Calling All Guitar Experts

[SBriand 4]

Sweet pointy guitar. Where'd you go guitar hunting?I think this should become the official Guitar Porn Thread.I don't know how to post pics or I'd post some of my Harem.

RG3 was bought at Guitar Center.S470 was the last of the 09 stock at AMS (american music supply). $900 guitar, 65% off. Couldn't pass it up since i have been GASing for a S series. So thin, so nice.In regards to posting pics...Get a free account at photobucket.com. Upload your photo's. Then post a link to the photo's in a post by surrounding your link with [/img]

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I've had "relationships" with 12 Guitars. Certainly I've had a bunch of Flings here and there where I flirted with another guy's Guitar. But I've only gone home with 12. I thought it might be fun to share the story of each relationship in my past and present. I thought about starting a new thread. Let me know if you think it should be a new topic. To keep it readable and interesting (to me anyway) and to keep the thread moving, every couple of days I'll post about a different liaison. Feel free to ask any questions or share your own stories.My First Time.We will call her Harmonie. Birthdate unknown. I think I was about 14. My step-brother had a nylon strung guitar and we'd been taking turns having some fun with her. Just learning how to treat a Guitar. I was starting to pick up a few tricks and decided it was time to go all the way and find a guitar of my own. A Stoner dude in my High School sold me an old Harmony electric for about $20. Basic Strat knockoff. She was originally a blond (Yellow), but I changed her to a brunette with a can of black spray paint. All other details have been forgotten. I used to carry her to the Music Store without any case or gig-bag for lessons. I didn't have an amp and I rigged a guitar cord with an RCA plug so I could plug into my stereo.Status: Deceased. Donated her body to science. Used her as Parts for various Franken-Guitar Projects.

[SBriand 4]

lolSounds about right.I still have my first guitar my parents bought me. A Lotus strat. Red with a black pickguard. She is sitting propped up against the couch in my current house (though I am moving tomorrow to a new house). She has no strings, no pups, no pots, no pick guard. She is just a body and neck and a freshly cleaned bridge. I am going to use her to get to know the ins and outs of a guitar better to save money on taking my guitars to my "guy" who does it for me. New pickguard, pots, and pups are on the way. Might look into sanding the paint off and re do it with a sinister orange color. Frets are a little worn so if I get ambitious I might do something about that as well. But she was very good to me for a long time and I miss playing her. For a cheap strat knockoff she played really well thanks to my guitar instructor spending 2 full lessons setting her up.

[SuperJon 175]

My first guitar is one that I still play today, and the only electric I've ever owned.Got it about 14 years ago. It's a red Ibanez GAX70. I also have 2 acoustics, one of which is some crappy Washburn with extremely high action. The other is my baby. A Fender (not sure the model) acoustic/electric nylon string that plays and sounds like a $1,500 guitar, but only cost $400.

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

Most of my playing lately has been on my American Vintage 1952 Reissue Telecaster or AV 1957 Strat pushing thru either a Blues Deluxe or Blues Junior.

I'm a Gibson guy historically, but recently I started buying Fenders because I have a weakness...those AVRI are no joke. I have a Fiesta Red '62 TBCS strat with a nitro finish I recently bought, and it's possibly my favorite (favorite RI Fender). Amp-wise I am all over the place. Traditionally I like my Twin and my Princeton, but pretty much every time I buy anything it becomes my new favorite. Last year it was the Tiny Terror, now it's the Avalon 30.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I'm a Gibson guy historically, but recently I started buying Fenders because I have a weakness...those AVRI are no joke. I have a Fiesta Red '62 TBCS strat with a nitro finish I recently bought, and it's possibly my favorite (favorite RI Fender). Amp-wise I am all over the place. Traditionally I like my Twin and my Princeton, but pretty much every time I buy anything it becomes my new favorite. Last year it was the Tiny Terror, now it's the Avalon 30.

