Post: #26

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product...15239.html

This one has 23 orders, so they say, and it's much less than a coupla hundred bucks.

Post: #27

Thanks for all the great information Rigsby.

I just spent an hour on https://www.aliexpress.com/.

I was wondering where all these "chinese knock-offs" were coming from specifically.

So, you say you'll have to do a setup. That's cool.

Sm 57 knock off for $20.00 u.s. ?? That's hilarious! I might pick one up.

If you like Joe Bonamassa, you may like Greg Koch, Joe has invited him onstage a few times. He is great, and he demostrates very expensive boutique guitars for a company called Wildwood. It's pretty clear when he likes one, and I can hear it too ... that's the x factor. Those guitars with the x factor are usually Sold.

The demo he does here, the guitar has the x factor, tone is balanced "girth with the jangle" as Greg says ... anyhow, one can dream .

Post: #28

(01-10-2017 08:48 PM)Rigsby Wrote:  Again for about $200 bucks you can get a fully scalloped Strat clone as used by Blackmore and Yngwie! And they play just great, sound superb and even look the part. Makes you wonder why Fender charge $2000 bucks for one, don't it? It should.

Right on Rigsby!!! I'm like a kid in a fucking candy store now....

Huge +1 from me sir.



Gonna get one of these Yngwie scalloped Strats.

Post: #29

Someone asked about Takamine.


I had a very lucky experience about 15 years ago when shopping
for an acoustic. I had kinda decided on an Ovation. (why, I have no idea)

Went to a music store... played a few... and was almost set to buy an $800 Ovation.

Lady luck, and a cool store worker intervened, saying "I can't let you buy that
guitar without at least trying this one." As he handed me the Takamine.

One strum of a chord, and the sound just BURST out.. easily dwarfing the Ovation.

Ended up with a MUCH better guitar, and the sweet part? It was only $479 bucks.
And came with a nice hardshell case.


Live and learn.

Post: #30

I asked about Takamine. I was interested in opinion of more experienced players if they played this brand. I bought it (GN20) two years ago because of good reviews. Having good time ever since. Btw, it cost 265$. Expensive for me personally, but cheap when you look at it objectively.
Here is picture of model:

Post: #31

It's a bit of effort, but buy a cheap strat/tele. Unbolt the neck to fit it all in your luggage then just bolt it back on and restring and do a quick set up. I used to do that when I travelled more.

Post: #32

(01-11-2017 11:36 AM)sterling_archer Wrote:  I asked about Takamine. I was interested in opinion of more experienced players if they played this brand. I bought it (GN20) two years ago because of good reviews. Having good time ever since. Btw, it cost 265$. Expensive for me personally, but cheap when you look at it objectively.
Here is picture of model:

That looks exactly like the Takamine I have, and I love it also, great acoustic with an amazing sound.

Those FGN guitars Rigsby posted look amazing, never seen those for sale anywhere in America though, I have to look into finding one of those now.

I'm very tempted to drop $850-900 on this strat-styled one here
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/g-sho...016083103/
https://www.pitbullaudio.com/brands/fgn-...inish.html

Post: #33

Damien, are sides of mahogany and front of spruce? Mine has even darker front than this picture.

Post: #34

(01-11-2017 04:45 PM)sterling_archer Wrote:  Damien, are sides of mahogany and front of spruce? Mine has even darker front than this picture.

Yeah it has the same mahogany and spruce, I think i've got the GN10 version, though very similar.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Takamine/GN1...-Guitar.gc


I left it at the studio, so I'll have to double check the model when I get back there next time.

Post: #35

(01-10-2017 10:24 PM)Zep Wrote:  Thanks for all the great information Rigsby.

I just spent an hour on https://www.aliexpress.com/.

I was wondering where all these "chinese knock-offs" were coming from specifically.

So, you say you'll have to do a setup. That's cool.

Sm 57 knock off for $20.00 u.s. ?? That's hilarious! I might pick one up.

