PSA: Shergold at Gear4Music

roberty · February 17

Thinking about it some more, they were competing with lower end Gibsons in that price range at the time. I can understand why they would want to play it down when you could get a US-made name guitar for less money (source)

roberty · February 18

roberty said:

there's nothing about it I would change

Well that didn't take long. The Oil City 49er is in the bridge position now. It's a miracle pickup, it does overdrive and cleans equally well. Because of the weaker magnets you can get it closer to the strings and that makes a huge difference

I am smitten with the guitar

roberty · February 18

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Dave_Mc · February 18

Wow that's excellent @roberty , excellent score there

OilCityPickups · February 19

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

WezV · February 19

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

Gone are the days where every brand has its unique construction style, hardware and pickups.

PRS may be the only major manufacturer actually bothering to make ono-standard parts for their own designs, but most of those are still somehow generically familiar.

However, I do think these new Shergold models represent great value for money, especially on sale. They are a bit quirkier in design and material choices than most, just not hardware. You would struggle to find that combination of wood choices at this price anywhere else.

OilCityPickups · February 19

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

Gone are the days where every brand has its unique construction style, hardware and pickups.

PRS may be the only major manufacturer actually bothering to make ono-standard parts for their own designs, but most of those are still somehow generically familiar.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that Wez. The usual suspects: Gibson, Gretsch, Fender and Rickenbacker and PRS are all still very much using unique construction style, hardware and pickups. Ibanez is getting pickup manufacturers to conform to its own footprint and design aesthetic non square HB baseplates, triangular feet, super thin profiles and five pin plug.
If you add to this - more and more luthiers who are coming to me for pickups for their models these days are asking for a pickup design with a unique selling point or even pickup designed exclusively for their range.

english_bob · February 19

WezV said:
ono-standard parts

Let me guess. Japanese made, and make the guitar really wail, but you can never get it in tune.

english_bob · February 19

Oh, and in case people haven't noticed the other Masquerader models are also at G4M for only slightly more money- Hum/P90 and HSS are £535, H/H is £549

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Shergold-Masquerader-Classic-SM01-Thru-Cherry/5JTN?origin=product-ads&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-NCU5vG3hAMVSpZQBh2FaAA1EAQYCiABEgL8XPD_BwE

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Shergold-Masquerader-Classic-SM02-Thru-Black/5JV1

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Shergold-Masquerader-Classic-SM04-Thru-Black/5JTF?origin=product-ads&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-NCU5vG3hAMVSpZQBh2FaAA1EAQYCSABEgIlr_D_BwE

WezV · February 19

OilCityPickups said:

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

Gone are the days where every brand has its unique construction style, hardware and pickups.

PRS may be the only major manufacturer actually bothering to make ono-standard parts for their own designs, but most of those are still somehow generically familiar.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that Wez. The usual suspects: Gibson, Gretsch, Fender and Rickenbacker and PRS are all still very much using unique construction style, hardware and pickups. Ibanez is getting pickup manufacturers to conform to its own footprint and design aesthetic non square HB baseplates, triangular feet, super thin profiles and five pin plug.
If you add to this - more and more luthiers who are coming to me for pickups for their models these days are asking for a pickup design with a unique selling point or even pickup designed exclusively for their range.

I will give you Gretsch, rickenbacker and ibanez who have always offered an alternative.. as well as many small builder doing something different, and there is certainly more variety in certain circles such as ERG's or basses. Duesenberg probably deserve a mention for their subtly upgraded versions of standard parts.

But there is still a lack of variety in hardware used on most of the stuff you see on guitar shop walls. Many will resort to standard fender/gibson hardware and the various versions of that. Even many "reissues" of quirky old guitars are more reliant on generic parts. Eastwood, danelectro, harmony, supro etc.

roberty · February 19

WezV said:

You would struggle to find that combination of wood choices at this price anywhere else.

The neck is extremely inert. There is a percussive snap to the note but then after that it sustains forever. It must have the longest sustain out of all my guitars. It feels genuinely different to play. Tonally it is fatter and more midrangey than your typical alder/maple

OilCityPickups · February 19

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

Gone are the days where every brand has its unique construction style, hardware and pickups.

