Leaderboard

an amp modeller, not a guitar modeller - I would need a neck pickup for exactly the same reason that someone playing into an amp might want one. The ability to switch pickups would be a big plus within the duo too, for moving between rhythm picking parts and solos or leads

I'd echo the above ^^.

Take a look on Reverb or eBay to see what sort of prices they are going for. Beware that on eBay, the asking price isn't always what they will sell for.

I have no experience of any of those specific options, but not sure why it needs to be quite so compact if you are playing at home or in a regular duo where you are already taking acoustic, PA etc. The ergonomics of a compact guitar are definitely a compromise and generally make it less easy to play and certainly less comfortable. The Ibanez is just standard electric sizing, so something like a Squier Strat might be a better option for clean and jazz style playing. I don't think you would need to upgrade to locking tuners for that sort of material. If it needs to be compact for the sake of transportability (I ride a motorcycle so really appreciate the ease of transporting a smaller instrument), ones I have tried are the Blackstar Carry-On and the Traveller Ultra Light. Both seem more compact than the Donner. Both were good and quite a bit less £. Very acceptable sounds and fine to play standing up but I found uncomfortable to play seated as the shape just didn't feel natural, particularly on the Blackstar. I had both and sold both and just went back to a standard guitar size as I now have use of a car too, but if I had to choose one to keep it would be the Blackstar. Much easier to carry with a gig bag on a bike with cables and preamp etc in top box. Felt more 'guitar like' and doesn't look as space age as the Traveller / Donner style

Thanks for the suggestions. I have experimented with the Ultrabass setting on my Behringer V-amp and it does drop the lower strings without seeming to affect higher notes. It is an octave divider by another name. However the sound coming out of the octave down strings is pretty much a fart, if you’ll pardon the expression. I think I’ll just live with no bottom end.