Sun Sep 01, 2013 1:34 pm
First of all, I have 18 G&Ls--eleven Legacys; two each of the Legacy Special, S-500, and Comanche models; and my ASAT Deluxe, with a DF Vibrato. I play and sing in a G/B/K/D gigging cover/originals band, and we do all kinds of music from blues, classic rock, country, jazz, and oldies--I never really know what we're going to do. I love the versatility, but it does make for some challenging situations. I also like to go local blues/rock jam sessions. I'm 62, and been playing since I was 14. I've been using Mesa amps for about the last 18 years.
Let me tell you a little about how I use my guitars.
I usually take as many as seven instruments, depending on the gig these days. Numbers Four, Five and Six and Seven: I will usually bring along my 5-string banjo, my DanElectro Innuendo 12-string; and if needed, either Ibanez Artwood or my Taylor 710CE acoustic and last—a Takamine 12-string.
Guitar Number Three is a 2HB, and I have several to choose from. If I expect to be doing softer, jazzier things--I'll bring one of my 335s or a clone (Ibanez Artstar AS-120 or my old Hondo 935). For straight-ahead things, though, I'll usually choose between one of my many Les Pauls, or an Ibanez Ghostrider, or my ASAT Deluxe. I'm still trying to figure out Les Pauls--I love them, but I've been a Strat/Legacy guy for so long that the Pauls feel very foreign to me. The Ghostriders have that great 2HB tone, yet are very light and easy on my shoulder. Honestly, the ASAT Deluxe doesn't get a lot of playtime in this group, as I prefer my 2HB guitars to have the Gibson scale length. The ASAT Deluxe does have its uses, though. Whatever guitar I choose, the 2HB guitar will be used for our BB King, Santana, Allman Brothers, Cream, and most of the jazz and fusion covers.
My Number ONE guitar is a Legacy. I love those bright, pop-py tones. My tone is closer to Knopfler, Robert Cray or Clapton, than SRV's darker, overdriven blues...and remember, I'm using Mesa amps, so an awesome overdriven, singing Lead tone is not a problem, even with the vintage alnico single coils on the Legacy. Most of the time, I live in Position #2 (bridge and middle). For oldies, blues, country, soul, and rock--the Legacy is hard to beat. I could do a gig without the 2HB, but I can't live without a Legacy.
That leaves guitar Number TWO. This guitar is a backup to my #1 Legacy. Now, if I were touring, I'd probably have three or four Legacys in my rack "just in case", and I'd have a backup or two for the 2HB guitar, as well; but I'm already in overload for the gigs we do. I can do most of the 2HB songs on a Legacy, but I prefer the 2HB tonality. (There are a couple of songs I do on the 2HB guitar because the shorter scale makes for easier fingering.) So, the Number TWO guitar also backs up the 2HB guitar.
With this in mind, the best guitar for me in this situation has proven to be the Legacy Special. Legacy ergonomics, humbucking tonality; yet with enough tonal flexibility from the PTB controls to satisfy my back-up needs. This "High Octane" Legacy version also has a voice of its own, and works perfectly for some of the fusion or hard rock things we do; it's great when I want the HB tonality AND a great vibrato, too. ("Look Out, Eddie Van Halen!" Gee, if I could only play like him!) The Legacy and Legacy Special just fit together really well, and I have done gigs with just these two guitars, and never touched the 2HB.
I have also done gigs where I've taken a Legacy and either an S-500 or a Comanche; and a couple where I've taken either the S-500 or the Comanche, and a Legacy Special. All of these combinations work well, it just depends on what your style is. I like the ergonomics of the Legacy, and that makes changing "the same" guitar (with different pickups) to get different tones really easy. For me, in this band, the Legacy/Legacy Special combination works best.
I actually like taking my S-500s or one of the Comanches to the jam sessions, where only one guitar is necessary. While any of these guitars is capable of handling a jam session, the power and versatility of the MFDs is an asset. The Comanches in particular have a way of creating a lot of GAS and guitar envy in the other players; and combined with the Mesa amps, I seem to always get some nice compliments on my tone, even though I am usually not the best player in the house.
For whatever reason, I'm not a big fan of the Super-Strat H/S/S concept. If I were putting a 'bucker in a Legacy, frankly I'd be inclined to put it at the neck. One of my S-500s has a Duncan JB, Jr. mounted in the bridge. This is an interesting take on the "humbucker in the bridge" concept, but I'm not crazy about it. The JB Jr. is short on output compared to the MFDs. I lost the "quack" in position #2, and even wiring it so it went to single coil in that position was less than satisfactory. The guitar does work as a companion to a Legacy, if I'm doing "Hard Rock" songs where I want that bridge 'bucker tonality. But the guitar doesn't work real well for me when used as an "all-around" guitar, as I miss that quack too much. One of these days, the original pickup is going back into that guitar.
