Reconfiguring my guitar arsenal.

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Unsprung

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After stopping at a Guitar Center in Indianapolis, today, I'm starting to make plans to reconfigure my guitar collection...sell off the ones I don't really need, and use those funds toward buying ones that better suit my needs. When I first got there, I happened to find that they've got several Ibanez AFS75Ts to chose from, so I tried one, and ruled it out of contention for becoming my rockabilly/surfabilly box. I found and tried out an Epiphone Les Paul Studio, just to get an idea of how it sounds, although I'd replace the humbuckers with Gibson P94s and add a Bigsby B5 vibrato. GC didn't have any Epiphone WildKats or E-295s in stock, but I happened to spot a used AlleyKat w/Bigsby, and gave it a whirl...ruling that one out, for a rockabilly box. Next, I spied a Fender Telecaster Deluxe sitting on one of the floor stands, so I plugged it in, and quickly realized one of them will have a place in my collection. Then I happened to notice that they've got a Gibson Faded SG with P90s, so I tried it out, and have decided that one of those will find its way into my collection. After that, I tried out a Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker, just to hear any difference between it and my still stock Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90. I nearly fell off the stool, when I realized that my Epi LP Jr. 90 actually sounds better than the Gibson Melody Maker. One of the salesmen told me that "yes, it's possible for the Epiphone to actually have a better P90 than the Gibson. The last one I tried, at GC, was a Gibson Les Paul Faded Double Cut with P90s, and it pretty much "screamed" 'I'm the sound you're looking for, for your first instrumental recording.

After Guitar Center, I made my way over to IRC Music, where I tried out another Ibanez AFS75T, and ended up confirming that I won't be adding one to my collection. I tried out several of their Fender Stratocasters, as I did at GC, and even an Indiana Fat Strat knock-off. While the cheap, sub-$200.00 price of the Indiana guitars is kind of tempting, I figured I'll hold out for a Fender. From IRC Music, I went to Sam Ash, where the first guitar I tried was a Gretsch Electromatic Jet Pro with Bibsby, and decided I'll be removing that one from my Musician's Friend Wish List. Tried a few of their Fender Stratocasters, then tried a Fender Telecaster Custom and Fender Esquire, then started making my way back home...purposefully routing my trip to take my by a local trading post store, where I found 2 Fender Stratocasters on Saturday, one an American, the other MIM (Standard), and ended up trying out the Mexi-Strat, with a price of $299.00 (used, as was the American). I'll be going back there, tomorrow, to start a lay-away for the Mexi-Strat, although I don't think I'll need the full 90-days that the owner allows.

I never did find a potential rockabilly box to "test drive," between the three Indy stores, although I can see the cheapie Gibson Les Paul w/P90s being useful as a "rockabilly slab." So far, it's looking like the Peavey JF-2 EXP will end up as my rockabilly box, via a 90-day lay-away at another local store. As soon as I have my boxes rounded up/find boxes to fit several of what I've already got in my collection, several guitars will be leaving my collection.

Those going, in the near future, will be my Squier Affinity P-Bass (since I've got the Fender Standard Precision Bass), Squier Fat Telecaster, Squier Bullet Special (since I've got a Fender So Cal Speed Shop Strat) and I'm even considering selling off my Ibanez Artcore AG75TBS. The AG75TBS was nice enough, when I bought it, in that it actually plays well and sounds good, and I could play it unplugged fairly decently, whenever I found myself better to not plug in. Currently, without letting go of the guitars I don't really need, for not having any use for other than making noise, my collection was looking to grow to 22 all together (acoustics/electrics/basses). In listing in a Word doc everything I've mentioned above, minus the ones I'll be selling and plus the ones I'll be getting, my final cound will come up to 17 all together. I guess I'll still have to come up with a drum kit, somewhere along the line, since my collection will still go past 15. Until I'm able to actually try out an Epiphone WildKat, or Epiphone ES-295, I'll have to have the Peavey JF-2 EXP on my list.

Matt in Indiana
 
Tell me about the

American strat.

And was the double cut an LP or a JR, i.e. flat top or carved top, and what color was it?
 
I'm thinking about converting the Strat to a hard tail, and putting 3 Duncan Lipsticks in it. Basically, all I'm doing for buying a used Standard, for $100 less than a brand new one at GC, is saving myself $100. That could go toward the Lipsticks.

The LP I tried out is a Faded Double Cutaway in Worn Yellow. I'll go for the P90 equipped SG, as well, as there's enough sound difference that I can see me switching between 'em...depending on the song. In playing the LP, I could tell it'd be quite a versatile one to have in my "arsenal."

Like I said, by the time I'm finished rearranging my "arsenal," I'll end up with a total of 19 guitars (including my acoustics), which will consist of several Epiphones and Fenders, a couple of Gibsons, a Peavey and my "oddball" Johnson acoustic/electric bass. I could always add another acoustic 6-string to my "arsenal," so I'll have something that I could take with me for military maneuvers, whenever possible, and not worry too much if it got damaged or stolen. I'm thinking of something along the lines of an Indiana Scout, for that.

Matt
 
I bought a really cheap used squier strat that ended up having the bathtub routing. I dropped in a prewired pickguard with 2 chrome humbuckers. It turns out that it gets an excellent rackabilly sound. I have been playing strat configurations for years and always missed that middle position sound you can get with 2 pickup guitars. I was also looking at the Epi 295, which I thought was going to be really cool. I could never find one to put my hands on, so I opted to stick with in-stock models.
 
cephus said:
I bought a really cheap used squier strat that ended up having the bathtub routing. I dropped in a prewired pickguard with 2 chrome humbuckers. It turns out that it gets an excellent rackabilly sound. I have been playing strat configurations for years and always missed that middle position sound you can get with 2 pickup guitars. I was also looking at the Epi 295, which I thought was going to be really cool. I could never find one to put my hands on, so I opted to stick with in-stock models.
Click to expand...

