Vintage V100 - how much ‘better’ would a better guitar be?

Crazyblue1779

Cranky said:

You'll know if you go out and play a real Gibson at the shop.  Don't just order one online.

If you like the Vintage that much but are jonesin' for another guitar, why not try a different type of guitar?

This might be another option. 

I bought an LTD EC256 at the same time as the Vintage for heavier stuff but it just doesn’t sound or play as well as the Vintage so it’s become something of a ‘practice’ guitar for the likes of pickup swaps etc and I can’t see it staying for ever. 

So there is a hole in my line up to be filled. 

One the subject of heavy, a guitar that I’ve always wanted to try is the Squier Jim Root telecaster and one of those would certainly calm the new guitar desire ( at least for a while!). 

Hmm....

LastMantra

Thing is you have put a bit of time and effort into bonding with the vintage. It's hard to judge how you'd feel about something different given the same. You'll probably bond with it too. 

Might be worth taking a few measurements from the vintage so you can have it set up how you like it. Neck angles can vary etc.

Redlester

Mate, if it's good it's good. Stick with it. 


I've got a lemon Drop and have looked at Gibbo too, but I've stuck with the Lemon Drop. It gives a very respectable, generic, 'Lester -like' sound. It looks okay. In terms of dimensions and weight, it's got a heft which I like, and which was something the cheaper Gibbos didn't have to my eye: they were a bit too demure looking for me after the Lemon Drop.

The crowning glory on that relic Lemon Drop is the neck. It's got a very light 'aged' type finish that makes it feels more or less unfinished or at most lightly oiled. It's a slim-medium '60s' style Gibbo neck I suppose, but with that thin finish it's comfy and slick. That was another massive factor in helping me decide to stay with it.     

Barquentine

I got my first PRS around five years ago - a Bernie SE. It cost me £500. I changed the pickups for BKs and upgraded the tuners. About a year later I got an S2 Singlecut that was £1500. That also now has BK pickups. On the whole, I prefer the Bernie although I really like the S2 as well. The Bernie is more playable and better sounding than any LP Standards I've played. Maybe a custom shop would be better but I've never played one. 

joetele

I've got a Vintage V72 semi hollow Tele, and it cost less than £300. While I have considered saving up for a similarly pricey 'proper' Tele, I'm just not sure how much better it would be. I'd probably rather go for a Fender Player Tele. One thing is for sure though, the ashtray bridge and pickup on the Vintage sound way more like a Tele than most teles I've had/played. 

The Squier Classic Vibe Tele in the local shop has a slightly nicer neck with rolled edges, but other than that the Vintage feels and sounds just as good, if not better. 

HarrySeven

As most of you will know, from threads like this:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/190581/spent-time-going-through-some-stuff-yesterday/p2

I’ve owned (and still own) a ridiculous amount of guitars, from super-budget to £4K+.

Each one has been acquired because of something I like about it, whether aesthetically, sound-wise, historically, whatever.

The bottom line is this - I’m not a brand snob. If a guitar feels ‘right’, plays well (or can be made to do so), sounds good (again, or can be made to do so), then I’m in. The End.

Let me give you an example...yesterday, I walked into my local guitar shop, TR Music in Walsall. I’ve known them forever and they always have a good selection of used stock. They’d just had in a S/H Indonesian Kramer Barrera Special in a rather funky shade of pink. Andertons now have these up @ £139. Admittedly, the guitar had been set up *really* well by Rob, their guitar tech, but, for a very much budget guitar, it played and felt great. I spent about 45 minutes with it and I’d have happily walked out of there with it and straight into a rehearsal or gig. I’ve had a lot of ‘80’s/‘90’s Shredders over the years (including loads of old Kramers) and the neck profile felt pretty much spot on.
The price? Under the £100 mark. Upgrade the pickup and hardware and you’d have a damn fine instrument.
Would it lead you down the slippery slope to vintage USA/MIJ Kramers? Maybe. Would you need to go there? Not necessarily.

The world of lower-range instruments is astronomically different to 40+ years ago when ‘budget’ usually meant ‘shite’ - Kays, Satellites, Columbus, Antoria, Eros, etc - plywood horrors with flimsy hardware, single coils in humbucker housings, indifferent fretwork, action so high it could also be played as a harp, etc. Not a great starting point.

I’ll stop rambling now, but basically, if you have a well-sorted lower/medium-range guitar, don’t rush towards a horizon littered with preconceptions about how much ‘better’ a Gibson LP (or whatever) might be. There *will* be aspects that are undoubtedly so, but it may not be the quantum leap you imagine...

Kittyfrisk

Pretty much everything that @Redlester & @HarrySeven  have said is spot on.
I have more Gibson's than I have Vintage's, but the (pretty badly) 'reliced' Vintage PG Lemon Drop is a really great feeling & sounding guitar, full stop.
 It has had a setup but is otherwise unmolested because it simply did not need anything done.
I guess I just like what I can find in any given guitar, rather than try to change them into an imaginary perfect ideal.

