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Post by Ed Cornish on Jan 22, 2014 21:28:37 GMT
Hi all, I'm thinking of moving on from my Lag Jet JV100 as the pups don't quite cut it in certain instances. Can't afford anything more than about £200 and was thinking of either the Vintage V6 or the Burns Cobra, both of which are pretty reasonably priced right now. Can't make up my mind, so what would your preference be, if you had the choice between these 2 guitars.
Thanks
Ed
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Post by mojolomjl on Jan 22, 2014 21:42:31 GMT
Hi Ed,
What sound are you trying to achieve ? if it's the Shadows sound then my suggestion would be the Squier 50s Classic Vibe which you should be able to get for a little over £200.00.
Best regards,
Maurice.
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Post by Ed Cornish on Jan 22, 2014 22:44:18 GMT
Hi Maurice, Thanks for the reply. Yes, it is Shadows but is also other stuff al la Roger Paulsson and Roger Allcock. I seem to have this obsession with 22 frets but really have to ask myself how many times have I actually needed to be that far down the fretboard. To be honest I think the sound of the Burns is a bit specialist, albeit very nice in its own right and as for the Vintage, I'm not sure I would want to own a guitar made by a company called John Hornby SKEWES Yes, read much about the Squier 50s Classic Vibe and certainly worth a good deal of thought as I also have a fantastic Korean made Squier Stagemaster (before they became Showmaster) - so have nothing against the Squiers! I shall have to have a scout around. Ed
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Post by harley on Jan 23, 2014 3:22:54 GMT
Hi Ed
I own a vintage V6 and a 50's classic vibe among others. Both are excellent guitars and will give you a very convincing shads sound. The build quality, feel and sound of both guitars is very similar although the V6 hardware is better, particularly the bridge, and its a little cheaper. You wont be dissapointed with either
regards Ian
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TonyL
Member
Vintage stuff
Posts: 190
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Post by TonyL on Jan 23, 2014 8:19:57 GMT
Hi Ed
I also have a Vintage V6 (Firenza Red, nearest they do to Fiesta) and I'm very pleased with it. I previously had a Squier Standard Strat and I think the V6 is much better. One bonus is the push in trem arm, stays where you put it.
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Post by rogera on Jan 23, 2014 9:42:39 GMT
Ed if it is of any help the majority of the tracks on my CDs are recorded using a Strat.
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Jan 23, 2014 9:45:37 GMT
Of all the ones mentioned, I'd go with the Vintage V6. I've tried/owned them all. The V6 is better value for money than the Squier and just a better guitar than the Burns. Also, the arm is tension adjustable, it's 22 fret, some models have a bi-flex' trussrod and the bridge pickup is wired through a tone pot... and the pickups won't need upgrading - much better than the Squier's. Cheers, Julian
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Post by Ed Cornish on Jan 24, 2014 19:02:23 GMT
Thanks for your replies. Looks like it will be the V6 - I was leaning that way anyway despite my jibe at it's parentage! Have seen enough youtube videos as well to be comfortable with what to expect! Shall most likely order from GTR Music, Peterborough. A little bit more expensive that other places but am assured it will be inspected and set up before dispatch. ( + free postage)
Thanks again
Ed
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Post by Stu's Dad on Jan 24, 2014 22:14:41 GMT
Hi Ed,
If it'll set your mind at rest they're only distributed by John Hornby Skewes. They're actually designed by Trevor Wilkinson, whose strat parts have been well thought of for years, and I think he has them made at one of the more reliable far eastern factories.
Good luck with it, Len
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Jan 25, 2014 8:42:13 GMT
Hiya Len, I think it's fairer to say they're designed by Leo Fender. The differences from traditional spec are nothing that hasn't been done before by others, but they are, in my opinion, the best instruments available under the £400 bracket. I own a couple of their basses and guitars - all made in Indonesia. They are great instruments for the money. Buy one; you definitely won't regret it. One thing I would say is don't bother 'upgrading' the trem block to a steel one (a Wilkinson block anyway) as it makes no difference at all over the standard alloy block - wrong grade steel, been there, bought the t shirt. Cheers, Julian
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Post by Stu's Dad on Jan 26, 2014 16:30:50 GMT
Hi Julian,
Yes of course you're right it's Leo who designed them, Trevor Wilkinson's put his own pickups and tremolos etc on, and markets them.
