The Ditch Pump Taken To New Levels

Unless you like a thin metallic note, you are not revealing the true “you”... what kit do you play your plank through? And I mean ALL the kit, even the stuff your partner doesn’t know about!

 

I love it when he gets it sideways on the dirt...

I like some styling features on this, but I’m about 80% ambivalent, 20% yeah I’d give it space in my virtual garage.

I dislike intensely the exhaust and obviously the ground clearance is shocking... it totally wouldn’t work for the majority of the roads I ride... but that one or two days a year....?

 

I was a crappy guitarist when at school then at work in my early twenties I was using a table saw that somebody else had taken the guard off. It was close to knocking off time so didn't bother with the guard and ran the blade through the tips if three fingers on my left hand. Made fretting impossible. Kinda put guitars aside after that but still hung on to my Washburn (80s, jap built) acoustic. (still got it)
When my son did the usual teenage thing of fancying the idea of playing I found I could play in a limited fashion. None too fast, index finger only good for holding a barre, still can't fret with it. So I started playing a bit again. Have been for the last ten years now.
Had to sell some gear a few years ago due to a financial hiccup, two guitars covered the mortgage that month. Most of us have been in that neighbourhood at some point.
So, short story long at the moment I've a Laney 2x12 combo (tranny), the thinline Tele copy (buckers and coil tap), A Lovely Samik semi hollow (More like an LP with f holes than a 335), only stomps I use are a Marshall Guv'nor Mk1 (haven't got a channel switch for the Laney so that's my clean/dirty switch), a crybaby (one day I'll get the hang of it) and a delay.

And do I win thread derailment of the week?

 

You have heard of Tony Iomi right? Or Django Reinhardt...
Good man for getting back into it...

Sounds like you have your practical gear with a strong nostalgic influence, good simple stuff that works and has done for a few years... the thinline was introduced 1968 (the year I was born)

 

Definitely there's a practical side to it. Semi hollows allow for unamped in front of the telly noodling. 2x12 combos are the perfect height for sitting down on (I'm of an age). I love the overdriven tone of a good valve amp but for my needs I get more all round use out of a good solid state.

 

Oh dear i must be a hipster but i like what i like and dont give a flying one what anyone else thinks.

 

Horses for courses! At the end of the day we all have different notions of what floats our respective boats and it doesn't make either of us bad people!

 

They look like the outriggers on one of those Polynesian sea canoes.

Can you imagine the crashbars required to protect those valve covers?

 

At least they will keep the bugger off your leg if you go down.

 

Or you could do as I did and buy a Squier classic vibe Telecaster.... excellent bang for the buck as they say across the pond

 

One of the best Strats I ever owned, (and I've owned a modern Fender USA strat (disappointingly poor finish and very harsh tone), A Fender Japan, a Buddy Holly style '56 re-pop and a vintage candy apple red one) was a black Chinese built Squier strat that I bought second hand for something silly like £50 about 25 years ago. Played really well and sounded sweet. I'm not a great Fender fan on the whole though as I prefer a Humbucker or Filtertron pick-up for sound.

I only own one Tele style guitar which is a copy sold by an Anglo/French company called Quincy guitars. Made in China and has an awesome candy apple green sparkle body. Sounds great, plays great and cost something silly like £100.

 

With you on the Filtertrons but not Humbuckers for me I'm afraid.
I recently sold one of those Chinese made Gretschs ...it was ok but not quite right for me...though the buyer loves it...and brings it ( and others) to me for any work or setups he needs.
Pays me in cases of beer too.

 

Are they making Gretsches in China now? The only Gretsch I have in my 'collection' at the moment is a 5420 special which I think was made in Korea and was produced for the Thomann music group a number of years ago with TVJones pickups. Brilliant guitar and easily equal to or better than any other Gretsch I have ever owned.

 

The bottom of the range are Chinese I think...not certain now you say. The one I had didn't come with Filtertrons but rather Broadtrons which really didn't cut the mustard for me.
I also found the thing difficult to play a gig with...hard to keep it in tune. Not that I do any real playing anymore...carpal tunnel, and nerve damage have somewhat curtailed my playing skills and endurance.

 

Indonesia I'm now told.

 

Sorry to here that you've been suffer with hand problems. Touch wood I haven't developed any of those myself and I'd hate it. My 5420 was a special limited edition produced for Thomann and, if I recall correctly came in somewhere around £1000 including the case. It really isn't that dissimilar to a 6120 I used to own (except it's better finished) and is streets ahead of the old Double Anniversary I had in the early nineties.

 

I had just begun treatment at my local hospital when lockdown started.I'm still hopeful that one day I'll be able to play properly once more.
Then I might just treat myself to a proper Gretsch.

 

Next they will be making them in Thailand
It's funny how 'low-end' production has moved over the years - Japan to Korea, Korea to China, China to Vietnam and Indonesia. I wonder where it will go next. I know that a while back they tried India but, for some reason it seems that trying to get consistent even basic quality in India is a big ask.

I currently have something like 21 electric guitars (I just don't dig acoustic) and three Banjos.
I love to play Rockabilly guitar but I also really like to experiment so my all time favourite has to be my Schecter Hellraiser FRS in Ultra Violet finish as the Floyd-Rose and Sustainiac mean that I can make it do crazy things. Ever since I sold it I have regretted parting with the Fernandez 'The Function' sustainer equipped guitar I bought in the early 90's. A beautiful guitar that I gather is now very, very rare.

 

Think Royal Enfield and all will become clear. Quality is patchy because it's less of a priority than cost.

 

I'm not so sure that that's the case. It seems to me that it is more about the culture in India, and Pakistan. The culture doesn't seem to lend itself to precise manufacturing. That isn't a racist statement but based on observation of 'quality' of manufacture in different countries. The Japanese and now the Chinese are obsessed with precision and exacting manufacture where Indian stuff seems to have more of a 'that'll do' attitude to quality.

I recall a bagpipe and highlandwear manufacturing company in Pakistan sending me a promotional video of their manufacturing facility a few years ago and, I kid you not, they proudly showed their workers in loin cloths sitting on the bare earth floor of their 'factory' hacking away at wood to make bagpipes with basic hand tools!