talk about your biggest guitar surprise

mikeyrob73 · August 2023

So we have a thread

Tell me about your biggest guitar disappointments

lets go for some positive vibes.

Tell us about the biggest surprise with a guitar, wether that be a cheapy that plays and sounds way way better than it should or a guitar you didn't think you would like and it blew you away.

i will start with a Vintage AV2 Advanced , Tele Thinline shaped but with a bass contour roll off and a cut away to get up the dusty end , so good one of my pals nagged me into selling it to him after he had borrowed it to record with, managed to find myself another , non thinline version AV2s and its just as good if slightly heavier . way better than a sub £200 guitar has any right to be

flying_pie · August 2023

PRS SE Tremonti Standard

I picked this up when trying out load of other guitars as I was after a rock machine with a trem. I didn't know anything about it (or even what Tremonti meant) but it was by far the best guitar in the price bracket for me. It's my cheapest and most played guitar by far

Offset · August 2023

My 'biggest surprise' was the same as my 'biggest disappointment' - I was surprised I was disappointed :-)

richardhomer · August 2023

I’ve bought a Les Paul that I really like. I think this is the sixth one over a 40 year period…

CaseOfAce · August 2023

Fender JV Modified 50s telecaster I bought last year has become my main gigging guitar.
I was looking at spendy humbucker Suhrs and the like to replace my 20 year old pawnshop Peavey Wolfgang - but couldn't find anything I gelled with - so I figured - well a telecaster will have to do. (I had a Baja in the past).

It was sat on the stand as a backup behind me on stage for 6 months cos I couldn't be bothered to dial in the amp for it... until I started using it at home.. loved it - and then started using it live. Now I won't use anything else with the band. It sounds superb. The bridge pickup handles everything I throw at it and the (fretboard) neck is a thing of beauty. Thick ..but not too thick - soft V.

BillDL · August 2023

I hadn't owned a Les Paul styled guitar for a long time, but didn't have money to buy a real one or an Epiphone, so a few years ago I bought a £199 Artist Guitars LP59 Cherry Burst "Les Paul". I was quite stunned and amazed at not only the superb build quality of the guitar, but at the sound of it. Even though it has a poplar carved cap and flamed maple veneer over a mahogany body, rather than a solid maple cap, and even though it has a man-made resin fretboard, this guitar is the closest in feel and sound to a real and good LP of any LP shaped one I've played, even up to probably the £600 mark. No it's not a LP, but I'm pretty sure not too many people would hear the difference with their eyes closed.

Power-Beef · August 2023

Those "starfish gone splat with a funny neck" Strandbergs.

I do wonder what Leo would say if he was still around.

Sorry Ned.

"One way, or another..."

Lestratcaster · August 2023

Probably an Epiphone Les Paul I bought from Andertons in 2012 for £295. It was the last one I tried in the booth, had played Customs, Specials and maybe one of the other models. Didn't like any of them, but I saw the standard so plugged it into the Marshall JCM800 that was in the booth that day. From that opening A5 ringing chord it sounded heavenly. Crunch, attack, sizzle and sustain!! It was funnily enough the cheapest guitar I had tried but ultimately the best sounding. So I bought it obviously and it still sounds great today. Didn't expect anything from it when I first picked it up.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Power-Beef said:

Those "starfish gone splat with a funny neck" Strandbergs.

I do wonder what Leo would say if he was still around.

Sorry Ned.

"One way, or another..."

I'm sure he'd say "Do people like them? How cheaply can we build them? How big a profit can we make?"

But maybe I'm misunderstanding, you've lost me with the last two lines.

rustneversleeps · August 2023

I fancied a cheap parlour acoustic as couch guitar.Brought a PRS TONARE completely does the job.I was surprised to be honest as I wasn’t expecting much.Nice LITTLE guitar.

Offset · August 2023

Power-Beef said:

Those "starfish gone splat with a funny neck" Strandbergs.

I do wonder what Leo would say if he was still around.

Sorry Ned.

