Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: gibsongaz#1 on June 16, 2008, 10:39:08 PM
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Hey guys.
I'm selling my Gibo LP Deluxe. Ive been offered a Fender '57 heavy relic Strat in blond as a direct swap. I'm not a strat man so not clued up if this a good deal? Looks tasty!
Thx
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Ive been offered a Fender '57
I'm not a strat man
:?
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What is going to be your main guitar?
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What is going to be your main guitar?
Probably this guitar. I use my Blade Tele a lot at the moment so if this pays like kak then I could sell it and not be without, but I obviously don't want to lose out in any sale. Do you think the values are simular?
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If you're being swapped a Strat and you're not a Strat person then don't
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How old is the Gibson?
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Personally speaking, If I was sure that I didn't want to keep the LP, I would sell it on ebay. I would then take the cash and buy a guitar of your choice.
If Strats interest you, go down to your local store and spend an afternoon trying several out?
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Sound advice - original LP Deluxe should fetch a good whack on eBay. Problem with relics is that you either love em or you hate them - I would go with the previous post - flog the LP and then look for a Strat, playing as many as you can on the way.
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Yep, don't go for the strat if you're not a strat man as they aren't that versatile, particularly the vintage spec ones so it would not be advisable to only really use that was your main guitar...
Mind you i would do it...!
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The Gibbo is 1980-a great clean example, but it missed out on vintage status / decent money by a year! I guess the guitar is worth about £1300 on a good day on Ebay. Would the Strat not be worth about £1500? If I hated it then I should actually be up on the deal and get a Parker. MM....etc
Failing that, if I love it then I have got a bargain.
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Yep, don't go for the strat if you're not a strat man as they aren't that versatile, particularly the vintage spec ones so it would not be advisable to only really use that was your main guitar...
Mind you i would do it...!
Strats not versatile! You must be playing different ones to me...
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I wouldn't say you'd have a bargain, specifically because it *might* be 200 quid more (I don't know the value of any of those guitars, btw), but that's not a lot when you're talking about 1500, plus if you don't like it, you've got to sell it on - extra hassle etc.
I'd say no, tbh.
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If you're being swapped a Strat and you're not a Strat person then don't
indeed. unless the strat's worth more than the gibbo (which is risky, just because it's technically worth more doesn't necessarily mean you'll find someone who's willing to pay more)...
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Yep, don't go for the strat if you're not a strat man as they aren't that versatile, particularly the vintage spec ones so it would not be advisable to only really use that was your main guitar...
Mind you i would do it...!
Strats not versatile! You must be playing different ones to me...
I meant the vintage spec ones ie. usually with single coils. The reason i say this is because, for example, aside from all the usual stuff a strat is not great at metal or jazz because it has such a distinctive bright sound whereas a Les Paul would be fine here. I would say that a Les Paul could do all a strat can do and more at a good level. Although, the strat does excel at some genres...
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i've been watching the deluxe market a bit on ebay recently. indeed - you should get a good price for her there right now.
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I would say that a Les Paul could do all a strat can do and more at a good level.
I would disagree. Rather a lot.
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hhcave - I don't want to start a Strat v LP war here... but :P (!)
LONG POST - sorry folks...
(and gibsongaz, I do have something for you at the end if you're still awake when you get there!)
I think the "versatile argument" all depends on a) which of the two types you started on and b), more importantly, some sort of personal "mojo" about what you want from a guitar.
A strat player will argue to the death that the strat is far more versatile - you can always thicken the thing up to some extent depending on what sort of amp eq or pedals/etc you've got. In fact, just using the guitar's tone controls takes you into "gibson" territory" if your amp is set right, the extra brightness goes and you can get it to growl. The strat player will also say that, while the strat is less forgiving of your technique, it always allows your own "voice" to come through - whereas the thicker sound of a Les Paul turned up always sounds like an LP turned up...
On the other hand a Les Paul player will talk about warmth, chewy tones, sustain, tight crunch, etc, etc. The Les Paul player will argue that yes, a Les Paul turned up does always sound like a Les Paul turned up, but that's where the skill comes in - honing your technique so that the way that you use it gives you a distinctive voice...
