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I've owned many of the guitars discussed - Pawn Shop Mustang was quite nice 24" scale, smaller body. Hated the stock pickups though. They are muddy. I tried Lace Sensor Dually's which made use of the ability to choose a coil on the buckers but I ended up selling it just because. I love Cylones and own a US, Mexican, and Squier version. All are nice and the slightly larger scale is a comfortable in between for me. The Squier is a very solid guitar and I'd probably just upgrade the bridge pickup if I played it more often. The US Cyclone is probably my favorite but they are rare and have 2 singles. The Squier is as good as the Mexican Fender IMHO. Haven't owned any of the HH Jags but have played them and they are a solid choice I just prefer normal Jags so thats what I have. The new Duos would definitely do the trick as well. They look cool.

You could essentially build an awesome parts guitar that would fit all the specs you need. I built one from a 59 Duosonic body (super cheap because it was already routed for a bridge humbucker) and a 70s Musicmaster neck. Amazing guitar for the money (couple of hundred). It has the vintage placement of the neck pickup but it basically ticks all the boxes you're talking about.

If you don't want to build something you've still got loads of stock options that's fir the bill.

Is that the 22.X scale neck?

Thomas wrote:You could essentially build an awesome parts guitar that would fit all the specs you need. I built one from a 59 Duosonic body (super cheap because it was already routed for a bridge humbucker) and a 70s Musicmaster neck. Amazing guitar for the money (couple of hundred). It has the vintage placement of the neck pickup but it basically ticks all the boxes you're talking about.

If you don't want to build something you've still got loads of stock options that's fir the bill.

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One of the best guitars I owned was a butchered 78 Musicmaster, with an Angry Duncan 'bucker poorly installed in the bridge position.
It played awesome and had a red hot sound.
Paid £230 for it, about eight years ago.

Don't know if them kind of deals still exist.

Fran wrote:Angry Duncan

StevePirates wrote:Is that the 22.X scale neck?

Nope 24".

Good deals are still around Fran, just not as many as there used to be (sadly).

^All vintage MM/Duo bodies will accomodate either a 22.5" or 24" scale neck. The difference is an extra fret, so both will intonate fine on those bodies.

Pre-CBS were 22.5" scale stock. During the transitional period, both scales were sold. By the 70s, only the 24" scale was sold.

So combining a Pre-CBS body with a 70s 24" scale neck, as Thomas did, is a great idea.

The Duo Sonic is not what you're looking for. If you want Les Paul sound you want a Les Paul esk guitar . Kinda.

Humbuckers, a thicker mahogany, etc.

If you're on a budget and dont want heavy check out the Epiphone Phantomatic.

Another good one that KINDA has a LP sound and is light is the Hagstrom Metropolitan HH.Poplar body and fast neck but more a Melody maker feel .

But the new Duo Sonic? If you want a LP? Meh... Cool ass guitar though. Rip that strat bridge off for a Wilkinson tele bridge and you're talking Duo Sonic on steroids. Just not a Les Paul alternative.

Someone is selling this on Offset" for £250, loaded 1960 body so you'd just need a neck and to route for the bucker. $250.

I believe there is a bridge pickup route on 1960 musicmasters because they and the duo-sonics used the same bodies? So it could actually be as easy as getting a new pickguard and single-sized bucker.

Someone will have to confirm this though, I now feel like I indeed have seen MM bodies with just a neck route.

yeah, avoiding a route job on a 56 year old body is as good in guitars as it is in love.

Omg

Rox wrote:The Duo Sonic is not what you're looking for. If you want Les Paul sound you want a Les Paul esk guitar . Kinda.

(snip)

But the new Duo Sonic? If you want a LP? Meh... Cool ass guitar though. Rip that strat bridge off for a Wilkinson tele bridge and you're talking Duo Sonic on steroids. Just not a Les Paul alternative.

^This. I played a brand new Duo last week and it indeed sounds nothing like an LP. If you're looking for an LP-like sound, this ain't it. Wicked fun guitar to play, though.

OP wasn't looking for a dual humbucker Les Paul sound. I think we scared him away anyway.

OP should get one just because they're sexy af.

you have a point.

I tried one of the new Duo Sonics yesterday on my lunch break (Guitar Center's like 3 blocks from my office). The blue HS version. Ran it through a used Hot Rod Deluxe 212 and one of the new silverface 68 DRRI. It sounded really good, and felt very comfortable. All the knobs were a little loose, but easily tightened by hand. If you buy one, and aren't comfortable doing an set up, I'd get it set up by the store. Not Les Paulish at all. Very smooth, and a nice rounded tone.

Ah, the old "if it has a humbucker it sounds like a Les Paul" thing. I think fat strats not sounding like Les Pauls and traditional Teles actually getting pretty close during actual practical use put this one to bed years ago, but doesn't stop people saying it. Even SGs, Vs and Explorers don't sound exactly like Les Pauls.

StevePirates wrote:I tried one of the new Duo Sonics yesterday on my lunch break (Guitar Center's like 3 blocks from my office). The blue HS version. Ran it through a used Hot Rod Deluxe 212 and one of the new silverface 68 DRRI. It sounded really good, and felt very comfortable. All the knobs were a little loose, but easily tightened by hand. If you buy one, and aren't comfortable doing an set up, I'd get it set up by the store. Not Les Paulish at all. Very smooth, and a nice rounded tone.

did the neck feel bigger around than the feel of a classic japan mustang (mg69,compstang)

it did to me. I played the olive p90 and red one (torino it looked...like that cheap squier affinity red)

Kinda what I expected. MIM necks usually seem to be a bit more chunky than MIJ in my experience.