Your next guitar?

[Hink]

There's a finished ⅞ size strat body in Warmoth's Screamin' Deals section for $190. That's really cheap! It weighs just under 4 lbs, too:

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... sort=price

They've got some Screamin' Deal necks for around $150, too, some of them with Pau Ferro fretboards or quarter sawn maple necks:

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... sort=price

These things could easily be turned into completed instruments for around $500.

and you can trust the quality

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Been way to busy to find my camera so I just went ahead and used the quite frankly dreadful quality on-board camera this laptop is packing, It doesn't really do the full horrors of this thing justice but I promised a pic, Remember this IS NOT MINE, I just got done tearing everything of it except the electronics



Sheer full frontal terror. Nice one Samick #equallycursedandblessed
I swear it is like one of those creepy paintings that watches you/The eagle's eye follows me around the room. On the bright side, As said it plays well and is built well, Korean job from I'm a guess early 90's...Enjoy and if you begin having nightmares then it is on you for looking, I shall take no responsibility

My daughter is hammering away on Her glockenspiel which is giving me a headache to boot. Brilliant weekend as usual and yeah that is me hiding behind that eyesore, I'm equally am eyesore ATM as I have recently had all my hair shaved off from should length to nearly none and my beard which gives me godlyke powers has been nearly eviscerated too

Best to you all as always, Wishing everyone well

Dean

Edit: Been really boring of late since I'm saving for my M80M Ibanez, The few bits I have bought bar strings/necessities were dirt cheap in the used display case at my local, I picked up a EHX Soul Preacher comp/sustainer for £25 as it offers a lot more OTT compression which I usually use one of my dbx 266XL or alesis 3630 rack jobs for since my main stompbox compressor is a very discrete and polite modern vca job that doesn't do OTT squish sort of thing (A rothwell love squeeze, excellent line driver and DI too it is), Another boss ns-2 since it was £30 and the most pricey at £50 or £60 was wmd's utility parametric eq which was a steal, It can run on anything from 9 to 24 volts and is ideal in an fx loop for one example, So three pedals for just over a £100 was not bad at all I've seen the M80M for £975 on Thomman.de which is cool as paying less than £1,000 for one would be most welcome. I reckon two months and I'll be able to get it (remember I don't do credit cards or similar, Just cash or I could of had it as soon as I wanted it, Still I like to make sure I really want something first and secondly feel somewhat like I have earned it if you hear me). I've got about eight guitars to restring which is going to be oh so much fun not, Wish me look, Its like being back doing work experience again having to string and setup so many guitars, I got rinsed back then doing work experience haha still those were fun days when the weight of life wasn't upon my shoulders, A tri-axis was the holy grail amongst other stuff and I was a kid, Naïve to life and how much it could stick it to a person, Happy times they were, I never got a tri-axis but did have a formula for a good while which was pretty damned good

Really liking the latest 1RU power-amp that ENGL released at NAMM, That with one of their special edition E570 preamps would make a great setup, Really like the options on their Invader II also but IMO the costs for fully tricking one out is just too expensive versus what other stuff is around. The Power-amp however is priced a lot more like it and would be a great buy for anybody looking for a quality power-amp to go with their collection of rack pre-amps :looks away: Oh and Randall's solid-state pre-amp I really want to get my hands upon, That looks great and if it sounds like the Randall solid-state preamps I am used to then I'll be well up for getting one in (Oh it'd sound sick with one of those ENGL 1RU power-amps)

[Hink]

Been way to busy to find my camera so I just went ahead and used the quite frankly dreadful quality on-board camera this laptop is packing, It doesn't really do the full horrors of this thing justice but I promised a pic, Remember this IS NOT MINE, I just got done tearing everything of it except the electronics



Sheer full frontal terror. Nice one Samick #equallycursedandblessed
I swear it is like one of those creepy paintings that watches you/The eagle's eye follows me around the room. On the bright side, As said it plays well and is built well, Korean job from I'm a guess early 90's...Enjoy and if you begin having nightmares then it is on you for looking, I shall take no responsibility

My daughter is hammering away on Her glockenspiel which is giving me a headache to boot. Brilliant weekend as usual and yeah that is me hiding behind that eyesore, I'm equally am eyesore ATM as I have recently had all my hair shaved off from should length to nearly none and my beard which gives me godlyke powers has been nearly eviscerated too

