NGD (x3) & NAD (x1)

ICBM

adamm82 said:

I like the designs of the sonex never played one and read mixed reviews. I have been tempted to by one as I'd like an older Gibson guitar in my collection that's affordable. 

Here's my mixed review…

Heavy, lumpy body with no discernable tonal properties - made from "Resonwood", ie a wood core covered in resin. Nasty orange-peel finish.

Poor-quality neck with frequently badly-finished frets and crap machineheads. Sometimes de-laminate along the joints.

Harsh, muddy and totally toneless pickups.

Worse-quality electrics than you will normally find on a US-made guitar.

The bridge and tailpiece are OK.




"Affordable" in the sense that they are probably worth less than any other old Gibson. "Still a waste of money" would be another interpretation.

I hope Harry paid what this one is worth. To be fair, the neck doesn't look that bad.

HarrySeven

ICBM said:

I hope Harry paid what this one is worth. 

The 3 guitars and Phoenix PHA-1 came as a job lot in a trade.

Lets just say that I have no complaints.

impmann

ICBM said:

adamm82 said:

I like the designs of the sonex never played one and read mixed reviews. I have been tempted to by one as I'd like an older Gibson guitar in my collection that's affordable. 

Here's my mixed review…

Heavy, lumpy body with no discernable tonal properties - made from "Resonwood", ie a wood core covered in resin. Nasty orange-peel finish.

Poor-quality neck with frequently badly-finished frets and crap machineheads. Sometimes de-laminate along the joints.

Harsh, muddy and totally toneless pickups.

Worse-quality electrics than you will normally find on a US-made guitar.

The bridge and tailpiece are OK.




"Affordable" in the sense that they are probably worth less than any other old Gibson. "Still a waste of money" would be another interpretation.

I hope Harry paid what this one is worth. To be fair, the neck doesn't look that bad.

My old Sonex had dirty fingers pickups and were the best thing about it. In fact I saved the pickups and swapped them for some god-awful Dimarzios when I sold it.

Oh and the original dirty fingers Pickups were nothing like those modern things.

Funkfingers

Funkfingers said:

 I cannot decide whether to go with three budget single coils or two American stacked-coil pickups and a dummy in the middle for show.

ICBM said:
I would definitely go for three proper pickups

So would I ... if I planned to keep the guitar for myself. The likeliest customer for this guitar is known for preferring the lowest possible price. Hence, Korean PRS SE pickups it shall be.

Three-way neck/both/bridge toggle plus a blend for the middle is, essentially, what the ATN circuitry does, already. My life.

mbe

Some of those old Hohners were built in Wales boyo ☺

Funkfingers

... as were Picato strings. (Touché!)

gubble

I've always fancied a sonex - probably never bought one because I knew it would be rubbish.

Buit one day............

ICBM

impmann said:

My old Sonex had dirty fingers pickups and were the best thing about it. In fact I saved the pickups and swapped them for some god-awful Dimarzios when I sold it.

Very few of them had the Dirty Fingers pickups - only one that I've seen, I think. Most had appalling things with no adjustable polepieces, like the ones in Harry's. This is a common trap for people who buy Sonexes expecting them to have the good pickups...

clarkefan

Dirty Fingers pickups are crap, compressed to all hell horrible things. Fastest thing I've ever resold.

ICBM

clarkefan said:

Dirty Fingers pickups are crap, compressed to all hell horrible things. Fastest thing I've ever resold.

The original ones were great - high-output and aggressive, but with great responsiveness to picking, which is presumably why they were called that. The reissue ones weren't...

Funkfingers

HarrySeven said:

Dammit, Mr. FF, that's looking mighty fine!

ICBM said:
I have to say it looks brilliant with the P90s.

Thanks to the combination of budget single coil P90s and the stock control circuitry, this particular JT-60 is sounding pretty interesting too. Far more versatile than my simplistic Blues guitar idea would have been.

Funkfingers

It's coming home.
It's coming home.
It's coming.
Jay Tee's coming home.

https://i.imgur.com/ikwZNGi.jpg?1

HarrySeven

  

thermionic

JDE said:

I really like the look of that Hohner. Very Urusei Yatsura, if anyone remembers them.

I have the Kewpies Like Watermelons single and I saw them support the Super Furry Animals in a marquee in the grounds of Cardiff Castle!