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 Syle
Kenai Sigh
Registered: 10/16/05
Posts: 6,678
Loc: WA
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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 Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future!  [Re: 13eetleJuice]
#8094207 - 03/02/08 04:21 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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JB humbuckers are the best. specifically the ones that come on a Schecter C-1 classic (at least the originals, not sure what the newer releases have on them). so much sustain, warmth, clarity, crunch, you name it, they can do it.
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https://kenaisigh.bandcamp.com/ <- Just completed the 2021 RPM challenge for February - An EP in one month (5 songs or 20 minutes). Check it out!
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TheCow
Stranger
Registered: 10/28/02
Posts: 4,790
Last seen: 15 years, 9 months
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Syle]
#8094228 - 03/02/08 04:25 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Mine came with, let me quote the website:
Seymour Duncan humbuckers: JB at bridge, SH-2N Jazz pickup at neck
I dont know anything about pickups as this is my first electric, but they sound good I guess.
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 Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
What What?
Registered: 07/22/04
Posts: 11,113
Loc: Shadow Moses
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Rapmaster]
#8094263 - 03/02/08 04:37 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Excellent rundown, thanks!
I made a "perfect" guitar yesterday in paper with prices and time it'd take to build it and so, it was a very interesting thought and I know I will definetely do it sooner than later.
However I'm thinking that I really want a short-scaled neck and I'm almost set on a "Black Beauty" or similar looking guitar 
Parkers are just great as you said, even tho sometimes their feeling is strange, with the carbon neck and compund radius. I'm thinking I'd rather construct my own "Viper" Strat, and simply put the features I like from the Parker on the Strat clone like the Piezo.
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There's no better way to rock out than with your cock out!!
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Rapmaster
Stranger
Registered: 09/19/04
Posts: 414
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I forgot to ask,
What are you playing now? A lot of times, the amp is more critical to your sound than the guitar.
Also, what sound are you going for?
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
What What?
Registered: 07/22/04
Posts: 11,113
Loc: Shadow Moses
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Rapmaster]
#8094331 - 03/02/08 04:58 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I don't have it right here 'cause of the moving to another country and all, but my practice amp is a VOX pathfinder 10 (I know, I know). I only need a clean channel anyway and I'm a defender of solid state so...
I wanna get a real VOX AC30 down the road of course.
Umm I'd say my sound is influenced by Gilmour's with a little bit of Beck's because of the finger playing. Basicaly a clean, bell-ish sound with just a little bit of crunch. I get crunch from a Foxrox ZIM and dist from handmade Fuzz with '66 germanium transistors 
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There's no better way to rock out than with your cock out!!
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Kamin
Registered: 02/04/07
Posts: 449
Last seen: 12 years, 6 months
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Here's the thing. A good guitar through a shit amp sounds like shit. A shit guitar through a good amp does not normally sound like shit. I'm not saying you should get a crappy guitar, but I would consider getting something that makes you happy while not breaking the bank and then spending the extra money on a nice amp. In all truth, the amp is just as important as the guitar you are playing on.
The most important thing though, is how you play the guitar (obviously).
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
What What?
Registered: 07/22/04
Posts: 11,113
Loc: Shadow Moses
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Kamin]
#8094464 - 03/02/08 05:34 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I know 
I'm not using an amp at home now tho, and in most jam sessions I just play with whatever is available, you know how that goes...
So anyway right now I only need an amp to record, and that's on a hold right now.
So amp is not a factor in this desition 
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There's no better way to rock out than with your cock out!!
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TheCow
Stranger
Registered: 10/28/02
Posts: 4,790
Last seen: 15 years, 9 months
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I have a 200 dollar Vox 30 watt amp. It sounds pretty good, mimics the AC-30 and whatnot. My friend had a tube Marshall he got from his dad. The sound was extremely good and it seemed like it was easier to distort than a transistor amp. However, Id have to play with a tube amp for a while to really decide on this whole obvious superiority thing
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JRayV
former guy on couch
Registered: 10/20/06
Posts: 818
Loc: l 
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Kamin]
#8094513 - 03/02/08 05:47 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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archtop -> flat top
tune-o-matic -> vibrato
Gibson LP classic definitely.
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
What What?
