Top ten best buys?????

[jakd602]

I've been (trying) to play guitar for over 45 years. I've spent a small fortune seeking "that sound". Here is what I consider the best buys I've made. What are yours??

#1-1996 '52 Tele reissue

#2-"Vintage Sounds" Fender Twin (point to point wiring-Weber California 12's)

#3-1993 Barden pickups

#4-2005 Hamel pickups

#5-Glendale saddles and non-magnetic bridge plate

#6-1992 G&L ASAT Tele

#7-Maxon AD-999 & OD-820 pedals

#8-George L's cords

#9-Peterson strobostomp

#10-VoodooLab PedalPower 2 Plus

[6942]

I don't have a top ten, but I can name three:
#1-1965 Harmony H400A amp.
#2-very large iron-core isolation transformer.
#3-Ry Cooder/Teisco gold foil pickup (best blues pickup EVER)

[esquirej]

Originally Posted by 6942

I don't have a top ten, but I can name three:
#1-1965 Harmony H400A amp.
#2-very large iron-core isolation transformer.
#3-Ry Cooder/Teisco gold foil pickup (best blues pickup EVER)

Same here...can't name 10, but I can tell you a few...

Best buy/deal (for the buck): Came across a Black, all original '76 Tele a couple of years ago on ebay for $450. Turned it around in a trade for Cunetto Relic Nocaster #0083, which leads me to...

Worst end of a deal: Sold Cunetto Relic #0083 to a TDPRI brethren for $1300 (Just before the Boom!)

Top 5 things I consider best buy purchases that I'll never get rid of.

5. Martin D-16 Gloss top with fishman pickup
4. Crate Powerblock
3. Crate V Series V32 Palomino
2. MXL Condenser Mics (Wow!)
1a. (Tie) Z Esquire (The only guitar I've ever owned that I KNOW I'll never get rid of)
1b. (Tie) The 2004 '52 RI Tele in my avatar. Purchased to put up to give my son one day. (COA coincidentally reads 5-4-04...his birthday!!)

[Pete Galati]

I'd say that the best buy I made was the used '69 Tele I bought in the mid '70s

Edit:

2) '58 Tremolux
3) '65 Bassman head
4) '73 Princeton
5) '68 Bassman head
6) Too many guitar parts to mention
7) Captain Beyond when it finally came out on CD in Japan

second edit:

8) Marshall 4x10 cabinet
9) Eminence 35watt alnico 10" speakers I put in the cabinet.
10) Early JTM45 reissue

[ReddRanger]

jakd602, interesting to see you mention the OD-820. I almost never see people mentioning these on forums, yet they are great (I own one myself of course). I don't have ten, but some of my recent best buys (in terms of bang for buck) include.....

1.) Roland Micro Cube (excellent for practicing in my apartment)

2.) Barber Direct Drive (my first boutique OD, great price, excellent value)

[neocaster]

Only been at this a very short while, but a few things stand out as great buys:

1. Squier Affinity series Telecaster ($149 on sale)
2. Vox AD50VT Valvetronix combo amp ($349)
3. $125/month for lessons
4. $160 fostex mr8 digital multitracker
5. The graphtex saddles, nut, and string trees the original owner put on my CIJ Antigua RI.
6. the used CIJ Antigua RI ($525 shipped)
7. MIM Std Telecaster ($369)

[mojocasterman]

I'll play along...

1. Lindy Fralin Blues Special Tele pickups. Well worth the $160. Best pickups I have ever owned for a tele.
2. Fender Blues Jr Tweed. Perfect amp for the kind of music I am into.
3. Microcube: perfect to record and dial in different sounds when experimenting. Also great to not wake up the kids yet still have some decent tones.
4. SRV Strat. Perfect strat. 'Nuff said.
5. Fender Custom Shop 69 pickups. My strats thank me - and so do my ears. My neighbors, on the other hand... ah, well. Too bad for them.
6. Muddy Waters MIM tele. May be a cheapie, but what tones! Great guitar for the bucks.
7. Robert Cray MIM strat... see #6.
8. Tele body from www.TLDGuitars.com... not the best body around I am sure, but it's sooooo purdy.

