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visserman
Platinum Member
1072 Posts |
 Posted - 11/26/2009 : 16:06:05
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Just a few comments about the sound: All guitars do sound different, get two similar strats and both will sound different due to wood, and slight variations in electronics.
Your Hamer will sound much better and less "traditional". All the mishaps on Fenders and Gibsons are usually improved on other highter quality guitars.
I have two Strats, One from the CBS period and the other one is an early 80s one. Both of them sound and play very different. The 70s Strats have lower output pick-ups, so less detail as what you mentioned.
I think people like Fenders and Gibsons because of tradition, but when it comes to quality often other guitars may be much better. I do like tradition as well, but keep in mind that guitars of similar pricerange may offer better quality, but maybe less vibe. |
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FenderStrat86
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2009 : 03:09:41
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I would agree that the type of materials would also have an influence on what a guitar sounds like, along with differences in electronics. My first guitar that I purchased second hand was this Les Paul looking thing. I was only in high school at the time of the purchase and so I only paid a few hundred for it. For many years I never really knew what it was. I had a few other friends of mine who play guitar a lot better then me play it and they seem to like the sound that it has. I've never complained how it sounds either. But then recently I saw one on ebay and got to talking with the owner and did some other research and discovered that the guitar I bought during high school is actually a Les Paul clone that had been made in Japan and exported to the U.S. back in the late 70's/early 80's. That is interesting only because the guitar sounds pretty good despite it being a clone made in Japan. The only flaw that I had ever detected with the guitar was that the tuners wouldn't stay put, they would always slowly migrate out of tune just a little bit. So in the late 80's I installed some really good tuners that were made in W. Germany. Not sure what the name of them are, I used to know. Anyone know what brand of tuner that is? I used to know back in the 80's but.....not anymore.
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Edited by - FenderStrat86 on 11/28/2009 03:19:08 |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2009 : 10:48:59
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I have the exact same tuners on an Ibanez Les Paul.
I believe the previous owner said they were made by Schaller.
The logo does resemble an S somewhat.
Nice LP copy btw. |
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paisleyfender
Bronze Member
Germany
70 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2009 : 19:01:16
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The tuners are definitely schallers, I had them on a Ibanez Roadstar in the 90ies, but finally realized that the original Ibanez smooth tuners were equally as good.
Here are the Schallers:
http://guitar-machine-heads.com/hp135052/M6-Series.htm |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2009 : 20:11:44
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I have locking schallers on my USA strat..schaller were one of the first ones,i think to make them...mine lock from the top and have the same logo and the 'made in W.Germany' on the back...great tuners.... ..they stay in tune great even with whammy bar abuse... and they are over 20 years old and still working perfectly...
Nice LP copy BTW...a little trick i tried only today while restringing my Yamaha SG 2000s(similar setup to the LP) for tonights gig is to put the strings through the tail stop backwards(make sure the tail stop is screwed down tight to the body) and bend them back over the top of it and then over the saddles...i read it's a trick LP players do,it increases sustain and resonance and also loosens the string tension a bit to make it easier to play...i haven't plugged it in yet but there seems a bit more 'zing' and sustain to the sound playing it unplugged around the house.... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 11/28/2009 20:18:39 |
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FenderStrat86
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 06:09:10
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Wow, that string trick is pretty wild, never heard of that before ever. That would put the strings up higher from the guitar though. Thanks for identifying the tuners. Interesting from the links provided, the tuners no longer say W.Germany for obvious reasons no doubt. But the W.Germany shows the era that they were manufactured in. I'm pretty sure these tuners are most likely the most expensive part of this cloned LP guitar. The tuners alone are probably worth more then the rest of the guitar. For those of you who have the same LP, they sound pretty good don't they....despite them being clones from Japan. All the guys who've played this guitar I've got all say it sounds pretty good, considering it's a fake LP over 30 years old. |
Edited by - FenderStrat86 on 11/29/2009 06:11:19 |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 11:13:06
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Yeah, those 70's and 80's Japanese copies are some of the best guitars in the world.
Here's mine, a LP made by a brand called "Custom" which turns out to be an Ibanez daughter.
It's over 30 years old, it's been used a lot but it still kicks most Epiphones and other budget guitars in the butt.
Despite the fact that it has a hollow top and a bolt on neck which is really strange for a Les Paul.
