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What Guitar would a Bassist grab?


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7 hours ago, tauzero said:

James Tyler Variax, either the JTV59 (Les Paulish, twin humbuckers if not using emulation) or JTV69 (Stratish, twin single coil plus humbucker). They generally get used for acoustic emulation.

I have a JTV59. A fine instrument indeed. Great acoustic sounds and the out of phase strat quack is great too. Gretsch sounds are good too.

 

Having been down the rabbit hole of guitars (like basses) I have settled on Brian May guitars. I currently have 4. 24 inch scale and 24 frets. A good range of tones and a bit different.

I have a couple of les pauls, an SG jr, strats including a 12 string, 2 telecasters, ovation acoustic, 335 a-like.

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I’m torn between a few. Love Strats and Teles, been selling a couple recently though as I’m 

not using them including my lovely red 335.🙁

However, my go to would still be my 59 Les Paul Junior, which I’ve owned for over 30 years.

I actually used it for the first time in ages on a gig last Saturday and it is just one of those

guitars that ‘fits’ me. No frills one P90 pickup, one vol/one tone and a nice fat neck which I

always go for on any guitar. Will be with me till I can no longer play. 
 

 

IMG_1544.jpeg

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Either this:

DSC01135.jpg

 

An Eggle-era FretKing V Custom

 

or this:

DSC01122.jpg

 

Gus G1

 

Both were custom made for me about 25 years ago. I've owned other guitars, but none as good as these.

 

Edited by BigRedX
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Strats are the guitars I seem to get on best with, though there are so many variations of neck and fittings that simply saying "a Strat" doesn't tell the whole story; I have several, plus copies (a Levinson Blade is my standout).

For some reason I don't get on so well with Gibsons; I have an SG and a Les Paul (Studio), but they seem slightly cramped for me. OTOH I had a play on a Flying V last year and I really liked it, plus I've aways wanted an Explorer.

I've also got a couple of Teles built from parts (Fender MIM) and they're pretty good.

There are some other brands I have too, including Washburn, Danelectro (tuned to DADGAD), Aria Pro (I would like a vintage PE-1000), plus others, but none I would get evangelical about.

That's electrics.

Acoustic-wise I occasionally pick up my Ovation (they have a specific sound, but are hard to play sitting down) and a classical guitar (which can teach you things about bass playing).

So, overall my recommendation would be a Strat, probably HSS, with not too light strings (10s), a not too curved neck (if you want to bend strings), a whammy (just because), and whatever style neck (I don't notice maple vs rosewood) and colour body you like. Fender MIM is probably the benchmark for price vs. performance for me, so I'd suggest those as a comparison baseline.

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17 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

 If it had to be a Fender - these are often played by the more interesting guitar players, such as Marc Ribot.

Otherwise a python-skin Parker Fly...

 

original.jpg?1721116256

 

Oooooh, stylin'.

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I guess history has proven out that for me it'd be a superstrat type. I haven't played properly in a long time now, but at the point where it fizzled out I had the ESPs in these pics so they are what's available for the very occasional noodle. The tele in the first pic was really nice but not at all 'me', so it moved out when the stupid black shred machine in the second one moved in. I sold the last of my amps, cabs and effects in the recent cull so I could probably sell up completely and move on happily enough, but these two aren't eating anything in storage so I figure it's probably more cost-effective to just keep them than get into a sell/re-buy cycle every time the delusion resurfaces, as I'd never be able to justify anything close to their quality again.

 

E2ST2-AmStdT_sm.thumb.jpg.0517cf11c80c6b7b5440702b214562d2.jpg

 

ESP_E-II_M-I_sm.thumb.jpg.5cfa6b31548b9dff02bd52c15a1e50ee.jpg

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Something Fender-y. I've got an old SG with P90s that sounds amazing, but the scale length is a bit cramped for my taste. I know there's not much in it, but when you're used to a proper instrument every little counts. ;)

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Heavy handed and ham fisted before I found bass, I did have a hohner 2 black les Paul copy which was fantastic . However it had to go back to mummy's catalogiue to be replaced with a chunk of firewood called the Hondo 2 Bass guitar which was the right thing to do at the time . 

 

In one of my ver early places of employment , I purchased an SG Cooy from my boss for about £30 in 1981 I think .

Didnt get on with that , so I offloaded that somewhere .
 

I now have a strat copy gathering dust in the corner of my front room . Feels great , but I hate sunburst and not a fan of the jack socket .

 

If I was to get a proper guitar , it would be a full body steinberger . Looks lovely . Headless design appeals also. It would have to be red , or white what Edgar Froese used .
Either that , or something that is used by slayer... 

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1 hour ago, Bassassin said:

Mostly this for just grabbing & plonking away unplugged:

 

749108794_JD01.thumb.jpg.23d58474bb1d8196119121b80042c0fc.jpg

 

And mostly this for recording:

 

squierstrat01.thumb.jpg.6d03c6cdcfc22b6317ca2e5f0407ab55.jpg

 

Or for making a racket, this:

 

SG1500F04.thumb.jpg.8327f70cb74bca6027a426bfab9a4eb3.jpg

Stunning Yamaha. Lusted after one of these for many years, then got a 30th Anniversary model. Loved it but couldn't get the right sounds out of it. Probably my limited ability as a player rather than any reflection on a great guitar.

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I have a varied collection, but my absolute number one is my 1980s MIJ Squier E-series Strat. It's had its pickups replaced with a DiMarzio Pro Track (SC-sized humbucker) in the bridge and two Blue Velvet singlecoils in the other two positions. It is closely rivalled by my Music Man Silhouette Special and G&L ASAT Special.

 

I much favour Fenderlike guitars. I do however also own more Gibsonesque guitars: I have a Cort MGM-1 Matt "Guitar" Murphy signature (he of Blues Brothers fame, among many more) and a Tokai ES-60 semi-hollowbody, and a beast of a Carvin 7-string DC-727. And just last week I picked up an Ibanez ORM-1 Omar Rodriguez Lopez signature model which is a lot of fun in its shortscale goodness and single-pickup simplicity. I have another MIJ Squier Strat (Silver Series) but that's on a semi-permanent loan to my brother in law. And my first guitar, a Chinese Squier Affinity Strat from 1999, is sitting idly in a case. 

 

But that cheap Strat, that I paid just €175 for before the mods I made, is my undisputed number one, and has been for the last 15 years. 

 

This was before the mods:

FB_IMG_1705258635607.jpg.789dc0711b229e99d71f12c323692114.jpg

Edited by LeftyJ
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Well I play bass badly and guitar even badlier but I do like to mash out some chords every now and then.

 

I have a Les Paul

A Les Paul Jr copy

A Westbury sort of SG a like

And borrowing a Tele our guitarist made.

 

They are all different and I like that.

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I find the volume control on a strat too close to the strings. I've not played one long enough to get over that potentially being annoying. My Harley Benton SC-550 II is great though. Really seems to fit me much better than the Tele I have. The carved top and tune-o-matic bridge just works for me. And I like the control layout at lot. 

 

PXL_20240216_153023149_MP.thumb.jpg.1ba07a8dd03ceca78aadeef059804c2f.jpg

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I bought my 72 thinline tele reissue new in 2000.

 

Over the intervening years I've added a few other skinny stringers, some are theoretically a bit more valuable, but that's the one I'd save in a fire.

 

This is the only pic I have on this phone

 

20231229_180935.thumb.jpg.9e5fb56c9c40a9110263a086e559b332.jpg

Edited by Cato
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