Guitars... what you've got / what you want

i do feel very lucky that i snagged that jag. i didn't plan on buying when i did and it was a little more than i intended to spend, but between the aesthetics and the upgrades that had been done it was tough to imagine finding a better jag for me.

Have:

1950s Martin D-18 (inherited from grandmother)
1950s Martin O-18 (inherited from grandmother)
1976 Guild D-25
2015 Gibson ES-335 Studio
1993 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
Johnson Solara (cheap electric I have for weird reasons but am sort of fond of)

Want:
Some kind of telecaster-style guitar, possibly with a gold-foil neck pickup and a regular tele type bridge pickup

Considering selling the strat - I just recently got it back from someone who had borrowed it for years (long story) and I never loved it or strats generally.
I already feel like

*I already feel like I have too many guitars. No way I would have three acoustics but for the fact that I inherited two, and then bought a third because I felt nervous taking heirloom guitars out to some playing situations.

Actually would also love a Gibson ES-175 or L5 type full hollow, and maybe a baritone guitar.

https://i.imgur.com/NHsP3gn.jpg

Yamaha FG 380 acoustic
Yamaha Revstar RS502T
Gretsch Electromatic G5120
Ibanez AS73G
Ibanez TMB100 (bass)
Postitive Grid "Spark" amp

Not pictured:
1989 Squier Strat, Late 90s Epiphone double cutaway Les Paul Special (tv yellow), neither of which is currently in working order.
Vox VT100X amplifier, which is more amp than I need, and I've been meaning to sell since I bought the Spark amp.

Also, a cat.

*FG 830

xp holy shit those martins - I'd love to play one but would be terrified to handle it.

xp nice arrangement and that is a lovely and large-looking cat

If I had it to do over, I'd have gotten the Yamaha RS502 without the tailpiece. Would've been more versatile re: modification. But it's a fuckin tank and I'm sure I'll own it forever.

xp I love the D-18 a lot. Definitely has taken some wear - there's a small crack right by the pickguard, and I had to have another crack in the side repaired. I haven't really figured out the O-18, have not found the right strings for it possibly and don't love the sound right now.

As noted I bought the Guild recently at a cheap price (it had some damage but is very playable) because I wanted a beater acoustic that still had a vintage dreadnought sound - something I wouldn't be scared to travel with/use at a local singalong or a small gig if I ever play one again.

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--IUxrKZ4E--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1426607907/fwmddtneq7o8pxqlzmqi.jpg

This is the Jazzmaster I have. It's not my actual one, I don't own a barn

I don't think that person does either. That's a set if I've ever seen one.

https://i.imgur.com/8cJAm1E.jpg
- 2013 Jackson Soloist
- 2015 Charvel San Dimas
- 2013 Fender Pawn Shop Super-Sonic
- 1983 Hamer Phantom A5 (with the 'triple humbucker')
- 1984 Hamer Phantom 12 (same thing but 12 string)
- 2008 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster (prototype with block in-lays, MIK)
- 2008 Jackson Warrior

i play the super-sonic and JA-90 a ton, and the charvel quite cos its so comfortable.

That soloist reminds me - I'd also love to get a ridiculous 80s shredder superstrat. It's absolutely got to have the pointy headstock and shark fin inlays and would preferably be neon pink crackle or something equally over-the-top

Monkey grip handle or gtfo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Performer

^^ my ‘80s shredder of choice if I ever found one

I was trying to recall where I'd spotted a Performer recently, and it was in this deeply regrettable image:

https://gayebykersonacid.wixsite.com/gayebykersonacid/gallery?lightbox=image15ci

No embedding, damnit. Gaye Bikers on Acid gallery, towards the bottom of the page.

https://i.imgur.com/Lij63UE.jpg

Jazzmaster w/ my JMJ signature Mustang bass (corny mass produced relic but the only traditional Mustang bass in the lineup these days?)

Nothing corny about the JMJ Mustang! It's a thing of beauty and I treated myself to one when it turned Shell Energy owed me a grand

I got a bit obsessed with wanting a Fender Performer recently. It's the guitar used by Bill Callahan up to and including Dongs Of Sevotion (he's playing it on the cover)

It sounds so good. I've got a set of the appropriate La Bella strings but haven't had a chance to drop it off for a setup with the new gauge.

