I'm a Fender man myself. Particularly Telecasters. This Nashville model is my weapon of choice. I'd love to hear from people about what they think about the differences/preferences between Fender and Gibson guitars.

I've always drooled over the Nashville Tele! I'm completely a Fender guy too...a little harder to play but more character, IMAO. Plus, my fat fingers don't fit in those tiny Gibson frets too well...

My Strat has been with me for years of abuse, and now has two Texas Specials (mid and neck) and a red Lace in the bridge. Raw, raw, raw sound...in the out-of-phase position it has more twang than any Rickenbacker or Gretsch!

I ended up getting my Reverend Rocco because it has the same feel as a Fender semi-hollow but with a couple of beefy humbuckers just in case I want 'em. It's got a coil tap, so I do lose some of the tone of both settings, but they still sound better than most stock pickups.

I'm an SG fan myself, my webpage explains why:

http://www.geocities.com/theowlwatches/sg.html - www.geocities.com/theowlwatches/sg.html

James Lee wrote: Plus, my fat fingers don't fit in those tiny Gibson frets too well...

I hear you, I have long fingers and playing a Gibson is like trying to fit a bunch of commuters onto an overcrowed train. No room, no room!!!

The Owl wrote: I'm an SG fan myself, my webpage explains why: http://www.geocities.com/theowlwatches/sg.html - www.geocities.com/theowlwatches/sg.html

I've used SG's too and I like the way the body is so thin, you feel really close to the playing surface - right there in fact!

Now if it weren't for the bloody cramped Gibson fretboard, I much just be a convert. However, I can never fully dislike any guitar that is a hardtail...

I play a strat. At first I found Gibsons to be a bit fat and blocky, however, as I've progressed in my slim/weak abilities, I've found Gibson's, Les Paul custom actually, to be very comfortable and responsive to bends and basic action. I've played a few detroyers too, that felt good. Now, the SG, is really made for soloing. Light weight and comfy in the palm.

I think, as players progress in abilities, certain instruments can feel more comfotable than others. The guitar that I found consistantly lets me play beyond my abilities is the Parker Fly Custom. Stuff I struggle with on my strat, flows on the fly. Weird!

I'll second that- the Parker Custom is almost too good, I seem to double my prowess even on the cheaper bolt-on model (Nite-Fly?). The only other stock guitar I can compare them to is the PRS Santana (the original, not the Santana SE models...although those are still amazing when compared to most similarly priced guitars).

One thing I hate about Strats, though, is that I've never played one that didn't need constant re-tuning on the B string. You know, the one that you're about 75% more likely to bend regularly...even when in-tune, it always sounds a little off...or is that just a by-product of tempering?

Hey James. My strat has no sustain at the twelfth fret on the high E. How can I fix it? Is it a warp or a bridge adjustment?

Yeah, the frigger goes flat every other song and I'm always re-tuning. Yer Rocco looks like a good replacement!

The nightfly is sweet, but very strat like. The Custom sings. I almost bought one. I kept walking around and coming back to it and it was magic.... I even had the cash in pocket, but something hauled me back....  Seven years later, I'm still kicking myself in the arse, my ex ended up with the cash.... bitch!

What do you think of Gibson Hollow bodies?  I love that BB tone.

Hmm, I used to have serious e-string sustain problems on my strat. I couldn't track it down, either; I tried a fret job, different pickups, altering the string height (in case there was too much 'pull' from the pickups). Turned out that my bridge was the problem; I had replaced the stock non-locking tremolo bridge with a Kahler trem, didn't like it, and swapped it back but I must have missed the alignment just enough to kill the response of that one string. It took several tries to get the bridge fastened right (the Kahler had required me to drill tune-o-matic spaced holes, so those had to be filled in and re-drilled with the Fender spacing).

That poor strat. Sometimes I wonder if it regrets being purchased by such a brutal master

Thanks, I'll try some (MORE) bridge adjustments...

