I found an interesting guitar today...the Ibanez Montage. It's a poor man's T-5 (Taylor), but it has ON BOARD reverb, chorus and overdrive!
It has a 5 position switch to go from the magnetix picup to the piezo in a few combos, and a separate volume knob for clean (electric), acoustic and overdrive!
This really could be the best "all in one" axe for a soloist that I've seen yet.
I have a Strat VG, but don't love the acoustic sound, I've had parket fly's nd didn't love the feel .... this one is very acoustic feeling, but with a quick flip - you can get the electric lead sounds. Cool.

Check it out ... it's a comfy size too. The one I looked at has a slight buzz coming from under the bridge, so after they check it out ... if teh buzz goes away - it may just have to come home with me !

It's a really pretty curly maple look too, although the website says it's spruce. Not sure about that point yet.

Donny...no link yet? C'mon, this post has been up for 20 or 30 seconds, so far!

http://www.ibanez.com/acoustic/series.aspx?s=Montage

Can't do em all....Some of us have to gig





[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 08-13-2008).]

You guessed it...got one at the Summer NAMM.
Got a black one. Don't like gold plating on hardware like thew other models have.

One of the reps was my drummer years ago, and he made it happen before instruments were shipped to the stores.

Like it, and bought a similarly shaped big box Ibanez acoustic last year made of exotic wood.

Little concerned that all that on-board stuff will dramatically shorten the life of the single 9V. battery.


Cool concept, though. The week before, I bought a Parker acoustic for the same kind of jobs. It has no on-board effects, but has individual string piezso's and a neck mounted magnetic pick-up. Concerned about what the merger of Washburn and Parker will do to quality.

Damn, I've turned into a picky old dude!


Russ

Now, the new D'Angelico EXL 1DP I ordered Friday is the one I'm REALLY interested in.

Russ,
I actually like the gold with this color combo! If they fix the rattle ..... it's MINE!

Dave.....sorta has reddish highlights..

Sigh ... some old habits are hard to break!

That's very interesting option Dave. What sort of price range are they in?

And I had wondered what the VG Strats were like for acoustic emulation because I simply don't have the space on stage to have a real acoustic sitting around for the few songs that I need one for. But I guess you answered that question. It's not like they are very cheap either.

Have any of you tried out the Line 6 Variax? Their low end models are quite inexpensive and while I don't expect the construction to be much better than a Squier Strat if they sounded ok for acoustic emulation I could probably find space for one of those.

Hi Nigel,
I owned the Line 6 variaxe 700 acoustic, and while it was great ... it did not have electric sounds. I haven't played the models that do both, but I hear good things about them.
The Strat VG is far from awful, but there is a certain quality about the acoustics that doesn't light my fire. In a pinch, or especially in a band, it would be a viable option. The Strat is in the $1700 range, where the Ibanez Montage was only $600. (Marked $699, but I'm a spoiled brat!)

What i DO love about the VG is the tone knob - it works for all 5 pickup selections, unlike the traditional Fender hookup that eliminates the bridge pickup. I also adore the digital detunings .... a big plus for me.
It has Drop D, DADGAD, Open G, Baritone, Modal and 12 string! Imagine having a Tele 12 string in your hands!

The short story is - I play 90% acoustic sounds, so the Strat is a studio piece. I'm hoping that the Ibanez will travel to the job with me. It's a thinner body than most acoustics, and will be just perfect on those tight stages.