Registered: 07/22/04
Posts: 11,113
Loc: Shadow Moses
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: TheCow]
#8094523 - 03/02/08 05:51 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Well for me it's pretty clear: Tubes sound better, but solid state emulation is so good nowadays with boutique pedals like the ZIM than it is no longer worth it to carry a 3 times heavier/expensier amp, that you can not rely on.
It's solid state for me
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There's no better way to rock out than with your cock out!!
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Rapmaster
Stranger
Registered: 09/19/04
Posts: 414
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I really think you should invest this money towards an amplifier to be brutally honest with you. You need consistency in this aspect and most of the time, a poor amp is going to cover any noticeable differences between guitars, not to mention your playing dynamics.
I used to play Line 6 equipment, pretty much state of the art modeling technology. My roomie's got a Pod XT Live floorboard too. Modeling's come a long way, but there's absolutely no way that solid state can mimic the warmth and the natural breakup of a tube amplifier. Modelers essentially attempt to predict the unpredictable. I read through some posts at OTD (that you started, on the blues) and you realize that in no way can a solid state ever come close to that tone you hear. Even boutique pedals (ZIM, Keeley mods, Hermida Audio, Jetter, Paul Cochrane, etc...) won't really stand out when paired with a poor amp. Guys like Robben Ford and Larry Carlton (who really gave the Zendrive its reputation) use high-headroom tube amps (Ford rents out Fender Twins to use with his Zendrives if he doesn't have his Dumble around).
I recently upgraded my rig to a Cage modded Fender DRRI with a speaker change and tube change (rebiased, blah blah blah and so forth) and really that's been the biggest change I've made to my tone (bigger change than switching to the R7 Custom). It really brings out the harmonics of your instrument, the nuances of your technique, the dynamics of your right hand, etc... Roll off the volume and you get a sparkling clean (could use some low-end refinement), dime it out and you have a nice smooth overdriven growl. This is something that I was never able to achieve using the Lin6 amps, PodXT through fender solid state cabinets, Boss COSM distortion/overdrive modeling. I actually have no use for any of my effects anymore (except my wahs) and leave them out of my rig (none are true bypass and really destroy my clean).
As far as modelers go, the Vox Valvetronix series (mentioned earlier if I'm correct) and the Line 6 Spider Valve (the new one) have come the closest imo. What makes these special is that they incorporate technology that alters the power amp circuit to copy the settings of the desired model (confusing sentence, sorry). Case in point, the power section makes a helluva lot more difference than people originally thought. They go beyond the traditional modeler and physically alter the electrical circuit in the amplification section.
As for reliability, certain amps are more prone to failure than others. The new Voxes (made in China, not england anymore) are probably the easiest example. I'd go out on a limb and say a properly maintained Fender or Marshall tube amp is as reliable as any solid state.
I'd consider investing in at least an Epiphone Valve Jr., Fender Champ, or Fender Pro Junior. They're all low-power (generally around 5 watts RMS) amps that are suitable for home use. The Valve Jr. is a tremendous bargain, I don't know what they sell for in your area, but they're under $150 here. There are some nice, basic mods for them too.
EDIT: Also, a point on LPs. Somebody mentioned the LP classic and something about archtops. For the record, the LP is not an archtop, the L-4 and L-5 are, but not the LPs. Archtops are hollow-bodies, the LP has a carved top.
In my opinion though, the LPs without the carved top (usually made of maple, the R7 Custom and the LP Vintage Mahogany are the only two I can think of with Mahogany caps) sound very different. The LP Special and Junior really do not sound the same as the carved top models. Definitely try those out before considering them.
Edited by Rapmaster (03/02/08 07:08 PM)
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kintos
Stranger
Registered: 06/01/06
Posts: 2,015
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: PinballWizard]
#8094893 - 03/02/08 07:15 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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ive got an epi les paul , no complaints here i was wondering if anyone had any tips for what pickups i should upgrade to?
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kintos
Stranger
Registered: 06/01/06
Posts: 2,015
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: kintos]
#8094909 - 03/02/08 07:18 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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also ive got a line 6 spider three with all kinds of modeling. i like it more than tube amps cause its cheaper and can get tons of different sounds. but i still think that tube amps sound the best overall
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PinballWizard
Naive and Gullible as usual
Registered: 03/20/04
Posts: 2,804
Last seen: 10 years, 4 days
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Rapmaster]
#8095551 - 03/02/08 10:26 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Rapmaster said:
I'd consider investing in at least an Epiphone Valve Jr., Fender Champ, or Fender Pro Junior. They're all low-power (generally around 5 watts RMS) amps that are suitable for home use. The Valve Jr. is a tremendous bargain, I don't know what they sell for in your area, but they're under $150 here. There are some nice, basic mods for them too.
