Pegazus133
SS.org Regular
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- Oct 31, 2023
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Rob, I haven't noticed that you ever owned the Strandberg Fusion NT with the HSX circuit. Think that would be your perfect strandy, if you can find one ![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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I think I would have a breakdown if my only guitar was HSS with a non-locking, non-recessed tremolo.No such thing. However a plain HSS strat with a neck profile that you like is about as close as you can get. Definitely a “do it most” guitar. Get one with a non locking, non recessed tremolo so you can easily deck it if you’d like. Humbucker in the bridge and singles in the neck. That will cover as much ground as a single guitar possibly can.
We agree on this though and I'm definitely not unhappy about "needing" to own multiple guitars.No such thing.
No such thing. However a plain HSS strat with a neck profile that you like is about as close as you can get. Definitely a “do it most” guitar. Get one with a non locking, non recessed tremolo so you can easily deck it if you’d like. Humbucker in the bridge and singles in the neck. That will cover as much ground as a single guitar possibly can.
WAIT--how did I miss that one??? I have always wanted a Strandy with HSH and coil-split and I didn't think they made one, since the Fusion NX I got didn't have the coil-split. I knew they had a limited edition Titanium model with it, but it was pre-NX so the contouring isn't quite as good. The neck-thru Fusion is also pre-NX though, so same problem.Rob, I haven't noticed that you ever owned the Strandberg Fusion NT with the HSX circuit. Think that would be your perfect strandy, if you can find one![]()
No such thing. However a plain HSS strat with a neck profile that you like is about as close as you can get. Definitely a “do it most” guitar. Get one with a non locking, non recessed tremolo so you can easily deck it if you’d like. Humbucker in the bridge and singles in the neck. That will cover as much ground as a single guitar possibly can.
I think I would have a breakdown if my only guitar was HSS with a non-locking, non-recessed tremolo.
HSH would be more versatile imo. The neck humbucker could be split / coil-tapped, plus used as a humbucker. It might not quite achieve the perfect clean neck single-coil tone that some people desire, but the right humbucker will get pretty close (at least in the context of a "do it all" guitar).
A recessed double-locking tremolo offers superior tuning stability, on top of dive bombs and superior flutters etc. All while being able to do everything that a non-locking tremolo can do. And it can always be blocked. Going one further, a double-locking bridge that allows for piezos would offer optimal versatility imo.
As for the neck, 24 frets is more versatile than 22. A compound radius would probably make sense to maximise comfort / playability for all styles (I can't really speak from experience though...Super Wizard is all I need!).
Basically, the "plain strat" needs to be a superstrat imo.
We agree on this though and I'm definitely not unhappy about "needing" to own multiple guitars.![]()
No such thing. However a plain HSS strat with a neck profile that you like is about as close as you can get. Definitely a “do it most” guitar. Get one with a non locking, non recessed tremolo so you can easily deck it if you’d like. Humbucker in the bridge and singles in the neck. That will cover as much ground as a single guitar possibly can.
Been there and done that. Got close, but not quite there in terms of the tones I was after. Here's the updated collection and the ones I sold or returned (you can open these up to higher resolution, but I think you might have to right-click first):@LunatiqueRob How many more guitars are you going to churn through before you realise that a used Prestige is all you need?![]()
I tried that with the AZ2204NW, but the tones aren't quite there for me. The neck single-coil tone is the thinner/brighter type while I prefer a fuller tone. The simulated neck humbucker tone sounds more like a P90-ish tone and not quite thick/warm enough to be convincing as a humbucker. Dialing down the tone knob didn't do enough for either tones. As much as I loved the look of that guitar (probably my favorite in terms of aesthetics), I'm selling it because ultimately it's about the tones and ergonomics for me.@LunatiqueRob what about the Ibanez AZ (HSS) with the Dynamix switch? In the on position with the selector in the 5th position, it combines the neck and middle single coils into a humbucker configuration. I find this to be somewhat convincing of a neck "humbucker". It has less quack than a single coil and has more output.
