GC shopping trip report

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, guys, I am still out of town (lots of threads to catch up on) and had a chance to spend some time and a guitar store. In Tacoma, GC is one of the only games in town, so I went there. I had seen that I was not going to find a Peavey Vypr to play through, so focused on guitars. I played a couple of epiphone LPs, one a Slash model, also an Epiphone Sheraton II and a Gretsch Electromactic G6120(?). I started with the LPs and tried some, all LP standards. The first, a honey burst, had pots that didn't turn right, and something screwed up so the bridge had no sound at all. Not impressed. Picked up a blue one. Too heavy and neck like a bat. Not my cup of tea.

The guy handed me the Slash model, and that was nice, but at the nearly 1k price, I wasn't going there. I had the worst trouble getting used to playing the LP type guitar. I was overbending all over the place, and wonking my chords out of tune, and it just was not working. I set it down and grabbed a JV strat, and voila, the world was right again. Huh, I guess I have gotten used to that strat feel.

I next grabbed the Epi Sheraton II. I like that guitar. I had nice sounds, and the neck felt more at home in my hands than the two pauls I had tried. I then grabbed the Gretsch, with the the funky Gretsch humbuckers, and fell in love. I really, really liked it. One of those will likely end up in my arsenal at some point. Between the Gretsch and the 335 style, I currently pick the Gretsch. I then saw one other Epi LP standard, a cherry burst, and picked it up. It felt pretty nice. Nice weight, neck felt better, plugged it in and it sounded just as good to me as the Slash model. Started playing some clean style blues, then wanking on it, and finished with a run of increasing tempo powerchords and said "Yeah! I could get into that!"

So, it came down to the Gretsch and that Cherry burst. None came home with me, but when I do have some dough for a new toy, I have a better idea what I want. One thing I learned, I can like a LP. Another thing, buying an Epi LP requires going down and trying them. The cherry burst is not my first pick in color, but its feel and sounds hooked me well better than the others. I would not want to order one sight unseen. Makes me wonder about ordering a Rondo one, which was my likely plan before.

Anyhow, talk to you guys later. I may find another guitar store to pop into before the trip is done. Hendrix museum, Space Needle and Mariners this weekend! :beer:

 

[dws]

Yup, Gibsons and Fenders are quite different.

 

[ZMAN]

I think what a lot of people overlook when playing a semi hollow body like a Sheraton is the ease of playing the higher frets. The neck on any double cutaway guitar is placed higher on the body thus making them more accessible. I have a Sheraton and a Gibby 335 as well as an SG and they all feel great.
If you are looking at LPs Don't overlook the Gison Studio, or if you can find one the Elitist LPs. The Elitist is made in Japan and is a beautiful instrument with American hardware and pickups. The Studio is a really nice guitar for the money. I love my Fireburst.

 

[dan P]

Hello ! knowing the price on a new les paul, she is out of the question for me and I want to try to convey my findings...I've been through a few guitars , including a ricky 360, gretsch dou-jet, and currently own 6 or 7 strats..they are my favorite, as I own a 50 th deluxe and 57 AVRI, and a few beautiful squiers as well, A couple of months ago I was looking for something different to play around with and noticed a nice gretsch goldtop electromatic on Craigslist, I had been lusting for a goldtop for quite a while, and looked at an epi, at 600.00 nah...just wasn't sure...anyway, I gotta tell you that the electromatic goldtop with mini hbers one of the nicest looking -playing- feeling guitars I own... although she has no bigsby strings are so easy to bend and the sound is there! I liked her so much that last week I went to my fav MF ( musician's friend) and bought a brand new electromatic corvette, the american version w/racing stripe wasn't exactly my cup of tea so when this gal came out I was sold... so if you are looking for a beautifull piece of work at a reasonable price..dont overlook these fine guitars...

