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

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

xp hi matt, i don't think that's the type of thing that would typically get deleted and speaking for myself i found the post not obnoxious but maybe more overwhelming? like that's a lot of guitars but it's really not my business why someone has the number of guitars they do!

Xxp don't think anyone is offended matttkkkk. Thread is moving fast. Post some stories/details about items in that list though. Curious about the "1950? Unknown parlour guitar", naturally.

People online can get weird about instruments, like it's wrong to own any of them beyond your immediate need to write a hit record. No weirder or worse than collecting anything else IMO.

1976 Guild D-25

my early '80s lefty d-25 is my single favorite object in my life. the first real guitar i bought (used, from some dude in new jersey). i've walked into walls with it, dented the body against a door knob, generally mistreated it, and every single mistake i've made has somehow made it sound better. it records incredibly well. i have a martin d-28 that sounds technically superior in most ways and stays in tune and that i protect like a child, but i'll never love it the same way and i'll probably never play it as much. the guild probably knows me better than i know it, and i treasure it for that.

I've never played an old Guild, but I think I read about some artist loving his old Guild, maybe a 12-string?, and that makes me automatically swoon about an old Guild. Guitar mags + impressionable youth, but maybe something is there.

old guilds seem to be universally beloved

Oh also, Bryter Layter. That is also part of it.

i don't really need another dreadnought so maybe not a d-25 but it would be cool to have an instrument that was built in new england back in the day

Thanks folks upthread. I woke at 3am and looked at that list and thought "what the fuck is wrong with you?" But I do love them all, I've sold more than I have, and given away quite a few. Morbidly there are a few there so I can leave e.g. 1 Strat 1 Tele and an acoustic to both of my daughters when I die.
The unknown parlor guitar I bought for $14 at the local recycle / tip shop. It had the back splitting off, the bridge misplaced and it was strung with nylons. I repaired it enough to get it playing well but left it alone beyond that. It has a cute hand-painted/stippled sunburst, sounds bone-dry and so alive, and a gem to play; my older daughter keeps stealing it off me. Best guess is it's a 1950 "Michigan" brand.
https://i.imgur.com/4PwDDwI.jpg

and here's a Michigan for sale https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/clarkesauctions/catalogue-id-clarke2-10046/lot-6c5b077f-d162-4639-8f16-a9b300d1a788#lotDetails

very nice--so cool that you were able to bring it back to life

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

― Heez, Monday, May 31, 2021 9:45 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

seems reasonable to replace these components imo. with bridges i know that there are two different string spacings that are used on fender bridges so you may need to watch for "vintage" vs. "modern."

i think with replacing tuners the biggest thing is location of the mounting screws possibly being different? as in you may need to drill some new holes and fill the existing ones.

with fenders i wouldn't feel much fear in at least attempting to work on them....i have always told myself worst case i get in over my head and need to contact a repair person to finish the job.

Xxp very cool. "Vintage michigan guitar" search of course takes me right to Elderly's website, a place I went to often in the early 00's.

Ya

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.

spottie your collection is fascinating as well, like those 80s hamers are totally unfamiliar to me

I go to a lot of estate sales/auctions so I’m always looking for stuff hoping to flip it or shuffle the collection a bit. The guy who owned these had original receipts for them too, also had some sweet vintage pedals that I bought (vintage boss and worley). I’d never heard of those Hamers either, apparently the A5 was popularized by Andy summers. I had to put a couple hundred into the 6 string for a fret level/polish and solidify a crack in the neck joint. Might sell both to try and get one off the wishlist. They are fun to play tho, lots of tonal options.

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

― Heez, Monday, May 31, 2021 9:45 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

seems reasonable to replace these components imo. with bridges i know that there are two different string spacings that are used on fender bridges so you may need to watch for "vintage" vs. "modern."

i think with replacing tuners the biggest thing is location of the mounting screws possibly being different? as in you may need to drill some new holes and fill the existing ones.

with fenders i wouldn't feel much fear in at least attempting to work on them....i have always told myself worst case i get in over my head and need to contact a repair person to finish the job.

xp those Hamers are awesome, I had a friend who was a professional musician and flat out told me they were the best made production guitars of their era.
I have pictures of pretty much everything in the list, I think. These are some nice ones - the Squier in the centre is a 1983 SQ serial from Fender Japan, my favourite of all. I sold the Greco thinline on the left after I picked up a similar but older one for $150 on a visit to Japan.
https://i.imgur.com/FHifgdi.jpg

I also bought the Greco Strat in Japan, had visited Ochanomizu to buy a decent Fender Japan Strat for a friend, and thought well I don't need anything for myself unless there's a 70s Fender copy somewhere - the last store on the street was full of metal guitars and this one lonely 78 Greco for about $250, when I tried it I knew it was coming home. I had to get on the Yamanote line in rush hour and go to Shinjuku with one guitar on my back and one held to my front, it was a lot of fun.

