Tried a couple yesterday...

Nunogilberto · December 2014

In my well documented quest for something naturally finished and Strat like, I had a go on a few guitars yesterday during my lunch break...

Yamaha Pacifica 120H - This was a watershed moment for me because this guitar was near the top of my list. Initially, it felt well built and played smoothly as you'd expect, but it sounded like shite - the pups just didn't do it for me and engaging the coil tap on the neck bucker made absolutely no difference to the output whatsoever. Might have been a dud guitar, but still a bit off putting.

Ibanez GSA60 - I tried one of these for comparison. HSS and vintage trem. Compared to the Yam, it didn't have the build quality (stiff tuners, sharp edges and untidy finishing) and the sales guy did his best to put me off (it's basically plywood, the Yam's much better etc) but tonally, the Strat vibe was there in abundance - it was more fun to play, and that 80s rock clean sound (Kayleigh, Hysteria etc) was bang on.

Gould Jaguar copy - Something a bit different and it caught my eye for that reason. Basically a cheapo Jag copy with HBs, for the money it wasn't bad - held tuning and played well enough, but felt cheap. The pups had a fair bit of clout, but anything it could do, my DBZ Bolero LP at home could do a lot better in fairness.

On the way home, I swung by the excellent Must Have Music in Blackwood, the only shop where the owner will press all sorts of nice guitars into your hands and is a friendly guy. I didn't plug owt in due to some kids deafening everyone with a Mockingbird, but I had good vibes from strumming a Musicman Sub Silo 3, a VGS Road Cruiser, a used Squier Showmaster and a Dean Custom 350F (Ibanez like). I also quite enjoyed copping a feel of an N2, but it was out of my price range and I'm not generally a Floyd Rose man.

So, I'm being compelled towards a Strat type - I'd have preferred HSH but if the guitar is nice, I'd settle for HSS. Only one of those guitars I tried was a natural finish, but it was more about getting a feel for the models. If I found a good one in the wrong shade, I'd have a think about refinishing it...