Skinnyman

Now that’s a real quandary…. I don’t need anything for gigging so this is just for use at home - practice and some recording. I already have a little Fender G-DEC 15w which was the precursor to the Mustang range. On the surface, that seems to do everything I need. Loads of amp models, backing tracks, SD card playback, built in multi-fx and looper. Problem is, I don’t like the sound it makes. None of the amp models seem very convincing and it’s really hard to find a tone that I care for. So I’m looking for a small amp that has a really nice reverb and chorus built in. That can do clean and driven (I’m not after huge levels of distortion) and has a decent EQ range. I’d prefer the convenience of solid state but with a decent emulation of tube saturation and break-up. Headphones and an Aux in are also a must. On paper, the Mustang LT25 looks like it would do the job but the G-DEC has put me off. The Boss Katana 50 looks like it might tick the boxes - I’ll see if I can find one to try

Well that all worked out exactly as planned. Oh hang on. No it didn’t. I went to the shop yesterday, fully intending to buy an Ibanez AR520. I tried it and very nice it was too. Problem was, the “hollow” bit doesn’t really make a massive amount of difference other than making it lighter. So, I looked at the AS range which then got me looking at Eastman semi-hollows which then got me thinking that I might as well look at Epiphone ESes which then brought a nice Les Paul into my eyeline and I remembered that one of my favourite guitars was a Les Paul Studio that I traded about ten years ago and always regretted it and I’ve had other LPs since but none of them were as good as that Studio and why would that be? And I worked out that, compared to other LPs, I liked the pickups and the shorter-than-fender scale length and the chambered body and the lack of binding and what I hated about the Traditional that I’d had was the pig-iron weight of the thing and the fussiness of the binding and the robot tuner nonsense and the thick gloss finish….. so I forgot all about the semi-hollow thing and started looking at Studios but they don’t do the plain dark wood one any more but then I spotted this…. Satin finish, no binding, medium output pickups, light weight and - to my eyes, a very nice honeyburst colour. Basically my old Les Paul Studio but in a lighter colour. Sadly, by this time I’d moved along the row, away from the Epiphones and the headstocks had changed; There among the dozens of mega-bucks Les Pauls was this. The Tribute. And it is, to me, the perfect Les Paul. Build quality is really, really good, the weight is ideal, it’s aesthetically pleasing, it plays beautifully and it sounds awesome. And at just under a grand, not the silly money that Gibson usually ask for. Gas has now shifted to amps….

Thanks for the review. It seems like you’re basically getting a body that has been painted and fitted with a fretted neck, ready to load up with the electronics and hardware of your choosing.

Sorry for the delay….I don’t get round here as often as I should. The moment has probably passed for the OP but for the benefit of future readers who stumble across this thread in a search…. I have a T5 and I think it’s the perfect practice amp. It can get reasonably loud if you want but the attenuation switching allows you to keep the volume reasonable but still drive the amp and make it work a bit. I feed mine into a Barefaced GXii (I think they call it Redeemer or some such these days) and it sounds excellent. The valves are easy to swap if you want to go hotter or calm them down a touch. All in all, I think they’re great little amps for practice or even miked up for home recording.

That looks like a bed warmer

Have you got the NotaStrat yet? Thoughts? I’ve only heard good things about HB so interested to know if they’re maintaining the standard they’ve set themselves.

This is where I demonstrate my ignorance… What is UGT?

I had an Epi ES175 which sounded lovely but I just found it a bit unwieldy. I daresay I’ll end up getting and selling an AR, then getting and selling an AS and then getting and selling an AM. There’s no end to my madness

Having spent ages poring over the Ibanez web site, the two contenders are currently the AS73 or the AR520. I know the AR played well but I’ll check out the AS before I pull the trigger. This is all assuming that I sell the two guitars I have in the marketplace, of course. And Harley’s have a great reputation - I assume that Thomann do them at close to cost just to get people through the virtual doors and into the habit of buying from them. Still amazing value though.

AR series - cheap and cheerful up to mid-priced 335-a-likes. I had a go on an AR520 last week and was very impressed with it - especially for the price (about £600). This is the crazy thing - I keep buying hollow body guitars and then selling them after a year or so. As soon as I move them on, I decide I want another. I haven’t had a semi-hollow though so maybe that will scratch the itch properly… Synthchat? If Gearspace and Elektronauts is anything to go by, synthists are a contentious lot who love giving out a good trolling. I’m not sure I want to hang around with the likes o’ they.

Update: I’ve recovered from my little wobble last year. The GAS is back with a vengeance. Recent purchases are mainly synths and I’m having a clearout of guitars (nice PRS, lovely Taylor 814 anyone?) but even before they’ve gone I’m eyeing up an Ibanez semi-hollow. Don’t ever buy a synthesiser, children. They’re a gateway to a very, very dark place.