Regards Len
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Post by Ed Cornish on Feb 4, 2014 22:11:48 GMT
Hi all, Well after asking advice, I thought it might be interesting to do a follow up. I didn't start off very well. Ordered a V6BB Reissue from Gear4Music. The price was average and I wanted to upgrade my amp at the same time so put an order in for the Behringer GMX212 as well. They both arrived OK. Well I was on the phone to G4M within the hour. The V6 body and machine parts were OK, but the nut was badly fitted and looked like it had been finished with an angle grinder! The same grinder was used to finish the pick guard edges as well. There was no protective plastic and it was already marked and scratched. Not only that, but the guard, and back plate had been stained in places by something closely resembling curry! Because of the stains on the back plate it seems likely both were cut from the same sheet. Either no quality control from the factory or G4M tried to pull a fast one!. I phoned the returns dept and had a rant about it - sent them some photos and obtained a no quibble refund. Well I had at least the new amp to look forward to. Couldn't wait! The smile slowly slides from my face the more I fiddled with the GMX212. Discovered there was no separate clean channel. Controlled by a vol type knob lowest setting was clean and then gradually more distortion as you turned it up. No separate vol control on either of the 2 channels - both controlled by the master vol. Could not therefor control the levels of my backing track against the guitar. Another call to the returns dept and another refund. As it was within the 7 days cool off, didn't want to know the reason for return either. Interestingly, the amp I am using at the moment is also a Behringer - the GMX110 (30w 10") After fiddling with the GMX212 I have realized what a beauty this is. Clean and dirty channel switchable. FX processor switchable for both these channels. ( + the usual 99 presets), 3 amp settings and 3 speaker settings. Master vol control separate. Effects loop, phones and can connect to my laptop for the backing. I can use the loop to connect my Zoom G2, or I can boost the signal if I use the input. With Chorus/delay pre-sets I can boost the signal further by activating the FX processor. Is there another amp around that will do that? Back to the story - for the last 2 weeks or so, it has been back online looking for another V6. Had a few earmarked but could not make up my mind. Today my luck changed! Found an earlier V6 on the well known auction site and much to my delight was just a 10 mile drive away. Went down to check it out after work today and was very pleased with what I saw. Was told it was about 10 years old and late husband had practiced on and off after buying it new. Original throughout, no fret wear and the pick guard isn't even scratched. Even with old strings plays like a dream! Bought it then and there £120. Also thrown in was a Kinsman padded case, 2 sets of spare strings, lead, strap, stand and about 10 guitar books AND the trem arm! Nice Green colour. Feels like I just won the lottery Paper serial number stuck on the headstock. Kitemark sticker, but no indication of where this was made. Does anyone know? (10 years old) Ed Was hoping to post a pic but doesn't look like I can do that here!
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Post by allclaphands on Feb 5, 2014 9:00:45 GMT
Hi Twanger Interesting posting.You say the V6 as a serial number on the Headstock this should Tell you with some research were and when it was made. Pete
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Feb 5, 2014 9:04:43 GMT
Hiya, My feeling on the shop one was they were trying to flog a shop soiled one at full price. They do come with plastic sheet on the plate, but the setup can be very hit n miss. For the money, I still say they're better than a Squier, even if it costs £50 to get it playable, but I wouldn't recommend one (new) over a used Mexican, for example. Then again, I'd never recommend buying without trying. I'd say that it's either Korean or Chinese - recent ones have the number 'transferred' on the neck at JHS - more likely Korean. As for the Behringer... never used their gear myself, but have heard lots of stories of their stuff not lasting...
Cheers, julian
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Post by Ed Cornish on Feb 5, 2014 18:00:15 GMT
Pete, Yes I have found out - I thought the number began 104 but have since found out online that the "one" is an "I" - so that makes it 2004 in Indonesia I believe!
Julian, There is a big difference in the pickups as compared to my Lag. And yes, I also feel it is better than the Squier. The frets are slightly more worn than I realised , but otherwise I am very pleased with it. The Behringer is actually OK sound wise, but yeah you are right about issues. The preset dial knob skips the odd number and the LED display has a few cells that don't work. Minor but still annoying as it happened the first week I had it. I think you have to be particularly fussy - just because the stuff is boxed, you can never tell if the vendor is trying to pass on an item already returned because of issues. Make 'em pay!