The previous owner upgraded the tuners to those Schallers.
It came originally with a pair of noisy Dimarzios which I've swept out for a nice set of Duncan alnico 2 pro's, and I also installed straplocks.
I modified the wiring to 50's wiring for cleaning up the sound better and the 2 mini toggles are coiltaps for each pickup.
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Edited by - Dirk on 11/29/2009 11:14:06 |
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visserman
Platinum Member
1072 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 16:37:43
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quote:
Originally posted by FenderStrat86
I would agree that the type of materials would also have an influence on what a guitar sounds like, along with differences in electronics. My first guitar that I purchased second hand was this Les Paul looking thing. I was only in high school at the time of the purchase and so I only paid a few hundred for it. For many years I never really knew what it was. I had a few other friends of mine who play guitar a lot better then me play it and they seem to like the sound that it has. I've never complained how it sounds either. But then recently I saw one on ebay and got to talking with the owner and did some other research and discovered that the guitar I bought during high school is actually a Les Paul clone that had been made in Japan and exported to the U.S. back in the late 70's/early 80's. That is interesting only because the guitar sounds pretty good despite it being a clone made in Japan. The only flaw that I had ever detected with the guitar was that the tuners wouldn't stay put, they would always slowly migrate out of tune just a little bit. So in the late 80's I installed some really good tuners that were made in W. Germany. Not sure what the name of them are, I used to know. Anyone know what brand of tuner that is? I used to know back in the 80's but.....not anymore.
Those tuners you have got there are great, I have a set of them as well and they never cause me any trouble!! |
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FenderStrat86
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 18:00:24
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| Great pic Dirk. Sounds like you did a lot of upgrading this guitar of yours. I didn't know that much about mine and only changed the tuners since they kept going out of tune, plus tuning it was never easy with the original tuners because they would slip backwards just a hair after I'd turn them. So basically I would have to tune it a little high to compensate for it to slip backwards after turning the tuner knob. It got ridiculous so one day I just went out and bought a new pair of tuners, installed them into the guitar.... and problem solved. |
Edited by - FenderStrat86 on 11/29/2009 18:00:46 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 18:00:55
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I know this started life as a Strat thread but since we have dirgressed a little.. heres my Yamaha SG-2000s...another great Japanese guitar based on the LP design....the SG also has coil taps via push/pull switching on the tone pots gives a tele/80's robben ford sound sort of vibe to proceedings...
maybe we should start another thread about all the japanese guitars we own... i have three,the yamaha and two jap squiers... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 11/29/2009 18:06:44 |
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The_Doc
Gold Member
United Kingdom
509 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 19:30:05
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Man...that's a beauty Franzoni. I haven't seen my Yamaha SG 2000 in a while - it's in for a pro set-up and a check of the electrics...I'm missing her now that I've seen yours 
Sorry folks - I just had to let that bit of emotion out - back to topic  |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 23:15:20
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Cheers Bro'.... i've seen pics of your guitars including your SG.... ...i took the scratchplate off mine because i thought it looked better without it...lately i've been getting into the thicker sound of the yamaha but i still bring the strat as i love the trem arm and being able to bend behind the nut.... |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2009 : 17:47:19
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quote:
Originally posted by FenderStrat86
Wow, that string trick is pretty wild, never heard of that before ever. That would put the strings up higher from the guitar though.
If your refering to the playing action..no it doesn't affect the height of the strings off the fretboard thats the beauty of it...it's based on the wraparound tailpieces off the 50's LP's...the theory is that with the stop piece screwed down all the way and the strings put on like this,is you get maximum transfer of tone and sustain from the body and the wood plus because the break angle is reduced between the bridge and the stop piece,you get an easier playing string tension.... i ws able to put a set of 10's with heavy bottoms on the yamaha with no problems,i would also swear that the guitar sounded even fatter than usual..the SG 2000 is known for more trebley sound than a gibson LP because of the brass sustain block under the bridge,as a mainly fender player this doesn't bother too much as i find some les pauls to be a bit wooly sounding but this sounded pretty good the other night,of course the heavier bottoms on the string gauges helped i normally use 10 thru 46 set of D'Addarios but i found a spare set of 10 thru 52's that i put on instead.. ....
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Edited by - FRANZONI on 11/30/2009 18:01:08 |
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Topic |
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Fender Strat Question