"One way, or another..."

Errrm... Ned Steinberger?!

timmypix · August 2023

Power-Beef said:

Those "starfish gone splat with a funny neck" Strandbergs.

I do wonder what Leo would say if he was still around.

Sorry Ned.

"One way, or another..."

I'll echo this. I thought Strandbergs were just a headless with an ergonomic... not quite gimmick, but not necessarily a USP either.

Boy did playing one change my mind. It's the most comfortable guitar I've ever played, full stop. Lightweight, sits comfortably in any position, and the Endurneck profile does wonders for hand posture. I'm sure the fanned frets help too.

Winny_Pooh · August 2023

Taylor GS Mini - how can it sound so good?!

Taylor AD27 - All Mahogany and better than any other all hog guitar I've tried to date.

Schecter Nick Johnston - neck profile a tad skinny for my taste but extremely good otherwise. Plays and sounds fantastic. Preffered it to Suhrs and CS strats I tried on the day.

TC spark booster - versatile and cheap! I use mine on bass but it could easily stand in for a boost, TS, Timmy etc

Power-Beef · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

Power-Beef said:

Those "starfish gone splat with a funny neck" Strandbergs.

I do wonder what Leo would say if he was still around.

Sorry Ned.

"One way, or another..."

I'm sure he'd say "Do people like them? How cheaply can we build them? How big a profit can we make?"

But maybe I'm misunderstanding, you've lost me with the last two lines.

Ned Steinberger. I was referring to him. Ever since the first time I saw that cricket bat, I've wanted one. ALL. THESE. YEARS. But that place in my heart has been won by the Strandbergs.

"One way, or another, I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha..." (Referring to the Strandbergs)

Philly_Q · August 2023

Ahhh....

I knew "Ned" must be Steinberger, but I didn't see the connection with the Strandbergs other than the headless thing. And I couldn't work out if you hated Strandbergs or loved them.

Power-Beef · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

Ahhh....

I knew "Ned" must be Steinberger, but I didn't see the connection with the Strandbergs other than the headless thing. And I couldn't work out if you hated Strandbergs or loved them.

What's not to like when they have demonstrated that "less is more"? Notice I didn't say "proven", I said "demonstrated".

No doubt that they are a bit "marmite", but quirky can be fun too.

Philly_Q · August 2023

I never tried a proper Steinberger, I had a Spirit by Steinberger for a while but never liked it much.... I found the bridge and tuners annoying, and it was weirdly heavy for such a small guitar.

I'm not sure what I think of Strandberg, I don't think they look bad but they don't exactly appeal either. I am curious about the "EndurNeck" - they say "it is experienced as comfortable whether you are used to a thick or thin neck" which sounds interesting... but improbable.

Roland · August 2023

Steinberger cricket bat. I’d always thought of it as an ideal travel guitar. Davey Johnston from Elton John’s band plays one, and there weren’t many around.

Eventually I found one in a music shop in France when I was looking for a campfire acoustic to entertain the families we were with.

The surprise was that I couldn’t play it. With no body to hold onto it wouldn’t stay in position. Every time I removed my fretting hand from the fret board the neck followed it.

This morning I was reminded of it. When I walked past a music shop. There was a Hohner travel guitar in the window. Not the cricket bat, but the new design with more wood on the upper side under your forearm, and conventional tuners.

HAL9000 · August 2023

Squier Affinity Tele. Cheap as chips, superb neck, and had that Tele ‘spank’ to it. Hardware and electrickery bits unfortunately also cheap as chips but well worth the £140 I paid for it.

scrumhalf · August 2023

My biggest surprise with a guitar was when I first tried an electric. Having struggled with an acoustic and being on the verge if giving up a friend brought a cheap Tele copy round and I was gobsmacked at how much easier it was to play an electric.