Was intrigued by how many guitar dudes vouch for their quality. They look proper odd but Bill always wore it well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqT2djn-m2Q

I apologise for my obnoxious post upthread, I asked a mod to delete it but no response as yet so I guess it'll stand as a monument to tone deafness. It actually made me think a bit, I am wondering if collecting mania is a mental health issue for me. Most of those I bought cheap but I sure don't need them all. Anyway the rest of this thread is cool and I love this site so I will find a way to work on my own shit elsewhere.

Can someone advise me on my 1995 fender strat plus? It’s been packed away since I got a gretsch electromatic and I think I want to put some money into revamping it. I never loved the locking tuning pegs and the bridge is a weird thing with ball bearings. I kind of want to replace them with basic but good components. Anyway I own like 6 guitars and have been playing for nearly 30 years yet still know very little about guitars

xp hi matt, i don't think that's the type of thing that would typically get deleted and speaking for myself i found the post not obnoxious but maybe more overwhelming? like that's a lot of guitars but it's really not my business why someone has the number of guitars they do!

Xxp don't think anyone is offended matttkkkk. Thread is moving fast. Post some stories/details about items in that list though. Curious about the "1950? Unknown parlour guitar", naturally.

People online can get weird about instruments, like it's wrong to own any of them beyond your immediate need to write a hit record. No weirder or worse than collecting anything else IMO.

1976 Guild D-25

my early '80s lefty d-25 is my single favorite object in my life. the first real guitar i bought (used, from some dude in new jersey). i've walked into walls with it, dented the body against a door knob, generally mistreated it, and every single mistake i've made has somehow made it sound better. it records incredibly well. i have a martin d-28 that sounds technically superior in most ways and stays in tune and that i protect like a child, but i'll never love it the same way and i'll probably never play it as much. the guild probably knows me better than i know it, and i treasure it for that.

I've never played an old Guild, but I think I read about some artist loving his old Guild, maybe a 12-string?, and that makes me automatically swoon about an old Guild. Guitar mags + impressionable youth, but maybe something is there.

old guilds seem to be universally beloved

Oh also, Bryter Layter. That is also part of it.

i don't really need another dreadnought so maybe not a d-25 but it would be cool to have an instrument that was built in new england back in the day

Thanks folks upthread. I woke at 3am and looked at that list and thought "what the fuck is wrong with you?" But I do love them all, I've sold more than I have, and given away quite a few. Morbidly there are a few there so I can leave e.g. 1 Strat 1 Tele and an acoustic to both of my daughters when I die.
The unknown parlor guitar I bought for $14 at the local recycle / tip shop. It had the back splitting off, the bridge misplaced and it was strung with nylons. I repaired it enough to get it playing well but left it alone beyond that. It has a cute hand-painted/stippled sunburst, sounds bone-dry and so alive, and a gem to play; my older daughter keeps stealing it off me. Best guess is it's a 1950 "Michigan" brand.
https://i.imgur.com/4PwDDwI.jpg

and here's a Michigan for sale https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/clarkesauctions/catalogue-id-clarke2-10046/lot-6c5b077f-d162-4639-8f16-a9b300d1a788#lotDetails

very nice--so cool that you were able to bring it back to life

Can someone advise me on my 1995 fender strat plus? It’s been packed away since I got a gretsch electromatic and I think I want to put some money into revamping it. I never loved the locking tuning pegs and the bridge is a weird thing with ball bearings. I kind of want to replace them with basic but good components. Anyway I own like 6 guitars and have been playing for nearly 30 years yet still know very little about guitars

― Heez, Monday, May 31, 2021 9:45 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

seems reasonable to replace these components imo. with bridges i know that there are two different string spacings that are used on fender bridges so you may need to watch for "vintage" vs. "modern."

i think with replacing tuners the biggest thing is location of the mounting screws possibly being different? as in you may need to drill some new holes and fill the existing ones.

with fenders i wouldn't feel much fear in at least attempting to work on them....i have always told myself worst case i get in over my head and need to contact a repair person to finish the job.

Xxp very cool. "Vintage michigan guitar" search of course takes me right to Elderly's website, a place I went to often in the early 00's.

