The Electra Forums

Do well played guitars with tons of miles on them really sound better than they did when new?! They say that guitars with miles on them sound better. Do you think this is true?

My X240 was played continuously in bands since it was new. That's about 30 years of gigging. But it's in tremendous shape, the man took excellent care of it. Has an amazing familiar feel that none of my other guitars have. Mainly though, it just sounds different somehow. More comfortable with itself, more mature, more open if that makes any sense at all!!! It's true, gotta experience it to understand. It doesn't sound as up tight as my lower mileage guitars.

If anyone has a guitar with miles on it, please chime in and let me know what you think. They say the vibrations from years of playing open up the instrument. Your thoughts?!

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"GREAT Googiley moogilie Jack...jumpin jehosephat, hot dang and all".
- jdwhealton

Hello,
I have an old Kay flat top I rescued from a second hand store about 20 years ago, It was old
when purchased it already. It has tone and projection that rivals my Sigma DM5. It is crazed and has some finish cracks but it is amazing the sound it has. I credit it to the fact that it had a opportunity to age well. Most were just cheap models probably bought for children or teenagers who didn't take them seriously or just used and abandoned them as their skill increased. This one is a jumbo and may have been bought by a more serious player.
I had never been very serious about it until I was rearranging things one day and picked it up. As I was just going to play it for a minute, my wife came in from the other room and commented on how good it sounded. I began to listen as I was playing and came to the same conclusion.
It needs a bit of a neck reset but as my skills progress I will tackle it at some point in the near future.

Vantage VA900 bought new in 1980, and used regularly for about 25 years. It feels like a comfortable pair of shoes when I throw it on though I really couldn't say that the the sound is better! I do know the guitar intimately, though and can dial in just about any sound I want very, very quickly indeed...

It sits in its (absolutely munted) case these days as I don't play any of my guitars very much at all nowadays....

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

My main bass is an APII RSB Deluxe that I have had since around 84 or 85. It feels great and sounds good 'cus we know each other.

Here's my well abused and played hard '79 Fender Antigua. It got a ton of use in the early to late 80's Here's
some pics.

What an eyesore-send that to me immediately so I can dispose of it properly

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"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

Well this is a two fold answer as I have older beat up guitars that just play awesome and new old stock that sound great as well. I think that depending on the type wood it is made of and the type finish has much to do with the sound and personality as it ages. I like the natural finish so far as getting the best tone out of an older instrument as it has room to breath and contract and expand and resonate a bit more than the super tough painted on finishes. A well played and worn instrument can be much more comfortable to play especially if you put the wear on it as you know every bump and chip in the instrument. On the other side of the coin a well worn and played fretboard can be a problem if not properly cared for. Just my opinion for what it's worth. If you like it Play it I say.

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Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Nah Joe... a 3 screw throwaway like that one is far beneath your station in life.

Now a slummer like me?....

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...

Oh, dear me.... That simply dreadful Strat can't be left in the US and must be sent to Australia immediately!

What an absolute belter! Love the colour.... and love the wear and tear marks as well!

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

I agree with Mortarman - I have a some older and a few newer - they have each their own sound and I enjoy them all -

If I had to keep only one I wouldn't know which one to pick - so hope that never happens.

BTW - that is one fine looking Strat .........

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RCSBlues

This one is about as road worn as I've got around here...



Always sounded just okay until I found a correct pickup for it and decided to replace the tailpiece with a Wilkinson rather than be held hostage to the prices an original was going for.

Now she really can sing!

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...

That's a KILLER looking guitar. I'd LOVE to find one just like that one at a great price. I've actually been on the lookout for one for a while but just haven't stumbled
on the right deal. By the way, what year is that beauty?

Well Tex, as near as I have been able to research it this MM is most likely a 1962 and possibly a 1963. The color scheme if the burst is older than what Gibson was using from 1964 and later and any of them before 1962 had the larger, more rectangular rout in the body due to the squarishness of the old soapbar shaped pups used from 1960 and 1961.

Gibson serials unfortunately gave only rough estimates in their model lines much if the time back then. My LPC is another good example of this. I can say based on the serial number and Made in the USA stamped in back of the headstock that it is from between 1970-1973, the volute being the other dead giveaway. By the same token my wife's LPC is a 1969 based almost soley on the fact it has no volute and the numbers stamped on the pots.

At least with many Electra and almost all Westone models the serials provide excellent dating information.

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...

That's very cool to have a killer Melody maker from the 60's in that condition. They a have a very beat up wine colored 2 pickup MM at G.C. here in town for $1200. That's way too much for one in that condition. I'll keep up my search until............

Bought this one back in 1987 from some dude who had put an ad in the Twin City Reader. Went to take a looksee and it was in the back of his garage basically under a pile of auto body parts. The original machineheads only had 4 of the tuning pegs working. $40 paid with the stinkiest OHSC any of you could have possibly smelt in your life. I still had milk behind my ears as far as looking at guitars went at the time but he claimed to be the 2nd owner on it and said it was from '63 (my birth year ) so I figgured for a couple of double-sawbucks... eh, why not?

Put new (26 years old now) Gotohs in the headstock, finally found a period correct pickup for it last year that didn't require me unscrewing my right arm from the elbow. The Wilkinson is a vintage copy of the original bridge, the last one I bid for on evilbay went for over $400 IIRC and as much as I dearly want to get this one back to stock that just wasn't happening.

Wine red in a vintage MM would be one of the colors that was available starting in 1966 I think. Did you take time to play that one? The chunkiness of the necks on these is really something hard to describe, almost like a baseball bat been sawed in half lengthwise. They are fun though, this one is my wife's favorite couch noodler.

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...throw me a frickin' bone here, people...