Godin Artisan ST

guitarz.blogspot.com

Can't say that I find the design of this early 1990s Godin Artisan ST extremely sexy but it has something typically Godin - a brand I quite like - in its way of keeping discreet while still proposing something slightly bizarre, but always relevant. 

Here the very long upper horn where you attach your strap is quite ergonomic, allowing a better balance, when the lower horn logically almost disappears, since it is usually mere cosmetic. The result is probably disturbing 60 years after Stratocaster set the standard for electric guitars, but it is sensible and gives this guitar a nice personality, is spite and of its boring finish.

You'll notice the double dual blade humbucker in bridge position and the competition trem - all that making this guitar a shredding machine - though I still don't really get the concept of shredding, but who cares?

Bertram


© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Stratocaster

Ibanez S670FM

guitarz.blogspot.com

A few weeks ago I was writing about the guitars I usually overlook when I'm browsing for new stuff to show on the blog, here is one of them - an  Ibanez again, the S670FM. It's hard to tell when classicism turns into banality, but once you go over its boring shape, you find a pretty nice guitar, with a thin round mahogany body (the Ibanez S series was intended to provide light guitars made of mahogany) and nice flamed top  - I usually loathe this but it's actually agreeable when it's not spoiled by a glossy transparent lack. Even the light sunburst is swell!

I like the routing for the jack output, and the sophisticated trem with fine tuning thingummies (sorry I'm too lazy today for precise technical details). If I was given one (yes, I'm the kind of guy who tries to win a guitar for free in these internet giveaways, because I promised to myself not to buy a guitar anymore if it cannot pay for itself, and I don't have a current project that allows that), I'd just add chrome humbucker covers (uncovered pickups are not my cup of tea) and probably enjoy it because I have nothing in this style, and I trust Ibanez for the sound...

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Non-standard Standard Strat by Squier

guitarz.blogspot.com:


I thought I'd keep the Fender theme going a bit if that's OK. I've been promising myself for years that I was going to buy a Fender. My shopping list is "pre CBS Strat" (which I came within a hairs breadth of attaining once - 59 body 60 neck, metallic green respray out of a can £100), Telecaster Esquire, Thinline with bound body, Jazzmaster with anodised gold scratchplate (which I came within an eBay's breadth of attaining last year £3000 and some change (1958, excellent-mint condition - almost unbelievable).

My sights have lowered significantly of late apart from the '94 aluminium body that I'd bid and paid for before the seller decided he couldn't send it to my unconfirmed address and backed down.

I've only ever sold one item through eBay so don't have much experience as a seller so maybe someone can help with me something. What is with this "unconfirmed address" thing? Sellers won't post to an unconfirmed address even though eBay says they are still protected. I'm not sure why eBay doesn't just drop the option as, in their FAQs, even they discourage sellers from stating it in their ads as it reduces the chances of selling. Also, surely it's us buyers who more at risk from "sellers" who don't deliver. After all, you receive our money before you ship so we are taking a much bigger chance.

Anyway, back to the guitar. I was checking out my local online classifieds (loquo.com) and found someone who was selling a 2005 Squier Standard Strat for €125 (£104). I went along, looked it over and bought it.

Maybe it was just my expectations but this seems to be anything but standard. I guess it's a copy of another, high-end, Fender. It's obvious this wasn't going to be a luthier's wet dream but it's not bad, by any means. The body is matt varnished, tinted mahogany (looking not too dissimilar to my Mum's coffee table), maple neck and rosewood fretboard (as I understand). Big old 70s headstock - nice. The fittings are Squier, enough said. The middle and neck pickups are very bassy and boomy and the tone controls don't seem make one iota of difference whatsoever to the tone. Anyone had the same experience? And, is there anything I can do to brighten them up without changing the pickups? The bridge humbucker is hard edged aggressive and has a bright, dry, shrieky tone. I love it.

I'm not a great trem user and this two point trem seems very delicate. It moves when I bend the strings! I'm going to add an extra spring or two and see if that helps. If not, I'll lock it in place with some blocks of wood. Any tips or comments on that appreciated.

I shall be using this experiment with so it may well begin to transform, Frankenstein-like over time. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Pass the soldering iron Igor!

Stop Press: Just seen a Squier Obey Telecaster for €150, hmmm Franken-Tele-Strat-stein-thing! Where is that saw? Seriously. Anyone have experience of these Teles?

David in Transylvania

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Retrofit 80s Japanese Stratoïd

guitarz.blogspot.com

If the 1960s have been the time of wild creativity for Japanese guitars and the 1970s radically the contrary - the law-suit era when Japanese companies released copies of the US guitars better than the originals, the 1980s seem to have been the time of solid no-nonsense guitars that would allow Japan to establish a strong base for the coming (and profitable) metal era.

