El Toro's Official Guitarded Thread...

[lerxstcat]

When I say cheapo I am not necessarily saying bad quality. Inexpensive guitars may not come up to the quality of the best, by any means, but cheap guitars today are a lot nicer than cheap guitars in the early 70s were, for example. the Asians in general have a pretty good handle on building functional instruments, though the woods and hardware may not be as good. You can buy a $200 guitar and in many cases change the pickups and hardware and have a pretty nice guitar.

Rondo Music make a lot of nice and relatively cheap guitars. A spalted maple LP copy might have the kind of finihs you'd like, not distressed but the wood itself looks distressed. They constantly change what they offer though, so if you see something you like it's a good idea to get it before they discontinue it. They only keep the models that are consistent sellers and I have missed out a couple times. I can tell you their AL2000 Les Paul copies are well made as far as fit and finish, and the inlays look more like real mother of pearl than epiphones that cost twice as much or more. Most of the Epis are made in china now too, while the Agiles are still made in Korea. Their Douglas and SX brands are made in China and I had an SX 7-string that was pretty nice at one time. I didn't really get into 7-strings but the guitar played and sounded good enough, for a $99 guitar. That was almost 10 years ago though, they are a little more now.

Here's their website: http://www.rondomusic.com/index.html

The Agiles start at about page 6 of the electric guitars subsection. There are Douglas LP copies as cheap as $119.99, bolt-on necks but still not bad. For $225 you can get a set-neck LP copy that is equal quality to the Epi LP Standard that has a street price of $399. They have higher-0end models that have better materials, pickups and wiring as well. I am pretty happy with my Al2000s as they are. They could have better pickups and wiring, but they sound pretty good anyway, and they do have Grover tuners which are quality tuners. I tok a quick look and didn't see any distressed finishes, but again their selection does vary. I can say that the Agiles are definitely nice guitars worth owning, especially for the money.

Guitarfetish also has cheap guitars that I hear good thigs about, though I have never played one. They also sell upgrade pickups that are cheaper than the name brands but supposedly worthwhile. Haven't tried those either but I've heard credible people say they liked them.

Here's guitarfetish: http://www.guitarfetish.com/

[exitflagger]

What kind of pickup is it?

DiMarzio PAF

[T-Jay]

http://www.pickyouraxe.com/

the dude is cool as fuck too, seems like a hippie. You'd hasve to be, to hand make guitar picks.

I almost called in sick today so I could jam.

These look great... nice find!

[MCSmallDink_]

When I say cheapo I am not necessarily saying bad quality. Inexpensive guitars may not come up to the quality of the best, by any means, but cheap guitars today are a lot nicer than cheap guitars in the early 70s were, for example. the Asians in general have a pretty good handle on building functional instruments, though the woods and hardware may not be as good. You can buy a $200 guitar and in many cases change the pickups and hardware and have a pretty nice guitar.

Rondo Music make a lot of nice and relatively cheap guitars. A spalted maple LP copy might have the kind of finihs you'd like, not distressed but the wood itself looks distressed. They constantly change what they offer though, so if you see something you like it's a good idea to get it before they discontinue it. They only keep the models that are consistent sellers and I have missed out a couple times. I can tell you their AL2000 Les Paul copies are well made as far as fit and finish, and the inlays look more like real mother of pearl than epiphones that cost twice as much or more. Most of the Epis are made in china now too, while the Agiles are still made in Korea. Their Douglas and SX brands are made in China and I had an SX 7-string that was pretty nice at one time. I didn't really get into 7-strings but the guitar played and sounded good enough, for a $99 guitar. That was almost 10 years ago though, they are a little more now.

Here's their website: http://www.rondomusic.com/index.html

The Agiles start at about page 6 of the electric guitars subsection. There are Douglas LP copies as cheap as $119.99, bolt-on necks but still not bad. For $225 you can get a set-neck LP copy that is equal quality to the Epi LP Standard that has a street price of $399. They have higher-0end models that have better materials, pickups and wiring as well. I am pretty happy with my Al2000s as they are. They could have better pickups and wiring, but they sound pretty good anyway, and they do have Grover tuners which are quality tuners. I tok a quick look and didn't see any distressed finishes, but again their selection does vary. I can say that the Agiles are definitely nice guitars worth owning, especially for the money.