James Lee wrote: I'll second that- the Parker Custom is almost too good, I seem to double my prowess even on the cheaper bolt-on model (Nite-Fly?). The only other stock guitar I can compare them to is the PRS Santana (the original, not the Santana SE models...although those are still amazing when compared to most similarly priced guitars). One thing I hate about Strats, though, is that I've never played one that didn't need constant re-tuning on the B string. You know, the one that you're about 75% more likely to bend regularly...even when in-tune, it always sounds a little off...or is that just a by-product of tempering?

Ronnie Stolt uses a Parker Fly a lot these days and I was tempted to get one but I worry they they will turn out to be the guitar equivilent of loon pants. I mean, look at Jackson and Charvel guitars back in the 80's. So cool back then but nowadays, you can't get arrested with 'em slung round your neck.

There is no denying they are great guitars but the styling could date...

Parkers have been around for quite a while, at least ten years. The cost is the problem. The Nightfly is not too expensive, but a custom will run up to $2,600.

One thing about styles.... they always come back around, so who really cares. If the axe feels rights.... go for it.

I seem to have become  Fender guy - using a tele - mainly cause Fender's cheaper and, I find, more versatile than anything else. For example, my old Tele is an early Jap model that I snapped up for 200 old Irish pounds about a billion years ago and for years it was my axe of choice live with a cheapo Hohner ST 57 as back up.

Having said that, it's horses for courses.

I use an Epiphone G1275 6&12 string thing for obvious reasons on the 12 neck and for chunky lead on the six.

BY and large I'll use the Tele for rhythm stuff and switch to the Hohner for almost all the lead stuff. It's a cheap old strat copy but to my ears sounds better than 90 per cent of strats I've heard.

I think it just comes down to what feels conmfortable on a given piece of music.

I would, however, dearly love to get my hands on a 335 or similar. Now that would be fun....

It's amazing that the price very rarely has anything to do with how much you love a guitar. I have a cheapo Squire Strat that I love as the action is just right and the feel of the neck is really comfortable.

I've owned guitars five times as expensive as the Squire that haven't given me the same thrill to play.

Life is strange  

I've never had enough money for either - I bought a Westone Thunder 1A many, many moons ago, and still play it - wouldn't part with it!

For me it's the ideal budget compromise - the sustain is superb, especially when you switch in the active circuitry for an extra gain boost. The coils in the twin humbuckers can be split, for an out-of phase harmonic rich sound with all 4 single coils in play. The neck is slightly wider than a Fender, but narrower than a Gibson.

Problem areas; Tuning on the octave can be hit and miss unless you do some surruptitious bending, and the G is nearly impossible to get right. I know about equal temperament, but that string defies anyone's temperament

They're collectors items now, I understand. Pity, I always wanted the bass version.

I have a Fender Katana bass, which suits my manic style just fine - I particularly like the extremely narrow neck and amazingly low action with minimal fret buzz 

There's a good topic- active or passive?

For bass, it's mostly moot, but how many of you folks like active guitar pickups? I can never get them to sound right for distorted tones (too boxy on the bass end, especially), but I like 'em for clean and slightly dirty sounds.

Certif1ed wrote: They're collectors items now, I understand. Pity, I always wanted the bass version.

My bass player owns a Westone Thunder 1 bass. He doesn't use it but it's a left hander.    

James Lee wrote: There's a good topic- active or passive? For bass, it's mostly moot, but how many of you folks like active guitar pickups? I can never get them to sound right for distorted tones (too boxy on the bass end, especially), but I like 'em for clean and slightly dirty sounds.

Yeah good question. I used a Steinberg which had active picups and a push/pull pot which selected single or humbucker configs. The active picups always seemed to run too hot for my tastes and tended to ignore the guitar's body in favour of it's own character.

I think that they do help bass guitars though. Much more defined sound. 

Not having played many other guitars, I can only speak for my little Westone - but the active gain switch is perfect for distorted tones - it adds exactly the right amount of punch, and always solicits a "Wow" from people when I click it in (I have to say that the "Wow" thus solicited has nothing to do with my somewhat amateur playing style...  ).

If anything, I find the guitar a little "boxy" in most tonal regions without the gain switched in - I generally have to EQ like mad to get a balanced tone, especially if I switch between pickups. But hey, it was cheap, sounds good, and suits my overly dramatic style of riffing. My solos are definitely not my trademark...

