Guitarists – if you had £500 for something new…

i am currently saving up towards either a new bass or guitar so undecided atm BUT.

just read that fender are going to be discontinuing the squier j mascis jazzmaster guitar (have wanted to get one for a while now). i am now going to be saving for one whilst i can still get one (hopefully).

it was good for walk on the wild side………

and slightly out of tune versions of everything else.

@bikebouy so thats with out amp but tbh 300 would be a sweet spot I think. Half the issue is that a wonder around the local guitar and nothing really moved me. They all look pretty but nothing jumped out with the walls adorned with Fender, Epiphone/Gibson, Gretch and Ibanez or every price point. Might need to hunt out PRS dealer as they have caught my eye.

As for tone, I have always favoured humbucker for the warmth and versatility. As for fretless bass. You’re having a laugh!

Wanders off to the Anderson website.

@rOcKeTdOg: its a deluxe plus:

There’s a sneaky little switch nestled between volume and tone that gives it away…

ETA: er, reading the link its a plus deluxe… 😀

PRS SE’s are very nice – especially if you like humbuckers.

Just seen the prices for them on Reverb. That seem’s very good value given there over 500 new.

A thought on single coils versus humbuckers: it’s easy to dirty up a clean single coil signal but impossible to clean up a dirty humbucker signal. With the range of pedals available today you can make even a low output single coil drive an amp every bit as well as a humbucker.

As for splitable humbuckers, I’ve got some Duncan Pearly Gates which as humbuckers are very good but split they’re thin, nothing like the bottom end grunt of an alnico 5 telecaster single coil.

If you’re worried about hum with single coils then single coil stacks are an answer – Seymour Duncan or Fender.

One thing I’ve learned is that you just have to go and play as many as possible.

As above, most guitars are great now, or can be made to play very nicely at little cost.

It’s all about feel, tone and looks.

Spend a day somewhere with a nice selection, bet you find something that moves you.
Try and have an open mind and trust your intuition.
If it feels right, it is right – even if it’s a style or make you’ve previously dismissed.

Alternatively, just buy the one you find prettiest. 🙂

Currently, the GAS beast sleeps – Tele, SG and Superstrat styles make me a happy sausage.

Edukator

Member

You’ve posted some interesting guitars, JP. But that Jaguar accumulates the things to avoid when buying a classic IMO. Especially when one of the best reproductions that Fender do is this:

https://www.thomann.de/fr/fender_johnny_marr_jaguar_ow.htm

You’ll no doubt find a buyer, Nirvana fans have money in their pockets these days, it’s a strange world the classic guitars market. Of your current stock I’d “kick the tyres” of the 335 with P90s and the Thinline Tele.

Funnily enough I prefer the Jag to either of those guitars, even though I’ve always loved 335s and play a Tele regularly.

The other thing to remember is that there are a lot of professional musicians out there who wouldn’t countenance buying a signature guitar, or even something that’s not vintage. Rightly or wrongly, authenticity matters, even when newer models are arguably better.

JP

Mad question but if you had £200 for a guitar to play a few metal riffs on what would you get? I have an old Epiphone Gibson SG at the moment which is old and needs love. I haven’t really got the time or talent for it. Just want something new and tight for the lesser talented player. My current guitar needs a better home

there are a lot of professional musicians out there who wouldn’t countenance buying a signature guitar, or even something that’s not vintage.

But as many if not more who play brand new guitars (which might be relic’d) on stage even if they have a vintage collection at home. When did you last see Brad Paisley on stage with anything that wasn’t shiney new? Or Billy Gibbons? However Vince Gill must have the world’s second or third oldest tele and plays it on stage. I’m trying to remember the name of the country star who has a Squier infinity neck on whatever he plays.

Professionals play something that plays well and projects the right image, or whatever they’re paid enough to play to compromise on other points.

@davidb – What sort of tight are you after?

Normal well played metal tight similar to Maiden, Talica, megadeth etc?
Super tight Djenty riffage such as Periphery, After the Burial, Monuments, Meshugga etc?

The guitar is only one component. Setup, amp, effects, noise gate etc all count towards it.

