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Guitar talk: acoustic, bass, classical, twelve string? You name it! Pt III

That is utterly gorgoeus! Especially with the maestro vibrola.

Lefty

Prolly my dream guitar that. A bigsby on there would in theory be better, certainly functionally so, but the weight would probably ruin the whole show. I bet that tremolo's light as a feather, even if so-so functionally.

On a separate (acoustic) note. I stumbled upon this YouTube gem last evening; I certainly don't seek out knobfler covers lord no.. but this.. is special. I don't think I've heard such a stunning-sounding Taylor. Something else rather stunning too helps..


Capt
 
Prolly my dream guitar that. A bigsby on there would in theory be better, certainly functionally so, but the weight would probably ruin the whole show. I bet that tremolo's light as a feather, even if so-so functionally.

Capt

Yes - I would prefer a bigsby over the vibrola. Apparently the reason that modern SGs tend to neck dive is that they were designed with the vibrola in mind which helps to balance the guitar out and without it, they become neck heavy.

Lefty
 
It's that variability in quality that has put me off buying one because most of the ones I like the look of come up online, and it's going to be a lottery as to whether they are going to sound good or not so good :(

This is very true. You have to try them in the flesh so you can find 'the one' before forking out the cash. This is why I had to buy that '61 SG. I knew that if I let it go, I was unlikely to find another like it.

Lefty
 
Re. lightness/ weight. The reason 60's danelectros are so alive to play, & also sound so gorgeous.. is primarily the wood density, super light trashy-grade mahog or basewood just painted & plastic guards to hide the lesser quality timber. And coversely why the china repros are so bad.. the density is all wrong, let alone the satin urgh finish- only fit for eyecandy wall hangers.

There's one guitar that bucks the weight trend though. And its kind of fascinating to me- Elliott Smith's (plywood) red label yamaha fg180. How this, sounds like that, just shouldn't be.
 
This is very true. You have to try them in the flesh so you can find 'the one' before forking out the cash. This is why I had to buy that '61 SG. I knew that if I let it go, I was unlikely to find another like it.

Lefty

Absolutely true, especially for SG's varying so much. I bought my faded SG I think on ebay, I was lucky actually the neck was a perfect fit. But you see now Ive had me 'yoof' I've moved from cities/ towns.. to very rural. So I don't have the luxury of being able to visit an actual guitar shop anymore really. So I make do with my £80 japan-neck tele, my fine taylor, & a frankenstratty whatnot I concocted.. all bought off ebay (bar Rift kindly giving me some tele texas special pickups mind you sprucing it up a notch). The shame!
 
Yes - I would prefer a bigsby over the vibrola. Apparently the reason that modern SGs tend to neck dive is that they were designed with the vibrola in mind which helps to balance the guitar out and without it, they become neck heavy.

Lefty

Some SG's have a body that is a bit heavier, perhaps as a means to counterbalance neck diving; although some players say they they have no problems in that regard, regardless of weight.

Speaking of which, many moons ago my main guitar was a Gibson twin-neck, which took the concept of neck diving to a whole new level! There was a deal of frustration and, er, body contortions involved :D. I did cobble together a solution, but it only worked for about two minutes before 'The Lean' kicked in.

That said, it had decent intonation, remained in tune for the most part, and sounded pretty good to my ears, with both clean and overdriven tones.

John
 
Re. lightness/ weight. The reason 60's danelectros are so alive to play, & also sound so gorgeous.. is primarily the wood density, super light trashy-grade mahog or basewood just painted & plastic guards to hide the lesser quality timber. And coversely why the china repros are so bad.. the density is all wrong, let alone the satin urgh finish- only fit for eyecandy wall hangers.

There's one guitar that bucks the weight trend though. And its kind of fascinating to me- Elliott Smith's (plywood) red label yamaha fg180. How this, sounds like that, just shouldn't be.

