GuitArcher

Here's a roundup from about 2 years ago that for some reason went unpublished.  What interests me the most is the SGJ, which go for much more than $400 currently. Fender Esquire GT w/EMG 81 ($450) I'm not including this because I think the price is particularly good (it isn't).  Still, this (along with the Esquire Celtic) were very cool Korean variants with a single volume/humbucker set necks with unique finishes (the GT had the Shelby Cobra finish, the Esquire some inlay that the Lilith Fair crowd goes for).  Made in Korea - not that it matters.  People ascribe too much value on place of manufacture rather than the quality of the instrument itself. I don't feel one way or the other about the EMG 81 - they're good pickups, but they're a one trick pony... They're really good at that one trick, but still.  That finish is killer though, with the matching headstock, and $100 less would be a steal.  I'm watching this one carefully. Digression:...

I sold that Les Paul Studio for the princely sum of $900, which is a bit higher than they were going for at the time. Never underestimate the value of using entirely unnecessary adjectives when writing Kijiji posts - words like "vibe" and "mojo" come to mind.  Aspiring rock stars, and especially aspiring "local Stevies", eat that language up.  The whole Crossroads mythos is the stupidest thing to even happen to the guitar if you ask me***. ***Sorry.  Second Stupidest. There was a purpose to selling the Les Paul though.  There is always a purpose, and it is almost always the same - something else on the horizon, destined to make all of your tone dreams come true. And when it isn't that, it's because you're broke.  Thankfully, selling the Les Paul was about the first thing. There is always a porpoise. The object of my affection? A Dr. Z Maz 38 Senior with a custom Leyland Sound 2x12 cab.  I had read about Dr. Z for a lo...

Modifying guitars can be a great way to turn the guitar you have into the guitar you want.  Be careful though, because the definition of "the guitar you want" changes from week to week.  Last week's Tobacco Burst Les Paul quickly turns into this week's Pepto Bismol Pink Kramer. Because Hair. Pickups are normally where most people start, and with options at every point on the price scale, there are a ton of great options out there.  Here are some important things to keep in mind: Learn How to Solder If you can't install your own pickups, you're either shutting the door on a world of great tone or demonstrating that you have more money than brains (because you'll pay someone 50 bucks an hour to do it for you instead of learning yourself).  For $30 you can get yourself basic soldering iron, some rosin core solder and some wire.  With tons of resources online to teach you how to do it properly, and Seymour Duncan's excellent collection of...

You can't swing a cat without hitting something that is "limited edition" these days. Manufacturers are sticking the "limited edition" stickers on everything, from cars to coke (automobiles to Zima?), in the hopes that we'll convince ourselves that we're just as special as the 500 other schlubs down the street. Guitar makers aren't any different. Fender wants to believe that every guitar or amp is the naturally blonde Japanese unicorn - a rare prize reserved for those of discriminating taste, now available for slightly more than the standard model (which is a regular Japanese unicorn , in case you're wondering how the metaphor works). Epiphone is into redheads. Suffice to say, "Limited Edition" production guitars should be taken with a grain of salt. Limited edition salt obviously.  Regular salt is for losers. Hold the salt here though.  This one is actually pretty cool. Gibson SG Limited Edition (1996) ...