EdwardMarlowe

I would also seek the luthier's advice on the fretboard. Of course you could have it refinished,though personally I would prefer to keep the wear. With the finish worn off, I would lookat some sort of oil on thosebits,though, just to keep it protected.

Yeah, it just takes a bit of practice. It *will* get easier with time. I'd start with A/D/E, then add G and A. One of those "play all these songs with just three chords" books might be a good idea... I lean to the view that the faster you feel you can play recognisable songs, the more you'll enjoy it.

Subject to the above questions... as a left-handed player, I always found it much easier to pick up chords in the early days - I just mirror imaged the demo from the other, right handed players.

Yes. Absent Thomann's size allowing them to deal direct with the factory then sell direct to their huge online customer base, I'd expect this to be in the £350 region that other, similar guitars retail at. It is somewhere between tv yellow and the blonde of my 71RI Tele. Like Fender did a version of tv yellow for themselves.

My loyalty sale HB DC Jnr. At £128, it cost less than I've seen tgem go for used.... I did wonder if QA might be a little more flexible at this reduced price, but the sole flaw I can find is that one of the screws on the back of the bridge is cery slightly angled. As with the MR Classic, the bridge feels a little cheap but perfectly functional; I'm not anticipating replacing it in the foreseeable. In the medium term, I want to add a totey guard for a Johnny Thunders vibe. I'm halfway tempted to switch the knobs for dice knobs as well. Overall, It's ridiculously impressive for the money. Great set uo out of the bix just needed tuning. Not a sniff of fretsprout or a sharp fret anywhere. This is what impresses me most at this sale price. Back when I started playing in 1991ish, the most basic, plywood Strat type cost more than this new (even without taking inflation into account), and wasn't always as good as this. I'd put it on a par with the Epiphone model. To really go a step up, I'd need to be looking at sonething like Maybach or a Gibson; the problem with those is that it always felt inherently 'wrong' to me to take what is by design a simple, budget instrument and inflate it to "luxury" level. The one thing that I'd like to see Thomann do better is to get the TV yellow colour right. I *might* have paid full rather than sale price over this one for that (throw in stainless steel fretsand it would be a given), but all other things being equal, if it was just the colour I wouldn't replace this one with another for that, which auggests it's not really that big a deal.... Thomann dodo a small range of "tribute" guitars, basically unofficial quasi sig models.... if the MR Classic is a great base for a Johnny Ramone tribute, this and the Fat version should surely provide a great option for a nod to both Johnny Thunders and Mick Jones circa 1976/77 especially. One thing I'm really impressed with, as on the MR, is the neatness of the finish around the headstock, where the black facing meets the colour on the rear.

Saw these a while ago. Some good vids on the youtube. The concept is interesting, though there's too much functionality for me that I wouldn't use. I like the idea of an acoustic in non-traditional materials, but that's about all I'd need, really.

Not done it muself, but I have been to a friend's gig where the guitar player she worked with was playing a Strat through a laptop into the PA. In truth had I not known, the only giveaway was that the sound he had was nailed down at a much lower volume than seemed "real". I honestly think we'll see more and more of this going forward.

That would be interesting... I suppose a lot might depend on what it would cost to have a fret job done. Be interesting to compare that with the cost of the file... The comparison will be interesting, particularly I think on a Tele. The 20 vs 62 spec on the Strats I think the differences are more obvious - it's all about the trem system, the block and all the rest.

That's a stunning piece of work, really lovely. Definitely look forward to hear the soundclips!

Lovely! Interesting this version has a skunk stripe. I'd wondered if they were using the 62 delineation as a time-related thing. Some of the HB guitars seem to have a nod to the design era in the name (like the PB-50), others don't. The S types with the 62 in the name don't have a truss rod, which would have been the case with Fenders from, roughly, 59-71 (always there are outliers as Fender had a real habit of using up old stock and phasing in the changes gradually). The skunk stripe disappeared originally as it wasn't needed when the fingerboard became a separate piece - rosewood - after 1959. When they brought them back in 71 it's cause they'd simplified the manufacturing processes, and all necks had them irrespective of whether they were one piece or the board added separately. I've always liked that utilitarian approach with Fender designs. The skunk stripe looks beautifully finished. I like the binding too. Reminds me of Muddy Waters' Tele Custom, save in black rather than red - just needs a couple of Fender amp knobs on the pots! Intrigued by the caramelised maple. Is there any indication as to what that means anywhere with the packaging? I did previously assume it was another term for roasted maple, but I see HB are also separately referring to some of their guitars as having roasted maple necks. Wonder if it's a question of degree? Either way, it has a really lovely amber tone to it that I think gives them a real cosmetic boost. My old Fender is from that mid 90s period when the maple looked crazily anaemic - a few years of sun exposure helped a lot there. Interesting to see laurel as an alternative to rosewood here. Looks a dead ringer - I doubt anyone could really tell the difference by sound, though tbh I've always maintained that the notion you can hear differences between different woods on an F type dubious. An acoustic, sure, But an electric guitar? Through fuzz, drive, an amp...? Eh. Personally, I think the much bigger deal with the Tele sound is mounting the bridge pick-up in the steel bridge like that. It's a thing of sonic beauty. I spent years trying to replicate Hendrix's lead tones on Purple Haze with a Strat - only to discover that on the night he recorded those, he'd earlier smashed his Strat's headstock on the low ceiling in (I think) the 100 Club, and played that session on a borrowed Telecaster, restrung lefty... I like that they've kept a three saddle bridge, too - a defining feature of the telecaster type for me. At the other end, I'm really enjoying the HB headstocks. Just different enough than their original inspiration to stand proud as their own thing, but that also look really good too, seem balanced with the body shape and everything. I'll have to hold off for a while now on buying anything new (recently bought an MR Classic, my loyalty sale DC Jnr arrives Monday, and I should have a JA25th when they are back in stock early September), but I'll be really interested in your review on this and how it sings when it's plugged in. The T52 model is calling me like a siren...

