ShortScale.org

So it’s 19 days till the big 40. I’ve always had this thought of marking the occasion with getting a really nice guitar.

You know the back history with my cache of custom shop Stratocasters/ES339 and that Marshall JTM45/Hughes & Kettner Phase that I brought and then later had to sell due to being in financial difficulties.

I’ve come to terms with how stupid I was back then and I’m now in a position where things are stable financially these days.

The only gear that I still regret having to sell was that heavy relic sunburst strat and my JTM45.

Two weeks after we’d sorted things out financially, I went to buy my sunburst back and alas it was gone and I’ve struggled to find out where.

My Origin 20H replaced my JTM45 fine and really have no reason to swap that out. That and the 2x10 are magical together so I’m happy with that. Maybe a nicer combo for home use would be nice but that’s not really an issue.

Since the old blue strat has become my sole semi-decent guitar, I’ve re-bonded with it to the point that I really don’t want to get a custom shop or higher end strat again. It’s been professionally setup and tweaked and it’s now as good as any of my previous strats.

So i’m thinking for something different to a strat as a 40th birthday present. Family know how much selling my sunburst upset me and are planning to club together to give me some money towards a guitar. Don’t know how much but I have £250-350 from some eBay sales of pedals I don’t use to put towards it too.

Current stable of electrics is

Fender Classic Player 60’s Strat (Never selling this,ever)

Squire Debut Strat (Present from Efty, great backup for the Strat, If a little noisy pickup wise)

East Cost Tele copy (to sell trade as I don’t like the neck)

Epiphone SL Les Paul (to sell as it’s not for me and can’t be arsed to mod it)

Thinking something with humbuckers or p90’s.

Something different to a strat but will compliment it.

Going into a cranked Marshall with minimal effects

Some sort of Gordon Smith double P90'd single cut LP Junior would be where I'd be aiming.

Or yamaha SG 1000? For LP but not dull vibes.

Never tried a Yamaha SG1000, keeping seeing the revstars getting good reviews for the price point.

Didn’t Tim/benecol have/had a Gordon smith?

At least one. Think he might have had one that he got second hand, then one a custom one that that he specced up with a comedy baseball bat neck.

I've always wanted one, but LPs aren't quite enough my style for me to spend the money. For some reason they fit alongside Matamp in my head as being as good as anything exotic from anywhere else in the world, but for '90s prices and from an industrial estate just up the road somewhere. Probably come with bits of rolling baccy stuck to the case.

You said you wanted humbuckers or P-90s, but my other thought would have been to try to find a really good Tele. Compliments the strat, but probably covers a lot of the same ground. In fairness, a good Tele covers a lot of the same ground as most guitars, a lot of your favourite Les Paul sounds are a Telecaster etc.

Current Epiphone Wilshire/Crestwood/Coronet for P90s and minihumbuckers, Harley Benton the Junior one, Chinese Tokai SG which looks exactly like a Gibson. I haven't played any of them and have no idea what they cost though

I’d lean towards something hollow/semi-hollow personally. Love my 335 so that where I’d start. Epiphone range looks good. Casino?

MIJ Tokais are really cheap at the moment, and insane value. I'd get something non-Fender scale length, so there's not much of an overlap in the old venn diagram. Casino also a good shout.

I'd be aiming for a used Eastman I think. Build quality is on par with USA Gibson, and probably a step above GS. Maybe a semi hollow as Thom suggests. Epiphone are good value, but a bit bland.

I’ve seen some of the new inspired by Gibson and can be found for sub £1k. Was hoping they were doing a sg junior or les Paul Jr that wasn’t TV yellow.

Some of the new Gibson studio les Paul look nice but I could probably get a 2nd standard for a lot less.

You don’t have my 339 still nick?

A used Eastman Jr would be about a grand and I’d buy that over an Epiphone any day. They aren’t TV yellow either.

Sorry, the 339 went a decade ago! I traded it in when I bought my R9.

Forgot about Eastman.

Remembered also about Sire. I'm close to buying a bass, but by all accounts their Gibson type guitars are excellent too. I suspect that they're currently underselling to get a bit of recognition and that you'll pay more for them in three, five years' time.

I’ve seen some of the sire stuff and I’m quite intrigued.

I quite like this and seems to float between £299-£399 new.

Although I’d love a telecaster, I’m still scarred by losing mike’s baja tele. I’m still trying to get it back but doubt I ever will. That thing was brilliant.

God this thread has reignited my desire to get a custom Gordon Smith built eventually. A hideously ugly single humbucker SG in graffiti yellow, I reckon.

Sounds like an SG-X

I also kinda like this

Haha, all the cool guitars in this thread and that's where you land!

It was done intentionally for the lols

Progrockabuse wrote: Wed May 07, 2025 1:45 pm I also kinda like this

Unironically love this.