absolutely... sometimes less is more. 8^)
Posted on 05/04/2007 4:13:21 PM PDT by Bean Counter
My wife made a mistake. For my birthday in February, she bought me a calendar from the Fender Custom Shop. I hung it on the wall directly behind my desk, right in my range of vision, and I have been gazing longingly ever since at beautiful guitars. My longing stayed within reason until I turned the page to April, and saw the Engraved Thinline Telecaster in flame maple. The clumsy copy below the calendar proper says "both nice to look at and a dream to play."
"A dream to play" has been ringing in my head ever since, the way a phrase from ad copy will do. And two weeks ago, I drove to the nearest Guitar Center and sat down and started playing electric guitars for the first time in 30 years.
Beautiful Telecaster notwithstanding, I played only Stratocasters on that first visit. I have always been a Strat man. Here is a picture of a very nice one, from the current Fender website.
MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME MY FIRST STRATOCASTER when I was in junior high school, in about 1961. Those of you who know the marque will share my chagrin that I do not still have that model, now known as a "vintage" Stratocaster, and much desired. It had belonged to a country western musician, whose big belt buckles had torn up the sunburst finish on the back. I got a Fender Concert Amp with it, and instantly became a popular guy with the two other serious guitar players in my school, Roger Johnson and Bob Cohen. They used to invite me to play with them, mainly so they could use my amp, which was bigger and better than the ones they had.
**SCHNIPP**
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Tis a nice collection!
I have a Jazz 5-string, but it’s in desperate need of a setup. I’ve got a 4 string Jazz on loan that I much prefer, neck-wise. I only dabble on bass when I need to - guitar and keys are where I spend most of my playing time (when I get time, that is).
I’ve owned at least a dozen Strats over the last 40 years, from a maple neck ‘57 to Jap Squires. The one I’ve kept for the last dozen or so years is a Mex-made white one with rosewood that I’ve set-up and tricked out electrically to my taste. I also have a Les Paul Custom and an ES-335, as mentioned in the article. I’ve owned several Tele’s, but don’t have one now. Perhaps I need one........
Look into the hardtail (no-trem) Strat. I think Fender just recently discontinued the line, but you can find plenty of them on eBay. Or just get a Telecaster.
Try a PRS SE series. Very reasonable, and very well made for an import. I have an SE Soapbar II and love it.
I've played many Telecasters, but (for good reason), I own a Strat.
Ping for later Les Paul porn.
VERY nice. Nothing like an old slab of mahogany with a single P-90. ...all put together in Kalamazoo. Probably the best hard rock guitar ever made. .....along with the mid-late 50s Les Paul Jr. I prefer P-90s any day over the humbuckers. More biting, raw tone.
First choice, obviously. Telecaster/.357 wheeler/Telecaster/.357 wheeler
Cursing with love the person who started this thread. The pics and the chat made me pull mine out of the soft case. Says "hello" with a clean A.
Had a band some years ago with a nice following of local restaurant workers- guitar bass drums and alto sax. All original music and most of it instrumental, but we had the Spinal Tap problem- 5 drummers in 6 years, the last one didn't even come by to pick up his drum set- that's fine by me because I started as a drummer.
I must say that Dave Brubeck is one of my bigger influences.
absolutely... sometimes less is more. 8^)
I’ve got a fireglow Rickenbacker 360.... Yeah it’s on my calendar for May.
I have two pretty nice Takamines, one classic and one electric accoustic. Both have great sound.
Yea, think I'd rather play than post. Later...
I have a black and chrome fat Strat- and love it! Learning to play has been a challenge, but wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Actually, those pickups are Ultra Sonics, made in Germany and designed by Bill Lawrence. They only made them one year (1987) and I’ve since replaced them with ‘57 reissue single coils.
I also have an ‘89 American Standard which is identical, but has it’s original pickups.
Body thickness is the same on most all Standard Strats.
“Open question: affordable electric with great sound WITHOUT tremolo bar (can’t stand them). Suggestions?”
Lots of choices out there. Depends on what you want to spend.
I bought an ‘89 Epiphone Les Paul with Carvin M22 pickups for $350.00.
BTW. If you don’t like the ‘whammy’ bar, you don’t have to use it. Just tighten up the springs in the back until the bridge sits tight to the body.
I use mine this way most of the time.
You can also by a Stratocaster ‘hardtail’. (No whammy)
huh?, Since when do Teles have F-holes?
“Since when do Teles have F-holes?”
Thinline.
Yeah, ditto the PRS SE series. Those are cool.
Of course, if you really want to maximize your bang for buck, buy used. My favorite non-trem guitars are the Ibanez Artist series from the late 70s/early 80s:
http://search.ebay.com/ibanez-artist_W0QQfromZR40
“Since when do Teles have F-holes?”
Thinline.
Wow, been out of the mix too long!
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