The tone boost is fairly redundant, as it seems to cut bass in order to boost treble, but the coil-split is fantastic for getting those Joe Satriani sounds. A couple of slides and a bit of "widdly bluff" and you can fool most non-guitarists into thinking you can play... I like my guitar to sound "hot".

The best thing I ever discovered for my Westie is the Pod XT. The more I hear it, the more I like it. I do think it's good etc, etc, etc.

Certif1ed wrote: The best thing I ever discovered for my Westie is the Pod XT. The more I hear it, the more I like it. I do think it's good etc, etc, etc.

Yeah, the Pod XT is a great little box and can really help to even out some of the weaker sonic areas that my guitars exhibit. However, you can't beat a good amp, cranked up loud for that sweet responsive touch.

HaroldTheBarrel wrote: Being a bass player, I have to say Fender, but I prefer Gibson guitars (I don't play guitar quite as well, but I'm learning...). So, both I suppose. I'm neutral. yay!

I don't think I've ever seen a Gibson made bass played by anyone famous (did that guy in G 'N R use a Gibbo bass? I'm not sure)

BTW, great name Harold

Wise words Jim.

Twin necks rule...

I always liked seeing Hendrix with his Gibson Flying V, Clapton with his Cream-era SG and Jimmy Page with his Tele...as they're all so synonymous with the exact opposite guitars.

sigod wrote: Certif1ed wrote: The best thing I ever discovered for my Westie is the Pod XT. The more I hear it, the more I like it. I do think it's good etc, etc, etc. Yeah, the Pod XT is a great little box and can really help to even out some of the weaker sonic areas that my guitars exhibit. However, you can't beat a good amp, cranked up loud for that sweet responsive touch.

Too true - especially an amp laden with glowing valves...

However, in my little studio the Pod XT Pro just sits in the rack pretending to be a Mesa Boogie MkII, a JCM 800, an AC30, and so forth... it's quite hard to tell once you've recorded that you've cheated

I got a Gibson, without a case -- but I can't get that even-tanned look on my face....

Hey,if it's good enough for Pete T....

Both great axes, figures this non-player. Is it true that the Gib is "warmer," & that's why I see it more in jazz than the Strat?

I've actually been considering gee-tar lessons....

Advice?

^ run, don't walk towards the guitar! A bottomless well of the rewarding mysteries of the universe await you! Women will want you and men will want to BE you

I only had one lesson...the rest of my bad habits I picked up on my own. But if maladroit James can learn to play, anyone can...

One of the Gibson's typical characteristics is a relatively flat frequency response rising only slightly around the lower midrange- this, plus the inherent noiselessness of humbuckers, makes it better suited for jazz's clean, well-rounded tones than the brighter, thinner single coils found in strats and telecasters. I'd say at least 85% of jazz is recorded with humbucker guitars. If you're really into jazz guitars, a hollowbody archtop is the essential instrument.

On the other hand, the more hollow bell-like tones of the single coil (especially when cleaned up with active/ low impedance pickups) have been popular among specfic jazz players...Charlie Christian, Django (my fav 'classic' jazz player), Wes Montgomery, and of course good ol' Jeff Beck.

I don't have a PodXT...or even a Pod 2.0...I have the very first model, and it does almost everything I need it to do (except let me control the decay time on the delays, grrr...). Even the fuzz voice has a nice analog sound to it, once you roll off the midrange and crank the treble a bit. The rotary is surprisingly good too...not quite a leslie, but as good as most simulations. And running it into a proper amp and speakers sounds better than most amps under a grand.

Peter Rideout wrote: I've actually been considering gee-tar lessons.... Advice?

Do you wanna play acoustic or electric? A company called Samick makes some nice beginner guitars that are reasonably priced. I bought my daughter a small scale acoustic, she was 11 at the time. It stays in tune, has a nice tone, straight neck and low action. They have a variety of electrics, solid and hollow bodies.