I love those little Danelectros. They really do seem to confound most of the popular theories on what it takes to get a lovely bright resonant sound from a guitar. I have a Korean built one, which I think are closer to the original spec. than the Chinese built ones. This one got an aftermarket bridge:

9YgG0bFl.jpg


Plays and sounds far better than it should have any right to for what they fetch s/h. Probably the guitar I tend to pick up most in otherwise idle moments.
 
I love those little Danelectros. They really do seem to confound most of the popular theories on what it takes to get a lovely bright resonant sound from a guitar. I have a Korean built one, which I think are closer to the original spec. than the Chinese built ones. This one got an aftermarket bridge:

9YgG0bFl.jpg


Plays and sounds far better than it should have any right to for what they fetch s/h. Probably the guitar I tend to pick up most in otherwise idle moments.

They do look great on a wall there- dc59 or something iirc. I had a china one, different headstock to that, which was too heavy (& felt cheap). That looks better I must say. If you like yours, just imagine how an original plays then. I had a spaceship looking lime green danelectro, thin body, looks the mutz nuts.. but another china job so didn't last long.

Btw I'd paint your guitar hook wood bits same-green so they blend into your very nice cabin(?) wall colour- I do this with mine & they look much better. You'll have a tin of the same paint with a bit left in I bet.
 
Speaking of which, many moons ago my main guitar was a Gibson twin-neck, which took the concept of neck diving to a whole new level! There was a deal of frustration and, er, body contortions involved :D. I did cobble together a solution, but it only worked for about two minutes before 'The Lean' kicked in.

That said, it had decent intonation, remained in tune for the most part, and sounded pretty good to my ears, with both clean and overdriven tones.

John

Wowsers! I've never played a twin neck guitar before. Would love to give it a try some day.

Lefty
 
You definitely should play one, just for the hell of it, especially if you can find one that is set up correctly. But I recommend you adopt a seated position to enjoy the experience. :)

John
 

David Rainger is nuts in a truly wonderful way! Such a brilliant take on things and way with words. Best TPS in a long while.
 
Btw I'd paint your guitar hook wood bits same-green so they blend into your very nice cabin(?) wall colour- I do this with mine & they look much better. You'll have a tin of the same paint with a bit left in I bet.

That's a photo from the previous owner's den - but you'd probably have triggered a deep and lasting unease with the colour of the hooks if it weren't :)
 
Spent a couple of hours at the show this morning. Didn't take many pictures but a couple might be of interest. Two of Peter Green's collection coming up for auction

PXL_20230225_110251944.jpg


Some rather expensive Les Paul's for those with £300k to spend. No that is not a typo.

PXL_20230225_105006187.jpg


and back in the real world I am very happy to have come home with this lovely Faith Neptune in Mango wood with Trembesi binding. Absolute Music had a selection of Faith one off prototypes available so I'm glad I got there early. Unfortunately no electronics onboard on this one but I will probably get something fitted in the future.

PXL_20230225_140607564.jpg
 
The finish on that Faith is gorgeous. Is the wood used for the fretboard Mango also, and does it play as nice as it looks?

John
 
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The finish on that Faith is georgeous. Is the wood used on the fretboard Mango also, and does it play as nice as it looks?

John

Yes it plays great and I strangely I never asked about the neck, just played it and really liked it. I suspect it is mango by the look of the grain. I will have to check with them. I tried a few and liked this one the most but could have easily bought one of the Legacy models as well but resisted. They had to pry this one away from someone else after I said I would take it.
 
Yes it plays great and I strangely I never asked about the neck, just played it and really liked it. I suspect it is mango by the look of the grain. I will have to check with them. I tried a few and liked this one the most but could have easily bought one of the Legacy models as well but resisted. They had to pry this one away from someone else after I said I would take it.

Always particularly nice to get our mitts on a guitar that sounds and plays nice, as well as being a bit of a looker. When not playing the instrument, we get to pop it on its support stand and admire the aesthetics too :). Nice one.

John
 


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