Guitar Thread - Post up your guitars and favorite playing style

[vetteboy79]

Oh, one footnote because I never really finished it...hybrid fretless 7?

From the 10th fret up I yanked them out, sanded, coated, and polished the fretboard using CA glue. Also inlaid white striping in the old fret slots before coating. It works, ish...to do it properly you really need to have the tiniest frets possible in the lower area, and lower the nut to match. On this one the fretless portion of the action is way too high to be fun. I got the guitar for $150 so it was more a proof-of-concept experiment, might revisit it someday.

 

[Gtrplyr78]

Vetteboy79 is out there gigging. So these are working mans tools. I like it.

I caught up into the chasing the tone phase for a few years myself (bedroom player here).

Went through a bunch of stuff in that time (acoustic side: Gibson Hummingbird, a couple Taylors, Martin D15M, some Ovations including a 12 string like Brian May played with Queen, some Blueridge all solid wood guitars, Seagull all solid wood, and a bunch more. Hung onto that D15M Martin until last summer, sold off with my MIJ Gretsch and it paid for new to me ATV).

On the electric side I had an all Koa Carvin 24 fret, BC Rich Mockingbird, a few Teles, some Epiphone Les Pauls, MIJ Gretsch mentioned, Ibanez or two, PRS and whatever I am forgetting.

Down to one electric, got it in 1997 initially - Fernandes Strat (Korean I think) with better switchgear and pots/Gotoh 510 locking tuners/stock single coil pups. Does what I need from an instrument for as rare as I pick it up anymore.

Sole remaining acoustic is a late 70's Yamaha classical that I installed a Bband pickup into.

 

[45acp]

'88 model RG540 mij, got it in '94 at the Dallas guitar show. Met Zakk Wylde sans beard, about 6'2" and 135lbs, drinking beer from a pitcher. Just hanging out. 3 minutes later Dime and Vinnie walk up behind us to talk to Zakk. Later on my friend was jamming on a bass, and Tony McAlpine walks up, plugs in, and started jamming with him.

This thing was mint when I got it. Shortly after it got EMG's and eventually got broken in properly.

 

[WESTOF7]

Metal

Horrible pic but I used to fuck with custom shop Jackson's

Favorite amp was a block letter 5150 that absolutely ripped. I'd hate to see how much $$$ a block letter goes for now. I loved that sound.....

 

[Elwenil]

Well, I did it again. I had my heart set on either an ESP MII or a Kiesel, but Kiesel raised their prices recently so that put that one beyond what I feel is necessary, and the specific ESP I want is sort of rare, and while not terribly expensive, it is highly desirable and I haven't found one for the right price yet. So I have had this one on my list for a while on Reverb, waiting for the price to come down or for me to get bored enough to make a couple offers on it. Wasn't really wanting it that bad, but the nostalgia was the main attraction. So I made a low ball offer once it had been on Reverb for a month or so and to my surprise, the guy took it. So, for a few hundred bucks, I once again own a B.C. Rich NJ Series Virgin in pearl white:

I had one of these years ago that was stolen. I always wanted another one and almost bought several that popped up on Reverb, but most were different colors and almost all of them were not the NJ Series (named so because they were made in Nagoya, Japan), and typically had the overly '80s metal Widow style headstock with three tuners per side. So when this one popped up I watched it, but it has a couple issues. The main one, and the reason the seller was getting rid of it, is that the color is a bit off due to the guitar having a sticker on the finish for a number of years. If you look on the upper side, above and just behind the tremolo, you can see the finish has a "whiter" spot. It's less noticeable now that I have cleaned off the sticky residue that bordered it I tried naptha to see if maybe some of the discoloration was due to smoke, but that didn't make a very big difference, though it did clean the guitar up nicely. I may try to buff it at some point, but I think I am ok with it for what I paid.

The Virgin I had stolen was like this one except I seem to remember it's headstock being black and instead of the pickup toggles and coil split toggle, it just had a typical 3 way blade switch. It also had an EMG 81/85 active set installed. This one came to me with the stock "Select by EMG" pickups which were a little low on output. So I thought this guitar would be perfect for a guitar with Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups, and as luck would have it, the Trembucker Black Winter was on sale. So I picked those up and installed them this morning, oiled the fretboard and added a set of my standard Beefy Slinkys, this time tuned to C standard. As Ola Englund would say, "Does it Chug?" Yes, it chugs, and chugs very heavily. Even harmonics sound like they are coming from 100' underground. So deep with a growl that gives me chills. As usual I have a Walker and Williams strap and a set of Schaller strap locks to go on it. Looking forward to seeing what all I can do with these pickups.

 

[RedX]

My two toys now....not super high-end, but fun.