Ed
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Post by Stu's Dad on Feb 6, 2014 22:03:21 GMT
Hi Ed,
I'm glad you've finally got yourself sorted, and I'm sure the V6 is a fantastic guitar, but I think there's been a point missed in Maurice's post quite early in the thread. He was talking about the Squier Classic Vibe, and I can assure anybody that this model is really well built and far above a standard Squier. I only bought one when I read about the build quality, and I wasn't disappointed, especially with the vintage pickups.
All the best with your new rig, Len
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Post by Ed Cornish on Feb 24, 2014 13:10:09 GMT
Hello again, I should describe this post as being more "which guitar part 2" as although it moves away from my initial search for another instrument, it still deals with the sometimes controversial subject of make and model and as everyone knows, in the end, just boils down to individual preference and feel for a particular guitar. About a year ago I was given a guitar by a work colleague and he said he thought it was a Washburn. Was careful not to let my "Oh OK" sound too much like "Ooo OK" Anyway a couple of weeks later he dropped the guitar off in my office whilst I was out. When I got back and saw it there in the corner, I knew I was right in making the appropriate appreciative sound, because what was there was not a Washburn but an Encore. It took a minute or so to sink in and I thought well, I am going to have to keep this anyway as is has been so kindly given. I picked it up and my appreciative sound changed to the surprised "Oh". So having had it that long and after returning the Behringer GMX212 amp I thought I would spend some money on this instead. I've just spent £100 on a full fret re-dress, new pots and 5 way switch. (had new strings, tune up and intonation as well of course ) The rest I left, although truth be told the tuners could do with replacing as they are a bit weak. The pups I left and my local guitar shop conceded they were not too bad. The neck was shimmed slightly. I didn't do all this lightly - have spent a bit of time on line trying to find out more, but as you all well know, definitive info is sadly lacking. What I did - using the word loosely - discover was that these earlier Encores are part of the JHS brand. Started of in the early 80's producing them in India and possible Korea/Indonesia. Made to a high standard JHS apparently realised they were still too expensive for the UK market and hence in the 90's the much cheaper E76 was born. The very early ones had Wilkinson pups and hardware and I believe later ones came with Wilkinson hardware and Don Lace pups. (as well as solid bodies) The reason I was surprised on picking up this Encore is that it weighs a whopping 7lbs. The fretboard and neck are as good as any I've seen. It is not a E76 as they have 2 string trees and judging from the Made in India sticker on the neck base I assume it is a little earlier poss mid 80's. The first thing I did a year ago was check the trem cavity and was very pleased to see some burring you know you can only get from solid wood when the grain changes direction. The cavity is also sprayed so a little scrape confirms a solid body. The rumours mentioned ash - could be! There has been some discussion about the makeup of these instruments, no doubt accompanied by a lot of side splitting laughter. Don't be fooled - this is a nice guitar and a pleasure to play - about on par with the Vintage V6 considering the age of the pups. Anyway, have posted a few pics - enjoy s73.photobucket.com/user/postmaster12/library/Ed
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Feb 24, 2014 21:24:15 GMT
I'd be amazed if it held tuning if it was made in India in the 80s. All the cheap copies were made in Japan back then. Other than the obvious names, Japanese guitars weren't much good and Korean ones were even worse. I'm pretty sure no-one was having guitars made in India in the 80s. I was asked to get one working for a mate in the early 90s. When we opened it up we found it was a plywood body - not just a sandwich or laminate, like a Gibson or Gretsch archtop, a full depth of about twenty sheets of hardboard like the early Korean Squiers and the majority of sub £200 guitars then. The pickups were the typical wire wrapped round steel poles with a steel base and bar magnet. It wasn't fit to row a boat with. I'd say your's was most likely made in the last ten years. The new ones are more or less Vintages without the Wilkinson parts. I'm not so sure they've ever had Wilkinson pickups in them, certainly not in the 90s as he was still working at Patrick Eggle then. Cheers, Julian
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Post by Ed Cornish on Dec 4, 2014 21:50:45 GMT
Hi all,
I thought they may be a some here who would be interested in an update, so here goes! After my acquisition of the Vintage V6 in Feb this year I have spent some time re-assessing both it and the Lag JV100. Have decided to sell off both of them, as they do not see much use other to re-affirm my interest in the Encore.
