Stopped at GC, found a couple guitars I like!
Had a bit of time to kill and stopped off at GC today. I have not looked at or lusted for any guitars for quite a while. Two caught my eye today. One, maybe, enough to make me consider moving some stuff around to get it. With a mod. Here are the candidates. I welcome your thoughts.
Candidate #1: Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline deluxe.
Pic: http://static.musiciansfriend.com/de...urst_maple.jpg
The Modern Player Telecaster® Thinline Deluxe casts an already distinctive classic Telecaster model in a whole new light with a full-throated pair of single-coil Modern Player MP-90 pickups. Other features include a mahogany body, C-shaped maple neck, maple fretboard with 9.5” radius and 22 medium jumbo frets, three-way toggle pickup switching, three-ply pickguard (parchment on Sunburst model; black-white-black on other models), four skirted amp knobs (two volume, two tone), vintage-style Stratocaster® string-through-body six-saddle hard-tail bridge, vintage-style tuners and nickel/chrome hardware.
Features
Series: Modern Player
Body Shape: Telecaster®
Body: Mahogany, Gloss Polyester Finish
Neck: Maple, "C" Shape
Neck Finish: Gloss Polyester
Fretboard: Maple
Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Frets: 22, Medium Jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Pickups: Modern Player MP-90 Pickup (Bridge)
Modern Player MP-90 Pickup (Neck)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and
Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge
Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Tuning Keys: Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Bridge: Vintage Style 6-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Hardtail Bridge
Control Knobs: Skirted Amp Knobs
Pickguard: (500) 3-Ply Parchment, (539,541) 3-Ply Black/White/Black
Strings: Fender® USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)
On sale for $399.
Screaming deal! I liked this guitar a lot, and loved the control layout. I really like being able to blend the volumes and tones of the bridge and neck. The p90s sounded good too. But, I wanted a little more fat in the tone. Though I really liked the weight of the thinline, and the controls, the pickups lacked some depth and fatness that I want in my next guitar. I think it needs a humbucker, and have single coils only guitars covered. So, . . .
Candidate#2:
Pic: http://static.musiciansfriend.com/de...unburst_rw.jpg
Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster HS
The most affordable humbucking pickup-equipped Jazzmaster ever made.
The Blacktop Jazzmaster HS delivers monster dual-bucker tone without breaking the bank. A vintage-style Duncan-Designed alnico humbucking pickup delivers the hot high-gain power of today's most aggressive sounds while the Duncan-Designed single-coil supplies the bite and twang; other distinctive touches include skirted black amp knobs, and one lean and mean three-way toggle switch rather than the customary barrage of Jazzmaster controls, Features include an alder body, maple neck, 9.5"-radius rosewood fretboard, 21 medium jumbo frets, gloss urethane finish and nickel/chrome hardware.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
Features
Series: Blacktop
Body shape: Jazzmaster
Body material: alder
Colors: (500) 3-Color Sunburst, (506) Black
Neck: maple
Neck finish: gloss urethane
Fretboard: rosewood
Position inlays: white dots
String nut: synthetic bone
Bridge pickup: 1 Duncan Designed Humbucking Pickup
Neck pickup: 1 Duncan Designed Single-Coil Jazzmaster Pickup
Pickup switching: 3-Position toggle:Position 1. Full bridge pickupPosition 2. Full neck & bridge pickupsPosition 3. Full neck pickup
Controls: master volume, master tone
Hardware: nickel/chrome
Tuning keys: standard cast/sealed tuning machines
Bridge: American Vintage Jazzmaster Tremolo with Adusto-Matic Bridge
Strap buttons: vintage style
Control knobs: skirted amp knobs
Pickguard: 3-ply black (500 3-Color Sunburst), or mint green (506 Sonic Black)
Strings: Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 gauges)
Included accessories: truss rod adjustment wrench
$499
I loved this one! I have single coils covered. The jazzy sounded more complex, a bit warmer, and I liked the jazzy pickup in the neck combined with the humbucker in the bridge. Plus it has the trem. If I had the tele, I would want to add a trem. On this one, the only mod I would think I would want would be to add a blend pot of some kind to balance to pickups to taste. I think that could be done. But even as is, it was tempting.
I am tempted to sell my CV tele, and save some extra dough and give it a go. The Hagstrom Vik semi stays, and so does my 60th MIM strat. It was my first, I like the neck just that much better than my tele, due to the semi vs. gloss finish.
so what do you guys think?
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson