Guitar Center

[mandough]

Went down to the local GC today, and tried lots of the hollow bodies and here is what I tried and found out...

(All guitars tried several times in a 30 watt Goldtone* with the same songs and settings on the amp.)

EPI CASINO - The PUPs sounded really warm and round. Almost like a humbucker, but a bit brighter and cooler output. Body resonated too much, and feedback was an everpresent danger.

EPI DOT- I don't know if this one was made before the PUP quality got better, but I couldn't play anything without the ones on this one going microphonic as all get out...squeals and harsh, brittle tone.

GIBSON ES335- Sounded just like you'd expect it to, but the $2800 price tag really puts me off...I think about $800 of it is for the Gibby name. The PUPs sounded really clear, tho' and the weight was nice.

IBANEZ AS83- Very similar to the 335, but for fully 7 times less $. The PUPs in this thing sound great, and they have a bit more output than the Gibbys. Not much at all, just a noticable bit. Still very clear and warm toned. VERY pretty vintage violin finish on flamed maple top...mmmmmmmm.

IBANEZ AS73- This was the last one I tried, and I was absolutly blown away. The sound has much more warmth than the others. Seems that other than the plain maple top, it is the same as the AS83 in every way, but it did strike my ear better. Very nice transparent cherry finish. And it cost less than all the others. VERY impressive indeed...
(Edited for content on 5/25 due to the first one I saw having been painted black inside. The AS73 is a semi-hollow. M)

What I found out from all this playing is that I will refuse to pay a premium price for a guitar that is really not any more toneful than the cheaper ones(335). I can't figure out why other than a cheaper supply of wood and/or electronics that Ibanez can put out VERY high quality instruments for the prices they charge. I mean, resale value doesn't figure into it for me, cause I plan on taking every guitar I ever buy with me to the grave, so tone and feel is all I consider. All of them felt great in the hands, but the Casino and Dot felt cheaper than the Ibanez guitars, and the 335 did not feel like a $3000 guitar. Gives me food for thought...

* The Goldtone 30 watt amp has to be the very best I've ever heard in a music store. Hands down. My Ampeg J12t has the same kind of tone, but half the power, and the Gibby lets you really get into the power of what yer playin. Wish I had $1300 laying around...

[CAFeathers]

Thanks for the reviews. Next time take a look at the Schecter C-1 E/A's, Humbuckers and a Piezzo system in a hollowbody.

[mandough]

I saw those, and I did try a solid body Schecter with a SD '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. Sounded good. I'll have to try the C-1 E/A next time. It sounds like a good candidate for an A/B box and an acoustic amp...

[CAFeathers]

mandough said:

I saw those, and I did try a solid body Schecter with a SD '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. Sounded good. I'll have to try the C-1 E/A next time. It sounds like a good candidate for an A/B box and an acoustic amp...

The C-1 E/A is actually set up with 2 output jacks, with output 1 you can use both humbuckers and piezzo, output 2 is for humbucker only and then output 1 is for piezzo only. I have run it through 2 amps and it sounds great.

[supedupviper]

I agree on the Gibsons price not meeting the quality. A little while ago at Guitar Center I was playing an ES-333, and it just didnt feel like a $900 guitar. The finish wasn't very nice, it felt really stiff, the action was kind of high, and its not the greatest neck in the world. For $900 I would rather get an Elitist SG and still have money left over.

[chrisgrimes]

Hi Mandough

You know the best thing you did...... you went to the store and tried the guitars yourself !!!!

Ok, so you can save some money buying over the net, or off e bay, but there is absolutely no better way to make the purchase of something so important to you than to march in the store.

It drives me nuts when I am in the bar, on the phone or in a forum to hear someone initially shooting off how they saved 100 pounds on the list price for a particular model, next day, they're often back, the frets are rough, the action is too high/too low, the bridge rattles, the pups squeal, the trem isn't set correctly.....

Plus by going to the store and spending a nice morning you have given us folks some useful "live" reviews.

I must have hit lucky with my Dot coz she is a beauty, guy in my office keeps trying to swap it for his Casino, also nice but no thanks.

Chris

[wierdsley]

Hey Guys...gotta agree with Chris on this. The only real way to tell the quality and playability of a guitar is to play it. Yes, you can save some money with an online purchase but you may end up paying the price in time and aggravation if it is not a keeper. That being said, there are many players who are unable to get to a good shop to try guitars out because of their location or whatever. In that case, try to go with an online seller that has a very resonable return policy and trial period.
I bought my LP Jr. from Music. Frnds, decided to take a chance. Since it was so inexpensive I decided to chance it and was pleasantly surprised with the guitar, I love it. I had some issues with it but, luckily, there is a highly respected tech at a local shop who will be doing a nut change and setup to it for me soon. I did not worry about set-up issues with the guitar because I have this access to a good tech, merely construction and viability of the tuners, pickup, neck, etc.
By the way, if anyone is interested in a Jr., they are selling for only $89.00 at Music Frnd right now. It is a great guitar for the price.

[mandough]

I also have the advantage of having a friend who worked in a music store for five years or so...I get some good " been-there-done-that" advice from him.
One of his main points is, when possible, to look up the book price. Retailers have different markups for different models, and the AS73 probably came in there for $250 cost to the store. They have it retail at $300, but not with the case, and I'm pretty sure thay ship with the case and then GC splits them up to sell seperatly. What my friend said I should do is show the man enough cash to buy it for the retail price, but to insist that the case come with it for no charge. If the salesman balks, I'll tell him to get me someone who can sell it to me for the price I want, and if they don't, I'm gonna turn and walk out of the place. Nothing is more incentive to a salesman than seeing three bills walk out the door, and I'll get the deal I want through that.

I'm not just gonna shark the guy, cause I plan on sweetening the deal by buying strap/picks/straplocks/care pack/strings
for the regular retail price, and THAT is where those places really roll in the dough.

[bunky1998]

Well, I've bought axes over the internet (even Ebay--eek!) as well as at music stores. I recently bought a new Martin 000CXE acous/elec at Guitar Center in Raleigh and got a really decent deal. On top of it, I asked the guy for a care kit, he gave it to me for no extra charge. Extra cleaning cloths, no extra charge...etc. I probably scored about $35.00 of extras just for asking, so I'm sure they still made a few bucks off of me.

The point is to ASK and negotiate. I agree with previous posters; you can definitely make better deals than the tag price.