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Dirt posted:From what I always heard it was the late 70s and 80s Gibson stuff that was sketchy. But now they are extra valuable because "omg vintage". So who knows. My mid-'70s Gibson Marauder was their absolute entry-level made in the USA guitar at the time, think it ran $400 then (which, you know, adjusting for inflation, yikes - entry level, yowza), and it's got some of the finest workmanship out of any guitar in my collection with the exception of the two mid-'80s made in Japan guitars I own (a Charvel which is really a Jackson for all intents and purposes, and a Fender MIJ which is really the best thing ever for all intents and purposes). I guess I slid in riiiight before the decline, but seriously, this is an amazingly nice sounding, well designed (electronically speaking - one of the first guitars to feature acrylic potted pickups, and cleverly made ones, too, Bill Lawrence was on fire back then), and looks ridiculous since it's a Les Paul Jr. body with a strat-style comfort cut and a friggin' Flying V neck. I love this goofy thing so much. 
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Jun 8, 2014 00:40
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Southern Heel posted:Are there any Les Paul years to AVOID if you're buying second hand? The new prices are out of this world for Standards and Customs, and frankly if I'm dropping that much cash on a Guitar it doesn't make sense to go for a Studio/Melody-Maker despite the fact they'll sound the same. Personally, I think a lot of what is said about certain years of guitars is mostly just hyperbole and confirmation bias. There are bad guitars made every year regardless of manufacturer and the only real way to figure out the good from the bad is to play them.
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Jun 8, 2014 02:17
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Southern Heel posted:I see, that's a little disconcerting. After being stung buying a new USA Strat and instantly, permanently losing 30% as I took it off the lot I'm extremely skeptical about purchasing new now. The thing with Gibson, and increasingly Fender, is half the price tag is the name on the headstock. Instruments aren't that big of an industry; FMIC which is one of the two largest music instrument companies (technically Yamaha's the largest but they're a conglomerate) was only offered something like $185 million in their failed IPO a couple years back. The real money's in trading on brand identity, while cutting production costs as much as possible.
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Jun 8, 2014 02:24
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I would buy an Agile sight unseen before I'd buy a Fender or a Gibson sight unseen. Don't trust, damned well verify. I have a respectably well made 2001 MIM strat, and an EXCEEDINGLY well made 2003 American telecaster, as well as a few sundry other Fenders including the Best of the Best (seriously, fit and finish on the MIJ strat is loving immaculate)... MIMs are made in maquiladoras (border factories) by people who aren't paid very well at all and who are expected to work like fuckin' slaves (ok, to be totally fair here, Fender does not gently caress over their workers nearly as bad as some - take maquiladora chemical plants, jesus christ they make their workers live in encampments outside the factories and often downhill from the drainage). MIM Fender quality control on the body work ranges substantially (it's ok, buffing compound in the body cavities is a tone enhancer maybe!  ), and Fender in general is just not doing so well with their necks lately so that becomes more of an issue than it used to be. But the ones I have, especially the necks, could have been crowned by austere luthiers making ten grand a guitar they're so comfortable to move around on and play. The fact that they have really gotten spotty with such an important element doesn't bode well (neither does their credit rating, or that of their primary debtor!).The cleanest route work I've seen on any modern guitar is on an Agile I bought in like 2007; it's "just" CNC, but it's very well programmed and very well fit n' finished CNC. Very easy guitar to work inside, and the shielding paint was a nice touch that I did not expect for the price. A couple Korean factories have kinda slipped in quality control as well, though, so I don't know how well every MIK guitar holds up now versus then - Samicks used to be pretty immaculate in terms of basic fit and finish, good project guitars, but now I don't know if that's true. And Chinese factories may have labor forces which are pushed and arguably abused as much as MIM, but at least the factories themselves tend to be quite a lot nicer, very good climate control etc.; before I went to college I worked in a factory that had been built in and not greatly improved since the 1960s, while most modern Chinese factories are generation four technology (fully climate controlled, some areas hermetically sealed, very good ventilation) since they reinvest so much into manufacturing compared to us. The same is sometimes true of other smaller Asian nations' factories, since everyone's racing around trying to find the lowest bidder for labor... Vietnamese Ampegs don't suck, for example, and some Indonesian Ibanez guitars are pretty stellar. But in general, the best advice you'll get regarding a guitar is just don't, do not, do not buy sight unseen. Play it, make sure that everything is solid as far as fit and finish goes, and know what compromises if any are made regarding hardware and electronics at the given price point. It's a ridiculous shame that some modern USA-made instruments that retail for $2k and up will shred your calluses if you move up and down the neck quickly because their frets just, fuckin', poke out. Wow, amazing job seating and crowning those frets, really earning that sub-CCC credit rating.
