Bargain NGD - impulse, bad timing content (NOW WITH ADDED OIL CITY)

Bucket

So I recently ordered a Strat build from MJT in America - I've worked out that it should be about £750 all in, and it's in the process of being built over in the US currently. I knew it was going to be my last guitar for a while, because while I'm personally not too badly off (still at home, not paying bills and I have a reasonably lucrative job with lots of overtime available) I will need to be saving a little bit more than I am in preparation for starting my degree in September. So the Strat was going to be "it" for a while.

Yeah, right.

Then this came along.

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Vintage VS6 Icon Jr/20140812_103159_zps3ac3c4e4.jpg

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Vintage VS6 Icon Jr/20140812_103637_zps2bfa31dc.jpg

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af347/ConnorF1995/Vintage VS6 Icon Jr/20140812_111747_zps5231259b.jpg

It's a Vintage VS6 Icon Junior - I'd been after a single P-90 rock machine for a while, and have recently developed a real lust for an SG Junior. I remember liking these when they came out (despite the unconvincing fake wear), and they were approaching £300, so I was stunned to find this on eBay, new, in the box, from a shop with six available, for £129. Then I made an offer, and got it for £110.

It arrived this morning, and here are some initial observations. Haven't had a proper plugged-in sit down with it so I won't comment on the sound or playability etc. just yet.

GOOD STUFF:

- It's very light.

- It's very resonant and pretty loud unplugged.

- The neck is pleasingly meaty.

- Fundamentally, it feels solidly put together. Hardware and construction feel good.

- It was set up pretty well out of the box, only thing needed was a tweak to the action.

NOT-SO-GOOD-STUFF:

- I'm not going to pretend the fake ageing looks anything other than shite

- The electrics are playing up. This has been a common thread with every Vintage I've owned (this is my third) - it's the jack socket I think, should be an easy fix (on a guitar like this, there's only so much that can go wrong) but thought it was worth mentioning.

So there we are! I'll report back in due course. Once the Strat is here (hopefully in a month or two) that really will be it. Promise.

not_the_dj

Bargain!

littlethoughts

Good deal! An SG junior is one of my dream guitars, even more so than a Les Paul Junior.

RocknRollDave

Bargain indeed. Nice work. Nothing like I was expecting to see either.

xSkarloey

Enjoy it!

There seems to be a number of shops selling certain Vintage models at clearance prices.

I'm weighing up getting one of the relic Clapton type Strats as a base for customising.

kelvinburn

Happy NGD.  I've been hovering around one of these for a while myself.  Be interesting to hear what it sounds like

EricTheWeary

They are still on eBay. Bargaintastic.

Iamnobody

You bastard! Couldn't resist trying one at that price!

Need a cheaper guitar for having lying round the house and to take to practice when my gear will be left in the boot before or after.

Still it does mean someone else can have the Joe Trohman sig Tele I just bought off here...

Neil

Very nice.

If I didn't have my LP Jr an SG version would be on the agenda. 

jd0272

Can't not at that price. Nice work!

ThePrettyDamned

Good work mate, looks pretty cool! Nice to hear the neck is good too, some low priced stuff has skinny things on...

Iamnobody

ThePrettyDamned;318881" said:

Good work mate, looks pretty cool! Nice to hear the neck is good too, some low priced stuff has skinny things on...

The decent sized neck bit sold it to me.

Nunogilberto

Good score!

Bucket

Thanks guys.

I'm loving it unplugged but plugged-in is proving annoying. There's something definitely wrong with the wiring but I can't work out what.

It has nowhere near the gain it should, and not just in a "metal fan isn't used to singlecoils" way - I mean it really sounds like the volume has been rolled back to about 4. Clean, it's almost inaudible.

Earlier it was very muffled and dark, like the tone had been rolled off. Dad's had a play with it and it's not so muffled now, but it's still significantly down on power. Something's definitely up, but I can't work it out.

Bad connection? Bad pots? There's only so many things it can be on this guitar!

ICBM

Is it shielded with conductive paint inside? If so check for something like a pot terminal touching the shielding.

It could also be a partially-shorted cable, if its been overheated when it was soldered. Sometimes carefully pulling on the core will break the short and it will work fine after that.

The jack could actually be partially shorted too - this is a surprisingly common fault with ultra-cheap ones. If you suspect it for other reasons anyway, replace it with a Switchcraft. (No other make, they're all crap!) Check what length of bushing you need to go through the top.

Bucket

Ok, last night I managed to get a proper diagnosis with the help of a friend of my dad's.

He went through every electrical component and tested the signal with each pot and the input jack bypassed, and actually concluded that the fault is in the pickup itself, because everything else seems to work fine.

So I guess I'll need a new pickup! And I think I shall take my custom to @TheGuitarWeasel for the first time.

I may replace other components too as per @ICBM's suggestions.

Dave_Mc

Nice

£110? That sounds like a pretty sweet price.

Iamnobody

Thanks to @bucket posting I also picked up one of these.

Sorry to hear about yours - personally I'd contact the seller and tell him about the dodgy pickup. He might issue a discount?

I'm happy with mine. I don't think it's a £300 guitar though and it has more headstock dive than other SGs I've had.

Bang on for the money though...

ThePrettyDamned

@bucket I might have a spare switchcraft jack. If I do (will look after work tomorrow) I'll post it to you

Dave_Mc

Yeah even if it's a good price if it's being sold as new it should still work. Of course, if the seller has none left, then it might be a judgement call as to whether to keep it or not since it was a good price (or even if there are more available, you might decide it's not worth tbe bother of sending back if it's an easy fix or it's a weak part in all of them).

Seller didn't ship to NI. Phew. )

Iamnobody

Dave_Mc;324913" said:

Yeah even if it's a good price if it's being sold as new it should still work. Of course, if the seller has none left, then it might be a judgement call as to whether to keep it or not since it was a good price (or even if there are more available, you might decide it's not worth tbe bother of sending back if it's an easy fix or it's a weak part in all of them).



Seller didn't ship to NI. Phew. )

Exactly if it's being sold as new it should work.

If bucket is bothered I'd suggest settling on a fifteen or twenty quid refund which would be cheaper for the seller than two lots of shipping.