Intermediate Electric/amp? Classic Vibe Tele or Reverend Trickshot?

[SalFromChatham]

Hey guys,

I mostly acoustify, but want to learn more electric. I need a new challenge, and feel ive gone stale in the acoustic world. I just need a change. Sadly last year I got a Classic Vibe Tele, but sold it and a whole mess of stuff when I had to clear out some space at home.

Anyways I was thinking of getting another Squier Classic Vibe Tele, but the I saw this Reverend Trickshot, and was wondering what you though of those?

For an amp I’m thinking a simple Fender Champion 20.

Thought?

[29er]

Reverend makes great guitars with unique features and a cool tone circuit. The classic vibe Tele is fine but I'd go with the Rev if it were me. Of course, there is a big cost difference between the two.

[jklotz]

Reverend makes good guitars. I've had 3 of them. My take is if you want a well made, good guitar with lot's of bang for the buck, go for it. If you want a traditional tele sound, however, get the Fender. The Reverend is "tele like", but the different bridge and korina body won't sound like a tele. They sound good, and that bass roll off knob make them really versatile, but don't go in expecting Don Rich, Albert Lee (pre ernie ball), Danny Gatton or early Jimmy Page. Even the Eastsider, which I had at one time, isn't going to give you the traditional tele thing.

Hope that helped.

[Steve DeRosa]

The Squier CV's are (arguably) better-quality student instruments - hardly intermediate by any reckoning - and while I have no direct experience with the Trickshot I've played a number of Reverend instruments, and IME they're generally well-made and good-sounding; that said, since you're accustomed to good-quality acoustic instruments I'd also recommend giving the Godin CW II (feels identical to a Seagull mini-jumbo, and weighs just about as much - mine's just a tick over five pounds) and Korean-made Gretsch 5400-Series Electromatic hollowbodies (these babies punch way above their weight, and have a considerable following here on the Electric subforum) a hands-on if you're shopping in the under-$1K range...

You've got the right idea for a first amp - something simple without a truckload of bells-&-whistles - but IME there's better tone to be had than the Champion 20, and while you might have to spend a few more bucks to get it it'll be well worth your while. If you're going to be playing/recording mostly at home, with the occasional friendly backyard jam/coffeehouse gig, check out a Bugera V5 1x8" combo for around $200 - simple but highly-interactive controls (as with many vintage-style single-ended tube amps), and IME an excellent match for single-coil/mini-bucker pickups; if you need more clean power, an '80s Peavey "silver-stripe" Bandit 65 can be had for similar (or less) money in good shape - they're built like tanks, loud enough for just about any indoor gig, and if you have an old-style piezo UST acoustic-electric they'll get rid of just about all the sonic nasties when you run through the low-gain input...

Good luck...

[SalFromChatham]

Thank you guys...

Steve I think of you whenever I'm on 3rd ave in Brooklyn by Streetsounds.. Gretsch heaven!

[SalFromChatham]

I did buy the Trickshot... The price was right, and the bass roll-off knob is very cool.

I have been playing with the Fender 20 Champion I bought; it has a few effects. Love the wah... love slap back reverb... but it's clear I will want a few pedals (waiting on a looper delivery). I am thinking of adding an overdrive pedal, a Delay, a Reverb, and a TU-3.

Anyways, here is a picture...

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I did buy the Trickshot... The price was right, and the bass roll-off knob is very cool.

I have been playing with the Fender 20 Champion I bought; it has a few effects. Love the wah... love slap back reverb... but it's clear I will want a few pedals (waiting on a looper delivery). I am thinking of adding an overdrive pedal, a Delay, a Reverb, and a TU-3.

Anyways, here is a picture...

Sal, I’m pretty sure the Champ 20 doesn’t have an effects loop. If not, and if you’re gonna be playing with a looper, you’re gone want things like OD, reverb/delay, etc, BEFORE the looper in the effects chain. That way you can play a relatively clean rhythm track and have the looper record it clean. Then you can play around with your lead sound (add effects) and be able to play along to a clean rhythm track with a lead sound that’s got various effects turned on. If your looper is before your other effects in the chain, or if the effects are built into the amp, any recording the looper is playing will also be colored by the other effects, which may be OK sometimes, but generally isn’t what your gonna want. So, yeah, a pedal board, even a pretty small one BEFORE the amp, with the looper as the last pedal in the chain before the amp id the way to go. Onboard amp base effects only really work with a looper if you have an effects loop - that way you can have the amp based effects coloring the preamp, put the looper in the effects loop, and it’s still functionally last in the chain… But its gotta somehow be last in the chain.

Enjoy that Reverend - electrics are a blast!

Have fun,

-Ray