I’ve had a reasonable trade-in offer which I’m likely to accept so this is the last call if anyone’s interested at £1700? I’m selling my Taylor 814ce. According to the serial number it was made in September 2014 in California. I bought it new in 2015 from Gig Gear in Harlow and have only ever used it at home. I’ve finally realised that I just don’t play it so it sits unused in its hard case. This is a crying shame and so it should go. This model has the ES2 electrics, a deluxe hard case and all of the original paperwork, care guides, etc. Condition is immaculate. There may be a couple of scuffs on the case but otherwise it’s excellent. I have all the original paperwork, care instructions, etc and I’ll also include a set of new Elixir strings as it’s due a string change. It’s available to try out here in Hull or PM me to arrange a meet somewhere or - if you’re not too far away - I can bring it to you. I would really prefer not to courier this if it can be helped so please PM to see what the options are. I’m setting the price based on used prices elsewhere on the net but I’m open to sensible offers. I’m not really after trades but I’ll consider any suggestions on the off chance you have something I need. Any questions, please PM me. Thanks for looking

Could that just have been the strings?

There don’t seem to be many travel guitars from the big brands. Those that exist are from specialist builders - I believe that there’s a shop in Brighton which specialises in travel guitars. I can’t remember the name but a search for travel guitars+Brighton should find them. Assuming they survived lockdown, that is. My former boss had a folding electric traveller guitar which he used to take on his trips to regional offices. He loved it, I thought it was awful. Action so high it was like an egg slicer and the electrics were dreadful. In fairness, it did fold and, apart from the action, was pretty well set up otherwise. I had a Steinberger Spirit for a while. It was just about usable as a travel guitar (I think I got it onto EasyJet as hand luggage) but I found it a bit underwhelming to actually play… The Yamaha was the closest thing to a “proper” guitar - I didn’t care for the steel string version but that might just be me. The Nylon was excellent though - this thread has reignited my GAS for one.

I had one of the steel strung models. It was….okay. I didn’t really care for the neck for some reason. The electrics sound good - I got one of those little Yamaha portable acoustic amps (which I found a bit underwhelming, frankly) - especially through a decent PA. I sold it a while ago and haven’t missed it. All that said, I did have a go on the nylon string model and really liked it. I’d buy one of those… As a travel guitar, they’re excellent - much better than any other travel guitar I’ve played. New the price is a bit rich. Used, they’re much better value.

I’ve got a reasonable trade-in offer on this which I’ll probably accept unless someone wants to offer me £450? REDUCED TO £595 The Great Clearout continues. I need to cut down on the herd so I’m selling my PRS SE Custom 24. This is the 2019 Limited Edition in a fetching Tampas Green with a beautiful roasted maple neck. After digging around on the PRS website, I can confirm that the serial number denotes it as Korean-made, (although the fact that it says “Built by World Musical Instrument Co. Ltd, Korea” on the back of the headstock is a right giveaway). The colour maybe wasn’t my first choice (although it has grown on me) but when I plugged it in and played it in the shop suddenly the colour didn’t matter and I just had to have it. Full spec is here https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/PRS-SE-Custom-24-Roasted-Maple-Limited-Trampas-Green/art-GIT0049341-000 Sadly, since we’ve downsized into a smaller house I just haven’t got the room and things have to go (Ric bass and a nice Taylor acoustic coming soon). I have to keep the guitars I gig with but as the PRS has only ever been used at home, it has go. Condition is immaculate. It comes with the PRS gig bag which itself is a thing of quality. Available to try here in Hull or I can meet up - PM for details. Post would be a last resort and within the UK only. Some pics (forgive the frantic patterns on the soft furnishings)…

That looks like just the thing. I think I’ll have one

It’s a bog-standard MiM Tele so it’s not really worth much anyway (comparatively speaking, that is). I’d have a go myself but I’m so cack-handed I’d just ruin it. I quite like the idea of getting an unfinished body and building up from that…..

I have a Mexican Tele in which I’ve installed some DiMarzio pickups. These have transformed the guitar and I love the way it sounds and the way it plays. Problem is that it’s the typical slab-sided tele body and I do t find it comfortable to play when seated. The corner of the body digs into my leg and triggers some sort of nerve pain. My first thought is to have a luthier reshape the body and round off the corners a bit, maybe add a belly cut now that I’m piling on the pounds a bit. That’s likely to cost a fair bit but would make this guitar perfect for me. Or, I put the original pickups back in, sell it and buy a new (to me) guitar that’s less slab-sided and then fit the diMarzio’s. What does the GC massive think?

When I said “bit” in my post, I meant “nut”. Fat fingers and autocorrect introduce a pleasing randomness to my posts….

Just thinking…. How hard would it be to make your own? Presumably it’s just the bit that would need changing? And the stringing, obvs

Didn’t they once do a Hendrix Strat which was basically an upside down lefty? You'd have to hope they did a lefty version of that as well

This ^ Also… If you can, try and get old-style lead solder rather than the newer stuff. It melts at a lower temperature and gives the components you’re soldering a slightly easier thermal ride. Obviously, don’t eat the stuff or inhale the fumes.

Welcome Nice Ibby. Damn. There goes my GAS again

Interesting observation on another forum; If you play an old-school piezo-bridge acoustic-electric, IME the low-gain input of an '80s Peavey Bandit 65/Special 130 1x12" combo is as good as it gets for live performance: the limited frequency response over ~5kHz filters out the nails-on-a-blackboard highs and "quack," and since the Saturation control in the Lead channel is defeatable you can set up a separate level for single-string leads or fingerstyle - used one for years with my first-gen Ovation Custom Balladeer, and it actually sounded like a loud acoustic guitar rather than what presently passes for "acoustic-electric" ... Unless you want to add a modelling pedal (TC ToneRes? Zoom A1 Four?), it sounds like your current approach is the best one.