Biggest component is technique. Check our a metal specific tutor such as the Grand Master of Tight, John Browne (riffhard.com). If you want more diversity, Steve Stines courses are good.

In terms of guitars, in that price bracket I’d go second hand and/or Jackson / Ibanez.
As you used the word tight, I’m going to assume you want to play in other tunings so stick to 25.5 scale minimum and go for a fixed bridge.

A lot of stores have their sales on early, enjoy

(I started with an Ibanez Gio and it was an absolute peach. Next up was a Jackson dk2 pro – again fantastic guitar)

Tbh if you like the SG – take it to a competent store and get it setup. You could also get it smartened up with upgrades to fret work or pickups.

@captainslow thanks for the detailed response. I suppose tight was a poor description. Basically something easy to play, easy to setup and more attune to power chords, chugging than clear beautifully picked sonatas. I’ll go look at some Ibanez models I reckon.

@davidb – you can’t go wrong with Ibanez. If you fancy a slightly thicker neck, checkout the jacksons.
Go fixed bridge for ease of setup – if buying from a shop, let them ‘now what tuning you want to use, have a chat about string gauges do they should provide the setup as part of the sale.

80s tastic

you have been warned

Pink Charvel!

Awesome 👍

well my friends,i have just returned back from swindon and a visit to kempster & sons guitar shop.

hopefully by 19th december i will be the proud owner of a squier j mascis guitar 😁

i e mailed them last week to see if they hsd one in stock and they did 👍

so first thing i got the bus to swindon and tried it (along with a cv 70’s jazz bass).

man it was lovely to play (the j mascis) and i was loving the sounds from it too (played badly through a katana amp i think it was).

so after trying both the vuitar and bass,i decided on the j mascis (the cv jazz was great also i ha ve to say,but i have a jazz bass but no guitar really atm).

deposit du ly paid on it and now the wait till 19th december (feels like christmas lol).

cannot bloody wait to get it and start murdering some dinosaur jn 😅🐙

Great choice. Start choppin’ 🙂

Why do you have to wait so long for it?

JP

jjprestidge i won’t have the rest of the money for the guitar until then (but have put a deposit down more than half of its cost).

tbh i don’t mind as i call it an early christmas present to myself.

also trying to learn it’s my life (by talk talk) on bass and that will easily take me until xmas to be able to try and play it lol (am a beginner on bass).

I’m after a little advice re pedals (the guitar type) and here seems as good a place as any to ask.

I’m a total novice to electric guitar but have been thumping away at a Yamaha fg800 acoustic for a couple of years. I’m crap (I mean, really really awful) but I love giving it a go.

I’ve got a couple of Epiphones, a Les Paul  and a borrowed ES-355 from a mate and have also got a little Vox pathfinder 10 amp. I haven’t a clue about pedals but in the absence of a better Christmas present idea I’m thinking about asking for a couple from the lovely Mrs B

What would be the essentials just to give a bit of variety to the sound I can get from my guitar? not into playing heavy metal but will otherwise have a go at anything. Thinking of spending about £100.

Cheers.

Have a look at wee multi-fx: https://www.gak.co.uk/en/line-6-m5-stompbox-modeller/49126

These sound good and will let you try lots of different effects to see what you like. Then you can think about getting individual pedals, or just keep playing that one!

YGH – I think that’s a great recommendation

What would be the essentials just to give a bit of variety to the sound I can get from my guitar? not into playing heavy metal but will otherwise have a go at anything. Thinking of spending about £100.

There are too many to look at TBH.

For clean sounds with a bit of atmosphere I’d be looking at a reverb or delay (or both) maybe a chorus too.. and if you do want a bit of overdrive (not metal stuff) then there literally billions that gove a mild overdriven sound..

Have a look on Andertons website, but I’d send you first an foremost before you buy anything to a Youtube channel called ThatPedalShow…. where two blokes play guitars and try out a handful of pedals every week.. both are excellent players and have been in the industry for decades, and that know some very well respected guitar players.

So, go there first, watch a few episodes and then you’ll form an idea before spending loads of dosh on a pedal that you don’t like.

