My go-to guitar has always been a Strat since I bought my first one in 1975. Over the years I've played many different guitars, and at one time owned 7, but always came back to "old dependable". I have been retired for 7+ years now and had whittled my collection down to just my one Strat. Then I was in a guitar shop a few weeks ago looking for something that might catch my interest, and after trying out 10 guitars was heading out the door when I saw an Epiphone Wilshire P90 hanging on the wall. I took it down and played it, and absolutely fell in love with it. I brought it home and have barely touched the Strat since. Now when I play the Strat it just seems so 'weak'. Kind of like an AM radio compared to a component stereo system (I know, I'm sounding old). Last week I put a nice HH pickguard on the Strat, and while it's breathed some new life into it, it still just doesn't match up to what the Wilshire does for me. It has brought creativity back to me. It's like, the Strat has a pallet with a lot of colors, the Wilshire has the same except with a lot more shades. It just inspires me, and the Strat just doesn't anymore. I feel guilty though, but I know I shouldn't. It's about having fun with what works best, and sometimes we need a change. I just didn't expect it when I saw the Wilshire. I want to "like the Strat just as much", but am finding that I just don't. Anyone else go through something like this?
New 'Favorite Guitar' Guilt
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Raiyn
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What day is it? Sometimes, after days, weeks, years of Vanilla (with or without toppings) a guy wants some strawberry, or chocolate.
Nothing wrong with exploring the new space.
Noodling Guitars
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It's always been like this with me and strats - though my go-to has never been a strat. Just that my first guitar was a strat and sometimes nostalgia hits (and Cory Wong showing up on my IG feed helps too). Not to mention most the strat sound is like the main go to sound for most pop rock here. But then after a while, I really need to go back to dual hums or dual p90s. But now you've got something even better - variety!
Umm, it’s been like 8 hours! I hate to be ”that guy” but, what no pictures?! Don’t make me google Wilshire w/ P90s!
Seriously, nothing at all wrong with being inspired by a change of pace. Putting humbuckers in a Strat though…………
I’m just jealous. “Retired 7+ years”. So what were the six other guitars you let go?
Btw I get the component stereo reference.
It’s nothing special, but I wouldn’t want to be without it.
Cheers………………..Todd
Seriously, nothing at all wrong with being inspired by a change of pace. Putting humbuckers in a Strat though…………
I’m just jealous. “Retired 7+ years”. So what were the six other guitars you let go?
Btw I get the component stereo reference.
It’s nothing special, but I wouldn’t want to be without it.
Cheers………………..Todd
Absolutely.
When I began to restore my guitar fleet back in 2011 I immediately began adding Teles which has always been by go to guitar. I was never a "Strat Lover" and have always believed the Tele was the more versatile of the two. I even tried out a Thinline Tele w/P90s to round things out.
That Thinline didn't stick around very long and yet I still needed a P90 based guitar and I had sworn off of Les Paul's long before this. One day a buddy brought over his Epi '56 Gold Top for me to do a setup on. I loved the feel of the neck and it did have P90s set into a proper Mahogany body as they should be so I found one on Reverb and bought it for myself. I still have it and been playing all this past week.
Then came humbuckers which I also did not love at that time. Same friend comes over with an Epi ES339 he'd just bought. He doesn't want to keep it so would I be interested for $100 less than he paid. OK, and now I have a very nice semi-hollow ES339 w/humbuckers that coil split and it plays like a dream. Can't be all bad right and I can split the coils to get some single coil tonality when required. But it left soon after.
Another good friend out east had a Lucille he didn't like and wanted my ES339 in trade. A straight guitar for guitar swap even though the Lucille was worth far more. I couldn't talk him out of it so we swapped. As much as BB King loved his I did not love a 9lb plus ES355 with Varitone switching I didn't care much for either. It got swapped locally straight up for my Casino. Now I have two Epiphone w/P90s and still have both. I'm a happy camper right? Not exactly. I missed that ES339.
Last summer I bought a new one. No coil splitting on this one but now I'm more ready to accept humbuckers and I like the new one even more than the first one I had. Three years ago last summer I also bought the only Strat I'll ever own, a hardtail Robt Cray model and this past fall I bought a G&L Comanche S-type with Z-Coil pickups. So now I have two Strat types and my Teles have been very lonely of late although that's about to change next week.
And to top it all off I just ordered my first PRS. An SE David Grissom model also with dual humbuckers. It's been quite an odyssey going from Teles to full on dual humbuckers with adding P90s and S-types in between but it's also forced me to grown as a player and learn more about the intricacies of each type of pickup. It's also been enjoyable, albeit expensive, to build my fleet but I had the money to do it and I'm happy with what I've done. I can cover a lot of ground now tonally and that's good.
Did you want to hear all about my trips through "Bass Land" too?