Best to you all as always, Wishing everyone well

Dean

Edit: Been really boring of late since I'm saving for my M80M Ibanez, The few bits I have bought bar strings/necessities were dirt cheap in the used display case at my local, I picked up a EHX Soul Preacher comp/sustainer for £25 as it offers a lot more OTT compression which I usually use one of my dbx 266XL or alesis 3630 rack jobs for since my main stompbox compressor is a very discrete and polite modern vca job that doesn't do OTT squish sort of thing (A rothwell love squeeze, excellent line driver and DI too it is), Another boss ns-2 since it was £30 and the most pricey at £50 or £60 was wmd's utility parametric eq which was a steal, It can run on anything from 9 to 24 volts and is ideal in an fx loop for one example, So three pedals for just over a £100 was not bad at all I've seen the M80M for £975 on Thomman.de which is cool as paying less than £1,000 for one would be most welcome. I reckon two months and I'll be able to get it (remember I don't do credit cards or similar, Just cash or I could of had it as soon as I wanted it, Still I like to make sure I really want something first and secondly feel somewhat like I have earned it if you hear me). I've got about eight guitars to restring which is going to be oh so much fun not, Wish me look, Its like being back doing work experience again having to string and setup so many guitars, I got rinsed back then doing work experience haha still those were fun days when the weight of life wasn't upon my shoulders, A tri-axis was the holy grail amongst other stuff and I was a kid, Naïve to life and how much it could stick it to a person, Happy times they were, I never got a tri-axis but did have a formula for a good while which was pretty damned good

Really liking the latest 1RU power-amp that ENGL released at NAMM, That with one of their special edition E570 preamps would make a great setup, Really like the options on their Invader II also but IMO the costs for fully tricking one out is just too expensive versus what other stuff is around. The Power-amp however is priced a lot more like it and would be a great buy for anybody looking for a quality power-amp to go with their collection of rack pre-amps :looks away: Oh and Randall's solid-state pre-amp I really want to get my hands upon, That looks great and if it sounds like the Randall solid-state preamps I am used to then I'll be well up for getting one in (Oh it'd sound sick with one of those ENGL 1RU power-amps)

Hi Dean, is the Tube Poweramp E840/50 the power amp you are talking about? I wish companies would come out with low power power amps like some of the amps out there today. I would love a simple single ended power amp like Fenzel that I can swap tubes at will in. I mentioned it to Jim Frenzel but he didn't seem interested, thankfully I can just use the return on my Frenzel if I want just the power amp. The Engl looks awesome but it's up there in price and more power than I need . I'd just be attenuating the hell out of it, be kinda like buying a box of cereal just for the prize and tossing the cereal

FWIW I got off the stereo power amp wagon when I started buying new amps a few years back, I use to have my 4x12 wired in stereo and down to 4Ω but now all my guitar tracks are mono and I am not missing a thing. Maybe if I were on stage and had two 4x12s but I cannot ever see that happening. I have toyed with the idea of buying a tri-axis (with a lot of encouragement from suziwong back in the day) but my lack of excitement over the Marshall tube amp I have had longer than any currently working piece of gear I own has kept me from jumping on another tube pre...I have been tempted by the Carvin Pre-amp as well.

Now I am not saying because I dont like the Marshall tone much I wont like the others but I have come to the conclusion that such things are not for me. I like my amps lean, trimmed and simple and there are too many bells and whistles that I would likely never use...still if I hit the right deal at the right time it could be a different story.

BTW I have seen the new face as you know behind the guitar and imo you look great...I suspect you are hiding your face because you're exhausted from being chased by all the ladies. TTYS dude, we have some catching up to do (I have something to talk to you about but dont read anything into it, I had the same talk with muff wiggler and it scared him...I'll send you a PM)...hope your headache gets better but it's good to hear you're busy

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Cheers John, No ladies in sight I'm afraid. The ENGL one I mean is a 20 watt per-side 810, It does seem still a bit expensive for me also and yeah I just use the power amp sections on my regular amps when I'm wanting to use a different preamp. I did for awhile use a big peavey solid-state number that was alright but since I got an Ampeg solid-state bass amp, I have never needed to use it (Its one of those that is more a PA deal with four outputs and built-in crossovers...etc. overkill really but I got it in a trade years ago, It may come in handy again someday). I do not either miss a stereo setup as I rarely use anything that would actually take advantage of a stereo rig anyway, So it might as well of always been mono, When I run and mic up two different setups it isn't for stereo operation but simply blending the two different sounds together

Oh and I mean't ENGL's Fireball II, Not Invader regarding features/add-on option, Again just like said, Too expensive for me

TTYS, I don't get scared at all easily, So shoot whenever dude

[ew]

Small tube power amps like that are nice. A Marshall 20/20 with a Kasha Rockmod II preamp was my go-to rig for about seven or eight years; plenty loud for almost any situation.

ew

[Uncle E]

I tried the separate preamp + power amp route with several different Mesa Boogie, Bogner, Soldano, Engl, Groove Tubes, and Hafler pieces but could never get them to sound like a real amp does. In hindsight, it was probably the Mesa Boogie 20/20 power amp I was using, it lacks the monster transformers that give so many amps their sound.