Yes, this thread mutated into something else, but we can't change thread titles so we're stuck with it.I'm pretty sure the pretense of 'forever do-it-all' has long since been thrown out the window. OP has doubled down on that even more with the constant buying and selling spree as already documented in this entire thread.
But hey, getting new gear is always nice.
I tried that with the AZ2204NW, but the tones aren't quite there for me.
Yes, this thread mutated into something else, but we can't change thread titles so we're stuck with it.
I'd also have to put in stainless steel frets (my preferred material), and with the cost of the j.custom already being so high (I bought it new for around $3.2k), replacing the frets and pickups would push it past $4k. For a non-custom guitar, the ROI would be abysmal IMO. Also, because Ibanez has much cheaper guitars in its catalog that are very similar to that j.custom in terms of features--only not quite as extravagant in aesthetics, I realized I could just sell it and have at least two almost as nice guitars to cover more tonal bases.Couldn't you have sold something and put different electronics in the J.Custom and made it what you wanted?
I had an Ibby Premium AZ with the Hyperions and I did not like them--too thin and shrill when coil-splitting/tapping. If they had been to my liking, my journey would have ended there because ergonomically I do prefer HH over HSH or HSS because I hate hitting the middle pickup with my pick. While you can lower that middle pickup (which I don't like due to the imbalance of volume between pickups) and/or alter your picking technique, there are situations where it just wouldn't work very well, such as when you need to palm mute at an ideal spot and then also hit aggressive downstrokes or alternate picking while string skipping. The Fortunas and the Hyperions are both not really to my liking. Even the Air Norton on my RGT1220PB when split/tapped doesn't sound close enough to my liking. The only Ibby that gets it perfect (for me) so far has been the KIKO 10BP and those are custom DiMarzio pickups. When I contacted DiMarzio inquiring about which of their pickups available for purchase comes closest to those pickups. they told me it's the Titan neck pickup. I asked because it's for my Dean Gordon Virtus Headless custom build . The Fishmans in the RG5170G also comes close, but no passive mode switch on that guitar.That model has the more vintage style pickups (Fortuna). You might prefer the Hyperion pickups. I hear ya though, it's not the same as a true neck humbucker.
edit: BTW this thread is very entertaining, I'm glad you keep updating it!
Thanks for the tip!Use the Report option on the original post, and a Mod can change the title for you.
While I do like the split-coil tone on that Strandy Fishman in passive mode, it's not even in the top 5 single-coil tones for me, and the split-coil tone on the RG5170G is much better (to me).Have you considered fitting the same Fishman pickups as your Strandberg has in your RG5170G?
I would never buy or sell a guitar because of the pickups it has. That would be like selling a house because I don't like the furniture in it.![]()
I've had different guitars with exactly the same pickups and configuration, but different in shape, wood, electronics, etc. They generally almost identical but might have very slight shift such as a little warmer or brighter, but it's subtle enough that I don't know if anyone can hear the difference in a mix. Even when isolated, they might not be able to tell the difference without doing a direct A/B listening test and compare the clips back-to-back. Maybe if my playing on those test clips had been 100% identical, they could sound too close to tell apart in contexts that are meaningful. But that could just be those exact guitars and in other situations, the differences could be greater, and it sounds like they were in your cases.That's really cool @LunatiqueRob !
One thing that I've found from buying a bunch of guitars over the last few years is that, irrespective of electronics, some guitars a more bright or dark or resonance or... And this isn't "tone wood" necessarily, just the individual guitars as complete systems, can vary in character.
For instance, I have a PRS Custom 24 and an Ibanez AZ2204B. Despite the scale length differences and the difference woods used, neck joint construction, the PRS is really bright and the Ibanez is very dark. You'd think it would be the other way around given the "tone woods" but it's not. They have very similar weights too (~7.8 lbs).
My point being that the character and tone of each guitar in each pickup position is unique the the exact guitar I have IME