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Sorry about that T! I'm sure you probably have seen it by now, but here it is with my Strat - before and after the humbuckers. I've got that one set up with only 2 wires coming out of the guitar and 2 coming off of each (separate) pickguard, and use these little "quick-connect" clips (photo of similar one attached, there are lots of them out there) for a 'quick-change' operation. The 11 pickguard screws are what take the longest, but with locking tuners I can swap back to my SSS pickguard in about 15 minutes or less. I have Fender locking tuners on it as well as Highwood contoured saddles, and use all 5 tremolo springs to 'hardtail' it. The Wilshire is interesting - it's sort of a cross between an SG and a Les Paul Special P90 Double-Cutaway. The neck is a nice C shape, not quite as thin as a Slim-Taper D but definitely not too thick. It fits perfectly in my hand and is not far off from the Strat's "Modern C" shape - maybe just a fraction thicker. It's part of Epiphone's vintage line (Crestwood, Coronet and Wilshire) that they released in 2020 (I believe). Interestingly, they're part of the IG (inspired by Gibson) line but are the first of that line that weren't ever Gibson models, so they have the nice pots/caps and Graph Tech nut. It's a replica of the 1962 Wilshire. As far as the other 6, I had a Gretsch G5420T, 2017 Gibson Les Paul Tribute Gold Top, 2018 Gibson SG Standard, 2018 Gibson Firebird Studio, Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II and a Washburn Acoustic. Actually there were a couple more in there, a Gibson SG Special with mini-humbuckers and a 2012 Gibson Les Paul Special P90. Yes, retired life is nice. After serving in the USAF (as well as lots of other interesting jobs afterwards including working onboard Amtrak trains), I spent my last 23 working years on the 'front lines' of the US Postal Service. I survived
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Although we've followed different 'paths', our journeys have been quite similar. What I quoted I can relate to exactly! It has been a fun - although expensive - journey that's not only taught me a lot about guitars but about my own playing as well.
Noodling Guitars
Well-Known Member
I love the quick connect idea. That's a great way for easy pickguard changes!Sorry about that T! I'm sure you probably have seen it by now, but here it is with my Strat - before and after the humbuckers. I've got that one set up with only 2 wires coming out of the guitar and 2 coming off of each (separate) pickguard, and use these little "quick-connect" clips (photo of similar one attached, there are lots of them out there) for a 'quick-change' operation. The 11 pickguard screws are what take the longest, but with locking tuners I can swap back to my SSS pickguard in about 15 minutes or less. I have Fender locking tuners on it as well as Highwood contoured saddles, and use all 5 tremolo springs to 'hardtail' it. The Wilshire is interesting - it's sort of a cross between an SG and a Les Paul Special P90 Double-Cutaway. The neck is a nice C shape, not quite as thin as a Slim-Taper D but definitely not too thick. It fits perfectly in my hand and is not far off from the Strat's "Modern C" shape - maybe just a fraction thicker. It's part of Epiphone's vintage line (Crestwood, Coronet and Wilshire) that they released in 2020 (I believe). Interestingly, they're part of the IG (inspired by Gibson) line but are the first of that line that weren't ever Gibson models, so they have the nice pots/caps and Graph Tech nut. It's a replica of the 1962 Wilshire. As far as the other 6, I had a Gretsch G5420T, 2017 Gibson Les Paul Tribute Gold Top, 2018 Gibson SG Standard, 2018 Gibson Firebird Studio, Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II and a Washburn Acoustic. Actually there were a couple more in there, a Gibson SG Special with mini-humbuckers and a 2012 Gibson Les Paul Special P90. Yes, retired life is nice. After serving in the USAF (as well as lots of other interesting jobs afterwards including working onboard Amtrak trains), I spent my last 23 working years on the 'front lines' of the US Postal Service. I survived
Very true, and after sleeping on it I thought that same thing: there doesn't have to be "one or the other". I just picked up the Strat (albeit my "new" HH Strat) and played it with an open mind and fresh set of ears. It plays and sounds wonderful as does the Wilshire - in its own way
It's encouraging to read others stories about their own journeys through guitar land especially those that entail making something you like into something you really love with a few modifications done yourself.
You seem to have found how different guitars influence your playing as well. I can't pickup the ES339 with immediately feeling it's made for playing blues. The smaller body seems to emphasize the woody tonal mid range more than a full size ES335 does. The Lucille didn't inspire BB King licks nearly as much as the ES339 does. It's somehow cleaner sounding and more comfortable to play as well.
But for me Teles will always be the most fun guitars to play. They're so basic it's just you and your ability as a player to get what you want out of one. I like their tough to mess it up tonal simplicity.
For sure. I've heard them described as "slightly rude yet articulate". I'm finding that compared to the palette of "sound colors" offered by regular single coils, P90's offer the same colors with a lot more shades - IF you finesse them out of the P90's. Too little or too much can make a big difference, and harnessing that has become a new challenge and adventure for me
The '56 Gold Top is still out today, it's last in the rotation before the Teles come out this week. I have a pickup swap to do on one of those as well. That's also a great blues guitar for grittier stuff. Love P90s.
Darkness
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I only have room in my stable for one more Les Paul, and it will be one of those.
I'm curious, how does your rotation work?
I'm quite curious myself.....LOL.
I dunno. In this case I just looked at the guitar rack and started from the left. That's where the Casino was parked. Next came the ES339.
Then I skipped over to the Strat and the Comanche before returning to the Gold Top. I'd played the MK Patriot around New Years so I skipped it too. Next comes the Teles and the ASAT. There's four in all.
That'll take me through March and also through some tweaking some string changes and a pickup swap as well. There's just something about Teles that makes me never sorry to own them or bored with playing them. I don't need all four but can't bring myself to sell one.
The weird thing for me is that when I haven't played that one for a bit it always takes my ears and my fingers a bit to get used to it again. I almost sold mine some years ago and now I'm glad I didn't.
Paruwi
Kraut-Rocker
I was a 'Les Paul / ES 335' guy for many years...
within the last years I really like the more modern / improved shapes of those more
a few years ago I got my first Tele and Strat
I've learned that the typical Strat doesn't fit my needs
some more Tele- and Strat - shaped guitars came and have gone
Just recently I've noticed I have 5 Tele-type guitars, which is more than any other type
and I like them.....
Raiyn
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I've been using it for years. In fact, I was the one to show him.
Why do that when you can just do this?
20AWG JST quick connectors.
I've used them on several builds. Takes more time to pop all the screws than actually swap pickguards.
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Yep! Thanks Raiyn!!I've been using it for years. In fact, I was the one to show him.
