Am I missing out???

[Rampant]

So I've been playing for a year, now.

I hear all the debate about Stratocasters, (versus) Telecasters, (versus) LPs of all makes, etc, etc, etc,...

Only recently did I realsie that I've never actually played any of the above guitars! I love playing my own 2 electrics (see sig). The question is, am I missing out in some way???

Cheerz

Mark H

[Perfect Stranger]

Yes

[250Keith]

Go to any gutiar store and play as many as you want, some gutiars just pick you and some you cant stand, It's still fun for me to do this any time Im in a store.

[wingsdad]

Maybe yes, but maybe not...if you love playing what you have, just a year into playing, why confuse the issue of advancing your skills by getting bogged down with a quest for greener grass on the other side of the mountain?

The Ibz artcore is nice, and the Pacifica may be a close facsimile of the strat/tele type...I can't recall your model 'zactly, but that's the market segment that Yam first aimed that series at years ago.

That Yam APX acoustic you have, btw, is a really nice axe...

[Eric]

Just play what sounds good to you and is easy for you to play and don't worry about the rest. I think it's a good thing that you've managed to stay away from the great debates.

[marnold]

That Pacifica is a great pseudo-Strat. I don't think you are inherently missing much. It wasn't that long ago that I played a Les Paul for the first time. It was pretty nice and definitely had that Les Paul thing happening, but the neck was glossy and baseball bat-like. Not necessarily Paul-specific issues, but it turned me off. Also the pup selector was going on it. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm a superstrat kind of guy.

Just to make matters worse, you didn't even mention a flying V :)

[Rampant]

That Pacifica is a great pseudo-Strat. I don't think you are inherently missing much. It wasn't that long ago that I played a Les Paul for the first time. It was pretty nice and definitely had that Les Paul thing happening, but the neck was glossy and baseball bat-like. Not necessarily Paul-specific issues, but it turned me off. Also the pup selector was going on it. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm a superstrat kind of guy.

Just to make matters worse, you didn't even mention a flying V :)

LOL - my sensei has a Gibson V (P90s) thay occassionaly gets plucked off its stand. The big thing about the V, as sensei always comments on, is that you can't really play it sitting down. It just doesn't want to stay in your lap... and all of my playing is done sitting.

I've just been to the base "live music club" for the first time today. They have a squier fat strat and an epi LP. I tried the strat for a short while. Maybe try the LP next time...

Yeah, wingsdad - the APX is a lovely sweet and full sounding guitar :)

Cheerz

[piebaldpython]

Why can't you play a V sitting down? Just lean the front on your left thigh and have the V "straddle" your right leg.

[FrankenFretter]

That Pacifica is a great pseudo-Strat. I don't think you are inherently missing much. It wasn't that long ago that I played a Les Paul for the first time. It was pretty nice and definitely had that Les Paul thing happening, but the neck was glossy and baseball bat-like. Not necessarily Paul-specific issues, but it turned me off. Also the pup selector was going on it. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm a superstrat kind of guy.

Just to make matters worse, you didn't even mention a flying V :)

I've never played a really nice Strat, but I have played a Classic Vibe Squier, and it played and sounded very nice. My brother recently bought an Epi Les Paul, and I found the neck to be quite comfortable, although I think it did have the 60's Slim Taper Profile neck. And oh, that LP sound...so sweet.

It does all boil down to personal taste. Don't be sucked into buying something just because of reputation. Play what you love, and love what you play. Or, as the racers say, "Run what ya brung".

All that said, I agree that you should try some of the famous axes. Try a nice Gretsch too. Try enough, and you might fall in love. I guess that should be considered fair warning...:cool:

[markb]

You've got a semi and a strat copy. If you can't get just about any classic guitar sound out of those two, I'd be surprised.

[Plank_Spanker]

So I've been playing for a year, now.

I hear all the debate about Stratocasters, (versus) Telecasters, (versus) LPs of all makes, etc, etc, etc,...

Only recently did I realsie that I've never actually played any of the above guitars! I love playing my own 2 electrics (see sig). The question is, am I missing out in some way???