 

[Elwenil]

Jems are an iconic guitar. One day I will probably end up with one version or another. I just have to get over my natural aversion to pick guards, lol. 👍

My Jackson DK2X is one of my most played guitars. It needed a decent setup when I got it new and I didn't like the stock Jackson active pickups, so I swapped them for an EMG Kerry King 81/85 set. I have a couple nicer looking guitars, but I always pick that one up first. 🤘

 

[JNHEscher]

I'll try to get a pic of my pile this weekend. Nothing too special and I never really get to play anymore.

 

[RedX]

Jems are an iconic guitar. One day I will probably end up with one version or another. I just have to get over my natural aversion to pick guards, lol. 👍

My Jackson DK2X is one of my most played guitars. It needed a decent setup when I got it new and I didn't like the stock Jackson active pickups, so I swapped them for an EMG Kerry King 81/85 set. I have a couple nicer looking guitars, but I always pick that one up first. 🤘

Of the two....I will almost always grab the Jackson. Just feels better (and sounds a bit warmer). Neck (fingerboard radius, really) certainly feels better to me.Upgrades will come to that one soon, I am sure. Want a hardtail, so a HT version of this may come home sometime.

The Jem was an impulse buy. I'd always wanted one for the novelty of it. At dinner with my son who keeps track of the Guitar Center's local listings, and he said to me....."You know what they have at GC right now? The Jim Jr. you've been looking at. Went and saw it. And got it. I am sure I will be putting a better trem on it and tuning machines. And pickups.....but fun to play around with.

EDIT: And yeah....pickguards are a new thing to me. I've always avoided them.

 

[Elwenil]

Yeah, the tremolo in the Virgin is going to need to be addressed at some point. It's a licensed Floyd, and uses a zinc block that is starting to crack. Thinking about putting a Gotoh in my Jackson DK2X and swapping the Floyd Special over into the Virgin. I have already put a brass block on it some time back, so it would be a decent upgrade over the BC Rich trem.

 

[vetteboy79]

Workin tonight, bluegrass show with my Martin 🪕🎸

 

[Slammed&cammed]

I should be taking delivery of my Lynn Ellsworth Boogie Bodies in the next two weeks...then just need to learn to play...

J

 

[vetteboy79]

Here's a different one, got this a few weeks ago... Danelectro 56 reissue baritone.

Apparently you can't find them in this TV Yellow/blonde finish, this was one of the prototypes from NAMM or something like that. 29.75" scale, it feels kinda ridiculous to play, I have it tuned to B standard but A is almost more common. Those lil lipstick single coils have some fuckin twang, I've been cheating on this sound with my 7-strings for years, but the real deal just has a totally different vibe to it. trampas , you got one of these? 😎

 

[Elwenil]

Ok, so this was not planned. I understand that I have a guitar collecting problem, and I try to at least take a good bit of time between acquiring another guitar, but this was a good deal on a guitar brand that I really, really wanted and it was close enough to what I actually wanted for it to be very worth it. So here it is:

So yeah, I got a Kiesel. I really wanted an Aries, but a flat top DC is close enough. I am just a sucker for clean, white guitars. I even like the binding, which is odd since the only other guitar I have with binding is the Ghosthorse. But it is a DC body of unknown, but pretty heavy wood. Shipping weight for this, the hard sides Kiesel gig bag (which is a fantastic bag, BTW) and the Gibson (lol) box it was shipped in was 12 lbs. At least 9 of it is this guitar, I think. So, some heavy wood body, neck through of unknown wood (but probably maple), ebony fretboard, 3 a-side headstock, abalone diamond inlays, a genuine Floyd Rose, and what I think are Kiesel Lithium pickups. If I spec'd one out today, with a maple neck and alder body, it would be a $2,500 guitar. I picked this one up for $1,100 on Reverb. So, I kinda had to do it.

Oh, ignore the strap. This wasn't a planned purchase, so no strap locks and Walker and Williams strap on hand for it, but those are on the way now...

Overall, I love the guitar. I prefer a little more bevel to the shape, but I don't have any issues playing it and can reach everything comfortably. I do miss the bevel at the top rear a little as the corner makes me shift the guitar over and a little lower than normal, but it's no big deal. It can with what look like 10s and tuned to drop D (ugh), so I tuned it up to E standard for now. A bit too bright for my liking, but oh well. Action is great, intonation is set nice and it plays like butter. But, you guessed it, I don't really like the pickups. ::sigh:: Not sure what I am going to do there. With the flat top and flat back, there is plenty of room for a battery compartment, as well as room to cram one in the control cavity, so Fishman Fluence Moderns are a possibility, but I already have them in the Ghosthorse and plans to swap them in another guitar, so maybe I will do something else. Still, I want this to be my "go-to" guitar for playing, so I kind of want it to have that sound that I love. Oddly the stock pickups are similar in function to the Burstbucker pickups that came in the Ghosthorse. Great sounding chords and open notes, but horrible crunch with no balls. So that will need to be remedied or else I will have to learn to play jazz or something.

