The Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum

I've been saving up for a while for a new axe the only problem I have is I don't exactly know what to get. At the moment I have a epiphone g400 les paul custom, Fender stratocaster standard and a tanglewood acoustic. But I want a vintage guitar (Harmony, Silvertone, Hofner etc). I want a guitar that will really sing with a fuzz pedal and can produce a nice tone. So is there any guitars that you have or have played or know a great deal about which you would recommend ??

P.S: A guitar that has a TBK vibe to it would be a terrific bonus!

Your question is a bit open ended. Do you have any specific preferences for a guitar apart from being vintage or a budget you're trying to work with?

I prefer single coil pickups for playing with fuzz and hollow/semi-hollow bodies tend to both give you a fuller tone and more feedback (which are supposed to be trademarks of Dan's guitar tone, at least in the earlier music). For my next guitar, I would be most interested in something from the Harmony Stratotone line or a Danelectro.

What are you thinking about?

Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
P90s, Goldtop, and Bigsby ala Magic Potion/Attack and Release era. No denying that is a sweet guitar.

But as I mentioned earlier, what is your budget and what are your preferences? Are you trying to avoid the Fender and Gibson route and get a cheaper, unique, forgotten brand, type vintage guitar?

you have to get out there and play every guitar you can get your hands on.

its one thing drooling over dan's guitars being played BY HIM through HIS setup. who knows, you bring an old harmony into your possession without ever playing one before, you could be in for an unfortunate surprise. could sound like garbage through your setup or you may not even like the feel of how they play.

one thing that people fail to understand is that EVERY SINGLE GUITAR is unique. even with modern production, each guitar will have tonal nuances that give it character.

construction techniques, materials used in the build, electronics, etc. EVERYTHING plays a part.
ive seen some badass looking vintage gear that played or sounded like duds. at home, when played through my setup, 1962 Fender jazzmaster sounds very FULL-tonally.when i plug it into anyone else's setup, the guitar sounds twangy and surfy. although i would never give up my jazzmaster, ive had other people noddle with it and hand it right back to me telling me it aint their thing.

there is no substitute for experience.

and just letting you know-a good portion of the vintage hollowbody harmonys/hofners etc, require a substantial amount of work[$$$$] to get them to play consistently proper.

@stackshotmazz - well said

My most recent guitar is a Silvertone 1455 by Teisco. It got my yearning for a vintage hollow-body guitar out of the way without hurting my wallet too much. It needed a good setup, which I got from my local luthier, and I've been working to freshen up the electronics and get the best sound out of it that I can.

It has a good, unique tone. Chimey, yet a solid foundation. Cuts through a fuzz well and doesn't give you an unmanageable wall of muddy distortion. It has a nice burst finish, a tremolo, and a shape that is unique but not odd looking. I had searched as much information as I could before purchasing it, but it really surprised me in a couple ways when it finally arrived. The guitar is really thin for a hollow-body, about an inch thick, and was a lot smaller proportioned than I anticipated it being. Feels closer to a Telecaster size than a 335. That works for me, as I really enjoy playing Teles.

You may want to take a look at one. But as stackshotmazz mentioned, personal experience is key. What gets me the most on guitars is the feel of the neck, and you won't be able to figure that out until you have one in your hands and other people's reviews won't help much. I would suggest going to your local vintage guitar shop and checking out what they have and looking through your local classifieds, play the guitars, take your time (don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket), and get a guitar that you really connect with when you find it. You already have a small arsenal on hand, so keep playing and maybe do some small mods to get them to where you're really happy with them.

As an aside: I may be mistaken, but you'll only find Goldfoils on Harmony and their related brands and P90s on Gibson for vintage guitars unless they're modified. That may help narrow your search.

Silvertone Jupiter

I second the tin pan alley comment.
Didn't even know that was what it was called but I stumbled upon that street when I was in London and was happier than a pig in mud.

I have an old Airline Town and Country (that needs some more work).
The pickups have a nice tone. I recommend at least trying out an old Valco made guitar.

My advice is this:

You get what you pay for.

Like you, I had this mad desire to go out and fine some obsure, cheap harmony-esque guitar and expect it to sing.

I ended up finding this really cool looking Teisco Jaguar Copy that at some point was repainted this strong yellow color. Got it cheap enough that I had free range to customize it and get it sounding nice.

Long and short is that the guitar was a dead end. Despite how cool it looked, no amount of realistic work could revive that thing. It sits, to this day, next to a few projects and other unloved guitars; out of sight and out of mind

That being said, another project where I had a ton of luck was with one of those harmony strat copies that you can get on ebay for under $100. The electronics were pretty solid and the neck pocket is similar enough to a fender's I popped on an aftermarket neck and it plays pretty well. Its a little beat up which gives it a nice look.

Aside from all that, I would still steer you away from trying to revive a clunker, because the chances are not in your favor.

Everybody above has given some solid advice. I can only supplement it with:

- Single Coil or P90s are going to give you the best tone towards using a Fuzz or getting a sound like TBK. Avoid humbuckers altogether, I'd say.

- Hollowbody or solid body would be fine. Both have perks and drawbacks compared against one another. Hollowbody will likely cost more.

- Tremolo or vibrato is necessary. I like slapping a Bigsby on my hollowbodies for the looks.

If you aren't against a big name brand, I'd recommend the following

Epiphone Casino - John Lennon Edition
- It says John Lennon (love or hate him, but you probably at least respect him) and all, but its nice guitar built to better standards than Epiphone's standard collection.

Fender Highway One Stratocaster
- Any Fender Stratocaster is a safe choice. I have a highway one tele and love it, but they have quite a few options. The american standard stratocasters have alot of perks as well.

Gibson Les Paul Junior
- Absolutely LOVE mine (TV yellow). Very great sound out of the box with the p90s. My current favorite at the moment.

Of course, if you want to shy away from the big brands, I didn't really help. But my suggestions are worth a look.