlin Pro and a '97 Iommi Atist sig.. SG.

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I didn't know Gibson manufactured the brand outside the US. -- where are they made ?

I was on about Epiphone, they can be made in Korea, China, Indonesia and Mexico (Mexico branded as Gibson I think)

How much is a Ted Newman these days?

One sold on eBay for $8,500.00 in 2012

This quote from the Fender site always makes me smile:

I got no problems with Mexican Fenders, they're made in Mexico by Mexicans instead of made in California by Mexicans
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The two Gibson basses I owned were American and so was the Epiphone, I suppose to match the Epiphone Casino six string, I'm pretty sure the Epi's had a slightly less powered hum bucking pickup, simpler controls and a poorer finish, I think all Epi's are now made in SE Asia.

The Epiphone Texan was a great acoustic guitar, I always wanted one! I ended up having a custom made acoustic that was modelled on the Texan and made by a guy called Al Gormley a local guitar maker.

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Serious question, because I would like to know the answer:

We hear of Fenders and Gibsons being the best guitars, but what makes them great. To me they are pieces of shaped solid wood, with a neck, strings and pick-ups. Is there something in the electronics that makes them sound 'better' than all others?

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Whilst Fender and Gibson do indeed make "Great" guitars, so do many other manufacturers, past and present.

As a guitarist , we all want a certain sound and feel from our instruments, it's just a matter of opinion.

"Tone" can come from the guitar, the fingers and the amplification/effects in the case of electric guitars.

With accoustic guitars , the sound is more to do with the material/quality and the construction/design of the body.

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My Gibson Les Paul weighs a ton that's why I don't like playing it much

The Fender Strat is still a good piece of lumber about 3/4 the wt of the Gibson

I think the wood used gives it more sustain

Now to acoustic guitars I do like my Martin dred Mahogany & Alvarez 12 string but expencive

Yamaha NTX700 nylon string electric/acoustic most played out of the bunch good price good quality best buy ever.

La Patrie hybrid Canadian made solid wood no laminate better bass.

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So, to the listener it doesn't matter what make/type of guitar it is, it is the player who appreciates the instrument and its ergonomics?

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That would depend on what you want. I tend to buy mine via the t'interweb from trusted dealers of new and second hand guitars and equipm(ent. Anything specific?

Dreadnought, but I have got to play them so darent use net

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So, to the listener it doesn't matter what make/type of guitar it is, it is the player who appreciates the instrument and its ergonomics?

I would say yes. Members of any audience aren't usually concerned with the player's instrument, just the sound produced. From the player's perspective, it's the same as any accomplished person doing any task, they want the best tool for the job they can afford.

In the early fifties, Fender produced the Stratocaster as an improved alternative to the Telecaster and it ticked all the boxes for player's who wanted a solid-body guitar ( semi-acoustics have different characteristics and therefore different appeal ). About the same time, Gibson produced the Les Paul, a very different guitar to the Strat, which gave a different sound. These two became the benchmark for everything that followed and thus responsible for the massive reputations these brands have.

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I just bought myself a Christmas present. I got my sticky fingers on this 2001 PRS SC245 Dark Cherry Sunburst Quilt #7 pick ups with a wide fat 24.5" scale neck. It's immaculate and, of course, sounds wonderful.

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I published a couple of pics on the PRS bulletin board and got this back:

"Aha! Congrats. That used to be my guitar. I bought it in 2001 on my trip to the Birds & Moons members meeting. The excellent Brian Meader (then of Chuck Levins) pulled some strings for me to get it before I returned to the UK. Here is a photo from my trip to the factory:"

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"Its the guitar at the end of the rack just on its way to the buffing room"

So, not only did I get a real quality guitar but I've got it's history as well!! thumbsup

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We hear of Fenders and Gibsons being the best guitars

Don't forget PRS, they are as big as the other two and produce some fabulous machines. Then there's Godin in Canada as well, messrs Fender and Gibson no longer rule the roost.

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  • 2 years later...

Anyone played or know anything about a Yamaha Acoustic LL6ARE. I've looked at the reviews but they are all sales pitch -esque. I want a new acoustic with a low action and that looks my type but they are all on line.

Thanks Gaz

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It gets excellent reviews here:

 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/open-box-yamaha-ll6r-l-series-rosewood-spruce-dreadnought-acoustic-electric-guitar#productDetail

 

The Musicians Friend site is hosted by musicians who know their stuff. There's no sales pitch. I've used it myself and always found the reviews helpful and unbiased.

Harmony Central is a similar site for and by  musicians.

I've had a Yamaha acoustic model CJ838SII for many years and it's a brilliant guitar. Some reviews say it's as good as a Gibson SJ-200.

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I recall the legend Django Reinhardt, played minus a couple of fingers on his left hand.

 

I've had arthritis in the fingers on my right hand for a while now. My left, the one I fret with is completely free, I wonder if playing keeps them more supple. 

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