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Jun 8, 2014 02:50
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And Asian-made guitars are getting better and better. My Chinese-made Ibanez was playable out of the box, has pretty good pickups (I might replace them someday but  how do you even do that on a full hollow???), and affordable. Speaking of which, does anyone know of a decently affordable (under $700), high-quality Tele-style guitar that isn't a Squier or Fender? Just out of curiosity, I'm not aiming for a new guitar anytime soon, but every time I hit Guitar Center or the local store I've not seen anything along those lines.Also, I'm throwing these in my Strat copy for my birthday and replacing the horrifying, rusty bridge that drives me crazy every time I adjust it. Yay. EDIT: VVV just as well, they're pretty nice pickups and I can pull of a pretty sweet John McLaughlin Jack Johnson-era tone. Ghost of Reagan Past fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 02:56
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replacing electronics in a hollowbody or semi-hollow is something i never ever want to do myself. with a few tricks it's really not that bad but uggggh
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Jun 8, 2014 03:00
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Dirt posted:From what I always heard it was the late 70s and 80s Gibson stuff that was sketchy. But now they are extra valuable because "omg vintage". So who knows. Yeah, I heard that for a long time it was generally the shops that were basically doing extra time on all of the Gibson/Fenders to bring them up to par, since they were often coming in like crap. The Chinese/Koreans have really come a long way. Like Agreed, I have a 2001ish MiM Strat which is pretty decent considering, when I bought it (was a kid) Squiers were really looked down upon. These days for the money Agile simply blows everything away. Seriously the AL series is just exceptional for the money. I would NEVER ever buy a high end guitar sight unseen, taking a chance for ~$200 is one thing, for $2000 the instrument better be bloody flawless. It is a joke that Fender or Gibson would have the gall to charge that money for guitars with spotty finishes and installations, when the Koreans are basically making flawless machines for a 1/10 of the price. Is it just me or is the Melody maker a pretty big ripoff for a truly cut down guitar. It is like nothing that makes a Gibsons a Gibson, except the name on the ugly neck, and the exorbitant price. unlawfulsoup fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 03:03
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To be totally honest I think the Melody Maker has a certain charm to it, but remember that I just professed tremendous love for what was the Melody Maker of its day: (Mine is of a slightly later vintage and features a mahogany body and neck instead of the mahogany on alder in that ad, dots instead of block inlays, enclosed pickups instead of exposed ones, and perhaps most importantly a badass blend pot to go between the neck and bridge pickup - it's as close as Gibson has ever got to nailing the Tele sound, I want to be buried with this thing  )You know a guitar is loving gross when the ad copy specifically says not to worry so much about how terrible it looks.  muike posted:replacing electronics in a hollowbody or semi-hollow is something i never ever want to do myself. with a few tricks it's really not that bad but uggggh Noooooo joke. Strings everywhere and it's doable, yeah, but it is such a pain in the rear end compared to any other standard guitar type, haha.
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Jun 8, 2014 03:42
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Look again! They call it pretty, they're just trying to be clever about how it's great in every other way too. I like the bit about it having Gibson's smoothest fret job though, makes it sound like a third-party review. Yeah this is better than our usual finishing work guys, have no fear! Also I kinda feel like they're trying to work in some guitar sex euphemisms
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Jun 8, 2014 04:52
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Sight unseen is always a bit of a risk. Late 90s Gibsons tend to be a whole hell of a lot more consistently passable than 70s and 80s stuff, some of which was really just plain terrible (see above). You want a nice axe, not a turd. Maybe save up and hold out a little longer for something you can get your hands on and be sure of?
