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  #16  
Old 08-12-2020, 11:45 AM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
The Rocket was positioned lower in the line than the Meteor, essentially their entry-level thinline cutaway and available in 1, 2, or 3-pickup variations as well as two different finishes (redburst being the most common) over the years. Speaking from nearly 60 years of first-hand knowledge I'd be careful with these - they were beginners' guitars in their heyday, and while some of them were relegated to the closet and escaped the ravages of time, many of them were used and abused; they also weren't made to the standard we've come to accept in a modern entry-level guitar and, given the eccentric three-bolt neck joint and non-adjustable truss rods on many pre-1960's examples - to which we can add the long-term effects of the heavy-gauge Black Diamond strings that were standard record-shop/music-school fare - you'll probably be kissing a few dozen (or more) frogs before you find your princess...
Thanks!! I'm moving closer to pulling trigger on a new 5420, I just don't want to deal with older stuff with problems,
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  #17  
Old 08-12-2020, 09:59 PM
mefoolonhill mefoolonhill is offline
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Default Loar 600

I can recommend the Loar 600. It's all-carved, and is basically a copy of a 1920's L-5. Great guitar for the money, you can find them for $600-700.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9W1...0s&app=desktop
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  #18  
Old 08-13-2020, 08:42 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by mefoolonhill View Post
I can recommend the Loar 600. It's all-carved, and is basically a copy of a 1920's L-5. Great guitar for the money, you can find them for $600-700.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9W1...0s&app=desktop
Based on his responses (see below) the OP appears to be looking for a hollowbody with built-in pickups, rather than a carved-top acoustic - nice guitar though, and if the neck wasn't '20s period-authentic I'd likely own one right now...

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Originally Posted by CASD57 View Post
Thanks!! I'm moving closer to pulling trigger on a new 5420, I just don't want to deal with older stuff with problems,
Let's up the drool factor just a bit :



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...vintage-orange

Near dead-ringer for the Japanese-made Professional Series version at one-third the price, sounds/plays like a Gretsch should (install a set of .011 flatwounds and you're in rockabilly heaven) - and well worth waiting and saving up the extra bucks for the level of quality you're getting (BTW Sweetwater will deal - so don't hesitate to ask for a better price)...
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  #19  
Old 08-13-2020, 09:22 AM
6L6 6L6 is online now
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My 1960 Harmony Meteor:


Last edited by 6L6; 08-14-2020 at 05:24 PM.
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  #20  
Old 08-13-2020, 10:47 AM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
Based on his responses (see below) the OP appears to be looking for a hollowbody with built-in pickups, rather than a carved-top acoustic - nice guitar though, and if the neck wasn't '20s period-authentic I'd likely own one right now...


Let's up the drool factor just a bit :



https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...vintage-orange

Near dead-ringer for the Japanese-made Professional Series version at one-third the price, sounds/plays like a Gretsch should (install a set of .011 flatwounds and you're in rockabilly heaven) - and well worth waiting and saving up the extra bucks for the level of quality you're getting (BTW Sweetwater will deal - so don't hesitate to ask for a better price)...
Ordered a Gretsch 5422T in stained Orange
Had a $95 credit with MF so it didn't feel so bad. Lol paid half the taxes
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  #21  
Old 08-13-2020, 03:09 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by CASD57 View Post
Ordered a Gretsch 5422T in stained Orange. Had a $95 credit with MF so it didn't feel so bad. Lol paid half the taxes
That's still one of the Korean-made E-Matics - good choice, since it seems all the 5600-Series semi-hollows have now gone over to Chinese production . BTW here's a pic of my own go-to gigmeister, a 2015 Korean G5622T-CB: 3 Super Hi-lo'Tron pickups (a true humbucking design based on a modified Filter'Tron - the original Brooklyn-style Hi-lo's used in the vintage stuff and the current '60 Anniversary reissue are single-coils), the obligatory Bigsby, those cool Synchromatic-era cats' eye soundholes, every Gretsch tone you've ever heard - and a few you'll never get from any other guitar; it's a shame they were discontinued - IME it's the most versatile instrument Gretsch ever produced:





