Surprise GAS.

[mr_sooty]

No I'm not talking about unexpected farts, but guitars you've played that you've loved when you never thought you would. Maybe they're just not your kind of thing. I just had this today - and no this isn't a Musicworks plug, but yes it was an Ibanez.

JS1000 black pearl. It's like 4k, so it bloody well should be good, but I haven't been remotely interested in a Satriani pro model since I was 15. I don't like Floyd's (except the pink variety), and I don't do shred. I mainly play bluesy reverb drenched clean stuff with a kind of Knopfler meets Gilmour meets Mayer meets someone who can't play very well flavour. This guitar is not me at all.

But gosh it feels good, and sounds fantastic. I'm a Strat guy but I really enjoy the thicker sound of humbuckers as long as they're not too muddy, and the Dimarzios on this are just lovely. Very smooth and expressive. As someone who appreciates the body hugging contours on a Strat, I really like the rounded body shape of the JS. Maybe it's just been a few too many lonely nights lately.

The biggest surprise for me though is the neck. It's not at all flat and shreddy like a Jem or an RG. It's chunkier than my American standard strat neck and its just right I reckon.

Maybe there's just a lack of nice guitars in the shop where I work at the moment, but I thoroughly enjoyed jamming on the JS during some quiet moments today. And it has the added bonus of being amazing for shed too, if I ever learn how to make my fingers go fast enough.

But no, I'm not going to sell my strat.

[Danger Mouse]

Ok, I do really like Joe Satriani and he would be my favourite player, but I don't emulate his playing in any way and I have little interest in his signature guitars... but I finally played a JS1000 a couple of years ago and agree, it's a guitar that I shouldn't like (the neck especially), but it was fantastic.

[matman]

One of my friend's has a JS Chrome Boy and that is hands down one of the nicest feeling guitars I've ever played. I'm definitely shred incapable and had never even played a guitar with a floyd before but it played like yellow dairy product (which I understand is good thing, yes?)

[Bg]

I owned a js1200 a few years back, they're great guitars, which is why I got ash to do me a Donnie only out of mahogany. It's even better than the js1200. Lots of lovely tones and useful for everything.

[jeremyb]

A les Paul style guitar was a surprise for me, always liked shreddy things and telecasters, but now I don't think I could ever part with it!!

[willow13]

GASing for a roswell came as more of a shock than a surprise for me

[twistedthoughts]

Kinda along the same lines, but about 3 months after I finally got a Gibson Les Paul, I discovered Ian Moss and all the tonal possibilities that a Strat can muster in the right hands. Having been a LP man my whole guitaring life, this was most surprising and extremely fucking annoying.

[Edwards]

A les Paul style guitar was a surprise for me, always liked shreddy things and telecasters, but now I don't think I could ever part with it!!

+1
Had superstrats before that. Couldn't go back now.

[jimi]

I owned a js1200 a few years back, they're great guitars, which is why I got ash to do me a Donnie only out of mahogany. It's even better than the js1200. Lots of lovely tones and useful for everything.

Will have to try your Donnie at some stage then if you reckon its better than the JS1200. That thing was superb to play, just so easy (like buttah) and I even liked the FR.


The Stingray bass I posted about a few weeks back was a similar case of suprise GAS for me, probably more so given it came from an indonesian made $1k bass after I didnt like the $3k+ MIA version at all. Atleast you expect something to be good when it has a 4k price tag.

[NZRS-Dave]

Clarky has about 9 JS models.

Just saying.

[Ironbird13]

not really surprise GAS, but more a surprise that I gelled with a "normal" roundish guitar (the Eagle) after pretty much only playing pointys for 17 years. but it has become my main guitar now. really like how the bottom horn turns down, makes it sit so much better when playing sitting in classical style

[hamo]

I'm surprised at how strongly I'm now GASsing for a H&K Tubemeister now. Matt's talking it up after NAMM really got me interested, and now I'm hooked.

[mr_sooty]

I'm just getting up to speed with the different js models, I didn't realise this one we've got is such an old model (we just got it in from another store, it's technically brand new but must have been in the chain a long time!). I understand the 1200 has slightly hotter pickups, but I really like the pickups on the 1000. Would be interesting to hear the difference.

[Zaulkin]

Used to have a JS1000. Loved the thing, but just kind of grew out of it.

[Polar Bear]

I had quite a surprise when I played the Jim Root Terror. That's a great sounding amp, especiallywhen not on Slipknot levels of gain.