Cheerz

Mark H

You have the first step complete - you're happy with your guitars. There are lots of players buying everything under the sun and never being truly happy with what they have.

Are you missing out? Not right now. As you mature as a player, your style and approach will form right along with changing needs and tastes in guitars. It also doesn't help that the web is chock full of guitar players touting their guitars as the be all and end all of guitars. They might be - for them. I can see where it gets to information overload mass confusion.

There's nothing wrong with getting out to play some other guitars. Go experience some other guitars.....it's part of coming up as a player. Just do yourself one huge favor - when you do decide to buy more guitars, make absolutely sure you're happy with them for your own reasons - not to impress friends or a discussion board.

The only person a guitar needs to impress is the player.

[NWBasser]

I suppose it's really about what sounds and feels best to you.

I had a Schecter and loved it, but the string spacing was too tight for my fat fingers. I kept messing up open chords.

So, I had two big criteria for a new guitar - a wide fretboard and a thick tone.

Other considerations came into play, but those were the biggies.

I ended up with an Epiphone Les Paul. It has a wide enough fretboard and sounds absolutely sweet to my ears.

Play whatever speaks to you.

[ZMAN]

My experience with this is that with the Stratocasters, Les Pauls, and even 335 style guitars the quality shows up in many ways. For instance I have 9 Strats from Squier Standards to Made in American Deluxes. The cheaper ones can be set up to play very weill, and feel really good, but the eletronics let you down. They don't sound as good, and are not as responsive in the tone and volume controls.
The Gibson style guitars are no different. I have an Epiphone Elitist, and have owned two other Epi Standards. The Elitist has USA hardware and pickups and sounds almost as nice as my Gibson Les Pauls. But the Gibsons just feel and sound better.
I have a Sheraton II, which is just an Epi Dot with Bling, and It plays beautifully. But it can't touch my Gibson ES335 in tone and feel.
I guess I must say that yes I feel you are missing something. And I will admit it took 15 years for me to amass all these guitars, but I started with a MIM Stratocaster.

[Plank_Spanker]

I guess I must say that yes I feel you are missing something.


As the OP said - he's happy with the guitars he owns.



Missing what?


Here we go.........................everyone trying to talk him into their own likes on guitars..................

[ZMAN]

He asked the question Plank. I gave him my answer.
Can't we have opinions here any more?

[FusedGrooves]

I lusted after a Strat in my younger days, for some reason never bought or owned one > more recently after having access to a private collecters libary of guitars I've played a few, and prefer the Tele's far more. He has one I esp like which is a G&L Hybrid with Strat PUPS but everything else tele, birds eye maple neck and it's an awesome guitar.

My main gripe with the strat is that the volume knob is too close to where I strum so I always end up hitting it. Plenty of other ppl don't seem to have this issue so maybe it's just me but the tele's knobs are in a much better location.....

[Algonquin]

Hi Mark, Fender and Les Paul style guitars are wonderful instruments... but so are Ibanez and Yamaha.

With one year or so under your belt of playing guitar, I'd recommend you stick with what you have and continue to develop your skills as a player. Perhaps marketing has brought these brands into mainstream acceptance... who knows? Why do so many choose Coke and Pepsi over other colas... is there that much difference.

In the end it's what you do with the instrument, not the name on the headstock.

[Duff]

I have a lot of guitars. The ones I started out on are not as sophisticated in some cases, or as well built, nor do they approach certain sounds. I didn't get a P ninety for a while and they are great.

Nothing wrong with seeing what you are missing out on by regularly visiting music stores and playing guitars.

I played several guitars the other day including a Schecter C one plus that sounded so nice thru a really good tube Kustom with green quilted top, better than the blackjack, to me.

I play a Fender JA90 that is a Mexican tele with two Seymour Duncan P90's and a flame maple semi hollow top with f holes and it sounds really really good to me played thru a standard Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

I have a standard Squire tele in vintage white that I put an aged white pearl pickguard on for asthetics and it looks and plays really great, stock pickups thru a Crate FW15R with a new Celestion 70/80 twelve inch speaker that TOTALLY transformed that amp from a good amp into an awesome amp with really clear tone and a great distorted channel and it's solid state. It has a CD input and only now does music sound just as good as playing it thru my expensive stereo receiver with super great speakers.

