Your Electric Guitar beater.

Dru Edwards · #1 03-03-2019, 08:37 AM

What's your go to 'beater' electric? I've never considered my SGJ a beater but given that the satin finish dings really easy and it costs less than my SG and Les Paul Standards I'll name is so. It also plays and sounds great.

The 2nd pic shows where my fingernail scratches the wood (not the pick). It's about twice the size now.

perttime · #2 03-03-2019, 09:28 AM

I don't really consider any guitar that I own a beater. One that could qualify is my TeleStrat partscaster because it cost me the smallest amount of money. I bought it from the guy who put it together. He was letting much of his gear go at low prices because his joints were preventing him from playing as much as before.

The strat proportions with tele hardware and electronics might yet make it my number one, though....

Bob Womack · #3 03-03-2019, 10:10 AM

I suppose that might be my ~'94 Carvin TL60T. It is a Tele-shaped thing with splittable humbuckers and a Wilkinson Trem. The neck has 24 frets, features a 25" scale, is extremely fast, and sports a contoured heel for excellent access. I've put my Roland Hex pickup on it and keep it at the studio where it gets into all sorts of trouble.

Bob

Steve DeRosa · #4 03-03-2019, 10:17 AM

Yamaha SSC-500 that I bought in '82 for $199 w/OHSC, one of their last MIJ solidbody electrics - tough as they come, doesn't attract attention when I play in, um, questionable venues, gives me just about any Strat/Tele/P-90 tone I need (and a Few I can't get anywhere else); probably serve another 3-4 generations of players after I'm gone...

YamahaGuy · #5 03-03-2019, 10:31 AM

Yamaha Weddington Special with Dimarzio P90 sized humbuckers, wraparound bridge, re-wired with a 3 way tele switch a a really good shaped neck at the nut. I traded a Modern Player Plus Tele for it. Kinda got the short end of the stick on that deal, but the Weddington has proven itself to be an excellent all around electric guitar and it gets more play than my Revstar 502T.

DebbieE · #6 03-03-2019, 10:50 AM

I really love that Telestrat! Cool looking guitar.

ghostnote · #7 03-03-2019, 11:07 AM

Of course, "beater" is subjective, but I understand the intention of the OP. In this context, I'd have to say it's a Les Paul Junior Special. I love, love, love this guitar, and use it at our weekly band rehearsals probably 75% of the time. It's a USA-made, but inexpensive, LP Junior with 2 humbuckers - that's the "Special" in the name - instead of the usual P90s found in a Junior. It's a much better instrument than I expected - a LOT better, in fact. Cosmetically, it's obviously not perfect, even when it was new, but it plays beautifully and sounds fantastic. I didn't expect much, but it has grown over time into one of my favorites to play.

Dru Edwards · #8 03-03-2019, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostnote

Of course, "beater" is subjective, but I understand the intention of the OP. In this context, I'd have to say it's a Les Paul Junior Special. I love, love, love this guitar, and use it at our weekly band rehearsals probably 75% of the time. It's a USA-made, but inexpensive, LP Junior with 2 humbuckers - that's the "Special" in the name - instead of the usual P90s found in a Junior. It's a much better instrument than I expected - a LOT better, in fact. Cosmetically, it's obviously not perfect, even when it was new, but it plays beautifully and sounds fantastic. I didn't expect much, but it has grown over time into one of my favorites to play.

Those Gibson Juniors and Specials are great guitars. Lots of mojo for sure. Hard to believe they were considered beginner models when they first came out.

perttime · #9 03-03-2019, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DebbieE

I really love that Telestrat! Cool looking guitar.

It is one of the standard replacement body routes of guitarbuild.co.uk. The guy who put it together added the comfort cuts to his taste. Neck is unidentified. There's a Fender decal but it certainly isn't a Fender neck. Chunky, fretboard on the flat side, feels a bit wider than usual but I haven't measured it.

srbell · #10 03-03-2019, 11:43 AM

My 2 electrics are a Kramer 450G aluminium neck (I bought it new back around '78ish) and a Gretsch G2655T Streamliner. The Gretsch is my go-to electric and would probably qualify as my beater even though I treat it well. The Kramer can't qualify as a beater as it's the one that would be doing the beating. That thing is a beast!

grayback · #11 03-03-2019, 12:07 PM

Nice TeleStrat! Same color as my Tele.
I just bought a Squier Bullet Strat at ShopGoodwil.com (lots of cheap guitars there), with the intent to use it as a modding guitar. It needed a good clean and new strings, but plays and sounds pretty good as is. I'm messing with intonation and pickup heights, buying parts, and looking forward to turning it into a frankenbullet.

raysachs · #12 03-03-2019, 12:26 PM

It's not really a beater - it plays like buttah! But I only paid about $300 for it (used, but it still had the plastic on it, so I think it was a demo) and then a bit more to upgrade the pickups. So it's my P90 guitar and I freaking LOVE P90s.

untitled-2-7 by Ray, on Flickr

untitled-1-10 by Ray, on Flickr

But I might sell it because I love P90s so much that I'm gonna try a set of humbucker sized P90s in my Ibanez Scofield semi-hollow, which plays as well as any guitar I've ever played. But it's humbuckers, while very nice humbuckers, just don't inspire me to pick it up when I've got a strat and standard tele and P90 options that I'd generally rather hear. So if P90s work well in that, this one will probably be for sale... Which will bum me out, because I really like it, but the Ibanez is just a better guitar and my only option with a flatter, 24.75" scale fretboard and I should really have one of those to go with my Fenders... And I'm not selling one of the others, so this would be the one to go...

And then I guess I wouldn't have a beater at all...

-Ray

pf400 · #13 03-03-2019, 12:35 PM

A Yamaha RGX121, probably year 1991, with a very playable neck and HSS configuration. With lots of tweaking I can get close to SG and close to strat tone, plus lots of other unpleasant tones. Great guitar actually, ironproof.

muscmp · #14 03-03-2019, 01:21 PM

94 epi casino. korean made but plays real well.

play music!

Jaden · #15 03-03-2019, 02:08 PM

A 2018 roadworn ‘50s telecaster, MIM, 7.25 neck radius with tall narrow 6105 frets. Qualifies as a beater because it isn’t in pristine condition like my other guitars.