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RX8er wrote:I like working with wood and electronics.

I thought about doing a summer project and building a tube amp with my 16 y/o son. Has anyone done this? Any thoughts or feelings about doing this?

I haven't done this, but I used to know someone who has. You used to be able to get pretty stout amp kits from Ampeg and Heathkit back in the 1960s/70s.

One of the guests I had over for dinner Friday night has built himself several electric guitars from scratch. He works in the industry (vendor to music stores) and has access to original unfinished Fender strat bodies among other things, and his most recent efforts have been self-built strats. They sound good too. Because of his job, he has access to all the top shelf components at insider prices.

Very NICE Keith! One of the guys on our worship team has one of those Epiphone Les Pauls, and it is a sweet guitar. Where did you find yours?

Jumping Frog wrote:

RJGold wrote:I have been playing for about 25 years. If you're looking for a single electric to play and want good variety, you have two choices (IMO). You've mentioned one, the Les Paul. I own a Les Paul (2006 model I think) Studio Custom. It is an awesome guitar.

The other is the Stratocaster.

I've owned both: a left-handed late 60's Gibson Les Paul and an early 70's left-handed Fender Strat.

Aside from the tonal differences, I just wanted to mention your shoulder will thank you for playing a Strat after a few hours of playing time. If I had an evening playing the Les Paul, I think I walked lopsided for a day or so.

This is one of those times where I am kidding, but there is more truth in kidding than not.

We gave my brother a brown sunburst 1961 Les Paul Custom that had been my wife's uncle's before he died. My brother is afraid to tour with it because it's for all practical purposes irreplaceable, and it'st too heavy to stand on stage for 2 hours and play. So he only uses it in the studio, and he travels with a custom strat.

RJGold wrote:

Keith B wrote:

bdickens wrote:What kind of sound are you after and what kind of music do you play?

As many different types of sounds as possible and everything from rock to country to blues to bluegrass).

Narrowed your choice down to Strat IMO.

Or, you can get any decent electric, and get something like a Line 6 M13 Stompbox Modeler (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Line-6-M13- ... e=4LL6WXX1). The guy who leads our worship team plays a Taylor T5-C2 (http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/electric/t5) with a big stompbox and e gets all kinds of crazy sounds from clean acoustic bluegrass to bone-crunching power rock out of that combo. If I had an extra $5,000-$5,500 burning a hole in my pocket I would jump on that combo.

There's a shop in Grapevine, on Northwest Highway that has pretty good prices on Fender guitars. I saw a left-handed American standard Strat there for $899 a while back. That's a pretty good price for a Stratocaster made in the U.S.A., particular a left-handed one.