NAMM Road Report: This just in - The new Super Sonic sucks.

The original shortscale guitars; Mustangs, Duo-Sonics, Musicmasters, Jaguars, Broncos, Jag-stang, Jagmaster, Super-Sonic, Cyclone, and Toronados.

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drew199321
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NAMM Road Report: This just in - The new Super Sonic sucks.

Post by drew199321 »

I hate to say it first, guys, but from personal experience I can now say that the new SS is terrible. The pickups are horrendous. It's all mid-range and no bite. The action sucks. All the demo guitars had string height high enough that you could fit a fucking pinky under it. NOPE. Finally, the neck is way too chunky. Fender, in it's attempt to compete with Gibson's new lineup, gave the new SS a neck radius larger than a Les Paul. Coming from a guy who uses an old Musicmaster as my main, I can't stand it. I feel like I'm playing the broad end of a cricket bat.

Sorry, guys! no good news here. :(
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Post by robroe »

gross
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Post by Zeezee »

Makes a change from all those horrible thin Squier necks though, imo.

These are also from NAMM

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Re: NAMM Road Report: This just in - The new Super Sonic suc

Post by Bacchus »

drew199321 wrote:Finally, the neck is way too chunky. Fender, in it's attempt to compete with Gibson's new lineup, gave the new SS a neck radius larger than a Les Paul. Coming from a guy who uses an old Musicmaster as my main, I can't stand it. I feel like I'm playing the broad end of a cricket bat.
So is the problem that the neck is too heavy or that the fingerboard is too flat? Fender's website says the radius is 9.5." I thought Gibsons were between 12" and 15" generally?
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Post by Cymbaline »

Shouldnt you play one that's properly set up before putting the nail in its coffin?
When I got Teh Kurdts it was so fucking unstable and out of whack I almost sent it back. But after fine tuning it with the advice of people on here, its now my favorite guitar ever.

Give the mofo a chance for a proper setup.
PS... if its competing with Gibson... would you likewise say SG's or Les Pauls sound awful because of their midrange? Thats what the LP is famous for right?
I wouldn't mind having a different sounding guitar, and I'd rather have a guitar that looks like the SS than either the SG or the LP

Its got the same nut width as the Jag HH and Duo Sonic, and the same radius as the Duo-Sonic... neither of those guitars give me any grief on either account
Last edited by Cymbaline on Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by wwrrss »

<3 BASEBALL BAT NECKS.
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speedfish
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Re: NAMM Road Report: This just in - The new Super Sonic suc

Post by speedfish »

drew199321 wrote:I hate to say it first, guys, but from personal experience I can now say that the new SS is terrible. The pickups are horrendous. It's all mid-range and no bite. The action sucks. All the demo guitars had string height high enough that you could fit a fucking pinky under it. NOPE. Finally, the neck is way too chunky. Fender, in it's attempt to compete with Gibson's new lineup, gave the new SS a neck radius larger than a Les Paul. Coming from a guy who uses an old Musicmaster as my main, I can't stand it. I feel like I'm playing the broad end of a cricket bat.

Sorry, guys! no good news here. :(
Sounds like she needs a proper setup before condemning the pickups. With the strings pinky height above the pickups you aren't getting a true representation of what the pickups are capable of producing. I have to admit that I am not a fan guitars without tone controls and some modding of the electronics may be required to hone this beast sonically.

Fretboard radius is a matter of taste and what you are use to. Your old Musicmaster must sport a vintage 7.25" radius. The SS sports a modern 9.5" radius with a C shaped neck.
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Post by Mike »

wwrrss wrote:<3 BASEBALL BAT NECKS.
+1

Just because you're a pussy doesn't mean others won't like it.
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Post by weeping_moon »

And remember the guitar strings that comes with the guitar is almost everytime unplayable. Change guitar strings and set it up right. Do not judge with only playing it at a store or had it for one day.

For what i been reading on the Fender site these are okay.
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Post by weeping_moon »

And its not hard to change pickups.
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Post by murdok »

holy rainbow us mustangs batman


6k per mustang per color I call Sherwood and burgundee
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Post by weeping_moon »

Mike wrote:
wwrrss wrote:<3 BASEBALL BAT NECKS.
+1

Just because you're a pussy doesn't mean others won't like it.
Best comment ever!!!
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Post by wwrrss »

weeping_moon wrote:
Mike wrote:
wwrrss wrote:<3 BASEBALL BAT NECKS.
+1

Just because you're a pussy doesn't mean others won't like it.
Best comment ever!!!
WORST COMMENT COMMENT EVER!
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Post by Cymbaline »

Zeezee wrote:
I want the one in TITTY PINK
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Post by Bacchus »

Cymbaline wrote:Shouldnt you play one that's properly set up before putting the nail in its coffin?
Aye, that's what I thought. Also, I've never been to NAMM but understand it's incredibly noisy, so that you wouldn't be able to hear properly what something sounds like.

I don't want to sound like some fan boy who won't admit that this guitar I've never played doesn't suck (I don't really like any of the Pawnshop guitars, I get embarrassed for Fender every time I look at them), but it seems a bit unfair to write it off based on this.
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Post by honeyiscool »

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Post by SKC Willie »

honeyiscool wrote:Image
HA!
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Post by SKC Willie »

also, just chime in with everyone else: a chunky neck is not a personal preference and doesn't equate to a poor quality of instrument. Likewise, unless they're totally worthless, a bad set-up does not mean the guitar is inferior quality; it means whoever set up did a poor job.
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Post by Dougler »

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Super-sonics by The Dougler1, on Flickr

Haven't posted on here in a long time, but always checking it out. When I heard about the new Super-Sonic's I wasn't sure, but I got one yesterday and I have a Squier one too. I'm really digging it.

I actually really like them, but out of the box it was shit, after lowering the pickups and the action, it turned out better, the neck is a bit thicker then the original and the nut width is wider, but after a minute, I got use to it. I was afraid I was gonna hate it, cause this is my first short scale with a 42mm nut width, all my others are 40mm. But I actually have been A and B ing them back and forth. Don't like the bigger Vol knobs they have now, I can't really get the trem bar on good cause it keeps hitting the neck vol knob before it even gets tight, but managed to get it on there where it wasn't flopping around, but not a huge trem user so locked it down, but digging the wider frets they have on the fender ones. Love the original squier pickups more then the Atomic ones, way to hot for my taste. Don't really like that the neck plate isn't recessed like the originals, but no biggie. But other wise, I really like this guitar and the Sunfire Orange Flake is so hot. When I end up changing the strings I'll have to look at the routing and see if I can possibly put the original squier pickguard from my black one on there and get some better pickups in it, cause laying it right on top it looks like the screw holes line up, but I actually am liking the look of the slanted neck pickup.
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Post by Cymbaline »

Dougler: Please post full guitar pron on the super-sonic!!!
Congrats, you win first pics... now can we see it front and back, top-to-bottom??


PS.. may I suggest putting a set of Ernie Ball COBALT, "Power Slinky" on this mofo... those strings make any guitar sound like its instantly worth a grand more... and fatter strings will help no doubt