JTV-69S vs Black HSS

[baggas]

I'm working hard at buying myself a Variax but here in Australia it is proving more challenging than I thought.

I was initially planning on waiting for a Shuriken but decided that a JTV-69 was a more practical and cheaper choice that may be more suited to my needs - and hopefully could be available a lot sooner!

 

The cheapest place I can find them for sale is the UK, thanks to the poorly performing British pound, but after ordering a nice new HSS Blue JTV-69 I was told that some crazy new regulation means they can no longer ship guitars containing rosewood outside of the EU!

 

So my options now come down to :

(1) - new black SSS JTV-69S with maple neck from the UK - still the cheapest choice

(2) - new (? I think) black HSS JTV-69 with rosewood fretboard from a music store in my home city - reasonable price but a few hundred more

 

From what I can tell the black HSS model has been discontinued. Is that correct??

Is there any reason why this model would be inferior to the current Lake Placid blue JTV-69 or the JTV-69S?

Are the Variax electronics any different in the older HSS guitars compared to the current blue one?

 

If the local black HSS guitar is indeed new I'm definitely tempted to just go and buy it tomorrow, but I want to be certain I am making the best choice. Can anyone provide any feedback or experience regarding the black HSS JTV-69? Thanks.

 

[psarkissian]

I own two of them (Black- HSS),... love 'em. The only tremolo guitars in my stash.

Being an HSS, the humbucker bridge pick-up has a smidge more bite, which I like,

while the SSS is a smidge smoother and thinner, making SSS sound more even

across the pick-ups.

 

I like the 69S for its faster maple fret-board though. Don't have one of those,... yet.

 

And I'm not really a Strat kind of guy, more of a Gibson and Ricki player. I'm also the

guy here that works on JTV's, Standards and the upcoming Shuriken.

[cruisinon2]

I was told that some crazy new regulation means they can no longer ship guitars containing rosewood outside the EU...

Ugh. It's truly inspiring when our benevolent despots tackle the really important issues of our time...like keeping the world safe from the senseless proliferation of rosewood fretboards. Awesome. Another life saved. Your tax dollars (well £'s, I suppose) at work. ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

[Rewolf48]

The regulations are part of Cities and are global - the restriction on exporting at EU level is because EU is one "market":

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/29/wildlife-summit-cracks-down-on-illegal-rosewood-trade

 

But it is not a complete ban - otherwise how would Line 6 get the guitars from Korea into the UK in the first place?

 

Export licences can be obtained and aren't that expensive - so they could export if they really wanted too, but the process is a lot more complex and time consuming than it used to be.

[psarkissian]

Part of it is also about the source of the rosewood and how much. Sustainability is a big thing

in the music instrument world. A number of well known guitar companies in the US have already

been nailed with fines for receiving wood from protected sources.

[baggas]

I understand making regulations affecting the supply of endangered woods for the manufacture of guitars - but when a store in England can't sell me an already manufactured guitar, that's ludicrous! Especially when they could sell the same guitar to someone in France or Spain without any problem at all. They should be targeting the trade of the raw wood, not preventing innocent musicians from buying an already made instrument which will just go to someone else anyway.

 

Heading up into the city today to try out the black HSS 69. This may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as I think it looks cooler than the blue one. Still don't love the pick-guard shape on the JTV-69 and the black on black look makes it less obvious.

[psarkissian]

The other restriction is "mother of peril" inlays and dots. Fortunately, we use

the synthetic polymer dots on fret-boards. Blame it all on the poachers, they're

ruining it for all of us.

 

Next, at the rate things are going, all wood and non-synth inlays will be banned

and we'll just be left with Hattori HanzÅ steel.

[specracer986]

Back to the OP, I have a JTV69. The mag pickups are quite good. If you feel you would play using the mag pups a lot, then that will guide your preference. But I find that I don't use the mags very much and mostly just program the models into my Helix patches. I nearly bought a JTV69S last week but got outbid at the last minute. I ended up ordering a JTV89F, which is on it's way to me.

The electronics are identical in all of the JTV's except that the 89 has different choices for alt tunings. Also, the 89 has a thinner neck profile.

The 69 is the one model that gives you the option to change the neck to a Warmouth replacement neck. That's what I did with my 69 and I'm real happy with it.

[baggas]

Back to the OP, I have a JTV69. The mag pickups are quite good. If you feel you would play using the mag pups a lot, then that will guide your preference. But I find that I don't use the mags very much and mostly just program the models into my Helix patches. I nearly bought a JTV69S last week but got outbid at the last minute. I ended up ordering a JTV89F, which is on it's way to me.

The electronics are identical in all of the JTV's except that the 89 has different choices for alt tunings. Also, the 89 has a thinner neck profile.

The 69 is the one model that gives you the option to change the neck to a Warmouth replacement neck. That's what I did with my 69 and I'm real happy with it.

Thanks. Picked up the JTV-69 HSS today and was really happy with the magnetic pups.

The neck plays fine, thicker than I expected. The only thing I really dislike about this guitar is the headstock so I may still consider a neck swap at some stage. But for now I'll be busy seeing how nicely it plays with the Helix!

[cruisinon2]

I understand making regulations affecting the supply of endangered woods for the manufacture of guitars - but when a store in England can't sell me an already manufactured guitar, that's ludicrous! Especially when they could sell the same guitar to someone in France or Spain without any problem at all. They should be targeting the trade of the raw wood, not preventing innocent musicians from buying an already made instrument which will just go to someone else anyway.

Amen. This is a time-honored political tradition. Create a nearly endless set of rules and regulations that accomplish little beyond giving the impression that "something is being done about the problem". Never mind that it's just shy of completely ineffectual...because efficacy isn't the goal anyway. The idea is merely to maintain the appearance that they're not delusional half-wits, come election time.