EdwardMarlowe

Certainly looks like it would have been something expensive originally - the figured wood, and especially the lack of fingerboard markers. Occasionally you see something cheaper where a very nice piece of wood turned up by coinkydink, but I've never seen anything that flash on something that wasn't big money. Equally, you don't tend to see fully plain fingerboards on a cheap neck, as a rule...

Eastman do impressive stuff. I rather fancy one of their big jazzy archtops. They're a real middle finger to the idea Chinese makers can't do high end, imo.

Sorry, ignore the bit about Strats, I just realised I misread your post and it is a Les Paul type you have. Vintage originally launched the "Boulevard black" on a Strat type; the name is a Clapton reference... I'd missed they now use it as a generic name for all their black finishes. So the conventional way to set it up would be as per the LP type I referred to above. I'll leave the Strat bits up in case anyone else is looking ideas in that vein!! With the LP style, you might also consider either adding another toggle or a push/pull pot that would switch the middle pup in and out of the loop so you could also get the neck and bridge, neck and middle, and all three on options. I have in the past wondered about the idea of something like a jangly, Gretsch type neck hb and two p90 types in this sort of set up. HB sized p90s are an wasy alternative here as they are, obvs, designed to drop straight into a HB hole, and ime don't sound any different than a trad p90. Always another option!

To the best of my understanding, the original three humbucker guitars Gibson did in Les Paul and SG format had very low output mid-pups. Gibson used the same three way switches on those guitars as they did on the regular HH Les Pauls, though, so the order was: neck, mid and bridge, bridge. The middle pickup was never used on its own; instead, it was alongside the bridge to give a different sonic flavour than the bridge alone (and obviously different again from the neck and bridge middle position on other Les Pauls). If memory serves, the middle pickups on those were also wired differently - out of phase maybe? - to give them a very bright tone which would have been too much on its own, but in tandem with the bridge HB the way they were wired, it gave it a fuller sound with a better mid-range than the bridge alone, if my recollection is correct. I remember way back in the olden days seeing John Squire wield a pair of those 3HB Les Paul Customs with The Seahorses. Cracking sound - pity they never hit their stride with all the internal problems in that band. Anyhow... What you've got is (obviously) a modified version of the Strat format with - I presume - still the standard, five-way Strat wiring system. The convention option there would be to go with the same pattern the "normal" SSS Strat does, i.e. the hottest pup in the bridge, a slightly lower output in the neck, and one in between those two in the middle. If your guitar is a factory-spec model that came originally HHH I'd assume it to be done like that, otherwise if it's an aftermarket alteration it could be anything. I've not seen a HHH Vintage like that, but that doesn't mean they didn't do it! The theory with a Fender approach as I recall was that the neck could be lower output because where the string vibrates over it is pretty strong, but the closer the bridge you go the less the vibration, so the pup needs to be stronger to, well, pick it up. That's my crude understanding of it anyhow. Plenty of room for you to experiment, though. The only think I can see limiting you really (budget aside!) is routing. If the body is HHH routed, you're in set positions without major work. If, on the other hand, it's a swimming pool rout (the whole point of which was to facilitate any pickup arrangement Fender fancied with a standard production line body), you can have a lot of fun playing around with positioning - you just need to have a plate cut with the positions you want. I think it would be pretty cool to take inspiration from the "Contemporary Stratocaster Special HT" model Fender / Squier do, and switch up the positions, thus: Imagine that with three HBs, wired up like those 3HB Les Pauls.... that could be fun. Otherwise, you've got a lot of freedom to play around with different pickup styles. I think three Gretsch-type humbuckers could be fun in a Strat format, for example. Alternatively, what about three HB-sized p90s - like three GFS Surf 90s would sound great imo. (Vintage, fwiw, at one point did do a Strat type model with three actual p90s in it; I'd have jumped on one, but no left handers alas.) When it comes to pickups, I've had good experiences in the past with Guitar Fetish - https://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Guitar-Pickups_c_7.html They're not crazy money and very nice, so if you're wanting to experiment and try a couple of ideas, one option you might consider is something from their 'kwikplug' range, which would let you wire up your plate to quickly slip between different pup combinations and types in different orders with just a screwdriver. They've got quite a range of quirky, Teisco-style pups as well, so you could come up with something pretty unique looking, and sounding. Do please post a photo of your guitar - and keep us up to date with what you do with it.

