Hi all, this is my first post here. I'll bet some of my questions will be old hat for you folks; thanks in advance for your patience with a newbie!
For stylistic reasons, I quit playing hot rodded strat-type guitars / locking trems / humbuckers about 10 years ago. I've mostly played traditional / vintage-style strats & teles, as well as Gibsons w/ P90's during this period. However, for a recent gig that I landed, it looks like I'll be needing a dedicated bang for the buck instrument for some heavier rock stuff. After looking around, I think I like the looks of the Charvel stuff the best.
My first question is about availability - I live in a large city, but to the best of my knowledge, while there are Jackson dealers here in Atlanta, I'm not aware of any Charvel dealers - is that the case? Am I relegated to ordering one of these guitars without first being able to play it? I've been burned on that before, so I'm not crazy about the idea... what are my options?
http://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/gear.php?node_id=93
Okay, I really like the looks of the Model A plus K - and I've seen it advertised for about $650.00, which is about what I'd like to spend. Unfortunately, I understand that this is a limited piece... how impossible would it be to find one of these guitars?
There's the Model A Plus, which looks to be about the same format, & maybe it would be easier to find? But I really don't care for the look of that natural finish - maybe I missed it at the Charvel page, but is there a color chart for other finishes?
And then there's the Traditional model. I really want a fast, slinky neck, & I think I would prefer having the 24 frets of the Model A Plus, as opposed to the 22 frets on the Traditional - but are there big differences in playability between these models?
As I said, I haven't played humbuckers in about 10 years, & am a bit clueless... originally I wanted a 'bucker in the bridge, matched with two singles... but what the heck, I might as well go for a full tilt rocker... and I could always match some singles to the 'bucker at some point if the more high output middle & neck p'ups don't work out for me... the Model A has a Pearly Gates & two Li'l Screamin' Demons; the Traditional has a SH14 Jazz, a Cool Rails, & a Hot Rails. Between these two configurations, which in your opinion would provide:
*Best* dirty / crunch / singing sustain tones
*Best* clean / articulate / detailed tones
Most versatility between clean & dirty tones
Ability to get along with a variety of different amps & dirtboxes / gain pedals
???
There's a bunch of questions here, I know... I would be very appreciative of your expertise, insight, & help. In return, I'll try to contribute here as best I can. Thanks.
- Tim
For stylistic reasons, I quit playing hot rodded strat-type guitars / locking trems / humbuckers about 10 years ago. I've mostly played traditional / vintage-style strats & teles, as well as Gibsons w/ P90's during this period. However, for a recent gig that I landed, it looks like I'll be needing a dedicated bang for the buck instrument for some heavier rock stuff. After looking around, I think I like the looks of the Charvel stuff the best.
My first question is about availability - I live in a large city, but to the best of my knowledge, while there are Jackson dealers here in Atlanta, I'm not aware of any Charvel dealers - is that the case? Am I relegated to ordering one of these guitars without first being able to play it? I've been burned on that before, so I'm not crazy about the idea... what are my options?
http://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/gear.php?node_id=93
Okay, I really like the looks of the Model A plus K - and I've seen it advertised for about $650.00, which is about what I'd like to spend. Unfortunately, I understand that this is a limited piece... how impossible would it be to find one of these guitars?
There's the Model A Plus, which looks to be about the same format, & maybe it would be easier to find? But I really don't care for the look of that natural finish - maybe I missed it at the Charvel page, but is there a color chart for other finishes?
And then there's the Traditional model. I really want a fast, slinky neck, & I think I would prefer having the 24 frets of the Model A Plus, as opposed to the 22 frets on the Traditional - but are there big differences in playability between these models?
As I said, I haven't played humbuckers in about 10 years, & am a bit clueless... originally I wanted a 'bucker in the bridge, matched with two singles... but what the heck, I might as well go for a full tilt rocker... and I could always match some singles to the 'bucker at some point if the more high output middle & neck p'ups don't work out for me... the Model A has a Pearly Gates & two Li'l Screamin' Demons; the Traditional has a SH14 Jazz, a Cool Rails, & a Hot Rails. Between these two configurations, which in your opinion would provide:
*Best* dirty / crunch / singing sustain tones
*Best* clean / articulate / detailed tones
Most versatility between clean & dirty tones
Ability to get along with a variety of different amps & dirtboxes / gain pedals
???
There's a bunch of questions here, I know... I would be very appreciative of your expertise, insight, & help. In return, I'll try to contribute here as best I can. Thanks.
- Tim
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