vintage guitars

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rice_pudding
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Post by rice_pudding »

not meaning to take things too off topic but how about second hand guitars? what are your expieriences of owning used guitars?

i myself have 4 second hand guitars and they're all good and well worth the money i paid for them (one only cost me a fiver :D )

i like used/old instruments because they have a story behind them. but i also like new ones, that way i get to write the first chapter 8)
Paul Wolfe
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

I've owned maybe 26 guitars over the years and maybe 5 of them were bought new.

I prefer used instruments because they usually have character. Plus they are almost always more affordable than buying new :D
rice_pudding
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Post by rice_pudding »

RockyRhoads wrote: I prefer used instruments because they usually have character. Plus they are almost always more affordable than buying new :D
+1
exactly where im coming from :)
siro_angel
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Post by siro_angel »

rice_pudding wrote:not meaning to take things too off topic but how about second hand guitars? what are your expieriences of owning used guitars?

i myself have 4 second hand guitars and they're all good and well worth the money i paid for them (one only cost me a fiver :D )

i like used/old instruments because they have a story behind them. but i also like new ones, that way i get to write the first chapter 8)
I like used guitars because i feel like every time someone plays a guitar they leave an non physical imprint on the guitar sort of like a soul fingerprint and it makes you feel like you posess the knowlege of the previous guitar player who played that guitar, well thats what it does to me anyways :)

Simon
"A man who aimed to bring his dreams to reality is not a fool, but the man who won't is."
rice_pudding
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Post by rice_pudding »

heres the story of my 40 year old suzuki nylon strung acoustic;

im the third owner of the guitar. It belonged to a work colleague of my dad who wanted a steel string so my dad traded his steel strung acoustic for it when he was about my age. My dad prefered it to his old acoustic cos the nylon strings are easier for begginers. But in any case my dads laclustre ventures into the world of music ended after a motorcycle crash. he broke his hand and has never been able to fret quite right since. Many, many years later i wanted to learn to play so my dad gave it to me. I dont have an exact age for it but it is about 35-40 years old maybe a bit more...

its neck profile is huge vastly outdoing anything else ive ever seen. but it plays pretty nice and has great tone for a lamminate top. the bridge recently popped of it but i got it fixed. At the moment i need to re-string it but aside from that its ready to go for another 40 odd years. :D

i'll post up some stories about my other guitars if anyone wants or if your not interested just tell me to shut up :wink:
zmack mylde
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Post by zmack mylde »

My opinion is that the guitars made in Korea in the 1980's were garbage...i say this because I have seen some 1980's made in Korea from some vintage guitar stores...

BUT the guitars coming out of Korea today are fantastic..they got better throughout the years in making guitars. The guitars coming out of Korea today are just as good and in a lot of cases better than Made In The USA.
Cpt Matt Sparrow
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Post by Cpt Matt Sparrow »

zmack mylde wrote:My opinion is that the guitars made in Korea in the 1980's were garbage...i say this because I have seen some 1980's made in Korea from some vintage guitar stores...

BUT the guitars coming out of Korea today are fantastic..they got better throughout the years in making guitars. The guitars coming out of Korea today are just as good and in a lot of cases better than Made In The USA.
Very true. I think I am may be repeating myself but it was only 30 years ago people mocked Japanese Guitars too and now they are up there with the USA for consistency and quality. For Electric Guitars I love Japanese made stuff.

My Epiphone sheraton is a fantastic example of korean workmanship. It is as well made as my Gretsch which cost 4 times as much.
Having a break from online activity for a while to concentrate on music. Please email if you need to get in touch. Matt
zmack mylde
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Post by zmack mylde »

Matthew wrote:
zmack mylde wrote:My opinion is that the guitars made in Korea in the 1980's were garbage...i say this because I have seen some 1980's made in Korea from some vintage guitar stores...

BUT the guitars coming out of Korea today are fantastic..they got better throughout the years in making guitars. The guitars coming out of Korea today are just as good and in a lot of cases better than Made In The USA.
Very true. I think I am may be repeating myself but it was only 30 years ago people mocked Japanese Guitars too and now they are up there with the USA for consistency and quality. For Electric Guitars I love Japanese made stuff.

