Lets look at our guitars thread

[JaymzDead]

RATATTAK said:

I'm fancying an SG ... any advice about what to look for before I buy ? ... I presently have a couple of Jacksons and a Maverick ... I've owned a Les Paul Custom many years ago and found it too heavy
I'm into Def Leppard, ZZ Top and currently AC/DC, hence the desire for an SG

Edited by RATATTAK on Thursday 21st February 21:14

Try an ESP Viper, same looks but a little better balanced and arguably better built too...

[languagetimothy]

Stan the Bat said:

What year is the MIJ strat ?

Just wondering which years were their golden years?

The early eighties with JV serial numbers. I have a tele and the number dates it to '82.

[OldSkoolRS]

languagetimothy said:

The early eighties with JV serial numbers. I have a tele and the number dates it to '82.

Nice Tele.

My JV Squier Strat is from 1982; one of the first in the UK but just after they changed from having 'Fender' in large letters on the headstock. It's been everywhere with me, even did a 6 month trip down the Falklands when I was in the Navy




It's been refinished as I sprayed it a few times over the years and I wanted it put back to the original finish (though I had it done in Nitro this time).

PS: That's proper fingerboard wear up near where the pick is, nothing like as worn as some relic guitars, yet I've played it enough to have it re-freted.

[Stan the Bat]

Sheetmaself said:

I think mine is an 87 or 88 year but i think its a 57 re-issue or at least i recall my dad (it was his) telling me it was a re-issue of somekind.

Thanks, I have a '89 MIJ strat and a lot of people say it is better than their MIA .

[Escapegoat]

Stan the Bat said:

Sheetmaself said:

I think mine is an 87 or 88 year but i think its a 57 re-issue or at least i recall my dad (it was his) telling me it was a re-issue of somekind.

Thanks, I have a '89 MIJ strat and a lot of people say it is better than their MIA .

Forrest White (Fender operations director chap) wrote about them in his book. He said that when Fender USA first got Fujigen Gakki (sp?) to make some sample MIJ Fenders, when he got them in the USA he sent them to the production department to take apart and inspect. Only to be told that there was no way Fender USA could mass produce them that well.

(If you ever visit Japan you will see many fantastic '80s-built MIJ guitars that were never sold outside of the country.)

[davepoth]

singlecoil said:

SGs are an image choice. If you like the image buy the guitar. If it's more about the playing than the image, get something else.

I guess you don't like them then.

I like Gibsons (especially the scale length), and I like humbuckers, but the weight of the LP was too much for me. The SG weighs a lot less in the body and is quite a lot smaller than an LP, but still makes the good noise (obviously a bit less complex than a standard LP). Access to the upper neck is better too. I wasn't really bothered about image (my first one was a triple black SG which would have made Tony Iommi blush and I was just playing indie music), but it was the size and the sound that made me stay with them.

The tradeoff is that they're very neck heavy. A wide leather strap is good, as the extra friction stops it from dropping so much but you can't really let go of the neck while wearing it. My main guitar (a '73 standard) is especially bad since the neck feels like a baseball bat chopped in two, and the headstock does have a few dings in it as a result.

[singlecoil]

davepoth said:

singlecoil said:

SGs are an image choice. If you like the image buy the guitar. If it's more about the playing than the image, get something else.

I guess you don't like them then.

It's not so much that I don't like them, it's more that I recognise their design limitations. There's reasons why the Strat is shaped as it is and it isn't just to do with the appearance. That upper 'horn' is where it needs to be to get the balance right.

Having said that I would have to say that I don't particularly like any Gibson, they inherited all the bad elements of the acoustic designs they were based on, especially the angled headstock.

[gazza285]

singlecoil said:

It's not so much that I don't like them, it's more that I recognise their design limitations. There's reasons why the Strat is shaped as it is and it isn't just to do with the appearance. That upper 'horn' is where it needs to be to get the balance right.

Having said that I would have to say that I don't particularly like any Gibson, they inherited all the bad elements of the acoustic designs they were based on, especially the angled headstock.

What's wrong with an angled headstock? And what other bad elements of acoustic design do Gibsons share?

My favourite electric guitar at the moment is my 1989 SG Special, with three knobs, maple neck, and coil taps. Yes, it's a bit neck heavy, but it's more comfortable to play than my Telecasters, and much lighter than my Strats. I have another SG Special that is massively neck heavy, so I'd try a few and see which one suits best.

Off to play my Gretsch now, which I presume also suffers from all the bad elements of acoustic design...

[singlecoil]

gazza285 said:

singlecoil said:

It's not so much that I don't like them, it's more that I recognise their design limitations. There's reasons why the Strat is shaped as it is and it isn't just to do with the appearance. That upper 'horn' is where it needs to be to get the balance right.

Having said that I would have to say that I don't particularly like any Gibson, they inherited all the bad elements of the acoustic designs they were based on, especially the angled headstock.

What's wrong with an angled headstock? And what other bad elements of the acoustic designs they were based on do Gibsons share?

Apart from the angled headstock it would be the mahogany neck and the body shapes. Mahogany is easy to carve but it contributes to the inherent weakness of the area between the neck and the headstock. It was Fender who realised that angled headstocks were not necessary and that maple was a much better material for that application.

The shapes require the strap buttons to be placed in sub-optimal positions for an electric guitar being played standing up.

All the above in my opinion, of course.

[smn159]

Strat headstocks tend not to snap off when the guitar falls over either.

