What kind of guitar ya got?

I know there are a few guitar players here, so here's your chance (if there hasn't already been one) to tell what kind of guitars you own and the style(s) you enjoy playing. I have a Taylor 310 --nice guitar, kind of heavy strings, pretty much an all around dreadnought, maybe a little heavy for fingerstyle/finesse playing but not bad.
I like playing a little Leo Kottke, can play a little Michael Hedges, trying to fiigure out some Alex de Grassi --mostly alternate tunings stuff. But also Neil Young and what ever hits the spot. Anyway what ya got?

Squier Stratocaster vintage '84, by Fender, Washburn HB30, ala BB King's Lucile, PRS like handmade one, 2 acoustics, Warwick like 4 string bass... Just sold one cheap Les Paul copy. Ibanez and Marshall pedals, and my pride and joy, Fender Vibrolux Reverb, '70's vintage...

You can tell by the gear, I enjoy playing mostly blues, and like listening to blues, funk, jazz, rock and all combinations between them... SRV, Bramhall I and II, Jimi, Ronnie Earl, Collins, King, e.t.c...


cheers,
Nenad

I've got a cheap little $100 acoustic made by Montana that sounds better than ones that cost 5 times as much. I like visiting the Guitar Center & playing different guitars, but none of them have the depth of sound I want... without stepping into major money. I'd like to have a cutaway acoustic to make solos like Comfortably Numb a little easier to play. I play a teenie bit of electric, but not too much. Gotta keep the noise down so the wife can study most of the time.

I play a little bit of everything, mainly classic rock, although I have dipped my toes in everything from Van Halen to Green Day as well. I'm currently dorking around with slide blues guitar (D-A-D-F#-A-D tuning). Lots of fun.

Superfly, I use to own a Stratocaster and one of those "ninja guitars" --one in the Ibanez line and some electronics. But I don't have need for them anymore. I use to be a quasi headbanger but liked the progressive rock guys mostly. Now , like it a little more low key.

Justin

Sensei_kyle, yeah, you don't start hearing much of a difference in acoustic guitars until you get into the solid piece sound boards and backs. The action improves significanltly and the intonation improves also. I like well made acoustics with little decoration --- if it looks like crap but sounds great then I don't care. I don't plan on hanging them on the wall. I played a couple of Larivee guitars a few years back and liked them --good guitars for the price. So you're a Pink Floyd fan? --David Gilmore is probably one of the most under appreciated guitarist's around --so much feeling and unique riffs --he's the real "slow hand"--very smooth. Later,

Justin

Negative on the Ibanez, but that was the guitar to have in the 90's ;) That and a Kramer :) Well, one Ibanez George Benson model would do no wrong, I think...

My Squier Strat is one of the first year production models when the Korean factory opened, in mid 80's, something like the sought-after Japanese (Vintage, JV) Squiers, from the same era. Mine is 50's replica, 1 piece maple neck, koa plug, hardwood body, I think alder. Gotoh sealed tuners, original Fender floating tremolo... Would not trade for any modern strat by Fender. It has vintage '72 or 73 Fender Strat pickups in it. The sound is so sweeet...

As for the pedals, the Ibanez is the Metal Screamer, the same as the famous Tube Screamer, (same era) easily transformed into with small mod. I am still hesitating to do the mod, because the sound is just a bit different from the Tube Screamer, slightly beefier...



Nenad

Yeah, Gilmour is really incredible. Really slow, melodic stuff. His latest album is in that same slow/light/easy feel. He does some neat stuff with slide as well, like in th intro to "Speak to Me/Breathe" on Dark Side of the Moon. The slow slide from the 12th to the 15th fret, almost like you're just floating away.

I've got two Takamine acoustics, a 6 and a 12, both with bridge pickups, but my baby is a 1976 cherry wine Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with 3 split DiMarzio pick-ups (splitter switches on each for choice of single coil or double coil sound) and Grover tuning heads. It's got great sound, but must confess is a bit heavy after a three hour reheasal session.

X

Superfly, I would like to have a conversation with you on the electric stuff ---but I don't know enough. I said I owned a Stratocaster, not totally true --I owned the same mid 80's squier strat you mentioned. I bought the Ibanez mostly because it had a locking nut/bridge (what do you call that thing? --keeps the guitar in tune when you use your tremelo) --anyway --ok guitar I guess --put it through a good amp --add a little distortion and smiles on my face. I think the action was alright.
But I never owned too many pedals ---I did own one of those console/pedal thingamabobs. I know the whole tube/vs solid state amp thing will pop up soon, so I will go now.

