Been wanting a new guitar for a long, long time. I’ve had the same Squier Strat for well over a decade, and just wanted something new, a little less fret buzz. I do have an old Carlos acoustic, from like early 80’s, still, shockingly, works perfect for what was a cheap guitar, really do not get string buzz. Also, a very old JB Player Telecaster style with two single pickups and a humbucker, set up to get the best of dual coil and sound like a Strat. But, the Kahler locking tremolo is hosed. Think it needs new springs. Not easy or cheap to fix or replace. Neck is still in good shape, but, the cable input to hook up to an amp is messed up.
I’ve actually been looking at Schecter, I like the style and feel, particularly the Omens and Demons. Was leaning towards this one, red or black. One nice thing is they have 24 frets, rather than the 21 on a Fender/Squier, so, a little easier to play for someone with smaller hands. Plus, the back of the neck is smooth, like Fender/Squier and Gibson/Epiphone. Never been a big fan of Jackson or Ibanez because of that neck issue, I find them rather tacky, can’t move up and down the neck.
BC Rich is nice, just, expensive. And they are heavy. Had a Warlock back in the day. Stores never seem to have Dean, Kramer, or Yamaha in stock. PRS is good, but, again, expensive.
Anyhow, almost no one has Shecter in stock right now. Heck, not a lot of anything. A base model Fender strat has gone from $699 to $799 because of the wood issues. Started looking at Epiphone, walked into Guitar Center, a couple models on my mind, because I want to hold it and play it, not order online, ended up with
Finally, new guitar. Epiphone Studio. Helped that it was on sale for $379 from $499. Been playing Strats for a long time, wanted something different pic.twitter.com/LzcOSEK3G8
— William Teach2 ??????? #refuseresist (@WTeach2) October 13, 2021
The Studio Gold in white or red had been the one I was leaning towards. I knew a Classic Worn was on big time back order, same with the Muse, the Studio was on that list. They had black and red, I liked the red, and, for $120 off list, couldn’t resist. Very smooth. Slight buzz on the low E, but, not enough to bothersome, especially for the price. If I wanted perfection I’d be spending $900 or more for an Epiphone. The Gibson version of what I got is $1,600. I just play at home, so, this works. Getting back some of the dexterity and speed I lost when I broke my thumb.
What do y’all play for instruments, if you do?
Fender American Strat, PRS McCarty and Taylor T5, through a Line 6 Spider Jam. No effects pedals needed, and it has dozens of pre-set backing tracks to play along with. No need to try to round up some buds to jam with.
So, OK, it’s a little anti-social, but you can never get the guys to come over and play at 2:00AM anyway.
And you can probably eliminate that string buzz if you do a little tweak on the low side of the bridge. Just raise it a hair. That shouldn’t effect tone or playability. Keep on rockin’.
Nice guitars. I do have an old Ratt distortion pedal, and a stereo chorus somewhere. A Fender amp that does lots of stuff, including a basic fake drum beat. I might raise the E just a tad.
Also, a little Rockman so I can plug in a headset, have it around my neck while watching some TV
I got my first real six-string. Bought it at the five-and-dime. Played it ’til my fingers bled. Then I gave up playing guitar because having bloody fingers sucks. And I wasn’t any good. I must have been doing something wrong.
I play guitar too, but not as well as my son, who owns a music store (https://www.urockmusic.com/). Personally, I have a G&L Comanche and an Alvarez PD85SC AV (acoustic with pickups). Well, I have more, but I rarely play them. I play through an old Fender Princeton 112+. Before WuFlu, I played with a band at my old job, but they’ve been shut down pretty continuously.
My son is a dealer for PRS near Pittsburgh, and they make some pretty nice guitars that you can get at reasonable prices (the SE line made in Korea). He’s advertising a couple now between $500 and $800 bucks. He said that during the stimulus he sold a lot of “stimulus” guitars for $1200, mostly by mail.
I’m tempted, and I could afford it, but I don’t play enough to make it worthwhile
Those PRS are nice, just can’t find any around Raleigh. Not even an expensive one to try.
Started playing guitar at 15. Kept it up, gigging most weekends until I was 55 then quit for a variety of reasons. Back in April I decided I was gonna take it up again after 15 years (I’m now 70.) Wowie it was and is hard but coming along.
Always wanted a Tele thinline but really couldn’t justify the cost for just playing around the house so I bought a Donner Tele Thinline for $199.00 Canadian. Lemmee tell ya, it plays and sounds as good as any guitar I ever owned and I’ve owned some beauts over the years: Fenders, Gibsons Gretches. Picked up a little Fender Champion 20 watt practice amp for $149.00. The thinline sounds great thru it.
Sometimes you can find a serious gem in an inexpensive guitar. Love a Fender amp. Wouldn’t switch from those.
About a year ago I found a mid 90’s Korean Squire Tele in some guy’s garbage. Finally got around to restoring it last spring: new bridge, new machine heads, new input jack stripped all the lousy decals and cleaned her up nice. Gonna give it to my grandson…it sounds great and plays great.
Agree about Fender amps. Have had many of them over the years.
Play a Fender Highway One Tele through a Fender Mustang GT40. The sounds you can get out of that little thing are almost limitless. Use that combo almost exclusively in a praise band. Also own an Epiphone single cutaway acoustic-electric, a Gibson SJ acousti,c a Gibson “The Paul” Firebrand tuned to open E, just in case and a Squire Affinity Strat.
A little story about the SJ. My roommate and I were living in a house for a time, and eventually we both moved. I packed as much stuff into my 240Z as it could carry. The SJ wasn’t one of the things that I could pack. Waited a few days and went back to get it. Gone! Move ahead 40 years and I get a phone call from the ex-roommate. He said he had something of mine…the SJ. Reunited with that thing after 40 years, but a bit worse for wear. The action sucks, but it still sounds great.
That’s cool, something about stuff from way in the past that seems great for the soul
Im primarily a drummer. I love bass and own and build them. I have more basses than any drummer I know. Hah! Great pick on an axe. I have several Epis. They set up well. Don’t forget the nut work, Porter. It will do a lot for you at the top of the neck.
Enjoy that axe in good health!
The nut is one of the things I look at big time before buying. They actually had a much more expensive Epiphone Les Paul on big sale because the nut was bad, wouldn’t hold the G and B strings easily. Figured would be too much work.
In 2006, I bought a made in China Epiphone Les Paul Standard that was a discounted factory second from Sweetwater.
Paid about $300, and it was and still is the sweetest playing electric guitar I own.
Last year I replaced the pickups with a pair of Stew Mac’s overwound, Alnico 5, “Parson’s Street” humbuckers, and their ’50’s spec wiring harness.
That $300 upgrade made a good guitar into a great guitar.
I’m a big fan of cheap guitars.
Consider that when the now unobtainable 50’s and 60’s ‘Holy Grail’ guitars were made, they were slapped together by shell shocked WW2 vets, using the cheapest parts Old Leo and the boys at Gibson could get their hands on.
Its now whatcha got. It’s how you use it.