Luck with Electric Guitars & Equipment

[Jaden]

There was a thread on the acoustic forum to do with lucky guitar purchase & acquisition, which I found odd - for me, it’s all about hard work practicing and expense with prices - but in the electric field I definitely feel lucky with the Fender Classic Series Telecaster, specifically to do with very quiet and ultra clean, colourful tone, paired with the bright and clean Fender Blues Junior III amp - it’s a sonic world at low volume I find is as satisfying as with my quality acoustic guitars.

How about you, do you feel lucky with your electric guitar and amplifiers & equipment?

[Steve DeRosa]

While I've made some real discoveries over the years - most recently the Bugera V-Series tube combos, Vox MV micro-heads, and MIK Gretsch Electromatics - it's all been a matter of diligent pre-purchase research and an accurate assessment of my needs rather than luck...

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

While I've made some real discoveries over the years - most recently the Bugera V-Series tube combos, Vox MV micro-heads, and MIK Gretsch Electromatics - it's all been a matter of diligent pre-purchase research and an accurate assessment of my needs rather than luck...

Makes sense - luck implies stumbling into something unknown or unexpected, usually/probably more applying to beginners or amateurs, who I count myself as one, but not being experienced with amp modifications, I can say the BJIII I have now, probably due to bias and glass, this time around is a sweet example I wasn’t quite expecting from a previous run in with this amp model - there is variation in performance from one to another, for those who haven’t delved into modifications and improvements. The guitar is another example in that it has a fine set up from the factory, as well as being a NOS 2017 manufacture nicely settled on the finish quality too.

[Steel and wood]

I started out learning on electric many years ago and my first guitar which my wife bought for me as a surprise on eBay (without hearing it) was and still is my Samick Greg Bennett designed Royale RL2 semi in burgundy red. (No longer in production but I'm fairly certain you can still get them).

Turned out to be one amazingly beautiful guitar (exceptional build quality and great pickups) and better still given what she paid (bid) for it. (Discovered after I got it that it came with excellent reviews from all sorts of guitar player magazines and players in online forums later comparing it to Gibson equivalents). The RL3 version of the guitar won awards.

A real keeper but it could have gone either way.

[Parlorman]

One Saturday I was at the Music Emporium in Lexington Massachusetts (one of my favorite places to visit) and one of the staff was playing a beautiful used red Probett Rocket III. I had never heard of them but it sounded and played amazingly. I dithered on buying it and decided to go home and think it over. I did some research and decided it was the guitar for me. Unfortunately, someone had bought it while I dithered.

I went back on line and called one of Probett’s dealers, Mountain Cat Guitars and they happened to have one sitting at FedEx waiting for Customs clearance. I paid for it on the spot. It turned out to be even better spec’d than the one at TME and I love it.

So, lucky that someone was playing the guitar when I happened to be at the Emporium, lucky that someone else bought it lucky that Mountain Cat had one available (Damian Probett has a logo wait list) and lucky in how it was spec’d out.

[Dru Edwards]

I think the 'luckiest' was when I bought my first Gibson SG online from Future Shop (Canada's Best Buy at the time) 5 years ago. It was the inexpensive SGJ with the new Gibson '61 pickups in them. I love that guitar. I've since bought two more SGs but there's something special about that SGJ.

Never thought I'd ever order a guitar from Future Shop/Best Buy but it worked out great.

[DukeX]

I'm with Steve. I don't feel lucky I feel smart. With my musical interests and tastes, I researched and knew I wanted the Vox, Blackface, and Tweed sounds. I knew I wanted the versatile ES-335 and Telecaster sounds.

Edit: I do feel lucky (fortunate) that I could obtain these wonderful music instruments.

[Jaden]

Some very interesting accounts already. It’s funny, I used to think electric guitars were highly uniform within the same model but there are subtle differences that can distinguish between a special one and not so. I remember back in the early 1990s coming very close to purchasing a new Gibson SG but decided against it due to some rough finish on the fretboard - whether that was a lucky or unlucky decision, I don’t know (inclined now to think it wasn’t a favourable on the spot choice) - but it could have lead to a completely different route of exploration with electric guitars.

[paulp1960]

I got lucky buying a mint Marshall 2061x Lead & Bass 20 watt hand-wired valve head for £50 in 1981.

I was silly to sell it on for around £45 a couple of years later. I never realised what a sweet amp it was but there was no internet to speak of in those days.

