Guitar players corner!

[MonetBass]

Started on bass at the age of 10 (DB in the symphony), two years later discovered the EB, and picked up an electric guitar at 16 and taught myself. Although I prefer playing bass, I can play guitar pretty well. My collection:
1969 Hernandis nylon string. A friend was doing all of the music for a local production of "Man of La Mancha" and the director wanted a real guitar, so after he asked me to play, I had to go buy a nylon string guitar. Paid $150 used for it, and got paid $150 for the gig, so that worked out nicely.

Fender Lone Star Stratocaster. Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates HB in the bridge with Texas special single coils in the middle and neck positions. It sounds fantastic!

Yamaha LL6 acoustic. This guitar sounds as good as it looks, and is so easy to play. As was previously mentioned, Yamaha makes guitars that punch above their weight.

I still have my first acoustic, a Fender Gemini II, that has a broken truss rod. The neck is stable though, and our son said he wants it (even though he's more of a pianist).

 

[MonetBass]

I almost forgot my latest acquisition! My brother, who is a woodworker, asked if I'd be interested in building a guitar. The neck is a mahogany Warmoth neck with ebony fretboard, but the body is all hand-built out of a single piece of sapele. Electronics are three Burns tri-sonic pickups with on/off switches for each plus three phase switches, tone and volume (just like Brian May's Red Special). No vibrato, though. It was completed a year ago. This picture is prior to it being strung and set up.

 

[Bonafide]

Hmm, a custom ES-5 style guitar with only two pickups?!?!?

Yeah, a bit of an ES-350ish...mix. I appreciate the functionality of a 3-way switch. And the Switchmaster location is brutal as it is but I wanted the cool vibe of it. It was inspired by my friend Paul Pigat's converted vintage ES.

Years ago I had an Epiphone Zephyr. I reversed the magnets in the middle pickup and did the T-Bone thing, but it was always a battle. Total love/hate with that setup. I eventually put a Gibson style 3-way in and took out the MV and then fitted it with some Staple P-90s. I was doing demos for SD custom shop at the time. It helped me refine my specs later on when I had the custom made.

 

[Bonafide]

yeah I’m a bluesy jazzy rock guitarist so something simple and warm and punchy - ideally something used around $500 but I could spend a little more to get a nice new amp - say like $699 ish.

Cool, I have a mountain of 'boutique' tube amps, but those Blues Juniors you were looking at sound perfect for you. They are great amps. There are so many excellent ways and easy ways to mod them to be exceptionally dynamic. They respond like hotcakes to a speaker swap, tube swap, MV mod and they can be had easily! If you can find one with a few mods done already it will save you a bundle and you will have a fantastic companion to the Tele! Modern modeling amps are very serviceable, alot of fun, useful at times but there is something very grounded about guitar/amp/speaker/player - playing. All the best in the hunt!

 

[Jason Hollar]

Cool, I have a mountain of 'boutique' tube amps, but those Blues Juniors you were looking at sound perfect for you. They are great amps. There are so many excellent ways and easy ways to mod them to be exceptionally dynamic. They respond like hotcakes to a speaker swap, tube swap, MV mod and they can be had easily! If you can find one with a few mods done already it will save you a bundle and you will have a fantastic companion to the Tele! Modern modeling amps are very serviceable, alot of fun, useful at times but there is something very grounded about guitar/amp/speaker/player - playing. All the best in the hunt!

That’s great info thanks - I’ll likely stay away from all the modding - sounds like an expensive hobby lol

 

[CallMeAl]

LOL, I have been stabbed, stoned, beaten, burned, scorched, ridiculed, cast aside and left for dead more times than I can remember over the years here on TB. My immunity to to the pedantry is pretty fierce.

I find it funny and silly. Bass was my second instrument, after trumpet. I’ve taken piano and other various lessons too.

We’re all in this thing we call music together! Bass lines alone are pretty sad, we’re meant to compliment melodies. I’d wager 99% of TB is in a band where the audience comes to hear the guitar, singer or horn!

 

[Jeff Scott]

...sounds like an expensive hobby lol

What hobby isn't beyond butterfly catching?

Oh wait, I can think of another! Collecting fire flies.