Nice looking instrument. The First Act guitars of which I was aware (never tried one, though) were very much an entry-level affair, but this looks much more serious...

Nice! Black Teles with a rosewood board always remind me of Joe's number one: Joe's was, from memory, a 66 burst that he oversprayed black - body and guard both. I have half an eye on the HB 52 style Tele myself. Seems like it should compare very favourably to the Squier CV 50s Tele or the JHS Vintage 52 style model, but at a more easily justified price...

Sale link... https://www.thomannmusic.no/social_harley-benton-25.html Runs til 3 August. The Classic MR and MR Modern Mosrite types are in it too if anyone has been looking at those...

Whoops.... accidentally found the HB25th Ann "loyalty sale" 25% off 25 products..... That DC Junior type on my list is now on its way to me. I'll have to save a little more for that 25th Ann series J bass.... (Next step will obs be to have a custom torty guard made up for it and play it loud... LAMF.)

Yes, there's quite a lot of that.... I can sort of see people trying to claw back some of the cost of "upgrades", but nakedly trying to flip something with an upcharge when it can be bought new for less.... You'd think so, yes.... tbh, though, I think eBay are so big now they don't care... and they've long wanted to get away from little guy sellers to the big low price, high volume unit shifters, so maybe it's not a market they care about not losing.... shame, though. The number of even fakes now no there are shocking.

Sound wise, yeah, it's a bit like the old maple / rosewood board debate on a Strat. To my mind, the primary benefit would be their durability more than affect on the sound. Not yet - thanks for the steer, I'll check that out.

On the plus side, there are a lot of genuine deals out there too. If I was right handed, I'd have a bid in on this one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334933526697?hash=item4dfb9808a9:g:UbEAAOSwJ75koIly&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAvsgjrLmMPCecbgr%2FahbksSjlrFOLgccRZrHBOZILsVvU0w6%2BphO1mzp8JYiZgxbFnxSrlZ4%2FM7h1Q2VLKE%2FLda62zSaIsM2XgjIhv%2F1tW1h0HKsJWdaxNPcfctuG9fBIt1hbaeNJWrA7brjPjem0YZ8Vgso654ebR3sXNxiDwxpe8Rb%2FlCPv4xq6rNYREc3TfA1b7TcPZQ5j1eDfSmzCobQdLJvCZs%2BSSmJhZCH2m%2FRN3oJlEZYsXiaDjp3uD5Gg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6CIw-mkYg

That'll be great! Met Matlock at Rough Trade East a few weeks ago when he did a solo appearance / Q&A / signing. Lovely guy. He picked up on the accent and mentioned he would be doing this show. Naturally I made a complete tit of myself mumbling "you wrote songs that changed my life, thank-you." He was probably thinking "Bloody Pistols fans, I've done so much else!"