[RussL30]

I feel like I’ve been pretty lucky with all my Electric acquisitions.

I still have my Strat that was my first electric I started with when I was around 12. Fortunately, my parents matched my $150 I’d saved up from mowing lawns and I got a Fender Tex Mex Strat somebody was selling.

My MIK Sheraton and a custom handmade semi hollow were a gift to me by my step dad and a family friend respectively. The Sheraton came equipped with SD Antiquities as a bonus.

My latest is a Player’s Tele that I was able to get new at $125 less than others and in a unique color because of a GC sale for that color. I’m really loving the Tele so far. I would’ve had to get a lower model tele if not for the sale.

I even enjoy my $100 Vox Valvetronix amp that wife got me for Christmas back when we were dating about 8 years ago. I know it’s not much or some fancy tube amp, but coming from the little crappy Crate I started with, it still sounds great to me.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by RussL30

I feel like I’ve been pretty lucky with all my Electric acquisitions.

I still have my Strat that was my first electric I started with when I was around 12. Fortunately, my parents matched my $150 I’d saved up from mowing lawns and I got a Fender Tex Mex Strat somebody was selling.

My MIK Sheraton and a custom handmade semi hollow were a gift to me by my step dad and a family friend respectively. The Sheraton came equipped with SD Antiquities as a bonus.

My latest is a Player’s Tele that I was able to get new at $125 less than others and in a unique color because of a GC sale for that color. I’m really loving the Tele so far. I would’ve had to get a lower model tele if not for the sale.

I even enjoy my $100 Vox Valvetronix amp that wife got me for Christmas back when we were dating about 8 years ago. I know it’s not much or some fancy tube amp, but coming from the little crappy Crate I started with, it still sounds great to me.

That’s a nice collection of guitars - I can see why a Telecaster fits in well to fill out and cover some additional sonic territory - the Player has good pickups and the 6 steel saddles makes for easy to adjust intonation. I think the old standard Tele had a little hotter ceramic pups stock, but the Player has alnico which should provide a nice balance with a rounder, smoother output, but still with lots of bite on the bridge pickup. Nice colour too, can’t beat the “whiteboard” one piece maple neck! Thanks for sharing.

[Bob Womack]

I'm with Vince Gill: "Just grateful to be married to a kind woman."

Bob

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I'm with Vince Gill: "Just grateful to be married to a kind woman."

Bob

Wonderful words. Vince wasn't lucky when it came to that Nashville flood a few years back.

[RussL30]

Originally Posted by Jaden

That’s a nice collection of guitars - I can see why a Telecaster fits in well to fill out and cover some additional sonic territory - the Player has good pickups and the 6 steel saddles makes for easy to adjust intonation. I think the old standard Tele had a little hotter ceramic pups stock, but the Player has alnico which should provide a nice balance with a rounder, smoother output, but still with lots of bite on the bridge pickup. Nice colour too, can’t beat the “whiteboard” one piece maple neck! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

Yeah the Tele is really fitting in well. I don’t have a Les Paul type of guitar, but I think the combo of the Sheraton and Tele can get me a lot of lose thick classic rock tones when I need them. Most of my playing is clean to slight breakup, but it is fun to rock out sometimes.

I am learning how amazingly versatile the tele bridge pickup is with the manipulation of the volume and tone controls. So much you can do with that bridge pickup. The bridge pickup on my strat is so shrill and I rarely use it. I think the tone knob makes a huge difference too.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by RussL30

Thanks!

Yeah the Tele is really fitting in well. I don’t have a Les Paul type of guitar, but I think the combo of the Sheraton and Tele can get me a lot of lose thick classic rock tones when I need them. Most of my playing is clean to slight breakup, but it is fun to rock out sometimes.

I am learning how amazingly versatile the tele bridge pickup is with the manipulation of the volume and tone controls. So much you can do with that bridge pickup. The bridge pickup on my strat is so shrill and I rarely use it. I think the tone knob makes a huge difference too.

Agree - I get thick, articulate deep bass with both pickups engaged on my tele, with an expansive tonal range up through the trebles - surprising for a solid body electric guitar because it isn’t thin at all - then with the bridge pickup only & using the tone control there is a midrange expansion at certain levels. For those who have wired their SSS Stratocasters with tone control on the bridge, it still isn’t full sounding as the Tele due to the latter’s beefier construction of the pickup encased by the bridge plate - all this is apparent at lower volume levels too.