Top 5 classic electric guitar looks
There are certain guitars out there that when made with certain woods (just for appearance) and colors define the classic look for that particular instrument.
#5. Olympic White Fender Stratocaster with maple fretboard and large headstock
The guy who made this particular Strat look famous was Jimi Hendrix. Although Hendrix played many different Strats (sunburst, black and red to name a few), it is the 1968 Strat (hence the big headstock) in Olympic White with the maple fretboard that's the most-recognized as the "Hendrix Strat".
You might look at the above and think it's an Arctic White. No, it's Olympic that's been yellowed with age.
#4. Olympic White Fender Stratocaster with rosewood fretboard and large headstock
This is a look of guitar that many famous players have used (with Ritchie Blackmore being one of them). No, it's not the late-60s Strat with a different fretboard but rather something that is "very 70s". Olympic White body, white pick guard, rosewood fretboard, large headstock with truss rod on headstock side with a "bullet" truss rod cover.
Fortunately, this guitar can be bought new easily, as it is one of the configurations for the Fender Classic '70s Stratocaster, so there's no research required. Like the guitar? Then go buy it; it's as simple as that.
#3. Butterscotch Fender Telecaster with black pick guard
Many famous musicians play Telecasters, but the guy that sticks out in my mind that plays a butterscotch Tele is Bruce Springsteen.
This particular guitar is very easy to get. On the Squier side there's the Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster '50s in the exact look shown above. On the Fender side there's the Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster.
Whether you go Squier or Fender, you can't go wrong with this Tele as it is the total classic Telecaster look - and the easiest to acquire new.
It also should be noted that of the Squier Classic Vibe series, the Tele in particular has been reported by many players to be "the one that Squier got exactly right". Like I said, you really can't go wrong with this Tele.
#2. Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster with maple fretboard
Whether you love or hate this color combo, it is a classic Strat look that many famous players (Buddy Holly and Dick Dale to name a couple) used.
Oddly enough, the Squier is the easiest way to get one of these classic Strats. In particular, the Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster. Or just get the Fender-branded version.
Before you go looking, a few notes about this configuration:
No, you can't get this in a Fender Standard because the color offered there with the maple fretboard is Candy Apple Red and not Fiesta Red.
No, you can't get this in an American Standard either because the color offered there with the maple fretboard is Mystic Red (a newer color from Fender).
Yes, you can get this in a Fender flavor by specifically seeking out the Fender Classic Series 50's Stratocaster - however it's probably true you would have to order it online only as you will never see this particular configuration of Fender Strat in a guitar store.
#1. Gibson Les Paul Standard in Heritage Cherry Sunburst
Out of every electric guitar that exists, this is the one that is recognized the most.
To achieve the absolute classic Les Paul look, the Heritage Cherry Sunburst must be there, along with nickel-covered humbuckers, gold knobs, bound body and neck and trapezoid inlays.
Gibson, of course, offers one along with variations on the same theme. Can you go cheaper with Epiphone in this same basic configuration? You sure can.
There are also many other guitar makers that offer this Les Paul look for real cheap while still being a great-playing/sounding guitar. Agile AL-2000 comes to mind.
Some final words about buying for looks over function
My advice is simply this when buying for looks:
- Buy as cheap as you possibly can.
- Purposely buy multiple guitars if you have to just to combine into one look.
An example of this is recreating #4 above, that being the Olympic White Strat with the rosewood fretboard and big headstock, in a Squier flavor.
First, buy an Olympic White Squier Affinity HSS.
Second, buy any other Squier Affinity with a white pick guard and white-cover pickups and knobs.
Third, transfer the white pick guard and all electronics from one guitar to the other, and you're done.
Now you've got a classic Olympic White Strat with the neck that has a rosewood fretboard with big headstock, and white pick guard with white knobs and pickup covers. Not a bad deal if you asked me.
True, you could simply order an aftermarket pick guard and pickups, but that may be more trouble than it's worth because the pick guard screw holes probably won't line up correctly. With buying two Squier Strats, it's easy-out and easy-in. No drilling or refitting or soldering required. And yeah, that is worth the extra money just for the convenience.
And remember, you can take the HSS config and put that in the other guitar, so after you're all done you do end up with two complete, functional guitars.
Again, not a bad deal if you asked me. And fairly cheap to do.
Analog vs. Digital Reverb
Confession: I'm not really a fan of analog reverb and never have been.
Analog reverb to me is just clunky, clanky garbage for the most part. Yeah, it's cool for vintage surf tones but not really much else as the video above I did explains.
This of course means I'm a big fan of digital reverb. I personally think nobody does a better job at digital reverb than Lexicon (it's emulated quite well in my GSP 1101). However if I had to have reverb in a pedal for whatever reason, I would get the BOSS RV-5 because it's one of the few reverb pedals in my experience that gets the job done right.
I am however very anti-reverb when it comes to live music, and if I had to have a "distant" sound on stage, I'd use delay. Namely, the DD-7. Looks like a complicated pedal but it's not and has a low learning curve.