There are some beginners books that are pretty good. Some have a CD that lets you hear how it should sound, plus tabulature (tab) and chord charts. Tab shows you what string, which finger and fret to play at. There are some good videos too.

If you know any players, have them help you pick out a good instrument. Don't go out and buy a $1,200 strat if you're not really serious. Always check the Pawn Shops and want ads. I got my Strat for a ridiculous price, kid needed car insurance.... $50.00....  

^ going off on a tangent? That never happens

actually, I can kinda bring your question back on topic- I use the B4 on guitar tracks for the great Leslie simulation (oh yeah, it does a hammond organ sound too, apparently ). I've never used M-tron but I get good Mello sounds from a free plug-in called "Tapeworm".

For basses, there's one brand: CORT!

i own one, it's CHEAP and REALLY GOOD. In my experience it's a really good jazz instrument, and the range of my passive elements is really wild!

What are the cheapest (cheaply-made rather than good bargains) instruments you've enjoyed playing?

I had an Aria Pro 2 strat copy that I loved...it had a slightly shorter scale so I wasn't straining so much to do those wide 9th chords...I also had a Peavey guitar that was heavier than the amp...

James Lee wrote: What are the cheapest (cheaply-made rather than good bargains) instruments you've enjoyed playing? I had an Aria Pro 2 strat copy that I loved...it had a slightly shorter scale so I wasn't straining so much to do those wide 9th chords...I also had a Peavey guitar that was heavier than the amp...

I suppose it has to be my crappy Squire Strat. I got it rigged as a guitar synth recently which has given it a whole new lease of life.

There are stories of workers in the Fender factory in china who break the boredom of their day by creating what are called 'Dogs' and 'Angels'. The Dogs are deliberately built to pass the quality test but are otherwise unplayable whereas the Angels are designed to be well above the benchmark for such a cheap guitar. Apparently there are many more dogs than angels (surprise, surprise) but if you get lucky, oh boy...

I understand Frank Dunnery had a similar model to my Squire but trust me when I say, it's coincidence

LOL, one of my first guitars was a Squire Strat that I put an imitation Floyd Rose on...back in the Yngwie days. The action was so high you could slide a CD case under the strings at the 12th fret

I never heard that about the dogs and angels though- good story!

James Lee wrote: I never heard that about the dogs and angels though- good story!

Well I can't prove that it's true but it sounds plausable

I begin to wonder that, with so much, modelling technology out there now, if the standards of guitar making these days have increased (due to the competition) or decreased (due to the concept of 'fixing' the sound after it's left the guitar).

I think quality waivers in the face of mass production, however, the competition has really stepped up when you talk about affordable guitars. It's easier for a smaller company to make the product now, since machining equipment is more affordable than previously.

Seems like I see at least four or five kids a day carrying guitar cases, sprawled on the turf at the college or playing in front of the local coffee houses. It's much more common then in my youth. Seems like everyone is playing a guitar, some very well.  

Sincere thanks for the advice, chums!

I'll let you know if/when/how I take the plunge into axesmith superstardom....

C'mon, groupies! Atta girl -- shake hands with it!

Summer of Sixty-nine... Fellow Canuck and all.

danbo wrote: I think quality waivers in the face of mass production, however, the competition has really stepped up when you talk about affordable guitars. It's easier for a smaller company to make the product now, since machining equipment is more affordable than previously. Seems like I see at least four or five kids a day carrying guitar cases, sprawled on the turf at the college or playing in front of the local coffee houses. It's much more common then in my youth. Seems like everyone is playing a guitar, some very well.

The UK is much more DJ culture these days but I notice that the proportion of guitar bands has risen slightly over the last eighteen months. In London we have a road called Denmark Street that is well know for music shops and the activity there recently is almost frenetic.

There's a similar street in New York (where I bought my Ovation) called 53rd street??...

...Hhmm, not sure I got that right but it's a cool place.

I've always been a believer in cheap and cheerful gear, especially these days. Granted, back in the day, when I was playing live I became something of a tone nerd, having to play a real Fender through a Vox AC30 and only through stomp boxes as I didn't want anything to overly interfere with the signal. In fact, most of the time I just used an Ibanez tube screamer and a Sovtek small stone for effects so anal was I about purity of tone.

