Guitars: What you expected and what you got.

[tapper mike]

Have you ever got a guitar that exceeded your expectations and did so the more you played it?

I'm having that experience with my D'angelico Tammany Premier. It's not the best acoustic on the market and possibly the cheapest of the D'angelico line up. Every day I'm enjoying it more three weeks in.

Have you ever gotten a guitar that failed your expectations and why?

[Bombadil]

A number of them.

My first Gibson SG. The SG form is one of my favourites, but the one I bought was a lemon. It would not hold its tuning to save irs life, even after setup and new tuners. Sold it for ½ what I paid.

My first Gibson LP. Frets felt like speedbumps, and I couldn't get the action anywhere near comfortable for my taste without buzzing. Even had it re-fretted, but there must've been some warping of the fretboard.
About 6-7 Eastman acoustics.
There are probably others that I can't recall. So many guitars passed through my hands between 2007-2023, it's impossible to keep track.
I have 15 guitars now, and I'd be loath to part with any of them.
I haven't bought a new guitar since April, 2023, a Yamaha FS 3.
I'd like a Jazzmaster, but that is unlikely at this stage of my life.

[Jimmy34742]

Every Fender Strat I've ever owned--and I've had about a half dozen top shelf models over the years--has been a bust. After spending a lot of time with each, they just never quite sound the way I want, and more importantly for me, they never get to the level of playability that I want. With sound, one factor is noise, so I've thought of giving it one more try someday with the latest noiseless pickups, but I doubt I'll ever get there. I don't want HB's in a Strat, so that wouldn't be a solution. With the feel, I don't know, I've adjust many guitars to my taste, but I never get to the point of gelling with a Strat's neck and fingerboard the way I do with LPs. I go with P90's on an LP, but I've had to give up all Gibsons because I need a Strat-shaped guitar with a big upper horn to rest against my chest for seated play, as I never play standing. Another solution I'd like to try but probably never will would be a high-end Warmoth custom job.

[zerocrossing]

I got a Strandberg and I thought the fanned frets were going to be game changers, and I hardly notice them. Great guitar, though. Changing the strings could be a better experience.

[pekbro]

Before I started buying higher-end guitars, they all kind of sucked to some degree...
That puts me at about 30 and 3...

I did have a pretty decent Jackson early on that I traded in part for a motorcycle.
Except it had a Floyd Rose tremelo on it that I didn't like also it was nuclear green...

[Uncle E]

Carvin basses. Amazing sound and versatility but the necks are way too thin. Plus, if I'm being honest, I didn't want to show up to gigs with them.

[zerocrossing]

Every Fender Strat I've ever owned--and I've had about a half dozen top shelf models over the years--has been a bust. After spending a lot of time with each, they just never quite sound the way I want, and more importantly for me, they never get to the level of playability that I want. With sound, one factor is noise, so I've thought of giving it one more try someday with the latest noiseless pickups, but I doubt I'll ever get there. I don't want HB's in a Strat, so that wouldn't be a solution. With the feel, I don't know, I've adjust many guitars to my taste, but I never get to the point of gelling with a Strat's neck and fingerboard the way I do with LPs. I go with P90's on an LP, but I've had to give up all Gibsons because I need a Strat-shaped guitar with a big upper horn to rest against my chest for seated play, as I never play standing. Another solution I'd like to try but probably never will would be a high-end Warmoth custom job.

I felt the same. I thought I wanted a Strat, and after a day of shopping at various shops, I felt they all sucked. Surprisingly bad. Then, one guy at Alex Music in NYC brought me a G&L Skyhawk. In under a second, I knew it was what I'd been looking for. I still have it, and every time I play a Strat, I can't help but think that Leo did his best work after he sold Fender.

[morelia]

Every Fender Strat I've ever owned--and I've had about a half dozen top shelf models over the years--has been a bust. After spending a lot of time with each, they just never quite sound the way I want, and more importantly for me, they never get to the level of playability that I want. With sound, one factor is noise, so I've thought of giving it one more try someday with the latest noiseless pickups, but I doubt I'll ever get there. I don't want HB's in a Strat, so that wouldn't be a solution. With the feel, I don't know, I've adjust many guitars to my taste, but I never get to the point of gelling with a Strat's neck and fingerboard the way I do with LPs. I go with P90's on an LP, but I've had to give up all Gibsons because I need a Strat-shaped guitar with a big upper horn to rest against my chest for seated play, as I never play standing. Another solution I'd like to try but probably never will would be a high-end Warmoth custom job.