For me, I want to check out new gear and I always find items that I really like. I play all of my guitars and when I think one is my favorite I always discover that another one just sounds better.

One of my first guitars is a Schecter Omen six with HBs out of one of my Epi LP standards I upgraded, the plus top. It sounded good to begin with and sounds great now. It is also a super great looking super strat. It is beautiful walnut stained basswood.

Everybody has their own objectives in life. I like to collect guitars, and not always expensive ones, but ones that sound great and feel great. It is a retirement hobby that gives me pleasure.

One thing I would say though is that it is essential to have a really good amp; the best amp you can find that you can afford in your stable, preferably a tube amp, because if you don't you are definitely going to be missing out on something. That something is the sound of your guitars potential. I mentioned the solid state Crate but it's modded with a Celestion and sounds great in the bedroom; but it doesn't compare to my Crate V32 tube Palamino with two twelve inch Celestions by any means.

I get a lot of my gear very inexpensively, like the V32 I got from Crate in exchange for the new V50 I bought that sounded so great for a month before it blew up. I paid 164 for it online and Crate sent me the V32 manufacturers list price of 799 free. Yes, the V32's were discontinued but they had one laying around the headquarters that they were willing to give me. It was that or a check for 164. I asked for the amp and it is a wonderful amp, quite unlike the new Crate V series.

I'd agree with Zman that yes, you probably are missing out on things but if you are not interested then you might as well just hole up with what you have and enjoy it if it keeps you happy. There is always time to change your mind later and explore things if you feel like it.

[MAXIFUNK]

Yes and no.

Yes, on this level one never knows what he might be missing unless he tries out new things.

No, if your not trying to own and have a collection of guitars.

I played bass for years and stopped for years many years. Anyway I kept my Peavey T-40 from 1979 it was my 1st real bass. I was always pleased with the sound and feel of that bass. Forward to 2007 I wanted to start playing again went out shopping for a new bass tried a whole lot of the usual suspects, Fender,Music Man, Washburn, Warwick, Jackson, Peavey, Pedula, Modulus, Lakland, etc. etc.

But once I laid my hands on a Ibanez SR500 the search was over it was if they custom made that bass for me perfect fit for my hands and the sound & tones are endless. I found the ONE as some say but with that said, I do want 2 Ibanez prestige series SR Basses (bolt on & neck-thru) and once I do I'll be set for life or at least at this moment that is the statement I'll stand by. LOL

As far as Guitars go the middle of December will mark the 1st anniversary of my journey into the world of guitar playing. I 1st bought MIK telecaster double HB coil split very flat neck 15" very nice guitar but I knew I was going to want a Stratocaster one day I now have 2, each one sounds different and feels different but I love them both and plan to keep them a life time.

I now know because I have played a while and I still stink at it mind you :). I do know for certain the sound I want or have in my head I know what guitar to use to get it and what guitar I want to buy because I can come close to it but not capture it exactly. So, Now I have a short guitar "GAS LIST" (a phrase I learned here, Thanks guys!).

A real tele 1 with noiseless pickups and 1 with out. 9.5" C or soft V for rock & blues.
A strat with rosewood fret board with noiseless pups. 9.5" C or soft V for rock, funk, and blues.
A LP style Guitar Micheal Kelly has 2 I want badly (one with direct mounted pups and the other with EMG 85/81 pups). MK its the cheaper way to go to for the LP sound I want. One day I hope to own a Gibson LP, Heritage, & Collings LP's style axes (I learned about Heritage & Collings here as well) for rock, metal, blues, & jazz.

There are just certain sounds that each Guitar brings to the table and since I want to have those sounds available I will have a small collection of guitars for sure in no time and only a few basses all Ibanez SR series.

So, I say go check out whats out there never know what you might find and fall in love with and have to it.