That's cool. I wouldn't figure a fat strat for rockabilly. Who knew?
 
So Matt,

do know where to get a pre-wired pickguard assembly with the lipsticks?

I've often though about doing that.

As a matter of fact, I need to check my Bullet to see if it has the bathtub.

Does yours?

Yep, a white pearloid with lipsticks is exactly what that needs. It's my sort of tribute guitar to my dad. Same color as his casket, which is the same color as our 64 Olds 88. But it has a black pickguard, and I need white (to match the roof). And on something like that you just can't have too much chrome. :D
 
And what color was

the American Strat?

And maple or rosewood fretboard?

You were going to get the Mexi anyway, right?
 
I've put the used MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster (2-tone burst; maple neck/fingerboard...matches my 2005 model MIM Standard Tele) on lay-away, today. The owner said it didn't come in with the tremelo arm, but I figure I'll get a Fender American Strat tremelo system in there, rather to convert it to hard tail...who knows, I may eventually get used to it. I'll likely be taking my stuff to IRC Music, in Indianapolis, to get things done like pickups and electronics work, and hardware things like adding a Bigsby vibrato to a couple of Les Pauls. Their prices are fair enough, so I'll give 'em a try.

One thing I've realized, since my initial post, was "WHY am I planning to buy two more Les Pauls, when one I'm planning to buy ALREADY has P90s!?!" One less guitar to buy, there...I'll buy the Gibson, and get a Bigsby B5 for it. I also realized why I'm planning to buy both the cheapie Les Paul and SG, with both having P90s...the SG will be good for some rhythm guitar, having a tad more low end bite than the Les Paul. Pretty much, once I sell off the guitars I no longer need, and bring in the ones that will be truly usefull, I'll not want for finding just the right sound, be it psychedelic, rockabilly or surf...even a bit of country, on occasion. Perhaps I've reached a new milestone, as a guitar/bass player, in assessing my needs, looking at what I've already got, and adjusting appropriately?

I think that for not needing to add two more Les Pauls to my "arsenal," I should use that opportunity to buy a cheaper 6-string acoustic than what I already have. Something I can take with me on military maneuvers, and it wouldn't be a "catastrophic loss," if it was damaged or stolen. Here, I'm thinking along the lines of an Indiana Scout, or maybe a Johnson model.

Matt
 
notCardio said:
That's cool. I wouldn't figure a fat strat for rockabilly. Who knew?
Click to expand...

I think I could live with a strat with only the middle pickup and a volume knob. I use the rhythm pickup if I need a little juice, but the middle pickup on a strat is the only think that I've found that is transparent enough to play rhythm and lead in one voice.

With the hum/hum one, i get a neat lead voice and somewhat understated rhythm tone in the middle, but it's still not nimble enough to use it all night long.
 
I fell in love with a Fender Baja Tele...give it a whirl if you can.
 
cephus said:
I think I could live with a strat with only the middle pickup and a volume knob. I use the rhythm pickup if I need a little juice, but the middle pickup on a strat is the only think that I've found that is transparent enough to play rhythm and lead in one voice.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly, which is why I want a Fender Musicmaster so badly.
 
Somewhere along the line, I didn't make myself clear enough on something. Not sure what I did wrong, but I'm not planning to use a Strat for rockabilly...not even surfabilly. I'll more likely use the Strat for country, psychedelic and surf. For rockabilly and surfabilly, I'll use either the P90 equipped Gibson Les Paul Faded Double Cutaway, or the Peavey JF-2 EXP.

I've already got a pretty good idea of what guitars already in my "arsenal," and those soon to be in my "arsenal" will be good for. Some will be good for both lead and rhythm parts, others lead only and others rhythm only. For surf, if I use my Epiphone Les Paul Jr. 90 for lead, for rhythm I'll use the Fender Stratocaster, P90 LP FDC or P90 equipped Gibson Faded SG. The Strat or LP FDC could also be good for some surf leads, with the SG on rhythm.

By the time I'm finished recording my first CD, I figure I should have a pretty good handle on which guitars will fit into what roles, within the context of my instrumental soundscapes. In the future, I'll likely be creating a lot on my acoustics (6- and 12-string), then trying out the most likely electric to carry the part, and tweaking the sound from there.

Matt in Indiana
 
Well, I'll say this for you, you have an interesting angle on things.

Now, what color was the Am. strat you passed up?
 
notCardio said:
Well, I'll say this for you, you have an interesting angle on things.

Now, what color was the Am. strat you passed up?
Click to expand...
I think Baltic Blue...lighter than the new Electron Blue color, but darker than Agave Blue (color of my 2005 model Fender Standard Precision Bass) and Daphne Blue. Although blue is my favorite color, I ended up with the Brown Sunburst 2005 model Standard Telecaster 'cause Guitar Center didn't have any left in blue, and I was a few dollars short of making the down payment for a Daphne Blue Highway One Tele...and too lazy to go to the nearest Bank One ATM for the extra $20 it would've taken.

Thinking back, I could've asked about making the down payment with plastic, but oh well, I do like what I've got. I played both Telecasters, and truthfully if anyone can hear a difference between my Standard Tele and the Highway One Tele I atually played, they're simply expecting to hear a difference. Had the Highway One actually been noticeably better than the Standard, I would've taken the extra time for a trip to Bank One.

With the Strat I'm getting being the same color as my Tele, I can tell folks that I've got "fraternal twin" Fender guitars. :p

Matt
 
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