EdwardMarlowe

Me neither! I remember the Mexican ones in the middle 90s (as memory serves, they were made with a big Fender logo and a small Squier one, they were Squiers, but were made when Fender were between Far Eastern facilities, and by reputation are very good).

This is the guy in Stratford upon Avon, isn't it? I've watched a fair few of his videos on the Vintage brand guitars. His take on those is that they are excellent value for money, they have their shortcomings, but law of diminishing returns and all that... Always seemed to be to have a very fair and balanced take on the more affordable guitars and their qualities, without the OTT "THIS IS BETTER THAN FENDER CUSTOM SHOP AND ONLY TEN POUNDZ BARGAINZ!" kind of hype you can sometimes see online. Will have a look at this one later, can't look at video where am now...

If you're interested in a Jazzmaster style, in this sort of price range the Squire CV version is nice, but see also the Vintage V65 model, which comes in options both with the traditional F-style trem and a fixed bridge model. Enjoy shopping!

The Squier Classic Vibe series are a different beast than the Players, really. The Player series represent a fairly contemporary take on the instruments concerned (albeit in a fairly classic flavour), whereas the CVs replicate (after a fashion - they're not as exacting in spec as the US made reissue models, for obvious reasons) vintage styles of particular eras. The Players are built to a higher price point so in theory should be better. That said, I've always found with Squier that they vary (inevitably, QC is more tolerant at a lower price point, so there's much greater variation). I'd consider buying a Player by mail from a trusted supplier; the Squier, I'd probably want to play first. The CVs seem to do well on resale value, so if that's a consideration for you, proportionate to new price you won't be likely to lose more selling a used CV Squier than a used Fender Player. There seems to be a popular notion that the CVs made in China are markedly better than the ones made in Indonesia, but to be honest I haven't played enough of both to want to make a call on that. If you are looking for something Fendery, it would also be worth having a look at the Vintage branded guitars from JHS. In and around the same price as the CV Squiers, very competitive for what they sell at. As ever, a used Player will sell for about the same price as a new CV, but then a used CV will sell for less again, so.... I think the best thing you can do is head to a big guitar store that will have all the options you fancy, try them all, and then when you find what speaks to you most, try as many of that specific model as you can til one hits the spot. The PRS SE guitars are nicely made ime, though not my personal style. The only reason I wouldn't buy one is subjective personal preference, though - they seem nice across the board if they are what you're looking for in a guitar.

I do love me some TV Yellow, though TBH I think with a guitar as (at least in my experience) rare as these now are, I'd consider reverting it to standard. Does it still have the Dirty Fingers pups in it? As memory serves, that's what they came with, though a lot of them got switched out over time. I believe they can be quite collectable now, as DFs have been reappraised in recent years...

Precious few thru-necks around these days.... any brands currently doing them aside from Ric and the higher-end Thunderbirds/Firebirds? Never owned one, would be interested one day, though I suspect a Ric will remain out of reach for the foreseeable. Would especially love a Ric bass...

Interesting concept, the thinline dreadnought. Never seen one before, but the logic seems to stack up: thinner but wider, probably has the same volume inside as some smaller guitars.... The impression I have is that the top is about the tone, the depth gives more in the way of volume. The worst acoustic I ever played in terms of tone was a Martin -one of those Martin backpackers. There was just something.... off.... about the sound, which I always figured had to do with the tiny, oddly-shaped top. Me, I'd love to see an acoustic jumbo with a 2.5" deep body and f holes instead of a traditional acoustic soundhole. Not a style you see around these days outside of specialist jazz archtops, but I think it would be cool. Somehow a budget version appeals more than a high end type because it would be closer to the scuzzy guitars played on those early blues and proto-rock and roll records.

That's definitely the ideal, but I think it's a bit of a vicious circle, really: online places are able to sell cheaper, so a lot of people buy from them, so more bricks and mortar go out of business, so more and more of us have to go online as that's the only option.... With better stuff, it worries me less as the instrument is much more likely to have had some proper attention, as distinct from buying budget bottom line where a lot of places will sent it out without unboxing, or even have it drop-shipped. I think the fact that the private second-hand market has been so taken over by online sales has also helped to normalise it. Course, I am perhaps less freaked out by this (even if I agree it's not ideal) because being left handed I've so often hand to commit to buying something without having seen it. Before I bought my US Std Strat in 1994 - and after two years of saving for it - I found one with a maple board (I wanted rosewood) in a store in Belfast. That was the sole example I'd had the chance to play before I ordered mine, and was financially committed such that once it arrived, unless there was an obvious fault, that was it. Also worth noting that the Distance Selling Regulations (unless or until they are thrown on the post-Brexit bonfire) mean that if you order something from a store online and don't like it, you are legally entitled to return it without having to give any reason as long as you do it within seven working days. Yes, if there's no fault and it is what you ordered you have to pay for that return postage, BUT for a lot of folks that might be worth the gamble over the old situation where you love something in the shop but get it home and try it with your own gear, and it's a dud...

All depends what you're after sound-wise, though the most impressive I've encountered was the Fishman Blend, which from memory combined an under-saddle with a mic-based one tucked under the soundhole for the best of both varieties. Unless you want to go for a dedicated amp, I'd also suggest a decent stomp-box style DI/processor. A friend had one some years back that was an Award Session Gordon Giltrap signature model that was very impressive indeed.

Aha! Yeah, sounds like it's a function of the headphone jack and the direct line-out being one and the same. Interesting! I wonder how many people buy these used (or don't read the manual when it comes new) and think there's a fault in it! Nice design once it's explained - be interesting to compare the sound in phones with an otherwise identical amp with a regular headphone socket...