The Epiphone "E" truss rod cover installation
The "E" truss rod cover that I ordered was received today. Total cost + shipping was $8.50. And yeah, I know that's a lot to spend for a little piece of plastic (even though it is cheaper than a Gibson cover), but I'm very happy with the result.
Installation was easy. First, I loosened the 5 string (as in the A string in standard tuning) so I could move it over as it was the only string blocking a screw, then it was three screws out, old cover out, new cover in, three screws in, tighten appropriately, put the 5 string back where it was, tune to pitch, done. It doesn't get much easier than that.
Was the cover an exact fit? Yes. My Epiphone Les Paul Special I P90 was made in China, as was the truss rod cover, so the screw holes lined up perfectly.
The only thing I didn't do was use the new screws. I purposely used the ones that came with the guitar originally because the threading on the new screws didn't look the same as the old, so I played a safe card there and just went with the old ones (which look fine anyway since the guitar isn't old).
The color of the E is actually not white but rather a very light silver. This is actually better than if it were stark white because it has a more regal appearance to it.
Does a cheap piece of plastic with a logo really make the guitar look that much better?
In fact, yeah it does. Instead of the guitar looking like an $89 axe, it now looks like a $350 axe. I'm not kidding.
You know how much people like that Fender logo on the headstock for Fender guitars? Well, the same can be said for the Epiphone logo. While not as much of a storied brand as Fender is, that E is still a very distinctive thing.
Why E and not a Gibson cover?
Well, first of all, a Gibson cover won't fit on an Epiphone at all. But even if it did, my Les Paul is not a Gibson, and I don't want it to be a fake Gibson, because you get no respect playing a guitar pretending to be a brand it isn't.
The guitar, even though cheap, is a real-deal Epiphone, from the logo on the headstock to the stamped bolt plate where the neck meets the body.
Epiphone truss rod covers are almost exclusively used on Epiphone archtop guitars, and other than just one very cheap model, you never see them on Epi Les Paul guitars.
Do I feel the truss rod cover is worth what I paid for it? No (it's not worth more than 50 cents at best), but with it I now have some exclusivity and bragging rights with the guitar. That little cover distinctively says "I'm an Epiphone" even from a distance, which I don't consider to be a bad thing. The logo works very well with the shape of an Epi Les Paul headstock (which is distinctively different than a Gibson as it's much more "curvy").
When I look at the guitar now, it has a bit more class to it. And now that I think about it, yeah, I guess that was worth $8.50. :-)
Expensive guitars that I would actually spend the money on
This is a list of guitars that had I the money, yes I would spend the money to get them, and I have very specific reasons why.
Prices listed at those at the time I write this in June 2013.
G&L SC-2This is a dirt simple guitar, very similar to my Epiphone Les Paul Special I P90. Two pickups (both single-coil), one master volume, one master tone, a 3-way selector and nothing else. For a two-pickup guitar, that's as simple as it gets.
The SC-2 is not a vintage design but rather something that came about originally in 1982. It's just a smaller, compact shape with meticulous attention to detail. Weighted right (it's alder), bolt-on "C" shape neck, and hot G&L MFD (Magnetic Field Design) pickups. Players who swing their picking arm hard would really love this guitar design because the knobs and switch are set away from the pickups and put further back on the body (again, similar to the Epi P90 Les Paul).
The pickups basically have a hot sound that's a cross between a Strat single-coil and a P90. It's a sound that would very much agree with my tone style.
I would not treat this guitar gingerly and would readily play the crap out of it, as it's the type of axe that just begs you to rake those strings and bang it around proper.
Epiphone Les Paul Ultra IIIThis is absolutely loaded with tech goodies. In addition to the Probucker 2 and 3 pickups, there's a third "Nanomag" for acoustic tones. It's a chambered guitar so it doesn't weigh a ton either. In this guitar is also a built-in tuner plus stereo output along with a USB port on it as well.
The Ultra III is one of the most techy electric guitars that exists, but has tech in it that's actually usable and is in fact priced correctly for what's in it - and one of the very few where you get absolutely what you pay for. Sometimes on rare occasions, Epiphone releases an upper-end guitar that's priced right, and the Ultra III is one of them.
Gibson SG Tribute '50s Min-ETune
Gibson's original Robot Tuners just plain sucked and were way too complicated to operate. But the Min-ETune system on the other hand actually works correctly. Where the original robot tuners failed, these succeed.
I would have a genuinely good use for this as I could quickly switch from standard to DADGAD tuning to open G tuning and so on in just a few seconds rather than a few minutes when tuning by hand.
I specifically prefer the Tribute '50s over the Tribute '60s because - you guessed it - P90 pickups. Most other players would want the '60s because of the humbuckers, but I just really dig the sound of P90 pickups and single-coils in general. And besides which, for humbuckers I'd have the Ultra III as mentioned above.
Oddly enough, the Min-ETune I want in the '50s version is actually the lowest priced guitar Gibson makes that has it. All others go up in price from there.
Do I need any of the above guitars?
No, I don't need them. All are "nice to have" guitars.
The SC-2 in particular is the one I need the least. I just like it because it looks cool and has great-sounding pickups.