But even then I had bought my Tele for 200 quid, my AC30 for 200 when nobody wanted dirty old valve amps (hah hah) and my pedals were all second hand.

Nowadays, I love all this technology, it's fantastic to be able to buy M-Tron for £30 and get a 'real' mellotron from my rinky-dink mother keyboard. I love my guitar processors that give me screaming lead without the neighbours calling the cops and in the midst of a busy mix (and I have been known to use 10 to 15 guitar tracks) I defy anyone to tell me that my Rhodes sound is not a real Stage 73 or that my cranked Marshalls are merely a $200 Korg AX1000.

If I wanted to go out and buy half the sounds I use - mellotron, hammond, rhodes, dx7, oscar, marshalls, ac30s, twins, leslie cabns, then I'd be looking at thousands and thousands (and the need to build a whopping great extension to m y house). Instead I've got all this remarkable stuff in small boxes or software and at my fingertips.

And that doesn't start to include the recording freedom offered by a standard modern pc a basic sequencer and a bunch of plug-ins. The sound quaklity would have required weeks and weeks locked away in Compass Point at $15k a day before.

Hold on.... weeks and weeks in Compass Point, Bahamas or my cold and dreary office/studio in rain old Dublin..... Doh!

But my set-up cost the guts of $5000 not $50,000 and it's mine to keep. Cheap and cheerful and new technology rock!

Next up Guitar Rig and Arturia's CS80 (you can never have too many toys!)

I can't fault your logic arcer. You have a realistic yet creative array of instruments for a fraction of the cost that the 'real' thing would cost.

If, for example, you had struck up a huge record deal that would enable you to afford all the wonderful toys you mentioned, I'm not sure that even then, you'd be able to 'get away' with much without falling foul of the sound Nazis.

Your set up sounds great.

I was checking out Les Pauls on eBay last night and I'm shocked at how much even used, recent models are going for. I paid less for each of my first three cars!

...of course, I'm a VW Beetle guy, but still...

...seems like the problem is that I totally recognize that I could find a guitar with exactly the same features and feel for a quarter (or at least half) of the price, but I still irrationally want a real Les Paul in my collection. Crazy?

thanks sigod, the set-up could be better but I've pretty much got all i need save for a rock solid drummer with incredible feel, adventurous spirit and intelligence (to dream the impossible dream ) and, oh yeah, a good voice and some talent on my part  hahahahahaha!

James, I've always wanted a proper Gibson, but I refuse to pay the crazy prices they command. I'll make do... I think half the people who buy them just prop em up in the corner of the living room for style value anyway!!!

For the tech nerds my full set up is:

3ghz pc with 120gb hard drive 1gb ram, M-audio delta 66 soundcard, m-audio 4 port usb midi thing, running Cubase SX, Recycle and Sound Forge bunch of plug-in effects mostly shareware (why can't i find a good reverb for nothin'!!!!!)

keys/softsynths:

Native Instruments XPRESS B4, Pro 53, FM7, M-Tron, ImpOscar, MDA electric piano plug-in for Rhodes, a bunch of other shareware VST Instruments that are of varying value and an outboard Roland JV1010 with the keys of the 60s and 70s card, all running from a Evolution MK249 mid keyboard

Guitars:

Fender Telecaster, Epiphone G1275 6 and 12 string electric, Hohner st 57, Hohner st 59, Yamaha FG365SE electro-acosutic, Yamaha SA245 classical, a Tanglewood NS1215 12-string acoustic, Vintage AMG1 Resonator guitar (dobro), Cimar electric bass (Ibanez offshoot)

Korg AX100G phsycial modelling amps and fx pedal thing Tube screamer, Sovtek small stone, DOD Overdrive and Stereo Turbo Chorus

Drums:

Boss Dr Rhythm and endless loop and sample CDS

With all that I think I've pretty much covered all the bases, though I always want more toys.... lounge lizard, cs80 etc (and I'm a lousy keyboard player!!!!)

i've never played a real mellotron but G-Media's M-Tron is THE best emulation I have ever heard - it's sample-based from (now) a huge library of original tape loops. It models the orginals eight-second playback (hit a kit, it'll play for eight seconds and that's it) and it even features the wow and flutter from the original tapes. It's absolutely fantastic value for the money at around £30 sterling with lots of extra tape banks available and to my ears is the best I've ever heard.