If you like Joe Bonamassa, you may like Greg Koch, Joe has invited him onstage a few times. He is great, and he demostrates very expensive boutique guitars for a company called Wildwood. It's pretty clear when he likes one, and I can hear it too ... that's the x factor. Those guitars with the x factor are usually Sold.

The demo he does here, the guitar has the x factor, tone is balanced "girth with the jangle" as Greg says ... anyhow, one can dream .

No need to tell me about Gregory Kochery (as he signs off on his videos), my good man. He's right up there for me. Love the guy to pieces. Love his playing, love his style, his whole attitude. One of the best.

As for the Ali stuff, well hopefully you can see that you are probably on the right side of getting a decent deal and not getting ripped off.

I've only been researching this for other reasons, but it's been interesting all the same. I hope this info is useful to those starting out and to those that are maybe 'died in the wool' and think they know it all. No middle ground with this one.

There are lots of horror stories though if you don't know the game. With Ali you are pretty covered. As was said in those videos - call the guys (well text them) - talk to them. If you don't get your order straight away, it probably means there was a problem. Don't be a good guy and exten, cancel straight away and get your money back. If the feedback is good of course and the excuses are plausible, then ymmv, otherwise...

And if you do get burned, after all your best efforts, you have the means to tell the whole world, so no one deals with them again.

There is one guy on youtube, I forget him now, but his whole reason d'etre it how bad Chinese guitars are and how bad you get burned. He recently made a video where when the guy complained his guitar had arrived in bad shape, he started swearing at him in bad Chinese 'FOuckk UhhYOU' kind of thing. Someone pointed out that the guy swearing in Chinese sounded a lot like the guy who was making the videos! Busted. People do the silliest things...

The Chinese guy was calling him a cunt down the phone...

It really did sound like the guy that was making the videos did it as well, which made it even funnier. I digress. Some people are just desperate for views and subs. Probably works for Fender. No. Probably works for Gibson. Fender at least do half-decent stuff most the time.

Yeah, setups, gonna need to do one of them most the time anyway. Not difficult to do, but you need the time and inclination, or a good friend.

I think someone much more well versed in this than me might be thinking about doing a data sheet for you all when it comes to this, and I've offered to help. We'll see.

Oh, I got some Cruz Tools for guitar for xmas as well. Looking forward to using them.

Post: #36

It really depends on what type of travel you are doing, and what type of player you are. Are you a dedicated musician traveling long term? If so I would pack a regular full length guitar. Are you looking to entertain yourself and others along the way? A smaller guitar can be fun, but they are just toys for the most part. I have a parlor acoustic, and they are fun and great to play, and can work for busking. But they are 3/4 the size of a regular guitar, so they still have size.

If you are really looking to impress, and shred at the same time, I would go with a Chiquita;



And make sure you pack your shades...

Post: #37

(01-10-2017 10:24 PM)Zep Wrote:  

Just watched the video when some stuff I had cooking got cooked (not crack, but the next best thing).

Man, I love Greg. He is the MAN.

He's so good I bought a Gibson!

But I don't hold it against him...


Love the Gregory Kochery!

Steve Vai signed him to his own personal label a few years back, I learned from perusing Greg's site, in fact, just a few days ago.

Damn, that Gibson with the P-90s is good! But a thousand bucks! Ok, it is actually worth it.

But check out this guitar if you live in the UK:
It's a Red Strat copy, called Herald. They do them for just under a ton (100) at a couple of places. But you might be able to buy one on eBay for 60 quid. That is what I paid for mine. Killer guitar.

Sure, the contours are cut in such a way that it's more like a kid's guitar, but it's not kid's guitar. The action is silly high. The strings are busted, so budget for a set of them. The intonation needs to be set after you adjust the nut a bit. Hack at it! I did! It improved it.

One of the pick up positions is busted - it only plays straight no adjustments from the 5th position. But all the rest work. In fact, the 2 and 4, which is what a lot of people look for on a Strat, well, they quack and twonk rather nicely. For sixty quid? Are you kidding? Do you think I would ever ruin such a bargain by justifying it and putting in even a low end (but very good) set of Toneriders for 60 quid? No way. On a more expensive guitar maybe.