[Hink]

Small tube power amps like that are nice. A Marshall 20/20 with a Kasha Rockmod II preamp was my go-to rig for about seven or eight years; plenty loud for almost any situation.

ew

I was looking at one of those up at a pawn shop in NH two weeks ago, I forget the price tbh (hell I forget what I had for lunch and I just got done eating ) but it was doable...the wife was over looking at jewelry and I was going back and forth in my brain. I was thinking how nice it would go with my Marshall 9000 tube pre-amp but then I realized that was about all it would be good for and I never touch that amp anymore. Like TOE (the other Eric ) said, I dont get a realistic amp tone and the best was overdriving the clean channel, the crunch channel is even too much so you know the lead channel is way over the top...so I saved my money.

I'm not sure how they feel about me in that pawn shop, they use to be one town over from where they are now and now they are right next to the last music store I worked at (which is not there anymore) but they know me from that store. They are the most overpriced pawn shop I have ever been in for a lot of things and I think they know that's how I feel because I have been in there many times and the only thing I ever left with was a set of Klipsch 5.0 surround speakers like two or three years ago at their old store. Now they are very near my daughter's school so if I am out and have time to kill before picking her up I go in there to kill time. I suppose I could haggle with them but I dont even bother. I did once almost trade them my POD XT Live for an ADA MP-1, I went home to think it over but the next time I went back it was gone

[tapper mike]

I haven't walked into a pawn shop... since the 80's. I liked the ones in FL just fine I just don't like the ones here


...Careful Eric:

There's a finished ⅞ size strat body in Warmoth's Screamin' Deals section for $190. That's really cheap! It weighs just under 4 lbs, too:

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... sort=price

They've got some Screamin' Deal necks for around $150, too, some of them with Pau Ferro fretboards or quarter sawn maple necks:

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... sort=price

These things could easily be turned into completed instruments for around $500.

Those words could turn you into a very underpaid luthier around here.

[Uncle E]

Those words could turn you into a very underpaid luthier around here.

I'm totally open to that.

We do guitar and amp repairs.

[tapper mike]

In the old days....
A lot of east coast major instrument stores would have thier own in house brand of instruments. That's how Ed Roman got into buying brands

I don't know how deep the pockets go for you but...

(I say this brand too much)
http://www.ravenwestguitar.com/elguit.html

These are actually great guitars for the money. All made in Korea and final setup is done at raven west. I'm sure if you had capital and knew the channels you could create your own brand. The cheap money has left Korea but the quality in workmanship hasn't.

You could prolly brand your own guitar line have them shipped to you ... do the final setup and have a nice guitar at an affordable price for consumers and pocket some money for your efforts as well.

[blueman]

(I say this brand too much)
http://www.ravenwestguitar.com/elguit.html

These are actually great guitars for the money. All made in Korea and final setup is done at raven west.

Very interesting. Do you own one of these guitars? I find the pricing a little suspicious, considering all of the features. I really dig the look of their P90 semi--hollow body; not too sure about the quality of the components though.

I wonder: how is the fretwork? quality of the pots and electronics? How solid is the craftsmanship?

I wish their website had more interactivity with video and audio demos.

[Uncle E]

These are actually great guitars for the money. All made in Korea and final setup is done at raven west. I'm sure if you had capital and knew the channels you could create your own brand. The cheap money has left Korea but the quality in workmanship hasn't.

You could prolly brand your own guitar line have them shipped to you ... do the final setup and have a nice guitar at an affordable price for consumers and pocket some money for your efforts as well.

We brought our import guitars to NAMM in 2013 and got very little interest. This year, we brought US made guitars to NAMM and got much more interest, despite the prices being three to four times higher. I'm hoping we can eventually offer US made guitars for around the prices of the old Fender Highway Ones.

[tapper mike]

This is my Raven West 450

rwg.jpg

The picture doesn't do it justice. The glare makes it look distorted on the body.

I've had it for ... ten years now.
It was set up perfect out of the box and practically in tune. It was a blem because the W in RWG didn't come out right. I paid 400 incl shipping. The neck is super slim and it's 24 frets. The action is amazingly low.

