Story time: Brand Name Snobbery

[Dante]

SC: that is a LOVELY guitar (and I'm pretty sure I know which PUs are in there ;) )

[rnolan]

Very nice Strat, Rich!  Hey....did I see 3 MP-2s and a TC M-One on background???  :banana-trip:

Thanks Max, the strat came up quite well, new black chrome gotohs, graphtech nut, wilkinson trem, super switch, push/pull pots, SD hotrails and lill 59.
Yes  >:D 3 MP2s (the 4th is in my live rack), and I really like the TCMOne (also a TLAaudio Ivory 5001 hybrid tube 4 ch preamp, a Focusrite Platunum Penta stereo compressor and a Digi002). Although that rack now has only 1 MP-2 and 1 MB-1 and soon I'll probably put the working MP-1 in there as well. I need a 240v Classic to round it out.

@SC, nice guitar  :whoohoo!:

[rabidgerry]

Here is one of my non £1000 guitars.  New it may have been about £300 since these were upmarket Squiers, but I got it for about £100 I think.

It's pink and a bit "Motley Crue" but there is an irony to me having this guitar and playing it live that people find amusing and because it sounds good it does not matter that it's the most silly colour of all time.  Ironic because I am not an advocate of "Glam" or "Hair" metal.

These photos do not do it justice but I will take some better ones.  I love the feel and playability of this guitar.  I put a dimarzio Super D in there also.  I have a Super Distortion 2 for the neck but I aint installed it yet.  I think I upgraded the tone cap to an orange drop as well.  Can't remember.

[Kim]

I'd totally rock out with that guitar, too RG.      I wouldn't care if it's pink or not.

[Dante]

I'd totally rock out with that guitar, too RG.      I wouldn't care if it's pink or not.

I'd probably add a Hello Kitty sticker, but would have NO problem rockin' that axe

[rnolan]

Very nice guitar SG  :whoohoo!:

[rabidgerry]

I'd totally rock out with that guitar, too RG.      I wouldn't care if it's pink or not.

I'd probably add a Hello Kitty sticker, but would have NO problem rockin' that axe

  No no stickers ruining nice guitars 

If I  did though I'd put a He-Man Masters of the Universe sticker on there, but it would probably look shit hahaha

Yeah the guitar is pink, and not a majorly expensive guitar, and yet it's definitely a quality instrument and really, really has something I very much love about playing it. And yes....................made in China.  It doesn't look to crazy with me playing it onstage either.  People say I have balls to play it.  I say "Yes I do" 

A point about the hardware.  All hardened steel.  So the nut and saddles and bridge are steel.  I read somewhere the pups where designs of Seymour Duncan.  They were ok actually, but I wanted the raunchy Super D.

I could upgrade to a big brass block (one if which I have lying about spare) but I dunno as I like the axe sounds right now.

[rnolan]

(I could upgrade to a big brass block (one if which I have lying about spare) but I dunno as I like the axe sounds right now.) then probably best just play and enjoy it, although, big brass block mmm LoL

[Harley Hexxe]

A very interesting thread here guys,

    As I've just read through this for the first time, I know I can relate with some of what you are saying. But to get back to the very first post here that Dante put up, on the flip side of the coin, aren't most of us brand snobs too?
   I'm referring to guys like me who have a lot of ADA gear, and for us, nothing else will do?

   I'll put any of my ADA rigs up against anything you've got, and I'll either match you tone, or best it!
  As for guitars, sure, I have some American made Fenders that are all considered vintage and collectible, but I'm not a collector, I'm a player, and I play what I like. That's why I also own 3 of the Korean made Fender Showmaster guitars. They have issues, but they also have enormous potential. First of all, these guitar are set-neck and not bolt-on, meaning they are glued in like Gibsons. The wood is African Mahogany, and the fretboard is Brazilian Rosewood. The electronics and hardware it comes with is garbage, especially the locking tuners! Those are the finest examples of over-engineered bullshit that I've seen in all my years of living!
  They come with SD Pearly Gates in the bridge and RWRP JB's in the neck, (HH models). They are 24 fret, 25.5" scale with Dunlop 6105 fretwire, on a 15" radius fretboard. The hardware is cheap pot metal castings of the 2-point Fender style trem, and not even close to stable. Electronics are the cheapest Chinese junk you can find on the internet.
   DiMarzio pots and a Monster switch can fix this up in a hurry, as do the Dimarzio Air Buckers I have in there now. Air Zone, (bridge) Air Norton, (neck). In the other one, I have the same neck pickup, but I have a Steve's Special in the bridge.
   The 3rd one is basically the same guitar but with  a S-S-S pickup configuration. This is my special project that I have planned for the future. That came with SD SSL52 in them but those are the lamest pickups I've ever heard. I've bought a set of Burns Tri-Sonic pickups to put in there, and with a few Push-Push pots and a Mega Switch, and a little creative wiring, it should be quite a different animal! I'm also going to re-do the finish on that guitar since it's the ugliest thing to come along since Pugs were bred.

