ShortScale.org

Inspired by an offset thread.

I find it interesting I have 3 Fenders and still am most comfortable gigging with my Squier 51. The Jag hasn't been used live in about a year, the 3 contenders are now the Coro, Stang, and the 51. But lately it's just been between these two:



What about you guys? Do you take your most reliable guitar? Best looking? Best sounding? A combination of those three?

I've used my highway 1 as my only gigging guitar since 2005... until my last gig when I used my...



Modded blacktop...



But I need to turn the blacktop switch plate round me no like the reversed option live...

The only vaguely valuable guitar I own is my Fender Baja Telecaster, and I haven't gigged with it since December. Since then, I've used this baby for most gigs:



Encore Strat copy I picked up for £30 at Cash Converters. Plays better than any of my other guitars and since making a few minor adjustments it stays in tune really well. Doesn't sound quite as nice as some of my more expensive guitars, but it's barely noticeable in a live situation.

Freddy V-C wrote:The only vaguely valuable guitar I own is my Fender Baja Telecaster, and I haven't gigged with it since December. Since then, I've used this baby for most gigs:



Encore Strat copy I picked up for £30 at Cash Converters. Plays better than any of my other guitars and since making a few minor adjustments it stays in tune really well. Doesn't sound quite as nice as some of my more expensive guitars, but it's barely noticeable in a live situation.

What's the deal with the trem on the Strat? Pics...

I have always used my sunburst jazzmaster as my main gigging guitar but it's poorly at the moment so i've been using my CAR jazzmaster.

It depends on the gig, but I normally use my Eastman T186MX.



It's completely hollow though and I have it strung with 13s. So it's mainly used for jazz and funk gigs.

Otherwise I use my JJ Electra.


(best picture I could find of it on my laptop)

Mostly the Tele or Esquire for the last year. They are solid and ideal for the Punk stuff, plug-in-and-play, no bullshit. Had a period with the Peavey Strat as well, i find Strats the most comfortable guitars of all to play but its rare i can get the sound i want from them without lots of modifications.

Musima Elgita because it looks cool.

Jaguar is always my first choice these days. I'll take the duo-sonic in case I break a string but that rarely happens. for some reason the Jaguar does what I want it to, although it took a wee while to bend it to my will.

It's generally my Jag, but I like to rotate around with the rest of my guitars. In order of preference it seems to go: Jaguar, Aerodyne Telecaster, G&L Tribute, Godin Exit 22.

The Jag is a winner for multiple reasons: 1) Sexy looking design, 2) bright tone, 3) comfortable neck, 4) multiple quick/easy tone options, and 5) good vibrato unit design.

I have two guitars I enjoy playing out with, my Ric 330, and Ovation Tornado. If I don't use a trem (reverb handle/wah wah stick) for the set I'll usually bring the Ric because it usually holds in tune a bit better. If space is an issue (taking one car because we don't need to bring drums or whatever) I'll bring the Ovation Viper instead because the case is small. If the venue is dodgy I bring the cheapest guitar I own.

My kit Juniors.



Lightweight, hassle-free, unfettered fret access, durable scarf-jointed necks (à la Epi). A P90 through a cranked old tube head may as well be any pickup, just tweak the vol/tone knobs til it sounds right.

dezb1, your blacktop looks fantastic. The pickups look perfect in there.

Jag-stang or Aerodyne Tele usually. Sometimes Epiphone Emperor Regent, but as the gigs we played got a wee bit bigger I got less comfortable with the thought of playing such a feedback happy guitar.

I like seeing all these pics of you guys at your gigs

No gigs for me right now, but I assume everyone already knows how I'd answer this question.

dezb1 wrote:What's the deal with the trem on the Strat? Pics...

It's a bigsby-style trem. I don't have my camera to hand right now, but I can take pics later if people are interested. I don't actually have the trem arm on it at the moment, and it's taped down with duct tape, so for all intents and purposes the guitar is a hard tail.

Jaguar.

Sort of happened by accident as I just brought it with me as a back up when I went to my first practice with these guys, but the Epiphone hollowbody I was using (and which was my main guitar in my old band) kept feeding back too much so I switched to the jag. It was good but not ideal, so I've had to change a couple of bits like the bridge pickup, but now its set up exactly how I want it. It's also the most comfortable to play out of all of my upside down guitars and gives me HEAVY TONEZ but also keeps a lot of the jag qualities, which is good because it means it sounds different to what everyone else is playing. I like it because it gives you a challenge, and the guitar really keeps you on your toes, especially if you're playing heavy.

Encore P-Bass copy - good, solid, heavy workhorse.





Not played a gig on guitar for a good few years now.

I always switch back and forth between my p bass and my rickenbacker 4003. With my cover band I only use my p bass right now because we play such long gigs, and the ric is just way too heavy for a 4 hour gig.

George wrote:

+1 Since I have four, I don't worry about them getting lost or stolen... Plus they aren't even made of wood...