Ha, sounds awesome. I know people swear by those early Japan squiers but I don’t know much about about them, honestly. Pickups sound good?

To be honest I switched out the bridge for an inexpensive but awesome ToneRider Hot Classic. The neck "WRHB" is a bar magnet approximation from the Greco production lines, but I put 1M pots on the neck circuit and used the trick of backing off the hidden screws a way - it ends up being a bit like a P bass pickup. Anyway the end result sounds divine, not like a WRHB but more like a Strat neck pickup.

Also anyone who needs a P style bass should get onto the Ibanez Roadstar copies from the 80s. Same production line as Fender Japan, absolutely wonderful instruments, STILL underpriced although inflating like everything else at the moment.

"Vintage michigan guitar" search of course takes me right to Elderly's website, a place I went to often in the early 00's.

You went to the website often, or to the actual store?

I live a few miles from the place and it's a great place to wander around for a couple hours. One of those shops where $200 acoustics are next to $4000 ones out on the floor.

most of my guitars are complete garbage, my main one is a MIK 198x Squier Strat which isn't even mine (someone leant it to me in 1991 but never asked for it back). i do have a nice Aria acoustic and the exact same Ibanez bass as Johnny Fever (except my one is pale green). been playing guitar a lot recently though and currently yearning for something half decent with a thicker sound and a chunkier neck than the strat

1996 or 97 American Standard Tele. It's indestructible and was my only electric guitar for about 20 years, and has major sentimental value but I really don't like the bridge pickup. Then I got:
2018 Epiphone ES-335 Pro. Love it but can tell that the hardware (tuners) is of lesser quality. But it sounds great and the price was right.
2017 D-28. This like a 5th child for me. A very generous gift from a family member. Love it.
??? year Deering Goodtimes banjo. Fun but it feels flimsy, is way louder than I need it to be and I don't know shit about banjos.

I don't feel a need for more guitars. Fave pedals include a Carbon Copy delay, JHS Clover pre-amp, mini tube screamer and a Roland space echo.

xxp the actual store. I had a friend that lived in Cassopolis, and we'd drive up and over from there. Friend had a few old guitars and would occasionally be trading or buying something. I agree, it's a great place. They put it all out there and let you play.

I think those strat plus’s had Schaller tuners. Might have to do a little digging to figure out which replacement tuners would work in those without have to drill new holes (unless you don’t care about that). In general, Fenders are fun to work on if you enjoy that kinda thing. Wonder if a modern fender bridge would swap one to one with the one in yours.

― Spottie, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 1:22 AM (nine hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ok yeah they are Schaller's. It also has an LSR nut, which it looks like I would have to replace with another LSR nut. Any opinions on the gold Lace Sensor pickups? I think I might just take this somewhere for a set up and clean it really well. For someone who doesn't really care about the technical aspects of guitars, it always seemed too foreign to me.

I’d like to try Lace Sensors sometime. There’s the Clapton association but also Kim Deal and Andy Gill…

I go back and forth a lot on my 2015 ES-335 Studio. Tuning stability isn't always great, and also sometimes I don't like the feeling of the fretboard (torrified maple). I wonder whether upgrading to a higher-end ES-335 or maybe a vintage ES-335 would make a big difference, or if maybe I should try a Guild Starfire or an Eastman T386 (which cost the same or less than I could sell my ES-335 Studio for). I could also make some upgrades to the one I have. I like the sound of both pickups a lot.

yah ive never played the lace sensors either, but they have a really loyal following. you're pretty much stuck with the LSR nut since it has to be routed differently, yeah.

another option is if you arent really in love with the specs on that strat plus model you could sell it as-is and buy a used american standard strat which will have more... standard parts. they have roughly the same monetary value at this point in time.