I have a rule: Don't go being a mug by paying double the price for pick ups than you paid for the guitar. A 120 bucks set of pups on a 60 bucks guitar? Come of it.

I love its limitations. I love the fact it sounds a million dollars on 4 of the five positions. I can even live with the harsh bridge unadjustable tone on the fifth.

And it plays like butter. All it needed was a fret rub down on the edges (as the body of the neck can shrink with time and transport - humidity and all that). The edges were rough, I wanked it down! Super.

You can have this 60 bucks guitar off me for 500 bucks, not a penny less! Try me. That is how much it is worth to me.

I think it was because I felt that first rush of power you get, when you realise you can shape and mold a guitar to your preferences. Truss Rod. Action. Nut. Intonation. Rinse. Repeat.

And I didn't even have a proper set of nut files. I used a finger/nail file! Uh. Stabbing, hacking at the nut. It made a funny sound but it came good. It just makes me think, yeah, maybe a hundred bucks on a decent set of nut files is worth it.

Theres a set of nut files you can get on Ali express btw, they are actually color gas cleaners, but they come in all the right sizes - all for 5 bucks! I've started inter-changing pounds (GBP) with dollars (bucks) as things have got so bad economically lately. Ha.

The Cruz Tools for guitar I got for xmas has the gauges in there, and they reckon you can just put the proper wet and dry sandpaper over for a good cut on the nut. What the hell, it's got to be better than a one-sized nail file that is already blunt (hence the noise).

Damn, Greg just has that affect on me.

Anyway, I'll take your Greg Koch and raise you a Scot Grove:




Scot's doing a sale till the end of the month for about 200 hours of guitar lessons for 25 bucks. He's a loudmouthed, opinionated, blow hard. And I love him to bits. Not affiliated.

In fact, I'm looking forward to his report on the whole Japanese manufacturing topic, that is the hot topic of the moment. Can't say too much.

Just go and watch some of his vids if nothing else.

I just used some Lemon Oil on my Rosewood fretboards and he calls people like me 'losers', 'idiots', and couple of other things too. He's amazing. Coz he really has a lot to offer over all, opinionated as he is.

His tutorial videos are download and you get Dobro, Acoustic, Mandolin, all kinds of shit in there. He even plays the drums! Badly I might add - it's the only thing he can't do - but don't knock a fella for trying!

His guitar collection is immense and his knowledge of who made what and when is second to none. That is why we've been having a little chat lately about the whole Fender/USA/Fujigen/Japan argument.

Post: #38

Greg Kochi is also very funny and a monster of a player indeed.

Post: #39

(01-13-2017 05:27 PM)Hendrixian Wrote:  Greg Kochi is also very funny and a monster of a player indeed.

Indeed. Joe Bonnamassa is so class for asking Greg to come up on stage with him. He knows how good Greg is, but Greg just doesn't have the look to become a star.

Anyhoo, at two minutes in Greg takes his solo. Listen to his tone, his note choices, his use of pauses, everything in his solo respects the vibe of the song.





and there's his ridiculous technical chicken pickin'. Check out the lick at fifty five seconds,

Post: #40

Thanks for posting those Zep. I love Greg Koch, but I don't spend my days searching for cool vids of his, so it's always nice when someone takes the time.

First video. I love Joe because he 'so' knows he is not the coold kiddy at school. Quite the opposite. He's the nerd. Yet he takes it with good humour and good revenge (living well). He wears those shades that almost, kind of mark him out as the cool kid, but alas, it is just a mask, and that is what masks are for. Who knows, maybe he is the cockiest bastard to ever pick up a six string. But I tend to think more he is just some kid that got a good start in life: his father was a guitar dealer. And he took to it like a duck to water.

He's a superb player. Not my first choice. But I will not give any criticisms here as I am not qualified. He blows me out of the water in every regard.