HarrySeven

Kittyfrisk said:

Pretty much everything that @Redlester & @HarrySeven  have said is spot on.
I have more Gibson's than I have Vintage's, but the (pretty badly) 'reliced' Vintage PG Lemon Drop is a really great feeling & sounding guitar, full stop.
 It has had a setup but is otherwise unmolested because it simply did not need anything done.
I guess I just like what I can find in any given guitar, rather than try to change them into an imaginary perfect ideal.

Yup, This^.

joetele

Oh I should have mentioned the Squier Affinity Starcaster I got recently. The neck on that is as good as my old MIM Tele, the pickups are fine, the build quality is near flawless, and the finish is stunning.

I actually don't feel the need to 'upgrade' to either the more expensive Squier or a fender either. 

RaymondLin

joetele said:

Oh I should have mentioned the Squier Affinity Starcaster I got recently. The neck on that is as good as my old MIM Tele, the pickups are fine, the build quality is near flawless, and the finish is stunning.

I actually don't feel the need to 'upgrade' to either the more expensive Squier or a fender either. 

As good as a Fender Masterbuilt or a R8? 

joetele

RaymondLin said:

joetele said:

Oh I should have mentioned the Squier Affinity Starcaster I got recently. The neck on that is as good as my old MIM Tele, the pickups are fine, the build quality is near flawless, and the finish is stunning.

I actually don't feel the need to 'upgrade' to either the more expensive Squier or a fender either. 

As good as a Fender Masterbuilt or a R8? 

Haven't a clue, those will never be an option! 

Redlester

Kittyfrisk said:

Pretty much everything that @Redlester & @HarrySeven  have said is spot on.
I have more Gibson's than I have Vintage's, but the (pretty badly) 'reliced' Vintage PG Lemon Drop is a really great feeling & sounding guitar, full stop.
 It has had a setup but is otherwise unmolested because it simply did not need anything done.
I guess I just like what I can find in any given guitar, rather than try to change them into an imaginary perfect ideal.

That's the thing in a nutshell for me: as a relic it's clearly not going to rival the Fender or Gibson Custom Shops. But the happy by product of stripping down on the finish is that you get a very smooth feeling and playing neck.

A similar finishing quirk is why I love my Squier Classic Vibe Tele. The neck and board are smothered in a gloss polyurethane finish. That'll put off a lot of players and purists, but for me it's great, it's like nothing else I've got and it's incredibly slick. For that reason (as we'll as the sound, natch) I've never met its personal match for feel among more expensive Fenders.   

Edit: for me this is an age thing. When I was younger I may have been more concerned with wanting a specific name on the headstock. but with the experiences I've had I don't care: for me, feel trumps a lot of other factors. 

hollywoodrox

The Gibson name on the headstock gets you into that elusive club of people like Slash and Joe Perry or whoever your LP wielding hero is . A certain warm feeling of satisfaction that having found the right one it will probably outlive you, a legacy .

 Plus the anticipation of hunting for it,finding the right bargain that meets your requirements . There will always be that fortuitous set of circumstances that arrive to grant you your dream ,should you believe it .  Someone selling a late 80s plain top owing to the birth of a new sprog and needing the money , but pleased to hand the baton on to someone who will love it as much as they did.

when asked casually what guitar you have , a Gibson Les Paul  will suffice as an answer without extended pre ambles into why your particular single cut is not just as good but better than the G word one .  My epiphone is better than my Gibson tribute series was , a standard is something to aim for , in a color you like etc.

TINMAN82

Thanks largely to this thread I did some googling and found a V100 PG/lemon drop relic (new) on sale for £299. Seems a no brainer at that price unless it’s an absolute dog.

I’ll compare to my R8 and report back... Could be folly as I definitely bought this based on spec sheet, looks and this thread.

Redlester

@TINMAN82 Nice one mate. Can you do us a favour and do it as a fresh thread? It’s bound to be an epic

Crazyblue1779

TINMAN82 said:

Thanks largely to this thread I did some googling and found a V100 PG/lemon drop relic (new) on sale for £299. Seems a no brainer at that price unless it’s an absolute dog.

I’ll compare to my R8 and report back... Could be folly as I definitely bought this based on spec sheet, looks and this thread.

This will be very very interesting! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Milk

As someone who other than the exception of a epiphone les paul custom never really played a les paul and didn't get one with that one i too am interested in this.

YellowLedBetterMan

I'm really tempted by one of the Midge Ure ones or the black P90 equipped ones. Or the PGGM one. Or the AFD one.

I just want one.

Redlester

@YellowLedBetterMan The AFD one is tasty as well.  

chrisjac2

Ok so for me I always wanted a Gibson Les Paul because it’s what my hero’s played. So when it came up a couple of years ago I bought a NOS 2013 future tribute from GAK for under £500. Then when I turned 40 I treated myself to a 90s std for over grand. After a set up and a new set of Beanos from oil city, a new harness with vintage parts it’s the guitar 16 year old me always wanted. It’s doesn’t sound or play better than my tribute just different. But the problem is when I reach for a guitar 9 times out of 10 it’s the tribute. I use the tribute for all my gigs and rehearsals. I’m glad I got my 90’s std but to be honest it spends most of its time in its case