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Jun 8, 2014 05:02
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Southern Heel posted:Are there any Les Paul years to AVOID if you're buying second hand? The new prices are out of this world for Standards and Customs, and frankly if I'm dropping that much cash on a Guitar it doesn't make sense to go for a Studio/Melody-Maker despite the fact they'll sound the same. quote:From what I always heard it was the late 70s and 80s Gibson stuff that was sketchy. But now they are extra valuable because "omg vintage". So who knows. The only LPs to avoid going after are the 59s because they're overly inflated. Otherwise go for it because the entire model has the good and bad for every year/production. In a less sarcastic response, the only "bad" LP was the very first batch of the very first LP, the 1952. Intonation was spotty and the action was basically unchangeable. The 70s/early 80s have their "quirks". The headstock got a bit more flair, the cutaway got more shallow with the horn sharper. Some are pancake bodies. Some of them have the "goof rings" on the humbucker and bridge/tailpiece routes. They're fine guitars though. Zuhzuhzombie!! fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 05:05
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baka kaba posted:Look again! They call it pretty, they're just trying to be clever about how it's great in every other way too. It really is ugly. Lovable and ugly as hell. And, the fret job? Seriously, immaculate, the neck is fantastic, radius is super comfortable and it's as easy to chord as it is to play lead all over the place - the fretboard routes and the wire seating is all excellently done and the frets are expertly crowned. I'm sure that out of the less-than-1400 of these out there, some of them probably suck. Maybe some of those were the ones smashed at Kiss shows, or maybe we lost good guitars along the way - the world may never know. But it really is a Damned Fine Guitar, and the only Gibson that I own and like (because it's basically a Fibson, or a Ginder, these pickups are pretty damned hot and it's just a lot of fun to play! For an alternative perspective... I love this guy's overview of the Marauder - http://menga.net/gibsons-stupid-norlin-era-electric-guitars - absolutely hates it, I think he'd put them all in one of those crushers that'll chew up engine blocks and spit out easier to process scrap metal if he could. And he's so wrong, it rules, haha, but that's, just, like, my opinion, man. Though, I do wonder where the idea that guitar pickups go THAT fast comes from... I guess I have the good fortune to have bought one that was not gigged all that regularly, not a lot of voltage run through it considering its age, these particular pickups are not dying any time soon... I really don't know where that idea comes from. From my understanding, "permanent" magnets don't lose their charge with the voltage produced by playing them that quickly at all anyway, and they're quite resilient in keeping their molecular alignment. We call them "permanent" for a reason, though it's a fudge term rather than the god's honest truth. Still, if you really want to hate this guitar, that's the way to do it: completely and unapologetically, just as I love it. Yin and yang, you see. 
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Jun 8, 2014 07:18
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Gotta recommend the Ernie ball aluminum bronze acoustic strings. I've been playing them in standard tuning on my ovation and decided to drop down to B and man, no noticeable buzz at all. The action isn't even that high and they still perform great.
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Jun 8, 2014 07:52
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:Speaking of which, does anyone know of a decently affordable (under $700), high-quality Tele-style guitar that isn't a Squier or Fender? Just out of curiosity, I'm not aiming for a new guitar anytime soon, but every time I hit Guitar Center or the local store I've not seen anything along those lines. You could probably put together a partscaster with decent enough stuff- Allparts neck, Mighty Mite body, Duncans etc. for around 700.
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Jun 8, 2014 10:29
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Looking for non-comical alternatives someone suggested SG's, and while an SG does sound like it could be a great choice, I've also been looking at the ESP Viper 1000's, like so: http://www.thomann.de/gb/esp_ltd_viper1000_stbc.htm I can't find a damned thing out about them on the 'net though other than obviously-biased owner reviews. Thoughts compared to say, this SG Standard? http://www.andertons.co.uk/solid-body-electric-guitars/pid31586/cid671/gibson-sg-standard-in-fireburst.asp Southern Heel fucked around with this message at 14:05 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 13:58
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Has anyone played G&L Fallouts, like the non-USA vs USA ones as well? I am digging the look, and having both the P90 and humbucker
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Jun 8, 2014 14:12
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Southern Heel posted:Looking for non-comical alternatives someone suggested SG's, and while an SG does sound like it could be a great choice, I've also been looking at the ESP Viper 1000's, like so: http://www.thomann.de/gb/esp_ltd_viper1000_stbc.htm I have an older Viper 300 from when they were still made in Korea. It's nothing special, but pretty good for a mid-range guitar.
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Jun 8, 2014 14:16
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Agreed posted:
Wow, those Quilter amps look neat. I'm happy to see someone trying to move things past obsessively trying to recreate the way things were 50+ years ago. I currently only fiddle around in my living room with an ac4 on an agile and a cv tele, so a $1k amp is probably not the right call, especially just to get some clean tones, but I will totally admit to spending the day reading all about them regardless.
