Glacies
April 16th, 2012, 09:12 AM
I wasn't sure where to put this and I wanted to share.
I took a trip with the wife to L Oppelmans here in Lynchburg (supposedly one of the oldest pawn shops in the country).
The goal was to get my hands on some strats. I have really been enjoying playing funk and reggae and whatever mix of the two you can dream up, and my Les Paul isn't really giving me the tone I want. What I noticed is that the tone is naturally different with a single coil guitar, but that C neck really helps me play bar chords a little bit more comfortably. It might be a personal thing but it's just how it felt to me.
So in order of how I picked them up and with no specific model info other than what was immediately noticeable (and what I'm able to remember)
Squire Strat - $200 - felt different because it was the first strat I picked up, but the neck was warped and I couldn't play below the 8th fret
Squire Strat - $99 - felt cheap
Squire Strat - $300 - much better, highly playable, I liked it a lot
SX Strat - $89 - I liked it better than the $300 strat. Felt like a more quality instrument
Fender Classic MiM Sea Green that my wife oddly liked - $400 - Probably on the level with the SX. Very comfortable. Played really well. I wanted to really nail it but didn't want to be "that guy" in the shop.
So for the strat battle I think I might start with a new SX from Rondo. For $100 and can put the thing through the paces and even treat it as a project guitar that I won't be afraid to mess with.
However, the perk of the visit is one of the most attractive guitars to me, an old school Ibanez Iceman - $600 - I find the shape just awesome. Like elegant but angry. I don't know, just a cool shape. I've never had my hands on one before so I had to try it. All I can say is it was like playing butter. It was silky smooth and vicious. The neck was a little weird to me, not uncomfortable, but not easy to play bars on. I could powerchord it pretty easily though.
So just thought I'd share.
I took a trip with the wife to L Oppelmans here in Lynchburg (supposedly one of the oldest pawn shops in the country).
The goal was to get my hands on some strats. I have really been enjoying playing funk and reggae and whatever mix of the two you can dream up, and my Les Paul isn't really giving me the tone I want. What I noticed is that the tone is naturally different with a single coil guitar, but that C neck really helps me play bar chords a little bit more comfortably. It might be a personal thing but it's just how it felt to me.
So in order of how I picked them up and with no specific model info other than what was immediately noticeable (and what I'm able to remember)
Squire Strat - $200 - felt different because it was the first strat I picked up, but the neck was warped and I couldn't play below the 8th fret
Squire Strat - $99 - felt cheap
Squire Strat - $300 - much better, highly playable, I liked it a lot
SX Strat - $89 - I liked it better than the $300 strat. Felt like a more quality instrument
Fender Classic MiM Sea Green that my wife oddly liked - $400 - Probably on the level with the SX. Very comfortable. Played really well. I wanted to really nail it but didn't want to be "that guy" in the shop.
So for the strat battle I think I might start with a new SX from Rondo. For $100 and can put the thing through the paces and even treat it as a project guitar that I won't be afraid to mess with.
However, the perk of the visit is one of the most attractive guitars to me, an old school Ibanez Iceman - $600 - I find the shape just awesome. Like elegant but angry. I don't know, just a cool shape. I've never had my hands on one before so I had to try it. All I can say is it was like playing butter. It was silky smooth and vicious. The neck was a little weird to me, not uncomfortable, but not easy to play bars on. I could powerchord it pretty easily though.
So just thought I'd share.