WaimeaBay
Joined: Jul 05, 2006
Posts: 969
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Posted on Mar 08 2007 06:22 PM
I think Badash has finally spoken some true wisdom. I did not want to post on this thread because I felt I may look pompous, but c'mon! How many pro musicians are going to pick a squire over an avri Jazzmaster for surf? If any old gear would do why do people spend buco bucks to acquire vintage amps? The fact is any old amp is not the same as a Duel Showman, plain and simple.
Is this to say you can't be happy playing your Squire Strat out of your Peavey bandit 112? Absolutely not! I played my first gig through that rig  I canât describe to you how bad the hum was coming through the amp  When I upgraded to a Marshall amp and Gibson Les Paul, I felt the difference (Both on stage and in practice). Good equipment makes one strive to be better.
I learned to play guitar on a Toys âRâ Us Kay Guitar, then a Squire. I am not knocking them, I had no money as a kid, and my parents would not pay anything else. But I truly felt the difference when I started playing my American guitar through my roaring British amp.
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surfneptune
Joined: Mar 16, 2006
Posts: 923
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Posted on Mar 08 2007 06:49 PM
I think you should play what inspires you. If you haven't found your "buddy" then at least play a guitar that won't get in your way.
— THe NEpTuNeS
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Anonymous
Joined: Nov 10, 2000
Posts: -180
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Posted on Mar 08 2007 07:47 PM
 cool nez! peace
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Joelman
Joined: Sep 07, 2006
Posts: 1493
Redlands, CA
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Posted on Mar 08 2007 11:18 PM
badash Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:06 am Post subject:
hunh? You are looking for an answer that can't be given. The answer, as I and others have said is a professional instrument stays in tune, holds a setup, and doesn't suffer unexpected spontaneous failure. beyond that it's all up to your likes and dislikes. Sure you can play on an off the shelf squire professionally, but over time, if you are seriously gigging it, you should expect to have to replace tuners, pots, pickups, etc as they fail, or as their performance level lets you down time and time again. Cheap tuners suck! Bad plastic nuts suck! You could get incredibly lucky and have nothing fail, but a true professional who eats off their ability to get gigs probably doesn't want to take that chance.
As to expensive instruments needing a setup, that's like saying an Armani suit needs to be tailored! Of course it does! Theoretically, the more expensive the garment/instrument, the more it can be "tailored" to your personal requirements both during the initial purchase, and by your tailor/tech after purchase.
The answer is in the replies. It just doesn't have a brand or model name attached to it.
WaimeaBay Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:22 am Post subject:
I think Badash has finally spoken some true wisdom. I did not want to post on this thread because I felt I may look pompous, but c'mon! How many pro musicians are going to pick a squire over an avri Jazzmaster for surf? If any old gear would do why do people spend buco bucks to acquire vintage amps? The fact is any old amp is not the same as a Duel Showman, plain and simple.
Is this to say you can't be happy playing your Squire Strat out of your Peavey bandit 112? Absolutely not! I played my first gig through that rig I canât describe to you how bad the hum was coming through the amp When I upgraded to a Marshall amp and Gibson Les Paul, I felt the difference (Both on stage and in practice). Good equipment makes one strive to be better.
ok, now we are getting to what i wanted to know in the first place. when a person goes to look for a fender strat guitar, some are better than others.there are actually hundreds of choices, many look just alike, expensive and cheap. so how does one know before hand which is actually a professional quality. tuners from china look pretty good if you dont know your tuners, and straight necks are what most guitar starts out with. the store always directs you to the high dollar guitars.
hummm maybe my question can't be answered.  maybe it just personal choice.
well thanks again for your thoughts.
joel
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Mar 08 2007 11:51 PM
Yeah, Fender and Gibson now offer so many strat and Les paul choices it really is dizzying! If the guitar in question is for traditional surf your choice is somewhat easier. Middle of the road classic USA pickups will suit you fine. No need to worry about "Hot" or "blues" or "texas" variants. USA components should be mandatory, but there are some mexico fenders that HAVE usa components. Believe it or not that narrows the numbe of choices down considerably! Fender's website has specs on it.
So if you want a pro level strat for surf, and don't have personally prefrences that dictate otherwise, you want relatively plain jane classic pickups and usa components. You also need to be able to evaluate the individual guitar you are looking at. If you can't, bring someone who can, or buy a guitar with a guaranteed return and take it to a great tech THAT DAY! A great setup on a flawed guitar can be hard to spot... You need to scope out how the nut is cut if you are going to be using the bar, truss rod function, neck relief, neck twist, bridge setup... You know make sure there isn't anything that's adjusted to the extreme to make it play well out of the box. Hard to adjust something beyond "extreme"...
Or save some time and money and look at G&Ls. The Legacy is a great "modern" strat with a flat neck radius, and the George Fullerton sig model has a "vintage" feel to it. Both handmade in the USA, are pro level, between $500 and $700 for a used one. It doesn't say Fender on it. That bothers some people. Of course the "G" stands for George Fullerton and "L" stands for Leo Fender... It's a Fender...
This all assumes you really NEED a pro level instrument. 15 years ago I did. I don't anymore. I appreciate and recognize quality so I do have great playing guitars a working musician could take on the road tomorrow, but for my playing now? A squire would work fine 
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MikeyK
Joined: Feb 27, 2007
Posts: 18
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Posted on Mar 09 2007 07:12 AM
Number One is the player, as has been mentioned frequently already.
Beyond that, having a quality starting point in terms of body and neck, and just about ANYTHING can be made to be reliable and sound killer.
Case in point: I bought a cheap SX brand SJM-62 guitar from www.rondomusic.net. $139 new. I loved the looks of it.
It's heavy, has a great neck and body, but when I got it, the pups squealed like a pig and it didnt stay in tune well.