I have a Digitech Trio+ (it’s a band creator and looper) and a PreSonous Audio USB 96 for linking your guitar to a computer for sale …. if anyones interested in them.

Here’s ThatPedalShows latest vid..

80s tastic

Love it!

well my friends,i have just returned back from swindon and a visit to kempster & sons guitar shop.

So glad you went in there. That shop has sold me all my guitars and the old fella has been in there since I was at school many many years ago. I bought all my punk singles from Kempsters. About the only decent proper local shop left in Swindon.

Yourguitarhero, that line6 recommendation looks spot on.

Thanks.

+1 for the multi effects options such as the Line6. I went Boss GT1 which was great and I’d recommend also.

Only sold it to fund a Katana amp which more or less has the same thing built in.

I’m about to pick up a second hand Boss Katana 100 Mk1 for my son for Crimbo. £200 quid. I prefer the Mk1 because you can tilt it up like a monitor. Don’t really need all the extra stuff on the Mk2. Cracking practice amps.

£500! I’d need more than that. My last guitar was £7k, isn’t electric, and didn’t even come with fret markers 😛 I have a huge problem with buying expensive guitars but getting to grips with it haha! Also, great to have a guitar thread, I did start one a few years ago.

I’m off to pick up a used Peavey 6505 head this weekend. Comes with the 4*12 and a flight case -£400!
I guess they’ve gone out of fashion or something, but they are truly one of the greatest hard rock / metal amps in the universe.

Can’t wait to run it in parallel with a fuzzed up Orange OR120 and Marshall bass 4*12

Wet/dry setup?

Can’t wait to run it in parallel with a fuzzed up Orange OR120 and Marshall bass 4*12

God, I love Orange Amps.
They sound like the apocalypse. 🙂

Have you all entered the Christmas giveaway on their website? Worth a pop….

I’m practicing metal riffs atm.
I thought Djent was a town in Belgium. Who knew?

finally got my j mascis guitar today and loving it i have to say (i just need to try and learn some dinosaur jn now 👍

it’s lovely to play (great neck on it) and very versatile too i have to say. this is the first jazzmaster i have played and the big p90 single coils sound great (even through my rumble 15 bass amp and zoom bass multi pedal.it’s all i have atm).

did i say i was chuffed 😀

Nice one!

How’s the trem?
I’m very Jazzmaster curious….

ah the trem is good i have to say. it’s more for adding some slight shimmer i would say than doing any whammy antics if thwt makes any sense?

i just use it slightly and it seems fine atm (it does have a tune o matic type bridge as opposed to the normal jazzmaster/jaguar type bridge).

i have heard that they work better with heavier gauge strings (10’s being recommended) i have 9’s atm i think on it (it helps with angle over the bridge or something i read). will try some tens at some point.

think more robin guthrie type shimmer than a strat type whammy where you will be able to do more extreme bends i would say.

i should add that it isn’t the full on fender version so no locking switch on it.

definitely try one out for sure rusty spanner i think you might like them 👍

Ta!

 (it does have a tune o matic type bridge as opposed to the normal jazzmaster/jaguar type bridge).

Excellent. 🙂
I reckon this will be worth keeping.
My old Squier Tele Custom 2 is now worth far more than I paid for it.
Now and again they just hit the nail right on the head.

Have you figured out all the switching options yet?

yes i think lol

the 3 way switch works as you expect (neck,both,bridge pickups) and a master vol and tone.

however when you pull the switch towards you on the upper bout of the guitar it will switch in the neck pickup only and it has its own vol and tone roller controls. it has its own circuit *featured a warmer, darker-sounding rhythm circuit, with its own separate volume and tone control wheels on the upper horn. taken from fender jazzmaster web page.

you definitely notice a difference when you activate it (have only spent a short time so far with it plugged in i have to admit).

edit here is the page from fender. https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/demystifying-the-jazzmaster-controls

Love me a jazzmaster……..

Japanese fender with 62 AVRI jazzmaster pickups and a Squier VM with custom guard, knobs, mustang style bridge and creamery proper p90s (which aren’t the same as classic jazzmaster pickups – slightly thicker and grittier sound)

They work well with 11’s and shimming the neck heals the normal Jm bridge behave