An unjerk thread because you wonderful assholes are the only ones I trust to have a serious conversation about this topic. I was also really high when I had this thought and it might be dumb as fuck.

How much does survivorship bias impact our perception on the quality and allure of vintage instruments? We’ve gotten much, much better at making guitars over the decades than where we were in the 50s and 60s. So, I can’t help but to wonder if the vintage instruments that have made it so far are simply the exceptionally good ones?

Were a vast majority of vintage guitars actually just straight up garbage and the ones that are still around the few exceptional ones? Or is Bonermaster right and I need a $12,000 59 Goldtop and pre-CBS era strat to achieve toan nirvana?

A happy new pickup day to my Yamaha Pacifica PAC611HFM! I replaced the stock Seymour Duncan P90 neck pickup with a DiMarizo DLX Plus Neck: a humbucker sized P90. I mostly play metal guitar, and I wanted a neck pickup that’s better suited to high gain… and love the idea of making this guitar a sleeper high-gain monster.

DiMarizo really never disappoints, and the DLX Plus is no exception. I’m super happy with it. It’s very hot, and has plenty of humbucker umpf. But I think it still retains a touch of single coil characteristics… definitely does not sound woofy or wooly in the slightest. Great clarity and solid cleans too.

And not as important as the sound, but I also love how much this still looks like a P90… it really helps maintain the original aesthetic of the guitar!

I’m super pleased!! I’m probably going to eventually replace the bridge pickup with a more modern high-gain option (vs the stock Custom-5)… but for now, I’m happy.

I’ve had my Pacifica for a week now, and I think I’m at the point where I can put down some thoughts.

The good:

Almost everything. It’s a beautiful instrument, and very well put together. Yeah, pretty heavy for a strat, but it’s not bad heavy… it just feels substantial, put together. Spot on build quality. And Pacificas are by in far the coolest strat shape out there imo.

The neck is great too. I did find it pretty thick for the first few days. But this ended up being more just an initial impression, now it’s really starting to just feel comfortable, and the finish just makes play like butter.

So comfortable too!! I’ve been battling with my cherished LP, but I can just sit down with the Pacifica and just forget about it in the best way. Just super, super comfortable.

The bridge is super nice too. I’m usually a big snob about TOM style bridges being the best for palm muting (I’m a metal guitarist so this is obviously very important). But boy does this guy make me rethink my feelings towards hip shot bridges. It feels so smooth under your palm.

The bad:

The electronics are not for me. They’re good electronics, don’t get me wrong. Just not working for me.

And also don’t get me wrong that this is also user error. I’m a metal guy. But I also love non-metal metal guitars. And the Pacifica really, really hit this aesthetic for me. I was super curious to try a P90 too.

But they’re not for me. I’ve used single coils for high gain before. But I guess those were lots hotter or more silent. Not the case with the P90. I just need my gate way too high, basically maxed. Sounds super cool, and sounds awesome clean and through a little gain.

The Custom-5 is a different story. Oh a slightly hotter JB but it’s scooped, might be cool. And it works. But boy is this thing scooped. I usually have the mids very cranked on most of my metal presets, but holy cow it still sounds scooped. And the low end gets muddy. It sounds kinda cool when you’re just practicing but it has a hard time cutting with presets I know cut with other guitars. This pickup just has so little mids.

Luckily these can be fixed and I love modding guitars. The neck pickup is being replaced with a DiMarizo DLX Plus, a soapbar sized humbucker. The bridge is getting replaced with a DiMarizo Titan. I kept the cream soapbar and nickel cover to try and preserve as much of the original aesthetic of the original hardware. This thing is going to be the f’ing ULTIMATE sleeper metal machine now.

In conclusion:

Awesome, badass guitar. Pacificas definitely live up to the hype. It’s a very, very well put together guitar with great build quality.

I do have to offer a Buyer Beware on the Custom-5. This thing isn’t going to work for everyone, it’s very uniquely voiced, and think this does limit the versatility of the instrument. Yamaha really missed out not just shipping this with a JB or hot PAF style pickup from the factory… it’s simply the far more versatile choice.

I love my Les Paul Studio, but the ergonomics are starting to get to me. It’s never been the guitar I play for comfort… I’ve never been able to figure out a good way to rest it on my right leg and end up only playing in classical. Standing with it has similar issues, I just can never find a good spot for it no matter how many times I adjust the strap.

It kind of came to a head at rehearsal where it felt like I was just battling with my Les Paul nonstop. I’m sure there was an element of nerves but I could NOT get comfortable in a way I was able to play with confidence. It felt very frustrating.

I know people will say things like a Les Paul will kick your ass if you let it, and I’m feeling that. I’m not sure if there is any advice anyone can give to make it comfortable, I’ve tried most of it, from those pillows to a performaxe. Is it maybe just time for me to accept Les Pauls might not be the guitar for me?

My current three workhorses!! My beloved Gibson Les Paul Studio, a Pacifica PAC611HFM, and my Dean ML 79!!