I got rid of the squealing by wax-potting the pups myself (and learned a new skill in the process). Later, I dropped some Wilkinsons in place of the stock pups. I replaced the cheap tuning machines with some Gotoh's, and switched out the Jazzmaster bridge for a Mustang one. Spent some time adjusting the bridge, dressing the frets, adjusting the truss rod. Added some roller string T's and a heftier pickup switch, and now it's a KILLER geet. I think the final price came in at about $250.
Learning to do your own setup work and having some basic soldering skills opens up a whole new world to the guitarist. You suddenly don't HAVE to rely on a fancy brand name and a lot of money to bring quality to you, you can create your own...plus it's more fun that way.
In my stable: SX SJM-62, Agile AL-3000, Agile Valkyrie Doubleneck, Agile TC-630 Checkerboard, Squire Jagmaster, Charvel Surfcaster, Danelectro DC-12, Danelectro DC Bass, Charvel ST Custom, Italia Maranello, Italia Modena, Reverend Flatroc, Dillion Mosrite.
Nothing in there that's high dollar OR brand name. 
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Mar 09 2007 09:16 AM
Dude... check it. http://cgi.ebay.com/G-L-Legacy-Guitar_W0QQitemZ150098148441QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
pretty surfy eh?  I wouldn't go over $550, okay maybe $600 considering the color... Don't sweat the three bolt neck. unlike Fenders, G&L did the three bolt micro tilt RIGHT! The replaced pickup means the collectors are going to stay away. This could be one HECK of a steal!
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badash
Joined: Aug 18, 2006
Posts: 1732
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Posted on Mar 10 2007 10:19 PM
Sweet Fancy Moses on Toast! It went for $405!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope one of you guys got it. I've paid as low as $520 for a burst, but I've never seen a surf green one go for under $600. Man. Like I said, I hope one of you guys got it...
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diceophonic
Joined: May 20, 2006
Posts: 2174
PacNW (Vancouver, Wa U.S.A.)
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Posted on Mar 10 2007 11:54 PM
surfneptune
I think you should play what inspires you. If you haven't found your "buddy" then at least play a guitar that won't get in your way.
Amen to that 
and this what I say play surf on any guitar you wish no matter the brand or how much it cost, make the magic happen 
— -Kyle
Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
Beyond The Surf Instagram
The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp
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diceophonic
Joined: May 20, 2006
Posts: 2174
PacNW (Vancouver, Wa U.S.A.)
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Posted on Mar 10 2007 11:58 PM
MikeG
PolloGuitar
Just curious MikeG- what is the cofiguration of your Talman? I used one that had 3 lipstick pups from 94-98 before moving on.
--fd
Yes, mine is also a TC630 w/ 3 Lipsticks. I bought it on eBay last Summer for $320, here's a pic.
image
Before I bought the Ibanez I'd only ever owned one electric guitar, my mid-'70s BC Rich Seagull which I bought in 1981, and is still my main guitar.
image
It's a spoiler 
Hey Mike that rig sounded pretty surfin' @ Duff's when I last saw you guys play! We gotta hook up show sometime in the near future Portland or your place?
btw how many watts is your musicman combo 
— -Kyle
Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
Beyond The Surf Instagram
The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp
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MikeG
Joined: Mar 29, 2006
Posts: 309
Springfield, Oregon
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Posted on Mar 11 2007 02:15 PM
diceophonic
Hey Mike that rig sounded pretty surfin' @ Duff's when I last saw you guys play! We gotta hook up show sometime in the near future Portland or your place?
btw how many watts is your musicman combo
Thanks, Kyle. Yeah we'd LOVE to come up and do a show with you guys anytime, just name the date! The only problem with playing shows down here is that they just don't PAY SQUAT, but I can certainly book us a gig if you don't mind playing for the sheer joy and maybe some chicken wings...
My Musicman is a 65W, it's the early model that uses a 12AX7 in the phase inverter. I bought it locally for <$200 about 10 years ago, the tolex and grille cloth were totally trashed and the reverb didn't work when I bought it. I fixed the reverb (open Xfmr) re-tolexed and re-grilled it and installed an 80W Celestion.
I dearly love that amp, I really wish I'd brought it up to Duff's instead of using that Fender reissue of Wally's. Next time I'll have my REAL sound.
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Fripperton
Joined: Aug 14, 2006
Posts: 270
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Posted on Mar 11 2007 04:27 PM
Before I bought the Ibanez I'd only ever owned one electric guitar, my mid-'70s BC Rich Seagull which I bought in 1981, and is still my main guitar.
image
It's a spoiler
..................................................................................................
That's a way cool BC Rich. I still have my Eagle that I got in 1978. I gigged with this thing for years. Definitely a pro level instrument.
image
image
— There is Surf east of Sepulveda.
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togergo
Joined: Jan 23, 2012
Posts: 282
Budapest
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Posted on Nov 13 2012 11:36 AM
So true!
It's my friend, Miki Birta, with a squier bullet + joe barden pu, and a hungarian full handmade tube amp - ough, these are the greatest amps.. I was crying, when I had to sell mine..
It's a line6 demo, but he made a full cd with this guitar
so, the guitar is cheap - and good
PolloGuitar wrote:
One of the best guitarists I know only uses a Squier Strat- he plays 200 gigs a year with it.
Set up is very important, no matter the price of the guitar. As there is no one perfect set up, every guitar has to be set up to suit the players needs. And a good set up will might make a cheap guitar play great, just as it can make an expensive guitar unplayable.
Just curious MikeG- what is the cofiguration of your Talman? I used one that had 3 lipstick pups from 94-98 before moving on.
--fd
— original compositions (low-level demo stuff /out of tune, etc) myStuff not my best, but i don't like to be in a musician community without anything to show
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