Favorite "Sleeper" Guitars

[Jethro Rocker]

There are some sleeper guitars out there that are not real mainstream but can be favorites as I have 2 or 3.

First guitar was a 1978 Goya GS-40 which is a Gibson L6-S copy. I still have it and love it partly becuase it played such a huge role in my life for so many years. 24 frets, thin, fast neck, 6 position PU selector switch, all maple, lightweight....therefore the Gibson L6-S would be a great sleeper guitar too.

Yamaha RGX612S. 1987. Got it used shortly after that. 24 fret, unique double locking system where you don't have to castrate the strings. Has a lock on top of saddle. Works great, nice design, I added a midrange boost of unkown type. Centre pot becomes frequency of boost, bottom pot becomes amount of boost. SD Dimebag Pickup.
Yes, you can do that with a pedal but I can adjust this on the fly. No longer made, wish I could rememner what type it was.

L6-S. I prefer the black dot markers on the Goya.

 

[Astral Traveler]

The Peavey Generatio Series S2. Seriously underrated, mine is every bit as good as any Fender or Gibson I've played and the pickups are to die for IMO. The price is a fraction of the mainstream brands.



Then there's the Heartfiled by Fender. A late 80's, early 90's brand/model built in Japan. A heartfield Talon IV wad my first really good guitar, I worked weekends and saved up for it for months until I could buy a used one in the mid 90's. It was stolen from me in 2010, I've tried to find another ever since but they are few and far between.

Borrowed image:

 

[eSGEe]

LOVE the whole lot Jethro--- and GREAT THREAD TOPIC!

Sleeper 1 (this was RETURNED in a Reverb sale -- guy claimed it was UNPLAYABLE---


lowly Ibanez SA series entry level guitar------took it back and swapped it to @Hackmaster for a year or so it has returned with HOT humbucker dimarzzio coil splitter pup ring (very slick!) and a Floyd Rose trem ---this thing dives and squeals squaks and rawks like a Gem only short coming is the 22 fret neck not 24....
it was literally a 100.00 cast off low ball CL find -- sold for 150 returned--- and now with a dose of Swamp Magic from hacks little shop of horrors -----it is a FINE guitar



HATED by many ---RIDICULED by the "Cork Sniffing Gibson ESTABLISHMENT" this guitar is far better than the sum of its whole -- NORLIN era
RESON WOOD ?? body--- huge UGLY pickguard..........Velvet Brick pickups (ridiculed for muddy tone) and the worst of the worst a BOLT NECK ---the HORROR--!!!!!
its has one of the BEST necks and lowest actions of any guitar at any price point Ive ever played. Wanna sound like Paul Stanley or Ace Frehley off the Alive 1 album ????---plug this straight into an 80s Marshall
SLEEPER AMP ALERT--

AND you have IMMEDIAT KISS TONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (guess what they were playing (Paul for sure) Sonnex.......Gibson L6 and other NORLIN era guitars --Ace (may ive heard) have used VELVET BRICKS before getting the DIMARZIO DEAL)--- he even used a DOG EAR JR in the BEGINNING -- you know when they had to BUY THEIR OWN GUITARS----

I have many TBTH --- "sleeper" gear (low dollar not POPULAR but excellent playing/sounding) has kinda been my "jam" for years the Peavey Nitro and Predator and Patriot come to mind --- Gibson SG 1 (can be had for 400 $ range for a real 90's USA Gibson) and is AMAZING--- but probably my most loved SLEEPR is the Peavey Fury Bass.......


YOu know how bass players argue (Jazz bass vs P bass) ? the P has the tone--- but oh the JAZZ is so comfortable to play with the thin neck....
Well this --- PEavey Fury USA made and (DIRT) cheap under 200.00 used.........is the marriage of both

the long maple neck is slender and JAZZ shaped -- while the body is PURE "P" bass.....


all of them make me smile-------- and isnt THAT what its really all about ?

 

[RVA]

On the less expensive side, Agile LPs, the SX Castillo LPs (from the Rondo Music website), Dean Soltero LPs.

On the more expensive side, Tom Anderson guitars. The fact that more people don't know them is probably because of his deliberate decision to keep his operation small and hands-on. Keep an eye out for how many famous people play them. You can't miss the big "A" on the headstock. In reality, they can be found much cheaper than PRS core guitars or Fender or Gibson Custom Shop on the used market.

 

[Hackmaster]

That "unplayable" Ibanez of Adrian's, Is a true sleeper. It blew me away first time I played it.
The neck is fantastic.
I kept looking for the flaws that got the guitar returned. There were none.
It played like the much fabled "Buttah".
Adding the Floyd & hot bucker was only icing on the cake.

 

[eSGEe]

That "unplayable" Ibanez of Adrian's, Is a true sleeper. It blew me away first time I played it.
The neck is fantastic.
I kept looking for the flaws that got the guitar returned. There were none.
It played like the much fabled "Buttah".
Adding the Floyd & hot bucker was only icing on the cake.

