GAS attack

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

.

Just a shame about the puke-bowl colour but even that’s growing on me

If desperate, there’s always Halfords .

[Kiwi]

Ooh, pics was already posted.  Is it an S2?

[Skinnyman]

10 hours ago, Kiwi said:

Ooh, pics was already posted.  Is it an S2?

“Just” an SE but one of the best put together guitars I’ve seen. When I bought it they had a couple of S2s in which I also tried and they really weren’t all that special. Lovely looking things but not noticeably better than the SE.

[EdwardMarlowe]

Currently GASing bad at the Vintage V6 Reissue line. If they did the maple boarded lefty option in their Candy Apple Blue colour, it could well leapfrog the Tidepool Player Strat on my wants list. Easier to justify the spend on, too. For now, it only being available sunburst is holding me back... Though I will have to ty one if ever I can get to a guitar shop that stocks lefties again. (I've never forgiven Holiday music for moving to Essex and then going online only!) 

 

[Skinnyman]

Oddly, my GAS has subsided for a while as I’ve got the ideal (for me) stable of guitars.

 

I will be moving some basses on (don’t play them any more) and will then start gassing for a new synth/workstation - but for now the GAS has settled down.

 

I must be coming down with something

[EdwardMarlowe]

18 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Oddly, my GAS has subsided for a while as I’ve got the ideal (for me) stable of guitars.

 

I will be moving some basses on (don’t play them any more) and will then start gassing for a new synth/workstation - but for now the GAS has settled down.

 

I must be coming down with something

I've never fully lost the GAS, though Mrs Edward's Raised Eyebrow is a powerful motivator for not giving in to it. Interestingly, though, I've found my GAS these days is aimed at much more realistic stuff - cheaper gear. The latest attack is an urge for a Gretsch 2622, in gunmetal, to have it pin-striped and put dice knobs on it... Sure, if we won ten million on the lotto and I could go crazy I'd buy all the top of the line stuff, but it seems as I've gotten older I'm much more secure in choosing VFM budget options rather than feeling I always have to go for "the best" (although "the best" isn't necessarily also the most expensive). Liking F-types and oddball rockabilly / garage stuff helps there, I suspect. 

[leftybassman392]

I don't hanker after gear these days. Sad but true.

 

I still enjoy looking at nice guitars, but with 8 of my own including several all-time classics and two others custom made for me (plus a very expensive bass, a fairly pricey 5-string banjo and a very old and somewhat secondhand banjolele, as well as a small-but-perfectly-formed collection of amps and pedals) I just don't feel the need any more.

 

I always tried (with varying degrees of success to be sure) to live by the mantra of any equipment I bought being able to pay its way in terms of gig income and/or recording and/or teaching duties, but with no gigs in my foreseeable future I can't justify spending money to add to an already significant collection.

 

 

[Kiwi]

Fun factoid, the PRS people told me that the Mira was their answer to a Gibbo SG.  Tonally at least.

[Skinnyman]

On 22/09/2021 at 19:24, Skinnyman said:

Oddly, my GAS has subsided for a while as I’ve got the ideal (for me) stable of guitars.

 

I will be moving some basses on (don’t play them any more) and will then start gassing for a new synth/workstation - but for now the GAS has settled down.

 

I must be coming down with something

Update:

 

I’ve recovered from my little wobble last year. The GAS is back with a vengeance. Recent purchases are mainly synths and I’m having a clearout of guitars (nice PRS, lovely Taylor 814 anyone?) but even before they’ve gone I’m eyeing up an Ibanez semi-hollow.
 

Don’t ever buy a synthesiser, children. They’re a gateway to a very, very dark place. 

[ezbass]

Semi hollow Ibanez? Colour me intrigued. 
 

SynthChat?

[Skinnyman]

9 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Semi hollow Ibanez? Colour me intrigued. 
 

SynthChat?

AR series - cheap and cheerful up to mid-priced 335-a-likes. I had a go on an AR520 last week and was very impressed with it - especially for the price (about £600). 
 

This is the crazy thing - I keep buying hollow body guitars and then selling them after a year or so. As soon as I move them on, I decide I want another. 
 

I haven’t had a semi-hollow though so maybe that will scratch the itch properly…

 

Synthchat? If Gearspace and Elektronauts is anything to go by, synthists are a contentious lot who love giving out a good trolling. I’m not sure I want to hang around with the likes o’ they.

[Crusoe]

The AR520 in black looks fantastic. The AS series has some lovely instruments too (I may be biased though, owning an AS73 TCD). I need to stop looking at the Thomann website. This has caught my eye. Harley Benton TE-70RW Deluxe Series – Thomann UK

How can they produce something like that for under £200?

[Crusoe]

I also reeeeaaaaalllly want a Laney Cub Super 12 combo.

[Skinnyman]

Having spent ages poring over the Ibanez web site, the two contenders are currently the AS73 or the AR520. I know the AR played well but I’ll check out the AS before I pull the trigger.

 

This is all assuming that I sell the two guitars I have in the marketplace, of course.

 

And Harley’s have a great reputation - I assume that Thomann do them at close to cost just to get people through the virtual doors and into the habit of buying from them.

Still amazing value though. 

 

[Crusoe]

2 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

Having spent ages poring over the Ibanez web site, the two contenders are currently the AS73 or the AR520. I know the AR played well but I’ll check out the AS before I pull the trigger.