The Epi and the Gibson on the other hand have stuff I currently don't have - all of which are techy things. I wouldn't buy them for tone at all (other than the Ultra III's Nanomag for acoustic stuff) but rather just for the goodies.
Do I have any idea how any of the above guitars play? Nope. I've never tried any of them. But if I had the money, yeah I would go try them out and potentially buy all three, because with those three I cover the spectrum of just about every possible tone I want. Well, except for Strat and Tele tones, of course.
Some players dream about owning a Fender Custom Shop Strat or Tele, or maybe some super-expensive Gibson reissue or something along those lines. I don't. With me, if I had the cash to blow on expensive guitars, I'd be sure to buy axes that give me something I don't already have now. The SC-2 would basically be my "workhorse" guitar as it's a nice smaller-bodied comfortable player, the Ultra-III has the tech goodies for easy connection to my laptop along with the Nanomag for acoustic stuff, and the SG allows me to quick-change tunings while at the same time having a cool P90 guitar that should (keyword there) sound good.
Like I said, I don't need any of the above guitars. But they'd be nice to have.
Epiphone's "E" Logo on truss rod covers and pick guards
The Epiphone "E" logo as I've mentioned before is one of my favorite logos as far as guitar brands go. I just like that E, what can I say.
There are two E logos that Epiphone has. Standard and italic.
Much the same way Fender uses the old-style "spaghetti" logo and the modern "transition" logo, Epiphone does the same by using both E logos depending on what guitar they're featured on.
Where is the E logo used on Epiphone guitars?
The only Les Paul that Epiphone makes that actually has an E logo is the Les Paul Junior, of all things...
Yes, as in the dirt cheap single-humbucker LP Junior that usually comes with a "game bundle" (as in video game bundle).
Other than that very specific Epi LP, none of the other Epi LPs have the E logo. And as for the SG, no Epi SG exists that comes with an E logo anywhere on it either.
Usually, the only time you ever see the E is on archtop Epiphone guitars, starting with the Epiphone Wildkat on the truss rod cover; it uses the italic logo version.
And no, a truss rod cover made for a semi-hollow/hollow-body Epiphone guitar will not fit on the Les Paul or SG, because the shape and the screw hole positioning are different.
You start seeing the E logo on both the truss rod cover and the pick guard on the Epiphone Dot "Royale" Limited Edition model.
This is a weird one because yes, the standard E is on the pick guard and the italic E is on the truss rod cover - on the same guitar. Epiphone just does weird stuff like that. While I'm sure there's a reason why there's a standard E on the guard and italic E on the truss rod cover, I couldn't tell you what that reason is because I don't know.
With the more expensive Epiphone models you start seeing the E a whole lot more, but on the lower end it starts with the Wildkat and special edition Dot models.
The Gibson 2-screw and Epiphone 3-screw "bell" truss rod cover of a Les Paul/SG
On Gibson Les Paul and SG guitars, the truss rod cover is in the shape of a bell and is mounted using two screws.
On the Epiphone version, the truss rod cover uses 3 screw holes instead of two, and the bottom is flat instead of having the "bell ringer" hole placement.
What this means is you can't buy a Gibson cover and put it on an Epiphone because it just won't fit right no matter what. And yeah, I'm certain this is done by design to make it more difficult for people to "reengineer" an Epiphone into a Gibson, so to speak.
Using the "big E" on the truss rod cover of an Epiphone Les Paul
I have no interest whatsoever in "reengineering" my Epiphone into a fake Gibson, but I do have interest in getting that big E on the headstock like the archtop Epi guitars have. It is an Epiphone, after all.
Fortunately, I found a cover for an Epi LP with the big E and bought it.
It should arrive in a week. Total cost was $8.50.
Being my Epi Les Paul Special I P90, the cover should be a near-perfect if not a totally perfect drop-in (or rather screw-in) fit.
Was it easy to find this truss rod cover?
No, it wasn't. I had to dig around to find one, and that's why I was willing to pay $8.50 just to get the thing.
And by the way, if you were to buy a real-deal Gibson replacement cover for a Les Paul, guess what? That's 13 bucks at the time I write this. Yep, 13 bucks for a piece of plastic, and that's not including tax or shipping. So when you look at it that way, $8.50 (which was my total final cost) really isn't that bad. I mean, yeah, it is bad to pay that much for a dopey piece of plastic, but still... I'm still better off compared to buying the Gibson version.
Why is an E-logo truss rod cover so difficult to find for an an Epi Les Paul or SG?
Probably because with the exception of that one Junior guitar, nearly all Epi LPs have the truss rod cover actually state the model name of the guitar, such as "Standard" or "Studio" or "Studio PRO" and so on.
Why do I even want the big E on my Epi's headstock?
Well, first of all, my truss rod cover on my Epi is just black with no logo, so pretty much anything is better than nothing, looks-wise.
And of course I dig the fact that I'll probably be one of the very few Epi Les Paul owners that has an actual Epiphone E logo on the truss rod cover. A little bit a bragging rights there. Not much, but hey, it's cool.