Guitarfetish also has cheap guitars that I hear good thigs about, though I have never played one. They also sell upgrade pickups that are cheaper than the name brands but supposedly worthwhile. Haven't tried those either but I've heard credible people say they liked them.

Here's guitarfetish: http://www.guitarfetish.com/

Just picked up a Cherry Sunburst Agile AL-2000 on the net with hard case and shipping for under $250. I've got 2 2500s and like these way better than Epihones.

I'm looking to get an ash Tele next. Been looking at the Douglas, SX and Xavieres. Any word on any of these?

[Tenacious_Dio]

Bought an Agile AL-3100 a few years back. Damn thing weighed 13 lbs. Flipped it on Craigslist.

[lerxstcat]

I have heard that sometimes the Douglas and SX models without neck binding need a little filing of the fret ends which can be sharp. The models with neck binding don't have that issue because the binding is over the fret ends anyway. My cheap 7-string did not have this problem but I have heard of the issue. A little sandpaper time will fix it in either event.

I got the black AL2000 with Floyd in April 2010 because it had the licensed Floyd and 24 frets. You can't even get a Gibson LP with that combo. It's not a Gibson but it's a heckuva guitar for the money. Then I wanted a white one but they stopped carrying that particular setup in white, so I watched eBay until one came up just before Christmas. Got that for $150 shipped, it had a chip on the lower bout but a little auto touchup paint fixed that.

It's not a Gibby, but it's not $4500 either, and it has 24 frets which I much prefer. I see that Gibson is now making a 24-fret SG with Floyd Rose, but it looks like it only comes in black. I would dig that in white or heritage cherry but I'm not dropping $3 grand and then paying for a refin too. Well I couldn't if I wanted to, lol!

[MCSmallDink_]

Bought an Agile AL-3100 a few years back. Damn thing weighed 13 lbs. Flipped it on Craigslist.

Ha. I've got a white 2500 that is notably heavier than my cherry 2500. Never weighed them though.

[lerxstcat]

Bought an Agile AL-3100 a few years back. Damn thing weighed 13 lbs. Flipped it on Craigslist.

That is the main complaint about Agiles, they tend to be heavy. Not a real problem for me, especially with the route for the Floyd taking quite a bit of weight off. My Gibson Standard is about 8 lbs. by comparison and it's not chambered, I don't think they did that in 1977.

I went with the cheaper model because I figured resale would be bad on a basically unknown brand that is only sold by mail-order. So may as well minimize that possible loss, but I really wouldn't care to sell them anyway. Maybe if they were a main guitar, but they aren't. Did you do well on the flip?

[MCSmallDink_]

Finally found the guitars I was talking about. Axl Badwater.



I seem to remember seeing more LP models last year but can only find this one.

[lerxstcat]

Looks pretty nice! I wonder how they play and sound?

[MCSmallDink_]

Here's a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lplmhk6ZPoU

[ElToro]

I'm so jonesing for a new guitar...

[PrÎck]

I'm so jonesing for a new guitar...

What do you think of Parker?

[hendrixstrat]

I'm so jonesing for a new guitar...

Me too..Really gassing for one of these fugly things..
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-IBA-FRM100-LIST

[Gibsonite]

Hey guys, haven't been on in a little while.

Well, here is the almost finished LP Custom kit from BYO....

Was going to do the standard Cherry Sunburst finish, but I screwed up in the cherry portion of the procedure...had one hell of a mess. Was all pissed off and ready to just start shooting primer for a black paintjob.



Sanded the molten-looking goo off the top, some red remained....got the idea for a quasi-faded Burst. It was a roll of the dice, but I think it turned out OK....the flamed veneer really POPS(wasn't feeling the black relief for the flame).

Yes, the headstock's the size of the Standard, and it has a rosewood fretboard...but you know what? The damned thing sounds and plays GREAT....had a couple-3 high frets, quick level and recrown took care of that. Still deciding what I want to put on the headstock face.....

