Electric Guitar Recommendations

[MoeJo110]

A long time buddy of mine and bandleader had this 70's strat that was nothing like mine. The neck was fatter and wider. He had smaller hands then mine but they were meaty. He had no problem getting around on his neck and I couldn't believe how much of a stretch it was for me.

 

Sometimes I think a lot of it boils down to what we start off with when we are starting off. My 335 had a slim D 60's profile neck same with my LP Custom. Those were my go-to guitars before the stratocaster. Nonetheless my 80' strat's neck profile was nothing like Willie's 70 strat.

 

I was at Sam Ash today looking at some guitars and I finally realized how different necks of guitars can be.

 

I kept all this in mind today and I couldn't find an electric I really liked. But I did get to play a $3000+ Gibson just for fun. I liked it cause it had a small neck which fit me well.The crazy thing was it tuned itself which was really weird! And if you ever want to get a guitar that tunes itself, keep in mind it is a pain to bring it to bring to different tuning. Took me a solid 30 minutes with help from a store member to get it to go to drop D. And I was never able to get it back to standard tuning. Oops.

 

I do have some other guitar stores around me to I can try though.  

 

I did find an acoustic I really liked though. I believe it was a Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat. It felt really nice to play, better than the acoustic I have now, much different sound though. I'm really thinking of getting that one. The only thing I don't like about it is doesn't have a cutaway. 

Edited November 29, 2014 by MoeJo110

[TapperMike]

Here is an odd thing about acoustic guitars.  The more you play them the better they sound. It sweetens and mellows with age. Another thing is that....Non cutaways always have a different (warmer) tone for me. I can pickup two identical acoustics with the exception of the cutaway and the non cutaway wins the tone battle.  Granted I'm not an acoustic player anymore.

 

It's winter. That means lots of hot dry air from your furnace. When you are not playing your acoustic. Put it back in the case and get one of those

guitar humidifiers 

 

Here are some tips for shopping.

1. If you can show up on the half hour that is not busy. People out shopping do things on the hour. You'll get more guitar time in a store and more face time with a salesman if you show up when the crowds aren't there.  Like a Monday or Tuesday during the day like 3:30.  Be honest with your price range. Yeah it's fun to play the most expensive guitar you can in a store but if you aren't buying it you are wasting your time and the salesman's time.

2. Be honest with them in regards to how much you want to spend. This saves a lot of looking. If they start jacking you around on having to go up in price. Walk out of the store and don't look back. It's their loss not yours. If they don't respect you walk out of the door and don't look back. I've had that happen a few times when shopping for guitars. Some arsehat would honestly belive that by jacking me around he could intimidate me into a sale. Most stores you'll never encounter that.  A store that treats you well wants to earn your business both short term and long term will treat you like a human being.

3. Find out what type of in store extra's might be available.  Both New and Old guitars can suffer neck bow. Though generally it's the new ones that suffer more.  While often doing a simple neck adjustment only takes a few minutes and it's not brain surgery. A store that does a free neck adjustment is one that wants your business and respects you as a costumer.  Some stores offer extended warranties beyond the manufacturer.

4. Keep your paperwork even if you buy used.  New guitars often come with a warranty that basically covers the neck for the first two years. If something happens to the neck that isn't your fault the warranty will cover neck and or guitar replacement.

 

Buying Used.

When you buy a new guitar. The resell price drops as soon as you walk out the door. If you take great care of it and barely play the thing there is a point where the resell value becomes fixed. This is unlike a car were the resell value constantly drops. Never sell a guitar to a guitar store. Craigslist, ebay, the local paper will all give you a greater return on the sale of the instrument then can be had by a reseller.  Pawn shops are a dime on the dollar and sometimes lower.  I've got three used guitars in my collection and two of them get more play time then the other nine I bought new.