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Jun 8, 2014 15:56
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Southern Heel posted:Looking for non-comical alternatives someone suggested SG's, and while an SG does sound like it could be a great choice, I've also been looking at the ESP Viper 1000's, like so: http://www.thomann.de/gb/esp_ltd_viper1000_stbc.htm If you live in Europe you can probably get your hands on Tokai/Bacchus/Burny/etc Les Paul replicas much easier than we can in the States and I would recommend that route. Agreed posted:It really is ugly. Lovable and ugly as hell. And, the fret job? Seriously, immaculate, the neck is fantastic, radius is super comfortable and it's as easy to chord as it is to play lead all over the place - the fretboard routes and the wire seating is all excellently done and the frets are expertly crowned. I'm sure that out of the less-than-1400 of these out there, some of them probably suck. Maybe some of those were the ones smashed at Kiss shows, or maybe we lost good guitars along the way - the world may never know. But it really is a Damned Fine Guitar, and the only Gibson that I own and like (because it's basically a Fibson, or a Ginder, these pickups are pretty damned hot and it's just a lot of fun to play! "It sucks because it was designed to sound like a Fender". Guy can go get hosed and then come back and rereview it with a clear head. I've been on Quilter's mailing list for a while now, just never really checked them out seriously. Solid state, right? I see videos of them praising the clean tone, but well, solid state does clean tones incredibly well. It's everything else that they can sometimes struggle with. Zuhzuhzombie!! fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 16:43
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Zuhzuhzombie!! posted:If you live in Europe you can probably get your hands on Tokai/Bacchus/Burny/etc Les Paul replicas much easier than we can in the States and I would recommend that route. Yeah, there's a brick and mortar that stocks them, but the LP's only - anything to look out for?
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Jun 8, 2014 17:22
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The distortion on those Quilters sounds fine to me. Not amazing, but perfectly acceptable. I've certainly heard plenty of tube amps I like less. My main question is how easy they are too repair if the owner (or other idiot) does manage to break them. Tube amps have many downsides, but at least for the moment they're fairly easy to fix if something does get hosed up. Either way, that 9lb head is really tempting. I've been drooling over the Fender Super Sonic heads, which go used for about the same price. The super light weight is a huge selling point though, as is the simplification of my life; I can't afford nice tubes now and I suspect the situation will only get worse. I think I'd feel better skirting the issue entirely.
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Jun 8, 2014 17:23
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I think their distortion sounds quite good, but then I also have two Openhaus pedals (both bought new from waiting patiently on the list, one a 2011 model with the introduction of the Deep switch instead of the Phase switch, and just very recently got the 2013 model with its massive active EQ section and eerily low noise floor), and a shitload of preamps that are either entirely solid state or just slightly tube, and an embarrassingly high number of distortion pedals. I clearly have no problem with solid state clipping when it's done well. Coupling solid state preamps to my THD Univalve sounds awesome, because its preamp, even going full-bore with tubes as hot as you like, Will Not Clip. Every bit of its dirt comes from pushing the power section, and setting it to be just barely on the edge of clipping makes it flatter pedals tremendously - kinda lovely pedals sound surprisingly good through it, and good pedals sound amazing. Preamps' non-DI outputs sound amazing through it. Still, solid state amps - apart from ones with big loving MOSFET power sections designed to clip well before the enter their maximum output range - generally do everything that they do before the power section. That's the case with the ISP Theta heads, they have some fancy output section emulation tech going on and it works very well; that's the case with the old Damage Control part-tube, part-SS drive pedals (pulled a solid 2 amps of A/C power from the transformer, they're running the tubes in 'em hot enough to actually clip them, at least) - they have both output section emulation of a different sort AND a really nice 14th-order filter for the cabinet emulation, haven't heard better from analog stuff (though IRs obviously sound better). The Quilters do have more of a preampy kind of sound, I guess, they're more along the lines of a cascaded preamp tube head with a big clean power section if we're making that analogy. But the clean is very clean (as mentioned by others, solid state cleans are very good) and the dirt is quite good. It's not totally analog, the power section is a digitally controlled switching supply, but it'll put out 200W of actual power, much like bass amps built along the same lines, and we're well past class-D being insufficient for getting a good sounding power amp. ISP uses them in their pro-audio lineup, in a bootstrapped configuration that works down to 0.5ohms and has really remarkable transient response time (which, with the supply switching in the MHz range, one would expect). Edit: As far as user-serviceability or take-it-to-the-local-tech goes, not unless it's something in the preamp that breaks, I'd imagine. Probably be a warranty job. Agreed fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Jun 8, 2014 |
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Jun 8, 2014 19:10
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What do you know about Pritchard amps Agreed
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Jun 8, 2014 20:31
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Southern Heel posted:Yeah, there's a brick and mortar that stocks them, but the LP's only - anything to look out for? Models with ALS in the serial are Made in China. SG88 is their mid level MIJ SG model. I dunno if you have Bacchus or Burny but they're solid and have mid priced SGs as well. I think there is an Edwards SG that seems to be fairly obtainable. Those have bodies cut in China and everything else is finished in Japan.