 

[Bonafide]

That’s great info thanks - I’ll likely stay away from all the modding - sounds like an expensive hobby lol

Nah, these are $400 used, new speaker is $60 used - $100 new. Eminence Cannabis Rex...or Warehouse Veteran 12" - like a new amp!

 

[Leigh Semmens]

I now have a guitar. Started as a covid project but am going to keep at it.

View attachment 4539159

Base model Maton with AP5 pickup.

I hope yours is a good one. I've seen and played a few over the years. Mine (CE60D) is over 40 years old and is/was a keeper straight out of the box. Friends have had them an some have needed a little work to make them good. I would really have liked the AP5 setup though, my electrics just don''t sound as good when I plug it in.

 

[tangentmusic]

Les Paul standard in Iced Tea Burst flanked by a ‘70’s reissue Strat in natural and a ‘60’s reissue in Olympic white with reversed headstock and bridge pickup

 

[CallMeAl]

NAD!

Vox AC4TV. 4 watts of glorious tube tone, and a 10” speaker. I’m in heaven!

 

[Gregc57]

I have a small body Eastman. I think it’s a OO or maybe OOO. Surprisingly good, and not just “for the money” good. Seriously good.

 

[Jason Hollar]

Blackstar HT5R MKII 1x12" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp with Reverb

Anybody here play a Blackstar? This little guy looks like it checks all the boxes I need for a bluesy, rock type gig - plus some direct recording out features etc. is this stuff legit?

 

[CallMeAl]

Blackstar HT5R MKII 1x12" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp with Reverb

Anybody here play a Blackstar? This little guy looks like it checks all the boxes I need for a bluesy, rock type gig - plus some direct recording out features etc. is this stuff legit?

The 1w version was top of my list before I found the Vox. Excellent youtube demos, rave reviews. Would love to hear some first hand experience as well!

 

[CallMeAl]

Blackstar HT5R MKII 1x12" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp with Reverb

Anybody here play a Blackstar? This little guy looks like it checks all the boxes I need for a bluesy, rock type gig - plus some direct recording out features etc. is this stuff legit?

PS if you (or any of the 6-stringers here) haven’t poked around TDPRI I highly recommend it. I joined last year and it’s a lovely place with helpful folks. It’s like the Bizzaro TB!

To that end, lots of info (and love) for the Blackstar HT5 over there:
blackstar ht5 tdpri - Google Search

 

[delta7fred]

Blackstar HT5R MKII 1x12" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp with Reverb

Anybody here play a Blackstar? This little guy looks like it checks all the boxes I need for a bluesy, rock type gig - plus some direct recording out features etc. is this stuff legit?

Our guitarist used one for a few years, the 30W combo that weighed a ton. It always sounded good from my side of the stage.

He only sold it because he could no longer lift it (medical reasons). He replaced it with a plastic sounding 75W (?) Boss combo. This has just been replaced by a D.V. Mark head and cab which I have yet to hear (but it's got to be better than the Boss).

 

[zontar]

Ibanez (yeah one is a bass)

 

[spade2you]

NGD. Picked up one of these since Ibanez seldom does this pickup config in the RG series. Plays very well. Might replace the neck pickup with something a little more meaty. The DiMarzio True Velvet is a little too bright and noisy under distortion.

 

[Leigh Semmens]

I love my Blazer compared to another brand (not mentioning the F... word) mine plays like a dream.

 

[Bonafide]

Blackstar HT5R MKII 1x12" 5-watt Tube Combo Amp with Reverb

Anybody here play a Blackstar? This little guy looks like it checks all the boxes I need for a bluesy, rock type gig - plus some direct recording out features etc. is this stuff legit?

Blackstar gets plenty of love from Rock and Rock Blues players and they have a very usable clean tone. For 'blues' think Gary Moore, Robin Trower etc not Buddy Guy, BB King,) Not meant to coax out those old blues tones. At 5w, 90% of this feature set is certainly aimed at the OD channel and lower volume practice. Tonally it will match well with a Tele and the modern I/O makes it easy to get ideas into the computer. DI support, emulated out etc. a small PA could possibly manage small gigs. Seems like a good all in one hybrid. For the casual player who wants to Rock this seems like a win. Let me know how you like it.