Ah, now... define 'forum'.... I was thinking we were speaking of a specific area within this page rather than a whole different forum, as such? Right handed stuff, it depends. There's a huge amount of commonality, obvs, though when any new guitar is discussed, experience has taught me to check whether it's available left handed or not before I absorb the details. Been disappointed once too often on that score. I've yet to see anything left handed that isn't a left handed rendering of a standard right handed guitar, though. It'd be interesting to see something that was exclusively left handed, even a unique color or something of that nature, but I can't imagine there being a business case for it. I've always had half a notion, though, of tracking down one of those Strats Fender did back when, was it the Voodoo model? Basically a left hander set up right handed, with a mirror-image decal. If it wasn't crazy money, I'd love to pick up one of those and set it up as a left hander.

Ha! Thissort of thing is voodoo, and I shall have no truck with it! Actually, my own solution has long been careful placement of amp and/or pedals, and increasingly not using pedals much if at all!

It'd also clear us out of all yer threads with our "but it's not available for ussssssss!" chorus. Which I'd have thought a bonus...

Having all yer leads going the wrong way is a good start. Positioning pedals when you play so the lead isn't across your body all the time and tripping you. The design of so many products and playing spaces that assume a right-handed norm - it goes way further than simply a choice of limited models in the crap colours.

I've heard a lot of people say that. All of them were right handed.

How could there be! Captain George Brackett USN reporting in - you know it's nearly thirty years since we did South Pacific, Emile? Folks sent me some photos recently from our cast photo shoot. We were so young. And I had hair...

Yip, a replacement body was going to be my suggestion. I used to be a big proponent of 'don't do any irreversible mods, keep all the bits in case you sell', but the way the market has gone in the last ten years, it's often more profitable to sell a parted-out Fender or Squier than sell it complete on the used market if it's not a very rare model. Which is a big advantage. With a little patience, I'd expect a standard Fender MIM body in very good condition to sell for upwards of £150 on ebay. The original pups will also be very saleable, I should think. Even Squier bits seem to fetch surprisingly high prices (it's common on ebay in my experience to see Squier Strat necks selling for more than complete Squier guitars). You could well find that you sell your extraneous bits for enough to cover the cost of their replacements.

Not the Gary Robinson, alumnus of Carrick Grammar???

I remember Session well..... I was at school with a guy who went by the same handle as you who once bought a Squier Silver Series Jazz bass in there, I think.... not you by any chance? This would have been in 1992ish.... Bairds are out by York Street train station, aren't they? Used to have a wander round there, though never bought in it. Picked up a few bits here and there in Marcus - nearly bought a 78 SG in there in 1996/7 when I was a student, but couldn't come up with the £450 they wanted. I'm sure it's close to double that now. Sorry to hear they are gone. Belfast Music Supplies is a name I remember.... were they out Upper Newtonards Road way? I remember visiting in about 2015 and there was a cracking shop in Shaftesbury square, don't recall the name, but it's gone now as well, I think. The other one I can vaguely recall was Crymbles(? Something like that), down Ormeau Ave, past the Limelight, but I think they went before even Session.

I remember when I first took up guitar in 1991, there were always older guys around then wishing that the beginner options we had available were around in their day. Now I'm that old guy.... it's incredible, really, how serviceable an instrument you can get for much less money nowadays. What took me a long time to figure out was the biggest lesson of all: The different guitar types really aren't as different as we like to make out, and you don't "need" All The Options. There's little I hate more in guitar world than pretentious paens to "having the full palette of sounds". Once you get beyond playable and functional in a guitar, 90% of it is whether you personally like its look and feel. Most of your sound - especially if you like pedals - will come from the amp. The first Led Zep album. Everybody knows page played an LP.... except when he didn't. Even Page can't tell now what was the Telecaster and what was the LP on that record. Jimi Used Strats. Except when he didn't: all the leads on Purple Haze were played on a borrowed Telecaster. I'm not saying don't have different guitars, or don't try different guitars. Just go into it with the perspective that you're looking for a guitar or guitars that work for you, and you don't have to own all the different styles. Better three near identical Strats if that's what you'll play than five different guitars, only two of which you ever play. I've owned probably 15 guitars over the years, got around 11 or 12 currently. The bulk of them will be sold: I'm keeping my two Fenders and maybe my Epi LP Standard (unless, of course, the Korean made ones from the 90s suddenly become vintage and sell for collectable money.... I'm kinda over Les Pauls now, look and feel..... and I've also learned I'm just not that much a fan of humbuckers either). Ironically, at the time I bought it I could have bought a Dano U2 for half the price, but I had it in my head that I "needed" a Les Paul as one of "the basics", and the Dano was "a third or fourth guitar". In all honesty, I'd rather have the Dano now. (And still would even if that LP had been a Gibson). The trick is to try as many different guitars as possible without having to buy them first (my excuse is that this is much harder when you're a southpaw...). I'm also now setting myself an upper limit of ten (including acoustic and bass), though that's because I'm a recovering hoarder, and "collection" can get out of control fast for me.

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!