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I was impressed with the Electromatic I played with the Bigsby for sure. I was playing the black one which had a really clean look. An orange one, Setzer style, was hanging way up on the wall and I wanted to try it, but I was getting used to holding this black one, and I wouldn't feel like I had to be Setzer to play it as with the orange one.

 

[Danzego]

I personally like the Epiphone Standards (picked up a Cherryburst early last year). Nice feel and great players. I hear that the Elitists are nice guitars, but man....something just doesn't feel right about spending more on one of those than I did on my Fender American Standard Strat. :messedup:

I realize it's an image thing, but yeah.....

 

[dan P]

I know that a lot of players have been pushed off by the quality of electromatics in the past, but the quality now is outstanding, and prices are too...( hate to say it, Chinese) but you wont care when you get her in your hands....Dan

 

[street music]

ZMAN,
you have a 335, that's my dream guitar. I got to play a 1958 ES330 a couple of weeks ago that had the greatest tone to it. The Electromatic is a great sounding guitar too.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I know that a lot of players have been pushed off by the quality of electromatics in the past, but the quality now is outstanding, and prices are too...( hate to say it, Chinese) but you wont care when you get her in your hands....Dan

The one I was playing seemed rock solid, frets seemed nicely finished, the look, fit and finish was great, and nice sounds. Nothing not to like! :AOK:

As for the Epi Pauls, I don't see spending more on an Elitist. I just feel I would need to find the right standard and buy that one. The necks, weight and finish all seemed different. i am not at all sure I would be confident ordering one from Music 123 or ZZounds or whatever. I think I would need to have it in my hands.

 

[dan P]

I have tried to upload pics of my guitars, only to find out the files are too large, and really dont know how to resize...so on we go...but I am a gretsch fan, second only to the Strat ! You could darn near have the full electromatic line for the price of a new paula...

 

[ShootTheGlass]

I have tried to upload pics of my guitars, only to find out the files are too large, and really dont know how to resize...so on we go...but I am a gretsch fan, second only to the Strat ! You could darn near have the full electromatic line for the price of a new paula...

easy way to resize pics using MS paint

open file, and click "image" on the top bar, then click "stretch/skew" (alternatively hit Ctrl+W). Then just set the stretch percentages to, say, 50% each, and hit OK.

Thats it!

 

[just strum]

I was impressed with the Electromatic I played with the Bigsby for sure. I was playing the black one which had a really clean look. An orange one, Setzer style, was hanging way up on the wall and I wanted to try it, but I was getting used to holding this black one, and I wouldn't feel like I had to be Setzer to play it as with the orange one.

What model did you play?

the G5120 is at $600
the G6120 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G6120-59/

 

[sunvalleylaw]

What model did you play?

the G5120 is at $600
the G6120 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G6120-59/

Must be the G5120, as it was priced at $599.00

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/closeup/G5120BK--Main

 

[Danzego]

As for the Epi Pauls, I don't see spending more on an Elitist. I just feel I would need to find the right standard and buy that one. The necks, weight and finish all seemed different. i am not at all sure I would be confident ordering one from Music 123 or ZZounds or whatever. I think I would need to have it in my hands.

I would definitely try before buying one of those. When I got mine, I played at least 6 different ones before I found one that had the feel I was looking for (and even that required a trip to the back for the sales associate to pull sealed ones from the warehouse, one of which actually had a cracked off headstock).

An important thing I learned in the process was that you want to watch out for the ones with the action set high to medium high. Supposedly they set all of them the same level, which made me wonder why they would be all over the place. What they do is set the action about as low as it can go without buzzing to hide the uneven frets.

I got one that had the lowest action I could find, but even then, I still had to get the frets surfaced by a luthier to bring the action down to where I wanted it. There were a couple spots that were off just enough to cause buzz at the low action I prefer on LP's.

Like any guitar though, when you get a winner, you'll love it.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Sunvalley, you would be able to get used to guitars with shorter scale. The strings do feel loose & buttery compared with the longer strat scale, but that has it's own charm.

Gretches are mondo cool. Try one with single coils as well.