Ya

I apologise for my obnoxious post upthread, I asked a mod to delete it but no response as yet so I guess it'll stand as a monument to tone deafness. It actually made me think a bit, I am wondering if collecting mania is a mental health issue for me. Most of those I bought cheap but I sure don't need them all. Anyway the rest of this thread is cool and I love this site so I will find a way to work on my own shit elsewhere.

spottie your collection is fascinating as well, like those 80s hamers are totally unfamiliar to me

I go to a lot of estate sales/auctions so I’m always looking for stuff hoping to flip it or shuffle the collection a bit. The guy who owned these had original receipts for them too, also had some sweet vintage pedals that I bought (vintage boss and worley). I’d never heard of those Hamers either, apparently the A5 was popularized by Andy summers. I had to put a couple hundred into the 6 string for a fret level/polish and solidify a crack in the neck joint. Might sell both to try and get one off the wishlist. They are fun to play tho, lots of tonal options.

Can someone advise me on my 1995 fender strat plus? It’s been packed away since I got a gretsch electromatic and I think I want to put some money into revamping it. I never loved the locking tuning pegs and the bridge is a weird thing with ball bearings. I kind of want to replace them with basic but good components. Anyway I own like 6 guitars and have been playing for nearly 30 years yet still know very little about guitars

― Heez, Monday, May 31, 2021 9:45 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

seems reasonable to replace these components imo. with bridges i know that there are two different string spacings that are used on fender bridges so you may need to watch for "vintage" vs. "modern."

i think with replacing tuners the biggest thing is location of the mounting screws possibly being different? as in you may need to drill some new holes and fill the existing ones.

with fenders i wouldn't feel much fear in at least attempting to work on them....i have always told myself worst case i get in over my head and need to contact a repair person to finish the job.

xp those Hamers are awesome, I had a friend who was a professional musician and flat out told me they were the best made production guitars of their era.
I have pictures of pretty much everything in the list, I think. These are some nice ones - the Squier in the centre is a 1983 SQ serial from Fender Japan, my favourite of all. I sold the Greco thinline on the left after I picked up a similar but older one for $150 on a visit to Japan.
https://i.imgur.com/FHifgdi.jpg

I also bought the Greco Strat in Japan, had visited Ochanomizu to buy a decent Fender Japan Strat for a friend, and thought well I don't need anything for myself unless there's a 70s Fender copy somewhere - the last store on the street was full of metal guitars and this one lonely 78 Greco for about $250, when I tried it I knew it was coming home. I had to get on the Yamanote line in rush hour and go to Shinjuku with one guitar on my back and one held to my front, it was a lot of fun.

Ha, sounds awesome. I know people swear by those early Japan squiers but I don’t know much about about them, honestly. Pickups sound good?

To be honest I switched out the bridge for an inexpensive but awesome ToneRider Hot Classic. The neck "WRHB" is a bar magnet approximation from the Greco production lines, but I put 1M pots on the neck circuit and used the trick of backing off the hidden screws a way - it ends up being a bit like a P bass pickup. Anyway the end result sounds divine, not like a WRHB but more like a Strat neck pickup.

Also anyone who needs a P style bass should get onto the Ibanez Roadstar copies from the 80s. Same production line as Fender Japan, absolutely wonderful instruments, STILL underpriced although inflating like everything else at the moment.

"Vintage michigan guitar" search of course takes me right to Elderly's website, a place I went to often in the early 00's.

You went to the website often, or to the actual store?

I live a few miles from the place and it's a great place to wander around for a couple hours. One of those shops where $200 acoustics are next to $4000 ones out on the floor.

most of my guitars are complete garbage, my main one is a MIK 198x Squier Strat which isn't even mine (someone leant it to me in 1991 but never asked for it back). i do have a nice Aria acoustic and the exact same Ibanez bass as Johnny Fever (except my one is pale green). been playing guitar a lot recently though and currently yearning for something half decent with a thicker sound and a chunkier neck than the strat

1996 or 97 American Standard Tele. It's indestructible and was my only electric guitar for about 20 years, and has major sentimental value but I really don't like the bridge pickup. Then I got:
2018 Epiphone ES-335 Pro. Love it but can tell that the hardware (tuners) is of lesser quality. But it sounds great and the price was right.
2017 D-28. This like a 5th child for me. A very generous gift from a family member. Love it.
??? year Deering Goodtimes banjo. Fun but it feels flimsy, is way louder than I need it to be and I don't know shit about banjos.

I don't feel a need for more guitars. Fave pedals include a Carbon Copy delay, JHS Clover pre-amp, mini tube screamer and a Roland space echo.