You will remember I obtained the V6 to replace the Lag, but after playing it on and off for 6 months have decided to be rid of it. The guitar is very playable and I actually like it. However I have discovered that I cannot abide the Wilkinson pups. For the life of me I cannot understand why someone would decide that the B string was of no use and set the magnet for that string level with the plastic cover. Come to think of it, I really don't like the settings on the other magnets either, as the sound produced is quite muted.
And no, I wont spend any money upgrading the pups. Besides which, being a purist, it would go against the grain! I am playing the Encore, but despite a re-dress the frets remain fairly worn, the result of which is some string buzz. Apart from that I actually love this guitar!!
However, as Christmas approaches, I may be in the market for a new, more expensive "real" strat, most likely Fender. I did have a closer look at the Squier CV but don't like the finish on the neck. It feels a bit "sticky" to me.
I also tried the feel of a Fender Standard MIM with a satin neck - very smooth - much more to my taste. Even liked the sound acoustically. These (MIM's) appear to be either loved or hated. Does anyone own one, tried one, or have an opinion about them? ( Perhaps all the negativity about them belongs to the older models )
Ed
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Post by dragonman on Dec 4, 2014 22:10:55 GMT
Hi Ed
When I returned to the forum a couple of months ago I bought a second hand Squire Classic Vibe 50. Right decision. A great sounding guitar and great value for money. You should be able to pick one up on e-bay for around your budget.
Cheers Richard
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Post by Darryl on Dec 5, 2014 20:36:16 GMT
You might try looking at a Burns Marquee. You can probably get one on the well known auction site for the money you want to pay. I thought the two I had sounded pretty good.
Check out this forum and the Shadows Music forum for buying advice.
Regards
Darryl
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Post by andyj47 on Dec 5, 2014 21:35:34 GMT
hello twanger i have played a made in mexico strat for the last four years and really cant fault it model is 57 reissue build quality is superb nice neck only problem it had was the g b ande strings went out a bit with giving the trem a bit of stick fixed by pencil lead on the g and dont bother with the string tree now tuning holds up perfectly sounds great some people say the pups arent very good but it sounds as good as usa fenders i have compared it to lastly its a very nice shade of fiesta red i would recomend this model to any shads fan retailed at499 pounds in 2010 and came with agig bag hope this is of use andyj47
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Post by bor64 on Dec 6, 2014 11:38:06 GMT
Hi Ed, a half year ago I picked up a 2002/2003 MIM standard strat (black with rosewood neck)it was cheap as chips and nearly un-played.... The owner did try it for a few hours after he bought it and had it in the bedroom on a stand for about 10 years! 3 years ago he did try it again with a Zoom G2.1u for a few days and put it in the corner on that stand again. So I could buy it for about £155 incl. the zoom and stand, cord and a luxury padded gig bag...I had to remove the plastic sheath from the pick guard myself.... When I tried the strat at his home I noticed the great sustain it had...with the old strings on it! The playability was good, but it needed a set up. While I was awaiting a new solid steel trem block(to replace the slim bubble-gum block) from Kevin, I played it with the old strings. If you buy a MIM strat after 2006 it has a large composite trem block. The ceramic pickups sound a little brighter and louder compared with the average fender single coil, but the shad sound is easy to recreate with this strat. So the average punter don't hear the difference in most cases... I've 13 other strats and the MIM can run along with the best in my collection. But, be aware every guitars is different.... I have two 60 slabboard strats just made a few weeks apart and they sound and feel different. Cheers Rob
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Post by fenderbullits on Dec 8, 2014 17:09:06 GMT
Hi
My first strat was MIM with a rosewood neck it was fine played well .I didn't like the pups that can as standard so changed them for Seymour Duncan pups and it was fine after that.
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Post by stratsnstuff on Dec 8, 2014 23:17:20 GMT
Hi Ed, I have a MIM Classic 50's (Fiesta Red / Maple Neck) bought new in 2012 and I am very pleased with it. Nicely finished, plays well, stays in tune and sounds good particularly on Shads stuff. I did have it set up by the shop as the bridge saddle screws were very proud, other than that, all original.
Cheers John
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Post by Ed Cornish on Dec 13, 2014 22:10:04 GMT
Hi all,
Thanks for all your suggestions. I am going to have to go out and do some more testing I think - still can't really make up my mind. (looks like it might be MIM standard) It will also depend a bit on the money I have in my hand!
I have decided that the Lag can go, but am having second thoughts about the V6. There are some Shads numbers that don't sound too bad with it!
Thanks again
Ed
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