NNGD :)

D

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
That's No New Guitar Day.

Took my EJ to the local booteek shop for a real setup, and played several guitars I've been lusting after, expensive ones. I'm happy to say, wasn't tempted in the slightest by any of them.

Yay, mostly, I don't really have any business buying (relatively) high dollar guitars, I'm not in that tax bracket.

Still, it was a bit disappointing too. If I don't love any of those, cool as I thought they'd be, am I "doomed" to have only the guitars I have now from here in out? I do like my current crop, so this is potentially a good thing, but still, there's a bit of romance or something to the idea of other possibilities. It definitely took a while to find both my EJ and my Collings, so maybe I'm just picky.

For the record, today's contestants were this, and this, and this. Didn't actually play the B3; it's so much money, and it's not that color in the flesh, more in a putty direction than that cool mango orange, I just wasn't interested enough.

I've also mentioned the possibility of downsizing before, picking up an SE DGT and SE Silver Sky, selling the Collings and the EJ and the Vigier, pocketing some cash. There are Silver Sky opportunities around, not so much DGTs though.

We'll see.
 
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Other guitar player in my band has a Lentz Strat and it's real real nice sounding.

How was the Ronin?
 
Sometimes the collection is on point already. I sent a couple friends the message “i want to downsize and buy more stuff simultaneously” just today haha.

Downsizing to cheaper guitars doesnt seem worth it to me. The expensive stuff will rise faster in used cost over time from what Ive seen vs import offerings. And you’re downgrading, which is the wrong direction.

Only requirement for expensive anything is having the money or willingness to take on the debt. Skill or use case (regarding guitars) is a made-up excuse by mostly gatekeeping players and marketing.

There’s a fairly priced gibson 57ri goldtop available locally. Im curious because its local, even though the year (2000) means its probably way too big a neck. I already know theres barely a chance its perceptably better than my 2020 standard, because my 2020 standard holds its own next to two custom shops of newer build. Still curious but not enough to waste sellers time.
 
iaresee said:
Other guitar player in my band has a Lentz Strat and it's real real nice sounding.

How was the Ronin?
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I've heard nothing but good about Lentz Strats, including I think from you. But I didn't feel or hear anything extraordinary, and it's $6,750 to boot. Ouch.

I've had this mythical mystique in my head about Ronin guitars and pickups ever since that video I posted a bit ago, and they're never around, and I like strats, so I really had high hopes for this one. But alas, it didn't flip my beanie. Tones were strat-like, but again not extraordinary to me, ditto the feel in hand.

Maybe I was in a bad mood or something without realizing it.

But oh no, I don't have to turn the couch inside out looking for thousands of extra dollars, oh no!
 
Dave Merrill said:
I've heard nothing but good about Lentz Strats, including I think from you. But I didn't feel or hear anything extraordinary, and it's $6,750 to boot. Ouch.
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If I wasn't supremely satisified with my Silver Sky, I'd be playing a Lentz.

Dave Merrill said:
But alas, it didn't flip my beanie. Tones were strat-like, but again not extraordinary to me, ditto the feel in hand.
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I'm actually bummed to hear it sounded like a Strat. I want those pickups to be...something different. Oh well.
 
iaresee said:
If I wasn't supremely satisified with my Silver Sky, I'd be playing a Lentz.


I'm actually bummed to hear it sounded like a Strat. I want those pickups to be...something different. Oh well.
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Not exactly like a strat, no, didn't mean that.
The 2 and 4 positions definitely have some resemblance to those positions on a strat though, unsurprisingly.
Neck sounded the least like a strat, but there's lots of variety in actual strat neck pickup tones too.
I don't know, I hoped I'd hear something a bit familiar but unchartedly interesting too, and it didn't hit me like that, or really like anything striking.
Maybe it's me, but that's what happened.
f there's one near you, including this one, check it out, let me know what you think.
 
I'm doing my best to settle on a nice, but different carbon fiber electric (hollow, with piezo). I am mostly happy (unplugged, I can hear a fairly strong vibration from a wire harness touching the body somewhere). Otherwise, I'm actually pretty blown away. Getting ready to list my last wooden electric, which I one I really love and had custom built. I am exceedingly please with the McPherson Sable, and I will never sell my dad's 1970 Guild F50. But, when it comes right down to it, carbon fiber doesn't require the upkeep and overall level of care, which helps when you work too much outside of music. Ultimately, I plan to only own CF guitars, even classical (that's the hardest part right now, because classical is my primary style). Also, since I've been a huge fan of ergonomic headless electric guitars, I am looking at a particular builder who makes one in the .strandberg style out of CF.
 
iaresee said:
I could probably drive down there and check that one out...
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Do it!
Ronans aren't that easy to find, I could hardly believe it when this one came up 5 mins from my house.
We could grab lunch or something...

I want to say Izzy Lugo (Ronan main guy) has a new guitar company I think maybe.
Definitely has a new amp company in the works, not really out there yet.
 
Budda said:
Sometimes the collection is on point already. I sent a couple friends the message “i want to downsize and buy more stuff simultaneously” just today haha.

