I was thinking this yesterday. Any suggestions?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ribeye
I was also thinking a Gretsch but no one here had suggested this.
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I was thinking this yesterday. Any suggestions?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ribeye
I was also thinking a Gretsch but no one here had suggested this.
question if I may - are the gold guitars something worth having, as we were in PMT yesterday and there was one on the wall, and I thought it looked a bit twee if I'm honest (it sounded great though)Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBlue
Guitars are such a personal thing; weight, sound, the neck, set up etc that buying an instrument without your son present is not a good idea. Weight was important to me because after a couple of hours on stage your neck doesn't half hurt. In the end I opted for a hollow bodied guitar as the solids are just too heavy although my preference was always for a Strat which your lad already has.
At the end of the day it's a question of going around the shops so he can try things out and that is what you have said you will do, and by the sound of it already doing. That's great. He's a lucky lad.
You mention amps. Trying amps out in shops in a confined space is not great as it is difficult to judge how the amp performs at a decent volume.
There's so many reasons to like a guitar.
For me, they are in this order: 1. Playability 2. Sound/Sustain 3. Looks
I have a relatively small hand (not helped by a shattered knuckle from a cricket injury) and the neck measurements and shape are very important. At the moment, I'm modding a Washburn Parallaxe which looks cool and plays fast because it had a chunky 'D' shaped neck which felt awkward. I reproduced the shape of my fav neck on card cut-outs in three places and used a Japanese Iwasaki file/rasp and sand paper. Had to get down to the wood thru an odd waxy finish for the wood stain to take. I'll finish the Wipe On Poly with some gentle .000 gauge wire-wool rubbing to replicate the matt finish. Just hops the truss rod doesn't pop! It already plays amazingly, though I've got to finish the job by setting it up.
Any guitar with a glossy, poly finish neck (like a Tele) needs careful fine sanding. The difference in playability is remarkable.
Another factor is scale length - a big difference between Fenders and Gibsons. The shorter the scale length, the smaller the frets. This was brought home to me when I try to play chords now that I used to play with ease when I was younger. They are a stretch. I realised it was because I played a Harmony H77 (still got it - its worth around £1,500) and the scale length is shorter than any other guitar I've played.
And don't get me started on the frets! I prefer medium jumbos. You need to know the fret size (height and width) that suits you and periodically give them a polish with Autosol Car Metal polish. They then play like silk.
Makes me smile when guys say, 'that guitar plays well'. Folk should sit down and work out why. It's a science on its own. Then, you don't look at another guitar which doesn't conform to what you know you want.
'Course there's always modding!
I suggest you show these comments to your boy - with a warning - they could seriously eff him up! :-)
If he is really into guitars and you have no idea, he should be choosing and not you (/us).Quote:
Originally Posted by Feedback
Well yes, but that kind of ruins the christmas present if he chooses it himself.Quote:
Originally Posted by lardy
Thanks for posting that. My last serious guitar was a Harmony H76 which I sold in 1971 for £50 and is now worth around £1500. I hated the thing and was surprised that there were any still available. Before seeing your post I thought Harmony guitars were obsolete but it seems they are still going strong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyclops
I'd say it ruins it if he doesn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feedback
Yeah, when I bought mine, they were ten-a penny in used guitar shops. Now they are regularly featured in Guitarist mag as vintage guitars. There are Youtube vids of guys lovingly playing them and some bands use 'em on stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vindec
This is another guitar I'm modding. Someone forty years ago messed up the fretboard. It's been scored with a knife in places and there are grooves on either side of frets which is down to the poor removal of old ones. I've removed the fretboard using an iron, bought a new one, used the old one as a guide to cut the fret slots. The knobs are long gone and I've replaced the pots. Finally, the guitar was originally green. It's been sanded and poly brushed so that it was a blonde. I've sanded this back to the ply-wood and am doing a burst using Crimson Guitar's yellow and brown stain. Purists will growl at this, but it will be nearer it's original appearance and the fretboard and knobs had to be replaced.
Incidentally, the way Guitarist mag is going, I'm waiting for a new offshoot to hit the magazine stalls: Modding Monthly
There are five and more articles a month touching on this craft.
Shout out to #Wales Bales. Let's be havin' ya on this, mush! :hehe:
Did we ever find out what amp this kid uses?
And does anyone else think this thread might be a wind-up?
Alex de Grassi plays, Western.' Has anyone on here ever heard of him?
https://youtu.be/RT7O6OTaMmU
StT.
<><
Wales Bales innit....Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBlue
why would it be a wind up? as much as I love listening to music, I know nothing about guitars. The lad loves his music and has been playing guitar since he was 7. He's had a tough year in school and has done exceptionally well, so why not reward him a little bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBlue
NB he has a tonemaster
Rather more than a little bit. Even a professional musician would aspire to own an American Strat, a Telecaster and maybe a Gibson Les Paul coupled with his Fender amp. He better be good to justify owning such equipment and play in a decent bad. If he plays his music just around the house such a set up is completely over the top.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feedback
Probably a little envy has crept in there when I think of the equipment I started with - a converted radio used as an amp, a second hand Vox guitar with a warped neck from a junk shop on City Road. While I progressed to much better equipment later on my start doesn't begin to compare with Feedback's son. He's a lucky lad and I hope he knows it and is appreciative.
he's in a band in school and his school have nights where bands can play. The first time I saw him play I was quite taken aback. He was good - very good. This is his passion therefore its worthy of my support.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vindec
To be honest, and I'm repeating myself, but this is all the more reason for you not to just buy a random expensive guitar one week before Christmas.Quote:
Originally Posted by Feedback
You're going to spend £2000+ for your son to find out that a Tele is more versatile than a Les Paul. You'd be much better off buying him a tube amp.
If you really wanted to do him a favor, get him a drum kit and lessons. It would help him understand rhythm and timing.
Feedy’s good for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBlue
My dad bought the best instruments he could afford.
I’ve fallen out of love with music but I’ll be handing down my stuff to my children as it’ll never devalue
What did you get him? If it's not too late get him one of these:Attachment 4225