Guitars... what you've got / what you want

Ampwise I have had various Fenders and Voxes but am happy now with just a Blues Junior.

A lot of the time I end up going direct, because of how many instruments I may end up playing on a given evening. Way easier to use a Para Driver or Blonde Sansamp when I may be switching between guitar, bass, mandolin, bouzouki, and electronic drums.

have: lefties

want: more lefties

(want gibson acoustics more than anything)

i'd like to play a bass vi someday

I have:
(an old picture when everything was out)

https://qc-ckb.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ilx/et_guitars.jpg

1. 1965 Jazzmaster. I've been posting about this one in the Jazzmaster thread.

2. 1975 Telecaster. I've had this since 1984. Unforgiving but sounds fantastic with the AC30.

3. 2005 CIJ Stratocaster XII. Purchased it mostly new from a gray marketer in Costa Mesa and took it everywhere when I was regularly playing gigs at this time. Really nice guitar & stays in tune. Overdue for a pickup and wiring swap.

4. 1999 Am Standard Strat. In 2004 I was shopping for amplifiers and ended up coming home with no amp but the guitar I was trying them out with. I gutted all the electronics, put in a set of 1968 Strat pickups I found on eBay, replaced the pots with push/pull ones for in/out phase switching, and replaced the bridge & tremolo block with a heavy Callaham one. Extremely forgiving and somehow I just naturally play better with it - which is why it's sitting in a closet on the other side of the country rn.

5. 1967 Vox Cheetah. Rescued from a heavy metal supply store in Huntington Beach in 1993. Idiosyncratic and dark sounding. Only sounds its best when it's right on the edge of feedbacking so powerfully that you can feel the glued joints loosen up. At some point I expect it to turn to wood powder in my hands.

6. [not shown] Unknown early 60s electric bouzouki.

7. [not shown] early-00s CIJ JM-66 Jazzmaster. Currently disassembled but will eventually become a "72 Jazzmaster Deluxe" with the CuNiFe WRHB pickup reissues.

I want:

Nothing. Ms. Telecom has two terrific basses (a Musicmaster bass from the 70s and a '62 J-bass reissue from the 90s) so there isn't really anything I want except more time to write and maybe a Bass VI or baritone. Sure, if I had stupid amounts of money I'd love to have an all-original Fender something in Lake Placid Blue or a hollowbody Gretsch.

BTW, we’ll want another of these threads for synths/keys

I have:

1997 Japanese John Jorgenson signature "Hellecaster" (heavy as fuck champagne sparkle/gold strat/G&L Comanche style guitar with Z pickups)

― hiroyoshi tins in (Sgt. Biscuits), Saturday, May 29, 2021 8:09 AM (thirteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

holy shit, i remember seeing this guitar in catalogs. can you tell me how you ended up with it? i was looking and apparently there are only like 500 of them. also, this incredible fact from jorgenson's website:

Due to a factory error, the total run of guitars ended up with an extra resistor on the bottom tone control which made the guitar sound as is if the treble was completely rolled off. After getting many enquiries about the tone of the pickups (my personal guitars were prototypes and didn’t have the problem) I finally had the chance to compare a factory model side by side to my own, and was dismayed to hear the difference in tone! Luckily the remedy is very easy, just unscrew the pickguard and clip out the resistor closest to the bottom of the guitar and voila, it sounds as intended! Most players and owners by now have already done this, but I do believe that this error initially hurt the sales and image of the model.

Elvis, there is a synth zone thread

- '72 tele thinline reissue c. 2000, natural finish, made in mexico. a few months ago i put the new wide range humbucker reissues in this.

- 2005 MIJ '66 jag reissue in lake placid blue. tricked out with duncan antiquties, mastery bridge, and mastery trem before i bought it.

― call all destroyer, Friday, May 28, 2021 6:13 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

would love to see pics of these.

My main guitar is one of those thinline reissues. I plan on installing those creamery humbucker reissues once the guy starts taking new orders again. A couple years ago I got a Trem-King installed on it, which is a lot of fun.

About halfway through a rebuild of a shitty Davison warlock knockoff I got new for 100 bucks a decade ago. Installed a floyd rose bridge and new neck on it. Still have to finish routing a pool, designing a pickguard (gonna install lace sensors), and revamping the electrics.

I've got one of those short-scale Airline Map basses that Eastwood makes. Love her dearly.

I also have an old beater bass that's a hollowbody with no brand name and scratchy electronics but it was supposedly Jenny from Erase Errata's first instrument so I rock out on it occasionally for the good juju. I want plenty more but just don't have the space in our shoebox in SF.