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Jun 8, 2014 23:56
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For a not-Fender Tele, how about a G&L ASAT?
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Jun 9, 2014 00:44
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G&L technically is a "fender."
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Jun 9, 2014 01:07
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Schlieren posted:What do you know about Pritchard amps Agreed gently caress all, except that they're expensive and seem neat!
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Jun 9, 2014 01:09
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Warcabbit posted:For a not-Fender Tele, how about a G&L ASAT? Cojawfee posted:G&L technically is a "fender."
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Jun 9, 2014 01:24
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I've played and owned a few SS amps (Carlsbro, H&H, Randall, Peavey) and they've all been good but different from what I expect in a tube amp.Southern Heel posted:Yeah, there's a brick and mortar that stocks them, but the LP's only - anything to look out for? Anything you'd normally look for in a guitar but mostly look for fit and finish and fretwork.
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Jun 9, 2014 02:45
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:Oh yeah. I have a friend who swears by his G&L Comanche (that thing is loving awesome but it's a $3,000 guitar so it better be loving awesome), and Marissa Paternoster plays an S-500, which is a pretty good endorsement of the brand.
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Jun 9, 2014 03:39
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Boring gear news: finally got a set of NYXL 10s to try out. They're really great playing strings! The biggest concern I had was going back to a plain g from wound but honestly with this set it feels perfect. I may have to stick with these if they last a while for me.
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Jun 9, 2014 05:25
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Do you feel that your tuning stability is "up to 131% greater"?
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Jun 9, 2014 05:45
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Agreed posted:For an alternative perspective... I love this guy's overview of the Marauder - http://menga.net/gibsons-stupid-norlin-era-electric-guitars - absolutely hates it, I think he'd put them all in one of those crushers that'll chew up engine blocks and spit out easier to process scrap metal if he could. And he's so wrong, it rules, haha, but that's, just, like, my opinion, man. Thank you for this link as I have never seen a Gibson Corvus before and my is it amazing.
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Jun 9, 2014 06:11
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spamman posted:Thank you for this link as I have never seen a Gibson Corvus before and my is it amazing. A lot of people think Gibson lost their loving minds in the 2000s with all the weird shapes they started putting out, but it turns out they've gone through phases of insanity all along  Ferrous Wheel posted:Do you feel that your tuning stability is "up to 131% greater"? That's tautologically true so long as it can be shown in one instance, chosen specifically, to be at least that much better. Hell, I think it's kinda laudable they didn't pick a higher number. But if what you're asking is "do they improve your tuning stability?" then versus EBs of similar gauge, versus DRs of similar gauge, and versus their own standard nickel-wounds, I give it a categorical yes. I can't put a % figure on it, but I can say that I can play for a really really long time and bend the strings way more than is sensible and they stay in tune much better than other "fancy" strings I've tried, including the aforementioned brands, their own brands with prior metallurgy, and Elixers. I am not familiar with more exotic strings - if it can't be purchased from a major retailer I probably haven't tried it. But them's some good strings y'all no lie.