Nah...

 

[RedX]

Ok, so this was not planned. I understand that I have a guitar collecting problem, and I try to at least take a good bit of time between acquiring another guitar, but this was a good deal on a guitar brand that I really, really wanted and it was close enough to what I actually wanted for it to be very worth it. So here it is:

Beautiful!! Some of the same flavor (visually) of the one I just bought. I wanted to play with a 7 string, so picked this one up on a whim and at a good price.

 

[grumpy356]

I’m a fan of Jerry Reed & Junior Brown style pickers.

Billy Strings as well.

 

[Elwenil]

Beautiful!! Some of the same flavor (visually) of the one I just bought. I wanted to play with a 7 string, so picked this one up on a whim and at a good price.

Very nice! Yeah, I like the clean look of a white guitar. Just feels like a blank canvas to me, it can be metal, jazz, or whatever. A white guitar isn't flashy like a bright red one, or sort of "stereotyped" like a black one. I have been eyeballing getting a Schecter C-1 FR SLS Elite, but again, I have too many already. But one day...

As for 7 strings, I have never actually played one. I keep waiting for a friend to pick one up so I don't have to deal with the music shops in the area that give you a hassle if you want to try something. Problem is, I have short fingers and I wonder if playing one would be comfortable. I've passed on a couple deals for 7 string guitars, Solar's and similar, because I don't want to buy something without trying it first.

I saw a quote from Dave Mustaine talking about how he thought tuning down was stupid and that you just needed to buy a 7 or 8 string, so I can see the advantages, but such a wide neck on a guitar might be a stretch for me. Again, one day...

If I ever win the lottery, I will probably need a warehouse.

 

[RedX]

As for 7 strings, I have never actually played one. I keep waiting for a friend to pick one up so I don't have to deal with the music shops in the area that give you a hassle if you want to try something. Problem is, I have short fingers and I wonder if playing one would be comfortable. I've passed on a couple deals for 7 string guitars, Solar's and similar, because I don't want to buy something without trying it first.

I saw a quote from Dave Mustaine talking about how he thought tuning down was stupid and that you just needed to buy a 7 or 8 string, so I can see the advantages, but such a wide neck on a guitar might be a stretch for me. Again, one day...

I went into the guitar joint with the intention of trying out a low-price Ibanez 7-string. But it wasn't out, so the clerk went into the back to hunt it down. While he was there, I took this used one off the wall and played around with it. Then compared this and the Ibanez when he brought that out. This one won.

I'd never played a 7 before. The neck width is noticeable (small fingers, as well), but not prohibitively so. We'll see how often I pick it up. I do like the growl of it. Not sure, yet how I feel about the active pups it came with. Those may change at some point.

 

[Elwenil]

Ok, here is a twofer. Both were smoking good deals, or I would not have either one, and certainly wouldn't have bought both on the same day.

The first is a 2018, USA built, ESP M-III FR. Not my first choice for colors, but beautiful nevertheless. It's a bit mild, built like a strat, even has a Saturday Night Special humbucker, which will probably find it's way into my spare parts box eventually. It does have a an original, made in Germany Floyd Rose. Overall it is in mint condition, maybe a little polishing swirls, but that's it. Naturally it needs my usual Beefy Slinkys, red springs and a Walker and Williams strap, which is on the way. The strings and springs will get swapped this weekend. It was built with Schaller strap locks, so no need to mess with those.

Next is a Solar SB1.6AFRFM, whatever the Hel that means. SB is the body, 1.6 is a 6 string and FR means Floyd Rose, the rest, I have no idea. Anyway, gold is defintely not my favorite, but again, it was a great deal and it looks pretty decent with the natural satin maple top. Fishman Fluence Modern pickups, which was 90% of the reason to buy it for what I paid, and a Floyd Rose 1000. The plating on the Floyd Rose is rubbing off where you typical have the heel of your hand resting, which is not uncommon for gold plated hardware from what I have read. I may just replace the saddles, or I may just let it ride and ignore it. I thought about a set of FU Tone brass saddles, until I saw the price, so not going that direction. I don;''t need more in saddles than the whole guitar, lol. Anyway, typical Solar, very thin neck., similar to my Ibanez, nice glow in the dark side fret markers, no other markers other than the Solar logo on the 12 fret. Guitar is in excellent condition other than the plating wear, and just needs to be cleaned and polished. Again, I have Beefy Slinkys for it and will be getting some red springs for it. Strap is already on the way and I already have a set of gold Schallers waiting.

