Help me pick out a new electric guitar.

[agradywills]

Hello out there. Here's some background:

I'm looking for a strat style or something similar in a guitar. I had a Fender Mahogany HSS Strat until it was stolen about a year and a half ago. Absolutely loved that guitar. It had the snap of a strat but was so very versatile. I've been thinking of buying another one but thought I would see what you guys might recommend.

I also have a Gibson LP but it doesn't have the versatility or the snap of the strat. I've played PRSs but haven't played one that has near the soul of a strat. The PRS guitars just seem lifeless to me. I've played McCartys, 513s and others. Don't care for 'em.

Give me some ideas. I want sustain in a guitar as well as some treble bite. (Not looking for Les Pauls)

Oh yea, I play everthing from Rock n' Roll to country to blues, etc.

Price range: About $1000 used or new

[larimar]

The newest Fender American standards are pretty cool and come in both S-S-S and H-S-S. Plenty out there so finding a nice sounding one is easy enough.

[ieso]

G&L Legacy

[agradywills]

What about Carvins, Nash, Suhr, etc? I realize most of these are more expensive than $1000 but I might jump at the right one.

[robertkoa]

Carvin is a good one - if you get a Mahogany bodied Bolt with a Maple neck you'll have something similar to your Strat BUT probably more resonance and sustain , louder unplugged.

The pickups i won't be quite as clucky in Parallel positions but you may LOVE the Gilmour/Ej/Hendrix overdrives and SRV vibe from the neck and middle pickups- and the guitar body itself- they are loud and acoustically resonant usually. Versatile with the Mahogany or Koa if you don't mind the extra weight Koa often has- for you I'd stick with 'Hog body.

You'll love the fretwork and can get 10 -12 or 14" radius.

Get the coil cut switch for the Humbucker ( c22B ) and the " always on " switch to add bridge PU to whatever selected on 5 way when switch is "ON".

Really versatile toneful Axe.

[kherman]

Originally Posted by robertkoa

Carvin is a good one - if you get a Mahogany bodied Bolt with a Maple neck you'll have something similar to your Strat BUT probably more resonance and sustain , louder unplugged.

The pickups i won't be quite as clucky in Parallel positions but you may LOVE the Gilmour/Ej/Hendrix overdrives and SRV vibe from the neck and middle pickups- and the guitar body itself- they are loud and acoustically resonant usually. Versatile with the Mahogany or Koa if you don't mind the extra weight Koa often has- for you I'd stick with 'Hog body.

You'll love the fretwork and can get 10 -12 or 14" radius.

Get the coil cut switch for the Humbucker ( c22B ) and the " always on " switch to add bridge PU to whatever selected on 5 way when switch is "ON".

Really versatile toneful Axe.

[agradywills]

Any other thoughts?

[Chicago Slim]

I'm a rockabilly player. I've also done some work (gigs & recording) with rock and country bands. I don't like Les Pauls or PRS maple top mahogany guitars.

I would suggest looking at the PRS Starla and Swamp Ash Special. They both have the twang of a Tele, and the ability to do other sounds.

[DGTCrazy]

Originally Posted by agradywills

Hello out there. Here's some background:

I'm looking for a strat style or something similar in a guitar. I had a Fender Mahogany HSS Strat until it was stolen about a year and a half ago. Absolutely loved that guitar. It had the snap of a strat but was so very versatile. I've been thinking of buying another one but thought I would see what you guys might recommend.

I also have a Gibson LP but it doesn't have the versatility or the snap of the strat. I've played PRSs but haven't played one that has near the soul of a strat. The PRS guitars just seem lifeless to me. I've played McCartys, 513s and others. Don't care for 'em.

Give me some ideas. I want sustain in a guitar as well as some treble bite. (Not looking for Les Pauls)


Oh yea, I play everthing from Rock n' Roll to country to blues, etc.