As for wants, I've never played a baritone guitar but have been lusting after that Ronquillo edition of the Rivolta Mondata and regret not pulling the trigger on it before it sold out even though it would've been a foolish financial decision at the time.

here's my gretsch's l-r:
- 2015 Panther Prototype MIJ (center block, hardtail)
- 1995 Brian Setzer 6120-SSU
- 1979 Chet Atkins Country Gentlemen 7670
- 1963 Streamliner 6103
https://i.imgur.com/M2Ccs3d.jpg
got the three on the right at an estate sale a couple weeks back, all are in ridiculously good shape. the binding is usually breaking/coming apart on a lot of 60s gretsch's but this one has no issues. planning on keeping the chet and selling the other two i think. the panther was my parting gift when i left fmic.

Here's that 80s hondo i was talking about. i cant find much info on it but its supposed to be like a kramer baretta. pulled the pickup in hopes it was one of the dimarzio humuckers that were in some early hondos... it was not. it sounds pretty cool tho. $10 at goodwill.
https://i.imgur.com/gIwMqvW.jpg

Here's my list of shame. I could make excuses for any one of them individually, but collectively? no chance.
1950? Unknown parlour guitar
1965 Sadao Yairi classical
1965 Teisco TG-64 guitar
1966 Fender USA Mustang
1966 Mory Jazzmaster
1966 Teisco TB-4 bass
1966 Yamaha SG-3
1967 Morales ZES-300
1968 Höfner Galaxie 175
1969? Canora MIJ classical
1971 Yamaha S-50A classical
1972 Greco TL-350 (shortscale Tele)
1973 Greco TE-500 (Tele Thinline)
1975 Greco TD500 (Tele Deluxe)
1976 Eston (Suzuki) acoustic 12 string
1977 Greco Super Sounds (Strat)
1978 Fender USA Musicmaster
1978 Ibanez Concord acoustic
1981 K Yairi DY-51 acoustic
1982 Squier JV Tele Custom
1983 Squier JV Strat
1983 Squier SQ Tele Custom
1985 Fender Japan Jazzmaster
1985 Fender Japan TL33 Tele
1985 Ibanez Roadstar II bass
1987 Fender Japan TL52 Tele
1988 Fender Japan ST-456
2000? Epiphone Casino MIK
2012 Fender Japan Bass VI

call all destroyer, there was exactly one of those Jorgenson Hellecasters in a music shop in Birmingham (UK) leading up to Christmas 1999, and I basically went all in on getting it via every family Christmas present I was getting and a 12 month payment plan on top. It was actually reduced to £580 just before I bought it but I guess is worth a bit more now. I remember the other music shop across town also had the blue sparkle Jerry Donahue model which I was also kind of tempted by. It's a little more uh elegant looking than mine

People aren't kidding about the muddy tone, didn't get that fixed until a few years later. Once I had it fixed up it plays beautifully though, so easy to get around.

I believe there may have been 500 in the west and 500 more in Japan; mine is 234

that’s so cool. the thing i read said that there were 500 total with 250 staying in japan but either way, very very limited.

Yah I’d never heard of that looks super cool

here is everything except the FGN which is in the other free corner of the room (also observant viewers may see part of my cat as he jumped up while i was taking this

https://i.imgur.com/lPeyCty.jpg

That’s like the exact jag I’d want

i believe ilx user albert broccoli also has this jag!

Definitely feelin the Jag envy

i think the jag is the one fender model where things like the block inlays, neck binding, and matching headstock actually look better than standard fender austerity.

i was just thinking the other day about looking for like a black/white/black 3-ply guard for the tele thinline....it's a rock machine with the new wide-ranges and i'm not sure if the white pearloid is the right spirit. anyone like or hate that idea?

Just go all out with one of these and install some LEDs in the f-hole

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5MIAAOSw8Ipcsv75/s-l1600.jpg

lol oh no. i'll be required to join a 5th tier jam band that plays amorphous "festivals"

Black would look cool. Kinda like a tele deluxe from that era

yeah i was thinking of those, and i also feel like i've seen some natural with black hardware 70s strats that are kind of nice

+1 for I would buy that exact Jag

The Jazzmaster I have has a matching white headstock and block binding and I think it looks p great

i'd love to see it if you can post a pic!

i just find the chrome explosion on the jag body invites excess everywhere else.

i do feel very lucky that i snagged that jag. i didn't plan on buying when i did and it was a little more than i intended to spend, but between the aesthetics and the upgrades that had been done it was tough to imagine finding a better jag for me.

Have:

1950s Martin D-18 (inherited from grandmother)
1950s Martin O-18 (inherited from grandmother)
1976 Guild D-25
2015 Gibson ES-335 Studio
1993 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
Johnson Solara (cheap electric I have for weird reasons but am sort of fond of)

Want:
Some kind of telecaster-style guitar, possibly with a gold-foil neck pickup and a regular tele type bridge pickup

Considering selling the strat - I just recently got it back from someone who had borrowed it for years (long story) and I never loved it or strats generally.
I already feel like

*I already feel like I have too many guitars. No way I would have three acoustics but for the fact that I inherited two, and then bought a third because I felt nervous taking heirloom guitars out to some playing situations.