Awww man. A Fiesta Red 62RI. One of my my all time favorites. I still mourn the Fiesta Red Baja Strat that I didn't buy - but it was Polly. I played a 62RI two-tone just before finding my 57RI, but think I found a bit of a dog. It was a little worn and the neck just felt "funny" to me. More rounded and beefy than I like. There was also something weird about the frets. I actually like the 7.25 radius but on that one I was fretting out all over the place and bends just didn't feel smooth. A good set-up and fret dressing would have helped. Plus I like the Maple fretboard on the 57. If I'd found a Fiesta Red 62RI I think I wouldn't have been able to resist (And I don't even like Campbell's Tomato Soup). At the time I told my wife that I wanted a Fiesta Red guitar and she said: "You already have 3 red guitars. You need something different." I said: "But I'm talking about FIESTA Red. Look. How many pairs of black shoes do you have?"The week following that comment was cold and lonely.Lately I've been lusting after the Thin Skin Telecaster RIs - they have them in Fiesta Red, but FR just looks perfect on a Strat. That or a Copper 52RI will likely be #13. Need to decide if I'm ready for a Rosewood Fretboard. I have 4 Fenders and each is Maple.

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

I really like the rosewood. I don't have a tele yet...I am actually close to buying a Road Worn. I am not a relic guy, and I blow money out of my ass on this shit so I'm not specifically looking MIM, and I know I would look like a horse's ass with the cheesy fake wear, but those things (strats too...more so even) just sound nuts. And they are like $800. It's only a matter of time I think. (Speaking of fingerboard woods and value, for around $500 you can pick up new MIM Roadhouse, which is the only maple necked guitar I've ever owned I think...if the Tex Specs are your bag, and the wife has you by the nuts on the guitar collection, it's a pretty amazing deal imo.)But yeah...the Fender site seems to convey that they offer the '62 (which is pound-for-pound my favorite non-Les Paul on the market I think) in Surf Green, which is probably my second favorite color (I'm a Daphne man personally). If you want a rosewood FB strat...I think it's safely the choice, if you aren't going custom shop (I drove to Nashville twice to buy mine, used).

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I really like the rosewood. I don't have a tele yet...I am actually close to buying a Road Worn. I am not a relic guy, and I blow money out of my ass on this shit so I'm not specifically looking MIM, and I know I would look like a horse's ass with the cheesy fake wear, but those things (strats too...more so even) just sound nuts. And they are like $800. It's only a matter of time I think. (Speaking of fingerboard woods and value, for around $500 you can pick up new MIM Roadhouse, which is the only maple necked guitar I've ever owned I think...if the Tex Specs are your bag, and the wife has you by the nuts on the guitar collection, it's a pretty amazing deal imo.)But yeah...the Fender site seems to convey that they offer the '62 (which is pound-for-pound my favorite non-Les Paul on the market I think) in Surf Green, which is probably my second favorite color (I'm a Daphne man personally). If you want a rosewood FB strat...I think it's safely the choice, if you aren't going custom shop (I drove to Nashville twice to buy mine, used).

I just like how Maple ages and feels. I don't think I can detect any effect on tone, but I can feel it in my bends and vibrato. Regarding "fake" relic aging - I used to think it was silly. But now I am OK with it. It is just another look. A ton of furniture comes with a relic look and no one seems to comment on that. And it gets you past the whole "first scar" issue where you really get pissed over that first time you bash the body or headstock against a cymbal or table top. I'd rather get a NOS or even Closet Classic, but I have seen some light relics that are really cool and "warm" looking. I do like the Texas Specials - I instantly put a set of Custom Shop Texas Specials in my first MIM. They really need some adjusting but when you find their sweet spot they really scream. The Roadhouse and some of the Classic series guitars are great MIM values.As far as my wife having me by the guitar balls... Nah. She's pretty ****ing cool. I was just kidding about the whole black shoe comment. She really did make the "Too many Red Guitars" comment, but she is a big enabler of my Guitar Addiction. She's always supported my playing and gigging and is happy with my plan to turn my space over the Garage into a Man Cave/Studio. Pretty sure she's spent more on guitars for me than I have myself.