I felt the same. I thought I wanted a Strat, and after a day of shopping at various shops, I felt they all sucked. Surprisingly bad. Then, one guy at Alex Music in NYC brought me a G&L Skyhawk. In under a second, I knew it was what I'd been looking for. I still have it, and every time I play a Strat, I can't help but think that Leo did his best work after he sold Fender.

I have one Strat, bought in 2005, after swearing I'd never own one the two decades prior. It is a beautiful guitar to play. I visited most stores in my town (at least 6) and played every Strat in every shop to find the best one. Buying any other way, as poor as it is, is a risky business.

[tapper mike]

I feel like I've opened a door and all the gorillas walked in. Nice gorillas but gorillas all the same. Bigger guys with bigger hands that require higher action and higher frets.

Re LP's:
They say you'll go through ten before you find the right one and if you don't you just aren't a Les Paul player. That's been my experience. My Norlin era LP Custom was the finest playing heaviest LP I've ever owned and though I loved playing it my back/shoulder didn't. The other two LP's I owned really didn't cut it for me. My Samick fastback LP copy is the LP standard for playability and I'm quite satisfied with the pups. Though after all these years the frets need to be replaced.

Re Strats:
G&L's were always too big for me. Sometimes I think that my EC signature Lace Sensor strat was miss labeled. It didn't sound anything like Eric Clapton was playing after he retired Blackie and Brownie and was playing his lace model. No blocked off trem and no mid boost pre installed. A very slim C on mine. God I loved it and so did the audiences. Recently I've been fascinated with the Strat Ultra(I) and I think if I have another strat it will be that. It won't play like my last it won't sound like my last and I wouldn't swap the stack(Noiseless) pups for Lace to bring it closer.

Re Tele's:
I'm done complaining that my pine body telecaster has a pine body. I'm done trying to chase down one that will match my lofty ideals of what a telecaster should sound like and it's been a 15 year journey now. It may not suit anyone else but I love the neck on my CIC Modern player. I like the pups I've had installed on it a million times more than the ones that came. I think I'll just play that one for the rest of my life and make it my own rather than chasing after the holy grail of a neck that feels like the one I have on a alder body.

Re Carvin. I played a few 70's/80's and I never adapted to the neck/pups.


Re taking a guitar on stage:
When I was gigging and earning in a band Hamtramck was my stomping ground. More bars with live bands than you could shake a stick at. The problems were twofold. One you'd better carry an american guitar on to that stage or some auto worker would have a knipshit. Two you are still surrounded by Detroit where you could be mugged coming out of a gig and car break-ins are a regular occurrence. I lost some very prime gear I loved during that time. Thank goodness I wised up got sober and left the stage life behind.

A coworker of mine at 19 years old is a phenomenal bassist. He was born into a musical family raised with it and shines like no other. I've seen him perform on a few occasions as part of his local college ensemble. He has this relic'd hand built bass made by a luthier with warmouth parts and Lindy Fralin pups. It's very much of P Bass design. His musical director refuses to have that bass on stage with him because it's too ugly for formal wear. Instead he's relegated to a squire or his upright for appearance sake. Recently he got an LTD Bass which I think is based on a fedora with active pups and he's standing his ground on that one. There are four actual students in the 30 piece ensemble. The other students are "adequate" and the rest of them are in their 60's/70's.

[lfm]

The most overwhelming purchase was my Martin D16-GT 20 years ago.
- receiving it and just sat on the floor for hours just enjoying the wonderful wooden tone if this guitar

GT, mean Gloss Top, and a series they made to be cheaper, so just the top were gloss.
- for €1022, solid wood everywhere
- full gloss guitar are about €600 more or so just for that fact of finish

Sadly two months ago the truss rod could not be adjusted more and instead of spending another €1000 shifting truss rod, I sold it to a luthier.
- after swapping truss rod, it was set out at €1600 and two days later sold

So 20 good years is not bad. So a RecordingKing RP1_C16 and Taylor 614ce is keepers for now.
- RP1 has very much of D16 character, a wooden tone to complement Taylor
- both RP1 and D16 I equipped with kksound pure mini, which really brings the wood out in a nice way

With age I minimize my ownership of various stuff in studio, so D16 had to go. Raise the bar for preamps and some mastering processing rack units and stuff instead that does not take so much room. So more quality, not quantity.

