@rusty oh that is right you got the Guild at a tag sale! Fixed my post. Look forward to seeing the finished refurbished product.
Santa bringing a new Fender American Strat? Nice!
This link is for you then. Unless it is a hardtail of course 🙂
https://guitarbomb.com/2023/12/18/how-to-set-up-your-stratocaster-floating-trem/
Gibson refreshes it's line of Les Paul guitars.
Lighter body and contoured to better rest against your belly and thinner necks and other things to make it more comfortable to play on stage.
Look at the pretty colors!!!
Hi to my Allman Brothers Band brothers and sisters!!
Merry Christmas!!
@robertdee Merry Christmas to everybody in Guitarland and especially those who live in Allmanville! So cool to see this incredible thread still chuggin' away!
Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all are celebrating safe and sound with your loved ones this special day. Hope Santa brought you all something special this day.
Not many of us Brothers left here so it is gratifying to see those who love guitars or any musical instruments contributing to this thread.
So rusty did you open your guitar present yet? Anyone else get any musical instrument related presents today? Guitars, amps, pedals, keyboards etc.?
Would love to hear from you all.
@rusty I'm 77 now Rusty and my legs and knees act up often now.
I'm surprised that Dickey Betts and Keith Richards are 80 years old and still chugging along:)
Dickey was in a wheelchair at his 80th birthday complete with a Les Paul Goldtop Birthday Cake 🎂.
Keith though is planning to do several dates with the Rolling Stones in 2024.
Both of these men defied the odds just from being cigarette smokers for decades not to mention the rest.
@robertdee I've always heard that when the earth meets its end that a few species will likely survive. Among them, bees, cockroaches, ants and Keith Richards. 😉
My new Les Paul!
Sold to me as "American Professional Strat" - running the serial # through the Fender site says "Fender American Standard Strat". Probably some subtle differences in pickups and trem-bar system? I compared it to an almost identical (actual) American Standard. It's like that Baskin-Robins 72 flavors thing with the Les Pauls - so many varieties . Dunno why? Anyway, whatever it is it plays well, sounds good and all that. Like a new baseball glove when you were a kid - gotta get it broken in. I have been told (advised) that "one more freakin' guitar - we get a bigger house!" 😉
EDIT - 2012 model. I've always wanted an actual American Strat in the brown sunburst. Augments my "naturalized" MIM "Black Logo" Strat (red).
@rusty It looks real nice. And it's good to know it sounds as good as it looks.
A friend sent me a picture of a mint green SG 61 he got for Christmas. Must be a custom shop to say 61 on it. His wife, daughter and mom put the money together for it.
He got a nice red Stratocaster last Christmas. A 2012 designed to look like a 1961.
They told him this is the last year for a nice guitar if he wants to continue living with his wife. I'm sure she was joking. But maybe he better find the extra dimes for something for her next year.
My new Les Paul!
Sold to me as "American Professional Strat" - running the serial # through the Fender site says "Fender American Standard Strat". Probably some subtle differences in pickups and trem-bar system? I compared it to an almost identical (actual) American Standard. It's like that Baskin-Robins 72 flavors thing with the Les Pauls - so many varieties . Dunno why? Anyway, whatever it is it plays well, sounds good and all that. Like a new baseball glove when you were a kid - gotta get it broken in. I have been told (advised) that "one more freakin' guitar - we get a bigger house!" 😉
EDIT - 2012 model. I've always wanted an actual American Strat in the brown sunburst. Augments my "naturalized" MIM "Black Logo" Strat (red).
Congrats rusty, that is a real beauty. What type of amps do you have to play through?
@bill_graham My playing is mainly in my basement and towards recording demo quality original songs. I don't play out often (67 years old). I have a Fender Blues Jr. (tweed, 15 watts), a solid state Marshall amp (20 watts?) and a small VOX Mini go3 (3 watts) - a modeling amp in the vein of a Roland Cube. Mostly I play acoustic and use electric and lap steel for flavoring. I've also got drum pads, a Fender bass and an ancient (25 years old) electronic keyboard that I use. I'm not a real lead guitar player type - but that doesn't stop me from tryin. More of an obsessive hobbyist! I love guitars!
