After Weeding - Sowing

Talk about guitars, amplifiers, effects and other gear
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VikingBlues
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After Weeding - Sowing

Post by VikingBlues »

Now I've started down the line of physically weeding out the collection, I've been sowing seeds of ideas to see what grows in place of the weeds.

So - enough of the farming analogies Viking. :naughty:

As I think I said elsewhere the Tele copy is redundant due to the sound and quality of the Strat - I had it for a single coil sound rather than twang (I'm not a twang guy). So the Tele copy will be a p/ex or a sale - assuming the Tokai sells. :icon_whoknows:

This will leave me with:
1) Humbucker semi hollow - Hagstrom
2) Single Coil - "Strat"
3) Bass - Vintage brand AV
4) Acoustic - Tanglewood TW45 NSB

What strikes me as missing from the collection are (at least) three things, but I'll have to miss out on two! I think those two will probably be Resonator and Baritone. The one I'm interested in pursuing is, I get the impression, a guitar type that's not too common (unless I'm looking in the wrong places). And from the sounds I hear I don't know why there's so few.

GET ON WITH IT!!!!!! :yikes:

P90 pickups (I DO like their sound) in a hollow or semi hollow body. I think I know of three - Epiphone Casino and Wildkat, Vintage VSA 590. I know Blindboy has a Casino of some description, but I don't recall anyone else mentioning one, or mentioning any other brand of this type of guitar - anyone got any first hand experience and can comment? Given the Epiphone Casino would be top end of budget - any other brands I should be aware of?

Pretty well every semi-hollow / hollow body electric I've looked at is humbucker equipped - and I've got that. :sad:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
tradrrr
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by tradrrr »

It's funny you mention this because I tested out a Epiphone Goldtop LP this weekend with P-90s. It was nice, but I thought the action was set kinda high. I wanted to ask all the LP users if that's normal. I've never owned a LP, but every one I play seems to have the action set higher than I do on my Strat. Is this the way LPs are supposed to be setup?
Let me tell you what the blues is....
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Blindboy
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by Blindboy »

The Casino is a fabulous guitar. Runs in the $600 range over here. Most of the p-90 guitars I have found with a quick search are that or more, with one notable exception...http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=423016
I believe that p-90's sound best in an archtop guitar, but that is just my opinion. A suggestion... If you like the way your Tele plays, why not put a pair of p-90's in it? I have wished that I had done that with my G&L Asat, instead of selling it.
Good luck in your search. :thumbsup:
Edit...
Here is another one... not an archtop, but...
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=519584
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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vancouverois
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by vancouverois »

Blindboy wrote: Edit...
Here is another one... not an archtop, but...
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=519584
I have one of these Squier Tele P90, out of the box they sound good.
The Duncan designed pickups are quite good sounding and in this price range the Tele is a winner.
Of course it won't have the same timber as an archtop hollow body.

Edit:
VB, I just remember that there are some humbucker sized P90 pickups, Seymour Duncan calls them Phat Cat.
It may be worth a try.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/e ... _phat_cat/
Jan 15th 2007
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VikingBlues
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by VikingBlues »

tradrrr wrote:It's funny you mention this because I tested out a Epiphone Goldtop LP this weekend with P-90s. It was nice, but I thought the action was set kinda high. I wanted to ask all the LP users if that's normal. I've never owned a LP, but every one I play seems to have the action set higher than I do on my Strat. Is this the way LPs are supposed to be setup?
I find the action on most guitars in shops is set to high. :angry: Of course it's easier for the factory and shop to err on the high side and avoid fret buzz than to spend time doing a proper job so we can test out a guitar properly. When I took delivery of my Tokai LP the action was the lowest of any guitar I've ever bought, but it had been set up by a business who care about giving the customer a good set up.
Blindboy wrote:The Casino is a fabulous guitar. Runs in the $600 range over here. Most of the p-90 guitars I have found with a quick search are that or more, with one notable exception...http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=423016
I believe that p-90's sound best in an archtop guitar, but that is just my opinion.
Thank you for the advice. :D I was hitting the same results on price with my searches in the UK Blindboy. The Epiphone Casino over here are in the £400 to £450 range on-line which is pretty well in line with your figure (though the "Inspired by Lennon" version is, of course about 70% more, though it does have better pups apparently). I could get one locally around £450 I think.

Thanks for the link to the Viking II-P. I'm embarassed by not spotting that as a Hagstrom owner. :roll: If they're as well built as my Viking Deluxe they should be worth considering - but chances are I'll not be able to try one - one shop locally gives the impression they stock Hagstroms but any advert always says "check for availability". It would shave £100 off the price. While the Vintage VSA590 shave £175 or so off the price - the Vintage has good reviews but I have to think at that price differential it can't be as good as the Casino.

I'm also of a like mind that P90s sound best in an archtop which is what baffles me about there being so few. Loads of beautiful looking and playing hollow bodies out there and they've all got humbuckers. :wall:

That's not to say that I won't cosider a solid body and thanks for your feedback on teh Tele Vancouveris. :thumbsup:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
MajorTom
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by MajorTom »

I've also got the epiphone casino on my wishlist. Unfortunately I spent all my money going overseas and now have a fair bit of debt to pay off before I can get one.
I've also tried out the LP goldtop with p90s, but the casino is the sound I want.
They're more in the $1,000 to $1,200 range over here. It seems all musical equipment gets massive markups for Australia, which may have been reasonable when the dollar was low, but it's been pretty much at parity with the USD for quite some time now and none of the prices have dropped. Someone's making some money there I think...

About 2 weeks ago I tried out a resonator in a music shop and I think it may have won out over the casino on my wishlist though. First time I've ever played one and it was amazing (even just plucking around on it in some unknown tuning), and at $750 it's a bit easier on the wallet too, so I think that's the way I'll be heading first.
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DeaconBlues
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by DeaconBlues »

P-90's are by far my favorite pickup. I've owned a number of P-90 equipped guitars. From a 1958 Gibson ES-225-TD (really miss that one) to a couple of Reverend Slingshots (my all time favorite P-90 axe). I even tried a PRS import with P-90's(the only P-90 guitar that I haven't liked). I need to get another Slingshot.
That boy ain't right...,

but he's big on the North Sea Coast of Germany.
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VikingBlues
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Re: After Weeding - Sowing

Post by VikingBlues »

MajorTom wrote:I've also got the epiphone casino on my wishlist. Unfortunately I spent all my money going overseas and now have a fair bit of debt to pay off before I can get one.
I've also tried out the LP goldtop with p90s, but the casino is the sound I want.

...

About 2 weeks ago I tried out a resonator in a music shop and I think it may have won out over the casino on my wishlist though. First time I've ever played one and it was amazing (even just plucking around on it in some unknown tuning), and at $750 it's a bit easier on the wallet too, so I think that's the way I'll be heading first.
Great minds think alike! :big_smile:

The blues teacher I use most on JamPlay sometimes uses a resonator and I DO like the sound. I'm not too hot on playing acoustic guitars though - I have a very nice Tanglewood but I find it so much more difficult to play than my 'leccy guitars.
.......

Another P90 fan DeaconBlues. :thumbsup: There seem to be quite a lot of us. Which begs the question why are we not being catered for? :mercy:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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