I went out the next weekend and bought my first electric, a godawful Satellite 65/T. And despite its godawfulness it was still easier to play than my acoustic.

kossofffan · August 2023

It’s been 11 months now since I homed my CS Tele, I’m still deeply in my honeymoon period & don’t want to play anything else. Just feels perfect to me and the bridge pick-up has amazing bite that can also extrude a classic PAF type sound. It’s just so easy to play & I can lose myself for a couple of hours in!

Fortheloveofguitar · August 2023

I bought a used cort G300 Pro a few weeks back at £300.

Absolute bargain! The neck is one of the nicest necks I’ve ever played, the fret work was impeccable, Seymour Duncan pickups and the Cort 2 point tremolo with push in arm is great and holds tuning perfectly.

A surprisingly awesome guitar for just £300

Voxman · August 2023

My Harley Benton TE52NA 'black guard Tele' - ash body, maple neck, cost £135 new, bit on the heavy side and I changed the tuners and had to stick in the rear ferules that were loose but its a stonking guitar, surprisingly well made & the Roswell pickups are really good too. Nothing wrong with the chrome saddles but I've since put on some Wilkinson brass compensated saddles. Sounds & plays great and its my home go to guitar on the guitar stand in my den. Best £135 on gear I've ever spent!

Image: https://i.postimg.cc/LsZxdHvM/20201106-135751.jpg

mark123 · August 2023

BillDL said:

I hadn't owned a Les Paul styled guitar for a long time, but didn't have money to buy a real one or an Epiphone, so a few years ago I bought a £199 Artist Guitars LP59 Cherry Burst "Les Paul". I was quite stunned and amazed at not only the superb build quality of the guitar, but at the sound of it. Even though it has a poplar carved cap and flamed maple veneer over a mahogany body, rather than a solid maple cap, and even though it has a man-made resin fretboard, this guitar is the closest in feel and sound to a real and good LP of any LP shaped one I've played, even up to probably the £600 mark. No it's not a LP, but I'm pretty sure not too many people would hear the difference with their eyes closed.

Whats the neck shape like on them ?

Kittyfrisk · August 2023

BillDL said:

I hadn't owned a Les Paul styled guitar for a long time, but didn't have money to buy a real one or an Epiphone, so a few years ago I bought a £199 Artist Guitars LP59 Cherry Burst "Les Paul". I was quite stunned and amazed at not only the superb build quality of the guitar, but at the sound of it. Even though it has a poplar carved cap and flamed maple veneer over a mahogany body, rather than a solid maple cap, and even though it has a man-made resin fretboard, this guitar is the closest in feel and sound to a real and good LP of any LP shaped one I've played, even up to probably the £600 mark. No it's not a LP, but I'm pretty sure not any people would hear the difference with their eyes closed.

FTFY

Nikc · August 2023

My Tele - a birthday present from my family I had no idea I was a Tele man until payed it

skullfunkerry · August 2023

As it was me who started the negativity thread I should counter by saying that all three of my guitars were and are excellent surprises:

Jackson SL3X Soloist - pretty much the cheapest Soloist Jackson make, I wasn't expecting much but it genuinely has one of the nicest necks I've ever played*, the top fret access is hands down the best I've ever seen, and it sounds great too (I've replaced the bridge pickup with a beast from Oil City, but it didn't sound bad before in all honesty).

* - I've owned a Jackson Custom Shop Kelly in the past, and the neck on my Soloist is just as good, with the added bonus of being satin on the back.

Cort X300 in flip purple - looks stunning, feels almost as good as the Jackson, didn't need anything doing straight out of the box, and came with EMG pickups which I love.

Harley Benton Fusion III EMG - I bought a b-stock, half expecting it to be a dog which I'd end up returning... the only thing wrong with it is the tone pot is a little bit loose - I don't use it anyway, so it's not a problem. It's got a really nice neck, bit fatter than the Jackson and the Cort, feels very similar to the Charvel San Dimas I had for a while. EMG pickups again, light weight, stays in tune brilliantly, and I have literally no complaints about it.

