A video demonstration where I play the Squier Bullet Strat to a blues backing track I made.
My small collection of electric guitars
Truth be told, it was never my intention to start a collection of electric guitars, but one day I thought about all the really nice guitars I've owned and sold as well as some of the cheaper electrics I've had that, even though they where budget instruments, I really enjoyed.
Well, one day I decided that it was a mistake to have sold any of them and that I wasn't going to do that anymore. The decision didn't last forever, but I ended up with more than a couple guitars, some of which I've sold to defray living costs.
The problem with selling guitars is that you always lose money on the guitar for sale.
Anyway, here is my current little collection of electric guitars.
I was going to do a group photo of my guitars but seems like my camera is guitar shy.
I've doctored the backdrop of some guitar pictures just because my lounge is not very photogenic, if you know what I mean.
Mostly I try and white out the whole background so only the guitar is visible. Takes a lot of work and sometimes I'm lazy.
Well, one day I decided that it was a mistake to have sold any of them and that I wasn't going to do that anymore. The decision didn't last forever, but I ended up with more than a couple guitars, some of which I've sold to defray living costs.
The problem with selling guitars is that you always lose money on the guitar for sale.
Anyway, here is my current little collection of electric guitars.
I was going to do a group photo of my guitars but seems like my camera is guitar shy.
I've doctored the backdrop of some guitar pictures just because my lounge is not very photogenic, if you know what I mean.
Mostly I try and white out the whole background so only the guitar is visible. Takes a lot of work and sometimes I'm lazy.
Got this as a gift from a friend.
A comfortable instrument to play.
This is a video of me playing the guitar to a blues backing I made.
I have since created a hybrid between this one and a Squier Bullet Strat.
A comfortable instrument to play.
This is a video of me playing the guitar to a blues backing I made.
I have since created a hybrid between this one and a Squier Bullet Strat.
A Fender Stratocaster of unknown origins
This guitar is supposedly made out of mahogany, although listening to it makes me think otherwise.
The neck is definitely maple though, as well as the maple cap.
That could explain why it sounds a lot different to a straight mahogany guitar.
The really nice thing about this guitar is that it stays in tune almost indefinitely, barring extreme temperature fluctuations.
The kind of stability you need during a gig as well.
I made a short demo composition mp3 called Celtic blue to show off the sound of the guitar.
This was before the Roland GR-55 and GK 3 pickup where part of the ensemble
Just my own backing track with some layered guitar tracks.
Here we go then: Celtic blue
While I really enjoy some of the sounds out of this guitar, I need to replace the pickups with something a bit tamer, seeing as gigging with a live band and the volume I need from the amplifier causes these pickups to feed back.
Those are Schaller Hot Stuff pickups in there. I don't think the quality as far as wax potting goes is quite the same as what was available in the mid eighties.
Then again, maybe I'll just have them wax potted properly sometime.
The neck is definitely maple though, as well as the maple cap.
That could explain why it sounds a lot different to a straight mahogany guitar.
The really nice thing about this guitar is that it stays in tune almost indefinitely, barring extreme temperature fluctuations.
The kind of stability you need during a gig as well.
I made a short demo composition mp3 called Celtic blue to show off the sound of the guitar.
This was before the Roland GR-55 and GK 3 pickup where part of the ensemble
Just my own backing track with some layered guitar tracks.
Here we go then: Celtic blue
While I really enjoy some of the sounds out of this guitar, I need to replace the pickups with something a bit tamer, seeing as gigging with a live band and the volume I need from the amplifier causes these pickups to feed back.
Those are Schaller Hot Stuff pickups in there. I don't think the quality as far as wax potting goes is quite the same as what was available in the mid eighties.
Then again, maybe I'll just have them wax potted properly sometime.
Well, what can I say?
A fake Gibson Les Paul made in China doesn't sound like a Gibson Les Paul, doesn't feel like a Gibson Les Paul and isn't as heavy as a real one either.
I like this guitar though. It has a good rock sound with plenty bite, a nice thin neck, which suits me fine and I love the green stained quilted maple veneer along with the gold hardware.
I checked the pickups to see what they are. They say Epiphone.
Hmmm...... Probably fake Epiphone pickups as well.
If I can find a non-destructive way to replace the Gibson logo with something else I would be happy.
They're not that bad these fakes and I've used them on a few recordings. Wouldn't use it live though, the Grover tuners are obviously also fake as it goes out of tune quite regularly
Not my go to guitar though for a classic Les Paul sound.
I have another guitar for that which is very close to the Joe Bonamassa sound.
A fake Gibson Les Paul made in China doesn't sound like a Gibson Les Paul, doesn't feel like a Gibson Les Paul and isn't as heavy as a real one either.
I like this guitar though. It has a good rock sound with plenty bite, a nice thin neck, which suits me fine and I love the green stained quilted maple veneer along with the gold hardware.
I checked the pickups to see what they are. They say Epiphone.
Hmmm...... Probably fake Epiphone pickups as well.
If I can find a non-destructive way to replace the Gibson logo with something else I would be happy.