Second vid: Also thank you. Never seen it before. I will watch it properly later, just wanted to get my thoughts down. One thing with all this heavy metal shredding, but the country chicken picking is next level because it incorporates syncopation (that we usually associate with reggae, hip-hop etc.) in to the playing.

Let me find my greatest chicken picker. Hang on.

You won't find this on youtube, it's buried, but let me present to you, one of the greatest ever. Bill Kirchen.





He plays the ultimate guitar. The ultimate version of that guitar. And man when he does that popping, I swear, even Mark King dies a little inside.

What a maestro.

Post: #41

(01-14-2017 02:29 PM)Zep Wrote:  

(01-13-2017 05:27 PM)Hendrixian Wrote:  Greg Kochi is also very funny and a monster of a player indeed.

Indeed. Joe Bonnamassa is so class for asking Greg to come up on stage with him. He knows how good Greg is, but Greg just doesn't have the look to become a star. Anyhoo, at two minutes in Greg takes his solo. Listen to his tone, his note choices, his use of pauses, everything in his solo respects the vibe of the song.

LMAO.

Joe takes over at 3:30 (sorry, lost the ability to link youtuve videos at a certain time). Check out the alt-right shades. Someone needs to get that up asap at half/full/chan.

One thing that I don't think hurt Joe's success is his pretty good voice, and his ability not to take himself too seriously. Ok, that's two things. But it goes to show how far true humility can go. You can't fake it.

Post: #42

In that video you posted, you can see Greg being polite and handing the show back to the man making it happen, but Joe receives the polite compliment with both teeth. He starts going to town on it. At the beginning he's just laying it down, but pretty soon it gets good, and it gets to that point when even he realises it - it's out of his hands, but still his ears recognize something greater - he is in the zone. This is what he strives for.

And the look on Greg's face when Joe realises he has wet his panties on stage, and he's handing it back to the big man. Greg is just standing there in awe of him, as so he should. Joe really hit the point with the later stages of that one.

I'm glad Joe doesn't really push the image angle too much. He's a better guitar player than model.

Greg just proves what you were saying earlier. He just lets him to it. But still, after all the times he's seen it, Joe pulls it off and gets a little respect from Greg.

Great vid.

Post: #43

Cool beans! Awesome thread.

I have plenty of Squiers and an epihone SG, most of them in rough or unplayable condition. I got 3 amps, two in service, one bass amp, one squier 5 string bass. I have loved playing guitar for the last decade. Its a good means of escape. I also play left and right handed. I'm looking to save up for lefty maple neck Fender Stratocaster or a Squier that looks the same. The guitar I want currently runs about 800$ Canadian. So with my budget it will take a few months to save up enough. I've been told it might be better to just get one really good guitar or get one crafted for me. One problem is that I do not know anyone that I can jam with and get quality advice from. My amp is pretty rad though. Fender Mustang 3

Here's some links. One is what I want, and the other is the amp that I have.

https://www.long-mcquade.com/21081/Guita...lifier.htm

https://www.long-mcquade.com/14901/Guita...d_Blue.htm

Post: #44

I knew there was this player I wanted you all to see, couldn't remember his name until this morning.

This is inhuman, he starts with harmonizing with himself, then shreds at ridiculous speeds, it almost doesn't seem real. The one and only Scotty Anderson. ( soloing starts at fifty-five seconds )





Dain_Bramage - the Mustang series are great, I haven't heard them live, but the youtube videos are impressive. The Mustang IV seems amazing, for around $700.00 U.S. you get a 2 x 12 amp with some great modelling sounds. This seems like the ultimate first amp.





If yours is anything like the above, good job!

For guitars, two good ones is the way I'd go if you're doing covers. I'd sell your 'ok' gear and spend the money on two solid guitars.

Post: #45

Hey Zep...


Hadn't seen that 1st Bonamassa/Koch video before.. It was awesome!!

+1 from me. Thanks bud!!

Post: #46

Seems pretty happy with his guitar he paid 170 bucks for.

Sounds ok to me.

He seems to be having fun.


More and much more about the politics of this later.

