Rich_S Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 New Junky Guitar Day! I bought this at a pawn shop in Sulphur, LA back in November when it became clear that my one-week startup at (where else?) a chemical plant was going to be a lot longer. It gave me something to do over the Thanksgiving weekend and evenings at the hotel for the remainder of my 3 1/2 week stay. Then I took the neck off, stuck the pieces in my suitcase, and brought it home. (With a 2-week layover in Houston while I recovered from COVID-19.) It's a typical $99 big-box-store guitar: thin body, bolt-on maple neck with scarf joint peghead, tiny metric electronics. But it seemed to have good bones and I figured all it needed was some decent hardware and a good setup. Over the last week, I've been turning it into a player. Out with the cheap humbucker, in with a GFS Mean 90. I've always wanted a single-P90 guitar and now I have one. I bought a set of used Grovers off one of the forums, and they turned out to be auto-locking. Unexpected, but kinda cool. The original lighting-bolt bridge was inexplicably designed for a wound G and wouldn't intonate with my usual Slinky 10s. So, a cheap adjustable bridge was obtained from Amazon, along with a couple of CTS pots. A Switchcraft jack, couple of gold speed knobs, and two Fender strap buttons (with beer washers) from the parts drawer, and we'll call it done. It will henceforth be my travel guitar. I used it the other night for the slide parts in a cover of No Doubt's cover of "It's My Life" that I'm recording remotely with my old band mates. It's a snotty little rock 'n' roll machine. When I pick it up, it makes me play "Stiff Competition". Fun little axe for low, low $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialk Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Me likey! Me likey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Ooh... nice! Love a kick around player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrdaddy Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 It’s a looker too! Bet it sounds great! Congrats on a cool score on the cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortious Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Fascinating that Gibson will use that headstock on these, yet not on Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_S Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 That was one of the selling points when I was comparing cheap guitars on the pawnshop wall. I paid an extra $20 for the headstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biz Prof Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 8 hours ago, Tortious said: Fascinating that Gibson will use that headstock on these, yet not on Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_S Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 I'm not diggin' the speed knobs, want to order some bells knobs instead but I can't decide... amber, black, or gold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 8 minutes ago, Rich_S said: I'm not diggin' the speed knobs, want to order some bells knobs instead but I can't decide... amber, black, or gold? I’d go black to match the pickguard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menehune Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 1/31/2021 at 7:56 PM, Rich_S said: I'm not diggin' the speed knobs, want to order some bells knobs instead but I can't decide... amber, black, or gold? White. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrdaddy Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 1/31/2021 at 1:34 AM, Tortious said: Fascinating that Gibson will use that headstock on these, yet not on Epiphones. The headstock on the Epiphones today are the shape of the headstock that Epiphone used on their high-end builds going way back to the 1940s, perhaps even earlier. Epi had a whole bunch of styles they implemented. The Gibson style headstock, interestingly wasn't a "Gibson" exclusive headstock. Many other builders used that open book design with the standard wings not being lopped off at the corners, including Epiphone on many of their non-blingy guitars. At some point, perhaps the early '90s (?) Gibson stopped using the "open book" headstock design all together on Epiphones. The did occasionally use them throughout the '80s on Epiphone Les Pauls and other guitars. They more than likely wanted Gibson to be the only guitar with that open-book design. And as we all know, Gibson eventually trademarked the design and sues everyone who uses it now. Oddly they did continue to use it on Orvilles and the Maestros. It is a strange company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrdaddy Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 1/31/2021 at 7:56 PM, Rich_S said: I'm not diggin' the speed knobs, want to order some bells knobs instead but I can't decide... amber, black, or gold? Black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_S Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 New Knobs Day! Decisions, decisions. (I really have more important things to think about, but still...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 5 minutes ago, Rich_S said: New Knobs Day! Decisions, decisions. (I really have more important things to think about, but still...) Black all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menehune Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 4 hours ago, Rich_S said: New Knobs Day! Decisions, decisions. (I really have more important things to think about, but still...) Seriously, go with white knobs. Uncommon, and will center visual focus on the black pickup and pick guard. The clear are a good too, but will show through the brass pot shaft unless you pop a bit of white paint (or a circle from a paper punch) into the shaft hole bottom before mounting. Best last option is black. The gold are goats at a high-zoots cocktail party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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