Downsizing to cheaper guitars doesnt seem worth it to me. The expensive stuff will rise faster in used cost over time from what Ive seen vs import offerings. And you’re downgrading, which is the wrong direction.

Only requirement for expensive anything is having the money or willingness to take on the debt. Skill or use case (regarding guitars) is a made-up excuse by mostly gatekeeping players and marketing.

There’s a fairly priced gibson 57ri goldtop available locally. Im curious because its local, even though the year (2000) means its probably way too big a neck. I already know theres barely a chance its perceptably better than my 2020 standard, because my 2020 standard holds its own next to two custom shops of newer build. Still curious but not enough to waste sellers time.
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The appeal of the SEs to me isn't that I absolutely have to have the cash, it's something more like humility.
I don't think of myself as somebody with a $4k guitar, but I have one.
Would I take it to Bunratty's, or the Inn-Square Men's Bar (long gone Boston dive bars)?
I'm not a collector of spectacular showpieces, just a guy who's been playing since 6th grade, and has always felt a connection to it, since back then.
I always found moderately priced guitars that clicked with me, like my EJ, which I think was about $1100 used, not $399, but not $4k.
I'd rather be better than my presentation might promise than the other way around -- even my Axe makes me a bit uncomfortable in that sense.

I wouldn't consider a cheap guitar I didn't like unless I circumstances really forced that, which knock wood and there but for the grace of, they haven't, so far.
But I hear so many good reports of the SEs, maybe PRS has really figured out how to get offshore to make decent quality instruments for that kind of money, and maybe they'd slot into a good place with me.
Wish I could try an SE DGT, they're just not around, and I'm done buying without playing it first, probably.,
 
It's been a long time since I walked into a music store and picked up a guitar that I liked as well as one of my own. I play mostly parts guitars like my avatar, which is like building your own signature models where you choose every spec.
 
Honestly, I miss going to a music store and finding something that I liked better than one of my own. In some ways, I'm lucky, but I've worked hard to get the things I have, too, and, like @Dave Merrill, I've been playing a long time. So, I've had a lot of time to find what works for me. But I still miss going to a music store and dreaming of having that mythical object hanging on the wall someday. I think I know how Dave feels.

On top of that, there just aren't as many music stores as there used to be. I spent part of my summers as a teenager riding around the better part of two states with my dad who serviced accounts. No matter how small the town, there was always a music store and they always had something cool, whether it was an old amp, old guitar, or some pedal. They were always glad to talk to me and I loved the experience! Now, I live in a decent sized city and there are only a handful of stores that aren't GC. Going is still cool, but it's been a long time since I've seen anything that's really tempted me. Dave, at least you found something interesting to see, even if they weren't quite your thing.

And, just for the record, I agree with @Budda ... to hell with what anyone else thinks when they see you with your gear! Sounds to me like you've earned it! As long as it helps you make the music you want to make, that's the only thing that matters. :)
 
Some cool guitars. I've never even heard of Ronan until now! I like that feeling too after going to the candy shop and feeling pretty satiated. Like @Budda mentioned. That's kind of where I am for the moment. lately i've been in a mindset of consolidating and keeping only the gear I'm actually using. Less distractions=more playing/creativity. At least for me.
 
Budda said:
To hell with what other people think when they see you with your gear :)
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This. I had a friend of mine, when I had all of my PRS and assorted other gear pretty much tell me that I shouldn't own it (or at least that's how I took it) because I don't gig. Not going to lie it pissed me off quite a bit as well as my wife (who's the last person you want mad at you LOL).

I own what I own not to show off but because I like to have what I have. Yes I had to dump quite a bit of my collection because I was taking care of my brother and needed the $ and sure I miss some of it but I don't dwell on it. If im able to one day replenish what I had in some way then so be it, if I never do that's just fine as well.
As ive always said im not the most accomplished player, and I will always downgrade my own playing just because. I just enjoy playing.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Wish I could try an SE DGT, they're just not around, and I'm done buying without playing it first, probably.,
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I watched the video Leon Todd did about his gold top SE DGT. Sold me. There are some used bargains out there and I’m suspicious of those. Especially the ones that have been upgraded and then selling. Reading reviews of these shows that some people bought stinkers. But there’s none around where I’m at either. So I’ll just order online and unplayed as long as I know the weight. And hope it’s a good one.
 
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Dave Merrill said:
Did you see this?
Shawn Tubbs compares the PRS SE DGT to his Core DGT.

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Maybe I’ve seen it. I actually paid for one of these awhile back. Got tired of waiting and got my money back, and bought something else. At the time I watched a lot of videos. I’ll check this out later. It’s a fair comparison the core to the import. But I’d never expect it to be as good as the core.
 
skolacki said:
Maybe I’ve seen it. I actually paid for one of these awhile back. Got tired of waiting and got my money back, and bought something else. At the time I watched a lot of videos. I’ll check this out later. It’s a fair comparison the core to the import. But I’d never expect it to be as good as the core.
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Yeah no.
But he was impressed, I think it's fair to say.
You should let him tell it though.
 
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