That's awesome, very nice looking axe!

Echoes97 said:

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That's awesome, very nice looking axe!

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Yeah, I love the wood grain showing thru.

TequilaMockingbird said:

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In honor of St Patrick's Day, post pics of green guitars.

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Not normally a fan of green on guitars, but that is a very sharp looking axe.

Yea I agree with what the other poster said. The wood grain makes it.

Speaking of green guitars, I'm about to buy the Ibanez Prestige model below (promised myself after making speed gains learning Polyphia's "Aviator" solo). I needed the thinner neck joint/heel to easily access the higher frets plus I wanted the DiMarzio Tone Zone & Air Norton hotter pickups.

Which online store do you guys recommend? I'm thinking of trying Sweetwater (but will opt-out of the spam calls). I've read reviews where Guitar Center/Musician's Friend was selling used gear as new.

Also, which floor stand for several guitars in a row to buy? I read earlier in the forum that the cheap ones have foam that will fall apart. Thanks.

maroon barchetta said:

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Also…

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When I had a 4 month rotation in Germany, my guitar had fallen off the wall at my house at Fort Hood at some point. Headstock complete snapped off my Jackson that I had put a lot of money into.

Very timely.

Those AZ models are nice; I'll eventually get one after a Strat & Tele.

I tried a used Prestige at GC a year or so back. It played fantastic! Felt really good.

The color was a light salmon. Almost pink. Not really what I was looking for but I decided to go give it another look and it was gone. Looked online for another and noted that GC had underpriced that one by $300 or more based on what similar models were going for online.

I try to avoid online stores if at all possible. Is there no store in your city that stocks them? Or at least, make sure you know the return policy.

Sweetwater always seems to have great customer service.

With Sweetwater, I believe you actually get a sales rep you can call and talk to. As for floor stands, I have two of these and love them for all my guitars.

For guitar stands, it's important you don't have your guitars sitting on dyed stands or you may experience some dye bruising.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Guard5MultT--k-and-m-17525-guardian-5-e-guitar-stand-black-with-translucent-supports

Those are pretty guitars. My first (and only so far) electric was an Ibanez that I loved. I sold it a couple of years ago now due to space constraints and lifestyle changes (young family). Still have my acoustic and will eventually get another electric.

That's a nice stand.

I've been to 3 GC's and they mostly carry the lower-end models; the particular one I want is also backordered everywhere. The downside of ordering online is buying without playing the instrument, but I guess I'll try Sweetwater's 55-point inspection, haha. They got bought by a private equity firm (like GC), so hopefully they won't go downhill (5-point inpsection).

Sweetwater got bought?

I have also had great experience with Dave's Guitar Shop. I bought my Dave's Limited Strat used and needed a tremolo arm to fit it. Reached out to Dave's Guitar Shop and asked how much one would cost. He just sent me a new one at no charge.

maroon barchetta said:

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Sweetwater got bought?

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It was announced as a partnership, but I've read in other places that PE firm is the majority shareholder.

https://www.iq-mag.net/2021/07/providence-buys-music-retailer-sweetwater/

Definitely chat with one of their sales engineers if you buy through Sweetwater. They'll probably throw in a decent discount if you ask. I had a great experience with their customer service on a recent guitar purchase.

I believe the original ownership still runs Sweetwater, but are indeed owned by a PE firm now.

Sweetwater sends you candy.

Dave's Guita Shop is good. Wildwood Guitars, Chicago Music Exchange.

I really like the folks at Righteous Guitars in Georgia.

Wildwood always seems to be a little pricey.

But I would definitely parrot the idea that you should check out smaller shops around the country and pick up the phone and call them. You can usually negotiate better with them and they value your patronage.

Speaking of small shops, I like to check Tone Shop Guitars' Reverb page because I think they price things well. Here's a 2012 Strat for $1K. I bet someone could negotiate another 5-10% off that price:

https://reverb.com/item/66603406-used-2012-fender-american-standard-stratocaster-3-tone-sunburst-w-case-tsu13765

The American Standards starting in 2011 are all good guitars.

That's pretty.

DallasTeleAg said:

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With Sweetwater, I believe you actually get a sales rep you can call and talk to. As for floor stands, I have two of these and love them for all my guitars.

For guitar stands, it's important you don't have your guitars sitting on dyed stands or you may experience some dye bruising.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Guard5MultT--k-and-m-17525-guardian-5-e-guitar-stand-black-with-translucent-supports

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This is true. I've made several purchase through them and always had the same dedicated rep that is great. A couple of the purchases (guitar amp and separately for a Roland Juno and amp for that I really wasn't sure of what I wanted) he gave great advice. Didn't try to upsell me or anything. Just asked questions and listened well and made solid recommendations to suit my needs (or should I say wants).

Always a great experience with them. Fast shipping and great packaging and yes, the Smarties are a nice touch.

Darrel Braun reviews the Sire S3. If you or maybe your kids are looking for an inexpensive Strat-style guitar, he really recommends the S3.

The fretwork and rolled fingerboard edges are a surprise. When I tried out a Player series Strat I was surprised at how rough the fret edges were, and a Player Series is twice the cost of this S3.

Oh yay... my favorite guitar-tuber...

DallasTeleAg said:

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Oh yay... my favorite guitar-tuber...

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This reply was faster than I expected.

What's the stupid deal of the day!

MarathonAg12 said:

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What's the stupid deal of the day!

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Blackstar travel guitar and amp pack!

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid?icid=210190

I know Chris Henrich, who played guitar in Chlorine and with a bunch of other people. He's selling some of his guitars on Facebook. He has a pretty eclectic collection for sale, including an original Jackson Rhoads and an Explorer with a Telecaster neck. Look him up on FB if you're in the market for something offbeat.

An original Jackson Rhoads should fetch a good price.