Jump to content
GreaseSpot Cafe

Guitar Talk


socks
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Chas, you need to understand, GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) is a lifelong affliction. It is a disease, a syndrome - it will never, ever, go away. Oh sure, it can go into remission for a while, ever years - but - there's always a great instrument or amp somewhere down the road.

You're just going to have to learn how to deal with it! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welp, I see "chickamumu" got it for 242.49 - not a bad deal! Is it in your home, Chas? :unsure:

Was thinkin' about ... Tone. That elusive...thing...Headphone of the gods.

I used to get kidded a lot about "tone" by a good friend. I was always fiddling, getting the "tone" right.

But what is it, in a guitar? What's "good tone"....I know there's a lot of different definitions, for both electric and acoustic. What's your favorite, to have or to hear?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have 3 favorite tones I like to hear.

A Fender Telecaster, stock. The bridge pickup, with the treble rolled off a tad. The neck pickup, all treble up and played close to the neck.

There's a lot of Tele players, Roy Buchanan's one of my fav's, and Vince Gill. I like a lot of the stuff Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top has done with it. He really gets the most out of the way the pickups frequencies spark and jump at high volume.

And a 3rd - a 335, both pickups selected, treble and bass all up. This is similar to a Les Paul sound with humbuckers, to me, at high volume, but a little thicker. I'd probably go with a Les Paul under most circumstance to avoid feedback, but the 335 really has a great smokey sound I love.

Ampwise, I look for the speaker setup. Either 2 - 10's or 2 - 12's. 10's are great for single coil pickups, like the Tele's and Strats although most players go to 12's, the ideal speak for a guitar. The 10 doesn't get all the low end, the bass but is a little more initmate sound at high volume.

Acoustics? So many, so many.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, we didn't end up getting it - PHEW!

I convinced hubby that we really needed the money elsewhere (like, fencing in the yard before the baby really starts walking!) I can usually talk him down - not always. I didn't realize I was feeding the GAS monster when I bought him a guitar for a wedding present - that's when he got the 12-string. Before we hooked up he only had a Fender Texas Strat, a Fender American Strat, and a Martin 6-string - he only has the American Strat left and has traded/upgraded, etc., and more than doubled his collection...

Gee... think I need another device for my computer, come to think of it...

Anyhow, I may pull the trigger myself on one of these guitars - like for Father's Day or something... like, he deserves it... HA! :biglaugh:

==========

socks - the Les Paul 335 tone you were talkin' about - isn't that basically what Joe Perry (Aerosmith) plays?

I know hubby is really picky about his amps for tone - he's really into tube amps and upgrading his tubes (Eurotubes) for the best tone. He says it's a warmer, more natural sound - he's not into the digital thing, really. I also know that he likes playing with a little (tiny) bit of reverb kicked in. Considering what he likes playing (he plays in a cover band during the summer - rock and roll, oldies, etc.), it's a fitting sound for him. I wish he'd post on this thread - but things have been so busy here, I don't think he's had time to sort the mail... he's a school teacher.... (I always kid him about it.... "Yup, mild-mannered math teacher by day, rock and roll hoodlem at night!")

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Poor Tom!

That's how I felt when I first started hanging out with hubby. His idea of the perfect date was lunch and schlepping around music stores. I was lost... but the lingo rubs off on you after a while. I didn't know what a headstock or pickup or any of that was - forget it. In fact, when he first told me that he knew how to play guitar, I wasn't impressed.... "Yeah, that's nice...."

Here's an idea...

Wanna know what the best bathroom reading in the world is?

Guitar World magazine!

You bet 'cha!

So, next time you're in Shaw's or Krogers or Cosco or whatever you have for chain grocery/drug stores, get yourself one at the mag stand, and schlep into the bathroom with it - after a few issues of it, you'll be edumacated. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wanna know what the best bathroom reading in the world is?

Guitar World magazine!

<insert low moan...> :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Yuperrz. Hey, Guitar Player has --- Derek Trucks on the cover! Great article. Nice pics of his guitar, slide, and a good writeup. Highly recommended. Gave it to my daughter to check out.

Yes, Joe Perry does have the classic sound for rock, I think. So does that guy, Slash, Slice, that guy. His tone is classic Les Paul stuff.

I'm sort of a sound junkie. Sounds make nice colors. Uh, yeah man. :biglaugh: Most of the time I like to have a full thick kind of sound, be it humbucker or single coil, but I love that unexpected jump you get when tone meets pick and there's nice overtones popping up. It's a distraction I confess. It's difficult to get the complexity in a digital model, but I find that a tad more volume than is needed and the position of the picking hand can add depth to the whole thing.

