Guitar Recommendations?

https://reverb.com/item/346159-axl-usa-torino

A little conservative in appearance and only a 1 pickup model in the spirit of the LP jr, but the axl stuff is really well made, has a really comfy heel shape for a single-cut with nice, medium shaped necks that are really comfy for everyone. Also, I am a sucker for an intonatable wraparound bridge. If you play mostly rock n roll rhythm this will do the trick for sure.

https://reverb.com/item/655579-hamer-special-1993-cream

I'll bet you could haggle this guy down as the 90s specials are not very collectable, but they are great doublecuts for the money! I promise you there is not a USA Hamer madein the 70s, 0s or 90s that will let you down even if you can't play it first. Everyone who likes Gibsony features likes Hamer once you get them to try one.

https://reverb.com/item/624087-yamaha-sa-1000-1982-brown

or get your chuck berry on with this great old Yamaha... japan produced better semi-hollows, but not at this price point, the pre1985 Yamaha stuff really plays and sounds great.

https://reverb.com/item/346159-axl-usa-torino

Can't use a very high-output, also, I need an HH design.

From the guitars you've suggested, I've got a good idea of what I might get. The Tele build is also an option, but damn, that's going to be a lot of work, but definetely going to aim towards my needs, hopefully; Unless, of course, you think It's better I use Gibson/Epiphone baseball necks.

You need to go in and have someone put guitars in your hand to see which one feels right to YOU. Do it blindfolded so you can't make any other judgments or decisions beyond how it feels.

You need to go in and have someone put guitars in your hand to see which one feels right to YOU. Do it blindfolded so you can't make any other judgments or decisions beyond how it feels.

that's a lil extreme, but go play a ton of guitars without paying attention to price, from the bottom to the top of the spectrum... if I think a guitar is ugly I am just not going to buy it even if its a really good player and sounds pretty good, aesthetics are important to me as they are to you, Boom.

But seriously, go play some bucker equipped teles and strats at varying price points, go play some Ibanez prestige guitars, play bottom of the line gibbies and even a few historics to feel the difference... make sure to try an SG standard... play some ernie ball music man guitars too and even try some Chinese Epiphones to see what you think of those... try a Charvel or Jackson out! Don't forget Gretsch. Both the Professional series and the cheaper elctromatics.

at the average GC your brand options are limited as are your used options... the sunset strip GC is an exception to that rule though, so consider braving it... on the east coast I would send you to a laundry list of places, but I haven't been to California in a decade so I don't know what store to recommend with a great variety other than sunset GC. Sorry.

I like the idea of blind tests because if you see what kind of guitar it is, it may temporarily distort how you feel about it. If you KNOW it's a 4000 guitar, if you see that it's the same guitar a hero of yours uses, and so on can effect it. It has for me in the past. I really got out of the aesthetics part a lot. I used to only want pointy instruments but the ones I want more than ever now have the round bodies I used to always be against. (Lakland, Spector, Wal, ESP Halibut).

Our GC sucks. 20 Basses (All Ibanez and Squire), with 2 amps, and the used section is about 12 guitars. They are likely going out of business though so, maybe Sweetwater will buy them and open up shops everywhere.

I would play this guitar if it felt good and sounded right.

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/rabbit5.jpg

I would play this guitar if it felt good and sounded right.

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/rabbit5.jpg

Haha, get yourself a .strandberg* guitar, it suits the weight, if that's as light as it looks.

I'm going to the Hollywood GC tomorrow, so I got time to relax about all this.

http://www.jamestrussart.com/models.php

Goddamn, those guitars are beautiful.

http://www.normandyguitars.com/alumicaster/

And that... see, if I had the money, I'd buy that with Symour Duncans anyday, but the Trussart guitars have me by the balls, It's like seeing a Fender for the first time in your life, then seeing how many other models there are.

I would play this guitar if it felt good and sounded right.

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/rabbit5.jpg

I would play the angry-rabbit-caster on principle... I am thinking of getting my credit card out right fucking now to order one!

but I get what you are saying to a certain degree... I never like to look at the serials or the hang tags when I try guitars because I don't wanna buy a guitar just because it is a good deal for such-and-such expensive model. I am in the guitar collecting and playing business, not the speculation business (not usually). That said, you will know certain guitars even blindfolded just by shape or finish texture.

Trusarts cost quite a stack of greenbacks (not the speakers) and I don't know they are any good as I never have picked one up at a guitar show... I've played the Normandy semi-hollow. It was a good guitar with a unique sound due to its construction. I came close to buying it but it was heavy and bulky for my taste despite its great sound and sexy look. Hindsight being 20/20 I kinda regret letting that guitar go, it was being sold used for a solid price by the good folks at Atomic Music. They probably woulda cut me a better deal if I had asked. Oh well. I just didn't bond with it.

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/rabbit5.jpg

You know this reminds me of, now that I think of it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMyfxbM-Z0k

My buddy Kenny who works for Collings now used to play a squire hello kitty strat... in a speed metal band :-) I wonder if that's him? I almost bought one for shits and giggles.... maybe I still should!

