Cheap parlours: are Fender & Gretsch any good

Soupman

Specs are one thing, but I'd never buy without trying it out first. As has been said already, you can try two identical models but find you have a preference for one.

rossi

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs  and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still  hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons  I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor  as it seems to be as good as any .

Yorkie

rossi said:

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs  and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still  hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons  I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor  as it seems to be as good as any .

It is good, isn’t it?  

rossi

Yorkie said:

rossi said:

Whilst absorbing this thread my wife flabberghasted me by telling me to buy an acoustic to play to her like in 60's folky days .This is the woman who told me more than one guitar was a flagrant waste of money ,doesnt like Fleetwood Mac and considers Wonderful tonight Clappers greatest achievement . My 64 Harmony Sovereign is more or less unplayable due to a misspent youth round london folk clubs  and was never that comfortable a guitar unless playing cowboy chords . As we are more or less still  hiding from the rest of the human race due to health reasons  I didnt go and try one but bought a PRS P20 parlor  as it seems to be as good as any .

It is good, isn’t it?  

arrives today HNGD

rossi

Didnt arrive .Tracking disappeared .Lost into the  christmas  lost parcel mountain  ..........?

rossi

arrived oK and a very good guitar .strings a bit dead as expected and a truss rod adjustment but all is well and gig bag a bonus.

Yorkie

Sounds great  
Were you getting string buzz despite all the checks and stuff? Mine did. 

rossi

Yorkie said:

Sounds great  
Were you getting string buzz despite all the checks and stuff? Mine did. 

No none at all .perhaps I was lucky .I will lower the action a bit so it might appear .

Yorkie

Mine now has a buzz at the bridge (I think!) when I play the G and B strings. I believe it started after I played a blues that I usually play on electric and which has lots of bends… is it a bad idea to bend strings on an acoustic? 

rossi

Try pushing the  bridge pins in .I had slight buzz when I set the truss rod and I pushed the pins down buzz gone .Light strings for bending unless you are  goliath amongst men or at think you are.I am getting some 10's probably too light but will try .I talk as a 60's thick string blues and bluegrass  player  round folky clubs  and a much later light string electric basher . in pubsx Personaly I put light strings on everything but I am very old and have learnt wisely .Like you I play a lot of blues .Thick strings are great for bluegrass not blues.

Yorkie

rossi said:

Try pushing the  bridge pins in .I had slight buzz when I set the truss rod and I pushed the pins down buzz gone .Light strings for bending unless you are  goliath amongst men or at think you are.I am getting some 10's probably too light but will try .I talk as a 60's thick string blues and bluegrass  player  round folky clubs  and a much later light string electric basher . in pubsx Personaly I put light strings on everything but I am very old and have learnt wisely .Like you I play a lot of blues .Thick strings are great for bluegrass not blues.

Thanks for the advice. I’ve tried pushing the pins in, but I haven’t noticed any change and it doesn’t look like they can go any further anyway (but I could very well be wrong as I’m a newbie around acoustics). The buzz is way more obvious on fretted notes and is apparently coming from the bridge. There’s nothing obviously wrong with anything on the bridge. 

Please let me know how you get on with 10s — I play 8s on strat and tele, 9s on LP and SG. I think having 10s on acoustic might make sense for me provided that they are not too loose. 

rossi

I just fitted some 10-50 from Ernie Ball and lowered the string height and its really transformed it .Love it .its come alive and no buzz.Do you have a high fret somewhere ? The stock strings were dead as dodos ,some thing worth bearing in mind when trying out in a store.

Yorkie

Nice! But what do you mean by ‘dead as dodos’? Were they rusty? Or simply bad quality?

rossi

Yorkie said:

Nice! But what do you mean by ‘dead as dodos’? Were they rusty? Or simply bad quality?

The guitar didnt ring out.Sounded a bit dead,dull .I knew it was the strings.They have been stuck on a slow boat from China probably .Thats my take but who knows.i always change strings straight away .

Yorkie

I am now getting buzz on all strings. Starting to think that there might be a rattling cable, touching the top from the inside. 

I have also ordered a set of D’Addario 10s — will collect later. 

DiscoStu

What's the latest with your P20s, guys? I'm hovering over the buy button!

Yorkie

DiscoStu said:

What's the latest with your P20s, guys? I'm hovering over the buy button!

I still need to change the strings on mine. I suspect the rattle is caused by a loose cable inside. Aside from the strange buzz, the guitar is light, small, super comfortable and looks great. 

DiscoStu

Hope you find the cause @Yorkie as it sounds like you've found the right guitar for you.
I can't decide between the mahogany or the black. Maybe the black. I'll probably go for the P20e just so I have amp options.

rossi

I love mine even on light strings .Very satisfied with it .A well made proper guitar ,cant actually see any flaws  despite long hard look ..Prbably the e version is worth buying but I got mine at a good price and dont really need another electric

Yorkie

DiscoStu said:

Hope you find the cause @Yorkie as it sounds like you've found the right guitar for you.
I can't decide between the mahogany or the black. Maybe the black. I'll probably go for the P20e just so I have amp options.

Size and scale are definitely right for me. Brand and price were more of an accident. A happy one, though.