After deciding that my Am Pro with the GM 62z sounded too close to my Am Performer with the Yosemite pickups, I took a look at what other pickups I had, and I realized that when I decided that I didn't like the stock V-Mod pickups, it was when I had the Boss Katana 50, which had a tendency to sound somewhat harsh and shrill to me, so maybe it wasn't the V-Mod pickups, but the amp that gave that guitar those properties. So, I put the original V-Mod pickups back in the Pro, and I love them. They don't quite have as sparkly of a high end as the 62z, but they're a bit more expressive and dynamic, and in comparison, perhaps make the 62z sound slightly thin and sterile. They definitely are a bit warmer on the low end, and maybe a little more touch responsive too. I'm digging them a lot with the THR10C amps. I've also recently switched from EB SS to Fender 250 9s on my guitars for the same reasons. They're a little less sterile sounding, are more dynamic and expressive, seem to stay in tune better, last longer, and bend a lot easier too.
Watcha been playing? Lately i have been playing my trusted Jackson Kelly. Just set it up and put new strings on it last night. Played it for 4-5 hours today. This guitar has the best neck and action. For me anyway. Its set up nice and low with no buzz at all. No rough or sharp frets. Its a very comfortable guitar for me to play. But i am used to Explorer type body shapes.
I did not touch my Jackson Kelly when i had my Squier CV 70"s Tele that came up missing a while ago. That was a great guitar. I doubt i will ever see it again.
My most recent acquisition. All of a sudden I'm all into my various Harmony acoustics again, as is the Beast.
Now i know why many guitar players basically favor a guitar. For example Gary Moore RIP, Frampton, Page, Eddie VH, Gilmour, etc. A guitar can be very magical. My newly acquired used Wolf W400 has become special to me in the past days, i haven't picked up another guitar for at least 4 days. I usually choose a different guitar every day, like rotating ones tires if you will. This has been my staple. The Greenie: Owners: Peter Green/Gary Moore/Kirk Hammet. Heck Kirk Hammet says he keeps (Greenie) The Les Paul next to him all of the time when he's not playing it. That's sincerity and the fact that the Les Paul was purchased about 2 million when he bought it from Gary Moore.
This is the one I've been playing most recently.. Just a cheap Telecaster fitted with a B5 clone Trem. Great fun!
I’ve been on a PRS exploration, lately. Received four SE models in the last six weeks. This is my most recent, and therefore being played the most. It’s a SE Custom 22 Semi-Hollow. Just to put the cheap guitar lovers at ease, I got very good deals on all of them. If you want to see the others, let me know, I’ll post pics.
Literally a day or so before the first lockdown started I got a guitar back from having a new neck fitted, it's a Squier Pro Tone partscaster, Pro Tone body with what may or may not be a Pro Tone neck fitted, I'd bought it body only and had the neck from my Squier Silver Series strat fitted but when I sourced a Pro Tone neck had that fitted. It has a set of Creamery Baby Wides fitted, his take on Fender Wide Range in a stock humbucker size and for the last nine months I barely touched anything else. It has the quirks of a partscaster, not perfect, but I really bonded with it in an "I love my brick" kind of way. I then switched to my Ibanez Flying V for awhile and was having trouble adjusting to the thin neck but then started playing my Squier Pro Tone Fat Tele and it completely blew me away, I haven't plugged it in (edit, this year, the pickups sounded great, particularly the '57 Classic, if my memory serves me well) but the playing experience was just perfect, if you were to say to me now that I had to pick just one guitar from the herd and all the rest were to go I'd pick that (this actually got me looking apologetically over my shoulder at the others). I had the pickups replaced on the Fat Tele with a Creamery Tapped Tele in the bridge and one of his '57 Classic humbuckers in the neck, a five way switch and a push/pull pot to split the humbucker. I'll post the Pro Tone Partscaster and the Pro Tone Fat Tele.
what little playing I've done since last month has been on the bass that's out on the stand. Sterling et al Stingray 4. Guitar on top of bookcase is the Joe Bonamassa Black Beauty. Not feeling much like moving anything around to play anything else. Hopefully only another week, maybe two before my back heals up enough to feel like doing more. got a new guitar almost done with its 24 hour acclimation, another 10 minutes. It's supposed to be nice and light.
I’ve been enjoying my classic vibes, the CV70’s p bass is right up there with my VM Telebass as my favorite. Luckily they’re different enough to never replace one another. The duo sonic has long been my favorite, I have a hard time grabbing any other guitar very often. I’ve actually listed my MIM jazzmaster because it doesn’t get the play time to justify having it. I’ve also been having fun playing this little harmony bass that I just pulled out of storage this week.
My Fender MIM Strat has been my basement ceiling joist shaking weapon of choice lately. The pups are so much nicer than the ones in the other MIM that I traded in on this one. My Squier VM Strat is still my Number One, but this thing is growing on me.
I've been bonding with this recent project guitar, now part of my stage rig. It has the bones of a Johnson Solara Elite (mahogany body, maple top, pretty chunky set mahogany neck), but everything else is swapped out. Guitar Madness Hot Rod A5 in the neck and Duncan JB at the bridge. It sings.
For someone who claims to like alnico 5 over 2 and 3, I can't put down my Am Pro Strat, since putting the stock V-Mod pickups back in it. I guess it's a lesson on don't fall for confirmation bias, and your opinions on specs, and just listen, 'cause these pickups have A2 on the wound strings and A3 on the plain strings on the neck pickup, A2 on the wound and A5 on the plain on the middle pickup, and A5 on all the strings on the bridge pickup. And all positions sound great, with better quack and less loss of highs on pos. 2 and 4 than many pickups, and being one who uses the neck pickup 90% of the time, it's always the most important to me, and the neck pickup here has no lack of vintage Strat tone, sparkle, feel, or dynamics, compared to A5 pickups. It sounds and play awesomely! I'm now digging this guitar just as much as my Am Performer with the awesome Yosemite pickups, which are A4 on the neck and middle, and A2 on the bridge.
I'm still favoring The Wolf. However I did break out the Epi Dot Yesterday for a quick spin, ( plays amazing) Then put her back in the garage. I'm hoping to take out The Squier Strat soon @dbrian66 She's getting jealous I think. Great guitar too Doug. Again my thanks.. Yeah, but dam, I'm still playing that Wolf. The Epi Dot
Admin Post The sunburst is gone and the red one on the wall is pretty much a wall hanger but the rest get played every day. The red/maple one gets played the most at the moment.
I just picked up this sweet Michael Kelly Burl 50 Ultra on close-out special at Sam Ash. Love the compound radius neck and amazing action, not to mention the sweet top
