Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: hamfist on January 08, 2009, 08:11:36 AM

Title: New guitar advice please.
Post by: hamfist on January 08, 2009, 08:11:36 AM
I'll be coming into some money in a few days, and will be in the market for a new guitar, and I'd appreciate some advice.

  I currently have a MIJ Tokai Love Rock Les Paul, which fulfils everything I want from an LP, although being an LP, is tonally rather limited.
  I also have a cheapish Cort strat (HSS pickup setup), which covers that side of things and has been my number 2 guitar, in case of string breakages. It plays really nicely actually, but I'm just not a fan of the strat guitar shape.

I'll be looking to spend anything between about £250 and £500 I suppose.

My requirements are :-

- 43mm nut width, or wider.
- HH or HSH pickup layout.
- tonally more flexible than an LP, so coil-splitting or something similar required.
- better upper fret access than a Les paul !
- A really nice playing neck would also be much appreciated.
- NOT a strat shaped guitar, or any shape that is too spikey.

The real contenders at the moment are :-

A Washburn idol of some sort.
Sgmypod's Gordon Smith Graduate.

I love the tele shape but can't find any tele with a wide enough neck fitted with two Humbuckers. Ah, there is the Schecter PT tele shape HH, but I'm a bit concerned about quality, as it's pretty cheap.

What else am I forgetting about, or not aware of ?  I am happy to buy second hand also, but I don't really want to wait around for ages until the right thing becomes available so a used guitar would need to be fairly commonly available.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: horsehead on January 08, 2009, 08:23:38 AM
Sgmypods Gordon Smith would be perfect for you Alan, it plays beautifully & you can do just about anything with it!
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Twinfan on January 08, 2009, 08:30:55 AM
I'd say an SG of some sort, so the Gordon Smith would kind of fit that bill too.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Scotty477 on January 08, 2009, 10:01:05 AM


How about a used Yamaha SG1000?

That would seem to fit the criteria you've set.


(http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/key/cabinet/itemimg05/img12887605.jpg)
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: PPPMAT on January 08, 2009, 10:12:12 AM
What about the brian may guitar - as flexible as a guitar can get - never played one mind  :shock:
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Jonny on January 08, 2009, 02:00:59 PM
I've never heard of a bad thing about Schecter.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: hamfist on January 08, 2009, 04:25:14 PM
I've never heard of a bad thing about Schecter.

I've also heard a lot of good things about Schetcer. The particular guitar I mentioned though is certainly one of their lower priced (and no doubt lower quality) models.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: ToneMonkey on January 08, 2009, 05:01:05 PM
Anything with P-90's.  Sound's like your after extending your tones.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: dave_mc on January 08, 2009, 06:58:02 PM
^ that might be a good idea, actually. there's an MIJ tokai with p90s for around the £500 mark...
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: sgmypod on January 08, 2009, 08:24:41 PM
Do like those Yamaha Sg's but would want an original or an Ibanez artist..shame prices are high now for them
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Scotty477 on January 08, 2009, 10:52:44 PM
Do like those Yamaha Sg's but would want an original or an Ibanez artist..shame prices are high now for them

I've seen a few vintage SG1000's go for under your £500 limit on ebay?

There's also the SG1200 AND 1500 to consider as well. I picked up my '79 SG2000 for £750 in a store but they do go for less than that on ebay.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: WezV on January 08, 2009, 10:57:20 PM
the SG2000 i have had great pleasure messing with (TLC rather than changes... none are needed) in the last few years was brought just before for £400.  i doubt you would find one that low  but they are well worth keeping an eye out for.  the only thing i dont like is the weight
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Scotty477 on January 09, 2009, 03:42:05 AM


£400 is a killer deal for an SG2000  :D

The weight has to considered, as you say.

My SG2000 tips the scales at 11.5lbs, although it is perfectly balanced. I use a special Yamaha gel filled strap when I have it around my neck and to be honest I don't really feel the weight too much.

If I was using a 2" normal nylon strap  though .... ouch  :D
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: ailean on January 09, 2009, 06:41:32 AM
Hey Alan, I think I saw a Yam SG2000 in Fret's just before Christmas if you want to get a feel for them. Not sure what the price was though.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: hamfist on January 09, 2009, 07:27:42 AM
Hey Alan, I think I saw a Yam SG2000 in Fret's just before Christmas if you want to get a feel for them. Not sure what the price was though.

THanks for that Rich. I'm pretty much set on getting Sgmypod's Gordon Smith now though. To be honest, I quite fancy a rather lighter guitar, and the Gordon Smth is slightly thinner bodied version. My Les paul weighs a ton and I would appreciate something la bit lighter for long gigs.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: hamfist on January 09, 2009, 07:55:08 PM
Update - Sgmypod's Gordon Smith now on it's way to me !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: sgmypod on January 09, 2009, 07:59:08 PM
Well will be next week *S*
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Jonny on January 10, 2009, 09:03:49 AM
If anyone had the same idea for a nice guitar, I just found this on eBay, limited run Telecaster.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Telecaster-Mahogany-Set-Neck-Dimarzio-Humbuckers_W0QQitemZ220340621266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item220340621266&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Don't know if the neck is wide enough, but if anyone is looking for a guitar at all I suppose, lol..

NOTE: This isn't my guitar.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: Philly Q on January 10, 2009, 10:24:56 AM
If anyone had the same idea for a nice guitar, I just found this on eBay, limited run Telecaster.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Telecaster-Mahogany-Set-Neck-Dimarzio-Humbuckers_W0QQitemZ220340621266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item220340621266&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Don't know if the neck is wide enough, but if anyone is looking for a guitar at all I suppose, lol..

NOTE: This isn't my guitar.

That's nice!  I'd like to get a set-neck Tele at some point.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: hamfist on January 10, 2009, 04:35:29 PM
If anyone had the same idea for a nice guitar, I just found this on eBay, limited run Telecaster.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Telecaster-Mahogany-Set-Neck-Dimarzio-Humbuckers_W0QQitemZ220340621266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item220340621266&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1298|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Don't know if the neck is wide enough, but if anyone is looking for a guitar at all I suppose, lol..

NOTE: This isn't my guitar.

Looks very nice, but I'll bet the nut width is way under 43mm.

Also made in Korea - doen't mean it's awful, but is a relevant fact to take into consideration about the potential build quality. Also, was made in 2004 - the Koreans did not have their guitar manufacture running quite as smoothly then, as they do now.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: PhilKing on January 10, 2009, 08:32:31 PM
I played a set neck one with DeArmonds once.  It weighed a ton!  Other than that it was pretty nice.  It looks interesting and the proce doesn't seem too bad.
Title: Re: New guitar advice please.
Post by: sgmypod on January 10, 2009, 08:54:34 PM
got to say liked the dearmonds I tried in a grestch