PRS may be the only major manufacturer actually bothering to make ono-standard parts for their own designs, but most of those are still somehow generically familiar.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that Wez. The usual suspects: Gibson, Gretsch, Fender and Rickenbacker and PRS are all still very much using unique construction style, hardware and pickups. Ibanez is getting pickup manufacturers to conform to its own footprint and design aesthetic non square HB baseplates, triangular feet, super thin profiles and five pin plug.
If you add to this - more and more luthiers who are coming to me for pickups for their models these days are asking for a pickup design with a unique selling point or even pickup designed exclusively for their range.

I will give you Gretsch, rickenbacker and ibanez who have always offered an alternative.. as well as many small builder doing something different, and there is certainly more variety in certain circles such as ERG's or basses. Duesenberg probably deserve a mention for their subtly upgraded versions of standard parts.

But there is still a lack of variety in hardware used on most of the stuff you see on guitar shop walls. Many will resort to standard fender/gibson hardware and the various versions of that. Even many "reissues" of quirky old guitars are more reliant on generic parts. Eastwood, danelectro, harmony, supro etc.

Image: https://thumbs.static-thomann.de/thumb//orig/pics/prod/250679.webp

Design is getting freed up by innovation ... gradually

JamesSGBrown · February 19

I was actually the poster boy for Shergold for a short while (literally- they used a photo of me playing one live in their magazine full-page ads). We got a Masquerader free, toured it- very solid guitar, faultless really (besides being ugly as sin, but that's subjective).

WezV · February 19

OilCityPickups said:

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

WezV said:

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

You're right @OilCityPickups these guitars do represent a missed opportunity to showcase some UK pickups. Reading your repair thread sort of brought it home. I was ignorant about the history of the brand

Shergold used to be about being different ... you'd buy one because you wanted something out of the ordinary, the Shergold 12 string electric was a case in point, it sounded nothing like either the Fender 12 or the Rickenbacker ... it was it's own thing. Putting generic pickups on a maverick design kinda just makes an 'also ran' guitar.

Gone are the days where every brand has its unique construction style, hardware and pickups.

PRS may be the only major manufacturer actually bothering to make ono-standard parts for their own designs, but most of those are still somehow generically familiar.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that Wez. The usual suspects: Gibson, Gretsch, Fender and Rickenbacker and PRS are all still very much using unique construction style, hardware and pickups. Ibanez is getting pickup manufacturers to conform to its own footprint and design aesthetic non square HB baseplates, triangular feet, super thin profiles and five pin plug.
If you add to this - more and more luthiers who are coming to me for pickups for their models these days are asking for a pickup design with a unique selling point or even pickup designed exclusively for their range.

I will give you Gretsch, rickenbacker and ibanez who have always offered an alternative.. as well as many small builder doing something different, and there is certainly more variety in certain circles such as ERG's or basses. Duesenberg probably deserve a mention for their subtly upgraded versions of standard parts.

But there is still a lack of variety in hardware used on most of the stuff you see on guitar shop walls. Many will resort to standard fender/gibson hardware and the various versions of that. Even many "reissues" of quirky old guitars are more reliant on generic parts. Eastwood, danelectro, harmony, supro etc.

Design is getting freed up by innovation ... gradually

They usually come under the ERG bracket... I first built with them about 18 years ago when I did my first fanned fret. I paired them with one of your pickups on a later build. I have the headless equivalent in my parts drawer waiting for a build

You still don't see many of them on factory guitars, and you certainly don't associate them with a specific guitar brands identity the way you would original Shergold parts.

Airmiles · February 19

@roberty congrats on joining the club!
Do yourself a favour and stick it in open G...

roberty · February 20

Cheers @Airmiles I had never looked at these before

JamesSGBrown said:
faultless really (besides being ugly as sin, but that's subjective).

It is a 100% audition blocker lol. I love it anyway

Creed_Clicks · February 20

Here's a Northern Irish band using them live. I don't think they ever used this brand, maybe were given them for the festival?

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PSA: Shergold at Gear4Music

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