The search for a new guitar…

July 7, 2008

Ok, the time has come. With the launch of the East Campus coming in a few months, and an intense desire to stimulate the economy (the tax rebate check finally came in!), I’m looking for the perfect electric guitar (well, perfect for me anyway). Here’s some of the thoughts I’m mulling over:

1. How much $ is good stewardship to spend on a guitar? The last thing I want to do is waste money that could be spent elsewhere, or pay for a “brand name,” and at the same time I want an electric that will satisfy my needs for a loooong time, possibly for the rest of my life. It seems like there is a signifigant drop in durability and construction in sub-$1000 guitars– I’ve noticed this in my ‘72 tele custom I’ve been playing the last five years (new bridge, new tuners, and I still wrestle with intonation on it). With a daughter on the way (in one month!) there is the combination of “I need to get this now, if I ever will” and “wow, babies are expensive, I need to save!” I feel like my Taylor 310CE acoustic was the right “level” of guitar for my worship leading needs, would love to find a comparable electric.

2. How nice is too nice for a “gigging” guitar? I’ve done the portable church thing before (and love it!), and hauling a guitar in and out with other equipment, the ever-present danger of kids playing around the stage, etc., can be hard on an instrument. I want a guitar I can beat on without guilt and not have to worry about… too much. I’m tempted to get something that already has a few “dings”, maybe off ebay.

3. What is an “easy” guitar? I know it is all about tone, but a close second for me is simplicity. Does it stay in tune (all the way up the neck)? Is it set up well… or if I need to make adjustments, how easy is it? Is the tone consistent across the frets and strings? Does it buzz or hum in certain situations? With my level of skill, I need a guitar that makes it easier for me, rather than having issues I need to “play” around. I’ve modified guitars in the past, but really want something that fits my needs with its stock setup (with the exception of strap locks).

4. I love semi-hollows! I’ve been borrowing my father-in-law’s Rickenbacker 330 and fell in love with the tone (and neck size)! Decent semi-hollows tend to be on the pricey side, but I’m looking beyond solid-bodies anyway.

5. It has to have interesting inlays! I’ve never owned a guitar with anything but dots marking the frets… that must change!

So far I’ve checked out:

-The Taylor T5 — loved the idea of an all-in-one hybrid, but the models I played had noisy pickups… and I would prefer an electric bridge rather than an acoustic one. Also really needs separate outputs so the acoustic and electric sounds can be processed separately.

-Epiphone Les Paul ultra II — appreciated the concept (chambered Les Paul body, with decent acoustic tones and separate outputs), but I played one fresh out of the factory box that had a short in an output jack. May have just been one bad one, but seems typical of more affordable instruments.

-Taylor Solidbody custom — Really liked it (playing one in the picture above). Did I like it enough to pay $2400? Still something I am processing… and even with a chambered body, still not warm as a true semi-hollow.

-Gibson ES-127 Classic — liked this one, too, although the neck is a little thick for my taste. Still in the running.

Still need to check out:

Reverend Manta Ray — Price seems too good to believe (obviously not made in the US, unfortunately)… only problem is trying to find a Reverend dealer close enough to try one out!

Gibson inspired by Dave Grohl DG-335 — Way out of my price range, and I don’t like the colors (black or blue are the only options), but the original Trini Lopez model it is based on hasn”t been made for a long time!

If price were no issue:

Gibson Custom inspired by Johnny A. Semi-Hollow!

Anyway, when and if I finally find the right instrument, I’ll post about it here! Let me know if you have any suggestions or experience with any of these models!

Posted in Worship Leadership, Kevin's Life