Cheap parlours: are Fender & Gretsch any good

Soupman · December 2022

Specs are one thing, but I'd never buy without trying it out first. As has been said already, you can try two identical models but find you have a preference for one.

rossi · January 2023

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor as it seems to be as good as any .

Yorkie · January 2023

rossi said:

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor as it seems to be as good as any .

It is good, isn’t it?

rossi · January 2023

Yorkie said:

rossi said:

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor as it seems to be as good as any .

It is good, isn’t it?

arrives today HNGD

rossi · January 2023

Didnt arrive .Tracking disappeared .Lost into the christmas lost parcel mountain ..........?

rossi · January 2023

arrived oK and a very good guitar .strings a bit dead as expected and a truss rod adjustment but all is well and gig bag a bonus.

Yorkie · January 2023

Sounds great

Were you getting string buzz despite all the checks and stuff? Mine did.

rossi · January 2023

Yorkie said:

Sounds great
Were you getting string buzz despite all the checks and stuff? Mine did.

No none at all .perhaps I was lucky .I will lower the action a bit so it might appear .

Yorkie · January 2023

Mine now has a buzz at the bridge (I think!) when I play the G and B strings. I believe it started after I played a blues that I usually play on electric and which has lots of bends… is it a bad idea to bend strings on an acoustic?

rossi · January 2023

Try pushing the bridge pins in .I had slight buzz when I set the truss rod and I pushed the pins down buzz gone .Light strings for bending unless you are goliath amongst men or at think you are.I am getting some 10's probably too light but will try .I talk as a 60's thick string blues and bluegrass player round folky clubs and a much later light string electric basher . in pubsx Personaly I put light strings on everything but I am very old and have learnt wisely .Like you I play a lot of blues .Thick strings are great for bluegrass not blues.

Yorkie · January 2023

rossi said:

Try pushing the bridge pins in .I had slight buzz when I set the truss rod and I pushed the pins down buzz gone .Light strings for bending unless you are goliath amongst men or at think you are.I am getting some 10's probably too light but will try .I talk as a 60's thick string blues and bluegrass player round folky clubs and a much later light string electric basher . in pubsx Personaly I put light strings on everything but I am very old and have learnt wisely .Like you I play a lot of blues .Thick strings are great for bluegrass not blues.

Thanks for the advice. I’ve tried pushing the pins in, but I haven’t noticed any change and it doesn’t look like they can go any further anyway (but I could very well be wrong as I’m a newbie around acoustics). The buzz is way more obvious on fretted notes and is apparently coming from the bridge. There’s nothing obviously wrong with anything on the bridge.

Please let me know how you get on with 10s — I play 8s on strat and tele, 9s on LP and SG. I think having 10s on acoustic might make sense for me provided that they are not too loose.

rossi · January 2023

I just fitted some 10-50 from Ernie Ball and lowered the string height and its really transformed it .Love it .its come alive and no buzz.Do you have a high fret somewhere ? The stock strings were dead as dodos ,some thing worth bearing in mind when trying out in a store.

Yorkie · January 2023

Nice! But what do you mean by ‘dead as dodos’? Were they rusty? Or simply bad quality?

rossi · January 2023

Yorkie said:

Nice! But what do you mean by ‘dead as dodos’? Were they rusty? Or simply bad quality?

The guitar didnt ring out.Sounded a bit dead,dull .I knew it was the strings.They have been stuck on a slow boat from China probably .Thats my take but who knows.i always change strings straight away .

Yorkie · January 2023

I am now getting buzz on all strings. Starting to think that there might be a rattling cable, touching the top from the inside.

I have also ordered a set of D’Addario 10s — will collect later.

DiscoStu · February 2023

What's the latest with your P20s, guys? I'm hovering over the buy button!

Yorkie · February 2023

DiscoStu said:

What's the latest with your P20s, guys? I'm hovering over the buy button!

I still need to change the strings on mine. I suspect the rattle is caused by a loose cable inside. Aside from the strange buzz, the guitar is light, small, super comfortable and looks great.