A guy I like a lot tone wise is Johnny A. His tune "Had to Laugh" is a nice tune. He does a cool version of "The Wind Cries Mary" too. He's got a signature model Gibson, like a Les Paul but sometimes he gets a nice Tele kind of sound out of it too.

Chas, I'm impressed you play bass guitar by the way. Y'know who's a great bass player, I think, is Shery Crow. First time I saw her strappin' it on, think a Framus, or looked like one, I thought "uh oh" here we go. Don't fail me now, cuz I definitely like Crow's sound and tunes and all. I was impressed at her ability to play, on the mark and do it. She wasn't just wearing it, she was the bass player in her band. I like her guitar players, they do a great job of making that vintage rock sound work in a contemporary way. If that makes sense... :blink: Bass ia great instrument, I love it. Can't really play it all that well, but I love that bottom feel, just diggin' down into it. :dance:

Edited by socks
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amps - I've been experimenting with my 12 AX 7 tubes in my preamp. There's different kinds, I wanted a warmer sound and was talking to the guy in a local store and found one that's in the Fender Twin. I put two into my preamp and it added some nice sound. And they're a relatively cheap mod, think both were 20 bucks all totalled.

I agree, tubes are the way to go. My Line 6 Spider is a digital modeller and does a good job, and is very convenient for most things. I'll switch to the preamp and amp setup sometimes which goes through either a little 12 inch speaker cab, or a bassman cab if I need more wind. :) But I don't play any large gigs these days so it's a lot of shlepping and not worth it. Reverb is a highly underated effect. For many years guitarists had that and not much else and did a lot with it.

Edited by socks
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Speaking of bass players, have you ever heard of Laura Love? Man, the woman can play bass like I've never heard before! And I know that there are some great ones out there, but I do believe that she rates way high. And she has these awesome vocals that are astounding. It's kind of hard to describe her sound. It's sort of a "Seattle thing", or at least is well known and popular in Seattle. A mix of Celtic/African/blues/jazz. She refers to it as "Afro-Celtic". It is very hard driving and totally unique, well, unique at least to me anyway. The album that has the songs that we know so well are on her "Laura Love Collection" CD. If you can download the song "If You Leave Me Now", you can hear that awesome bass, and the song "Less Is More", her vocals are so nice. She is known for her unique sound and vocals, but when I heard her live in Haines at the Summer Solstice/Southeast Alaska State Fair (our local hippies there love her), it was her bass playing that literally shocked me it was so incredble. Very fast and tasty too.

http://www.lauralove.net/home.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy smokes - you guys gotta check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1964-LAKE-PLACID-BLUE-...1QQcmdZViewItem

This guitar isn't as beat as it could be, considering it's age... but... wow... this thing is going to go for a pretty penny...

By the way...

Any of you guys have cats?

We have two of the beasts, and every time we open up the case and pull out the axe, a cat roots himself or herself snugly into the case for a nap.... We've decided to market guitar cases as cat beds! LOL!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that a HarpGuitar?

I saw Michael Hedges play one something like that in the late 80's and again in the early 90's

He certainly got an interesting spectrum of sound and a very broad range out of his...

Im lacking in the number of workable fingers to deal with something like that myself

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, something has to be wrong HERE. Now, I have never bought a guitar from ebay, or musicians friend or pretty much any place on line. Before I buy a guitar, I want to hold it, strum it, plug it in, if it's electric, you know, get to know it before I decide to pay money for it. But this looks too good to be true(which means, it probably is!).

So we have a Gibson Les Paul for 9.99 GBP+180 GBP for shipping(outrageous)+5 gbp for insurance which translates to 339.73 U.S. Dollars(based on today's exchange rate).

Anyone want to take a gamble? :)

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It LOOKS like a Les Paul Studio, but I can't quite make out what it says on the cover plate on the head stock. Right now, LP Studio models are starting at $1,299.00 on Muscians Friend.

I'm just not trusting enough to buy it. Like I said, looks too good to be true. But hey, if anyone gives it a go and find out that it's for real, the same seller has a 335 for sale for 0.10 gbp plus shipping! :)

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that a HarpGuitar?

I saw Michael Hedges play one something like that in the late 80's and again in the early 90's

He certainly got an interesting spectrum of sound and a very broad range out of his...

Im lacking in the number of workable fingers to deal with something like that myself

Yes it is a HarpGuitar actually. But I have to leave again so can't stay. Bye for now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

Announcements


×
×
  • Create New...