Actually would also love a Gibson ES-175 or L5 type full hollow, and maybe a baritone guitar.

https://i.imgur.com/NHsP3gn.jpg

Yamaha FG 380 acoustic
Yamaha Revstar RS502T
Gretsch Electromatic G5120
Ibanez AS73G
Ibanez TMB100 (bass)
Postitive Grid "Spark" amp

Not pictured:
1989 Squier Strat, Late 90s Epiphone double cutaway Les Paul Special (tv yellow), neither of which is currently in working order.
Vox VT100X amplifier, which is more amp than I need, and I've been meaning to sell since I bought the Spark amp.

Also, a cat.

*FG 830

xp holy shit those martins - I'd love to play one but would be terrified to handle it.

xp nice arrangement and that is a lovely and large-looking cat

If I had it to do over, I'd have gotten the Yamaha RS502 without the tailpiece. Would've been more versatile re: modification. But it's a fuckin tank and I'm sure I'll own it forever.

xp I love the D-18 a lot. Definitely has taken some wear - there's a small crack right by the pickguard, and I had to have another crack in the side repaired. I haven't really figured out the O-18, have not found the right strings for it possibly and don't love the sound right now.

As noted I bought the Guild recently at a cheap price (it had some damage but is very playable) because I wanted a beater acoustic that still had a vintage dreadnought sound - something I wouldn't be scared to travel with/use at a local singalong or a small gig if I ever play one again.

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--IUxrKZ4E--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1426607907/fwmddtneq7o8pxqlzmqi.jpg

This is the Jazzmaster I have. It's not my actual one, I don't own a barn

I don't think that person does either. That's a set if I've ever seen one.

https://i.imgur.com/8cJAm1E.jpg
- 2013 Jackson Soloist
- 2015 Charvel San Dimas
- 2013 Fender Pawn Shop Super-Sonic
- 1983 Hamer Phantom A5 (with the 'triple humbucker')
- 1984 Hamer Phantom 12 (same thing but 12 string)
- 2008 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster (prototype with block in-lays, MIK)
- 2008 Jackson Warrior

i play the super-sonic and JA-90 a ton, and the charvel quite cos its so comfortable.

That soloist reminds me - I'd also love to get a ridiculous 80s shredder superstrat. It's absolutely got to have the pointy headstock and shark fin inlays and would preferably be neon pink crackle or something equally over-the-top

Monkey grip handle or gtfo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Performer

^^ my ‘80s shredder of choice if I ever found one

I was trying to recall where I'd spotted a Performer recently, and it was in this deeply regrettable image:

https://gayebykersonacid.wixsite.com/gayebykersonacid/gallery?lightbox=image15ci

No embedding, damnit. Gaye Bikers on Acid gallery, towards the bottom of the page.

https://i.imgur.com/Lij63UE.jpg

Jazzmaster w/ my JMJ signature Mustang bass (corny mass produced relic but the only traditional Mustang bass in the lineup these days?)

Nothing corny about the JMJ Mustang! It's a thing of beauty and I treated myself to one when it turned Shell Energy owed me a grand

I got a bit obsessed with wanting a Fender Performer recently. It's the guitar used by Bill Callahan up to and including Dongs Of Sevotion (he's playing it on the cover)

It sounds so good. I've got a set of the appropriate La Bella strings but haven't had a chance to drop it off for a setup with the new gauge.

Was intrigued by how many guitar dudes vouch for their quality. They look proper odd but Bill always wore it well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqT2djn-m2Q

I apologise for my obnoxious post upthread, I asked a mod to delete it but no response as yet so I guess it'll stand as a monument to tone deafness. It actually made me think a bit, I am wondering if collecting mania is a mental health issue for me. Most of those I bought cheap but I sure don't need them all. Anyway the rest of this thread is cool and I love this site so I will find a way to work on my own shit elsewhere.

Can someone advise me on my 1995 fender strat plus? It’s been packed away since I got a gretsch electromatic and I think I want to put some money into revamping it. I never loved the locking tuning pegs and the bridge is a weird thing with ball bearings. I kind of want to replace them with basic but good components. Anyway I own like 6 guitars and have been playing for nearly 30 years yet still know very little about guitars

fgti those posts are so enjoyable to me as a barely-player, so much to follow up about. like, a casino is my first and only electric for now, and have never considered nut width as an issue yet— but i will now and am anxious to compare stuff now. will be a long time if ever before it could possibly functionally matter to me. i think.