DiscoStu · February 2023

Hope you find the cause @Yorkie as it sounds like you've found the right guitar for you.
I can't decide between the mahogany or the black. Maybe the black. I'll probably go for the P20e just so I have amp options.

rossi · February 2023

I love mine even on light strings .Very satisfied with it .A well made proper guitar ,cant actually see any flaws despite long hard look ..Prbably the e version is worth buying but I got mine at a good price and dont really need another electric

Yorkie · February 2023

DiscoStu said:

Hope you find the cause @Yorkie as it sounds like you've found the right guitar for you.
I can't decide between the mahogany or the black. Maybe the black. I'll probably go for the P20e just so I have amp options.

Size and scale are definitely right for me. Brand and price were more of an accident. A happy one, though.

rossi · February 2023

DiscoStu said:

Hope you find the cause @Yorkie as it sounds like you've found the right guitar for you.
I can't decide between the mahogany or the black. Maybe the black. I'll probably go for the P20e just so I have amp options.

I got the black "tuxedo" mainly as at the time it was on offer but I am glad I did .It looks great sitting in a cozy chair in the front room and matches our Tibetan terrorist .

Yorkie · February 2023

I got the black one because my wife didn’t like the others, and seeing as she wanted to make it a present… it looks good, and I think I would have been happy with any of the other models. The pickup is very good too, although it takes a 9V battery — my old Yamaha didn’t need power.

rossi · February 2023

Yorkie said:

I got the black one because my wife didn’t like the others, and seeing as she wanted to make it a present… it looks good, and I think I would have been happy with any of the other models. The pickup is very good too, although it takes a 9V battery — my old Yamaha didn’t need power.

Looks like we both have our good ladies to thank for our luck .

Yorkie · May 2023

After a few months playing a set of 10s on the PRS, I can say that the buzz is still there, and I cannot really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's not the pegs, nut looks good, action is not too low (there's a gap at the 12th fret)... have contacted Peach.

Kilgore · May 2023

Yorkie said:

After a few months playing a set of 10s on the PRS, I can say that the buzz is still there, and I cannot really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's not the pegs, nut looks good, action is not too low (there's a gap at the 12th fret)... have contacted Peach.

Have you checked the battery compartment? I had a fender that buzzed, at first I couldn't find a cause or location. It turned out to be battery was vibrating when the guitar was being played.

Yorkie · May 2023

Kilgore said:

Yorkie said:

After a few months playing a set of 10s on the PRS, I can say that the buzz is still there, and I cannot really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's not the pegs, nut looks good, action is not too low (there's a gap at the 12th fret)... have contacted Peach.

Have you checked the battery compartment? I had a fender that buzzed, at first I couldn't find a cause or location. It turned out to be battery was vibrating when the guitar was being played.

Ok, that's a very interesting observation – will definitely try it without the battery (which came factory-installed). How did you sort the issue?

Kilgore · May 2023

Yorkie said:

Kilgore said:

Yorkie said:

After a few months playing a set of 10s on the PRS, I can say that the buzz is still there, and I cannot really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's not the pegs, nut looks good, action is not too low (there's a gap at the 12th fret)... have contacted Peach.

Have you checked the battery compartment? I had a fender that buzzed, at first I couldn't find a cause or location. It turned out to be battery was vibrating when the guitar was being played.

Ok, that's a very interesting observation – will definitely try it without the battery (which came factory-installed). How did you sort the issue?

Took battery out then put it back sorted it. You could wedge a bit of cardboard in if required, if that is the problem of course.

BillDL · May 2023

The easiest test to see if it is the battery rattling/buzzing in the compartment is obviously what you said about completely removing the battery, but you could also push a couple of small bits of foam rubber down either side of the battery with something thin and perhaps also try a very thin piece of very squashy foam on the base of the battery before you clip the lip closed.

Yorkie · May 2023

Ok, it's not the battery. But I think I've found the culprit: I know I had tested this months ago and didn't really notice a difference, but I've just found that if I hold a finger against the pickup controls – accessible from the soundhole – and the cables coming out of it, the rattle/buzz goes away. Problem is, I don't think I can see any cables near the top or sides, but there's quite a few of them. No idea how to fix this. Kind of wish I had got the purely acoustic version...

rustneversleeps · June 2023

Yorkie said:

After a few months playing a set of 10s on the PRS, I can say that the buzz is still there, and I cannot really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's not the pegs, nut looks good, action is not too low (there's a gap at the 12th fret)... have contacted Peach.

Interested how you got at peach?Took mine back yesterday fixed straight away no problem.

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Cheap parlours: are Fender & Gretsch any good

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