Justin

Xman, have you listened to any of Leo Kottke's 12 string acoustic work. Most of his older stuff is on 12 string ---found it out the hard way when I tried to figure some of it out by ear. Anyway good stuff.

Amps right, well of course this is an important part of any sound. I've played through a Fender Twin which is a pumpin' sound. Much better than the Marshal solid state IMO and I also used a Randal amp which also had good sound and lots of balls, but these days I'm going for tone and have a 1963 Ampeg Tremolo with the original tubes. Best sound I ever had.

X

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Xman, have you listened to any of Leo Kottke's 12 string acoustic work. Most of his older stuff is on 12 string ---found it out the hard way when I tried to figure some of it out by ear. Anyway good stuff.

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Kottke's one of those guitar gods, yeah I've heard him. There are a lot of wonderful guitarists out there, but for my money, the best guitar player living on the planet is Pacco de Lucia. Absolutely unrivaled.

xman, I'll let superfly (if he wants to) discuss the whole amp thing ---though I do like the sound of most tube amps --kind of a humid, wet sound. Yep, lot of good guitarists out there , the best tend to stay hidden or become studio guitarists. I like Steve Howe and Alan Holdsworth also. Later'

Justin

I have an Airmaster 5000. And I must say I am the greatest guitarist on the planet when I play the thing. :D

I have an acoustic Takamine G-240 that I got for little money (it had some scratches on the back) that I outfit with Elixer strings. Love that guitar. v'got a shadow pick-up element that can be placed into it whenever I want and I have a Roland stereo amp that's a 60watt and Tiny for the amount of sound that comes out of it.

Electric I have an Ibanez D-tuner (very usefull since my band plays a lot of Drop d and I don't have $$$ for an extra guitar). With that I've got some cheap effects (Tremolo, Heavy metal distorton and Phase shifter) and a cheap but well built homemade (not by me) 70 Watt amp that I use for performances.

On the acoutstic I play mostly easy fingerpicking stuff (RHCP, Kansas etc) and Dave Matthews stuff.

The electric gets everything from System of a down to Muse (fabulous band!!) to Jimmy Eat World to Deep blue something. It all depends on the band. When I play by myself I mostly play Muse, Rage against the Machine or Audioslave (I love Tom Morello.)

I've got an 1989 American fender strat, sunburst with a rosewood neck and lace sensor pickups.

From that you can probably tell I'm an SRV fan. Leo Kottke did an Australian tour when I was about 14 and I went to see him. I think that's when I decided I wanted to play. Can I play any more than a couple of his licks.... well no but I love his playing (not real fond of his singing though :) )

I like jazz fusion (David Weckl, Tribal Tech, Jazz Pistols), but love the blues.

Yeah , drsch3, I think even Leo Kottke says his voice sounds like geese cackling --but I think his voice is affective. Tribal tech! I've heard them --you might (if you already do not) like Alan Holdsworth . Later,

Justin

Hey Justin

I've heard of Alan Holdsworth but haven't heard any of his music. I'll have to look into it.

There is an Australian Guitarist Tommy Emmanuel that has been round for a while that is really worth a listen. He's done quite a bit of work with Chet Atkins and has a similar sound. Here is a sample of his music. His rendition of Lady Madonna is amazing!

David.

Hello again, David

Yeah, I think a saw Tommy Emmanuel on PBS --anyway he is good --I think he was doing some percussive tapping but I know he also plays a more traditional style as well.
Later,

Justin

I've got a Takamine like Xman's 6 string by the sound of it. It's got a cutaway and gives a beautiful acoustic sound under amplification.

I've also got an oldish Maton - also nice under amplification and I'd say better than the Takamine when not amped.

Currently got my eye on the Ovations - not sure which yet, but will most likely be a budget (read wife) restricted choice.

I like classical guitar (learnt it initially, but am crap). Slava Grigoryan's my favourite. Just out of interest, have you guys heard of King Billy Pine? Australian Luthiers are apparently using this to make amazing classical guitars. I'd love one of those, but shudder to think what a guitar made of endangered 900 year old pine might cost...!:(

Anyway, drifted into straight rhythm when I started playing in bands. No musical preferences, really, although as I get older I find that I have less and less patience with all that "young people" music - R&B, hip-hop, rap etc. "Poppin a cap in yo ass" just doesn't speak to me anymore...