Hope you've got a nice tube amp to keep it company; if not, I've been using one of these for the last ten years: takes you from the bedroom to a 600-700 seat hall, clean as you need or dirty as you want, with more tone than anything this inexpensive (~$400 if you catch a Holiday/Coupon Sale Day) is supposed to have - excellent match for a Gretsch (voice of experience here), and if you're a tweaker at heart it's very responsive to tube/speaker swaps:





https://www.bugera-amps.com/product....odelCode=P0B03
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  #22  
Old 08-13-2020, 03:44 PM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
That's still one of the Korean-made E-Matics - good choice, since it seems all the 5600-Series semi-hollows have now gone over to Chinese production . BTW here's a pic of my own go-to gigmeister, a 2015 Korean G5622T-CB: 3 Super Hi-lo'Tron pickups (a true humbucking design based on a modified Filter'Tron - the original Brooklyn-style Hi-lo's used in the vintage stuff and the current '60 Anniversary reissue are single-coils), the obligatory Bigsby, those cool Synchromatic-era cats' eye soundholes, every Gretsch tone you've ever heard - and a few you'll never get from any other guitar; it's a shame they were discontinued - IME it's the most versatile instrument Gretsch ever produced:











Hope you've got a nice tube amp to keep it company; if not, I've been using one of these for the last ten years: takes you from the bedroom to a 600-700 seat hall, clean as you need or dirty as you want, with more tone than anything this inexpensive (~$400 if you catch a Holiday/Coupon Sale Day) is supposed to have - excellent match for a Gretsch (voice of experience here), and if you're a tweaker at heart it's very responsive to tube/speaker swaps:











https://www.bugera-amps.com/product....odelCode=P0B03
Maybe next purchase, at the moment I'm using a FRFR. Headrush 108 with a Joyo American sound pedal going into a mixer to the speaker, I did have a Bugera AC60 and it was nice,
I've got a bunch of tubes to play with, so maybe soon ill pick up a tube amp
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  #23  
Old 08-14-2020, 04:47 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by CASD57 View Post
...I've got a bunch of tubes to play with, so maybe soon I'll pick up a tube amp...
This one takes three 12AX7's and a pair of EL84's, and the good news is you don't need (although it helps from what I've heard) a matched pair of power tubes with the self-biasing Infinium circuitry; IME you'll also want to experiment with different brand preamp tubes in different positions - goes a long way in customizing your tone...
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  #24  
Old 08-16-2020, 01:05 PM
Ray175 Ray175 is offline
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Easrman and Ibanez have plenty to offer at this price point
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  #25  
Old 08-22-2020, 03:22 PM
CaffeinatedOne CaffeinatedOne is offline
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Default Washburn J4 - pretty cheap and stable

I have a Washburn J4. It's a laminated top / back jazzbox. A single floating pickup is mounted on the fingerboard extension; tone and volume pots are on the floating pickguard. It's based loosely on the Gibson Howard Roberts guitar design and is easy to hot rod.

My instrument came set up (very nicely) by my local guitar shop and the action is superb and smooth to play. I have smooth wound electric strings mounted. It's a little neck heavy as the neck is maple. The guitar is not a featherweight but is generally well balanced. Overall typical Chinese quality of construction - nice finish but a little overbuilt. It's a decent value at the modest price point. Comes with a good case.

The only downside in my book (given that this is not and will never be comparable to a carved instrument) is the Mr. T chest bling style tailpiece. It is hideous. On mine, I've pulled the tailpiece and replaced it with a Benedetto - style ebony tailpiece which looks right at home. Those are available on ebay and they are not expensive. The second photo shows the post Mr. T tailpiece.

This instrument is a pretty nice doorway into Freddy Green chording and smooth jazz work. I've played rockabilly on it too, but the fit isn't all that great. There's a good reason Gretsch is king in the rockabilly world!



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Taylor 815C
'59 Gibson LG2
Washburn J4 jazz box, ebony tailpiece
Gold Tone open back banjo
Anon. mountain dulcimer
Creaky old Framus 5/1 50
About 1/2 of Guitar One completed; currently intimidating me on account of the neck geometry.
Stacks of mahogany, spruce, maritime rosewood, western red cedar
Expensive sawdust



Last edited by CaffeinatedOne; 08-22-2020 at 03:46 PM.
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