NGD day.. Actually 3.

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Fri May 20, 2011 11:45 pm

So I had an extra Ibanez acoustic/electric up on CL that I was not getting any hits on even at 200 with case, strap, capo, and tossing in a set of strings, picks and an XLR cable. The guitar was close to 500 new plus all the other stuff so at 200 I was taking a pretty decent hit on it as it was and was not going to go lower.

So some guy offers me 3 guitars in trade on it.

A parts strat
Cobra brand double bound tele
Bestler full hollowbody..

All with bags or cases, new strings, etc.

I ended up going with it as I don't even have an electric at the moment and he just wanted the guitar with a gig bag. Kept the cables, capos,etc. He even threw me $50.

So story goes...

bestler..Kind of an ugly finish (some kind of ash top or spalted maple). But it actually plays nice, has great action and the pups are OK. Could use a pup swap and I may throw a set of GFS retrotrons in it or unload it cheap. One issue. Has a crack in the neck that was repaired. Is stable and I just played the hell out of it and did not come up with any issues. Came with a hard case so it is pretty well protected.

Strat...Frankenstrat... flipped lefty mexi strat neck, lace sensor pups, all mismatched hardware (black strap buttons and mixed chrome and worn gold hardware), body some weird burst (kind of reddish to see clear). Looks like a decent 3 piece solid wood body with decent enough looking wood. Not a real Fender I am sure and there is a gap at the heel of the neck and the pickguard. Plays really nice though. I have never played lace's before. I like them. Came with a softshell hardcase.

Tele. Beautiful. Metallic candy apple red with pearl guard. Rosewood neck with very nice glossy neck... Headstock shape is generic/crap and the pups are decent but not great. A fatboy, a retrotron nashville, and a bigsby and this guitar would be killer. Came with a gigbag.

Again, got all 3 of them for an acoustic and still got $50 in cash.

Pics are going to suck as they are camera phone pics.

Probably end up selling or parting out the strat and/or the bestler and keeping the tele but we will see tonight. I have a gig and will give both the tele and the strat a go.

STRAT

BESTLER

TELE

The strat in particular would make a cool project I think. Paint it, keep the reverse stock, get a new nut cut (the high E is a bit too loose), etc.

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Fri May 20, 2011 11:57 pm

I have to say that the pic of the bestler makes it look even worse than it is. The pic is a bit distorted. Either way the ash or wahtever the top is, is not a finish I would have picked, but considering I effectively got each guitar with their cases for like 150 or so I can not complain. Ill find the one I like the best and keep it and try to sell the other two so I end up breaking even and keeping a guitar in the process.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Sat May 21, 2011 12:00 am

i kind of like the way the bestler looks. anyhoo, helluva a deal, mickie

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Sat May 21, 2011 12:03 am

gaybear wrote:i kind of like the way the bestler looks. anyhoo, helluva a deal, mickie

It's not horrible, but not what I would have picked. Either way as you said, it was a good deal. Even better is that all three seem to play pretty damned well, all the pups are totally useable (though of course some coudl use switched given preference), all intonate and feel solid, etc. Looks come after that. Actually my guitar player has been looking at getting a hollowbody for awhile so I may let him have a go at it. He could pop some tv jones in there and get his gretsch on.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Sat May 21, 2011 12:04 am

for some reason, i dig the burst on that strat.

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Sat May 21, 2011 12:33 am

Not what I would choose again but it does not look bad at all.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Sat May 21, 2011 12:48 am

Pretty good trade, I would say.

If you like the Laces now, you're going to love them when you record with them. They really are magical for recording.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sat May 21, 2011 1:30 am

Quite like that Bestler. Looks like a beast of a thing, nice and ugly and unwieldy.

61fury · Post by **61fury** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:26 am

Bestler needs some work, the Home Depot ply look does nothing for me. ( paint it) I love the tele, double bound CAR is awesome , I'd do something to the headstock, I love Tele head stocks. But they're yours and they play well.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:38 am

i dig all three.

AaronGuitarDude · Post by **AaronGuitarDude** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:32 pm

BEAUTIFUL

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:40 pm

the cobra tele looks kind of goofy. can't tell if it's just the pictures but the lower cut away seems funny, doesn't it?

great deal though. I think that strat looks good. And with lace sensor, sounds like a helluva deal.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sat May 21, 2011 3:32 pm

There's something spidery about the grain pattern between the pickups on that Bestler. The more I look at it the more I like it.

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Sat May 21, 2011 3:34 pm

I think its just the angle. Got to check out gfs for some possible upgrades

Delirium · Post by **Delirium** » Sat May 21, 2011 10:23 pm

Pretty good trade if I do say so myself...mixed feelings on that Bestler's wood grain.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Sat May 21, 2011 11:10 pm

portugalwillie wrote:the cobra tele looks kind of goofy.

Methinks it's the El Dorado-looking bridge and control plate. Fantastic trade no less, Mickie. Really stoked fer ya on the batch and possibilities.