The Gibson headstock design puts a lot of tension on the nut, plus the placing of the tuners means that the pull of the strings is across the nut slot. Both of these things give tuning issues unless everything is absolutely spot on (which it usually isn't)

Others manage OK, but I couldn't get on with either of my Gibsons and sold them both.

[gazza285]

singlecoil said:

Apart from the angled headstock it would be the mahogany neck and the body shapes. Mahogany is easy to carve but it contributes to the inherent weakness of the area between the neck and the headstock. It was Fender who realised that angled headstocks were not necessary and that maple was a much better material for that application.

The shapes require the strap buttons to be placed in sub-optimal positions for an electric guitar being played standing up.

All the above in my opinion, of course.

Nothing wrong with angled headstocks then, more of a material problem. My SG might be neck heavy, but it has a maple neck, so I doubt it will be as fragile as a mahogany one, it has certainly had a few knocks while gigging with no ill effects. I’ve got a few Gibsons, and while the SG and similar thin bodied Melody Maker might be neck heavy, but non of the rest are.

[singlecoil]

gazza285 said:

singlecoil said:

Apart from the angled headstock it would be the mahogany neck and the body shapes. Mahogany is easy to carve but it contributes to the inherent weakness of the area between the neck and the headstock. It was Fender who realised that angled headstocks were not necessary and that maple was a much better material for that application.

The shapes require the strap buttons to be placed in sub-optimal positions for an electric guitar being played standing up.

All the above in my opinion, of course.

Nothing wrong with angled headstocks then, more of a material problem. My SG might be neck heavy, but it has a maple neck, so I doubt it will be as fragile as a mahogany one, it has certainly had a few knocks while gigging with no ill effects. I’ve got a few Gibsons, and while the SG and similar thin bodied Melody Maker might be neck heavy, but non of the rest are.

I didn't say there was nothing wrong with angled headstocks. Apart from what SMN159 said there's the fact that if it falls off a stand (and judging by some of the photos we see on this thread not all owners even have stands) the end of the headstock will hit the ground first. Maple will withstand such an accident better but isn't immune from breakage as the angle does mean there's a short grain area between the nut and the first tuner.

This can be avoided either by a parallel headstock such as Fender or, if an angle is essential for styling reasons, a scarf joint as are found on Ibanez guitars.

[OldSkoolRS]

Sorry to go against the grain this afternoon, but I've been playing my Les Paul Tribute (P90s) through my new Marshall stack and it sounds great. I do have a Strat and Teles, but I'm aware enough of the weakness of the LP neck to take care to put it in the case or on a stand when not playing. I wouldn't not have one just because of this as it sounds and feels different to my Strat, Teles and Gretsch guitars. A Les Paul through a Marshall is a classic combination anyway, so it would be a shame to miss out on that.

Dug out my 1x12 cab to try the new 20 watt Studio Vintage head through and it's great, I'm using a Palmer attenuator to tame the levels for home use, but this cab is a little less efficient than my 2x12 so it's easier to control for home playing.

I like how it looks too:

[davepoth]

singlecoil said:

It's not so much that I don't like them, it's more that I recognise their design limitations. There's reasons why the Strat is shaped as it is and it isn't just to do with the appearance. That upper 'horn' is where it needs to be to get the balance right.

Having said that I would have to say that I don't particularly like any Gibson, they inherited all the bad elements of the acoustic designs they were based on, especially the angled headstock.

The Strat is a brilliant piece of industrial design in many respects - I think my favourite idea was mounting all of the electrics on the scratchplate, which both saves a load of time and also means that the electrics don't have to be done by the person putting the guitar together.

It's just not for me though. I couldn't get on with the longer scale length (not least because some of the venues we were playing in were so small I kept hitting stuff!), and the shorter scale fenders just weren't available in left handed for any sort of sensible money.

[6th Gear]

Purchased a Boss Katana Artist today.
First impressions...
Wow.

Any other Katana owners here on the forum?

[gazza285]

I don't own a Katana, but I do have a few Explorers, and I like the look of yours...

[curlyks2]

gazza285 said:

My favourite electric guitar at the moment is my 1989 SG Special

Mine's currently a 2014 SG Special. It's changes though - sometimes it's a Strat, sometimes an LP. I'd like a shorter scale strat next... it's a pity my pockets are very much emptier than needed for this Pensa.

[6th Gear]

gazza285 said:

I don't own a Katana, but I do have a few Explorers, and I like the look of yours...

Thank you.

This is my first Explorer, I’ve always wanted one.
It’s a ‘58 VOS in TV White with a super fat neck.

How many Explorers do you have?

[gazza285]

Two Gibsons and a Gordon Smith...

[bosshog]

6th Gear said:

Gorgeous PRS ^^^

Always wanted a JEM 77FP and by chance this just popped up on my feed.

It’s a Mint 15th Anniversary. They are hard to find in this condition.

Ad details as follows -

Guitars History
This was a collectors guitar. Its history is very simple. It was bought new and has been kept in the case ever since. You will not find a better example of this guitar anywhere else. The previous collector may have strummed this guitar and lightly played it but there are almost no signs of visible playing anywhere on this guitar.

Guitar Condition
Fit and Finish
PERFECT!

?Fret Life/Fretboard
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Tremolo
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Neck
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As you would expect in a mint instrument there are no issues with electronics. Sounds like a dream and the pickups scream!!

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She arrives next week :-)

Very envious. If you ever want to sell please PM me