I have a set of OC Duff pickups kicking around that I have never installed. Came in with another purchase, but I installed the Fralins in instead, so I have no idea how they sound. I am told they're sweet :)

I still want to buy a Paisley tele from Crook and a relic from www.RevelatorGuitarWorks.com and then I'll be done. No, really. OK, so maybe not, but a man can dream.

[j_frusciante]

in no particular order.....

#1 PRS Soapbar SE Singlecut - best guitar ever made in some respects, sounds totally out of its league and up there with the best of them in any style.
#2 Line 6 Flextone III - I know these get a lot of stick for not being valves or accurate or blah blah blah but for a gigging guitarist, theres nothing more you need (except the footswitch! :p)
#3 Any Japanese Fender, new or old. Great quality for very little money.
#4 Planet waves cables, never seem to break!
#5 Tuition DVDs, best way to learn new licks if youre after a mega-dose of them!
#6 Squier Basses, brilliant VFM and sound
#7 Fender Highyway 1 series
#8 Any USA Paul Reed Smith
#9 Martin X series acoustics
#10 Taylor T5 guitar

[stevedenver]

MY best buys in terms of DEALS (steals) waaay under market price as well as satisfaction

Brazillian Rosewood topped Les Paul
Lentz T
Mission Tweed deluxe Kit
John Jorgenson CS tele
Will Ray CS tele (this one is incredible)
Les Paul Spotlight Special
1976 Martin D-28
1965 Bandmaster cab and revereb tank
Avatar special 2 x12
Gibson fern F-5
Marshall 30th anniv half stack in blue

[roadkillbill]

Best buys since 1975::

'59 Les Paul Special, TV yellow, $150
'79 Vantage 'Ghost', [Matsumoku] $125
'85 Squier Strat, MIJ. $115
'86 Squier Strat MIJ, HB's $99
JBPlayer Tele (a real sleeper!) $80
Epiphone Tele $100
'96 MIJ DLX Custom Tele 50thAnn $350
'94 MIA Strat $400
Epiphone LP JR w/P90 $50
SD sh1 and sh11 w/covers $50
Rio MG tele neck and bridge $60
Peavey Classic 30, tweed $150
There's more, but that's 12 so I'll stop.. itemizing that is, but not looking for good deals!

[dgassie]

1) Dr. Z Carmen Ghia head.
2) Gibson CS 356
3) Peterson strobe pedal

[byrdbrain]

I have the unfortunate ability to rationalize everything I buy
as a "rare find", but this Swedish beauty pageant consolation prize winner
only cost me the equivalent of 150 bucks. She can sing too!

[DougieLove]

I'm guessing that by "best buy" you mean most essential, not necessarily best deal, correct?

For me, it's real easy:

1 - 1996 Guild F65-CE
2 - 2001 Fender Am Std Tele
3 - Seymour Duncan "Little 59" Tele Bridge pickup
4 - Peavey Classic 50 head
5 - JJ Tubes
6 - Allen 2x10 cabinet
7 - HBE Power Screamer

That's it. That's all I need. Everything else I own is just gravy.

[frogger]

Comes to "Bang for the buck" here are my picks.
1. Any PRS SE guitars
2. Fender Highway 1 Texas Tele
3. Fender G-Dec practice Amp
4. Fender Tweed cases by G and G, holy c**p those are nice.
5. Fender 52 RI........made in the last 2 years.

[Blues Hurler]

"Back in the day" best buys:
1 - mint '63 Gibson ES 330 TDC for $450 (CDN)
2 - '70's Traynor Bassmaster head with matching 2X15 cab for $100 (CDN)

Current best buys in the "for the money" category:
1 - Hywy 1 Texas Tele
2 - ES 135 with PAF's - a poor man's 335
3 - Squier 51

Still haven't found my "current best buy" amp, but I like the Fender Hot Rod series and new Traynor tube amps "for the money." I'm pretty happy with my Blues Deluxe

[byrdbrain]

As far as lasting joy is concerned, I'll pick my
• Early 60s Guild CE 100 DP
• '52 Tele (MIJ RI)
• Fender Vibroverb (RI)
• Fylde Ariel acoustic
• and that first SansAmp thing, for recording

[Heather Anne Peel]

Here's my top 5 anyway. There's just been too many to consider.

