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

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TwoSeventy said:
I used to have a Marshall Lead 12 non reverb version of the Reverb 12 a long time ago. It wasn't great to be honest - a very basic solidstate practice amp. I love Marshalls BTW I never really used it much. These days pretty much anything is better. I think you need to try some out at the very least to compare. I am sure the Tokai will thank you for it :) I certainly wouldn't be thinking of swapping pickups at this stage.
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After spending far too much of the day fiddling with both the physical set up on the guitar (worthwhile) and the amp (not so worthwhile) I've come to the conclusion you're absolutely right. It is a pretty crap amp. Has a tolerable dirty sound when the gain is turned up, but really not much else. The SS world has moved on a fair bit since the mid 90s.

Sometimes you have to be told the obvious before you realise it - a 50 quid s/h amp is neither going to work at the Billy Gibbons nor Sultans of Swing end of the tone spectrum.
 
Cool, I’ll watch that later. I’ve been watching a lot of electronics videos on YouTube, e.g. Bluegow Electronics is great for vintage hi-fi kit (he does it right, certainly not a botcher), loads of great retro computer stuff too, and EEV Blog is a great all-round electronics channel. I’m watching far more YouTube than TV these days!
 
Having sold two guitars recently Mrs Wb OK’d the purchase of a new electric. A friend has a Gretsch Electromatic, with Bigsby, that he bought five or six years ago that I really like. Not wanting a Bigsby I ordered the V-tail equivalent - the G5220. Had to wait a few weeks for stock to arrive at Andertons in Guildford, and got the email to come in to pick it up this week. Duly arrived and tried it out. Something of a disappointment, with buzzing strings (that a setup might resolve) but a general “nah” feeling.

However...

They had this.

47330509641_891beeb031_c.jpg

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As you can see, it came home with me. Turns out that this “Bernie Marsden” signature SE guitar is 10000%* better than the Gretsch, and at a “last year’s model” discounted price, only £120 more. It’s a beauty, and a joy to play (low action, but no buzzes) with all the Les Paul warmth one might wish for.

*Approximately.

Happy bunny (well, Whale).
 
Whaleblue said:
Having sold two guitars recently Mrs Wb OK’d the purchase of a new electric. A friend has a Gretsch Electromatic, with Bigsby, that he bought five or six years ago that I really like. Not wanting a Bigsby I ordered the V-tail equivalent - the G5220. Had to wait a few weeks for stock to arrive at Andertons in Guildford, and got the email to come in to pick it up this week. Duly arrived and tried it out. Something of a disappointment, with buzzing strings (that a setup might resolve) but a general “nah” feeling.

However...

They had this.

47330509641_891beeb031_c.jpg

32388634407_72448b542f_c.jpg


As you can see, it came home with me. Turns out that this “Bernie Marsden” signature SE guitar is 10000%* better than the Gretsch, and at a “last year’s model” discounted price, only £120 more. It’s a beauty, and a joy to play (low action, but no buzzes) with all the Les Paul warmth one might wish for.

*Approximately.

Happy bunny (well, Whale).
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You’ve got to love the finishes on PRS guitars.
 
Do PRS guitars balance on the knee when sitting down or are they hopelessly arse-heavy like a real Les Paul? My otherwise lovely (and for sale/trade) Gordon Smith GS1 is the same, it just doesn’t balance unless it is on a strap.

I would rather like a good humbucker guitar that is as comfortable to play sitting down as my perfectly balanced SC1200 and I’d happily trade my 2005 Lester for it. Quite curious to know if Gibson SGs balance too, as that would be a logical swap with the LP.
 
Tony L said:
Do PRS guitars balance on the knee when sitting down or are they hopelessly arse-heavy like a real Les Paul? My otherwise lovely (and for sale/trade) Gordon Smith GS1 is the same, it just doesn’t balance unless it is on a strap.

I would rather like a good humbucker guitar that is as comfortable to play sitting down as my perfectly balanced SC1200 and I’d happily trade my 2005 Lester for it. Quite curious to know if Gibson SGs balance too, as that would be a logical swap with the LP.
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Just tried a little expirement for you. Placed on my right thigh, “letting go” of the guitar leaves it just sitting there, nicely balanced.

Your thigh may vary.
 
Whaleblue said:
Just tried a little expirement for you. Placed on my right thigh, “letting go” of the guitar leaves it just sitting there, nicely balanced.
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Cool, very different to a Les Paul, which would smack you in the face with its headstock on the way to the floor.
 
Tony L said:
Do PRS guitars balance on the knee when sitting down or are they hopelessly arse-heavy like a real Les Paul? My otherwise lovely (and for sale/trade) Gordon Smith GS1 is the same, it just doesn’t balance unless it is on a strap.

I would rather like a good humbucker guitar that is as comfortable to play sitting down as my perfectly balanced SC1200 and I’d happily trade my 2005 Lester for it. Quite curious to know if Gibson SGs balance too, as that would be a logical swap with the LP.
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339 maybe?
 
gavreid said:
339 maybe?
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I have never even considered a semi. I can’t recall even having picked one up let alone playing it. Actually something to consider as I’m far more interested in kind of random fake-jazz noodling than rock these days, plus I’ve got the SC1200 which can do that if I need it.