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

I don't hate relicing. I don't like it, but I don't entirely think it's a complete joke. It's not even that I don't want one...there are some that I would own. I love the closet classic finishes. But the Road Worns look really cheesy and fake to me. I'm not sure that I'd ever buy another set of Tex Specs, but I'm not changing them out either. They are frustrating. Some days they sound unstoppable to me, and I think they are the greatest, and other days I just need the 57/62s. It's a great toy, but not a good everyday driver. I'm a big MIM proponent, though, as I am of the Classic Vibe Squires. I think most of the custom shit and MIA shit is a bit of a scam, and where not a scam, at least just poor value on things that don't actually matter. But at the same time I seem to buy them anyway, so *shrug*.I don't even think it would be uncool of your wife to pressure you not to spend $1100 on a guitar every month or so, just being folksy.Edit: I think I can tell a difference in fingerboard tone, to some extent. But maple just feels and looks like a strat to me. It seems right. I think it's probably the reason the Roadhouse gets played at all given the '62 being there.

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

I'm like 80% sure I'm going to buy this:That color suddenly appeals to me.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I don't hate relicing. I don't like it, but I don't entirely think it's a complete joke. It's not even that I don't want one...there are some that I would own. I love the closet classic finishes. But the Road Worns look really cheesy and fake to me. I'm not sure that I'd ever buy another set of Tex Specs, but I'm not changing them out either. They are frustrating. Some days they sound unstoppable to me, and I think they are the greatest, and other days I just need the 57/62s. It's a great toy, but not a good everyday driver. I'm a big MIM proponent, though, as I am of the Classic Vibe Squires. I think most of the custom shit and MIA shit is a bit of a scam, and where not a scam, at least just poor value on things that don't actually matter. But at the same time I seem to buy them anyway, so *shrug*.I don't even think it would be uncool of your wife to pressure you not to spend $1100 on a guitar every month or so, just being folksy.Edit: I think I can tell a difference in fingerboard tone, to some extent. But maple just feels and looks like a strat to me. It seems right. I think it's probably the reason the Roadhouse gets played at all given the '62 being there.

I agree about the TxSpecs. Inconsistent is a good word. You might try raising them as high as possible without actually touching the strings. Then experiment by lowering them just a touch to find the sweetest spot. Higher was better for me. They really hit the mark with the 57/62s.

I'm like 80% sure I'm going to buy this:That color suddenly appeals to me.

That is a cool looking guitar. Do they call that "Pelham Blue? Looks more Green to me - I like it a lot. Probably even better in real life when you can see the depth and the light plays with it a little.

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

I have mine set really deep, which is how I got them to settle down and start to sound reasonable. I still change them a bit probably weekly though. The 57/62s I was having some trouble with too, trying to get a modern tone to work with a band, and raising them up as high as they go before they start to wolf-out was just the ticket. Go figure. The world of single coils has been weird for me, but I'm starting to love them. Just a bit of work.(Actually, despite commonly held sentiment, it's twice as much work to keep most Les Pauls from sounding muddy and awful. I have one with the 490R/498T that I'm about to give up on.)

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

That is a cool looking guitar. Do they call that "Pelham Blue? Looks more Green to me - I like it a lot. Probably even better in real life when you can see the depth and the light plays with it a little.

Yeah, it's sort of Gibson's "mint green" thing...it was initially this ugly blue they made with an apparently poor quality pigment, and it turned that funny green with age, and people liked it, so they started to just shoot them in the green.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