James.

I've got a 1994 Ibanez Atk 4 string made in the U.S. ( first year model), a Michael Kelly ST-AB5 5 string acoustic electric, and a marshall 7200 dbs head with matching 4x10 cabinet. Love my marshall amp, its rated @ 200 watts constant with a 2,000 watt peak. It's also a first year model, part of the heritage series. I have cut my collection back a bit since getting out of high school 10 years ago, I had a fender jazz, a five string Ibanez trb, and an Alvarez something or other.

Hello James,

Are they using the King Billy Pine for the sound board only or for the backs and sides as well? Do you have other local woods that are commonly used ? One more question, never heard of Maton --I guess this is a make?

Justin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Hello James,

Are they using the King Billy Pine for the sound board only or for the backs and sides as well? Do you have other local woods that are commonly used ? One more question, never heard of Maton --I guess this is a make?

Justin

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Hey Justin,

Sound boards only, I think. Happily, I can answer your other two questions with one link (but yes, Maton is a make):

http://www.maton.com.au/main/timbers.html

James.

Thank you, mate , appreciate it.

Justin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaegerhund

I'll let superfly (if he wants to) discuss the whole amp thing ---though I do like the sound of most tube amps --kind of a humid, wet sound.
Justin

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Well, the point is there is not much to discuss... A good (conditioned) tube amp is like Maestro's razor, honed by real honemaster. Nothing else comes close.

My friend is the best tube amp repair man in my country. And since he has no guitar playing abilities, he uses my modest chord chopping experience as a test tone for his repairs. Thanx to him, I have played virtually every tube guitar amp model out there in the past 10 years, virtually hundreds of them... Fenders, Marshalls, Ampegs, Orange, what not, down to the modern ones, MesaBugies, e.t.c. I have played through the most sought after amps, like Fender DeLuxe Blackfaces from 60's, Marshalls JTM45, all kinds of candy. (Trace Eliot is one I have not played, though I want to...) This kind of experience made me sell all my solid state amps.

He finally custom made amp for me, with a preamp from the Bassman, combined with mosfet power amp. Good, but not the best. I finally gave up, and got me the best little amp in my opinion, Fender Vibrolux Reverb. It's a mighty little amp, only 40wats, but coming through 2 10 inch speakers! sweet... The sound is much more dynamic than from single 12, or Twins 2 12's, which is hilariously loud. The only way to get good distorted sound is to cranck up the volume, which is ear splitting with the Twin... The power transformer under wound, and some other mods too...

The only stomp box you need is some modest signal boosting, only a little, like Tube screamer, or the Fuzz face (from the good ones...)


I forgot to mention Derek Trucks, awesome tone too...


cheers,
Nenad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superfly

You can tell by the gear, I enjoy playing mostly blues, and like listening to blues, funk, jazz, rock and all combinations between them... SRV, Bramhall I and II, Jimi, Ronnie Earl, Collins, King, e.t.c...


cheers,
Nenad

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The wife and I were down at Buddy Guy's Legends last weekend to see him play. The show was awesome and I'm glad I got there before it closes! If anyone here ever has a chance to see him, make sure you do it as he's one of the originals and he isn't getting any younger. My only complaint is that his set was too short. Also, it was pretty cool being in Chicago during the Bears NFC victory, even if I'm a die-hard Packer fan.
-Fred
PS-I hope I'm not hijacking the thread:w

I have two acoustics. One is a higher end Yamaha I bought about six or seven years ago. The other is an early 1970's copy of a Gibson Dove, which was given to me by my uncle.

I've also got a 1998 Sunburst Stratocaster. The white pickguard, pickup covers and knobs were replaced with black, which gives it a pretty cool look. I've also got an early 1970's Telecaster copy, and an early 1970s Univox Hi-Flyer, which was in pieces when I got it. I had it custom painted and I reassembled it. Now it's a beauty. I'll try and find a picture. I've also got a bass.

For amplification I've got a 1981 Fender 75...and a new Fender Blues Jr.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...fin/Univox.jpg

Here's the Univox and my Fender 75 in the background. The picture's at a bad angle and doesn't show off the glossy paint job.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...n/013c5f17.jpg

And there's the Gibson Dove copy.

Nice gear Mr. Wielder. I suppose that is you at the bottom--thanks for the photos.

Justin