Gibson historic pup rings for the color and height, amber speedknobs(still going to replace the stock black toggle ring "poker chip").....Pearly gates bridge pup, the stock neck pup with a de-mud mod(6.93K, sounds beautiful)...CTS pots, Switchcraft jack and 3-way toggle. Braided wiring for clarity, used the "modern" wiring shematic for the control cavity.

Using the stock bridge and tailpiece until the new Gotoh bridge and aluminum TP arrives from StewMac(I may drill and tap them for small Allen-head screws, Tonepros on the cheap...LOL)), and a set of the green mylar caps are "keeping the seat warm" for some Mojo "Dijon" caps hit the mailbox( I refuse to pay the price for Luxe bumblebee repops, and I am ready to try something other than the Sprague OD's I have in everything else). The stock sealed Gotoh-type tuners do the job for now, until I have the funds available for the locking Grovers I really want. The Schaller straplocks are going on today...

That looks great dude,cheers!

How hard are those things to put together?Can someone like myself who isn't exactly a luthier (putting it mildly) pull it off?The electronics/wiring part isn't a problem for me though,neither would the paintwork ..I'd mostly be worried about getting a proper neck/body joint and making sure the angle is set correctly

They have a Les Paul Jr kit on there that looks interesting

http://www.byoguitar.com/Guitars/Electr ... JR-SC.aspx

I'd probably top it off with a headstock overlay as well

http://www.croxguitars.com/overlays.htm

You could make a pretty decent guitar for about half the price of the real thing (if you upgrade the pickups and hardware),have something that looks like the real deal AND have the satisfaction of having built the thing yourself.Sounds like a good deal to me

[Tenacious_Dio]

I went with the cheaper model because I figured resale would be bad on a basically unknown brand that is only sold by mail-order. So may as well minimize that possible loss, but I really wouldn't care to sell them anyway. Maybe if they were a main guitar, but they aren't. Did you do well on the flip?

I had picked it up off Ebay for about $250, and flipped it for about the same. Maybe a little less, it's been a while. Most used Agiles I see sell for about $200-275.

[exitflagger]

Update:

Polarity was not reversed on the pickups. I got with a guitar workshop guy this afternoon and he looked at the wiring and noticed immediately that there were two different wires that were connected strangely and not soldered very well. One wire was connected at both the tone and volume pots and he said that setup could suck the mid frequencies out of the sound. He went over it and re-soldered the screw-ups and it sounds awesome now. And the guy did it free of charge! Probably pretty simple shit but I'm not well-versed with that stuff.

Anyway, all is well.

[PrÎck]

For a new guitar, it would be cool to find one of these, a Guild Bladerunner







A gittler would be interesting, but they are way too expensive.



Unfortunately it has the same basic problem as a Stienberger. A guitar is basically a phallic symbol, so I think it's crazy to have a small, funny looking one.

[MCSmallDink_]

^
No thank you. Not my cup of tea.

[ElToro]

I'm not a Parker fan, but this finally got pick ups installed...
JB and LipStick!


He only wants $250 for the Blackstar 20W!

[PrÎck]

He only wants $250 for the Blackstar 20W!

Cabinet too?

[PAF Pro]

Deuce and a quarter for the 20W head? Not too bad.....a uddy just picked up one of the HT 60 Soloists, feckin' things are unreal.

If they had something comparable to an old Plexi/Super Lead,I'd be on it like a bum on a sandwich. Bugera has that 1960, but from all that i've found in researching online plus speaking to some reliable sources, they're pretty much flimsy crap.


Gibsonite.....the big thing about the kit is aligning the neck in the pocket. I had mine in and out quite a bit, a little bit of sanding here and there to ensure a proper fit, as far as the neck angle goes...once I got it in proper alignment, I used a metal straightedge, centered in the middle of the neck....measured the distance between the bottom of the straightedge to the top of the guitar at the bridge location. Think it was something like 1/2-5/8(which is within spec),

Several screw-type clamps, some flat wood scraps(to put beween the clamps and the body&neck to prevent marring) and some regular Titebond wood glue was all I needed.

As far as the electronics and hardware goes..I tossed everything save for the tuners(they're actually not bad), the bridge/tailpiece(which those replacements are set to arrive Monday along with the Mojotone Dijon caps), and the neck pickup(did a de-mud mod to it, sounds KILLER). They offer upgrades directy from BY, but I had certain goals in mind so I opted for the base accessories.