There are two truths though:
* You'll never make a Strat sound like a Les Paul.
* You'll never make a Les Paul sound like a Strat.
When I was growing up musically, Ritchie Blackmore's sound on Made In Japan was it for me. Hank Marvin's sound was pretty scrumptious, and when I found Rory Gallagher, that was it... (Hendrix and SRV are in there as well somewhere)
I became a Strat player when I was about 17. I was in my first band at around 19, and I had the same drummer on and off until I stopped playing live 10 years ago (35). By the end, I was using an LP and an SG because it suited what I was doing and because that drummer's favourite sounds always were Paul Kossoff and Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak album.
Right at the moment, with BKPs and a bunch of new guitars, I am playing mainly an LP and an Explorer - I absolutely love these things and the tones I am getting.
BUT!! If I was told I could only keep one guitar, can you guess which one it would be? My favourite strat... And why? Because, in my hands, it's far more versatile than the others - it can get very close to Paul Kossoff, Thin Lizzy, etc, etc, but the humbucking guitars cannot (for me) do early Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, etc, etc...
If I was playing slightly more up-to-date metal type music, it might be a different story of course!! :lol:
So- I don't think versatility's the point in this case...
gibsongaz - even though I'm a strat player at heart, I am inclined to agree with everyone else. Unless... maybe you turn out to be a strat player after all??
Have you played the thing? What does it feel like? Does it speak to you?
Also, are you worried about investment or do you want a guitar? My favourite LP is a Tokai Love Rock, I got it for just over £500 a few weeks back. My favourite guitar ever is my Strat - a Japanese "Export only" 62 re-issue, my wife got it for me just over a year ago for, again, just over £500 - I don't think they've gone up much, but you have to hunt.
So another option is sell the gibbo (why are you selling by the way?) buy a decent playing LP and Strat - then you've got them both, with possibly some spare cash to put BKPs in at least one of them!
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Yep, don't go for the strat if you're not a strat man as they aren't that versatile, particularly the vintage spec ones so it would not be advisable to only really use that was your main guitar...
Mind you i would do it...!
Strats not versatile! You must be playing different ones to me...
I meant the vintage spec ones ie. usually with single coils. The reason i say this is because, for example, aside from all the usual stuff a strat is not great at metal or jazz because it has such a distinctive bright sound whereas a Les Paul would be fine here. I would say that a Les Paul could do all a strat can do and more at a good level. Although, the strat does excel at some genres...
HH
What is essential to understand is that the Les Paul and Statocaster can't really be compared against each other.
Yes, they're both great guitars but they play and sound very differently to each other and excel in their respective areas. You kind of glossed over what a Strat is great at and concentrated on Metal and Jazz - which are genres that the LP can do but it are not the vast majority of Metal or Jazz players normal choice of guitar.
I say love the LP and love the Strat. Thay are totally different guitars.....
Can you tell I own both a Strat and an LP? .... :D
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^ nfe - you managed to put it rather more succinctly than I did! :roll:
EDIT: And Machinehead!
:lol: :lol:
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I'm not exactly a Strat hater (or virgin for that matter). But I have always been inclined to think they are overated - I always thought Blade made a better guitar for the money. I have played some medeocre and some stunning strats in the past, but I have yet to play a bad Gibson Les Paul (IMO).
Its interesting wacthing the debate unfurl though and apprieciate the advice.
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Mmmm okay point taken - a strat is very versatile as well...
Machinehead: A LOT of metal players use Gibson Les Paul Customs and les paul type designs (ESP Eclipses etc.) and there are those who use les pauls for jazz - les paul himself was a jazz player was he not? A big name player who does (now only occasionally) use a les paul for fusion stuff is al Di Meola... Also, i picked out metal and jazz because those were 2 'fringe' genres for both the strat and les paul
gibsongaz: You may be very lucky - pretty much all of the gibsons (new ones in shops) i've played were really really bad quality apart from the one i bought. The older ones made in the Kalamazoo factory are consistently good however you have to watch out for the newer ones. There is something seriously wrong with the current Gibson quality control...