Honestly— if you’re looking to “upgrade” from your Casino, try a recent USA Casino. They started making them workshop-grade in USA and for whatever reason it’s been a financial bust, but the guitars themselves are crazy amazing. They’re not cheap, but feel weirdly underpriced in how gorgeous they are

My one caveat about Casinos (aside from the typically narrower nut, which my preference skews away from), is that I personally hear a marked difference in sound quality when a P90 is housed in chrome or nickel. Get plastic covers, it sounds better

Apparently USA Casinos are consistently 1 11/16” nut across the board… I should try a few more. I just have so many times picked up a beautiful Casino and the neck felt like I was holding a pencil

When I play guitar I do favor a wider nut due to having played fingerstyle first. I have a very serviceable 000 copy that is 1 3/4".

But then my mandolins are mostly 1 1/8" for eight strings so the contrast is all relative.

because my casino is what imprinted first, most guitars i pick up feel kinda leaden, flat, and dull to my hands and abs. i’m used to the archback and relative light weight. i wonder if ppl are like birds with “parents,” what you see/feel first shapes your brain.

https://imgur.com/a/bkMR6Kf

For a guitar thread, not really too many pictures, so I figured I would post one of mine that is pretty unique.

It's a parts guitar a buddy of mine built for me on a body I found at a guitar show.

Pure class

I got a really good deal on that bound Korina body and it had a Bigsby when it was first put together. I figured out later why it was a good price, as when they routed for the studs, it is off just a bit - enough that the high E was always out off.

It never played all that well, so I couple years ago I got it changed over to the top loader using that Schaller bridge. It plays great now. If you look down at the bridge, you can kinda see how the routing was off a little bit, as the top loader is dead on.

Idea was to go kinda Neil with the Bigsby and Firebird pickups. I went with those amp knobs as Muddy Waters red Tele had them. It had a set of Duncans that I thought were kinda dull but I switched them to a set of the Mojotone Johnny Winter pickups quite a few years ago. It's pretty gnarly now.

Oh yeah, one cool trick that my buddy the luthier did to fill the screw holes was that he melted a Crayola into the hole with a color that matched. You can still see them, but not as much.

hm that image is not loading for me

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?attachments/davenport-tfb-jpg.2479175/

https://imgur.com/a/bkMR6Kf

ILM like life, I could use an editor.

I almost hate to admit this but I'm currently waiting on a custom guitar build (it was sort of a gift thing)

Update: I haven't taken any glamor shots yet, but this is now in. Torrefied pine Mustang with Jag/JM vibrato, 5-way switching, and some other fun tweaks. Absurdly light and resonant, loads of character to each note in a way I'd normally associate with semi-hollows — after years of playing offsets with those pure bell tones, it's been fun to adjust to. But most of all it is pleasant as hell to pick up a guitar for a first time when it has all your perfect preferred neck specs, and just melts into your hand like it was always supposed to be there.

(Sadly this will not necessarily prevent me from wanting one of the Vintera II Mustangs if their prices plunge after the Vintera IIIs arrive in a few weeks ... I am clearing out cheap old project guitars, so now it seems fair again to have, like, three good ones.)

after the Vintera IIIs arrive in a few weeks

Update on the update: I love that it took less than 24 hours after posting this for them to announce the Vintera IIIs in question

My latest rescue animal:
https://i.imgur.com/KmSJAMA.jpeg
(1966-8 Guyatone EB-9 "Sharp 5" bass in ... average condition.)

damn this is hot

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2026/04/27/inside-geddy-lees-new-custom-rickenbacker-4000v-bass-for-rushs-return/

I’m think of upgrading the pickups on my Gretsch and could use some advice. My electrostatic has 3 humbuckers. Is there an ideal way to choose which ones go closer to the neck vs bridge? I’m being blindly pushed to TV Jones pickups. Anyone have any experience with em?

TV Jones are pretty much considered top quality for Gretsch pickups and they use them as OEM on the Japanese pro models. That said, they are not cheap as they cost like Lollar or Fralin or other higher end pickup makers.

I don't know, they are kinda spendy and you can end up having as much in the pickups as the Electromatic Gretsch.

Other thing on Gretsch pickup swaps is that you got to make sure you have the right type of mounts as they install a few different ways and swapping out a pickup in an archtop or semi hollow can be a witch. I know some techs charge more to swap them out as you got to work through the F holes etc to wire them up as it is a PITA.

I'd save up your nickels and look at getting used MIJ Gretsch if you want the next step up. TV Jones pickups do sound good, and they have their own thing.

One trick to consider to tweak is getting an EQ pedal. There are some Nashville studio cats that have some videos out there showing using a regular ole' Boss pedal to change the sound to get other tones out of the same guitar.

Nice thanks. I actually just bought a boss EQ and should mess around more with the clean tones. Been using it to beef up my big muff mostly

Tom Bukovac did the EQ pedal video I saw a few years ago. He had some setting for getting a Gretsch tone out of a humbucker guitar I remember.