First Love.Woody was a Fender Lead I, born in Fullerton CA sometime between 1979 and 1982. Natural wood - no stain, just a layer of clear coat - and a maple fretboard. Purchased Used but I can’t remember the details of where we met, I think at the Music Stand guitar store in Berkley MI for around $150. Woody was basically a Strat with just a bridge humbucker. Not knowing anything about pups, I went to the Music Stand (that part I remember) where they had these used pickups that cost a TON (Probably $100 which was a "ton" to me back then!). They said they were a set of original 1957 Strat pick-ups. Being ignorant, that meant absolutely nothing to me. I figured that since they were expensive, they must be good. WOW. Don’t know if they were real 57s , but they were pretty great. My brother helped me wire a Strat 5 position switch and a couple of polarity toggle switches. I could get about fifteen permutations for different tones. Woody and I were partnered for years to come. Status: Deceased. Alas, Fate parted us in a tragic incident which I shall only foreshadow for now.Note: I'd always assumed she was born in Japan. But based on my research for this post I learned she was born in Fullerton. I also thought she was born with just a single coil bridge pick-up, but found a picture of her with a humbucker. And I also assumed she was older when we met.

[Dirtydutch 8]

Oh shit! The Roadhouse wasn't my first maple fingerboard...just my first maple fingerboard that wasn't scalloped. Because I rolls('d) that way.Note: although the Yngie (clone) is no longer a functioning shred machine, its body was rebirthed as into faggy pink '60s clone partscaster.

[Dice_3008 1]

First Love.Woody was a Fender Lead I, born in Fullerton CA sometime between 1979 and 1982. Natural wood - no stain, just a layer of clear coat - and a maple fretboard. Purchased Used but I can’t remember the details of where we met, I think at the Music Stand guitar store in Berkley MI for around $150. Woody was basically a Strat with just a bridge humbucker. Not knowing anything about pups, I went to the Music Stand (that part I remember) where they had these used pickups that cost a TON (Probably $100 which was a "ton" to me back then!). They said they were a set of original 1957 Strat pick-ups. Being ignorant, that meant absolutely nothing to me. I figured that since they were expensive, they must be good. WOW. Don’t know if they were real 57s , but they were pretty great. My brother helped me wire a Strat 5 position switch and a couple of polarity toggle switches. I could get about fifteen permutations for different tones. Woody and I were partnered for years to come. Status: Deceased. Alas, Fate parted us in a tragic incident which I shall only foreshadow for now.Note: I'd always assumed she was born in Japan. But based on my research for this post I learned she was born in Fullerton. I also thought she was born with just a single coil bridge pick-up, but found a picture of her with a humbucker. And I also assumed she was older when we met.

Nice. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your ladies.My introduction into guitar is a little embarrassing, Guitar Hero and watching my boss play a gig with his garage band. I knew full well that playing a real guitar would be light years different than playing a plastic toy with buttons on it. My first guitar was purchased on Superbowl Sunday four years ago. I'll never forget it. I knew nothing about guitars or amps. I walked into Guitar Center around 1:30pm, about 4 hours from kick off. One of the guys asked if I needed help and I said "Yeah I'm thinking about taking up guitar". "What do you like to play" he asked. I told him and about 30 minutes later I had a new MIM Strat and Line 6 amp. Total cost about $900. The guitar has a sunburst finish with rosewood fretboard, two single coils in the neck and middle position, and a humbucker in the bridge. Didn't play either of them prior to purchasing LOL. He did so I could at least hear what they sounded like.I practiced for a good 6 months just following the beginning guitar section on about.com. I'd also youtube songs I wanted to learn and try to pick them up. The guitar then sat on the stand unplayed for about 6 months because I wasn't getting any better. I really enjoyed playing but was getting frustrated. I picked it up again determined to get better and have never looked back. I started taking lessons about 5 months ago and am really glad I did. It has helped so much. I wish I would have started all this about 15 years ago and took lessons right away.

[Dirtydutch 8]

Solid, Dice.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Oh shit! The Roadhouse wasn't my first maple fingerboard...just my first maple fingerboard that wasn't scalloped. Because I rolls('d) that way.Note: although the Yngie (clone) is no longer a functioning shred machine, its body was rebirthed as into faggy pink '60s clone partscaster.

I remember thinking that scalloped FBs were silly and sort of a "one trick" pony. Then I played an Yngwie and realized it is not only a great guitar, the scalloped FB is way more responsive than I thought it would be. I loved the one I tried and VERY nearly brought her home with me. Still not my cup of tea, but at least now I can appreciate them.