Buckle wash happens in guitar stores all the time with new instruments. Buckle wash is pretty much unavoidable unless you play the guitar in a bath robe. As buckle rash is on the back of the guitar most no one will ever know but you.  With a used guitar you don't get a warranty. But also with a used guitar you've usually past the point where a flaw in the guitar would have shown itself. (the neck)

 

Look down the neck from the body and size up the frets.If you see any unusual dips or bumps it means the frets aren't set right..  

The strings are straight lines from the nut to the bridge .that's how you gauge how straight the neck is. Bow is when the neck bends like a bow to your body. Back Bow  is when the neck bows away from your body.  Luthiers and techs all agree that a little bow at the 12th fret is natural and it makes the guitar easier to play. emphasis on "A little" not a lot. look at how the neck bow's relative to the string..Because the string is straight. Flip the guitar over and check the bow from the other side. If the bow is not the same then you have neck warp. Bow and back bow can be fixed with a slight neck adjustment but not a warped neck.  Warped necks happen on both new and used guitars.

Sometimes it's not as noticeable by looking down the fretboard.

This is an exaggeration of a warped neck

 

Take out a credit card 

 

Use the short side of the card and set it parallel to the strings. Put it directly on the frets (you'll need to cover at least three frets) If the credit card rocks or if you see a gap in the middle frets where the fret doesn't touch the strings you have uneven frets.

 

When you play the guitar. don't do it it impress yourself or the staff of a guitar store. You aren't buying it to impress them. Instead get a feel for the neck and play chromatically across the entire fretboard. Leave no note unplayed. and bend them.

 

Sometimes frets pop out a little. If you are experiencing fret buzz and don't know what you are doing take it to a tech. If the fret is a little high a tech will usually take a wooden dowel rod and a rubber mallet then tap it into place.  I've done this a few times with my and an other peoples guitars but remember I was trained at this stuff by tech guys at the top of their game.

 

Look for fret nicks sometimes they are glaring sometimes they are small. Usually if you try bending a note over the fret and it gets hung up you have a fret nick.  A good tech can fix this in half an hour and it shouldn't cost you a lot. It will cost an extra set of strings.  Sometimes if you really love a guitar and it has a minor issue like a high fret or a nicked fret you can get them to fix it for free or little extra before you take it out of the store.

 

Warped necks, uneven frets, even fret nicks and "demo" models can be considered "B Stock" It's cheaper to sell at a reduced price then to send it back to the factory.  Guitar stores should check for this stuff before it goes out to be sold but sometimes (especially the bigger places) don't care.Or don't have time to.

 

Old old guitars with a lot of play time on them will need fretwork eventually. Very few guitars are made with stainless steel frets.

 

Pots and toggle switches.

Toggle switches can feel stiff and have pops or crackles when you go to use them. This is oddly because of non use. Give your toggle switch a good workout and it will go away.  The same holds true for pots usually just giving pots on any equipment a little workout will free it.  If you want to go the extra mile use one of these http://www.parts-express.com/fast-blast-duster-can-of-air-removes-dust-and-debris-canned-air-10-oz--340-500?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla  And give your pots a good twist afterwards.

 

Loose contacts. if the nut isn't secure things can start to wiggle (tuning pegs, jack contacts, pots, I used to have a bad jack contact because of the spin from the connector. A quick solder and a little crazy glue so the nut from the output jack wouldn't come loose did wonders.

 

Higher end used vs moderately priced new.

Very few guitars ever appreciate in value. It's not just a matter of age and condition.  That being said better used guitars retain their resell value more then cheaper ones.  Yes some will have mojo.  Mojo means damage to the guitar that does not affect playability.  To some it's like a badge of courage or battle scars.  Fender and Ibanez to name a few make big bucks on "reliced" guitars.  Guitars that they intentionally scar and apply an aging finish to make the guitar look older then what it is.

 

I don't personally ascribe to the whole mythology bit about mojo guitars. But I do acknowledge that others that do seem to find great catalyst in it. The premise is this. When you buy a guitar with mojo it carries some inherent value of the player who had it before you carries. That belief can be powerful stuff 

 

A guitar with 'mojo" has unique identifiers that it is no longer just any guitar made it's someone special guitar it has "personality".