Down here at the Pawn Shop

[Glacies]

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.

[Katastrophe]

Sounds like a cool trip! I used to love going to pawn shops, and checking out the gear. These days, in this area, the selection is bad and the prices are at MAP for a new model.

Definitely check out the SX. I bought a SX bass for my stepdaughter last Christmas, and it plays really well... surprisingly so. The neck has a beautiful flame, and is comfortable as can be. The tuners suck, and the pickup sounds great. For the money, you just can't lose. I would check out the models on Rondo, though... Some of the bodies on a few of the models are thinner than the normal 1.75". I don't think it would change the tone, and it's up to personal preference, but I prefer the weight and body thickness on my Strat, and would buy an SX with a similar body only.

[Glacies]

Yeah, it was cool and the guys that run the music side of the shop are cool so it's really comfortable for me to just sit around and play. There's even a couch there. Anyway, I was amazed at how good the pickups sounded. I was playing through the amp I will buy this summer (Blackstar HT-5 Combo) and I am just really satisfied with the tone. The only thing was I really didn't go crazy with volume...

The SX I played looked and felt identical to the one fender strat I played and the more expensive squire. The $100 one really seemed like a POS.