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Post by LeoThunder on Sept 29, 2018 17:00:54 GMT
I'm hesitating between the SB and the VW... It seems that the SB is nicer on pictures... What's your owners opinion ? You'd think hardly anyone would answer this question, so I'll try. I had both a Vintage White and a Sunburst ST-62. Same neck, same pickguard, but a major difference. The black surrounding of the Sunburst makes it look thinner than it is. The guitar seems to fade around the edges, it gives it a form of elegance. The solid Vintage White, on the other hand, was plainly there in full and looked a little round, a little thick, a little chubby. The "full thickness" of Strat' body, all 45 mm of it, made itself seen and it wasn't advantageous to my eyes. Does my guitar look big in this? Yes, it did. I didn't keep the Vintage White because I didn't like to look at it. Taste is personal and this might appeal to others but that difference is there. I expect it to work the same way on the JA-60.
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Post by roberto on Sept 29, 2018 17:27:37 GMT
Hi HB'ers ! After may 2 great and modded MS60LH-VW, my next target is the JA60LH, but I'm hesitating between the SB and the VW... It seems that the SB is nicer on pictures... What's your owners opinion ? Also for me it's a question of taste. I like the look of the SB of my JA 60, it's quite similar to my Fender Strato SB.
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Post by hartonbenley on Sept 29, 2018 19:17:43 GMT
OK Roberto - thanks for your opinion Since I already have 2 Vintage White MS60LH : I think I'll go for the Sunburst version : A+!
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Sept 30, 2018 12:02:01 GMT
Here's one with a de-salamied pickguard:
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Post by hartonbenley on Sept 30, 2018 13:42:20 GMT
Thanks Leo Thunder, Yes, the original guard is dull and a white pearl, aged pearl, cream, black 2-ply, etc... Would be much nicer ! My 2005 Squier Std had that kind of Salami-pattern guard too - here along with my now sold Fender Std Strat US2012 : I changed it for an Aged Pearl pickguard - giving her a 60s look : A+!
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Sept 30, 2018 13:57:17 GMT
The white fat is what makes the salami look. That Squier looks a lot better. Corned beef? I quite like it, actually but the perloid is a very nice alternative. Good I don't have to choose between both. The large headstock is what kept me away from those Squier. Only the white Deluxe or Sunburst 50s Classic Vibe could have made it on my wish list. I went for these two instead:
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Post by hartonbenley on Sept 30, 2018 16:55:06 GMT
The white fat is what makes the salami look. That Squier looks a lot better. Corned beef? I quite like it, actually but the perloid is a very nice alternative. Good I don't have to choose between both. The large headstock is what kept me away from those Squier. Only the white Deluxe or Sunburst 50s Classic Vibe could have made it on my wish list. I went for these two instead: Corned beef ? Yes ! Another picture of my modded Squier Std Strat 2005, with explanations : I modded her to become the spare of my US2012, and after all that mod and setup job, she sounded a lot better than the US2012... So I sold the US2012 ! The Squier is more resonant, vibrant and warmer than the US, which sounded bright and mid-scooped, lacking soul, if I can say so. The cause is the wood - I checked it by swapping the loaded pickguards from the US to the Squier : the good tone stayed unchanged, and in the Squier. I retrieved those Squier tonal qualities on my MS60LH-VW, and I'm pretty akeen to think that the JA60LH-SB is in the same ballpark, after some improvements and fine tuning, of course. Cheap guitars sounds good if you are willing to give them a chance ! A+!
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Post by LeoThunder on Sept 30, 2018 17:44:41 GMT
Interesting story of a Squier made to sound better than a Fender. It shows there is not so much difference once the basics are right, no magic involved either, and a lot of that difference is a matter of taste. Many say the matching of the wood pieces matter and that may be right. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, though. My two strat's sound quite different from another but they have different strings and pick-ups. I like them both without preference. They are of a different type of sound.
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Post by hartonbenley on Sept 30, 2018 19:57:19 GMT
Interesting story of a Squier made to sound better than a Fender. It shows there is not so much difference once the basics are right, no magic involved either, and a lot of that difference is a matter of taste. Many say the matching of the wood pieces matter and that may be right. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, though. My two strat's sound quite different from another but they have different strings and pick-ups. I like them both without preference. They are of a different type of sound. Yes. As the Squier was intended to be the spare of the US, I duplicated all setups on each instrument and, as far as possible, used the same elements in order to minimize differences : same pickups, same wiring, pots and selector, same string set and setup, same tremolo block and handle, etc... So changing from one to the other wouldn't make notable difference on stage. While I was upgrading the Squier, when a mod was pertinent (i.e. steel block tremolo) I adopted it also on the US. In my mind, the Squier would be as close, but maybe with a little level gap under the US... I was wrong : the gap was in the tone and the feeling, it was large and in favour of the Squier, to my surprise, against all odds. As stated before, a swap of loaded pickguards (with same load and setup) made no difference. The Squier was still the best sounding between the 2, at least to me, and it was clearly audible, even unplugged - trust me, in no way I was trying to "compare Apples and Oranges"... Moreover, the 2 guitars had the same weight (3.7kg), so I do not see other explanation than mainly the wood species of the body at least (Agathis for the Squier, Alder for the US) both neck being made of maple with rosewood fretboard. This suprising experience led me to consider the Harley Benton guitars, encouraged by my bassist bandmate, who was very satisfied from his new HB fretless Jazz Bass. First, 2x MS60LH-VW 2nd hand, very conclusive, and soon a JA60LH-SB... A+!
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Post by LeoThunder on Oct 1, 2018 0:16:24 GMT
Moreover, the 2 guitars had the same weight (3.7kg), so I do not see other explanation than mainly the wood species of the body at least (Agathis for the Squier, Alder for the US) both neck being made of maple with rosewood fretboard. Weight does not matter, unless you have to use the guitar to defend yourself. More practice is the preferable solution. Wood is an elastic material. Its structure affects the way vibrations travel through it and parts can be matched to provide different results. Relying on species does not help, trees cut at a different age or grown under different conditions will have varying qualities. How much of this can translate into the strings and pick-ups is open to debate but the mechanical system is affected. I heard it said that the neck is the key part of an electric guitar regarding this vibration thing.
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