[Bombadil]

I tried a Martin D-16 GT. I couldn't get past the Micarta fretboard. It had a strange squeak, and felt exactly unlike Ebony. Had the frets dressed, but putting a capo on it always made the strings feel 'tight' for lack of a better adjective.
One of the many I sold on during my insanity. Smelled nice, like Martins do.
I ended up with Guild F-40e, a Jumbo, that does an absolute killer drop D. That is one of my keepers.

[Mister Natural]

Re Tele's:
I'm done complaining that my pine body telecaster has a pine body. I'm done trying to chase down one that will match my lofty ideals of what a telecaster should sound like ...

My first electric was a white Tele w/maple board in 1974. Great instrument, loved it, dunno what ever happened to it . . . as it was the '70s. I kinda wanted to recreate that feel maybe 7yrs ago bought another. It was a great one, both Fender noiseless, Ruud bridge, locking tuners, tech set-up perfectly but . . . I never picked it up around the house/studio. Always reach for my strat first or the Parker if I want it dirty. The tele looked cool on a stand in the living room until I got brave & sold the thing bc it really deserved to be played by someone.

[mountainmaster]

I have an Aristides 7 string that hardly gets played. When I bought it I thought "How hard can it be anyway? It's just one more string".

My thumb did not agree. It still expects to find a low E as the first string to hit on the way down.

[Naillerz78]

Probably my first proper Gibson Les Paul.
It was a standard faded in tigerburst or something.
Picked it up at GuitarCentre LA on Sunset Blv on a holiday there. (I observed the Artic Monkeys testing vintage guitars at the shop that day ..plus met Billy Gibbons at a Mexican place across the road )

Anyway, it was quite a head scratcher after spending that much money on my ‘dream’ guitar, to find it wouldn't stay in tune for more than a few minutes.

I snapped up an on sale b-stock Tokai Love Rock in ‘Root Beer burst’ next in Denmark street London.
I had no knowledge of Tokais. That was a much better playing experience for wayyy less money. Altho it did not ‘roar’ as much as the Gibson.

-2 x Washburn Idol guitars for the touted BFTS system they came with as stock.
Plus a special tuner for that.
The BTFS was ok but not really a game changer tbh.

- the original Line 6 Variax modelling guitar.
A very cheaply made instrument! It did have some interesting tones tho ( Dobro, banjo(!), Sitar and 12 strings were fun)
took to a band rehearsal to show it off , it squealed with feedback like a stuck pig.. all the band swore at me. I was ordered to take it back for a refund.

-I had a MusicMan Silhouette HSH S-Style guitar in the mix at some point (pic below) .that was nice. with a neck that smelled strongly of some kind of gun (?) oil . The case would reek of it upon opening! It had very nice sounding dimarzio pickups. A very professional level instrument.

Lastly a Mexican Nashville Telecaster w/ Tex Mex pickups bought direct from Thomann. fantastic axe ..which I stupidly let go of during Covid.

Others include a rare-ish Squier Espirit and a Gretsch Electromatic Duo Jet. I picked up both cheap at a pawn shop in Alice Springs Australia both great deals for the money.

IMG_6973.jpeg

IMG_6974.png

IMG_6978.jpeg

[lfm]

I tried a Martin D-16 GT. I couldn't get past the Micarta fretboard. It had a strange squeak, and felt exactly unlike Ebony. Had the frets dressed, but putting a capo on it always made the strings feel 'tight' for lack of a better adjective.
One of the many I sold on during my insanity. Smelled nice, like Martins do.
I ended up with Guild F-40e, a Jumbo, that does an absolute killer drop D. That is one of my keepers.

Martins are not setup properly, like Taylors are. But no need for fret dressing in my case. Never even thought about fretboard, did not bother me. Mine was a 2006 and things might have changed over the years. I know neck joint is changed 2012-2013 or so. New ones does not come with hard case even, which mine did.

I made a new saddle for D16, and intonated properly. Slots in original were not perfect either, higher E and B did not follow neck. I went to 011-052 set as well, action a bit high etc.

Taylors are perfect right out of the box. But very different character of course.

Recording King RP1_C16 fretwires were not polished properly. First thing I had to do run a Dremel and some chrome polish on them. But really nice guitar and wooden tone like Martin. It is a $500 guitar after all. A kksound pure mini and done and ready for recording.