Thunder III, mk 3

[corsair]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150595741361

....I feel this will go quite high, eh!!

[Barry]

I really think that's my favourite colour on these things.

[electricdruid]

Unusual pickup configuration - haven't seen a humbucker in the mid and single coils at the neck and bridge before. Any benefits or was the designer just feeling creative that day? Agreed, great looking gtr all the same.

[Westbone]

Had one of these, not to impressed with all the switching and the sound. Very short lived model.
Sold it on.

[corsair]

I've got an Electra X195 which has the same set up and I like it an awful lot - it has sounds that you can't get with anything else!! That MMK45 in the middle gives great service...

[Westbone]

My old one sold for £205.00.
It's a funny colour, kind of grey come greeny, depends on the light.

[DreamRaven]

My first, and until recently, only Westone is one of these, or at least similar, except in 'Pearl Silver'.

I really like it, and am still investigating what all the switches do, and how they effect the sound. In my mind halfway between my Les Paul, and my Strat copy, and much more flexible than either

[Westbone]

Glad you like yours, different strokes for different folks, eh.
Like you mention" still investigating what all the switches do"
Personally I dont like to many switches because you end up never satisfied and constantly switching and on those your somtimes having to flick 2 at the same time to get a sound you like. 12 different switch/sound combinations, apparently.
That's only my opinion for what it's worth, so I sold it.
Nice playing guitar though.

[DreamRaven]

Glad you like yours, different strokes for different folks, eh.
Like you mention "still investigating what all the switches do"
Personally I don't like too many switches because you end up never satisfied and constantly switching and on those you're sometimes having to flick 2 at the same time to get a sound you like. 12 different switch/sound combinations, apparently. Nice playing guitar though.

Totally agree!

I have to say that I have maybe three favourite positions, and in some respects, they are favourite because they are easy to remember. The two that stick to mind are 'wax on' and 'wax off'. The first being all of the switches all pointing to the neck, the second, being all switches pointing to the bridge. I only choose those at the beginning of a particular song. I might flick the top switch (the ones above the pickups) during a song to tweak the single coils, but the best use of that switch is something like a 'momentary kill switch' (at least in my vocabulary of guitar terms) that gives a flicking on and off sound as the notes fade at the end of a song, and is carried out by rocking the switch through all three positions from neck to bridge and back again. I get a similar sound using the similar switch on my Les Paul (similar, but different).

On the playing action, I can sling that guitar lower (lower = cooler, in my mind!) than my LP, and move my hands quicker. Is this due to ease or 'more used to'? Hmm... I am currently using my LP more at the moment (it cost more, [the Thunder cost me nothing] and deserves, due to that, to get exercised) so, maybe we shall see.

It is possible (and I am open to being corrected) that there are 36 options: 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 (taking the possible choices of each switch and multiplying them together, as each switch can exist in each position whilst each other switch is in each position?) or, if it isn't multiplication, then addition, 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 10...

I would also say, that even on my Strat with its five positions, I only use two, the ones at either extreme of the throw of the switch, and with the astounding amount of sounds that I can get from the range of options of all my pedals and amps, I tend to stick with two or three that are all accessible from one stomp of my foot. It gets me lost if I have to think of more than that if I am on stage, simpleton guitarist that I am.

[hoax]

Personally, I am too stupid to play a guitar with either 12 or 36 switch choices. As well as doing that, you have to remember chords and notes, sing, breath, ignore the wife telling you to turn it down, tell the kids that you won't drop them off at the pub, decide whether or not and when to have a fart.

My brain simply is not developed enough for that level of multi-tasking so my tone choices are usually limited to thinning and thickening the sound with the volume control.



Hoax

[corsair]

Guys, guys, guys..... these guitars are but toys compared with the likes of the Aria Pro II Urchin U100, which has 7 switches and 6 knobs... to whit...

http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7362

... now there's some switching options for ya!!!

I tend to agree with the "less is more" school of just about everything these days, and that includes guitars!! I still find myself looking down at the knobs on my Spectrum LX to see which are engaged, or not and tend to play the SP1012 an awful lot!! Getting old is a bitch...

[electricdruid]

...wow
That Urchin's quite something! Someone's PhD in there I reckon, lol. Wkd looking six-string beast!

[sarcaster]

[quote="corsair"]Guys, guys, guys..... these guitars are but toys compared with the likes of the Aria Pro II Urchin U100, which has 7 switches and 6 knobs... to whit...

http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7362

... now there's some switching options for ya!!! :lol:quote]

Looks a bit BC Rich like.....This is the BC I would like to have:
http://bcrich.info/1978-bc-rich-bich-double-neck-koa-bich-serial-1/4775

Double the necks...Double the knobs

[electricdruid]

Lol, we've got a new winner, I bet one of those switches alters the orbit of Saturn

[corsair]

Bloody hell.... mind you, it's not a Matsumoku; the Urchin is!!

[Barry]

Holy slice 'n dice Batman! Separated at birth? Bat'Leth

[DreamRaven]

Holy slice 'n dice Batman! Separated at birth? Bat'Leth

Is that a personal photo from your collection, Barry?

[DuoFuzz]

Not wanting to take this too far off topic but I saw the BC Rich switches and immediately thought of THIS

I wouldn't want to get into an "eenie, meenie, miney, mo" situation with it, I'm pretty sure one of them is a self destruct!

DAN.

[hoax]

I would only use the ejector seat button on that one.

Graham

[Barry]

Not wanting to take this too far off topic but I saw the BC Rich switches and immediately thought of THIS...

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winna in the how-many-controls-can-dance-on-the-body-of-a-guitar contest!