I dunno if it's absolutely spot on, but it will certainly do me. Hell even Rick Wakeman has been known to use one!

Have a look and a listen (there's a downloadable demo) on http://www.gmediamusic.com - www.gmediamusic.com

you'll also find their emulation of the Oscar synth from the early 80s. I also have this and it kicks ass in a huge way, it and the Arturia (Yamaha) CS80 are the best VSTs i've ever heard. The CS80 for instant Vangelis pads and the Oscar for some seriously screaming leads and deeeeeeep basses.

If I had my ideal softsynth set-up I think it would be Native Instruments' Elektrik Piano (Rhodes, Wurly. Clavi), Gmedia's ImpOscar and M-Tron, Arturia CS80 and Native Instruments' B4 (Hammond) and Pro 53 (Sequential Circuits' Prophet V).

Check them out. they're all gems. and just think, that lot will cost you around $500, a real Mellotron will probably set you back double or triple that if you're lucky to find one anywhere.

James Lee wrote: I was checking out Les Pauls on eBay last night and I'm shocked at how much even used, recent models are going for. I paid less for each of my first three cars!

Well, I have an older model Gibson Les Paul Jr at my house, which goes for about six grand, acording to the guy I brought it to. However, I've seen similar models on eBay going at about 10,000 U.S. So maybe the guy I took it to was an idiot, but it's more likely the fact that people have this weird obsession with adding Gibsons to their collection.

Anybody have a "one that got away" story?

When I was learning how to play I used to go to every little music shop I could find and some of the oldest, dirtiest and tiniest had some real gems (that I didn't know about until years afterwards). I could have bought an original Big Muff for $45, a TR-909 for $125. Both seemed far too expensive to me for what they were...

I have a story. In the 70's my dad went into a steves music store and saw a beautifull OVATION on display for 360$. He couldnt believe it, but as he anylized it he saw that there was a huge crack along the body. He asked a guy working at the time about it and the guy said; "sure ill get one from upstairs". So the guy went up to get the other one and then my dada realized....."sh*t! its prolly on sale cuz its cracked!" But the guy came down with beautty gitar' in hand and said it was still the same price. But as my dad got his receipt and the manager (Steve)came down he looked at the price on the cash register and saw the guitar in my dads hand and the one still on display.... my dad hitailed it outta there!!! hey, he had his receipt and all, so they couldnt do squat! preatty sweet.... a few weeks later some guy told my dad the guy got fired after quite the outburst by Steve. Hey.. the guy got fired..but....OVATION!! IMHO the best acoustic you can get next to martin (MAN THEY GO FOR ALOT!!!).

Back to the thread... i have to say i prefer Fender. My dad has a Gibson Les Paul and all though it looks orgasmic and has beautifull sustain and has a fuller sound superior to fender... i go with feel any time.. Playing wise, fenders are simply superior, is it a wonder that Hendrix, Gilmour, Vaughn and other greats played them?I just prefer the thiner fast neck of a tele or Strat to the clunkly feel of a Gibson. I love my Tele but my problem with it is the thin sound. You can make a gibson sound like a strat, but you cant make a Fender sound like a Gibson. The pickup control on Gibsons is also superior, but once again: Its all about how the guitar feels. My dad also has a Ibanez Les Paul Copy, its very nice and i personally prefer it to the real thing(thiner neck). Its from the 70's way before they started making their more "stratish" models.We called some moron and he said it was a cheap guitar, no more than 125$, whatever, i cant believe that. Oh yeah, this is REALLY GONNA MAKE YOU GUYS JEALOUS. You know how much my dad got his Gibson for?.....here it comes..................250$!!!!!!!!!! Its crazy ehh?? Some idiot at a pawn shop sold it to him for that price. My dad owns an alarm system company so he instlaled an alarm in the shop (only a days worth of labour) and paid the 250. He was so happy!! for days he was like a fat kid in a candy store. Yup, my dad is a lucky fellow, as oppossed to me who pays 750$ for a tele.

yup...... FENDER HANDS DOWN!

once got offered a yamaha cp70 piano for 180 quid. turned it down cause well..... I was an idiot!