Nice. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your ladies.My introduction into guitar is a little embarrassing, Guitar Hero and watching my boss play a gig with his garage band. I knew full well that playing a real guitar would be light years different than playing a plastic toy with buttons on it. My first guitar was purchased on Superbowl Sunday four years ago. I'll never forget it. I knew nothing about guitars or amps. I walked into Guitar Center around 1:30pm, about 4 hours from kick off. One of the guys asked if I needed help and I said "Yeah I'm thinking about taking up guitar". "What do you like to play" he asked. I told him and about 30 minutes later I had a new MIM Strat and Line 6 amp. Total cost about $900. The guitar has a sunburst finish with rosewood fretboard, two single coils in the neck and middle position, and a humbucker in the bridge. Didn't play either of them prior to purchasing LOL. He did so I could at least hear what they sounded like.I practiced for a good 6 months just following the beginning guitar section on about.com. I'd also youtube songs I wanted to learn and try to pick them up. The guitar then sat on the stand unplayed for about 6 months because I wasn't getting any better. I really enjoyed playing but was getting frustrated. I picked it up again determined to get better and have never looked back. I started taking lessons about 5 months ago and am really glad I did. It has helped so much. I wish I would have started all this about 15 years ago and took lessons right away.

Pretty sure that at the exact moment you were purchasing your first guitar, I was in a Guitar Center in the Detroit area playing the Yngwie as described above. Small world.It is always cool to hear how people got started playing. Everyone wishes they'd started earlier in life. Sort of like Karate.

[Dirtydutch 8]

I remember thinking that scalloped FBs were silly and sort of a "one trick" pony. Then I played an Yngwie and realized it is not only a great guitar, the scalloped FB is way more responsive that I thought it would be. I loved the one I tried and VERY nearly brought her home with me. Still not my cup of tea, but at least now I can appreciate them.

They are also a tone-sucking pain in the ass. They help give you better control (which includes control over whether or not you fret every note sharp)...you have more finger on the string, and more leverage just with the way it wraps your finger, so I guess it helps keep things from sounding too sloppy if you are playing fast with a ton of distortion...but the funny thing is, the guys who use(d) them never play(ed) with much distortion anyway. I think those neoclassical guys mostly just liked the idea of it. Because all in all, it's pretty ****ing terrible. Coming from a former 13y/o shred fan, anyway.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I was Her First.Skunk – Vantage something or other born in the late 70s or early 80s. Purchased New from some Guitar Store – again forgetting the details and not sure of price – I think around $200. Natural wood with rosewood fretboard. Two tone with a lighter stripe down the center. Three humbuckers. Good versatile Guitar. Status: Deceased. She was subject to the same tragic fate as Woody. We were victims of a home robbery. Most of our gear was stolen. I've never felt so victimized in my life. I think I was literally in shock for several days. Just a horrific feeling of helplessness and anger. And knowing that the culprits would probably get about ten cents on the dollar for what the stuff was worth was even worse. My one of a kind guitar, special only to me, was either going to fetch a few bucks, or worse be abused and unappreciated by someone who had no idea what they had.Life went on...

[David_Sklansky 1,903]

Insurance rider FTW?

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Insurance rider FTW?

Yeah. Sort of. Certainly helped soften the blow.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Status: Deceased. She was subject to the same tragic fate as Woody. We were victims of a home robbery.

How tragic!I'm loving this feature, by the way. Keep it up.

[Dice_3008 1]

We were victims of a home robbery.

Were you home and actually robbed or did they break in while you were away? That really sucks. Somebody broke into my uncle's house and stole a few expensive guns that were given to him by my grandfather.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Were you home and actually robbed or did they break in while you were away? That really sucks. Somebody broke into my uncle's house and stole a few expensive guns that were given to him by my grandfather.

It was a break-in while we were away. I think you're right, I used the term "robbery" incorrectly.