Vintage guitars

[dave robinson]

I collected my Gibson SG a few days ago from AGC removed those dreadful 490R & 498T pickups and fitted some four core PAF style pickups that have been coil tapped. It sounds great now, like I expect a Gibson to sound but with 'push-push' tone pots to split the coils, offering different options tone-wise. I also tested it out against the modestly priced Vintage SG and to my disgust you couldn't tell them apart on the HUMBUCKER positions. Feel wise, the Gibson wins because it's got a bound neck, but there isn't £1000 difference.

[Tigerdaisy]

I recently owned a 'Vintage' V52 Tele type guitar. It was pretty well made with good materials but needed the frets dressing so I had my usual guitar set up job done by the local guitar tech. Although this is a criticism, I've found most guitars I've owned at all price points needed a set up of this nature to get a good playing action. The stock pick ups were not the worst I've heard, but I swopped them out for Toneriders anyway. The other bits of hardware were all Wilkinson stuff- good quality. I still think the best out of the box cheap Tele is the Fender MIM model which has to my ears excellent pups- better than the MIM Strat which do need changing, in my view.

[stephen]

Certainly in agreement about the need for a decent set-up/fret dress with the majority of guitars irrespective of price, with perhaps the exception of Fender Custom Shop product of which I have no personal experience or USA PRS which I do.
In recent times, the worst (& most disappointing!) fret work I encountered was on a new £750 Japanese Tokai 'Mary Kaye' Stratocaster that I bought mail order. Quite frankly, if I hadn't been adept with fret re-finishing and could have been bothered with the hassle of returning it, it would have gone straight back. However, a couple of hours rounding off those sharp ends & polishing out all that tarnishing, sorted it out. I 'contented' myself with an illustrated complaint to the UK distributor who claimed to check ALL guitars himself as they arrived and couldn't understand how this one "slipped through the net". I also requested that he forward this issue to the factory in Japan and ask for their response.
I was also not impressed that the tremolo bridge as supplied, was just flat to the body without the usual small but necessary 'uptilt'. As anyone who has worked on strats will tell you, achieving the correct balance between springs & strings is by no means difficult, but is somewhat time consuming, going to and fro adjusting the spring claw/re-tuning/re-setting saddle height etc. The Tokai factory response was surprising to say the least. They referred to their background making Fender Japan Stratocasters and stated that it was Fender policy for them to set up guitars with the bridge left flat against the body as that "made for easier tuning" for the guy doing the final checks!!
Personally speaking, the only brand that I would buy mail order with total confidence regarding their commitment to QC, reputation & customer service would be PRS USA product.
Stephen.

[dave robinson]

I have the same Japanese Premium Strat in the same colour but with a rosewood board. I purchased it for £750 from MIJ Fenders back in 2005 and I had totally the opposite experience to Stephen, it's a joy to play. I would have sent mine back had it been the way Stephen described his, it's just poor quality control.
I immediately took off the White pickguard and fitted a tortoiseshell one and was uncomfortable with the Texas Special pickups so stuck my Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro IIs on instead, later selling the Texas Specials. I used it at Shadowmania in 2006 and later that year at Verden, the videos show the sound to be as it should be.
I have it apart again at the moment and have just taken delivery of a white pearloid pickguard with the G&L switching and wiring with my Tonerider Vintage pickups and plan to put it together in the next day or so.

[stephen]

As I stated, if sorting it out with the application of a little skill and a modicum of time & TLC had been beyond me, I'd have considered sending it back. However, the logistics of sorting out guitar returns can often be fraught with problems of their own and from experience, providing the problem isn't structural or major, I tend to accept that I'll have to do a bit of work on any guitar I buy that I haven't been able to audition in person.
Years back, I returned a new USA '57 re-issue to Fender via Peter Cook's Guitar World complaining of a relatively minor issue (nut cut too low). I received the guitar back bearing a perfect imprint of a large muddy boot on the cardboard shipping box! Worse still, the case was damaged and I was further saddened to see that the weight of the boot's wearer had resulted in a dent to the neck! It took over 6 months of wrangling between the carrier, Fender & Peter Cook's to resolve the issue.
These days, I'm a bit reluctant to return things if I can sort them out myself.................!
Stephen

[Tigerdaisy]

Yes I'm inclined to agree re sending guitars back- it's often better and less hassle to fix smaller issues oneself. I've found GuitarGuitar very good for returning stuff even if there's no fault and you just don't like the product.

[Ryan]

my Vintage is the VSA535-CR model, not the 335 as you wrote in your post,(although from what i can tell these 2 are more or less the same guitar, maybe 1 of them is just a newer model) Just thought i'd tell you again in case your trying to look it up
I brought mine new about 3 years ago from a shop called 'Nathan Rose Music' in Wolverhampton. It was in the sale and so i got it for £249, i think it was supposed to be £299, if memory serves me right. They have been doing Gibson copy models for a good few years with Wilkinson hardware on them, they did even do a Gretsch style with bigsby on.
I will post a photo of mine on for you tomorrow, for anybody who is interested. They also did the same model in sunburst aswell.
Ryan

i forgot to post the photos i promised so here they are...

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Ryan

[Graylion]

Yep - I can recommend the 'Vintage' (make) 12-string electro-acoustic with cutaway as a good strummer. It has a good volume (like most 12s) acoustically and sounds like an acoustic when plugged in. Very nice and light action too! NO, REALLY!! My Burns D12 Club has the lightest action of any 12-string I have ever played in over 50 years and I sleep with it at night! (Scrap that last bit!! )

[dave robinson]

I can't afford a Gibson L4, Switchmaster or ES-175 at the moment, so I have ordered the Vintage 575 at the cost of £349 which will be here hopefully on Monday. I have heard the demos, read the reviews and if it plays as good as my two Vintage Les Pauls I will be delighted. It retails at £499 so I got a good deal and one thing I do know is that those Wilkinson Humbuckers sound exactly the same as Seth Lover's PAF pickups from 1957. I know that because I have two guitars two compare that have those fitted. So all in all it sounds promising, trouble is I'll want the Switchmaster even more now !

[bor64]

I know a bloke who has two ES-5 switchmasters a early 57 sunburst with p90's and a 58 or59 in natural with paf's and a bigsby both guitars sounds great .
The first time I played on both, I struggled with the largeness of the body ....But what a warm sound and very versatile !

Vintage guitars are excellent value for money and more, I played a bunch along the years.
A few years ago I played a v6 icon fr distressed version, never ever I encounter a lighter strat as this.....
The resonance of the body and neck was awesomely good, played it dry and I could feel every string vibration thru my body.
I played it also amplified and its sounded great!
When I reached for my wallet the shop attended said, sorry this sample is bespoken for , I get you one from the warehouse.....
He came back with a white V6TMBL icon, sorry we are out of stock of the red ones....
So guess what....I heading towards the streets without a Vintage and told the geezer not to give customers a already sold guitar to try out.

Cheers Rob