Isn't it cool enough just to be in a band and play on stage? You know there are people in the audience who are envious that you are up there and they are not. Now that's cool...

 

I love garage, but my guitars are a Gibson LP Junior VOS and a MIM Fender tele. I love 'em.

Strays are totally cool. Richard Lloyd, lenny Kaye, Mick Collins, built to spill, Dick Dale, Wayne kramer, etc etc

That being said, I'm biased cause I have 6 strats. But I have a bunch of other guitars since i suffer from bad GAS. Among them is a danelectro innuendo, which is a cool guitar in some ways, but playability could be better.

Speaking of playability, I just bought a used agile al-2000 a couple of days ago and it is fucking sick. Really unbelievable guitar for the price. I can't recommend them highly enough. They start at $225 from rondo music. Rondo also has plenty of other great guitars at super low prices. Check them out.

the road to hell is lined with used mosrites! thanks a lot for the info. :+)

Phil holloway said:

If the stratocaster had been an unpopular design that got discontinued back in the early 60's would it look "rad" today?

The eternal question,

I have a beaten up and abused standard Fender strat  that does things no other guitar will really do tone-wise.  Plus it more or less nails the widest range of tones with simple selection and tweaking.  provided I don't use the tremolo arm it keeps in tune very very well under heavy use.

However for rocking out I really have a problem with the placement of the volume knob.  If your banging out chords in a certain "garagy" and 'punk" styles  its too easy to knock the volume pot down to zero.  Has anyone else had this problem?

So I  basically never use it for heavy hard jamming or performance.  Great to record with though.  Its hard to beat a good strat.  that's why I leave it alone and don't try and move or disconnect the volume pot.  I am superstitiously worried I will take the mojo out of it.

 

Its good to remember that many people played wacky retro guitars because that was all they could afford or find and where able to get the unique sound they wanted out of it.  At the time nobody had any idea these guitars would become trendy and collectable due to the fact many could barely could stay in tune for five minutes.

Sadly the days of $25 mojo garage sale scores seems over.

For most of the early cheapo guitars I find that the necks are an inferior mahogany that is too finicky to weather and temperature changes.  You can spend a week fine tuning one to work amazingly and keep in tune but it will simply not last past a 3 degree change in temperature or humidity.  Plus usually the body is made of inferior tone woods......like Masonite and plywood.

Ultimately if your not looking vintage but want something unique (not yet hip) anyone can find a bargain.  Some pretty rad "crap" guitars flood in from Asia and quickly go second hand that you can modify as you wish knowing its never going to be collectable. So you can go nuts. 

Plus the hardware and tuning is more stable.

 

Personally I prefer guitars that are already damaged when I get them.  Less precious, don't worry too much about theft

Even buying new I always would get a 'B" or blemished stock.

 

my favorite "new" cheapo's?

http://www.ampeg.com/products/daplexi/amg100/index.html

discontinued, but I got the swamp ash blonde for $260 ......amazing guitar and unbelievably the body is one-piece swamp ash !  unreal

and the 1997 version of the Fernandes Vertigo or in Japan the Burny H65.

(here is one that went for a whole 76 dollars on ebay recently. )

http://cgi.ebay.com/FERNANDES-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-CHECK-OU-PICS-/170662...

It was Too "ahead" of its time and failed miserably so sadly Fernandes took the design in a more "metal" direction.

as you can see from the price the original "retro" design is still not appreciated. (good for anyone who does appreciate it though!)

bought mine new (Blemished stock or factory B stock) in the 90's for $250 directly from Fernandes in California and it is still my main squeeze with no upgrades.  Tuning is very stable with a chunky neck which I prefer.  I have had 7 different guitars but have always come home to this one since.

I think it would look pretty great with a Bigsby on it.  Too bad the company never tried it.

 

anyway, that's my two cents.  If the strat works for you why forsake it for a cheap hussy.

 

 

i just got back from guitar porn detox, and you fuckers are getting me hooked again!...sigh!......, well check out this chick playing a very cool strat.......; and cee lo is a zoot suit riot!

If the stratocaster had been an unpopular design that got discontinued back in the early 60's would it look "rad" today?