Eastman makes a higher end 335 with Lollar pickups from the factory. You could probably come close to getting one selling the Gibson given their price increases.

i just took it apart and am cleaning it. also bought a new lsr nut. i think i'll get it all freshened up and decide if i want to keep it or sell it. kind of like that hgtv show.

re: the Guild discussion upthread. Some years ago I used a Guild 12-string but never warmed to it. Wasn't Clapton a Guild user for a while?

I had an acoustic show over the weekend. All my friends seem to getting fancy new Taylors. I borrowed one and didn't like it - obviously a well-made luxury instrument, but the neck is so slippery that I couldn't really feel where I was. Hoping I am not just doing a sour grapes thing where I claim to not like an instrument that I have no hope of affording any time soon.

2. 1974 Gibson SG. I got this last year right before lockdown. It's in decent shape, I love the skinny neck, and I wanted something from my birth year and this was relatively cheap compared to most other options. I replaced all the pots and capacitors and jack which feels sacrilegious but they were all scratchy and loose but I kept the switch. Ian Mackaye and Carrie Brownstein, some Iommi, not really Angus Young.

3. A 2017 Telecaster Deluxe neck on the routed out body of a 1998 MIM telecaster, with P90s. I had built this with Lace Matt Pike humbuckers and the full 'Jimmy Page' wiring with four push-pull pots but learned I don't like humbuckers that much. I didn't really know these guitars existed til 10 years ago or so and I love the weird hybrid bastardized neck/body combo and 'fuck it just route everything and make a giant pickguard' Fenderness of it.

― joygoat, Saturday, May 29, 2021 7:55 AM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

do 70s SGs have skinnier necks? i might need to look for one of those if so.

Also love the bastardized tele deluxe

I have never purchased a guitar, but I have three: Electra Telecaster copy (1974, gift from my parents when I was 16); Yamaha SE612 (1989, gift from my ex-wife) and a crappy Series 10 short scale that belonged to my late brother, on which I am attempting to learn slide.

I'm primarily a bass player, of which I also own three: Dano Longhorn (newish); MIM P-Bass (2006), and Fender "cowpoke" P-Bass (1995.) This is my favorite and most played. Kinda rare, active pickups, jazz-like 22 fret neck.

xxp Notable Taylor players according to wikipedia: William Ackerman, Axel Bauer, Jade Bird, Zac Brown, Dave Carroll, Steven Curtis Chapman, Tom Fletcher, Jon Foreman, Russ Freeman, Andy Gullahorn, Michael Hedges, Sam Hui, Alan Jackson, Jewel, Emily King, Leo Kottke, Dave Matthews, Travis Meeks, Jason Mraz, Dolores O'Riordan, John Petrucci, Prince, Gabriella Quevedo, Steve Stevens, Call All Destroyer

That list is missing Taylor Swift. Probably the most prominent Taylor player who is named Taylor.

I learned to play on an epiphone jeff "skunk" baxter acoustic guitar, which had a very small neck and body. Sounded very thin overall. That is now at my brother's house for his kids to learn. I have 1 electric guitar -- an early 00s PRS Standard 22 (I think?). I got it maybe 20 years ago in high school. At the time, I mostly wanted something that played like that little epiphone, i.e. a small neck and low action. It was also the cheapest PRS I had ever seen, on sale for something like $1100. The maroon and gold probably had something to do with it. I remember being overwhelmed by all of the "made in" variations for Fender guitars, and I was leaning toward a G&L. Single coils probably sounded less forgiving, and I believe a Creed-loving friend was with me and convinced me that PRS guitars are good. I do not love this guitar, but I'm grateful to have a decent enough instrument to play. I'd like to get an old tele instead.

My acoustic is an early OOs Larrivee L-05. I played with a friend that had maybe 5 to 7 amazing guitars at any given time. He sold this to me for $500 as a favor but also because he hated the epiphone so much. He'd replaced the tuners with some fancy matte black ones but switched them back before giving it to me. I don't think the B string has ever been in tune when I pick it up, and I wonder if that is why he'd replaced those tuners. I still love this one. It felt like a big upgrade over the epiphone, anyway.

I wish I'd bought the oldest guitars I could afford at the time. They'd even be 20 years older now. The oldest wood in this photo is definitely on the floor.

https://i.imgur.com/MtTz0pg.jpg

I almost exclusively play acoustic at home these days, mostly alone, sometimes with a mate. I've a Lakewood (German brand) auditorium and a Collings small body. Electric I play a Japanese Squier Jagmaster I bought in the early 90s, and an Epiphone Dot because Galaxie 500.