Once borrowed, for recording purposes, a beautiful original Epiphone Sheraton from a guy i knew who had inherited the guitar somehow and just kept it in the corner of his living room cause it looked cool.

I took it to the studio, fell in heart-lost love with the thing and attempted to offer the guy my Yamaha FG365 acoustic for it as a trade as the guy wanted to learn on an acoustic.

For three days he was up for the swap but backed out at the last minute cause he said 'the epi looks cool in my house' aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh

always Gibson SG, specially this one

sigod wrote: I'm a Fender man myself. Particularly Telecasters. This Nashville model is my weapon of choice. I'd love to hear from people about what they think about the differences/preferences between Fender and Gibson guitars.

I'm a Fender person, too. I prefer the necks and actions better on Fenders than I do on Gibsons. However, I do like the sound of Gibsons. But, what's the point of the sound if you can't play the axe because of the neck?; I just don't like the feel of the necks on a Les Paul or an ES guitar. They are too wide for my taste. Moreover, a Les Paul is so damn HEAVY and offcenter. Whenever I pick up a Paul, I am immediately disenchanted by its offset body weight, thus I hate to play them. My ideal guitar is Gibson electronics in a Fender Strat guitar, AKA Eddie Van Halen's "Frankenstein" guitars.

Les Pauls are indeed REALLY heavy things to have slung 'round your shoulders. That said, have you ever played a Rosewood Telcaster like the one George used on the Apple rooftop with the Beatles. They weigh a ton!!

Giacas wrote: I dunno, both have their good points, depends on the style of music you wanna play. Don't like the SG model myself, i hate how forward the bridge is, but the les pauls are nice, and strats/teles are both good to play aswell. Still, I think i prefer the less mass produced makes, like maverick/PRS. You gotta love PRS lol

Yeah, I can't deny the bridge on SG are a little obtrusive for me too when playing. On the other hand, I love the fact that they are very slim and you feel very close to the playing surface.

As for PRS. I think they play very well but I've never liked the look of them.

All in all, I like my tele and ocassionally, I noodle on my Strat copy as it has a really nice action but I'm happy to stick with what I have.   

This Owl is an SG lover (Gibson or Epiphone) to the core and I also dig ES-335 type axes. I like both of these because they play so easy and DON'T kill your shoulder like a Les Paul (and you can reach the upper frets a lot easier).

While I like the SOUNDS a Strat can produce, I just cannot stand the way they feel physically to play, it's like you have to FIGHT them to death. I do however like things like the Ibanez S-series strat-style axes, all the tones and plays like a dream:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/51/517210.jpg -  

James Lee wrote: I might have asked this before (old age alert!) but anyone ever play a fretless guitar?

Nope, but I've seen one played and it's a very strange sound indeed. Imagine a well oiled cheerleader slipping down a slide made of soap, singing Indian ragas and you're in the ballpark.  

On a more serious note, the sustain the guy got off that beast was impressive but like any fretless, your playing has to be spot on to keep the bugger in tune.

Here's my baby:

She needs a bit o' work. I've got a dead spot (no sustain) right around the 12th fret on the high E. I've tried a few adjustments, but I don't wanna funk it up.

I got a Fender Champ 30 watt for my birthday. Something to make a little noise and annoy the neighbors.

Please excuse the crappy focus, eh?

Jim Garten wrote: danbo wrote: I got a Fender Champ 30 watt for my birthday. Something to make a little noise and annoy the neighbors A Stratocaster with a whammy bar, through a Fender Champ.... It's Joe's Garage, all over again

I'm callin' the police!

How about a coupla quartsa beer?

hahahahaahha

I've got a tremolo package on it, but no whammy bar.  I just use the heel on my hand and push the bridge a bit. Not my fav effect.