The Dean ML was unable to be present for the family photo, as it’s currently with my luthier getting a new set of pickups installed!! It’s getting a Bill Lawrence L500XL in the bridge and a DiMarizo PAF Pro in the neck, it’s going to sound utterly amazing afterwards.

The Pacifica also has some upgrades in the cards for it. I got a DiMarizo DLX Plus Neck pickup. Just waiting on it to arrive and I’m going to pop it in. I really like the P90, but I almost exclusively play high gain and the hum is just awful.

My Les Paul Studio is just a perfect guitar though. It needs no upgrades or changes, it’s just amazing

I’ve wanted to try a Yamaha guitar for a while. I think Pacificas are one of my favorite S-shaped guitars, and I’ve heard nothing but nice things about them. I’ve recently started playing with a band, and wanted another guitar in Eb I can take out and about and not feel too bad if it gets beat up. It’s a power metal band, so I needed a decent humbucker in the bridge and that’s about all that matters. Oh and a hard tail.

So I decided to pick up this 611 for that purpose. The justification to myself is that I don’t have any guitars with P90s, so I figure this kills two birbs with one stone: I can use it for band practice and gigging, but still have a P90 to mess around with on my own.

The build quality is solid, about what I’d expect for a $700 guitar. It’s a very pretty red, and rosewood fretboards are my favorite. Bit of a chunky neck, which I don’t mind. It sounds great, and feels great too. Loving the custom 5, very warm for a bridge pickup but has plenty of punch and aggression… sounds cool through a 5150. And the P90, oh man I think I’m in love, what utterly divine cleans.

Excited to spend more time with this guy in the coming months! I think this guy is gonna be an excellent addition to my gang!

Howdy

I recently got this badass new Dean ML. It’s a wonderful guitar, and plays great. However, its one drawback is mid pickups, which I generally anticipate with import guitars.

I know it’s getting a Bill Lawrence L500XL in the bridge, as god intended.

But the neck pup is where I have less confidence. I do use my neck pup a lot by metal guitarist standards, so I don’t want to cheap out. Here are the options I’m weighing:

1. Seymour Duncan 59 but a bridge version (as the man himself did)

2. Seymour Duncan 59 but a normal neck version

3. SD Black Winter

4. Bill Lawrence L500R for a matching set

Any opinions on my shortlist? Or any others i should consider? I’m looking for a hot PAG style pup that’s not gonna go muddy on me under gain.

PLEASE HELP I ACTUALLY PLAYED MY GIBBSONS AUTISTIC GUITAR AND NOW MY FINGERS ARE ALL GREY OH GOD AM I DYING IS THIS WHY YOU ARENT ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO PLAY GUITAR?

An unexpected NGD! I didn’t want to get another guitar so soon.

I was dropping off one of my guitars for a setup at the local guitar shop. Imagine my surprise when I saw a pair of brand new Dean MLs hanging off the wall. I was talking to one of the employees and he said they ordered these over 4 years ago!! They said the Floyd version they got sold online in under a minute after it was listed.

I couldn’t resist letting this guitar go, so I went back and picked it up. This thing rips, no notes. And surprisingly comfortable, like VERY comfortable. Love you can play it over your right like or like a V. Wasn’t expecting this thing to be so ergonomic

So excited to play it, and such an awesome piece to add to the collection.

An unexpected NGD! I didn’t want to get another guitar so soon.

I was dropping off one of my guitars for a setup at the local guitar shop. Imagine my surprise when I saw a pair of brand new Dean MLs hanging off the wall. I was talking to one of the employees and he said they ordered these over 4 years ago!! They said the Floyd version they got sold online in under a minute after it was listed.

I couldn’t resist letting this guitar go, so I went back and picked it up. This thing rips, no notes. And surprisingly comfortable, like VERY comfortable. Love you can play it over your right like or like a V. Wasn’t expecting this thing to be so ergonomic

So excited to play it, and such an awesome piece to add to the collection.

So I love TOM bridges. Nothing feels better under your palm for palm mutes than a TOM bridge. But the thumb screws often get bumped during cleaning and maintenance, always ruining my setup. It compounds over time, and I recently broke down and took my beloved LP in for a reset.

I asked my luthier if there was a good way to avoid or solve this issue of bumping the thumb screws, and his response was “oh don’t do that”.

Fair enough. But I since read that there are bridges and tailpieces with a little hex nuts that lock it into the post. Seems kind of genius. But it also made me curious why my luthier wouldn’t recommend them.

So are these little locking bridges and tailpieces as good as they seem? Or should I just listen to my luthier and just don’t do that?

Wanted to show off my pair of delightful little oddballs: my 1983 Corvus II and 1990 U-2!!! Both play and sound great. I’m very interested to continue to expand my collection of the forgotten Gibson models.

Wow!!! Finally joined the Esgay fam with this new 69 standard! I’m normally a Les Bals kinda guy but loving the Esgay so far. She’s such a player, it’s an amazing guitar