It's the case for this guitar of unknown brand - unknown because it's been strongly retrofitted.  The removal of the lack finish reveals the neck-through construction of the strat-like ash body - everything else is replacement: the GFS power rail humbuckers, the SG-style pickguard, the kind of tele knob plate next to the strat jack input...

For some reason I like this modest guitar - nothing like the extravagances I usually favor, maybe because it reminds me somehow of my good old Kawai Aquarius... 

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Pink Shocking Hohner ST Lead

guitarz.blogspot.com

Can we show a guitar just because of its colour? Well I guess we can - to be honest I wouldn't have looked at this Hohner ST Lead if not for its pink shocking so 1980s (the guitar is actually from the late 80s, early 90s). 

When you google this guitar, you mostly find questions of people who want to know more about it - and sometimes that it's a good professional instrument with a graphite neck, and how difficult it is to find replacement parts for it, since Hohner almost completely backed off from the guitar field...

This one is a lefty, and we never show enough!

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Jackson Soloist SL2H in Yellow Bengal finish

guitarz.blogspot.com

(Almost) everyday I search the Internet about guitars, to learn more about them, to feed this blog, or to see what I will buy (or more likely not buy) to improve my guitar work (and my GAS). I look for special guitars, often vintage ones because we are living in strange times, when most guitar makers and lovers are stuck in the 1950s and consider that the first models built are for ever the best ones, then to find the innovation and creativity we lack nowadays, one has to go to the 1960s and 1970s (I know, I know I said this already but we have new readers all the time!)...

So I look for special innovative guitars in term of sound, technology and design, but also for classics to have a better understanding of the history of electric lutherie, but what I see the most on the web are guitars like this Jackson Soloist the so-called superstrat aimed at metal shredding! And when I have to select a guitar to post here, I always overlook an endless stream of ESP, PRS and other Jacksons to find the Teisco or Eko gem, the one-off built in a garage by an obscure genius or the tripping East-german bizarro that we'll enjoy together. Once in a while I try to show a superstrat to keep connected to the whole guitar universe but I don't have much to say about it like today (did you notice the tigerish finish? about as scary as a stuffed kitten - exactly what you need to play hair metal).

I know that metal is the most spread style of pop music, but there is something twisted in the guitar business, because of all the kids who buy a superstrat in the hope of becoming the next Kirk Hammett, only 1% will actually learn more or less how to play - since shredding is highly technical and difficult, and 1% of these 1% will do something good out of it. If they would play good old garage rock, they would enjoy themselves much more, reach a better result in a few moths, and play much cooler guitars, wouldn't they?

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Aria Pro II Integra IG-CST

guitarz.blogspot.com

This is an Aria Pro II Integra, quite special for a superstrat (I think that this is still a superstrat, however far it is from a stratocaster), with its prominent upper horn. The construction looks really serious, and the design is well balanced - neither fancy nor boring.

You might be surprised but I have a few friends who play jazz on this kind of guitars - not the kind of blues-based old school jazz you play on a semi-hollow with a beard and a smoking pipe between your teeth though - since they are excellent instruments, reactive and as fast as a virtuoso can expect. They usually use plenty of pedals and digital modeling amps, and save money to buy a Parker Fly - and think that my Breadwinner looks like a metal guitar...

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Caparison Dellinger Chris Amott Signature

guitarz.blogspot.com

On the comments of the previous post we've been debating about what is a superstrat. For me this Caparison Dellinger is a perfect example: based on Leo Fender's 1954 double cutaway design, it has its horns elongated while the back on the guitar stays classic, and the headstock is pointy because a superstrat has to be pointy. The main pickup is the bridge humbucker, the trem is a Floyd Rose, there are only two knobs, and there are 24 frets on the neck.

You don't take risks with such a guitar, it's tasteful though a little bit boring, and you can play plenty of notes very fast with it I assume.

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Hohner Revelation RTX in marblish finish

guitarz.blogspot.com

I've stated here a few times that I don't like strats, and not shredding either, so of course superstrats are not particularly my cup of tea. However, this early 90s Hohner Revelation RTX caught my eye, first because of its bizarre finish I guess, but also because its shape reaches a strange mix of elegance and extreme pointiness that you usually find in Japanese early 70s guitars such as the Tokai Hummingbird...

Unfortunatly I couldn't find much information about the Revelation, Hohner is more known for its current ergonomic and headless guitars and basses (and great harmonicas, I have a few of them), but beside the shape I like the H|S blade pickups, the 4 + 2 headstock, and the Wilkinson trem bridge.

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!