debating with myself to find out what guitar to get

PerKr · #1 12-17-2002, 07:22 PM

well, I'm not buying anything before I can afford it, but it's still fun planning it. or at least it could be fun.

my problem? I get GAS for the following every time I see pics:

* Fender MIJ YJM strat

* Ibanez JEM777 w maple fretboard

* maple fretboard kramer barettas

see a pattern? "maple fretboard" is a necessity. but how do you choose? a customized baretta would probably work nicely, but I'm afraid to do any physical mods to a historic metal guitar like that.

this must be the 20th or so time that I've posted about this...

caprile · #2 12-17-2002, 08:14 PM

well given where you are asking......you guessed

get the jem!

darren wilson · #3 12-17-2002, 08:33 PM

A nice Carvin with a birdseye maple fretboard (and no inlays) would be pretty sweet, too.

jemke · #4 12-18-2002, 06:38 AM

don't go for the baretta, I am currently rebuilding one to make it more beautiful and more playable. It is just for fun because Jems are way better, the neck, the pu, the feel, the sound.

The barettabody is almost blank wood...in a few months it will be ready.

PerKr · #5 12-18-2002, 06:39 AM

add "custom soloist" to the list. or "maple fretboard dinky"

how did you guys find your #1?

*edit* about the baretta, I already have one with rosewood fretboard and find it comfortable to play (except fret access is hard on the upper frets where the body meets the neck). unfortunately it doesn't have a maple fretboard, it isn't scalloped (would be nice to have frets 10-22 scalloped), it doesn't have singlecoils and I'm not sure I'll like the design in 10 years.

Globbits · #6 12-18-2002, 11:42 AM

doesn't the barreta cost about a 1/6th the amount of a jem if you buy it from musicyo?

EKG · #7 12-18-2002, 01:05 PM

Well, I am going to say the JEM, of course, but the Fender YJM is a cool guitar, too.

zulumika · #8 12-18-2002, 02:11 PM

According to a certain web site (!!??), (since I don't know crap about wood types) the RG550 has a maple fingerboard and it's an affordable guitar. But then again it's not a prestige or very high quality piece but it would work for me. Would it do for U ... and that's my $0.02.

spacenuke · #9 12-18-2002, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zulumika

According to a certain web site (!!??), (since I don't know crap about wood types) the RG550 has a maple fingerboard and it's an affordable guitar. But then again it's not a prestige or very high quality piece but it would work for me. Would it do for U ... and that's my $0.02.

an RG550 is of not very high quality?? duh! do you even have any clue what you're talking about?

zulumika · #10 12-18-2002, 02:53 PM

I'm sorry I wasen't clear... I wanted to say "not [...] very high quality piece" compared to the jem777. Maybe it's because I'm canadian ... Or maybe because I'm just simply dum .... Or again maybe it's because when I compare a Jem 777 with a RG550, I don't get the same price tag so I'm forced to think that it's not the same quality. oh! ... Ok I'll shut-up now.

PerKr · #11 12-18-2002, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Globbits

doesn't the barreta cost about a 1/6th the amount of a jem if you buy it from musicyo?

when I say Baretta I mean the one from the 80´s. maybe I should have said that right away.

why is it that I can't make myself do anything to a guitar? I mean, I would change pickups without thinking twice but I couldn't put the router to work on something like an old Kramer or JEM (not that there's any reason to mod the JEMs that way). I also have this thing about bringing that kind of guitar with me while driving around the country. kinda like "if I damage this I can never restore it to its original state on my own and one day it might be considered guitar history"

SonicDefiance · #12 12-19-2002, 04:56 PM

i forgot. What does GAS stand for again?

spacenuke · #13 12-19-2002, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicDefiance

i forgot. What does GAS stand for again?

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

darren wilson · #14 12-19-2002, 07:08 PM

It sounds like you need to decide whether you want a guitar for playing or a guitar for collecting.

If you want a guitar to retain its monetary value, the only way you can do that is by not playing it and hoping it becomes rare and desireable, and there's no guarantee of that. Otherwise, it's a depreciating asset like most other mass-produced consumer goods.

If you want a guitar that's going to be of musical value, pick the one you're most likely to play most often, write the most songs with, gig with the most, etc.

There's no guaranted that an '80s Baretta is going to be worth anything more than it is now. You could always buy the Kramer "1984" reissue from MusicYo, which looks like not a bad guitar if you're into the '80s EVH vibe. You can even get them with nothing but a sealer coat so you can do your own finish on it.

PerKr · #15 12-19-2002, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren wilson

It sounds like you need to decide whether you want a guitar for playing or a guitar for collecting.

If you want a guitar to retain its monetary value, the only way you can do that is by not playing it and hoping it becomes rare and desireable, and there's no guarantee of that. Otherwise, it's a depreciating asset like most other mass-produced consumer goods.

If you want a guitar that's going to be of musical value, pick the one you're most likely to play most often, write the most songs with, gig with the most, etc.

There's no guaranted that an '80s Baretta is going to be worth anything more than it is now. You could always buy the Kramer "1984" reissue from MusicYo, which looks like not a bad guitar if you're into the '80s EVH vibe. You can even get them with nothing but a sealer coat so you can do your own finish on it.

well, I get guitars to play them. and I don't really care for the monetary value. but with some guitars it's the historic aspect. I mean, I probably would like an '84 baretta with some mods, but somewhere down the line I might realize that "hey, that was a fine piece of guitar history I modded there". I'd gig with my baretta, but I think it deserves to be kept as it was built (except for the electronics). I think it would have been different if Kramer were still been making them.

I've considered the "1984" MusicYo are selling. it seems like a nice guitar. except I'm not sure I want to pay $1000 for one (I have to include shipping and VAT)...

Of course, the best, as far as the kramer idea goes, would be if I found a baretta/focus body at a nice price (me no like evilbay) and ordered a pointy headstock neck from vh-guitarstore.com