Norman's Rare Guitars- rare guitar of the day
Gibson Les Paul Supreme
History of Gretsch
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/fred-w-gretsch-140th-anniversary
Brian Setzer signature model demo
1960 Gibson ES335 with PAF humbuckers
@bill_graham Good sounding guitar. Very good. To me doesn't sound like a typical Les Paul and I wouldn't want it to sound like my Les Paul if I had both with me on stage.
But also it's tone here is not like B. B. King's either.
Norman's Rare Guitars Guitar of the day
1989 Rickenbacker 325
Gibson's Murphy Lab now aging acoustic guitars
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/gibson-tom-murphy-acoustic-interview
Some hot guitar porn and Gregg Allman in fine voice later in his career.
Highest Level J45 vs D18 – (Murphy Lab vs Authentic Aged)
Firefly Fender Stratocaster copy review. Are these a better value than a Fender Squier Strat if you have to change the pickup?
https://guitarsgarden.com/collections/sg
Joe Bonamassa article about the man.
https://www.loudersound.com/features/joe-bonamassa-live-interview
Gibson Murphy Lab secrets
Norman's Rare Guitars Guitar of the day
1979 Music Man Stingray bass
@bill_graham I would buy the Fender Squire because of the headstock. The Squire has the patened Fender headstock design and many I've seen have "by Fender" on the headstock.
It's probably me being picky but I don't like Strat, Tele and even some Les Paul copy or close designs with a headstock design different from the classic look.
It yells out at guitar geeks that you didn't buy a Fender or Gibson.
@robertdee Yeah I agree with you rd. For me it is more trusting a brand like Fender or Gibson Epiphone over some Asian made knockoff
I do find it interesting how many inexpensive guitar brands there are these day that are selling guitars for less than $200.
Gives people looking for a cheap alternative for short $$$.
I prefer buying the real deal, and it's easier than ever to find Gibsons or Fenders for a decent price thanks to online used markets.
I do think it's funny that PRS started out making a hybrid Les Paul-Strat and now make straight up Strat and LP inspired models (Silver Sky and McCarty) that are even more expensive than what they copied.
@porkchopbob Yes I remember reading Paul himself saying his guitar fits the Les Paul and Strat player and especially the many players who like to play a Les Paul on certain tunes and switch to a Strat on others.
That his guitar is designed so those players can leave their Les Paul and Strat at home and bring their new Paul Reed Smith and play it on everything.
A lot of players who usually play covers in clubs will change guitars depending on what tune is next. Except those who can't afford two or three axes:)
Apparently that space Paul Reed Smith thought was there didn't really grown into what he expected.
But when you go past Gibson (34 percent) and Fender( 32 percent)in market share for 2023, Paul Reed Smith is a popular choice for those who didn't buy a Fender or Gibson.
Ibanez is too but I think most of their buyers are into playing heavy metal and hard rock.
Smith purposely designed his guitars to physically bridge between a Strat and a Les Paul - I think the early neck length is exactly midway between the two. Even though PRS have humbuckers, they don't really have a fat Gibson tone. And even though they can replicate a thin single-coil Fender sound somewhat, the humbuckers muddies it up by comparison. And they are expensive, better off getting a Strat or a Paul than a PRS as it's a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none. I also think they have gotten progressively uglier over the years, quite garish.
@porkchopbob I agree. And Fender now is making so many variations of Strats with so many different pickups and neck variations it would take days to figure out what you liked best if you were to go beyond the classic Strat set up.
And Gibson has Les Pauls now in new colors and lighter bodies with contoured backs like a Strat etc and thinner necks supposedly to make them more comfortable to play night after night.
I guess Gibson and Fender are covering the variations and go betweens from makes such as Paul Reed Smith, Music Man and Ibanez.
If I were younger and giging in clubs doing mostly covers, I think I would rather have a classic Les Paul weight and all then buy a cheaper old Strat with single coils and whammy and have a good amp to help with the tones I want from song to song and trying to get close to tones from the old guys.
Maybe an old inexpensive Tele as a third option for any country stuff the band may play. But maybe not. $ would be the question.
Actually I'm in real good shape money wise now that my 401K is in the bank as I have to pay taxes on it now. But I'm 77 and too old to think about joining a cover band playing clubs and motels. It was a good way to meet chicks when I was 30 but I'd always go out of tune when I saw her leaving with another guy during the second set:)