   I got the 1st one used for $269.00 USD, the 2nd for $300.00 USD and the 3rd, (NOS) $600.00 USD

   The body and neck construction is as solid as it gets, and the tones are pretty warm, so with the mods I'll do to them, these will be my signature axes, but they will work to the end of time if need be. Sometimes you have to crawl through a mountain of mud to find the diamond in the rough.

    Harley 8)

[Iperfungus]

Did I show you my Modern Player Strat yet, guys?
I love its "Adrian Smith" and "Jake E. Lee" look...  :headbanger:


A chinese model with Fender brand on headstock.
A killer (cheap) guitar.
They do not produce it anymore...and I suspect that this is because those guitars could have killed MIM ones...

I've put there some StewMac's pickups...they are excellent!
Golden Age series.
Now I'll change the 6 screws vintage tremolo (same as MIM model) with a better Gotoh one.

[rnolan]

Hey Max, very nice  :whoohoo!: .

Hey Harley, any chance of some pics ? Those showmasters sound very interesting.

[rabidgerry]

@ Harley I guess to some degree what you say is true.

But I think it was a particular type of snobbery Dante was referring to, which is predominantly focused on those who look down their noses at the cheaper equipment out there.

You could just say chosing to use ADA gear is a preference.  Indeed I use other gear such as my Peavey rockmaster.  I'm not exclusive to ADA equipment.  I just like the ADA MP1's I have.

You'd be a snob if you said "no I only use ADA equipment" and "No I will not use anything else and I am not open to trying or considering other gear even if it sounds as good".

It all depends.

I think there is snobbery with tubes vs anything else for example.  This is another huge topic of debate which I wont get into.  But for me I will not turn my nose up at anything else be it solidstate or digital as I've used both before and I actually moved to tube from digital.  Why?  Not because I thought it was better, but largely an exploration of older equipment in the search for sounds.  I have heard other technologies provide good results so I'll never say never but currently I'm  finding what I want from tube preamps and rack gear and that just happens to be where I am right now.  Can't see me doing a Michael Wagner though hahaha why? Because Profiling gear is so expensive and old rack stuff is a lot cheaper at the moment.

[Iperfungus]

Hey Max, very nice  :whoohoo!: .

[Iperfungus]

You could just say chosing to use ADA gear is a preference.  Indeed I use other gear such as my Peavey rockmaster.  I'm not exclusive to ADA equipment.  I just like the ADA MP1's I have.

You'd be a snob if you said "no I only use ADA equipment" and "No I will not use anything else and I am not open to trying or considering other gear even if it sounds as good".

It all depends.

I think there is snobbery with tubes vs anything else for example.  This is another huge topic of debate which I wont get into.  But for me I will not turn my nose up at anything else be it solidstate or digital as I've used both before and I actually moved to tube from digital.  Why?  Not because I thought it was better, but largely an exploration of older equipment in the search for sounds.  I have heard other technologies provide good results so I'll never say never but currently I'm  finding what I want from tube preamps and rack gear and that just happens to be where I am right now.  Can't see me doing a Michael Wagner though hahaha why? Because Profiling gear is so expensive and old rack stuff is a lot cheaper at the moment.

+1

I love my Zoom 9150 as my ADA Mp-1! 
And I'm going to love it more with an incoming Marshall 8008 Valvestate power amp.

[rabidgerry]

Not as sexy as my Tokai (already posted this in the axe forum)  It's actually one of my more expensive axes as it has age and collectibility on it's side.



BTW I actually bout the Pink Squier Showmaster, in near mint condition for £90!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :whoohoo!:

WHAT A STEAL!  That was shipping included.  So actually £70 without the shipping cost.  One of my best guitars.