Some Ebay honesty to cheer up a gloomy afternoon.....

Wolftone

I choked when I read this;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anyone-For-Cricket-Revolting-Lump-of-wood-by-Zenta-/221326502625?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3388166ae1

It could easily have read something like;

"Here we have a rare classic from the seventies......in almost perfect condition........many famous guitarists had something like this as their first guitar....etc etc"

It was refreshing to have an honest appraisal for once. I know he speaks the truth because I had one and it was truly a piece of grade A++ firewood.

ICBM

Occasionally you find one that isn't too bad actually. They usually work quite well for bluesy stuff, especially slide.

I would never say it's a *good* guitar, but they're not total firewood.

Good listing though .

Wolftone

ICBM said:

Occasionally you find one that isn't too bad actually. They usually work quite well for bluesy stuff, especially slide.

I would never say it's a *good* guitar, but they're not total firewood.

Good listing though .

No mate, whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your oft written wisdom, I have to disagree on this occasion....this is absolute total and utter firewood, and not even good firewood. It would probably even burn out of tune.

ICBM

Wolftone said:

No mate, whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your oft written wisdom, I have to disagree on this occasion....this is absolute total and utter firewood, and not even good firewood. It would probably even burn out of tune.

Sorry, you're wrong! A friend of mine who is a rather good blues player has one - not this shape, but same basic guitar - and he would back me up .

They're not all good, no - but if you think they're all firewood you've just never played a good one.

martinw

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/6767/my-new-favourite-ebay-advert#latest

jpfamps

ICBM said:

Occasionally you find one that isn't too bad actually. They usually work quite well for bluesy stuff, especially slide.

I would never say it's a *good* guitar, but they're not total firewood.

Good listing though .

"Good for slide" is usually not a great recommendation for a guitar......

fretfinder

martinw said:

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/6767/my-new-favourite-ebay-advert#latest

Quite. It would be good not to have two threads about exactly the same eBay listing! 

usedtobe

True. However...

DulcetJones

Wolftone said:

It would probably even burn out of tune.

This might be the funniest line I've read here.

Wolftone

fretfinder said:

martinw said:

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/6767/my-new-favourite-ebay-advert#latest

Quite. It would be good not to have two threads about exactly the same eBay listing! 

Yeah sorry, I was on Ebay and just rushed to post the advert.

Wolftone

ICBM said:

Occasionally you find one that isn't too bad actually. They usually work quite well for bluesy stuff, especially slide.

I would never say it's a *good* guitar, but they're not total firewood.

Good listing though .

Whilst I admire your loyalty and support and admiration for early seventies Zenta plywood guitars, I have honestly seen ironing boards that, with a decent set of strings and a pickup, would make a better slide guitar.   ;;)

I accept wholeheartedly that there may be one or two that, when plugged into a Dumble amp may remotely make a sound as if it were some sort of a guitar but how much work would you need to do to get one playing in a very average way?

All my comments of course are slightly tongue in cheek and not in any way wishing to offend you ICBM. 

:>

ICBM

Don't plug it into a Dumble, that will kill the tone .

The one my friend has didn't need much work. One replacement machinehead, a new set of strings, and a set-up... it actually plays perfectly well even for fingerstyle, although I admit the tone is more suited to slide.

One thing that's important is to block off or remove the trem - it *cannot* work properly, it's just made wrong. And use heavy-ish strings, that will make them more stable and sound better.

Is it ever going to play or sound like a Tele or a Les Paul? No, of course not. And I do find some of the prices being asked because they're "vintage" (AKA just plain old) silly. But I can think of worse guitars.

p90fool

I was given one of these once, and turned it into a passable novelty gigging machine with a TOM bridge and a DiMarzio Super Distortion.
The frets were incredibly skinny though, and there was almost no clean sustain.

I always had a soft spot for this type of thing though, almost as if the designers were held captive in a room, shown a picture of a real Fender for ten seconds, then told to draw it from memory.

OilCityPickups

I had a plywood Maya 'Strat' that was similar in it's horribleness. Interestingly it had the sort of Hershey Bar pickups that people widdle their kecks over these days. To be honest I couldn't wait to get to something with a proper humbucker on it.