Ando1985 Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Hi I’m looking at buying my second guitar to spend about £300-£500. I’ve been looking at squier classic vibes, Yamaha revstar or if I can afford one a prs se. For the money I was wondering is there much difference between classic vibe or a fender player series for the additional £200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 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. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Great post @EdwardMarlowe. Very even handed, even for guitars you don't particularly like. A refreshing change from some post I see (not here) where posters just rubbish things they don't like rather than be objective about them - kudos. @Ando1985. A lot will depend on what type of guitar you want. Something F shaped, then you're looking at the Player/Squier or, as suggested above, something from the JHS Vintage brand. You mention the Revstar and I think these are great guitars and are starting to get some traction with players. However, don't overlook the Pacifica range for something in the super-strat style. Yamaha do not make a bad instrument at any price point IMO. PRS SEs are really good, if you want something in that mould, they're really well built (I've owned one as well as US PRSs) but, as you've noted, they're not a cheap option any more and don't overlook the Sterling by Music Man line if you feel you can stretch your budget to the SE level. Once again the JHS Vintage brand also have offerings for super-starts and PRS type designs. Ultimately, it's best to get out and try some to see what you really want. If these are interim instruments in your guitar journey, then a Fender or Squier will be the easiest to move on without losing a lot of your investment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 is this to replace an existing guitar as an upgrade or are you looking for something to give you a different sound or look to an existing guitar? what guitar do you have at the moment and what do you like/dislike about it? when i bought my second electric guitar it was a more upmarket/higher quality instrument compared to my first guitar but it was a similar style (both superstrats) this made my original guitar the perfect backup for live use as they both covered similar sonic ground. I then later went on to buy different guitars to give me different sounds. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 Hi @EdwardMarlowe @ezbass @Matt Pthank you for the advice above. This will be my second guitar to improve on what I currently have. I currently have squier burley strat so for my next one I want something different so no 3 single coils. I like playing blues/clean so realistically in my budget I’m looking at jazzmasters, Tele, Revstar or maybe an epiphone 339. I enquired into an epiphone casino but there is currently a big delay on new epiphones but I’m gonna head to PMT Birmingham and have a proper try of them as it not just tone I want it to play it 24/7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Ando1985 said: Hi @EdwardMarlowe @ezbass @Matt Pthank you for the advice above. This will be my second guitar to improve on what I currently have. I currently have squier burley strat so for my next one I want something different so no 3 single coils. I like playing blues/clean so realistically in my budget I’m looking at jazzmasters, Tele, Revstar or maybe an epiphone 339. I enquired into an epiphone casino but there is currently a big delay on new epiphones but I’m gonna head to PMT Birmingham and have a proper try of them as it not just tone I want it to play it 24/7 The 339 is a great call for your preferred genre and it has very effective coil taps on the pickups for a welter of tones and is a well made instrument. I have the Casino Coupé, which is the same size as the 339, albeit completely hollow. A great guitar, only slightly let down by the pickups (I replaced them with Artec P90s, which were a huge upgrade for very little money). The Tele or Revstar would do a good job too, although with less tonal options (not necessarily a bad thing). The Jazzmaster is an interesting choice and I love the look. However, they are harder to set up correctly and often need a neck shim to make the trem/bridge system work correctly. If the JM ‘speaks’ to you, go for it, embrace its idiosyncrasies and dare to be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 17 hours ago, ezbass said: The 339 is a great call for your preferred genre and it has very effective coil taps on the pickups for a welter of tones and is a well made instrument. I have the Casino Coupé, which is the same size as the 339, albeit completely hollow. A great guitar, only slightly let down by the pickups (I replaced them with Artec P90s, which were a huge upgrade for very little money). The Tele or Revstar would do a good job too, although with less tonal options (not necessarily a bad thing). The Jazzmaster is an interesting choice and I love the look. However, they are harder to set up correctly and often need a neck shim to make the trem/bridge system work correctly. If the JM ‘speaks’ to you, go for it, embrace its idiosyncrasies and dare to be different. Thank you. I just can’t wait to go to the guitar shop next weekend an try them all out an see which one feels the best. I’ve been watching few videos on JM and seen how much set up they could need. One thing is I get shy in guitar shops to try guitar on amps so I may take my fender mustang micro so no one can hear me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 For blues playing i'd definitely suggest some sort of semi acoustic, the 339 is a great choice, if you can find a shop with some secondhand gear then there are lots of really very good instruments around from the likes of epiphone, ibanez, yamaha and others. I'd say choose with your hands and your ears first, sometimes an instrument from a less well known or respected maker can turn out to be a peach, i had a vintage branded les paul copy that i paid 90 quid for and it totally nailed the Peter Green tone, similarly i have a very early Tanglewood semi acoustic that ii paid about 200 quid for that is fantastic for blues lead work. a double Humbucker guitar would be my choice for this, clean sounds can usually be found by rolling the volume off a bit, coil taps are an added bonus for those more single-coil sounds. If you could give us a rough idea of your location then you might get some suggestions on good shops to try out. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 Hi Matt I live in Derby an so far I’ve been to guitar superstore in Burton but next weekend going to go to Birmingham to PMT as there guitar wall is massive so I have lots of choice to play around with there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 Paging @Andyjr1515 (the only member i know is nearby) Hoping Andy can suggest shops with decent stocks of used gear in your approximate locality. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 18, 2022 Author Share Posted March 18, 2022 5 hours ago, Matt P said: Paging @Andyjr1515 (the only member i know is nearby) Hoping Andy can suggest shops with decent stocks of used gear in your approximate locality. Matt That would be great Thank you. Very excited to go guitar shop next weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 On 18/03/2022 at 18:15, Ando1985 said: That would be great Thank you. Very excited to go guitar shop next weekend 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfacefour Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Like the OP I'm looking for a second guitar to go with my peerless tonemaster custom. As this is quite a big beast after something more compact. I haven't had a chance to try anything out yet but I'm probably after something flexible that can do single coil sounds. After not liking them for years I've started to look at the PRS SE custom 2408 and custom 22 hollow body. But also been looking at all sorts of strat types (for some reason charvel keeps appealing), jazzmasters, and the squier contemporary jaguar. Oh and the sterling Albert Lee... I really need to take a trip to guitar guitar to narrow this down. There's so many good guitars out now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) @FishfacefourYeah I’ve been looking at second hand PRS se there one I’ve seen a standard 22 but it’s in silver sparkle an I’m not 100% sure it screams play me. I don’t know if I’d be buying it just cos it’s a prs rather than a guitar I want to play everyday Edited March 25, 2022 by Ando1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfacefour Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Ooh I haven't seen a silver sparkle PRS before. I do like a nice sparkle finish! I've been indifferent to PRS looks for years, not sure what has kicked it off now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 6 minutes ago, Fishfacefour said: Ooh I haven't seen a silver sparkle PRS before. I do like a nice sparkle finish! I've been indifferent to PRS looks for years, not sure what has kicked it off now... I’m not a fan of the Mira design, but silver sparkle works. Ooh, shiny shiny . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 This one I’ve seen not sure if it’s an actual PRS paint job 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 46 minutes ago, Ando1985 said: This one I’ve seen not sure if it’s an actual PRS paint job It was a standard SE colour, but has now been discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 40 minutes ago, ezbass said: It was a standard SE colour, but has now been discontinued. Do you know what year it’s from I need to try find a better photo on google as I’m not 100% sold in colour it’s not saying to me pick me up an play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Ando1985 said: Do you know what year it’s from I need to try find a better photo on google as I’m not 100% sold in colour it’s not saying to me pick me up an play I can’t find the link I saw that gave the production date; sorry. If it’s not making you want it at this stage, pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 I’ve been guitar shop today an nothing tickled my fancy at what I could afford. I’ve then come home went onto Thomson and ordered myself a Harley Benton HB-35plus for £205 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 19 minutes ago, Ando1985 said: I’ve been guitar shop today an nothing tickled my fancy at what I could afford. I’ve then come home went onto Thomson and ordered myself a Harley Benton HB-35plus for £205 Nice. Even if you have to pay for full set up/fret dress (and there’s no guarantee it’ll need it), it’s still good value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankAtari Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 13 hours ago, Ando1985 said: I’ve been guitar shop today an nothing tickled my fancy at what I could afford. I’ve then come home went onto Thomson and ordered myself a Harley Benton HB-35plus for £205 I like it in read and I like the hollow (or semi-hollow) body. Everybody says Harley Benton are very good value but you have to change a few parts and possibly take care of the frets. I don't know them from experience though. I was tempting by a Cabronita replica but in the end I didn't buy it because I couldn't be bother with upgrading it. Still I have a Harley Benton power supply and it works very well. Good luck with your new guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ando1985 Posted March 28, 2022 Author Share Posted March 28, 2022 @ezbass @FrankAtari nice one guys I’m excited for it to turn up. I’ve got my Montys espresso wax ready an new set of Daddario 10s all waiting for it’s arrival. I’m expecting to have to polish frets an maybe in future upgrade tuners but it’s good value for money an still another step in my guitar journey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankAtari Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 12 minutes ago, Ando1985 said: ... still another step in my guitar journey All the best ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