Post: #47

Glad I could find this old thread I hijacked (sorry OP).

If you don't mind, I'd like to hijack it a bit more. Lots of good info, so no point in reinventing the wheel.

I'd just like to add...

Got a new guitar a few days ago. It was a Revelation. No, it really was a 'Revelation'. Built by guitar guru Alan Entwistle in China, where he also lives and oversees the production. He's a pretty famous guitar builder/designer along with the likes of Trevor Wilkinson, his contemporary who he has done a lot of good work with. Trevor oversees the Harley Benton line of guitars that Thomann of Germany sell and ship worldwide (also built in China) iirc. Alan Entwistle also excels at making pickups and tremolo systems. You can read about him here:
http://www.entwistlepickups.com/about.php?fllstry=y

He needs no introduction, but I thought I'd give him a TL;DR anyway.

Anyway, he has this range of guitars called 'Revelation'. And they are out of this world good. You pay a little bit extra on top of what you would for a cheap Chinese guitar, but you get a quality instrument for the price. Like knock-out good!

This is the model I got:






Here's a quick review:




It cost just under 200 quid brand new and the quality is exceptional. Having said that, the jack-socket didn't work properly and the scratchplate had to be removed to fix it. And a couple of people have said the same thing about this. But not a major obstacle to overcome.

I got one of the last guitars in the country with the Rosewood fingerboard. I don't know if you know but due to the recent CITES regulations it is getting harder and harder to get Rosewood fretboards here. It's insane.

The clamp down was meant to redress the balance in the fetish the Asians have for all things Rosewood. And to include the fingerboard market which is like 0.00001 percent of that is just silly. But clown world we live in we do.

The pickups on this model are among some of the best I've ever played. The tonal variation is out of this world with the five-way filter at the top (the chicken head selector). The pups are variations of the venerable P-90's but Alan has done his special twist on them somehow with his magical wiring. Details are out there. They are different to the pups in my Les Paul for sure. Then again, it's a very different guitar. They sound great.

Check out his pups here:
http://www.entwistlepickups.com/pickup.php

Not sure if they are Alnico or Ceramic, but who cares. Yeah, sure, Alnico are more mellow and Ceramic are more bright. People argue this to the death. But if you get deep in to it, that is not necessarily the case. I have a set of Ceramics that are far and above and beyond the best pups out of all my little guitar collection. Exceptions there are.

His pups are very reasonably priced, and in fact I'm going to get his Telecaster set for one of my favourite Teles. Much much cheaper than all the competition.

Even the Trem on this guitar stays in tune. A real Jazzmaster by Fender is a bit of a nightmare according to most accounts. Don't know. Never played one, can't afford one. Oh, and the body of this is much smaller than a genuine Fender too. But all the better for playing it with I would say. It sits on the lap beautifully.

I didn't have to do much intonation wise to set her up. It was pretty much spot on except for a few tweaks on the saddles here and there. To be expected as I put on a heavier gauge of strings.

I sanded down the back of the neck with some wet and dry and to take off the rough edges of the frets. Another common thing with cheap guitars (and even more expensive guitars). It took off that layer of poly that is sticky to touch and it's much more satin feel now.

That's it. Oh, I did put a bit of Lemon oil on the slightly dried fretboard. Came up nice.

The tuners work fine and she stays in tune. The nut is pretty good too. It's got a fairly low action, but I could take her lower. She's good for now. Just right for me (I don't mind a slightly higher action anyway).

The fretwork is excellent. No dead spots. Very level. She doesn't need any work at all. OK, if you were being picky, but out of the box, for 200 bucks?

That paint job is WTF? at first, but it works. I can't see myself replacing anything on this guitar at all. Some mug on youtube replaced everything then complained he didn't like it. What a twat. What's the point of doing that on a cheap guitar? I get it, but spending double of what the guitar cost on top? Sad.

This is another one of those guitars where the sparks fly and you feel as if the gods have taken your fingers over and they are playing for you. It plays itself.

