The thrill is gone . . .

[Artie]

I hate to admit this . . . but my poor ole Peavey Genny is just a cheap guitar. :yell:

I've been doing a lot of playing along with BB King and Albert Lee songs the past few weeks, and while I'm still a rank amatuer, I can tell that my ability is slowly improving. The Genny is dialed-in soundwise almost perfectly. The Quarter Pounds, (when tapped), mate with the C5 in the bridge perfectly. My favorite positions are #2 and #4. #2 being the conventional neck & middle, but with #4 being neck & bridge, because of how I have it wired.

It looks great, and it sounds killer . . . but it just don't "play" right. And I can't quite put my finger on whats wrong with it. It just doesn't "feel" good, and I still have some tuning issues with it. I think I'm just going to have to throw in the towel, and acknowledge that its a $167 guitar. :blackeye:

What I need to do now, is figure out a way to replace it with another Tele-style thats a step or two better, but not lose any of the sound this thing has. Oh well . . . it was bound to happen eventually.

Artie

 

[FretFire]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Well, if it's *really* as much of a $167 guitar as you say it is, a lot of the tone you like so much could be in the pickups. If you go with a better quality unit (what woods is the Peavey?) and drop in the same pickups, you should be well on your way .

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Its basswood. And the "tone" is definitely the Duncans.

If I could get the "issues" worked out of this one, that would be ok. But I have a feeling that I'm just starting to get to the point where I can tell by "feel" what a cheap guitar is. I could be wrong.

 

[FretFire]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Well, then my guess is that if you wind up replacing it, the new kid in town will knock your socks off.

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Yeah, I'm just wondering now, how much do I need to go, to really notice an improvement? Hmmm . . .

 

[FretFire]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Sounds like you have a few music shop expeditions in the future.

 

[strat_master]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

hmm well im not sure how peavey teles work, but have you tried a mim fender tele? those don't play al that bad.

 

[tone4days]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

sorry to hear it artie ... but glad to hear that your playing is getting to a point where you are steadily happier about it .. and that your feel for the instrument is becoming highly attuned to nuance and subtlty .. the genny has served you well on your journey for revelaing these lessons to you ... stepping up sounds like a great option ... depending on your budget, i bet a USACG with premium hardware and neck/body wood - custom routed for the exact pups as are in the genny - would be perfect for you ...

alternately, modding a MIM tele might be nice too .. the 50's necks are very comfortable if you like the fret size ...

good luck
t4d

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

... depending on your budget, i bet a USACG with premium hardware and neck/body wood - custom routed for the exact pups as are in the genny - would be perfect for you ...

alternately, modding a MIM tele might be nice too .. the 50's necks are very comfortable if you like the fret size ...

good luck
t4d

Yeah, "budget" is always a consideration. Its not like this is horrible. I can live with it awhile, so maybe holding out for a nice USACG might be the route to go. It'ld be my first real upscale guitar. Perhaps a reward for myself if I keep practicing. :13:

 

[tone4days]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

dont get me wrong, you can get any number of sweet used guitars for less than the $1K (give or take) that you'll probably pay for a USACG ... but it sounds like you know what you want in terms of body shape and pickup config, so a custom is the quickest way to get there .. that being said, you could hit the shops and find any number of guitars for no where near that much and still come away thrilled ...

just dont play a suhr .. you'll be spoiled for other tele shape guitars

cheers
t4d

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

I've got Suhr linked on my homepage. Some of those are very sweet.

I wouldn't mind trying one of the Fender Highway 1's, but I'm not sure any of those come in the HSS configuration, which is a "must have" now. Thats one of the things that initially attracted me to the Genny.

You'ld just have to hear how well the QP's play with the C5. I'd love to hear this beside a "real" Tele to see how they compare.

 

[rspst14]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Artie, have you ever thought about upgrading to locking tuners and an Earvana nut? Better tuning stability and better intonation for about $70. Those are two of my favorite upgrades, and they usually take care of any tuning issues. If you like the guitar overall, I would look into upgrading the weak points rather than replacing it entirely. If you are going to replace it entirely, two words...Hamer Special.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33042&item=7300679026&rd=1

That's a more beat up example of one, but they are a steal on the used market, and they are some of the finest quality guitars money can buy. Oh yeah, and all of them except for the earliest models come with a JB/'59 set installed at the factory.

Ryan

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

I'm not sure I'd be too keen on the Earvana, but the new tuners might be worth a shot.

As for the Hamer, they're nice, but it has to be a Tele . . . HSS at that.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

C'mon Artie, indulge . I'm a hack guitarist and I play with a Grosh through a Fargen, so you can afford to get a quality guitar to work your chops on

HSS Tele, I was seriously considering doing one, but it doesn't look right. I might make myself a super-tele yet, but my config will probably be a H-S-P90 (as weird as that sounds).

Tele's are great barebone guitars. If you want a great inexpensive guitar, go to GC or some big guitar place and try a bunch of MIM Teles until you find one that really rings acoustically and the construction is dead on.

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

The thing is, I just went through every page of the new Fender Frontline 2005 catalog, and there isn't a single HSS Tele. Not even a Squier. Seems odd to me. And it must be HSS. If you could hear the QP's with the C5, you'ld understand. :laugh2:

I'll keep looking, or upgrade this one. I just don't want to throw good money after bad. (Not that bad, mind you.)

Edit: I don't want to give the wrong impression here. The Genny is a "nice" guitar. Its just inexpensive, and I can start to "feel" it.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

The thing is, I just went through every page of the new Fender Frontline 2005 catalog, and there isn't a single HSS Tele. Not even a Squier. Seems odd to me. And it must be HSS. If you could hear the QP's with the C5, you'ld understand. :laugh2:

I'll keep looking, or upgrade this one. I just don't want to throw good money after bad. (Not that bad, mind you.)

Edit: I don't want to give the wrong impression here. The Genny is a "nice" guitar. Its just inexpensive, and I can start to "feel" it.

The "feel" is everything my friend. That's what keeps me to my Grosh. It fits my big hands right and it feels like a well worn vintage neck, it's the love that keeps on giving :laugh2:

HSS is pretty much where it's at versatility wise (that's why I'm so obsessed with super strats). I wonder if modern day Fenders have a swimming pool route? If they do, just order a replacement pickguard and you should be good to go

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Yeah . . . I hadn't thought of that. Besides, even if it didn't, SS Tele pickguards are all over the place. I wouldn't mind routing out a slot in a MIM Tele.

That might work.

 

[rspst14]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

I usually recommend the Earvana because they give you the best of both worlds. They have the slipperyness of graphite, which aids in tuning stability, and they drastically improve the intonation. Locking tuners are a good first step unless you're definitely set on a new guitar.

Ryan

 

[Artie]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

So, Ryan, do you feel that the tuners are probably the source of my tuning problems? I guess that makes sense since its a hardtail. There's not much else in the chain to cause the problem.

 

[rspst14]

Re: The thrill is gone . . .

Assuming you're wrapping the strings properly, it's most likely an issue with the tuners. Either that, or the strings are binding at the nut.

Ryan