ShortScale.org

saw on their website they're reissuing all their best guitars (minus hollowbodys). so down on one or two of them, or should I go vintage and find an old one? definitely looking to get a silvertone 1483 or twin twelve to go with it.

Go vintage, the re-issues have generic modern pickups and different construction method/materials on most models.

they do look nice though

http://www.silvertoneclassic.com/reissue-guitars/

Lol at "generic pickups"

Yeah there's a special liveliness to a guitar that feels like it's made out of cardboard with microphonic pickups that'll squeel uncontrolably at the slightest hint of gain.

I don't deny they can be fun to play. But there's no doubt in my mind that the reissues are more playable and solid instruments.

they seem to be fairly inexpensive from what I can see?

Nick wrote:Lol at "generic pickups"

Yeah there's a special liveliness to a guitar that feels like it's made out of cardboard with microphonic pickups that'll squeel uncontrolably at the slightest hint of gain.

I don't deny they can be fun to play. But there's no doubt in my mind that the reissues are more playable and solid instruments.

It all depends on what you want.

A lot of these instruments had redeeming qualities and that's why people still love them and use them. I think Shadow put it best years ago about a lot of these vintage re-issue guitars. They're just funny shaped Epiphones. And that's fine because a modern Epiphone is a decent instrument, but build quality wise and sound wise that's basically what these re-issue Silvertone instruments are.

I have not played these, but the demos of everything on youtube pretty much confirm my thoughts. There are no sounds in any of these clips I associate with any of the original models re-issued.

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jcyphe wrote: They're just funny shaped Epiphones

This, and Benecol Tim's guitar-shaped objects.

What's the difference between these Silvertone Reissues and some Danelectro guitars? I've always liked Danelectros

I understand the funny shaped Epiphone mindset, and agree with it actually, but if someone was looking at the differences between the old and reissues, I wouldn't tell them to just avoid the new ones just because they're just funny shaped epiphones. I think the reissues look pretty cool, and if the looks are what draws you to these models, who am I to say "BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE MOJOS!"? "Better" is a very subjective term, but most of the original models greatly benefit from an upgrade here and there to make them more stable. I had a friend with a Jack White complex who swore by his little old harmony/silvertone, but he was rarely in tune and one show his tuning peg just snapped while he was tuning between songs.

So yeah either buy an original and get to experience the pros and cons of old cheap technology, or buy a reissue if you just want a solid guitar that looks the part.

Nick wrote:I understand the funny shaped Epiphone mindset, and agree with it actually, but if someone was looking at the differences between the old and reissues, I wouldn't tell them to just avoid the new ones just because they're just funny shaped epiphones. I think the reissues look pretty cool, and if the looks are what draws you to these models, who am I to say "BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE MOJOS!"? "Better" is a very subjective term, but most of the original models greatly benefit from an upgrade here and there to make them more stable.

I was assuming he wanted a vintage tone, since he said he also wanted to have an old amp from that brand. Maybe I was incorrect in making that assumption. I also don't disagree with your sentiment in that people should choose what works for them.

my old girlfriend had a 67 or so 1478, it was a rocking lil guitar. if you can find one, go for it, tho... i have seen that model sell for too much, like 300+

Silvertone can't reissue them because they weren't a real company to begin with, it was just a name Sears tacked on various made-to-order Harmony and Danelectro guitars.

Also, the new ones are all solid versions of originally hollow body models, except for that Harmony Jaguar copy.

Nick wrote:Lol at "generic pickups"

Entirely legitimate criticism, especially where lipstick-equipped guitars are concerned. Lipsticks have a build construction (and thus a sound) all of their own, but almost all modern reissues are just strat pickups housed on a lipstick.

benecol wrote:

Nick wrote:Lol at "generic pickups"

Entirely legitimate criticism, especially where lipstick-equipped guitars are concerned. Lipsticks have a build construction (and thus a sound) all of their own, but almost all modern reissues are just strat pickups housed on a lipstick.

How did you come up with that conclusion, open one up? You could be right, but I guess you realise that a strat pickup will not fit in the strat sized mini-lipsticks.

Please post a link if you know of one. I certainly can't find one.

Which ones are you referring to in particular? Artec, Danelectro, Kent Armstrong, Seymour Duncan, all of them?

Also, I have never seen a strat pickup ON a lipstick, you mean IN a lipstick tube?

"strat" pickups, or rather generic single coils can be housed in almost anything, i have seen them in a covered humbucker case before, and alot of the lower end guitar manufacturers don't want to spend the extra cash for a legit lipstick so they go with the cheaper single coil strat type winding and what not, throw it in a lipstick casing, and walla, folks think its a lipstick. there was a stewmac article some years back about the og lipsticks, dan erlwine re-wound it, or had it re-wound and he went over the specs, i wish i still had it so i could post it up.

Yep, that. I suppose I should have said strat-style pickups. To the best of my knowledge, it's only the Dano reissues and the Seymour Duncans (and the OG Danos, obv.) that use the proper winding. I'm guessing that the boutique winders' are too, but know that the Artec, GFS etc. pickups aren't wound like a true lipstick.

jcyphe wrote:

Nick wrote:I understand the funny shaped Epiphone mindset, and agree with it actually, but if someone was looking at the differences between the old and reissues, I wouldn't tell them to just avoid the new ones just because they're just funny shaped epiphones. I think the reissues look pretty cool, and if the looks are what draws you to these models, who am I to say "BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE MOJOS!"? "Better" is a very subjective term, but most of the original models greatly benefit from an upgrade here and there to make them more stable.

I was assuming he wanted a vintage tone, since he said he also wanted to have an old amp from that brand. Maybe I was incorrect in making that assumption. I also don't disagree with your sentiment in that people should choose what works for them.

definitely looking to go vintage for that sound. been really been getting interested in some cheap old 60's garbage. lol playability's not too big of a deal for me, my jazzy's set up pretty uncomfortable atm and it doesn't bother me too much, the low action was choking it out so i had to raise it an uncomfortable amound, and didn't feel like putting in a slightly larger shim.

I find it funny that lipstick-tube pickups were originally designed to be cheap alternatives to 'properly constructed' single-coils.
Just wind some wire around a magnet and smash it into a lipstick tube. who the fuck cares about tone? we've got a thousand of these to ship today!

Artec/GFS Strat-sized lipstick pickups sound closer to a Strat pickup sound than a vintage lipstick, but in a fucking terrible sort of way.