I have a Fender Cyclone II and love it. I play it more than my Yamaha SGV and my Strat. My only problem is the placement of the pickup switches. I frequently knock the pickups off especially the trem pickup. Have any of you Jag guys had this problem? I was thinking about seeing if I could turn the switches upside down so that you have to hit the switch down instead of up. I just need a cost effective solution, cause I love the guitar.

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Anyone played the DiPinto Mark IV? I have to say they look pretty cool and I need a good guitar with a humbucker. How's the neck? Are they heavy compared to strats? Thanks

Yeah, when I'm on stage if I really concentrate i can keep from knocking that switch off, but sometimes when you get into it. . .I wish they would have put the switches on top like the mustang. The funny thing is if you are just playing the trem pickup and you hit that switch on stage it is complete silence. I've never done more than noodle on a jazzmaster.

Yeah, reason why I ask about the Dipinto is I found one for like 200 bucks. Problem. . .no tremolo. ugh.

JakeDobner
I have a jag and I don't often have that problem. I still do every now and then. I just kind of put up with it. To be honest when I play a Jazzmaster I hit that toggle switch more. The upside down is somewhat of a good idea. I know, personally, I would rather turn the guitar off then to a different setting. Especially when playing live when you can't hear yourself very well. It is also always a very quick fix.

As for the DiPinto. I've never played nor seen one in person. My first guess that I am pretty sure on is that it is not heavier than a strat. Strats are pretty beastly for their size.

I love cheap guitars. Just call me young Eddie Van Halen. . .w/o the guitar modding skills. I've pretty much got my effects/amps set up. I'm getting rid of the Yamaha soon. The neck is just way to small in width.

If i could find one I'd really like an SG or knock off with a thin neck and trem.

JakeDobner
If you already own a Strat, Cyclone, and SGV I wouldn't get the DiPinto. Save up your money and buy something more expsensive. I dont' know if you own a nice tube amp or reverb unit yet or not. Also you could buy a nice echo pedal or something like that.

Actually the Yamaha SGV has a nice rolling trem on it. It sounds real good, but there is a lot of upkeep on it as far as keeping it greased up and what not. I'm just strat trem guy. Plus you really can't put strings over like 11s on the sgv b/c the neck width is so small.

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I get more complements on that guitar though. I don't know why people hate on the Cyclone 2. I haven't seen those two guys play a strat. Although this mod is interesting on the jag:

That toggle switch would still bother me. If I had the cash and the know how I'd like to build something myself

I was just looking at that same DiPinto last night. I think it looks awesome, and have heard some good about them. Los Straitjackets play DiPinto guitars, so that says something. And they are USA made. For $200 I think it would be a nice addition. You could always use it like it is for other applications/styles or studio work. And as Jake said, you could put a tremolo bridge on it from a JM/Jag/Strat...I think it would look cool with a Bigsby. (though have no idea if the bigsby could be used on that guitar, but maybe) Even after upgrading the bridge you still got a sharp new axe for very little money.

I'm Batman...No not <I>that</I> Batman. :p

I've never even played a guitar with a bigsby. If a guitar has no trem, wouldn't it be costly to had a strat or jag trem? Don't you have to cut into the bottom of the guitar to add the springs, etc. . .

Anyone know what SG models or a good knock off that has the slim taper type neck and not the big baseball bat?

haha. I love surf guitar, but every once in a while:

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I gots to get nasty. I might get one with p-90s, though.

I really like the sustain of gibson guitars when played through a clean amp, especially for rhythm work. I love the SG. It's light and I like the double cutaway. I gotta have that slim neck though like on the '60 sgs. I will always hate Les Pauls on the other hand. Unless they are being played by Jimmy Page.

BillAqua
Humbuckers??

On a more serious note, Deke Dickerson got some really great sounds from his ES335 during the later years of the Untamed Youth. But, he had those humbuckers tapped so they were essentially single coils. I think Deke's 335 had a Bigsby on it too.

There you go... get yourself an Epiphone Dot for $250.00 slap a B7 Bigsby on it, and coil tap the pickups. I would never play something like that myself. But it would be a cheap alternative.

You could sound like the Sandells/Sandals.
http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-300520-bio--The-Sandals

They played Gibsons. You can hear that hollow body humbucker honk on their recordings.

The Thunderchiefs

BillAqua
I don't really hate humbucking pickups, I just don't like them, I actually have a Les Paul(HUH!?) But oddly enough I got it because it came with P90s and I thought, man this sounds better than any Les Paul I've played, an dit is because of the pickups.
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I'm with ya on the P90s.

Greatest non-fender pickups ever.

If you want real frustration, try playing a Surf gig with an Anniversary equipped with a single hi-low tron.

The Thunderchiefs