Members dkerwood Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 I spent a little over an hour trying guitars out, seeing what upgrade I might like to aim for should I get this job I'm applying for (I'm currently playing an upgraded Epi LP Standard and a Mexi Strat)... here's what I learned: 1. The Blues Deluxe has a much nicer clean than my Traynor YCV40WR... but its dirty tone is horrendous. 2. Played three Gibsons: -Goldtop Les Paul Traditional Pro: Hated the tone (Burstbuckers, ick...); hated the sticky, thick neck; and surprisingly hated the aesthetic. Didn't like the Grover locking tuners, either- I'm used to Sperzels which seem to tune a little more easily. Also was disgusted that GC would put such a terribly set up guitar on the wall. -Sunburst Les Paul Traditional (used): Equipped with two 57 Classics, I loved the neck tone, but hated the bridge tone. The neck was also like trying to play a tree trunk, and the Kludson tuners annoyed me. The guitar had a sticker claiming to be Plek'd, but it buzzed all over the place for me. -Honeyburst Les Paul Traditional Pro: Now we're getting somewhere. The neck felt decent- still a little sticky, but nothing a few hundred hours of playtime wouldn't fix. 57 Classic in the neck, and surprisingly, I was okay with the Burstbucker in the bridge. The coil-tapped tone was really nice, and I could see how this might eliminate the need for a Strat on stage. Still don't care for the Grovers- they just felt stiff and the turning ratio seemed too low. A few differences annoyed me- the pickup selector is set into the guitar just a little bit more than my guitar, which actually made me miss the switch a couple of times. Ditto with the bridge when I went to palm mute. I could get used to it, but it did feel weird. In the end, none of the guitars felt intrinsically BETTER than my Epiphone. I did like the 57 Classic neck tone better than my stock Epi pickup, but I did not like the Burstbucker or 57 Classic in the bridge better than the Seymour Duncan pickup that came in my Epi. The thing that most struck me was how underwhelming the Gibsons were. -I also played an American Strat with noiseless pickups... call me crazy, but it just didn't have the snap and bite I've come to expect out of a Strat. It just felt sterile and subdued. 3. Had a date with the devil. -I had just finished the Honeyburst LP, and was getting ready to leave, when the clerk said, "Try this, it might suit your style better," and handed me a Paul Reed Smitth P22. Now, I've always hated PRS since I first played one in 2002. The neck was too small, I didn't like the tone, and I thought they were ugly to boot. I'll be darned, though, if this PRS wasn't a nice axe! Yes, still small, but not uncomfortable, and the guitar felt better- less clunky- than all of the Gibsons. Lots of tone on tap from the humbuckers (which sounded great) and all the coil tapping combinations that the 5 way selector had to offer (I'm still trying to figure out what pickups were active and when). And then I turned on the piezo. My goal was to find a guitar that was a good worship guitar but could still dig in and rock when necessary, and the PRS would certainly fit the bill. Of course, the $3000 price tag is somewhat restrictive, and I'd have to see some other color combinations to find one that didn't look incredibly ugly... but it FELT like a guitar that was worth the money, which is more than I can say for the Gibsons. CONCLUSIONS: I either need to go into that $3K+ range... or I need to pour a few more upgrades into my Epi, since after ten years of being my main axe, I will probably never sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members triviani Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 That was nice, the old classic try-some-guitars at the shop, and not just to learn all the specs online! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 9520575 Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 playing guitars is fun. those classic 57 pick-ups are nice. I want to buy a pair to put in my guitar. I also didn't like the american strat with noiseless pickups at all. weak. preferred the MIM strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WildBilly Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 Thought this was going to be another "OMGGCSUXSOOBADD" thread, glad to see what it actually was. Very cool, I always felt the same about the Blues Deluxe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tattoedsailor Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 I agree with you about Blues Deluxe. I just bought a Blues Jr MkIII and its got great gain. Very impressed with how much they've approved this amp. Not sure why Fender couldn't do same with BD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wayne2 Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 GC is awesome. The last time I went I played the Cobain Jaguar and a bunch of other offsets, then found a really nice American Standard Strat and played it through a DRRI. As long as you avoid the busiest times of the day it's hard to have a bad time there. It makes all the crap you read online that much more meaningful (and meaningless). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tattoedsailor Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 ^^As long as you avoid unknowable staff it is great place.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted May 6, 2012 Members Share Posted May 6, 2012 I agree with you about Blues Deluxe. I just bought a Blues Jr MkIII and its got great gain. Very impressed with how much they've approved this amp. Not sure why Fender couldn't do same with BD. Well the hot rod deluxe is the successor. I prefer the hot rod to the blues deluxe. Better reverb and cleans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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