Price range: About $1000 used or new

You need to try a used PRS DGT. You will be blown away by the versatility. It does NOT sound like any other PRS, and the Split Coil tone is the best I've heard. You can pick one up used (Gold Top) for $1600-$1800, or just be able to finagle a Burst for $1800. I was never a PRS guy....but the DGT changed all that. There's actually 2 for sale in the Emporium now I believe. (Neither are mine, nor do I know the owners)

[agradywills]

Originally Posted by DGTCrazy

You need to try a used PRS DGT. You will be blown away by the versatility. It does NOT sound like any other PRS, and the Split Coil tone is the best I've heard. You can pick one up used (Gold Top) for $1600-$1800, or just be able to finagle a Burst for $1800. I was never a PRS guy....but the DGT changed all that. There's actually 2 for sale in the Emporium now I believe. (Neither are mine, nor do I know the owners)

Although I am not a PRS guy, I haven't played a DGT but godalmighty does David make his talk. I've seen older videos of him playing a PRS and the tone is unbelievable. Maybe I'm not playing the right ones. I need to try one of the DGTs out.

[agradywills]

Originally Posted by Chicago Slim

I'm a rockabilly player. I've also done some work (gigs & recording) with rock and country bands. I don't like Les Pauls or PRS maple top mahogany guitars.

I would suggest looking at the PRS Starla and Swamp Ash Special. They both have the twang of a Tele, and the ability to do other sounds.

I'm interested in the Starla.

[Chicago Slim]

Originally Posted by agradywills

I'm interested in the Starla.

Without being asked, band members have told me that my Starla, is my best sounding guitar. I would describe it as kind of a cross between a Fender and a Gretsch. It's the only guitar that I've liked the splittable humbuckers on. But to be honest, I don't use it. I EQ my amp for the humbuckers, so that I don't have noise problems, when I play out. The Starla has tons of treble and twang. That's where I live.

I was able to switch from Tele's and Strats to the Starla and SAS, without any problem. The Starla has a 24.5" scale. But, I've been playing a 24.6" Gretsch Pro Jet, and a 25.5" Gretsch Streamliner Historic. The only problem I have with necks, are due to skinny necks. That's why I sold my Gretschs, and bought the Starla. If you like thin, wide necks, the Gretsch's, might be worth a try.

[agradywills]

G&L Legacy Deluxe


Carvin Bolt

Fender Mahogany HSS

Which one for versatility and sustain?

[marsos52]

check this web site out..custom made in your price area ...many options for wood and hardware at little to not extra charge and turn around time is pretty fast

http://www.stinnettguitars.com/Stinnett.htm

[dspellman]

I'd suggest a Carvin, but maybe a different one from the bolt.

I'd go with the ST300.



They've got it shown above as a two-pickup guitar, but I'd definitely look at the HSH configuration with a Master volume, master tone, five-way and three miniswitches as controls.

The ST-300 is a strat-shape bodied neck-through guitar (no clunky neck heel as on a bolt-type guitar):


Scale is 25" (between the LP and the Strat), stock fretboard is ebony (maple and rosewood available), standard radius 12" (10, 14 and 20" available). My personal favorite body woods in this kind of guitar are mahogany or koa (I have both). The guitars are shown above with a maple top, but you can leave that off if you prefer (I have one with, two without). You can get the guitar with a hard tail, a wilkinson fender-type trem or a Floyd. You may be able to choose between string-through-body and tailpiece type hard tails. Locking tuners are standard. Available headstocks include the straight-pull inline you see, two kinds of 3+3, a 4+2, a tilted pointy inline, etc.

The three miniswitches I'm suggesting include a pair of coil taps allowing you to switch both humbuckers into single coil mode and a "bridge pickup add-in" that will keep the bridge pickup on, even when you've selected the neck-only or neck plus middle positions on the five-way. This allows you to get the same kind of middle-position sounds you can get on the LP with both humbuckers. The key to max strat quack on these guitars is to ask them to wire the coil taps so that the coil closest to the bridge (on the bridge pickup) and the coil closest to the neck (neck pickup) are the ones left active in single-coil mode.

One possible "down-the-line" addition to this guitar is a pair of SD P-Rails...