Not sure why I need a new strap for each guitar, but it's a thing. I hate swapping straps. Plus all of my Walker and Williams straps are crazy comfortable, so no need to have a "favorite". I picked up a plain, black, Ernie Ball nylon strap as a temporary strap for when I buy a guitar and have to wait for the strap to come in for it, and I use with with my B.C. Rich Virgin and it was a nice reminder of how bad those kind of straps suck. 😁

But, this is pretty much the end of my guitar buying for a long, long time. The Solar will get used and abused (not really) along with my other guitars hanging on the rack, the ESP will be a case queen and stay hidden away and only brought out occasionally. Time will tell if I just swap in another Seymour Duncan pickup of a much hotter variety or if I route the back for a battery box and swap in actives. But either way, I am done. I have given up my ideas of PRS guitars and a Gibson WRC for a while. The Kiesel and the ESP are pretty much my dream guitars, even if they are not 100% what I want, they are what I can afford and damn close enough. So I am over my GAS phase, at least for guitars. Now I need more amps!


Just kidding, I don't have room for more amps and my Katana and my little Spark Go are all I need. (y)

Also, the Epiphone Samick "baby" Explorer is for sale, if anyone is interested. Might also let the spalted maple Jackson Soloist go as well. So PM if interested.

 

[RedX]

Damn...both beautiful. But that Solar is stunning!! Been eying a red one on Reverb....but just can't quite pull the trigger. Maybe someday.

 

[JNHEscher]

Man, I need to post my pile, but they're all hung up in the house were mice and children can't get to them.

 

[RedX]

Hey Elwenil RedX , check out where the volume knob is on my SL1...frankly I can't stand that placement anymore, it completely gets in the way. Somehow for 17 years it didn't bother me until I started playing something else, and now it sucks going back, that's why I don't use this much lately from your pics it looks like they moved it down and away from the bridge pickup over the years, I'd probably like it a lot better now if it were that way...

Just now catching up. Yeah.....I've never seen a volume in that position. Odd. Even the old Charvel Model 6 I used to have (damn, I wish I still had that one), with its 3 knobs wasn't in that position. Kinda close, but not quite that far forward.

 

[Elwenil]

Hmm, I think I missed that post as well. I have a couple guitars that have the volume knob in an odd place. On my Jackson DK2X that I modified with the EMG Kerry King set, I put the bridge volume all the way at the bottom. The tone for the neck is up front on that one now, which I could usually give a shit less about. The Kiesel is a bit annoying, and I get why they are place there, but I would prefer them to be back a little farther. I think my best one is the Ghosthorse. The knobs are back behind the bridge on it, sort of typical for a Explorer body.

I have been seeing a lot of guitars on Reverb that have had the volume moved to the tone position and the other hole plugged. I used to think that was sort of dumb but now the idea is slowly starting to make sense. I don't know if I could do that to one of my guitars, but then again, I am not out there trying to make money with mine. If I fuck up and gradually lower my volume fucking off at home, it's no big deal. For a professional at a show, that would be a bit of a problem.

 

[vetteboy79]

Two most recent acquisitions...Danelectro '56 reissue baritone, and an Ibanez Tim Henson nylon string electric. I have the baritone tuned to B standard but A is almost more common, 29.75" scale, it's almost comical to play but damn does it do the thing it does well. Technically I have the same notes available on my 7 strings, but it's a completely different thing on a guitar like this.

The Tim Henson is cool too, I've met him a few times, and it plays way better than the regular nylon string I have. It'll find its place in the work I do for sure.

 

[trampas]

Ibanez looks sweet. Is it heavy?

 

[RedX]

Nice!

 

[Elwenil]

Cool guitars. I haven't had the urge to play a baritone yet (thankfully). I do want an acoustic, but damn they are expensive for the spot they occupy in the guitar hierarchy in my mind. I've been eyeballing a couple Takamine acoustic electrics for a while. I haven't played an acoustic in decades, but I feel like I need to expand my horizons a bit and that is something I want to do in the future. With my current acquisitions, it will probably be a while before I want to drop $550 -$800 for even one of the "cheaper" models. I do sort of miss strumming my grandfather's 1930s Gibson though.

 

[Mate from freight.]

I don't play (ok, maybe just enough to do the soundcheck when the guitarist is M.I.A) but this was my work area circa 1995.

 

[RedX]

Son's Christmas gift showed up:

 

[vetteboy79]

Always seems weird seeing a Floyd Rose on a Paul. Is that the Alex Lifeson signature one?