 

This is all assuming that I sell the two guitars I have in the marketplace, of course.

 

And Harley’s have a great reputation - I assume that Thomann do them at close to cost just to get people through the virtual doors and into the habit of buying from them.

Still amazing value though. 

 

Yeah, certainly with the lower spec models, like the TE20. Some of their higher priced gear seems comparable with the likes of Squier, so definitely a loss leader or close to it.

[ezbass]

From a looks perspective, I prefer the AS to the AR. I like their jazz box AGs and the like. Always wanted an ES175 or L5 type box (I actually once had an Antoria L5 alike, but stupidly sold it, as you do).

[Skinnyman]

38 minutes ago, ezbass said:

From a looks perspective, I prefer the AS to the AR. I like their jazz box AGs and the like. Always wanted an ES175 or L5 type box (I actually once had an Antoria L5 alike, but stupidly sold it, as you do).

I had an Epi ES175 which sounded lovely but I just found it a bit unwieldy. 
 

I daresay I’ll end up getting and selling an AR, then getting and selling an AS and then getting and selling an AM. 
 

There’s no end to my madness

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

I had an Epi ES175 which sounded lovely but I just found it a bit unwieldy. 

They are big bastards to be sure! I gigged with my L5 copy once, it was actually OK.

 

If you're looking at semi-acoustics, I'd like to suggest the Epiphone Casino, either the full size or coupé version (I have one of the latter and have owned the former in the past). They're crazy light and, once you've swapped out the pickups (I thoroughly recommend Artec P90s), sound great.

[Skinnyman]

Well that all worked out exactly as planned. 
 

Oh hang on. 
 

No it didn’t. 
 

I went to the shop yesterday, fully intending to buy an Ibanez AR520. 
 

I tried it and very nice it was too. 
 

Problem was, the “hollow” bit doesn’t really make a massive amount of difference other than making it lighter. 
 

So, I looked at the AS range which then got me looking at Eastman semi-hollows which then got me thinking that I might as well look at Epiphone ESes which then brought a nice Les Paul into my eyeline and I remembered that one of my favourite guitars was a Les Paul Studio that I traded about ten years ago and always regretted it and I’ve had other LPs since but none of them were as good as that Studio and why would that be? And I worked out that, compared to other LPs, I liked the pickups  and the shorter-than-fender scale length and the chambered body and the lack of binding and what I hated about the Traditional that I’d had was the pig-iron weight of the thing and the fussiness of the binding and the robot tuner nonsense and the thick gloss finish….. so I forgot all about the semi-hollow thing and started looking at Studios but they don’t do the plain dark wood one any more but then I spotted this….

Satin finish, no binding, medium output pickups, light weight and - to my eyes, a very nice honeyburst colour. 
 

Basically my old Les Paul Studio but in a lighter colour. 
 

Sadly, by this time I’d moved along the row, away from the Epiphones and the headstocks had changed;

 

 

 

There among the dozens of mega-bucks Les Pauls was this. The Tribute. And it is, to me, the perfect Les Paul. Build quality is really, really good, the weight is ideal, it’s aesthetically pleasing, it plays beautifully and it sounds awesome. 
 

And at just under a grand, not the silly money that Gibson usually ask for.

 

Gas has now shifted to amps….

[ezbass]

Nice! I've recently had an urge to try some LPs again. Fortunately, I've managed to resist - so far. 

 

Right then, guitar sorted, what are you looking at amp-wise?*

 

 

 

 

 

*Be aware that I am an inveterate facilitator, who likes to live vicariously through other people's GAS.

[Skinnyman]

25 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Right then, guitar sorted, what are you looking at amp-wise?*

Now that’s a real quandary….

 

 

I don’t need anything for gigging so this is just for use at home - practice and some recording. 
 

I already have a little Fender G-DEC 15w which was the precursor to the Mustang range. On the surface, that seems to do everything I need. Loads of amp models, backing tracks, SD card playback, built in multi-fx and looper. Problem is, I don’t like the sound it makes. None of the amp models seem very convincing and it’s really hard to find a tone that I care for. 
 

So I’m looking for a small amp that has a really nice reverb and chorus built in. That can do clean and driven (I’m not after huge levels of distortion) and has a decent EQ range. 
 

I’d prefer the convenience of solid state but with a decent emulation of tube saturation and break-up. Headphones and an Aux in are also a must.

 

On paper, the Mustang LT25 looks like it would do the job but the G-DEC has put me off. The Boss Katana 50 looks like it might tick the boxes - I’ll see if I can find one to try
 

  
 

 

[ezbass]

When I bought my Fender Superchamp, it was toss up between that and the Roland Blues Cube. Given that I’ve subsequently had a little valve problem (the amp, not my waterworks, than you very much) and that the Fender is now discontinued, I rather wish I’d gone for Roland. A chunk of change more that the Boss, but a great amp, although it only has reverb IIRC. The Katana seems to be very highly thought of; probably the way to go.

[Skinnyman]

I had a good play with the G-DEC today and got it sounding…..okay. 
 

For the price, the Katana 50 looks like it would do the job. I just need to find somewhere that has one to try.

[howdenspur]

They stock them at Gear4music in York I think (you're Hull based...?), you just need to ring them with a day or twos notice to make sure they've got one on the showroom floor. The stock on their website is for online sales, so could be in their York shed or their European one.