All three of my guitars combined came to just over £1000: I've just had a look on the Guitar Guitar website and for that money I could get an American HSS Strat... personally though, I'd take my superstrats over that any day of the week

axisus · August 2023

A pal had a Sherwood bass years ago. It was a bloody ugly slab of wood, I hated the look of it. Had a go though and it played amazingly well, especially for slap bass. It was almost a shame to set fire to it.

BillDL · August 2023

mark123 said:

BillDL said:

I hadn't owned a Les Paul styled guitar for a long time, but didn't have money to buy a real one or an Epiphone, so a few years ago I bought a £199 Artist Guitars LP59 Cherry Burst "Les Paul". ....................

Whats the neck shape like on them ?

Long and slender, tapering towards one end, and with a shallow curved upper side and a much more curved underside

The guitar has been designed to "pay homage" to a 59 LP, but I've never played a 59 LP and I don't know whether they shaped the neck to mimic one, so all I can say is that this guitar's neck is a C shape that's not too skinny or chunky. It's very comfortable unless you are used to playing an Ibanez Jem, a modern Strat, or a ukulele. My cherry burst Harley Benton SC-450 Plus has a beefier neck than the Artist Guitars one and I find that one equally comfortable. The thing about me telling you what the shape is like is very subjective because I have large hands and long fingers and I sometimes don't know or really care whether a guitar has a "Modern C" or a "60s C" or a "D" or a "Softened V". All my guitars are different and I can adapt to all but the shallowest "Ibanez" type profiles quite well. I could give you measurements but they would be meaningless without seeing the shape on a profile gauge, and even then it's hard to translate the visual to the actual feel. All I would say is that it's towards the chunkier side of most LP and LP styled guitars I've played.

It is worthy of mention that the frets stop flat at the binding that's then shaped into fret nibs, as you find on some much more expensive Gibsons. On mine there are no gaps between the end of the frets and the binding to snag strings, but that can change over time. Some people like them and some don't. They weren't as smooth and profiled as you may find on a more expensive guitar, but a gentle rub along the neck with a soft white Scotchbrite pad smoothed and softened the edges whereby they feel like dressed fret ends.

Cranky · August 2023

I always preferred modest, single cut electric guitars. Nothing pointy, nothing flamed/quilted, nothing “shreddy.” A Tele or a classic looking offset was good for me (or a simple acoustic more often than not).

Then recently I happened upon a rare neck-thru Fender Strat called a “Showmaster.” HH, high output Seymour Duncans, flat radius (15.75” I believe). It was amazing and I had to have it. And within a few weeks or so I ended up with one of these new Ibanez multiscale models.

Pleasantly surprised and another new, unexpected playing path. This is one of the perks that’s come with finally telling myself that it’s ok to want to play guitar, to practice it and to play well. You feel better about going out and trying things.

(These aren’t my exact guitars. The internet always has better pictures than I do.)

Boromedic · August 2023

I've been on a Peter Buck kick of late, and I bought a Jetglo Rickenbacker 360 last year that I sold on because as lovely as it was, the neck wasn't for me. Revisited some of the old live footage and I'd forgotten that for a lot of the Reckoning-Document period he played a 72 Tele Custom..... Roll on trying a Squier Classic Vibe 72 at Andertons, was massively impressed so much so I bought it straight away. I was not expecting such a great guitar for £360 new, so yeah massively surprised.

It's very well put together, great fretwork, chunkyish neck with even a little bit of flame, decent hardware and the pickups are really good. Had 9s on so switched it to 10s and it needs a tiny file on the B string, I've also got some compensated saddles for it. I wouldn't change anything else really. It's the guitar I pick up the most at the minute, light-ish, resonant, lively, stays in tune and does Buck live tones to a T. Every guitar I've ever picked up in that price range previously (and it's been a while I'll be honest), felt cheap and had shite fretwork and hardware. It's also not a million miles away in sound/tone from a CS Tele I had recently which had Antiquities in it.

The only downside is, it's very new and lacks the played in vibe of my more expensive guitars, the neck edges are very flat!! However that will come with playing it in eventually.

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My head said brake, but my heart cried never.