I’ve actually ended up with a collection of guitars mainly as investment that I don’t really enjoy playing, which is rather daft. I absolutely love my Yam SC1200 and that gets played daily. The lovely 82 Dan Smith hard-tail Strat is just sitting in its case as for my taste the Yam beats it at its own game. I love the fat sound and look of the Les Paul, but I hate playing it as it doesn’t balance sitting down, and the Gordon Smith is basically the back half of a Les Paul, so again doesn’t get used as it doesn’t balance. I love my Shergold Masquerader, which does balance perfectly and plays well, but sound-wise it is in that ‘neither one thing nor the other’, so whilst I’d never even consider selling it the Yam is the one gets played.

Same story with basses really, I have a really lovely American Vintage Series 76 Jazz Bass reissue, but I actually far prefer my trusty ‘82 Shergold Marathon despite it being less versatile sonically - it just feels so, so right to me (the Jazz has a really thin neck) and can do the sound I tend to use fine, plus it is a lot lighter.

My big success of recent years, other than the SC1200, is the £50 1971 Yamaha classical acoustic. I love that thing, it gets played all the time!

I should maybe think of 2019 as a ‘guitar rationalisation’ year and send a few collectables/assets on their way and buy and reinvest in something that I’d really want to pick up and play...
 
Whaleblue said:
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Beautiful. I've gotten more into the aesthetics of the woods of late, and that flamed finish is gorgeous.

Tony L said:
Do PRS guitars balance on the knee when sitting down or are they hopelessly arse-heavy like a real Les Paul? My otherwise lovely (and for sale/trade) Gordon Smith GS1 is the same, it just doesn’t balance unless it is on a strap.

I would rather like a good humbucker guitar that is as comfortable to play sitting down as my perfectly balanced SC1200 and I’d happily trade my 2005 Lester for it. Quite curious to know if Gibson SGs balance too, as that would be a logical swap with the LP.
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Tony - serious question: you considered trying the guitar on your left knee, with the right at the tail of the LP ? I find that - with your left foot raised to whatever height you need on a rest - a much more natural playing position these days. (As well as helping keep the excessively @ss-heavy guitars back into the rotation :) )
 
-alan- said:
Tony - serious question: you considered trying the guitar on your left knee, with the right at the tail of the LP ? I find that - with your left foot raised to whatever height you need on a rest - a much more natural playing position these days. (As well as helping keep the excessively @ss-heavy guitars back into the rotation :) )
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It doesn’t really make sense for the way I currently play, which is sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of my little Roland MicroCube and FX pedals so I can get at all the knobs etc. I find it perfectly comfortable sitting like this (a lifetime spent record shop floor-bin-diving!). A well balanced guitar such as the SC1200, Strat or Shergold works fine in this context, the Les Paul & Gordon Smith not at all.

PS I tried that playing technique for a while with my Yamaha classical acoustic as that is how one is meant to play them, and I certainly accept the logic, but I’ve reverted to a standard stance since as it just feels more natural to me.
 
Tony L said:
Cool, very different to a Les Paul, which would smack you in the face with its headstock on the way to the floor.
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SGs are known more for being headstock-heavy, on a strap. So I doubt one would be tail-heavy seated. Little things can make a difference with balance, like how heavy are the tuners, whether or not there's a vibrato tailpiece...
 
Tony L said:
I have never even considered a semi. I can’t recall even having picked one up let alone playing it. Actually something to consider as I’m far more interested in kind of random fake-jazz noodling than rock these days, plus I’ve got the SC1200 which can do that if I need it.
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Ben Crowe makes a georgeous little semi hollow but without the Gibson headstock 'issues'

https://crimsonguitars.com/store/artist-series-paf-hollow-61/
 
I was looking at those PRS Bernie Marsden's as well. The ones on the deal at Anderton's seem to have all gone now.

I was never really a fan of PRS, but they are growing on me. The thing I notice about them is that people who own them seem to really love them which counts for a lot I think. So if/when I get something humbuckery I would be very tempted. The new Paul's SE looks like a lot of guitar for sensible money and sounds fantastic.

 
Yes, the build quality, even on the “budget” SE range is excellent. Of course, I really should get one like this...

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I really couldn’t be doing with that tailpiece, I’m *way* too OCD when it comes to dialing a guitar in for that!

PS If I do decide to let the LP and Jazz Bass go (I’ll keep the Dan Smith Strat), which I certainly would for a the right price, I’d have about £2.2-2.4k in the guitar kitty, so I could go a fair way up the PRS or whatever range should I wish to. I like the idea of owning a guitar with a wanger too, and PRS offer that with humbucker guitars, which is kind of unusual but interesting. I was surprised that Yamaha forgot to put one on the SC1200, kind of careless really given how extraordinarily well thought out the rest of it is!
 
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