Guitars: What you expected and what you got.

[Bombadil]

I think the fretboards on the earlier models were wood. I mean, it's a Martin. They're supposed to sound good. I'm glad it worked out for you.

[tapper mike]

I never touch my Parker anymore. Partly because it has a wiring issue and the output doesn't work. Man I loved that thing when it was new.

Re Tele's I feel like I've been searching for the holy grail for the last 15 years. You prolly had the one of my dreams.


It aint happening with either of my telecasters.
Chase the next dream guitar?
Work with what I have?
Put the dream to rest?
Search endlessly for modeling sims and patches?

I think I'll follow CSN's advice. "Love the one you're with"

[tapper mike]

I'm leaving the world of guitar tone chasing. No more new guitars no more amp/sim /effect chasing.

I'd rather just enjoy the tools I have and maybe one more linnstrument.

[Bombadil]

I'm in the same place as far as tone chasing goes. The tools are more than adequate (imo) and the rest is in the heart and hands.

[ugo]

Met every expectation:
Modulus Quantum 6, Pedulla Pentabuzz, Musicman Stingray 5
They are everything I had dreamed they would be.

Exceeded expectations:
Cheap old USA Peavey Fury with Mojotone P pickup, and a fretless Frankenjazz I put together from a Japanese Fender neck, Mexican body, and old Lindy Fralin pickups. Both play and sound far better than 99% of Fenders I have tried. (At least for my preferences.)

Never found “the one”:
8 and 12 string basses (octaves)

In my 20s I built an 8 for myself as an experiment out of old spare parts, Schallar bridge, busted 4 string neck I fixed, and a funky shaped body I made out of monkey pod. It turned out rather well considering the random materials. I ended up selling it to fund something else and figured I’d make a better one down the road. So there went #1.

#2 was another custom, built right that time. The owner of the store I worked at let me pick a custom project for him to fund and sell. I built an 8 with high end chrome hardware, Bartlolini pickups and preamp, Warmoth 8 string neck with maple fingerboard and no front inlays, and a natural swamp ash body I based roughly on the design of ESP’s Horizon. Played great, sounded wonderful, looked clean and lovely. I couldn’t afford to buy it or make one for myself, but I know it went to a good home. It was never mine, but I feel it counts since I made it. Out of an abundance of caution I left the neck at Warmoth’s super chunky specs but if I had made it for myself I would taken the chance and thinned it a bit.

#3 was a brand new Dean 12 with warranty. Long story short…the neck was badly warped from the start, the store owner refused to handle my warranty claim, and Dean insisted that warranty issues had to go through the original dealer, so I was screwed by them both. Ended up selling it (with full disclosure) for peanuts on eBay.

#4 is an original MIJ Tune 8 string. Still have this one. It’s a Beautiful neck thru bass…koa, mahogany, ebony, etc…but with a bad neck. (Warped in several ways and chronically unstable.) This one was traded to me and I knew about the issues going into it. I’ve had it for many years now and can get it to play ok across the majority of the neck if I use a drop tuning. Someone swapped the original EMGs with Barts but didn’t change the original Tune preamp, which is not a good match for those pickups. I’ve considered installing a new preamp, but haven’t wanted to put more into it considering the neck problems.

I’ve been hauling around a bunch of beautiful woods for 30 years in the hopes of one day finally building a few nice basses for myself, including that elusive 8, but there still has yet to be the necessary convergence of time, money, space, and tools.

[Uncle E]

I never touch my Parker anymore. Partly because it has a wiring issue and the output doesn't work. Man I loved that thing when it was new.

Hopefully the issue is at the jack itself. Then it might be an easy fix. Which model is it?

[morelia]

I always seem to expect a decent setup and perfect intonation. The first happens within a certain ballpark quite often, the latter practically never.

[tapper mike]

I never touch my Parker anymore. Partly because it has a wiring issue and the output doesn't work. Man I loved that thing when it was new.

Hopefully the issue is at the jack itself. Then it might be an easy fix. Which model is it?

Korean one P44 HH with coil tap and piezo. Mahogany with bolt on maple neck and ebony fretboard.

I fell out of love with it before the wiring issue. Maybe because my rig had changed and maybe because I was getting caught up in Jazz Boxes and standards.

I used to have 24 guitars and every one of them would get at least an hour of play every two weeks. Now I have 10. I gravitate to two guitars for few weeks then another two. Though the D'angelico acoustic has hit the spot for me four weeks running. I've never really loved an acoustic or acoustic playing before.

[Uncle E]

Worst case scenario, you can wire the middle leg of the Mag Volume directly to the output jack.

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[stoopicus]

Guitars:
Yamaha Revstar RSE and RSS, both are just close to best-in-class IMO
Fender Japan Hybrid II Telecaster - pretty sure this is actually made by Fujigen, it's awesome, nicer than many MIA Fenders

Basses:
Yamaha BB734A - this is the actual top of the BB line right now, IMO. The BBP is great but more or less identical and lacking the preamp.
Yamaha SBV-550 - if you get it you get it, if you don't you don't. This cult classic is so damn well made and sounds awesome. And I absolutely love the funky way it looks.
Fender Japan Hybrid II P-Bass - same as the Tele above, almost certain this is a Fujigen.

[Uncle E]

Yamaha BB’s are all-time greats, even the cheap ones.

[escalona]

Best guitar I've ever had: an Ibanez Les Paul Custom from the early 1970s (lawsuit thingy) that got stolen decades ago. Incredible playing experience. Ever since I've been chasing the same feeling when playing a guitar. I have a Gibson LP that plays well, cheap and not-cheap epiphones, all of them ok, Greco and Edwards (almost as good as the Ibanez, but not quite), and I even found another early 70s Ibanez Les Paul... but it's still not quite there (in fact I may sell it, if anyone here is into this lawsuit Les Paul niche)... for a while I had a Fernandes Ravelle that played great, and some other LP knock offs that were pretty good (Michael Kelly, Dillion...) but still... I guess that Les Paul was the one that set the bar for all other guitars I've ever had.
Someone up here mentioned their frustration with Fender Strats. I agree. I keep buying them hoping that one will eventually sound great and will play amazingly well. But they always leave something to be desired.

[Uncle E]

One of my 70s Ibanez Les Paul's was stolen, too. Either they're cursed or the thieves had good eyes.

[tapper mike]

I had a lawsuit Magnum LP Black Beauty. I swapped the pups for SD's JB and SH01(jazz) Pure heaven all the tone at half the weight. Those magnums were hit or miss luckily for me I found a hit. Great tone great playability. Stolen as well.

[Uncle E]

WTH?!?

Mine was among more expensive guitars when it was stolen. These thieves knew what they were doing.