Great Budget guitar

[Lev]

I'm starting to give my nephew guitar lessons, so a couple of weeks back I went to the local music store to get him his first electric guitar. After playing some squires and eppiphones and other makes within budget (€250) we tried out a guitar branded Vintage. I'd never seen them before but I was blown away by the sound I was getting from such an inexpensive guitar. On top of that it had an amazing feel and neck with the action setup perfectly. We bought the PRS style guitar - see link below.

I've since come across these guitars in the UK guitar magazines where they are getting great reviews (not sure if you can get them in the US). They are made in Vietnam and have wilkinson hardware and pickups. Check out the link below - I'm seriously considering getting one of the Icon series (Aged) strats and going at it with my soldering iron! The aged finish looks awsome to me.

http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html

[Spudman***]

Nice components but I've never run into a poplar body guitar that I liked the sound of. Did the store have a variety of them to check out? I'd want to plink on one first to see how the acoustic tone is first.
The Les Paul style and SG have mahogany bodies.

[Lev]

not too many, just the PRS models & a couple of basic strats. I think what impressed me was thet they didn't look or feel like a cheap guitar. Very comfortable and playable - I guess I was getting nostalgic about when I started playing guitar and you needed the strength of a mountain ape to fret a chord on a guitar in that price range!

[tremoloman***]

They look nice! Wish they had a US reseller... I'd be tempted to try one!

[Tinky-Winky]

Yup, I've seen a lot of great reviews on this range of guitars, and one particularly glowing review stated that they would rather play (a les paul copy) vintage than some gibsons! They are also unique (I think) in offering reliced budget guitars. I would have thought that poplar would sound good - it's supposed to sound almost identical to alder and was used by pre-CBS fender for the mustang.


EDIT: I've just noticed that vintage have a brand new range of guitars - the best thing is - they are made with AMERICAN ALDER and other quality stuff - so I've got something else to consider between that and the rockinger...

[Lev]

I'm seriously considering their Gold Top copy complete with Wilkinson P-90's. My local guitar store stocks Vintage guitars and will swap the tuners, switches etc for me and it would still be cheaper than the Epiphone model and about 20% the price of the Gibson.

The reviews of this model are pretty hot...

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r...+Gold+Top/10/1

GAS GAS GAS GAS GAS

[Tinky-Winky]

Lev, I'm not sure they sell the model reviewed anymore, since it appears to be a bolt on neck version with a poplar body. The review of the "Icon" les paul suggests that it's definitely worth trying out their set neck, mahogany bodied goldtop (they're identical save for the reliced finish and a flame maple veneer, which would not make a difference to the sound).

[Lev]

Thanks TW, this is the one I'm considering, which is Mahogany. I was kinda thinking the reviewer on HC didn't think it was mahogany because of the price and assumed is was poplar but it's all mahogany . For the price I could live with the bolt on neck - looks beautiful and as I said I can get anything that sucks swapped out (although according to the reviews the wilkinson P90's are pretty good)

Click the large view to see it in all it's glory...

http://www.thinkmusic.co.uk/product....For=&PT_ID=212

[Tinky-Winky]

If it's mahogany, then it's set-neck! I've been reading the reviews, and they are ALL really positive. Have you considered buying on ebay, there are plenty of places which sell the same guitar for a lot less (the non-goldtops start at £165).

[Lev]

Yep, set neck - just gets better

I was thinking that the guitar would benefit from a pro setup and maybe some upgraded parts, so that was leading me to maybe buying from my local store (I'm no luthier and my local dealer will do a full setup for me if I buy there). Might cost a little more but still alot cheaper than an Epiphone and I get peace of mind too.

[Tinky-Winky]

Lev, have you read the review of the guitar, on the website? It details the quality of the components, so I wouldn't think that anything would urgently need replacing (like the tuners etc.). Also, if your local guitar shop charges much more than the ones on ebay, then it could be cheaper to just get it set up at the shop. Of course, if you have a good relationship with the people there then it's good to support local trade.

[duhvoodooman***]

Does anybody carry/import these here in the US? The JHS website doesn't indicate export to the US. I see Canada is on the list, though.

That Goldtop w/ P90's looks awesome!

[Tinky-Winky]

Here's a video from youtube of the vintage strat copy for anyone who was wondering what they sound like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZZh61v8nZY&NR

[Lev]

sounds sweet for a guitar that costs less than a squire!

I'm still thinking about getting that Vintage Gold Top with P-90's but want to try it out in comparison with the Epiphone version. My local store has the Epiphone and are waiting on a delivery of the Vintage - will make my choice once I've played both back to back.

[tot_Ou_tard]

These are advertised (& reviewed) in many UK guitar magazines. You couldn't hide from them if you wanted to in the British Isles & Ireland. You never hear them mentioned in US magazines.

[Tinky-Winky]

Today I had the opportunity to play a friend's vintage V6 for a few hours. I had a mexican standard stratocaster to compare it with. The first thing that struck me was that the finish was quite nicely done, with an even but thin application of lacquer covering the (2-piece !!!) poplar body. The neck was tinted too darkly for my tastes, but it had a nice medium C profile (a little thinner than the mexican strat). I could find no flaw in the production of the guitar, and when I opened the rear cavity up, there were no splinters or blobs of finish, which normally I would expect on such a cheap guitar. I liked the pop in tremolo arm. but I had to take out one of the springs to make it more manageable to use. The set-up surprised me, as the guitar was ordered off the internet but came with a perfectly usable action. The hardware was good too, with (sort of) locking tuners and steel tremolo unit.
Having had a good look at the guitar, I plugged it in. The sound was nothing short of excellent. This thing was easily as good as the mexican, with a beautiful, deep neck p'up sound and a twangy bridge with no icepick brittleness. The sustain was also surprising, and with a little gain the notes just kept on going. Using the wammy bar didn't throw things out of tune, and the guitar was just a pleasure to play. The controls on the guitar were also excellent, in fact this was the first guitar I've played (though I've only played a few) that had a clear, unmuffled sound when the tone controls were at 0.
Overall, for anyone who lives in england (where these vintages cost 120 pounds and mexican strats cost ~300), I would really recommend trying out one of these if a stratocaster is what your looking for.

[grungeiceman]

Did any one get the gold top??? man thats looks like a good deal if any one has post some audio and what problems you have had with it

[Lev]

I haven't had a chance to try out the Vintage Gold Top yet (quite difficult to find), and I don't think I would buy without trying. I did however try the Epiphone 56 Gold Top with P-90's and was blown away by it, so that's what I'm leaning towards for my next purchace. If I get a chance to play a Vintage version I'll post a quick review here.

[Jimi75]

What a great find. I really dig the "distressed" models, they look fantastic and if I rely on your review of the feel and sound, I could buy one straght away.

Les Paul, SG..........GAS............alarm!!!!!!!!!!!!