I know many people place a lot of stock in the invisible hand of the market, but I often think there out to be a rule against people listing readily available items for sale on eBay at much more than the item is readily available for new... I was recently thinking this about this auction in particular - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165726661876?hash=item2696142cf4:g:jDwAAOSwAEtjSbSd&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA0PXzv7Zcej2j53JwUAg%2FDYoACkhdAnErAgNVtYnfHpQz%2BjmwFF6Miu51SMPwiWNpEzPzxC4GvGctYAwpc6pV%2BH9Deeb%2FkS8pHq6Y1VImTeKunSf%2BY%2FvgNX%2Bp061TA3BuBDl1kpMPKVoRfSUASUZUhz%2BKrnZh31Froo%2BaQZ2JrGvEQv4VeYjjJ8vCyQA6P5qk0ctmiwLXN7gtTIPSEeo0y%2F8xudHuzMGtB8StLDpdpz%2FeJwk96lCYJ%2BMZwgVVHiRDlcA2o4UL1MqdOx%2FzuMRQQc8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4bk5emkYg - Available new on Thomann for £150 odds, start price here £325, and today I stumbled across this rather special auction: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225640944287?hash=item34893f929f:g:Y-wAAOSwDvZkmles&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4LEU%2BJbiDArpHgtRyTZ1mHGF6P9ga13h3f9TlpkKgylkHqwhim%2BCoe3y%2FkR6cHumMKwlZfx1ZFoMp0ccIaj1S4z9QILFHk7vWLxiY53L9t2ijJlNqlasQ2nnkgkPGHtMfAfMLyXDLhUAaSHiMmnzV28OBz5qsPsny2sWvDyGHi0ZZB6TTOy1mUcfN51Vf0ItVZWmO9f7l%2FBTlsGslmquhU%2BBwxv%2FEs7Y%2BkFNAfx3L3zFMTfUAK3GYswkcZRgtJ8q1ndjmVVu67mbqtmrHzB13c2Ff1Q0bUKo0Vb%2Fs%2F%2BwFeH0|tkp%3ABk9SR-7VzOmkYg Just over £800 (plus seventy odd quid shipping from Japan!!!!) for a HB bass that sells for £100 new. I mean, they're great, but that seems.... optimistic. These are just stock items, not the expensive used ones people are trying to claw back the cost of putting big money pick-ups in or whatever... Anyone else seen bizarros like this? The only honest explanation (i.e. not trying to rip somebody off or money laundering) I can think of is "Of course, dear, I know I have too many guitars. I'll list some on ebay and if they sell there I suppose I can part with them......" <Puts them on ebay at a crazy price noone will pay>. Or maybe people who don't want to sell, but think that putting a crazy high reserve or start price but asking for offers is a good way of getting an idea of (or raising) market value?

Dog Day Afternoon - yes, that's the one! Great show. Buzzcocks and Lambrini Girls on the bill too.

Sounds about right. No harm to the fella, but he can be overwhelming negative to the point where it comes over more like a Stewie Griffin rant than anything - even if some of his points are fair enough.

So..... I cracked and ordered one of these beauties a couple of weeks ago. Should be shipped in September or late August: I really want one of the JA60CCs in blue as well - the blue one I'll mod with a trem. They're not in stock currently either - I'm trying to hold off in the hope that post 2023, they do the anniversary spec as a DLX model in the CC colours. I'm indifferent on the "upgrade" of the body from basswood to alder, and the locking tuners instead of the standard, but stainless steel frets is a huge plus imo. The difference in price, once you take out the £20 gigbag is about the same as the upcharge for ss frets alone I've seen elsewhere. This sort of spec applied as a "DLX" model would be great elsewhere too - would love it on a 50s-model Strat type with 21 frets. (Probably my little, odd quirk as a player. It's not a deal breaker per se, but I do have a very marked preference for a 21 fret neck, shorn of that little 22nd overhang. I almost never play above fret 15 anyhow.... ) Left handed, with the 25th style specs, 21 frets, and a (roasted) maple fingerboard, LPB body... I honestly would buy that over the Tidepool Player Series strat currently on my want list... I'm really keen on the matching J bass for this as well - let's see if I can clear some space out at home to justify it before end 2023. I know it's easy to get carried away with "budget" guitars, but for a hobby player, this sort of spec could really be the perfect sweet spot between stock spec and price. Of course, HB's 'factory to buyer via Thomann's operation' makes all the difference. One of the best things is how broad their left handed range is. I just looked at Squier's website by comparison, very limited range. A lot of the big names are the same. Ironically, as a general rule I've often found over the years that the "copy" brands cater better to lefties than the "originals". I'm actually quite excited, to a sad degree, to be able to buy an LE like this. My old american Strat, bought new in 1994, was a 40th anniversary year American Standard. The AS guitars right handed that year had, as with much of the range, a special logo badge added, but for whatever reason (shape, probably) it was not put on the left handed models that year - nor anything in its place. HB score for remembering the lefties here! Full review to come when this lands. I've gotten a little excited about the offset shape all over again after watching one of Iggy Pop's guitarists wielding a brace of Fender offsets on Saturday night...

Aye. His videos can be interesting (I watched the one on Ed Roman the other day), but he's a bit tunnel vision about everything. On the spectrum, I think. (Which all men are, of course, to some degree - hence male hobbies. Like me wanting the same guitar in all the colours.....)

I've handled many's a Tanglewood in the last thirty odd years. There's a good reason they are (or were at least) to biggest selling acoustic brand in the UK. Vintage also make some very nice acoustics. Hear good things about Harley Benton's offerings in that vein, but not had a chance to try one.

Yes, I think that's fair. Not all left handers are fully on the left end of the spectrum - there are those for whom it is natural to play a guitar right handed. I'm like that with scissors, oddly enough - but very definitely not guitar.