AGREED 120% ---

my only justification is the guys old lady CAUGHT him buying ANOTHER guitar .......and MADE HIM return it -- and he couldnt TELL reverb that (as that isnt grounds for a return) so he had to claim it was inferior ...........I made REVERB pay return freight on the deal -- and I refunded the moron his purchase price and now a year or so later I have a LOVELY shredder mobile that punches at least 3 weight classes over its head --
It left twice----and returned--- it goes NO WHERE again

 

[eSGEe]

and with the hot (splittable) humbucker and the 2 single coils this thing is FOOL of tones.....
check out the ring--- its quite INGENIOUS and offers way more than just a simple "push pull" coil tap

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TS1BK--seymour-duncan-ts-1-triple-shot-mounting-ring?mrkgadid=3331288112&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=0&mrkgcat=guitars&&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700046938600880&lid=92700046938600880&ds_s_kwgid=58700005283398302&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=373151794734&product_id=TS1BK&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&locationid=9012165&creative=332063179836&targetid=pla-373151794734&campaignid=1708733954&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_GH8mpJkAlfKg4cCzQnyTQOqvLYvv_lgo13ivb--YTovoij0RvMn5saAi7SEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Hackmaster]

and with the hot (splittable) humbucker and the 2 single coils this thing is FOOL of tones.....
check out the ring--- its quite INGENIOUS and offers way more than just a simple "push pull" coil tap

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TS1BK--seymour-duncan-ts-1-triple-shot-mounting-ring?mrkgadid=3331288112&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=0&mrkgcat=guitars&&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700046938600880&lid=92700046938600880&ds_s_kwgid=58700005283398302&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=373151794734&product_id=TS1BK&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&locationid=9012165&creative=332063179836&targetid=pla-373151794734&campaignid=1708733954&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_GH8mpJkAlfKg4cCzQnyTQOqvLYvv_lgo13ivb--YTovoij0RvMn5saAi7SEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

And you didn't even have to solder!!!

 

[eSGEe]

:dood::dood::dood::dood:

 

[Session 5]

SHWEET guitars you have there Jethro, all keepers I am sure.

 

[ninjaking67]

My sleeper is a Harley Benton DC JR in butterscotch blonde. The Harley Benton guitars are few and far between here in Canada, probably because of the relatively high duties to pay to import them.
Mine has had the P90 replaced with and equally cheap but hotter version from Musicliy.
This thing plays and sounds awesome for little money!

 

[Session 5]

I don't have this guitar , but have played one, I was surprised at the quality and playability of this Hamer, you don't see many around Canada and I think the price was around $500CDN. I would call this axe a sleeper.

 

[Clockworkmike]

This is what you would call a pawnshop prize. My dad bought it for about $200 in a pawnshop back around 1999 i think. I guess he saw potential in it that others didnt but its a brand i never heard of : Kansas. I literally have no information on it really other than Its a solid mahogany neck thru with a capped maple top and has sort of a wine burst to it.

But, about 12 years ago, i got bored and asked him if I could tweak around on it and he said " Hell, take it" So i bought all original Gibson hardware and amazingly, everything fit precisely. Not one screw or piece on it isnt an original Gibson part minus the truss rod cover. I changed the pickups to a Burstbucker 2 Bridge and a 57 Classic Plus neck and went with Grover tuners.

It was a really terrible sounding guitar with whatever original pickups were in it. Weak output and hissed a lot. Its an absolute beast now and can both beautifully clean up or get pretty nasty, especially going for sort of an early Rush or Nugent hollowbody sound ( he used a true hollowbody Byrdland obviously but it gets close lol)

 

[RVA]

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[Clockworkmike]

Wolf Guitars at All In One guitars and basses. Amazing Fender, PRS and Gibson copies

Wolf Guitars - Bass & Electric - All In One Guitar

Quality guitars & basses with beautiful design and amazing sound- all at reasonable prices. Premium custom-shop quality setup on all orders. Free shipping in the US!

www.allinoneguitars.com

AIO Wolf Bass | All In One Guitar

Our shop's finest selection of AIO Wolf Bass. Premium made with an added custom setup for all orders. Free shipping in the US.

www.allinoneguitars.com

I love the flame jobs some of these have in the pictures. Very vivid

 

[Kerry Brown]

MIJ Vantage guitars. You can still find them relatively cheap. I find my VP-795 has worked it's way up to my number one. It has such a variety of tones. The MMK pickups are ceramic but they get a very sweet tone. It has mini switches for coil split and out of phase. It can get screaming high gain leads, can quack like a Strat, and everything in between. The neck is a dream. It has vintage frets which many don't like but I like them. The neck feels like silk. If you ever see a used one give it a try. You will be amazed. I paid $350 for it.

 

[RVA]

MIJ Vantage guitars. You can still find them relatively cheap. I find my VP-795 has worked it's way up to my number one. It such a variety of tones. The MMK pickups are ceramic but they get a very sweet tone. It has mini switches for coil split and out of phase. It can get screaming high gain leads, can quack like a Strat, and everything in between. The neck is a dream. It has vintage frets which many don't like but I like them. The neck feels like silk. If you ever see a used one give it a try. You will be amazed. I paid $350 for it.

View attachment 52294
View attachment 52295

Very nice! Neck through I assume?

 

[Kerry Brown]

Very nice! Neck through I assume?

Actually it is not neck through. It is a sort of set neck. It is glued in with a long tenon. It also has a big wood screw under the front pickup through the neck and body.

 

[Inspector #20]

These two are earning money 5 days a week...absolutely flawless tuning stability.

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

These two are earning money 5 days a week...absolutely flawless tuning stability.

View attachment 52297

The Schecter looks pretty tasty dude.