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I have to admit the current scene for metal is something I'm not really up on.
I know that there weren't a lot of Metal players who used LP's in years gone by but who uses one now for Metal?
As for Jazz, the vast majority of Jazz exponents use a hollow body style guitar such as an ES-175. The Les Paul (legend has it) was designed as a Jazz guitar but it never really caught on for that genre - despite Les Paul himself endorsing it and being involved (in a very small way) with it's design.
As for Gibson QC, I have to say I've seen a marked improvement in recent years in that respect. Yes, it was poor up to 5 years ago - poor as in too many got past QC that shouldn't have.
These days the QC standard appears to be much better but when one does crop up it's jumped on and almost joyfully paraded as 'proof' that Gibson's are all made badly. I've played a lot of new Gibson LP's this year and I would happily have any of them.
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I have to admit the current scene for metal is something I'm not really up on.
I know that there weren't a lot of Metal players who used LP's in years gone by but who uses one now for Metal?
A lot of the fashionable-haircut metal bands are either LP Customs or ESP Eclipses at the minute, I'd tell you names but I try to make a point of avoiding their output as much as possible :lol: A few of the Gothenburg melo-deat bands, In Flames etc. Most Doom and Sludge guys are LP players too (at least on occasion), Electric Wizard, Candlemass, Krux, High On Fire, Mistress, Cathedral, Burning Witch, Church Of Misery, BORIS, Ramesses, Weedeater, Bongzilla....
Not all household names admittedly :lol:
As for Gibson QC, I have to say I've seen a marked improvement in recent years in that respect. Yes, it was poor up to 5 years ago - poor as in too many got past QC that shouldn't have.
These days the QC standard appears to be much better but when one does crop up it's jumped on and almost joyfully paraded as 'proof' that Gibson's are all made badly. I've played a lot of new Gibson LP's this year and I would happily have any of them.
I just can't agree with this, having worked in guitar stores for the last four years, in stores with a MASSIVE turnover of Gibsons, I've played maybe four or five (none of which were LPs, which I was always loking for :x ) which I would have ever thought about buying.
It's a crying, crying shame. :(
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I wouldnt trade a Les Paul for a strat :o That's like going from a nice bmw to a 1l fiesta! :P It'll still do the job but its not as nice to look at, or exciting. LP - tele swap I may consider though.
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I wouldnt trade a Les Paul for a strat :o That's like going from a nice bmw to a 1l fiesta! :P It'll still do the job but its not as nice to look at, or exciting. LP - tele swap I may consider though.
Dear LORD. By your own analogy, that's like going from a nice bmw to a nissan micra.
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:lol:
Teles are cooler than strats, its a fact dont you know!
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Another way to think about it- How many 80s les pauls are out there in good condition? How many reissue strats are there?
Personally i'd never pay loads for anything made by Fender- I like fender guitars, but paying crazy money for them is, well, crazy. Mainly because they are all bolted together, meaning putting together a high quality guitar from parts you source and decide on yourself is all too easy.
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Hi,
I'm presuming the 57 Strat is a Custom Shop model if you're quoting a #1,500 price tag?
Even so, I'd be very surprised if you'd get that kind of money for it. Closer to 1,200. CS strats are ten a penny secondhand and IMHO rarely worth the extra money. And I speak as someone who has two :roll:
If you want a decent strat I'd watch out for one of the many good CIJs or MIJs that come up on ebay regularly...then upgrade it with the Bare Knuckles of your choice.
As far as the Deluxe is concerned, if you're thinking as a collector or would-be collector I'd hang on to it. If you're thinking as a player then offload it and get something you'll use. Alternatively, you could always start a Thin Lizzy tribute band :)
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If you want a decent strat I'd watch out for one of the many good CIJs or MIJs that come up on ebay regularly...then upgrade it with the Bare Knuckles of your choice.