That does sound odd! There must be a reason for it, though, if it's designed that way!

As memory serves, these were designed so they could be used either as an amp on their own, or as a pre-amp (I believe May's original is exclusively a pre-amp). Could some wiring quirk around that be why the headphones work oddly that way?

Which size is the Supro amp second from right on the shelf there? I'm seriously considering the 1 watt model once I've sold a bunch of stuff....

Honestly not sure. I'll tell you one thing I've really grown to dislike, though: cutaways on an acoustic guitar body. Purely a cosmetic thing. Same as I don't like the look of the neck angle from the player's pov on a Les Paul, or a slimmed-down neck joint on the back of a Strat, or a 22nd fret on a Fender style. Some of these are not dealbreakers, but I really wouldn't want an acoustic with a cutaway.

What I always liked about Cobain was how his playing served the song rather than dominated it. That's something I prize as when I listen to music I want to hear a band working as a whole - I'm just not interested in listening to one part dominating the whole and drawing all the attention, all the time.

The Mooer series are really cool - http://www.mooeraudio.com/product/Pre-amp-18 If I were looking at playing out again, I'd be tempted to pick up a couple of those plus the respective power amp pedal, and either use those with a monitor direct into the PA, or I suppose use a nice 1 or 2 x12" cab with them. A lot easier and lighter than lugging a tube amp around!

I can think of a few guitars that would give a smaller or narrower neck option, though most will be pricier. The Bonnie Raitt Strat had a pretty narrow neck (designed to her original, and in particular with female players in mind as they tend to have smaller hands, and Raitt wanted to attract more women to guitar). Johnny Ramone's Mosrites had narrower than average necks, which he liked because he played almost exclusively barrre chords. A number of Fenders and Squiers are short-scale, including Duosonics, Mustangs, and Supersonics. Alas, all of these will be pricier than OP's set budget, even used, BUT.... Squier have now introduced the Bullet Mustang HH, with a 24" scale and somewhat smaller neck like all Mustangs / Duosonics: https://www.fender.com/en-US/squier-electric-guitars/mustang/bullet-mustang-hh/0371220548.html https://www.fender.com/en-US/squier-electric-guitars/mustang/bullet-mustang-hh/0371220548.html My first inclination, TBH, would be to find a way around it and gradually get used to the "normal" necks as it won't limit your choice of guitars so much going forwards. THat said - and speaking as a left handed player - a limited choice is always better than giving up, so if it makes that much difference...

Interesting to read this experience with your equipment. My church is a large, Georgian building, and when it comes to the hymns, if you listen very closely, the balcony are just a fraction of a second ahead of the main seating area in the ground floor, owing to the organ pipes being up on the balcony. It's a fascinating delay if you notice it - though you have to be listening out carefully for it or you wouldn't notice. These aspects of the relationship between the physical space and the player's equipment are fascinating, imo.

I rather liked the bass that was a sig model for ones of the guys in Blink 182, I think? It was a J bass body and neck, but with a single P-bass pickup and pots. A real 'could have been'. That sort of thing is fun. I don't think I've ever been completely put off a guitar I'd otherwise have liked but for the name association... Oh, though.... There is that Lowden "budget" (for them) model that's branded a 'Sheeran' Guitar... Eh.

Those look like really nice little amps. How are you finding the - "microtubes", isn't that what they call them? - compare to 'regular' tubes? I've read a lot about them, but not had the chance to try one. Did sound like an interesting evolution of the technology, though - especially if they could develop them to fit into an amp built for standard tubes.

Interesting guitar. I have a couple of Westones which I plan in due course to sell. They're not the most fashionable style these days, but Matsumoko made guitars are starting to develop something of a cult following, so the value is slowly picking up. The wide, flat neck is definitely something that isn't entirely for me - though I'm told it's great for eighties-style shred stuff like Vai and Satriani and such. The active boost engaged on my Westone Thunder I-A, and it sounds fantastic, like a great Les Paul or SG "should" to my ear (in my hands, they always sound like mud). Good bonus them taking pp3 batteries as well - this modern trend at the high end (see e.g. the US Acoustasonics) to have a guitar charge an inner battery like a phone has too much potential to go wrong, imo... With the eighties retro thing having been fashionable in almost all other areas for so long, it's only a matter of time imo before these Matsumokos become hugely sought after. KNowing my luck, their value will sore the week after I sell mine!

Nice. I've not played any of the new Epiphones since they changed the headstock ,but it does seem clear that they are pushing upwards in the market; if all I read is true, they are closer these days to the lower-end of the Gibson line than ever. The studios have a nice, clean look to them. I always liked white in an LP, reminds me of Steve Jones' Never Mind the Bollocks LP (a 1972 Custom, that one - maple neck and all!).

I'm not entirely opposed to the concept. I'm not big on Les Pauls, but they're still the original signature model... There are some nice features I've seen come out of sig models over the years; I'd have loved a Jimmy Vaughn Strat if they'd have made a left-hander, and even moreso a Johnny Ramone Mosrite. They can be limiting - it is, after all, a guitar that has been specifically designed to suit another player - but all dome and said they do often produce a guitar that is that bit different from the other versions on the market, and that sort of variety is always welcome imo.

To me it's only a Telecaster if it has a three saddle bridge. All else is voodoo, in a *bad* way. But yeah, it's always nice to see some new ideas. I particularly like it when new ideas also come in a retro package.

Fender's strategy has been very clever in many ways, imo. Why fight to have the market recognise your Gretsch copy as just as good as Gretsch when instead you can just buy Gretsch and sell Gretsches?