My Epiphone sheraton is a fantastic example of korean workmanship. It is as well made as my Gretsch which cost 4 times as much.

Speaking of Japanese....you were the one who told me about Westones, well lo and behold one showed up at the local used guitar shop the other day called a Westone Thunder....didn't really look impressive BUT when i plugged it in OH MY GOD...incredible! This thing looks to be at least 20 years old and just sounds fantastic like a high end instrument , I am not joking. It is so rich in sound and tone and is solidly built....I think I'm going to buy it. It sounded better than half the new guitars in the store.

I think Japanese are the top as far as consistency and quality, Korean is second and USA is third. I know that USA used to be the top but the quality control has gone down in the past years. But when we get it right, we, meaning USA -are spot on. Paul Reed Smith is the only USA company right now that I trust for consistancy. I've seen some nightmares from Gibson in recent years.
Cpt Matt Sparrow
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Post by Cpt Matt Sparrow »

zmack mylde wrote: Speaking of Japanese....you were the one who told me about Westones, well lo and behold one showed up at the local used guitar shop the other day called a Westone Thunder....didn't really look impressive BUT when i plugged it in OH MY GOD...incredible! This thing looks to be at least 20 years old and just sounds fantastic like a high end instrument , I am not joking. It is so rich in sound and tone and is solidly built....I think I'm going to buy it. It sounded better than half the new guitars in the store.
Hi zmack

That is the Westone my wife and I have!! It has coil taps and you can get a great variety of sounds. It is just plain ridiculous how good it is. Too right it is like a high end instrument. I laugh when I think I paid £80 for it. That was too much but a friend was broke and didn't care for Guitar anymore.
I was gobsmacked by the quality!


ZMACK...BUY IT!!!
Having a break from online activity for a while to concentrate on music. Please email if you need to get in touch. Matt
Paul Wolfe
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

Is this the fiddle y'all be yakkin' 'bout?

Image


There's a good site about Westone's here.
zmack mylde
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Post by zmack mylde »

Paul Wolfe wrote:Is this the fiddle y'all be yakkin' 'bout?

Image


There's a good site about Westone's here.

Yeah that's the one! The one in my local music shop is a natural wood color though....and I'm not kidding it sounds so bad ass. I couldn't believe that incredible sound was coming out of this unknown guitar. I did some research and found out they were made by the Matsomoku factory in Japan, one of the top Japanese guitar makers that is now shut down, they also made Aria Pro. There is a new company that calls themself Westone but has no relation to the original Westone. I am definitely going to add that Westone Thunder to my collection, hopefully no one discovered it and bought it.
Cpt Matt Sparrow
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Post by Cpt Matt Sparrow »

Finding an unknown or a cult gem like this is really exciting. I think they are a great axe to customise too.

I have sanded the neck so it has a great real wood feel and changed the knobs. The stock pick ups though seem top quality.
Having a break from online activity for a while to concentrate on music. Please email if you need to get in touch. Matt
Paul Wolfe
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

My memories of Westone's are about this guitar:

Image


A guitar called Pantera in 1986.
zmack mylde
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Post by zmack mylde »

Matthew wrote:Finding an unknown or a cult gem like this is really exciting. I think they are a great axe to customise too.

I have sanded the neck so it has a great real wood feel and changed the knobs. The stock pick ups though seem top quality.

Matthew, I bought the Westone and I haven't been able to put it down since. I'm not kidding when I say this, it sounds better than my Les Paul.
What kind of pickup did they use in the bridge of a Westone? I want to get a Seymour Duncan that sounds like it to put it in my other guitars....is that pickup a copy of PAF or a JB?
Cpt Matt Sparrow
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Post by Cpt Matt Sparrow »

Hi Zmack


It looks like a PAF. But I know next to nothing about this kind of stuff.

I am really pleased for you any sound clips for the good people at UR :D
Having a break from online activity for a while to concentrate on music. Please email if you need to get in touch. Matt
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