Last week I went through most of my electrics and gave them a quick setup. My parker P44 was near perfect, didn't need a neck adjustment and only a minor intonation adjustment. One of my tele's (the rondo) still needs work. I need to tap down some frets. The samick fastback needed a neck adjustment and really needed an intonation job. The blacktop Tele I'm waiting on new strings before I start messing with it. The 30 year old strat was as right as rain. Forget the MK archtop It needs tuners replaced before I can even think about the rest. The RWG 450 was as right as rain{/b] I've never had to do a neck adjustment intonate or adjust the action.

[tapper mike]

These are actually great guitars for the money. All made in Korea and final setup is done at raven west. I'm sure if you had capital and knew the channels you could create your own brand. The cheap money has left Korea but the quality in workmanship hasn't.

You could prolly brand your own guitar line have them shipped to you ... do the final setup and have a nice guitar at an affordable price for consumers and pocket some money for your efforts as well.

We brought our import guitars to NAMM in 2013 and got very little interest. This year, we brought US made guitars to NAMM and got much more interest, despite the prices being three to four times higher. I'm hoping we can eventually offer US made guitars for around the prices of the old Fender Highway Ones.

That's because people have a higher expectation on American made guitars in general. When Joe Naylor got into building guitars and was still producing amps. He built his first chambered guitars with partical board and formica tops. They were smaller LP type shapes with the tone of a blueshawk. They sounded great they played great and they were durable. I almost bought one myself but I just picked up my Godin LR Baggs and dropped a considerable amount of cash. The thing about then (Reverends).. damn hard edges cut into your body when you stand with them. But they were reasonable @600USD If you wanted a Rockabilly/50's blues box in a small profile.

Godin Freeways also sell actually pretty well. The one I had was manufactured in.. Upstate NY. It's a great body, great tone...but I can't pull harmonics out of it to save my life.

It didn't used to be this way (prs, gibson, washburn, peavey, even fender) all have had stretches where they'd just shove guitars down the pipe and stores/consumers would have to live with it (which is why Ibby emerged after creap american made brands)

Here are a few stories.
The Blues Mafia
Back as the 80's were closing I was doing rock, folk rock and trad jazz. I came back to Michigan and wanted to play the blues. I learned a bunch of standards and started shopping around for blues bands. The way to do it was/is.. circulate in the blues jam scene. A few of the bands / leaders were assholes. I didn't care, go up do my set and scout for talent. If you didn't have a Fender or a Gibson you were not walking up on that stage. It didn't matter how much money you paid for your guitar or how good you were are thought you were. Among my collection was a 335 and a Les Paul Custom. So I'd always bring either to these gigs and I noticed that guys who were bringing different guitars regardless of when they signed up might not make it on to the stage or be the last act of the night. A few times I brought my Ibanez Xing and/or my Ibanez Destroyer. When I showed up with Gibby or Fender in hand I'd always get the second or third slot. When I showed up with the ibby's I'd get bumped to the end or not at all.

When I finally got with a decent blues band and we hosted our own jam night we never did that. We were always first sign first serve.
One night when setting up for a gig I brought my Strat and my amp in then started setup. Went back to my car to get my 335 and my LP custom. Someone broke into the trunk and stole them. I still had a 57 LP Deluxe that I kept at home but that one I never gigged with. My cousin convinced me to lend it to him and.. he dropped it headstock first off of a balcony onto the concrete.. So from then on I was a strat guy.


So anyway. I started to get a lot of gigs because of my Strat (stratocaster plus with lace sensor gold) I honestly was unimpressed with the original gold lace sensors but those who were paying me were rather impressed. They liked my tone better then I did so I kept it that way.

A few years back I was at a local MusicGoRound. A father comes in with his son for the kids first guitar. The Dad says "I don't care which guitar you buy as long as it's american made. This was in a fairly affluential neighborhood.

American guitars are easier to sell and markup for retailers in the midwest so long as it doesn't break the bank. I went to another smaller guitar store last year and they had a huge assortment of fender guitars. None of them were squire's and none were mim. You'd think with all the signature strats they had they'd have at least one Robert Cray or Jimmy Vaughan. Nope. The store sold only American made guitars. While I was there I checked out the Washburn archtops.
Egad. They were all set up with traditional high action necks. Which was killing my fingers because I hadn't been playing guitar that much just the ztar.

[tapper mike]

Why the hell does it take so long to deliver strings?

Thursday I bought six sets of strings from .... http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/
Which is cheaper then juststrings.

I still haven't seen them.