I used to want to be a collector but these days I just want a few work horses. I've sold off one of my Takamines and now Im even trying to part with the GE-400. Most people dont know what it is or they think it's fake so they don't want to pay up :)

I used to want to be a collector but these days I just want a few work horses. I've sold off one of my Takamines and now Im even trying to part with the GE-400. Most people dont know what it is or they think it's fake so they don't want to pay up :)

y'know, collector might have been a strong word... I acquire guitars frequently, some I tire of and don't play enough so I let them go.... no sentimental value! some have to go due to financial woes (my ex-wife was good at generating those situations), then some I play the shit out of and keep and the number of ones I love keeps expanding. I don't have many I would voluntarily part with right now so I feel like a collector. I think I've played 5 different guitars this week alone. I really rotate thru.

Anyway Narcist, report back on how your Guitar Center Pasadena trip goes.

Sorry, we had to reschedule, had some cousins over.

Bad news: I didn't get to go to Pasadena Guitar Centre

Good News: My dad has the day off tomorrow, so we're cruising Hollywood in all its distasteful glamour. I'll watch out for those pawn shops as well.

hahaha! Cruisin' the strip with the old man. There's something very "Ray Donovan" about the image that conjures for me.

I think you'll make out well doin' it down and dirty in Hollyweird. I don't know whats so distasteful about it to you though. Hollywood has veritas like the Bowery in NY or K&A in Philly (though good luck finding a guitar in Kenzington). Hollywood is really a great place to find a guitar. So many have been pawned by good musicians with bad drug habits (or just bad management) after their failed showcase at the Whiskey!

How old are you?

18, currently.

I just came back, and the strip's even worse than I thought, homeless are everywhere, and the prostitutes are showing up more often.

Anyways, the pawn shops weren't very fruitful, but the Hollywood GC was. Les Pauls do well,a nd the sound is fantastic. Teles are OK, but I think there's something about the neck that isn't working out. I noticed it with some strats and others, the thinner the neck, the worse.

I did however find a gem. Not a guitar, but a used Pedaltrain-1 with a hard shell case for $40. It's on layaway at the moment, but I consider this a good day.

Try one out at the store, specifically on the bridge pickup. It is worth every penny

I tried a few, but the ones with humbuckers simply sang more than single coils. I can't imagine why, but everytime I played a single-coil, all I heard was a really thin sound.

18, currently....

Try one out at the store, specifically on the bridge pickup. It is worth every penny

I tried a few, but the ones with humbuckers simply sang more than single coils. I can't imagine why, but everytime I played a single-coil, all I heard was a really thin sound.

Wow, dude, when I was 18 I was such a hooligan. Hats off to you for not knowing the LA street people by name at your age. You sound like a good kid.

see, even an American standard tele has mediocre pickups unless its a special version equipped with fancy custom shop stuff. Your average tele pickup should be thinner than a bucker, but it should sing in its own way if its a good pickup. Also, scrawny necks kill sustain.

Also, scrawny necks kill sustain.

Care to elaborate?

Oh, I forgot to say, I tried the Blacktop Telecaster. It looks a little bit different when you look at it, but It has a surprisingly nice feel to it. I can't imagine why, but there's one used for I think was $300. I can't remember, but that's definitely on my list of guitars I might get. Definitely has that workhorse feel to it, but Virgil still the original workhorse for sure.

Also, weight played a big role. The smaller ones, I can't seemed to handle. Those Les Pauls really weigh down, I kinda like it.

The more wood you have on an instrument and the greater it's contact is to itself, the better the sustain "the notes ring out longer naturally". With modern electronics and amps this isn't too much of an issue though. Dimebag Darrel Abbott for example used some bolt on guitars but he had that amazing scream from them still. A delay with the right settings allowed his to ring out forever. What I believe is more important is that your dexterity and comfort are fitted.

I prefer 2 options on all my instruments that lower the sustain. I like bolt on necks so that I can easily replace the neck if something happens to it (twisting is an issue in dry Texas weather) and I like super skinny necks. I'm 6'3 and 310 lbs. My hands are large enough that from pinky to thumb is 9 inches. Most people try to throw me fat necked instruments and I cannot stand them. My fingers bend in towards the center of my palm when I bend them, so making large stretches on a neck is not an option for me. I also have a death grip on my neck when I play. A larger neck makes my grip weaker and I feel some techniques become harder for me to do without a strong pinch.

I had a neck through bass once and the fret board was shaped like a staircase. It was looking to be an expensive fix for a cheap instrument. After that I decided to always go with bolt on necks. I want to get a high end Spector once day and the trend with higher end basses is to have them neck through to raise the sustain so I will have to have ole' Stewart make me a custom one. Replacing a neck is so much cheaper than a whole guitar, especially if you really like the body and electronics.

I've never had a problem with weight on guitars or basses. Heaviest bass I ever played was an 80's Ibanez Roadster. Must have been like 9 pounds. So long as you stand with correct posture and have a wide strap, you'll be golden.