Or do as I did and got a USA Strat on ebay for a decent price.
I got a Strat Plus in excellent condition for £550. USA Standards are regularly going for under £500 right now - and there are quite a few to choose from.
Go for one in the best condition, with a Fender HSC - at a decent price.
As a side note I found that the MIJ Strat I had (E serial number) is not in the same league as the USA Strat Plus I just got.......
I'm not knocking MIJ Strats but it has to be said. I would go for a nice USA Standard.
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Machinehead - surprised to hear that - I've had a couple of E series and found them to be better made than the USA ones that I've tried - if you can live with the vintage frets/trem that is
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What is it about the Gibby you dont like? Is it the way it plays or is it that it doesnt have that vintage vibe? I just rewired my les paul with all new 50's style vintage wiring from Rsguitarworks and a new set of crawlers and its a totally different animal. Now the crawlers are hotter than old school PAF's but you could go with something different.
Im not a fender player at all but I think at some point Id like to have both in my arsenal.
Shane
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Machinehead - surprised to hear that - I've had a couple of E series and found them to be better made than the USA ones that I've tried - if you can live with the vintage frets/trem that is
My experience with Strats is rather limited Mike.
I can certainly say that I find the Strat Plus I bought recently is miles better than the MIJ E serial Strat I had before. I aslo tried a couple of USA Strat Standards before I got the Plus and they seemed to be a whole lot better than the MIJ as well.
The MIJ Strat had a nice enough tone but the more I played it the less I liked it. It had a great neck but the fretboard was tough going, with a very pronounced convex arch, which made bar chords a chore.
It also meant the action had to higher than I would have liked, as bends higher up the board simply bottomed out due to the arch.
For the record the Strat Plus I got only has a slight convex arch and with a considerably higher grade of rosewood fretboard. Playing it is a lot easier than the MIJ and it basically sounds far better as well.
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The MIJ Strat had a nice enough tone but the more I played it the less I liked it. It had a great neck but the fretboard was tough going, with a very pronounced convex arch, which made bar chords a chore.
It also meant the action had to higher than I would have liked, as bends higher up the board simply bottomed out due to the arch.
For the record the Strat Plus I got only has a slight convex arch and with a considerably higher grade of rosewood fretboard. Playing it is a lot easier than the MIJ and it basically sounds far better as well.
That's the difference between the 7.25" vintage radius and the 9.5" modern radius. The bigger frets help a lot as well. For me, the perfect fretboard radius is Fender's 9.5" or PRS's 10" - just the right curvature for comfortable chording, but flat enough to bend strings on.
Apart from the radius issue, I think MIJ Strats are just as well built as US ones, but I'm not sure the actual components are as good. On the couple I had, the bridge and tuners felt a bit flimsy - almost like the metal was "softer" somehow. And the Japanese electronics always need replacing. So you have a guitar that's a brilliant starting-point for upgrades, rather than a really great guitar straight out of the box.
I may have simply not had the best examples - maybe there are more upmarket MIJ Fenders (or similar) with better quality Gotoh hardware.
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Yep, don't go for the strat if you're not a strat man as they aren't that versatile, particularly the vintage spec ones so it would not be advisable to only really use that was your main guitar...
Mind you i would do it...!
Strats not versatile! You must be playing different ones to me...
I meant the vintage spec ones ie. usually with single coils. The reason i say this is because, for example, aside from all the usual stuff a strat is not great at metal or jazz because it has such a distinctive bright sound whereas a Les Paul would be fine here. I would say that a Les Paul could do all a strat can do and more at a good level. Although, the strat does excel at some genres...
The heavey relics are more of a modern spec and most of them have a bridge humbucker. At the end of the day a 1980 Les Paul Deluxe is, sorry about this, a cr@p guitar. A 2007.2008 Custom Shop Fender is a fantastic guitar. Just because ebay values may be slightly similar due to idiots who think they are buying 'vintage' doesn't make these guitars comparible. Take the Strat, if you don't like it swap it for a post-2002 Les Paul Standard