KVR Audio

Unkie Al · Post by **Unkie Al** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:40 pm

I haven't bought a new guitar in - literally - a couple of decades. I've been unhappy with the tendencies of the major manufacturers to create an "artist" model simply by gluing their name to either "Les Paul" or "Strat". So you've got a Jimmy Page Les Paul, a Buddy Guy Strat, a Slash Les Paul et al... they're all little more than Strats and LPs.

I'm very happy that Gretsch is being floated by Fender now, but I've owned a used 'Gent since 1978 and have no interest in purchasing a new guitar from them either.

At this point, I am very much drawn to the Triggs line of archtop guitars... http://triggsguitars.com/archtop.shtml ... affordable, nice looking, and it just feels serious.

Of course, if it's grunge, bite and attitude I want in my sound, I'll pick up a box of Altoids: http://www.instructables.com/id/Altoids-Tin-Guitar/

...and be sure to watch the video. Damn thing actually sounds boss!

jjkinva · Post by **jjkinva** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:11 pm

scuzzphut wrote:For my Birthday in January , Mrs Scuzzphut got me one of these fine fellows.

It's a real joy to play

I have one too. So light, great tone, great design! Mine has "traditional" tuning pegs, not the knurled ones. I like traditional ones better for string winding with my plastic doodad. Have you seen the new black ones?

jjkinva · Post by **jjkinva** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:14 pm

Har wrote:In keeping with my current love-affair with all things Schecter...

I have a C-1+ 7-string that's held up well for the past 6 years. Check this out for some Schecter-in-action footage...Jeff Loomis, lead guitarist of Nevermore:

Modeler · Post by **Modeler** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:24 pm

I started getting far more serious about guitars towards the end of last year, and upgraded from a Squier Strat to an Ibanez SAS36FM. The difference is amazing, the Ibanez practically plays itself in comparison.

I have quite smalls hands for a guy, so I'm loving the slim neck. Found I could play a barred F minor at the first fret without dislocating any fingers - bonus.

Mine is the translucent grey colour that they don't seem to make any more - shame as it's really nice. You can still get that guitar, but only in red (nice) and some gay shade of purple.

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:55 pm

When I've got the money to do it (probably another year away yet), I want to get a Sustainiac fitted to a guitar, preferably something with a Floyd Rose.

Would probably go to talk to the luthier in my local Sam Ash as he's the one I trust the most.

shadoe42 · Post by **shadoe42** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:55 pm

My most recent guitar purchase was Christmas but that was the first one I had bought in years. Picked up the Ibanez EW20 in Koa wood. Nice mellow sound. Still fiddling with the electronics a bit to get the right sound for when it is plugged in. here is a couple quick shots of it

scuzzphut · Post by **scuzzphut** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:31 pm

jjkinva wrote:
scuzzphut wrote:For my Birthday in January , Mrs Scuzzphut got me one of these fine fellows.

It's a real joy to play
I have one too. So light, great tone, great design! Mine has "traditional" tuning pegs, not the knurled ones. I like traditional ones better for string winding with my plastic doodad. Have you seen the new black ones?

You know - the tuning pegs are really cool , but it is a bit of a pain when changing strings

I did see the black ones, but I fancied the white from the start. I was surprised to see a full page ad in Guitar World this month - I thought the RGXA2 was an older model, to be honest.

Aardvark · Post by **Aardvark** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 1:05 am

I recently took the plunge & bought my first NEW guitar. My first guitar was a 1971 Gibson SG 200 - mahogany neck, 22 fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlay, tunable stop tailpiece, 3 per side tuners, nickel hardware, 2 single coil pickups, volume/tone control, individual slide selector switches for each pickup.

Got it used in 73 or 74.

My new guitar is an Agile AD-3000, a PRS clone, made in Korea. Beautiful Cherry Sunburst, mahogony body, Canadian Maple top, Alnico pickups & Grover tuners. Less than $400 (not including case). It plays as well as any of the $800+ Gibsons at the local Guitar Center.

ew · Post by ew » Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:39 am

Nice one, David. I've heard some really good things about Agiles.

I picked up a "new" (well, new for me at least

) guitar back in January. I decided I needed a Strat; I hadn't had one in around four or five years. Money wasn't an issue; I'd just got paid for a consulting gig I did.

After playing literally every Strat in the stores around here (three GCs, a few MusicGoRounds and Willie's American Guitars), I came home with a 2003 American Standard Strat (sunburst with a maple neck, naturally- most of my guitars are sunbursts, and I definitely prefer maple fingerboards with a Strat) which is kind of an odd duck in that it's got an ash body (the American Standards in sunburst are usually alder). It was just the best playing and sounding of them all (second was a new EJ signature). I ended up putting EMGs in it, mostly for the active EQ options than anything else. It's just what I was looking for

ew

loose snare · Post by **loose snare** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:35 am

Oops, just remembered it's not a guitar - sorry!

susiwong · Post by **susiwong** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:54 am

Normally I tend to enjoy american vintage style guitars more than anything else, though I'm far from being a purist. They just make it easiest getting the sounds I hear in my head, ymmv certainly.
For years I wanted to find a good '59 style 335, ideally a blonde one, but that's really hard over here in Europe. Gibson's price policy is just insane, 1000 Euros premium for a blonde over an otherwise identical cherry or sunburst one ...
And most of the newer ones are rather average imho (unlike the current LPs)
But then I ran into this beauty here, love at first m7.

She sings, cries, whispers and screams like only an ES can, and that's with the stock PUs and hideous 009s. Tomorrow she'll get a set of good old Pearly Gates and 010s - with a guitar this fine who needs the G..... on the headstock ?

2005 Tokai ES120, MIJ, 100% historically correct (except for the headstock), nitro finish and "that" tone ...
Cheers,
susiwong

Oh, and what makes her even more perfect for me is that she's not that megaflame supermodel like most other 120s, she actually looks like a down to earth, real '59 with that decent hint of flame and the mineral streaks - a dream come true.

jplanet · Post by **jplanet** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:03 am

I recently had to return a lovely Martin D28 that I bought myself for Christmas...it turned out that the store had not taken good care of it and it dried up and cracked. When I returned it, I brought home a brand-spanking new Martin D-35, which I'm loving even more than the D-28...

susiwong · Post by **susiwong** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:20 am

There is something about those D35s ...
Great guitars, congrats !
Cheers,
susiwong

dusted william · Post by **dusted william** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 4:38 am

my local pawn shop has an overflow of nice guitars.

I picked one up last week for 70 US dollars.

nice.

dw

ughnonumus · Post by **ughnonumus** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:43 am

Unkie Al wrote:I'm very happy that Gretsch is being floated by Fender now, but I've owned a used 'Gent since 1978 and have no interest in purchasing a new guitar from them either.

Pretty hard to find an upgrade, unless you change styles of the instrument itself. Although, I'm sure a nice used White Falcon might make ya think.

Anyone Bought a New Guitar lately?