They're not that bad these fakes and I've used them on a few recordings. Wouldn't use it live though, the Grover tuners are obviously also fake as it goes out of tune quite regularly
Not my go to guitar though for a classic Les Paul sound.
I have another guitar for that which is very close to the Joe Bonamassa sound.
Years ago I had an Ibanez RG770 which had a superb action and a very fast slim profile neck.
Should never have sold it.
I bought this guitar as a spur of the moment decision when buying an amplifier for a friend of mine.
The Ibanez SA160 is a comfortable guitar to play, especially seeing as I've had the frets levelled and crowned by someone who's an expert at it.
The slim neck is very reminiscent of my old RG but not quite the same.
I had a Dimarzio Megadrive pickup in this guitar's bridge position for a long while.
I've only recently taken it out. Methinks maybe it should go back in.
One of the best sounding rock guitar humbucker pickups for this style of guitar I've ever heard.
Dimarzio doesn't make them anymore.
Pity!
This guitars tremelo system doesn't stay in tune though and the single coil pickups need to be replaced as well with a couple of Hotrails.
Should never have sold it.
I bought this guitar as a spur of the moment decision when buying an amplifier for a friend of mine.
The Ibanez SA160 is a comfortable guitar to play, especially seeing as I've had the frets levelled and crowned by someone who's an expert at it.
The slim neck is very reminiscent of my old RG but not quite the same.
I had a Dimarzio Megadrive pickup in this guitar's bridge position for a long while.
I've only recently taken it out. Methinks maybe it should go back in.
One of the best sounding rock guitar humbucker pickups for this style of guitar I've ever heard.
Dimarzio doesn't make them anymore.
Pity!
This guitars tremelo system doesn't stay in tune though and the single coil pickups need to be replaced as well with a couple of Hotrails.
On a recent trip to Australia I was reluctant to take a guitar with me, mostly because I was going for 3 months, my suitcase was full and I dislike having too much luggage at airports.
If I could go everywhere with just a backpack and a few good pairs of jeans I would be happy. Anyway, I decided to buy this guitar while in Oz. Something cheap yet decent enough to play.
I was pleasantly surprised by this guitars ability to produce an authentic Fender Stratocaster sound while at the same time being comfortable to play. Touched up a few frets with a nail file and all was good to go.
If I could go everywhere with just a backpack and a few good pairs of jeans I would be happy. Anyway, I decided to buy this guitar while in Oz. Something cheap yet decent enough to play.
I was pleasantly surprised by this guitars ability to produce an authentic Fender Stratocaster sound while at the same time being comfortable to play. Touched up a few frets with a nail file and all was good to go.
The guitar features a Basswood body, Bolt on maple neck, rosewood fretboard, three single coil pickups, 5 way pickup selector, 1 volume and 2 tone controls, a vintage Fender style tremelo and single layer scratchplate.
The neck is slightly thicker than most Stratocaster's but still comfortable.
The neck is slightly thicker than most Stratocaster's but still comfortable.
My Agile AL3100 spalted maple top electric guitar
I spent a lot of time reading about these guitars, looking at pictures and so on.
I guess something was bound to happen, and in triple binding too!
The body and neck are mahogany, apart from the 1/8th of an inch spalted maple top.
The fretboard is ebony with real mother of pearl crown inlays.
The guitar is quite heavy, so it's a solid piece of work.
This is the guitar I said was very close to the Joe Bonamassa sound, particularly on the live version of his Midnight blues rendition.
I checked it through my system while listening to the song on video.
Virtually identical through my guitar processor, which is a Boss GT pro.
The pickups are alnico V humbuckers so I guess with the mahogany wood and ebony fretboard the combination is pretty much the same tone as a Gibson Les Paul.
It stays in tune well enough for a gig, although not as long as my Marathone.
The neck is also quite thick on this one, similar to an old 50's Les Paul, although they offer 3 different neck profiles: Standard, wide and slim.
I decided to opt for the standard neck purely out of curiosity.
I guess something was bound to happen, and in triple binding too!
The body and neck are mahogany, apart from the 1/8th of an inch spalted maple top.
The fretboard is ebony with real mother of pearl crown inlays.
The guitar is quite heavy, so it's a solid piece of work.
This is the guitar I said was very close to the Joe Bonamassa sound, particularly on the live version of his Midnight blues rendition.
I checked it through my system while listening to the song on video.
Virtually identical through my guitar processor, which is a Boss GT pro.
The pickups are alnico V humbuckers so I guess with the mahogany wood and ebony fretboard the combination is pretty much the same tone as a Gibson Les Paul.
It stays in tune well enough for a gig, although not as long as my Marathone.
The neck is also quite thick on this one, similar to an old 50's Les Paul, although they offer 3 different neck profiles: Standard, wide and slim.
I decided to opt for the standard neck purely out of curiosity.
The Squier Bullet Strat I bought in Australia
A Marathone PRS style guitar
A fake Gibson Les Paul, made in China.
An Ibanez S series SA160QM