The eternal question,

I have a beaten up and abused standard Fender strat  that does things no other guitar will really do tone-wise.  Plus it more or less nails the widest range of tones with simple selection and tweaking.  provided I don't use the tremolo arm it keeps in tune very very well under heavy use.

However for rocking out I really have a problem with the placement of the volume knob.  If your banging out chords in a certain "garagy" and 'punk" styles  its too easy to knock the volume pot down to zero.  Has anyone else had this problem?

So I  basically never use it for heavy hard jamming or performance.  Great to record with though.  Its hard to beat a good strat.  that's why I leave it alone and don't try and move or disconnect the volume pot.  I am superstitiously worried I will take the mojo out of it.

 

Its good to remember that many people played wacky retro guitars because that was all they could afford or find and where able to get the unique sound they wanted out of it.  At the time nobody had any idea these guitars would become trendy and collectable due to the fact many could barely could stay in tune for five minutes.

Sadly the days of $25 mojo garage sale scores seems over.

For most of the early cheapo guitars I find that the necks are an inferior mahogany that is too finicky to weather and temperature changes.  You can spend a week fine tuning one to work amazingly and keep in tune but it will simply not last past a 3 degree change in temperature or humidity.  Plus usually the body is made of inferior tone woods......like Masonite and plywood.

Ultimately if your not looking vintage but want something unique (not yet hip) anyone can find a bargain.  Some pretty rad "crap" guitars flood in from Asia and quickly go second hand that you can modify as you wish knowing its never going to be collectable. So you can go nuts. 

Plus the hardware and tuning is more stable.

 

Personally I prefer guitars that are already damaged when I get them.  Less precious, don't worry too much about theft

Even buying new I always would get a 'B" or blemished stock.

 

my favorite "new" cheapo's?

http://www.ampeg.com/products/daplexi/amg100/index.html

discontinued, but I got the swamp ash blonde for $260 ......amazing guitar and unbelievably the body is one-piece swamp ash !  unreal

and the 1997 version of the Fernandes Vertigo or in Japan the Burny H65.

(here is one that went for a whole 76 dollars on ebay recently. )

http://cgi.ebay.com/FERNANDES-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-CHECK-OU-PICS-/170662...

It was Too "ahead" of its time and failed miserably so sadly Fernandes took the design in a more "metal" direction.

as you can see from the price the original "retro" design is still not appreciated. (good for anyone who does appreciate it though!)

bought mine new (Blemished stock or factory B stock) in the 90's for $250 directly from Fernandes in California and it is still my main squeeze with no upgrades.  Tuning is very stable with a chunky neck which I prefer.  I have had 7 different guitars but have always come home to this one since.

I think it would look pretty great with a Bigsby on it.  Too bad the company never tried it.

 

anyway, that's my two cents.  If the strat works for you why forsake it for a cheap hussy.

 

 

i play a boring gray 80s american strat and i like to think i look cool.

thanks for the reply john. yeh, i saw a sf band called "moon duo" the other day, and i think he was playing an airline, and the tone was great! that said, i sold a very good strat(which i subsequently recuperated) in order to buy a peavey buckingham because it looked beautiful, and was designed by darrell higham the kick-ass rockabilly player(and guitarist and husband of imelda may). i even added duesenberg p90 pick-ups. a rockabilly-fanatic friend of mine loved the retro sound, but i found it difficult to play(lead at least), seriously lacking in sustain(noblesse oblige-the bigsby), and more importantly lacking the versatility of the strat....a type-cast guitar. i'm back with my strat. i dress her up in fishnet stockings and stilletto heels, but "the thrill is gone". she's reliable; she gets the job done. she knows how to moan. but she'll never be one of those cheap, trashy things.....to my eternal regret....but i love her....my strat....sigh!

They look cool but cheap guitars always needs adjusting. If you know how to work on guitars get one, but if you don't, you'll spend more then the things worth in shop fees. The reason you don't see alot of touring bands playing Danelectro guitars is because they won't hold up on the road. Locals bands will play them because they have 1 show a month, play 5 a week and they fall apart. I had a Longhorn, cool bass but nuts would come loose, if you catch it in time your okay but if you don't your pickup will be hanging by a wire. Take a look at Eastwood Guitars, they style them after popular way out guitars from the 60's but are built stronger.