That's $150 just for the head, right? You could always DIY with one of those 8w all tube amps.
This looks fun for a home use amp:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Pro-Tube-Princeton-Recording-Amp?sku=483714
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PinballWizard
Naive and Gullible as usual
Registered: 03/20/04
Posts: 2,804
Last seen: 10 years, 4 days
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I've considered a pathfinder. What options does the tremolo have?
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Rapmaster
Stranger
Registered: 09/19/04
Posts: 414
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: PinballWizard]
#8095639 - 03/02/08 11:06 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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What do you mean by "options"? They let you control "depth" and "speed". Depth is the Vox equivalent of Fender's "intensity", it lets you control the attack of the tremolo. Speed is how quickly the attacks alternate.
I'd strongly consider trying to find a used AD15. They'll go for about the same price as a pathfinder 15 is new. They're a higher quality amp.
As for the Epi Valve Jr., the combo is around $200 new and you could probably find one for $150. The head would run you about the same. The used market is much bigger for the head than the combo. The hype's died down on them and the market's shrunk, you might have to haggle around for that price.
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PinballWizard
Naive and Gullible as usual
Registered: 03/20/04
Posts: 2,804
Last seen: 10 years, 4 days
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Rapmaster]
#8095846 - 03/02/08 11:55 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I wouldn't be surprised if a 15w Solid State amp didn't have any variables for the tremolo. Just on or off.
I guess it doesn't really matter now. I'm putting together my own tremolo unit.
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Do you know anything about hot rodding amps? My dad bought me a kit to make my Hot Rod Deluxe run the tubes hotter at a lower volume or something similar. Will this pose any negative effects on the amp as is? Will the tubes wear out faster?
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StonedShroom
OG shroomerite
Registered: 10/21/00
Posts: 10,876
Last seen: 9 months, 15 days
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: PinballWizard]
#8096192 - 03/03/08 01:55 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Carvin guitars.
www.carvinguitars.com
you custom build your own guitar and it's so much cheaper than any other name brand. For about $1200 you can get a guitar that would cost $3000 if the same options were on a Fender or Gibson.
They sound amazing and play like a dream. The action on them is perfect without any buzzing and it's even from one end of the fretboard to the other. My geetar teacher has a nice one.
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We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.
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Rapmaster
Stranger
Registered: 09/19/04
Posts: 414
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: StonedShroom]
#8097208 - 03/03/08 11:50 AM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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The issue with Carvin is the same for all custom manufacturers (Suhr, Anderson, etc...). Even ultra high-ends like Melancon and Collings have this problem.
Their resale value is horrible. If you somehow end up not liking what you bought (you really can't try them out before buying), good luck trying to sell it for a decent amount.
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StonedShroom
OG shroomerite
Registered: 10/21/00
Posts: 10,876
Last seen: 9 months, 15 days
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Re: Ok guitarists, decide my future! [Re: Rapmaster]
#8097275 - 03/03/08 12:10 PM (16 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'd imagine you can still tweak the guitar after you get it the same as any other guitar?
I dunno, I wouldn't want a Gibson or Parker Fly... I'm a Fender Strat girl myself. Parker Fly guitars look too... 80s, or too much like a "fad". I'm basing my opinion purely on cosmetics... Fender has that classic look, and strats sound pretty damn good. Even my little Squier Strat sounds good... apparently it's kinda rare they sound so good b/c my guitar guy asks me 1000 questions, like if I replaced the pick-ups (no, honestly I didn't really know what a pick-up was until about a year ago and I had the damn thing for 6 years), did I buy it used (nope, brand new with a little baby amp), is it mexican or american made (no idea, and there isn't a sticker on it lol), etc etc
Anyway, this week I'm probably going to get this sunburst strat I've been eying at my Guitar Center. I don't think it's like the top-of-the line b/c it's only $599... but it sounds good, at least to me.
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We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.
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