Leaderboard

As mentioned in this topic, I recently picked up a nice MIM Telecaster with some aftermarket pickups fitted. After trying them out for a while, I decided I wanted something a good bit more “Tele”, so after a look around I decided to try a pair of Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials The idea was that these would take me most of the way to a Tele sound but still satisfy my blues rock leanings. It wasn’t really clear from the internet whether 500k or 250k pots would be best, the “high output” tag and my desire for a tele sound led me to try 500k first. Nope, the tone rolled off much too quickly, and volume was clearly going to work nicely with 250k. No problem, I wired the control plate with chocolate block so I could just unhook it and try again. I was confident enough that 250k would work to ditch the chocolate block, except for the tone cap so I could play with different values. So the controls are: 250k tone pot, 0.047uF orange drop cap 250k volume pot with push / pull for direct out (aka “bright switch”) 4 way selector switch with the 2 pickups in both series and parallel I also shielded all the cavities with copper tape while I was at it. The new stuff with conductive glue makes this so easy. The end result is *exactly* what I was after. Clear and cutting without being over-twangy, lovely and clear for clean work through something like a Fender Champ model. Good for bluesy rocky stuff as well, really good for cutting through the mix. The direct out switch is worth doing with these pickups and 250k pots, it does noticeably bump the brightness. The neck / bridge combos are nice too, the series one gives a nice fat soloing sound. These will definitely be staying in the guitar now. I will try and do some sound clips when I get chance. I’m also hoping to do a back to back test with the standard MIM Tele pickups, if my mate still has his guitar, which is nearly identical but with stock pups.

With "whatever" including concert grand pianos and pretty good PA gear. Got to agree that it's hard to go wrong with a Yamaha whatever-it-is-you're-buying.

With some of the money Lloyds Banks owed me I decided to treat myself to a new 6 string. I'm not the greatest guitarist, by any means, but I feel I've evolved enough to warrant something more than a £70 used Takamine G series. I've been looking on and off for about a year, trying out different guitars when I've been near a guitar shop. I wanted a guitar with a colour, as opposed to a natural finish. So that narrowed the choice a fair bit. So I settled for a black Gretsch Rancher Falcon. I think it sounds lovely and it's just the right side of cheesy, looks wise.

There is one guitar that I have some GAS for which is totally out of character because it is A] Vintage, B] Gibson, c] pointy and d] unobtainable..... Jimi's Black Angel custom flying Vee. Yeah, the actual one. Had a chance to play it (sadly not plugged in) once, and there was an undefinable yet undeniable magic in that thing. Normally hate Vs, but..... Not the only hero's guitar I ever got to handle, but the only one I could *play* (being a lefty). My GAS list is normally much less prosaic, focussing on stuff I can actually afford or might realistically buy, tbh - boring, I know. Currently it is: 1] Fender player Strat - maple board tidepool 2] Fender player p bass - tidepool & maple 3] Gretsch 5210 4] Godin 5th Av Kingpin (the non-cutaway, one-pup version) 5] Eastwood Surfcaster 12 string or maybe the Reveleation Jazzmaster-style 12string 6] Eastwood Mandocaster 12 7] Fender Tim Armstong acoustic with the cat inlays. Amps-wise, the new Vox ABS-bodied bass amp, and the little nutube head, the AC version (clean is too clean, while the 'rock' one sounds like a Marshall, which isn't what I want). Think that's about it. Not big on humbuckers or Gibsons generally. If Eastwood ever did their take on the Johnny Ramone guitar as a lefty, well then..... I tend to like guitars that aren't woody/flametop types, prefer solid colours, like oddballs but with areal retro sensibility; don't care for pointy metal guitars. Floyd Roses are dealbreakers for me.

Good call, he really played guitar as the man said.

Mick Ronson, always loved his tone John

My Rob Williams custom set-neck. Made for me by Rob in 2013.