May Roundup

Nothing quite like picking up a new guitar to get you shopping for more guitars. I didn't say it made any sense... Get more, want more? More guitars, more problems? That Buddha guy may have been onto something…


Ibanez SA160 - $250

If you're looking for a good all around guitar for not a lot of money, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than this these days. Although the same $250 got me an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with some negotiating and travel, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for something to cover the maximum number of bases.
I almost jumped on this one, before jumping at the Squier 51 - Call me crazy, but not that crazy. In one of the more recent Anderton's videos, Rob Chapman passed on this in favour of a Yamaha Pacifica. No doubt that this looks better than that, but it does make you wonder...
Actually, no it doesn't. Pass.


1986 Fender Contemporary Stratocaster - $350

I've developed a soft spot for Contemporary Stratocasters since owning once awhile back. This single pickup example comes with the Kahler Trem as opposed to the Schaller System III found on the higher end models.
The Kahler is a less elegant solution in my opinion, with one of locking portions of the system resting BEHIND the nut, rendering it pointless.
This example is a 12 hour drive away, but I've already emailed the seller - if he or she ever gets close enough, I’ll pick this one up.

Peavey Patriot - $200

I'll admit I don't know much about this guitar, but knowing a bit about Peavey's history, this could be a very good find. It looks to be in all original condition, and is made in the USA.
Peavey has never been able to win any popularity contests, but nobody ever accused them of making shoddy product. Having played some USA Peaveys in the past, I'd have zero concern with this guitar, and really dig the "Cantrell/Rampage on a Budget" thing is has going.
For $150 this would be insane value.

Ampeg J12-T Combo - $450

When living in Japan, I bought myself an Ampeg Jet II. It was a great amp, even if it was only used at apartment levels with a Korg processor running into the front most of the time.
I sold it, because of course I did. Seeing this one brought back memories, so I threw out an admittedly low offer of $300 (hey - that's what I paid back in the day).
Unsurprisingly, I was ignored by the seller. Too bad. In a world of Blues Juniors, this is the 15 watt tube combo that stands out.

Fender Cyber-Champ - $120

I don't have any real experience with these amps, but for the cost of a run-of-the-mill pedal, you could have an entire amp replete with models and effects and lights and sounds...
For a practice amp it would be hard to go wrong here, save for the fact that once this thing starts having issues, it's as good as a paper weight.
Still, could be fun.

Fender Stratocaster Plus - Swap/Trade

I'm still not over my Stratocaster Plus GAS. This is a 1997 example in classic three tone sunburst and looks to be in excellent condition. What is it about that LSR Roller Nut and Lace Sensor pickups that make this thing so damn desirable?
The seller has listed this as a Swap/Trade, and has encouraged viewers to "entertain (him) with offers."
Shall I dance next, you steaming pile of...
Sorry. You're probably not so bad.
Probably.
There's nothing I want to part with that matches value here, so we'll just have to watch this one sail by.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Squier Jaguar Review - What do you mean, modified?

Image
Quick Update:  Restringing the Stratocaster with the System III requires the patience of a saint.  I'm not going to go through the many stages of anger, frustration, denial, acceptance, and final victory, but suffice to say there might have been a bit of crying.  Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar I bought this guitar on a whim.  Over some holiday gathering, I went to a music store with my brother.  This caught my eye, and the price was right (Less than $300 out the door).  Sure it had issues right off the bat, but it was soooo cool. Let's get something out of the way - I have no idea why this is part of the "Vintage Modified" series and not the "Classic Vibe" series. You see, the Vintage Modified series is supposed to be a collection of classic designs with a few modern popular updates. This definitely isn't that. WTF is modified here? As Lee Anderton rightly pointed out (see video below), this is pretty much a spot on recreation of the orig
Read more

Pacifica 112 vs. Squier Standard Stratocaster

Image
My recent Squier Standard Stratocaster has me thinking about entry level guitars, and specifically the first new electric guitar I purchased, a Yamaha Pacifica 112.  They're great guitars if you ask me, but for obvious reasons don't get the exposure a "real Stratocaster" does (as real  as a Squier can be I suppose). A comparison of the two may be apt. A Squier Stratocaster lists for $289.99 on L&M , while a new Yamaha Pacifica 112J will set you back $239.99 plus tax.  I seem to recall that the Yamaha and a hard case ran me just over $400, so we're about exactly where we were 20 years ago in terms of price.  Weird. Don't expect a comprehensive review of either guitar - that really isn't the point.  I want to talk about a few differences that indicate where your money is going and hope you can figure the rest out yourself. Yamaha Pacifica 112 / Squier Standard Stratocaster The Yamaha was my second electric, purchased sometime around 1995.  Th
Read more

Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar: Trade Bait?

Image
I bought my Squire Vintage Modified Jaguar on a weekend while visiting my parents. I had decided that I needed to get out of the house for a little while. Aside from going to the mall, there's not much more to do than visit the music store, which is all the excuse I need to wander around Long and McQuade for an hour.  This was back in the day when I still knew most of the people who worked there, including the owner. Well, I say the owner; he wasn't the owner anymore, but he WAS the owner, and then the manager prior to his retirement retirement. At any rate, I went there with my wife and poked around. I saw these Jaguars and Jazzmasters that I had recently watched reviews for on YouTube. Lee Anderton and Rob Chapman had raved about them, except for the bridge, which was the same as the original design and didn't lend itself to bending. But they had a solution: if you ordered a Musicmaster bridge (I'm not sure if that's the model from Allparts anymore), it would fit
Read more

1985 Contemporary Stratocaster Review

Image
I'm really not looking forward to this... Despite being an overall fantastic guitar, I'm a little apprehensive about restringing the damn thing. This particular Stratocaster came into my possession strung with 9s, and strung poorly at that.  The locking nut eliminates this from being much more than a minor gripe from a tuning stability standpoint, but I'm accustomed to 11s on most of my guitars, and playing this just isn't comfortable. There are a lot of things to like about the Fender System III tremolo, but the process of restringing doesn't seem to be one of them.  I haven't taken the plunge yet, but it seems that the online community is universally in agreement - It is a total pain in the ass, and there's no good way to do it.  I'd have to imagine this was a contributing factor to Fender not continuing to use this system (though I bet the introduction of the roller nut on the USA Stratocaster Plus models was the real culprit/hero). Mor
Read more