Lets look at our guitars thread
Discussion
singlecoil said:
It's my position that unless you can actually swap just the body, and have everything else the same, you can't do a/b comparisons between different woods. Different guitars will always sound different, but it's not possible to factor out all the other things that can change the sound bar the wood.
Quite right. I have the same Seymour Duncan SH4 and SH2 pickups in three different guitars. In order of clarity when playing with quite a bit of gain, I'd put them in the following order.Epiphone Les Paul with bumblebee caps and RS Guitarworks CTS pots
Gibson SG Standard
Ibanez RG320FM
For some reason, the RG is muddier sounding than the other two guitars so I assume it's either due to the electronics or the basswood body.
Edited by bennyboysvuk on Thursday 29th January 12:53
Speaking of tone, I've been seriously impressed with my Fender Strat through my Fender Super-Sonic 22 amp. Eric Johnson said the best place to start for a good tone was with a Fender guitar though a Fender amp and he was quite right. No need for fluff or effects, just plug-in tone which is fantastic. I'd be happy to record straight to disc with a close mic with this setup.
I've just restrung the Strat with Fender 10's, although the bottom is a 'heavy bottom' '52. It plays beautifully, the strings are tight and easy to attack with the pick and the strings are so rich and full sounding.
I've been trying to work on this lick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU4z-jIjwWQ
Okay, so there is no denying Rick Graham is a master! I love this progression and the playing over the top is fantastic. Sadly, I've only got to the end of the very first phrase this morning. And nowhere near as clean or as fast as Rick plays it. But I'm hoping that if I stick at it, repeating each phrase each day and trying to learn a little bit more, I'll get it all down.
Moreover, I've been working on the first two minutes of this, but they're not as hard as the lick above! Getting John's nuance is tough, but the once you've got the basic notes to hand you find it all comes together pretty quickly and easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOfWFkXU0Gs
I've just restrung the Strat with Fender 10's, although the bottom is a 'heavy bottom' '52. It plays beautifully, the strings are tight and easy to attack with the pick and the strings are so rich and full sounding.
I've been trying to work on this lick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU4z-jIjwWQ
Okay, so there is no denying Rick Graham is a master! I love this progression and the playing over the top is fantastic. Sadly, I've only got to the end of the very first phrase this morning. And nowhere near as clean or as fast as Rick plays it. But I'm hoping that if I stick at it, repeating each phrase each day and trying to learn a little bit more, I'll get it all down.
Moreover, I've been working on the first two minutes of this, but they're not as hard as the lick above! Getting John's nuance is tough, but the once you've got the basic notes to hand you find it all comes together pretty quickly and easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOfWFkXU0Gs
Tom_C76 said:
The trick with Marshall is that they genuinely sound better cranked up. At bedroom volumes my Laney Cub sounds better, but in a rehearsal room my 1987X Plexi comes alive, it's hugely responsive to pick attack as well as volume on the guitar.
It's not really a trick though, that's just how tube amps work.Tom_C76 said:
The trick with Marshall is that they genuinely sound better cranked up. At bedroom volumes my Laney Cub sounds better, but in a rehearsal room my 1987X Plexi comes alive, it's hugely responsive to pick attack as well as volume on the guitar.
The one in question is an MG series, which I believe is a solid state amp so volume won't really make a difference surely? Tom_C76 said:
The trick with Marshall is that they genuinely sound better cranked up. At bedroom volumes my Laney Cub sounds better, but in a rehearsal room my 1987X Plexi comes alive, it's hugely responsive to pick attack as well as volume on the guitar.
Every tube amp does though. A lot of the beefier stuff, you can't even test it out in a shop IMO. The insulated booths that the top end guitar shops have aren't really as well insulated as you think! That said, even if you're playing at home, a small tube amp will sound considerably better than a solid state amp. Sure, it'll have to 'go loud', but the richness and dynamic punch of the sound is so much better than the artifice of solid state stuff. It's different bass wise though, for whatever reason. Bass tube amps can sound great, but solid state stuff can kick ass to in a way you wouldn't expect if you only played guitar.
Didn't think this deserved its own thread so figured I would ask here - whats the situation with guitar cables? Is it worth shelling out and getting a decent one or a generic one do?
I ask as my trusty Fender one (that came with my Telecaster) has recently died and the flimsy blue thing I found at the back of a cupboard is rubbish. My amplifier is picking up the radio and buzzing like hell which is very annoying.
I was considering getting one of the custom shop tweed ones, they any good or should I buy something else?
I ask as my trusty Fender one (that came with my Telecaster) has recently died and the flimsy blue thing I found at the back of a cupboard is rubbish. My amplifier is picking up the radio and buzzing like hell which is very annoying.
I was considering getting one of the custom shop tweed ones, they any good or should I buy something else?
BorkFactor said:
Didn't think this deserved its own thread so figured I would ask here - whats the situation with guitar cables? Is it worth shelling out and getting a decent one or a generic one do?
I ask as my trusty Fender one (that came with my Telecaster) has recently died and the flimsy blue thing I found at the back of a cupboard is rubbish. My amplifier is picking up the radio and buzzing like hell which is very annoying.
I was considering getting one of the custom shop tweed ones, they any good or should I buy something else?
Both guitarists in my band use them, seem pretty well shielded, doesn't do anything about duff notes though! I ask as my trusty Fender one (that came with my Telecaster) has recently died and the flimsy blue thing I found at the back of a cupboard is rubbish. My amplifier is picking up the radio and buzzing like hell which is very annoying.
I was considering getting one of the custom shop tweed ones, they any good or should I buy something else?
I've used a black Series X cable for years now. That replaced an old venom cable I had, which wasn't as good. As far as paying huge amounts for gold plated components and wires made from the pubes of virgins, I wouldn't go that far. I avoid really cheap s
te where I can because the connections tend to be pretty hokey after a couple of weeks of use.
The only ones I've really actively avoided were Monster cables with the thick end. I remember reading that they were a good salve for a dodgy jack as the thicker fitting at the end would compress the contact in the jack and close the circuit, but they were only making the problem worse and using them for a length of time would make the guitar absolutely useless with anything other than a Monster cable. Not sure if that was true, but it put me off them!
te where I can because the connections tend to be pretty hokey after a couple of weeks of use. The only ones I've really actively avoided were Monster cables with the thick end. I remember reading that they were a good salve for a dodgy jack as the thicker fitting at the end would compress the contact in the jack and close the circuit, but they were only making the problem worse and using them for a length of time would make the guitar absolutely useless with anything other than a Monster cable. Not sure if that was true, but it put me off them!
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