jjjimi84
Well-known member
I have an ibanez es 335 clone i got on ebay for a couple hundred bucks 18 years ago. Plays like a dream and I love it, totally changed my perspective on “quality”instruments
YANCGD! (yet another new cheap guitar day)
- Thread starter MichaelW
- Start date
Alan W
Well-known member
Yet another very cool guitar, and that yellow has got to look great next to the new bass!
P-90s (like you, low wind) are probably my favorite pups. I know you generally play through an ampless rig, but I believe there is a special chemistry between P-90s and class A EL84 amps—(not that I would ever want to increase anyone’s GAS).
P-90s (like you, low wind) are probably my favorite pups. I know you generally play through an ampless rig, but I believe there is a special chemistry between P-90s and class A EL84 amps—(not that I would ever want to increase anyone’s GAS).
MichaelW
Well-known member
I have a new Zhangbucker prototype P90 on its way for the neck. It's called the "Lollipop" (not exactly sure why). But it's wound to 6k and is supposed to be open and airy yet still warm and punchy. Sounds ideal, we'll see how it sounds when I get it!
MichaelW
Well-known member
Here's the copy of what he said:
"A brand new model from our R&D labs, the Lollipop is a low-wind (6.0k with 42 PE) neck P90 soapbar originally intended for Telecasters to match better with Tele bridge pickups but on testing could be used in the neck in almost any guitar/context.
My neck P90's always have narrower magnets (3/8" vs. standard 1/2") to trim the fat but there is usually a mix of an Alnico 5 on the neck side and an A2 (or A3) on the bridge side but to somewhat counter the loss of warmth from the lower wind, both are Alnico 5. This gives it a paradoxical combination of roundness without darkness, warmth without ANY loss of detail -- a tone big and round and sweet like a lollipop but with tons of vintage piano/flute hollowness, jangle, snap, air, detail and dynamics -- with a just little more push than the standard A5/A2 combo."
finebyfine
Well-known member
Absolutely gorgeous guitar! Congrats! I almost pulled the trigger on a Harley Benton version ($200 + $75 shipping to USA) but the yellow isn't that close of a match. Seeing your photos is a reminder that I would have been unhappy if it was anything short of the finish of yours!
PapaBear
Well-known member
I think it was your post that tripped my trigger on the Epi 335 I purchased, I also have an Epi LP Plus Top Pro I really like
MichaelW
Well-known member
I looked at the HB as well, but your right, the yellow was wrong. I probably would have opted with one their cherry ones if I went that route. I've never played a Harley Benton but everyone raves about them as well.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Dang it, you made me look at Thomann at the Harley Bentons again......geez....impressive stuff. I've been really curious what a $200 guitar would look like these days.....heh
finebyfine
Well-known member
My only experience with them is their Bass VI - which plays, at least for my tastes, better than the Squier one. It wasn't perfect out of the box but I wasn't expecting it either. I had to clean up the nut a hair but it was mostly cosmetic.
But I also do have a $200 ESP telecaster that I bought as a beater and I find myself picking it up all the time over my EC-1000 and Strat. Seems like a dollar goes pretty far for a guitar these days. If I had the space for them I'd have bought 3 other HBs by now. I really like that I don't feel like I have to baby them when it comes to switching out electronics and hardware, and when I did that on my Strat I always kept tallying up the total I had spent on the guitar + mods in my head with each purchase.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Ok, I broke my own rule at the beginning of this thread sigh.....I ordered one of their fretless Jazz basses.......$148 + $62 shipping....geeez......
fig
Village Idiot
Rule #1 - Never self-impose a rule.
Dan0h
Well-known member
Having spent the first half of my career life in sales I totally get that companies make things for $X dollars and then market and sell them for $XXXX dollars. But when I see guitars like this or fireflies it really makes me think, wait a minute - is the Epi I just bought the same thing and I over paid for the name? It can’t be true it can’t be true.
I know “oversea” costs less but man these prices are crazy. These sub $200 guitars have to cut corners somewhere? I’ve paid more for a freaking pedal than these guitars cost.
I’m looking forward to your review on this one.
finebyfine
Well-known member
As far as I can tell from both handling mine and the research I did before I bought it / wanted to buy other models, they basically just cut the same corners as Epiphone and then don't have the advertising and marketing costs to "make up" for. Probably less legal costs associated with it too when there's not a hugely important trademark at play.
Thomann gets them from factories that used to produce for the big brands ~10 years ago before they moved production from one Asian country with slave labor wages to another, doesn't advertise them at all (comparatively), and they could definitely be something closer to a loss leader than a money maker just to get people through the door. I wouldn't have guessed my bass vi would cost the same as a Fender repro in a blind side by side but I definitely would have thought it would cost more than the Squier model and not be like, 2/3 the price.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Update:
Well in my OP I said that the toggle switch looked solid and so I left it in. It was the ONE piece of the wiring I did not replace, I should have known better. It's been acting up. Not wanting to make a complete connection in the neck position, getting drop outs and low volume.
So I did what I should have in the first place when I re-wired it, put in a Switchcraft toggle. Man, what a difference!
Switchcraft just feels like quality. They're getting pricey these days for a freaking toggle switch. But it was a well spent $28.
The original looks like Korean made from the mechanism. It looks a lot like the toggles on the PRS S2 and SE's.
I've not had this problem before with them. I'm still rocking the original wiring on my S2 Starla. But this was one was bunk.
Just look at the difference between the threads on the Switchcraft below and the Epi above.
Well in my OP I said that the toggle switch looked solid and so I left it in. It was the ONE piece of the wiring I did not replace, I should have known better. It's been acting up. Not wanting to make a complete connection in the neck position, getting drop outs and low volume.
So I did what I should have in the first place when I re-wired it, put in a Switchcraft toggle. Man, what a difference!
Switchcraft just feels like quality. They're getting pricey these days for a freaking toggle switch. But it was a well spent $28.
The original looks like Korean made from the mechanism. It looks a lot like the toggles on the PRS S2 and SE's.
I've not had this problem before with them. I'm still rocking the original wiring on my S2 Starla. But this was one was bunk.
Just look at the difference between the threads on the Switchcraft below and the Epi above.
I picked up an Epi double neck a bunch of years ago at a really great price figuring it would have issues but it looked so Rush. The wood is garbage but it just looked fabulous. The first thing I did was change the strings and when I took the old strings off half the hardware fell off.
Oh shit.
So I did what I normally do with my fleet of mutts, I filled all the holes with small maple dowels and then meticulously put it back together screw by screw after going over the frets. It's super tight now and has never let me down. I've only changed out the pickups (just recently) to a nice set of GFS (I'm a big fan...large bang for the buck). Other than the electronics is bone stock. Superb guitar and plays thousands beyond it's sell price.
Oh shit.
So I did what I normally do with my fleet of mutts, I filled all the holes with small maple dowels and then meticulously put it back together screw by screw after going over the frets. It's super tight now and has never let me down. I've only changed out the pickups (just recently) to a nice set of GFS (I'm a big fan...large bang for the buck). Other than the electronics is bone stock. Superb guitar and plays thousands beyond it's sell price.
MichaelW
Well-known member
Which GFS pickups did you put in? I have not tried their Humbuckers