The S-500's MFDs have a much different tone than alnico singles or Z-coils. It's a snarly, aggressive tone that's great for rock and blues. The Z-coils are SIMILAR, but not quite as aggressive sounding, and they have the advantage of being noise-free. If you use a tube amp, the MFDs and Z-coils will DEMAND that you use a very high-quality pre-amp tube in the V1 socket; and it will mercilessly expose any harshness, noise or microphonics.
The Comanche is a guitar with unique tones--it doesn't sound like anything else. The pickups can be a bit of an acquired taste, and many people find them harsh, grating and edgy. I use my Comanche with radically different amp settings, dropping the Treble and Presence controls WAY down from my normal tone settings. This gives me a slightly darker sounding "Strat", with tremendous presence and punch--and still with that delicious string separation and clarity of a single coil. It never gets muddy sounding; very unlike a PAF humbucker.
If you want the whole story of how I learned to live with my Comanches, check out my original "Comanches For Dummies" post.
So, what's the best guitar FOR YOU?
If you want vintage Strat tone, run away from the Comanche as fast as you can. If you want something a little different, and are willing to free your mind; willing to let go of old ways and past conceptions; then you are a candidate for a Comanche. If you are looking for a guitar to record with, then I think I would choose a Comanche over the S-500, simply for its quiet operation. The Comanche is tremendously versatile—I think of it as a blank slate that allows you to create your own signature tone
If you really like single coil tones, and noise isn't an issue; if you want a more aggressive, snarling tone for hard rock or blues; if you love pristine clean tones, but want a little more "ooomph" than alnicos, the S-500 is a good choice. I would have loved to hear Stevie Ray play his Texas Blues on an S-500.
If you have ever contemplated a Strat guitar with three humbuckers--the Legacy Special might be a good choice. A Legacy Special can stand on its own, because of all the tonal variation you can wring out of the PTB controls with those hot Gotoh Blades. Changing the volume and tone controls can take from a PAF humbucker tone to something close to the vintage alnicos of the Legacy.
The Comanche, LS and the S-500 are all "hot" high-output Legacys—between them, you get to choose single coil clarity or darker humbucking tonality.
For vintage Strat tones—it’s the Legacy. It's a vintage Legacy with all the right mods and upgrades for the modern styles and the modern player. I used to have a 1960 Strat and the Legacy is a better guitar. There’s a reason why the strat is the number one guitar in the world, and the Legacy is definitely a better mousetrap. These guitars can cover so many styles—the list of Strat players is endless, and runs the gamut from Buddy Holly to Hendrix, Clapton, Cray, SRV, Gilmour—to Buddy Merrill—Lawrence Welk’s excellent guitarist. That’s a pretty broad spectrum of style. The Legacy's upgraded hardware--specifically the DF Vibrato and the PTB tone controls--are major improvements to the vintage Strat.
Of course, there are two other options with the Legacy name. You could opt for the Legacy HB, especially if you want the power of the bridge HB for harder rocking stuff. And, there's a coil-split switch, too. And if you really like the HB and have no use for the single coils, then you might want to consider the Legacy 2HB option. Oh, and don't forget the three Invader models, if you just have to have a Floyd Rose vibrato!
Okay, seriously now, there is one other thing to consider. Say you REALLY like the Legacy; and you are a gigging musician; and you are REALLY committed to the Legacy; and you can't IMAGINE playing a gig without your Legacy: and you are totally fearful that something would happen to your Legacy and you'd be freaking out at the gig because you'd have to play some other guitar....
If that's how you feel about your Legacy, then what you need is another Legacy, as identical as possible to your NUMBER ONE. What you really need is a NUMBER ONE-A guitar. I'm a Legacy guy, and I'd be hard pressed to have to play a Les Paul for a four or five hour gig. SRV had several Strats to back up his NUMBER ONE, as does EC. Maybe rather than something DIFFERENT in your second guitar—like an ASAT, you need to recognize your need for something THE SAME. We all want a collection of interesting guitars; but if you are as committed as I am to a certain style of guitar, you need to have a couple of them in your stable--and that acquisition is much more important than a "Jazz Box" that never gets used. Get your NUMBER ONE-A, and then your ASAT, Gretsch or Ricky.
I love these kinds of situations, as it helps us grow and define ourselves. Just remember to enjoy the journey.
Bill