It's a shame they won't be doing any more with Rosewood fingerboards for the foreseeable future. It's fucking silly. A guitar like this should not have a Maple fingerboard (the neck is Maple of course) - that is just wrong. A strat or a tele can have a Maple board, but not a Jazzmaster. Never.

All in all this is an improvement on the original design (better trem, smaller body, exemplary pups) considering the cheapest Fender Jazzmaster I could find was at least twice the price.

Revelation guitars have made a bit of a name for themselves the last years, and many guitar snobs still look down on them because of 'muh Fender' and 'muh made in China', but really, bang for buck, for fun, for playability, for looks, for feel, for sound, you will not be disappointed son! The bound neck/fingerboard is a nice touch too at this price.

This guitar has just got the major Mojo. If you can find one in your local guitar shop - snap it up. They fly out the door like hot-cakes. The factory in China has excellent quality control. The labourers take pride in their craft and they are well paid by local standards so they like to push the boat out a bit. Your aren't buying a slave-labour guitar here, you are buying a lovingly crafted instrument. Alan Entwistle lives in China as I mentioned and he oversees quality control himself. It shows. Apart from that bloody annoying jack-socket. But then again, my Les Paul made in America had to go back, and it cost five times as much.

Check out the website - they do strats, teles, les pauls, 335's (more on that later). Read up on Entwistle's pedigree and see his previous work in the field. You will be impressed. Yes, you pay slightly more, but as I said, the extra quality you get will knock you out.

Ideal for a first guitar. For a gift for a loved one. For a second or third guitar for a more advanced player. The British side of the operation is based in Wales as well, so that is nice. And if you have any problems at all, they will sort you out. This company has an excellent reputation.

Really, look up the history of this great British guitar guru. There is no way I'm buying a guitar blind from China now when I know I can get this kind of quality and service from this company. No tax/duty etc. and the local guitar shop even gets a cut as well. Perfect. I'm a fan, as you may be able to tell.

[I'm not affiliated]

Post: #48

So, this is my new squeeze. I should get it some point next week. I might even be able to play it. As mentioned, the glorious 335:



By Revelation.





Bought the last one of these as well with a Rosewood fingerboard. In Black, at least. No one should ever play a Maple fretboard on a 335.

Ok, it's not a Gibson. I could have bought an Epiphone for the same price. Now, Epiphones can be great. Robben Ford plays one. It don't get better than that. But I played one of these Revelations in my local ma and pa shop. I couldn't make my mind up between this and my Jazzmaster clone.

Why not both?

Well, the one they had was in pukey Dave Grohl Blue. Bleh.

This one is in natural:




I was super impressed with this guitar. With its build. It's weight. It's tone. It did have a busted pot though. Very worried about that in fact. There is no way to get in to the back or front to change stuff on this instrument. I hope mine is good. A gamble I will take.

The pups are by Entwistle again. They can be bought for about 30 quid each. They are great. Not as much tonal variation due to not having the vari-switch that the Jazzmaster does. But still, it's good enough. It's a 335. You can play jazz/rock/blues/pop on it. It's got a solid block down the center so you don't get feedback at amp volume. So they say.

I would have got the Cherry Red if they didn't have the Black. But I got the last one in the country apparently. I want to put a Bigsby on it. Probably a B3, with a Towner Down Tension bar. No idea. Is there anyone out there with experience of these? It's not exactly a Floyd-Rose. I can't deal with them any more. I'm a Kahler man, but that won't fly on this beauty. I love the idea of a Bigsby.

I won't be buying many more guitars. I need to get a replacement Strat. I won't buy another Les Paul. I need to get another Tele or two. That's it. No more than a dozen guitars, not counting basses and acoustics.

I really hope those pots aren't fucked up.

Check one out if you get the chance.

I've never owned a semi-acoustic before. I might even stick a set of .11s on it. What gauge do you use on these types of guitars?

Post: #49

More great info Rigsby. Much appreciated. I'll check these out. I play nickel .11-.12 on everything.

Tornado

Post: #50

Cool one Rigsby. Was that model BB King used to play?