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Jun 9, 2014 06:19
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Remember 'up to X%' literally means 'could be anything, and definitely no more than X%'. Good to remember whenever marketing people are around. Kind of amazing how that's actually spun as a positive for sales and the like. SALE NOW ON - LIMITED SAVINGS! If you can get 132% greater tuning stability, maybe you can sue them for false advertising
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Jun 9, 2014 08:31
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So I've been having this occasional bilateral inner shoulder pain. Like the part that is closest to your spine. I first experienced it on the left side when picking up something (that wasn't even that heavy) at work. It kind of feels.. ripping, I guess. I've since started to notice it on the right side as well. Given that I've done this job for the last 10 years (the first half involved much more heavy lifting) and haven't felt this until recently (within the last month), I have my doubts it's work related. On the other hand, I only just started messing with guitar 6 months? or so ago. So I'm leaning towards that being the cause, but I really don't know for sure. Has anyone else experienced this? I only *very* occasionally notice it while playing, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Today I was playing some foo fighter song in Rocksmith and started to notice it, which makes me wonder if it's some kind of RSI thing. It's gotten to the point that it's noticeable if I move my arms a certain way (like typing at a weird angle) or whatever. It's not just lifting that causes the pain to start. I feel like, as a nurse, I should know this, but gently caress it's hard to nail down what's causing only occasional discomfort. I'm just concerned because I don't want something to go from minor annoyance (that actually can hurt quite a bit, but only for a couple minutes at a time) to something more serious and permanent. ON AN UNRELATED NOTE, I just ordered an SG Standard. I hope I like it. Some day, I'll go with an Les Paul Standard...
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Jun 9, 2014 08:47
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They sound neat despite the cringe-worthy ad copy. I might try some. Just as soon as I figure out what all these fancy infographics mean.
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Jun 9, 2014 08:53
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I really like DR blues but I find the D string's wrap unravels. That Sucks
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Jun 9, 2014 12:41
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juche mane posted:I really like DR blues but I find the D string's wrap unravels. That Sucks Do you cut them before you install them? If so, make sure you put them on then clip them off, they have instructions in the pack about doing that or they will unravel.
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Jun 9, 2014 14:10
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juche mane posted:I really like DR blues but I find the D string's wrap unravels. That Sucks I have found the same poo poo! And they make the nickel-wounds for Gibson's strings as well, iirc, which is another favorite set that can be had for cheap (B.B. King does not give a gently caress if I use his strings, but I like them, nicely balanced tension for playing the kinda poo poo I like to play). I don't know when my review for the NYXLs is going to be published, I've probably said all I should about them to be honest, but here's my main thing with them. They are characteristically D'Addario, which is to say that you will receive the product as advertised. Some of that advertising may be spun a bit, but they have every right to say that they have the best metallurgy in the business (they do) and that their machinery for pulling wire is as advanced as it gets (it is). I have had this set of 10s on my tele for much longer than they have been publicly available and without even being really good about wiping it down regularly, it's held a bright "new" character much longer than I had expected it to - especially the non-wound strings, with their much greater susceptibility to acid exposure without that nickel winding to shield them from corrosive sweat, etc. My main comparison was a set of the good Elixer 10s (I forget which ones specifically, but there's a type that's poo poo and feels sticky and starts getting flaky even with light picking, then there's the good ones that don't have those undesirable properties). Put that set on a 24.75" scale guitar, because the tension works out to be about the same, and I wanted to do a sort of ~approximate apples to apples comparison with another set of pricier strings - actually experience which of the two performs better in situ rather than just bashing out some crap on one guitar and making up my mind there, y'know? I chose the Elixers because they also cost more than the most strings as do the NYXLs and because the feel is really similar on the shorter scale since they're slightly thicker, while utilizing a different technological approach to making the guitar playing experience better. I also have plenty of guitars strung with EBs and DRs and stuff, so I didn't lack for comparison options, I just spent the most time with that specific comparison (well, that and a set of the D'Addario XL 10-52s which are my go-to string for general use (I wanted to get a sense of the different feel within the D'Addario nickel wound product line). I guess I'll end my commentary now because there is a review in the works for inclusion whenever it fits, but it made me a real fan of them and I look forward to them expanding into more options as far as gauge goes because I very much like the way they keep their bright sound and how flexible they are. I guess at this point I'm just still waiting to see how much longer they'll hold that new-string-sound and feel to see if the additional price over the standard XL nickel wounds is ultimately worth it. If price were no object though they'd probably end up being my go-to strings once the bigger ones come out. At least we're finally getting away from dumb crap like cryogenic treatments and other stuff that really doesn't do much and back to solid, core metallurgical improvements. For me that's a big deal, since it's not something I feel a lot of companies making strings spend much time worrying about as their products are generally perceived as commodities that are "good enough" and so bought out of habit rather than explicit preference. These NYXL 10s are past the point at which a standard set of strings loses that new-string-feel by a solid 100%, if they can keep holding up that well for a little longer I can justify the price I think.
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Jun 9, 2014 14:26
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