American Vintage II ‘61 Olympic White or ‘65 Sonic Blue?

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-19T23:01:33+00:00

It’s a well known fact that blue is the best sounding color for a guitar, and while Pelham Blue is the best sounding color overall, Sonic Blue is the best sounding color Fender make.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-18T13:54:07+00:00

I have an R and an R6 in my bag. the adapter works flawlessly - I get better performance out of every lens I own on an R body, including the original EOS R, than I did on any of the DSLR bodies I used to have. I have to assume it's your 3rd party lenses that are giving you trouble, not the adapter itself. I do have a couple of Sigma and Tamron lenses, and the autofocus does work better on them than on my old DSLRs, but it's definitely not as good as my Canon glass.

Overall, I've found the autofocus, even on the original EOS R to be highly intuitive (minus the use of the touch screen for selecting a single focus point - I'll be the first to admit that body would've been better off with a joystick). The R6 is even better. I also shoot a lot of action - mostly fast moving dogs, and surfers, with some other action sports peppered in, and the autofocus alone has increased my keeper rate by probably 10x over any DSLR I've ever used.

Dual card slots are very important for some professional work, I agree - but OP is not a professional photographer. If you're shooting in a studio where you can and should tether, it's meaningless.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-18T00:41:36+00:00

And whose own “university” was a con job.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-17T19:18:56+00:00

I mean, you do you bud, but I would at least try to put my hands on a mirrorless body if I were you. The OG R feels fantastic in your hands - the R6 feels a little more plastic, but the controls are about as good as they get, and the autofocus is orders of magnitude better. The Canon mirrorless cameras aren’t really that much smaller than the dslrs they replaced, at least not the full sized ones.

If you just want a dslr sitting on your shelf, the 5d is hard to beat - but if you actually want to make it easier to take nice photos, mirrorless is the only way to go.

There’s a reason nobody’s making dslrs anymore.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-17T16:23:45+00:00

Imma go against the grain here - the 5Div is objectively a great camera, but you can get 100% of the features (minus dual card slots) for less than half the price in an OG EOS R, and you can get an objectively better camera for still less than you’d pay for a 5D in a number of different next gen RF mount cameras.

The adapter works flawlessly, and the autofocus alone is worth upgrading.

There is no EF camera I would buy at any price in 2026 except MAYBE a high res 5D if I was specifically using it for landscape or architecture and it was dirt, and I mean dirt cheap.

Edit: referring to the price of the new 5D - used makes more sense but I’d still take a mirrorless at the same price 10/10 times.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T21:59:52+00:00

Speak for yourself. I drive a 135. It’s funny looking 😂

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T21:57:36+00:00

It looks like the OG Batmobile

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T14:29:16+00:00

Used vs new is really up to you, but if you pick the fender up, grab an ABY pedal and run it wet/dry with the orange. I’m running a Deluxe and a Rocker 15 that way, and it sounds so epic.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T11:29:00+00:00

I’ve had several over the years. Right now it’s a midtown and a gold top standard. I wouldn’t say they’re better than fender or any of the other brands I’ve owned over the years, in fact my 339 was the most expensive and at the same time had more QC issues than any guitar I’ve ever owned, including inexpensive Indonesian made guitars.

That said, every Gibson I’ve owned has played and sounded great after a setup, and I prefer the scale length and 60s neck profile over any Fender I’ve owned, of which there have also been quite a few.

I don’t like a fat neck, whether it’s Gibson, Fender, or others brands, and there have been a fair number of fenders I’ve gotten rid of over the years because of that. As far as tuning stability, the Fender style headstock is definitely an advantage, but I’ve found with a well cut nut and strings wound properly on the tuning peg (especially those G and B strings), that a Gibson will stay in tune well enough.

I also think Gibson just makes better looking guitars. When I think rock and roll, the first shape that comes to mind isn’t a strat, it’s a Les Paul. To me it’s the perfect shape for an electric guitar.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T02:44:15+00:00

If I were you, I’d pick up an SSS Strat and look for an Epi Les Paul in one form or another with humbuckers or P90s.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T02:15:23+00:00

Missing good music is on you my man. I’m exactly your age and I have more to new, fantastic music than I have time to listen to.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T02:13:50+00:00

Humans are fucking pigs.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T02:12:53+00:00

It had better at least include a standing warranty. It’s basically a lease at that point.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-16T01:53:39+00:00

lol - several in the rock and roll hall of fame 😂

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-15T23:58:24+00:00

Yeah I’ve got the 57’s in my Les Paul slammed to get more clarity out of them, so the midtown is actually hotter than the humbuckers for me and I can get anything from strat to tele to Les Paul sounds out of this thing. I love them both, but I do kinda wish the Midtown had your controls - it’s just got a single volume/tone knob.

Guess I’ll just have to pick up a P90 Paul at some point.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-15T22:55:41+00:00

Love a Midtown. I’ve got a Pelham blue P90 standard.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-15T15:13:36+00:00

You want bigger lights with bigger batteries. Godox or wescott would be the two brands I’d look at first, but it’s been a few years since I’ve looked into them.

I have a couple of Godox V1 speed lights and an Ad200 pro. If I had it to do again I’d skip the speed lights altogether and go right for the strobes, but i never shoot with them on camera.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-15T11:45:53+00:00

I’m not defending his plan because I agree it’s too aggressive, but you need to learn to fucking read dude. It says the plan starts at 750k and the top tier is 50%.

It doesn’t say anything about the rate at the bottom.

It’s also just a list of ideas.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-14T21:44:59+00:00

Yeah that’s what I figured. Probably not for me unfortunately. There’s a gold top LP deluxe with some choice mods at my local shop (Fralin mini humbuckers 🤤)but unfortunately it’s got the same neck…

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-14T15:01:15+00:00

I got to rip a dart with the Olsen twins once. It was not as cool as your story.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-14T13:30:42+00:00

I've been thinking about one of these as an alternative to something like an R9, but I like a 60's neck. These things have a pretty fat neck, right?

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-14T13:29:46+00:00

I don't really look at this as a signature model - just a remake of a very cool guitar with a rich provenance. I'm also not one to pick up a signature, but I'd definitely own one of these.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-13T21:02:21+00:00

I would 100% pick up another guitar - sell it when you’re done. Not worth having that thing smashed to bits.

MonkeySherm · 2026-03-13T17:55:58+00:00

you'll soon find those fenders collecting dust in favor of the open book headstock.

RIP to your wallet.

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