Comments on: Welcome!

By: Jose

Jose — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:43:09 +0000

Yeah, those brands are not very well known outside the UK, I don’t think.
Tanglewood make pretty decent instruments. Check out the Tanglewood Canyon bass. Tasty!
The Warrior III is the one on the main page, that’s right. I can’t remember how I did it… I played with either Photoshop or Paintshop Pro, through filters, changing colours, etc… and ended up with that. The Warrior one is not on the site yet. It’s beautiful, natural wood finish, single pickup bass. I’ll update it soon.
Wesley is a UK company who import guitars from China and put their badge on them. That’s why the quality varies. They just buy what they like, from different factories. Some are great, some… most decidedly not! But the Monarch bass is really well made. I’d rate it as a Mexican made Fender, or a good Squier. For a LOT less.
Another brand to watch for is SX, and if you’re in the US… Rondo Music is the place to go. Really cheap but great instruments.
The only problem is I need more guitar stands now

By: Big Cab Daddy

Big Cab Daddy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:52:04 +0000

OK, so now I figured out you included a link back to your own site. (Duh!) Pretty great line up and history you have there. The Tanglewood bass and Wesley guitar I could definitely see in my own collection. Thats the Tanglewood on your main page too, right? What the heck did you do the picture? Very cool.

By: Big Cab Daddy

Big Cab Daddy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:34:40 +0000

Hey thanks for the almost immediate comment and encouragement. Good to meet you. One thing I notice right away is that your are referencing instruments I’ve never even heard of… Tanglewood Warrior, Wesley Monarch??? Now I’m going to have to look up what the heck you’re talking about! /lol

By: Jose

Jose — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:22:37 +0000

Nice idea! I’m also a fan of cheap guitars… Like you, I’d love to have enormous pockets and line the walls of my mansion with exotic guitars and basses… but reality being what it is, I lower my sights… and it’s not cause for sadness anymore! As you say, it used to be that buying a cheap instrument meant making a huge compromise in quality, playability, etc. Not anymore! I have sold a Fender Stratocaster when I found a (in my opinion) superior Vintage brand V6 stratocaster copy… about 4x cheaper, new prices, a lot more used as non-top-brand instruments lose value more drastically secondhand… which is great news for the buyer, really! I also have a Warwick Corvette $$ bass. Not top of the range, but still a good £700-800 new. But, what do I play more often? I play a Tanglewood Warrior (£75) and a Wesley Monarch (£80)…
Anyway… I am bookmarking your site. I hope it grows!
Jose.