WHAT'S Your SECOND CHOICE?

[Dennisthe Menace]

Being the Mo' Freak that I am, when playing gigs, private parties, etc, I always take a second backup guitar with me
to avoid that "OMG! NOT NOW!" String break. 99 percent of the time, I always take "Pearl" ('65 Ventures Model) as a
backup for my No# 1 S'Burst, but occasionally, I'll take either my Strat, my Les Paul, or one of my Celebrities or Combo.
My question is, how many of you out there take a back up to a gig even to begin with? And if you do, do you try to stay
as "True to Form" to your Main Axe by taking the same Model or Brand?

[MWaldorf]

I always take a back up guitar, usually my AVRI Fender Jaguar.

[Chemo]

Actually I should have answered both Mosrite and Fender: on surf gigs I'll bring the Jaguar. But I answered Mosrite because on tonights punk gig, I'm bringing both of my Mosrites.

[MWaldorf]

My Mossie made it through the set tonight with all strings intact, so my Jaguar just came along for the ride.

[dubtrub]

Well, my custom built Mosrite clones are my main choices, my Fender's are second and Mosrite's third.

[sleeperNY]

Well not really a second choice because I play both through out the night.
Gretsch 6122-59 or 58 model
Hallmark 60 Custom

[zak]

The problem with selecting a backup to a Mosrite is that few guitars have the output to match. The last thing I want in the middle of a set is to have to fiddle with amp settings in addition to switching guitars, and going from a Mosrite to a Fender is like going from a Magnum .357 to a slingshot in terms of output. I chose "other" in the answers because my "backup" guitar is the Yamaha SGV-300 I wrote about a while ago, it needed extra foam added under the pickups (which adjust like a Jazzmaster or Jaguar) to get them close enough to the strings, but once this was done the output matched the Mosrite. The scale length is the same, the pickup switch and controls are all roughly in the same place, and they're similar enough in terms of tone to make switching guitars mid-set a pretty seamless process.



Also, the SGV-300 is a reissue of the 60s Yamaha SG-5A guitars, which were as popular with 60s Japanese eleki groups as Mosrites were! Seemed like an appropriate choice for a backup guitar, although these days I'm liking it so much that I will just alternate between the SGV and the Mosrite.



The SGV doesn't have the relentless high end bite of the Mosrite, but it is closer than any Fender. It is a surprisingly full and sophisticated sounding guitar, and the tremolo is smooth and responsive. I guess people expect it to sound plinky and thin and cheesy based on its appearance, but that couldn't be further from the truth. If I had to describe it I'd say it sounded like a cross between a Mosrite and a P-90 equipped SG.

[ElTwang]

Danelectro U2 reissue. Great guitar

[Dennisthe Menace]

ZAK wrote:

The problem with selecting a backup to a Mosrite is that few guitars have the output to match. The last thing I want in the middle of a set is to have to fiddle with amp settings in addition to switching guitars, and going from a Mosrite to a Fender is like going from a Magnum .357 to a slingshot in terms of output.

Zak,
I hate you! J/K! BUT, that is the EXACT reason I got rid of my '65 Jazzmaster a few years back. It was just a PITA to have to go back and reset the EQ (especially on a programmable amp!) between guitars. BUT, at the same time, I could kick myself in the butt for getting rid of the Jazzmaster, just because of what it was/is......

[Slippery fingers]

Man this is a hard question there really is'nt a correct single answer, first off I don't gig with my Mosrite, when we do Beatle stuff I use the Ric, when we do Rockabilly I use the Gretsch. But for most of our stuff I use my G&L Legacy 2HB, it has coil taps so I can get almost any sound I need from a Strat to a Les Paul and just about everything in between.
Paul