ezbass

I love a Gretsch.

https://jedistar.com/ideal/ https://reverb.com/item/1075242-ideal-hollow-body-339-electric-guitar-mij https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/Japanese-Manufacturers-of-Made-In-Japan-Badged-Guitars-from-1950-to-1980

A quick internet search revealed some information. Made in he ‘70s, probably by Fujigen. There’s a 335 type Ideal on Reverb for around £150.

I bought one of these carved/contoured bodies from Guitarbuild. https://www.guitarbuild.co.uk/products/tc-carved-top-contours-ss?_pos=3&_psq=carved&_ss=e&_v=1.0 Providing you don’t go mad, maybe just using coarse sand paper, it’s hard to go too far on any body. Takes time and extra effort though.

Hmm, interesting. I’ve not come across the lower side of a slab body causing issues. As it sounds and plays great, I’d be inclined to mod. However, this kills any decent resale potential, should that ever become a requirement. Maybe buy an unfinished, replacement body and shape it to your needs.

Nice.

Another comes out of the BC closet. Tele type - nice.

1 and 4 are the biggies. And...

I see that the new version of the Line6 DL4 now has reverb. I adored my old DL4, it seems even better now. Also, Roland/Boss have released 2 versions of the Space Echo. It’s a good time for delay effects at the moment.

Exciting times!

Nice. Even if you have to pay for full set up/fret dress (and there’s no guarantee it’ll need it), it’s still good value.

I can’t find the link I saw that gave the production date; sorry. If it’s not making you want it at this stage, pass.

It was a standard SE colour, but has now been discontinued.

I like the 2nd one very much, echos of… well, you know who (nuff said), without being a copy. The 3rd one, with a more extended upper horn would work for me too.

I’m not a fan of the Mira design, but silver sparkle works. Ooh, shiny shiny .

Other than saying to use the clean setting with the gain low, I can’t help I’m afraid. Have you had it from new, has it always done this?

The 339 is a great call for your preferred genre and it has very effective coil taps on the pickups for a welter of tones and is a well made instrument. I have the Casino Coupé, which is the same size as the 339, albeit completely hollow. A great guitar, only slightly let down by the pickups (I replaced them with Artec P90s, which were a huge upgrade for very little money). The Tele or Revstar would do a good job too, although with less tonal options (not necessarily a bad thing). The Jazzmaster is an interesting choice and I love the look. However, they are harder to set up correctly and often need a neck shim to make the trem/bridge system work correctly. If the JM ‘speaks’ to you, go for it, embrace its idiosyncrasies and dare to be different.

Great post @EdwardMarlowe. Very even handed, even for guitars you don't particularly like. A refreshing change from some post I see (not here) where posters just rubbish things they don't like rather than be objective about them - kudos. @Ando1985. A lot will depend on what type of guitar you want. Something F shaped, then you're looking at the Player/Squier or, as suggested above, something from the JHS Vintage brand. You mention the Revstar and I think these are great guitars and are starting to get some traction with players. However, don't overlook the Pacifica range for something in the super-strat style. Yamaha do not make a bad instrument at any price point IMO. PRS SEs are really good, if you want something in that mould, they're really well built (I've owned one as well as US PRSs) but, as you've noted, they're not a cheap option any more and don't overlook the Sterling by Music Man line if you feel you can stretch your budget to the SE level. Once again the JHS Vintage brand also have offerings for super-starts and PRS type designs. Ultimately, it's best to get out and try some to see what you really want. If these are interim instruments in your guitar journey, then a Fender or Squier will be the easiest to move on without losing a lot of your investment.

That’s fantastic!

Decided to have a small cosmetic upgrade. Gone is the cream and black is in. Also, I’ve started trying to play with a thumbpick again (heavy, bumblebee thumbpick) in order to play some Hellecaster licks that I can’t achieve with hybrid picking. Seems to be going ok.

I fitted a DiMarzio Area Hot T to my Tele. Very pleased with it. https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/stacked-hum-canceling-tele/area-hot-t-bridge

Might be time to think more seriously about solid state...

A four part interview with John Jorgensen popped up on my YT feed, well worth the time to watch it all but go to part 4 if you want the gear run down. This, in turn, got me back to listening to the Hellecasters again and I’m struggling to learn the intro to Highlander Boogie as a result. That 4 parter starts here.

That’s easy for you to say.