[ElToro]

He only wants $250 for the Blackstar 20W!

Cabinet too?

I don't know what he wants for the cabinet. Sorry.

[ElToro]

What's a "de-mud mod?"

[Space Bear]

Update:

Polarity was not reversed on the pickups. I got with a guitar workshop guy this afternoon and he looked at the wiring and noticed immediately that there were two different wires that were connected strangely and not soldered very well. One wire was connected at both the tone and volume pots and he said that setup could suck the mid frequencies out of the sound. He went over it and re-soldered the screw-ups and it sounds awesome now. And the guy did it free of charge! Probably pretty simple shit but I'm not well-versed with that stuff.

Anyway, all is well.

Who did the original retard wiring?

[PAF Pro]

What's a "de-mud mod?"

A buddy turned me on to this one...came from several different forums. There are several variations, but this one is the simplest and least invasive(one entails using what amounts to a VariTone switch from an ES-355 with several caps and resistors).

Basically.....you take a 500K(or 470K) resistor, solder it to a .001(I used 2) ceramic-disc capacitor.

On a 4-wire pickup, the 2 wires normally soldered together and taped off(normally the red and white wires that you would run to a coil-split switch if you desired that capability).....unsolder, and solder the joined legs of the resistor/cap combination to those wires(making a jumper of sorts between the red and white wires with the resistor/cap combination). Just conferred with my buddy that recommended the mod...his quick/easy explanation is:

"The resistor keeps the resonant peak at its factory spec, and the capacitor filters low end to ground. The higher-value of capacitor used, the more low end it filters out." Short version: takes what sounds muddier than hell and clears out the low frequency overload....took that stock import neck pup(6.93K) that I was going to shitcan, and tunred it into something that pairs PERFECTLY with the Pearly Gates bridge pickup I installed.

[sirthx]

My new Schecter Hellraiser C-1. Didn't know that I'd give two shits about the coil tap function but it's pretty bad-ass. Love it!

[exitflagger]

Update:

Polarity was not reversed on the pickups. I got with a guitar workshop guy this afternoon and he looked at the wiring and noticed immediately that there were two different wires that were connected strangely and not soldered very well. One wire was connected at both the tone and volume pots and he said that setup could suck the mid frequencies out of the sound. He went over it and re-soldered the screw-ups and it sounds awesome now. And the guy did it free of charge! Probably pretty simple shit but I'm not well-versed with that stuff.

Anyway, all is well.

Who did the original retard wiring?

A luthier/ guitar tech that my brother referred me to. He had done work for both him and me before and was really good with those particular repairs but for some reason he really kind of botched the wiring on this thing. I think his strong suit is more wood work. Last time I talked to him he said he was getting a regular job (non-guitar work) so I may have just caught him right when he had stopped giving a shit or something. He better hope I don't run into him again. I have half a mind to take a fucking refund out of his hide.

[lerxstcat]

Just tell him you had to take it to another tech and describe his fuckup, and ask him for a refund first. I know it's aggravating though. When I had PAFs put in my '77 LP Standard, I had the guy put on speed knobs too. It came back with gouges in the finish around the knobs! Not through the wood, but still!! He didn't have an EZ-off tool and the original knobs were on tight, so the guy took pliers to 'em and gouged the finish! He had the only decent music store on the MS Coast, and I had probably scratched a few of his guitars that hung on the wall as a teenager, so I kind of bit down on the anger. I did say ""Carl, WTF?!" but he was so sheepish I didn't have the heart to ask for my money back.

You couldn't really tell from 2 feet away, but those were the first blems put on that guitar. Damn!!

[exitflagger]

Just tell him you had to take it to another tech and describe his fuckup, and ask him for a refund first.

Nah, I don't care about the money. It was just the bullshit of not knowing what the problem was and then having to track it down like a fucking easter egg hunt.

I need to do some research and start doing my own work from now on. At least I know I give a shit about the guitar. It's the same sort of thing as with finding a trustworthy mechanic to work on your car. Only difference is I care WAY more about my guitars than my car.