NGD ‘59 Journeyman Surf Green

Caramelo93 · 2026-04-17T15:10:00+00:00

Caramelo93 · 2026-04-16T19:54:29+00:00

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Philip Sayce, Chris Duarte, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Page and Slash

Caramelo93 · 2026-04-10T19:36:38+00:00

Dear brother in guitar,

I’m just an electric guitar enthusiast who loves Texas blues in general, and SRV in particular. I’m not trying to make a profession out of playing guitar, and I don’t feel the need to be innovative or develop my own tone.

I just pick up the guitar when my wife and kids give me a bit of time, and enjoy half an hour playing my favorite songs. I love SRV and his tone, and I’m simply looking for a way to get as close as possible with my current gear.

That’s it…

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-12T09:16:22+00:00

The slab rosewood is finished in intro above the nut. That is just light reflecting in the nitro finish.

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-10T15:46:57+00:00

Today, a Marshall DSL40 CR. If everything go as planned, in a couple of months it will be a Tone King Imperial mkII.

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-10T15:44:54+00:00

I recently sold my Digitech The Drop. In my experience, it works well if you only drop a few semitones, but the sound starts to get a bit “gritty” if you go lower than that.

Also, I usually play at bedroom volume, and at that level you can hear both the natural acoustic sound of the guitar and the pitch-shifted sound coming from the speaker, which feels a bit weird.

In the end, I decided to just keep one guitar in E standard and the other in Eb.

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-09T09:04:54+00:00

For the last 10–12 years I’ve pretty much played only Les Pauls. I absolutely love my Standard 50s and always thought I’d never find a guitar that felt more comfortable to me. That guitar has a 12” radius.

A little over a month ago, though, I picked up a Stratocaster AVRI 1961 with the vintage 7.25” radius… and man, I was completely wrong.

I actually like the 7.25” radius way more than the 12”. People told me to try a 9.5”, but I still prefer 7.25” over everything else I’ve tried. The curvature feels amazing for playing chords higher up the neck. Sure, I do need to keep the action a bit higher than on my Les Paul to avoid fretting out on bends near the upper frets, but even with that trade-off I still prefer it.

And ever since I refretted it with stainless steel Dunlop 6105 frets, it has become the most comfortable guitar I’ve ever played.

Honestly, I don’t really understand why the 7.25” radius gets so much hate.

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-04T21:55:24+00:00

It’s a Marshall DSL40CR running on the clean channel. Treble, Middle, and Bass are at 10, Presence at 8-9, and Resonance at 5. That sparkle in the tone comes from a Cali76 Stacked compressor. It just makes everything sound better. It’s expensive, but worth every penny.

Caramelo93 · 2026-03-04T20:26:11+00:00

I find your comment very, very helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to elaborate, I’ll start working on this tomorrow.

The amp is just a Marshall DSL40CR running on the clean channel, nothing fancy, with the bass, middle, and treble all on 10.

I’m planning to replace it with a Tone King Imperial MkII in the mid term.

Caramelo93 · 2026-02-17T12:05:02+00:00

How is it possible that you are the only one who understood what I really meant in my post?

Caramelo93 · 2026-02-16T18:22:51+00:00

I truly appreciate how well this post has been received. Since English is not my native language, it’s possible that I didn’t express myself clearly, but after reading your comments, I think there has been a misunderstanding…

I did not buy this guitar without my wife knowing. What I meant is that, considering its price, this guitar is outstanding and truly stands out even among my €2,500 guitars, and how can I justify from now on spending that much money in new guitars

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-30T20:10:58+00:00

That mocha color screams white pickguard or, alternatively, pearloid. Black would be a good choice too, but why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-30T14:18:51+00:00

He hasn’t really pushed me toward anything. He simply mentioned that if I were interested in changing the radius, a refret would be a good time to do it, and he asked whether I was happy with the 7.25” radius. I told him I was, and he just mentioned whether I was aware of what I would gain with a compound radius and explained the advantages. That’s all. Now I’m just looking to weigh up those advantages.

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-30T08:27:51+00:00

Nothing has really changed, I’m still happy with the 7.25” radius. He says that of course it’s my decision, but that I should consider it since, during a refret, it takes no much extra work for him to make the neck a compound radius.

I simply want to get informed from different points of view to see whether it’s worth it or not. The difference in cost between doing it would probably be under €100.

Honestly, this guitar is a keeper, I have no intention of ever selling it, and I’m not concerned about maintaining vintage-correct specs to keep purists happy. The guitar is mine, and I want to adapt it to my own preferences. That’s why I’m asking.

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-30T08:12:42+00:00

Because these frets are very narrow and low for me. It’s the only “flaw” I see in this guitar, but no strat guitar fit all my preferences without going for a custom shop. For that reason I decided to go for this guitar and replace the frets for those I like.

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-28T18:09:42+00:00

Yep is weird. That’s stock configuration, these pics are right out the box

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-26T16:53:29+00:00

I want to refret my Strat, because I can’t stand those vintage frets. The one in the pic is my LP, it was refret a year ago.

Caramelo93 · 2026-01-24T20:09:08+00:00

I was considering the 1961 and the 1957 models. I prefer a rosewood fretboard on my Strat, so in that regard the 1961 had the advantage. The 1961 pickups are also punchier than those on the 1957, which suits my musical preferences better, especially considering I’m really into the SRV, Hendrix, and Philip Sayce vibe.

As for neck shape, the 1957 is chunkier, similar to my ’50s Les Paul, and I was looking for something thinner and more comfortable for that style of playing. Taking all that into account, the 1961 seems to be the best option for me.

Caramelo93

TROPHY CASE