1. 1970 Ampeg Dan Armstrong (April, 1991 from Gruhn Guitars) $1,000
2. 2005 '72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe Re-issue (Sept., 2005 from Guitar Center) $625
3. 2000 '72 Fender Telecaster Custom Re-issue (Nov., 2002 from Mars Music) $500
4. 1994 Fender Tele Special (Mar., 1996 from Black Cat Music (Austin)), $350
5. 2005 Epiphone Dot (Aug., 2005 from Guitar Center) $450

These are all presently a part of my collection.
Heather

[Grin'n'pick]

Peterson Strobostomp and my Teese RMC3 are the pieces of musical equipment I couldn't be any happier with, so I guess they're my best buys. They're just perfect.

[chicknpickn2]

1. K-Line aged Tele( I havn't gotten it yet, but I know I will so I'll go ahead and list it)
2. Hermidia Zen Drive
3. Carl Martin compressor
4. Rivera Fandango
5. Carr Rambler
6. T.C. Electronics Vintage Delay
7. Santa Cruz new standard D
8. Vinetto Deuce
9. Gibson ES135 W/ Bigsby
10. Les Paul Goldtop

[Geo]

Stock AV '52 RI Tele and really all my others Teles and including Les Paul
R models. I mostly play straight into a Fender amp that has reverb
and vibrato or tremolo.
One reason is effects are not usually needed beyond and if
so can be added.

[TexGoneNW]

1. - '60 Tweed Bassman
2. - '71 Tele
3. - used Tweed Pro Junior
4. - one of those 80's Vintage Reissue Tele's
5. - recent Martin HD-28V (really)
6. - Hamer Monaco III (at this year's Dallas Guitar Show - hey, Blackguard buddies!)
7. - ThunderTweak WayCool Junior (PJ done right) - same show!
8. - SFDR re-done by Two Rock (Thanks, TeleTubby!)
9. - Silvertone 1482
10. - Free rides to Seattle guitar shows w/TeleTubby

That last one was a blessing and a curse, if you know what I mean...a persistent case of GAS and a greater demand for tone!

There are some bad deals that were must-do's for tone when all I had to deal with was what I had on hand. For example, non-reverse Firebird I and old SG Jr. with dog-ear P90 and huge (!) neck traded in with cash for prototype '75 Les Paul Pro. Yeah, I know the other two would be worth more today, but the LP Pro was a workhorse during my college years, and it's still a tone machine (weighs a ton).

[Sarge]

This will require some thinking: I'll start with a 1).1981 LP SilverBurst, dead mint for $900. 2).Soldano R.O.S. 2X12 Combo for $500. 3). Mesa Boogie Theile Cab 1X12 w/90 watt Celestion, new $50. 4). Mint Alverez-Yari DY 85A for $300. 5). Chandler Rack Tube Driver Mint $50. 6). 1990 Gibson Explorer w/case for $300. 7). Peavey 5150 1/2 stack for $400. 8). Jackson Kelly USA w/case for $150. 9). 1991 Gibson V w/EMG's for $100. 10). Reverand SlingShot, mint w/case, traded a Hyundi $90 cheapo strat for it. Got many more but these really stand out.

[Colo Springs E]

....bought a 1981 Gibson Les Paul Silverburst about two years ago for $350 cash out the door, no case. Worn all to heck.

Bought a used Epiphone case for about $40.

Threw it on ebay and got nearly $1400.

My wife, like many people here, used to love busting my chops about all my guitar buying and selling. When this deal nearly paid for a new bedroom suit for us, she quit doing that!

Too bad I've never come across another deal that good though...

-Eric

[tele1]

1. 1978 Lefty Telecaster
2. 1978 Lefty Stratocaster
3. 1965 Twin Reverb (original, long gone boooo hooo)
4. My new 52 Tele lefty reissue
5. Gibson Les Paul JR amp
6. Grado Headphones
7. Carver Receiver
8. Martin HD28V Lefty
9 Conn Strobo tuner
10 Taylor Big Baby Lefty

[scudgebucket]

I've tried a lot of stuff. This list is the absolute cream of the crop. Even if the cost is dear, if it surpasses my expectations, I consider it a "best buy". The best instruments are priceless. (These are