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Why does my guitar sound like kittens?


ounce123

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What is with you, man? I changed the strings maybe a little over a month ago. It came with old strings on it and sounded fine. I don't think 35-day-old strings are what is making the guitar sound like it's broken.


Also I'm not selling this when I know it can be a good guitar, and I'm especially not selling my Fender that I like a lot and this just to fund buying another guitar I don't even want. I don't want a new guitar; I like the guitars I have. What I want to know is what you think this is due to. It's not water-logged or anything stupid like that. While it's true you often get what you pay for, some of your attitudes are startlingly smug and presumptuous. The reviews for this guitar on THIS SITE say it is a great clone, better than most Epiphones, and it's received the endorsement of people who actually know what they are talking about. I like how you assume that because it is some weird brand it is worthless. Xaviere makes great guitars for under $200. Stop acting as if the fact that it is "budget" or whatever means it's garbage when it's common knowledge that a large amount of the price for major brand guitars are markup and paying for the name. The bridge pickup works fine and it's better than any Dot I've heard and sounds as good as a Sheraton. It's a good guitar, there's just something funny going on with it.

 

 

I can't speak for anyone else but I wasn't implying that you're guitar was worthless.I was merely pointing out that with a cheap guitar the quality is not going to be as consistent as a guitar costing a bit more.No need to get so defensive.

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What does this even mean? Dots have complaints waged against them all the time for being overpriced, not particularly competitive with their clones, and having quality issues. Or is that not real enough? Maybe I should invest in an $1800 guitar with money I don't have. Sorry bud, but I don't have money to throw around and I have no inclination to buy a "real 335" when semi-real 335s have issues too just because you disapprove of people with little disposable income. If my options are buy a clone, buy a cheaper Epiphone that's no better than a $200 clone, or buy a $1500 Gibson, why don't you venture a guess what I'm going to do? Either you are 16 with tons of money to throw around or you are a WELL PAID LAWYER or something, but either way you should stop making insensitive comments and go away.


Also, this is a guitar that's very well reviewed. Most asian-made clones get awful reviews, but S101 335s are generally accepted as one of the few good ones. I've talked to 3 people who own them and love them, and I've heard similarly good things about Agile 335s.

 

 

Chill out young dude. The fact that you can come up with $200 for a cheapie and soon after have the cash for another says that you do have disposable income.

 

Don't believe everything you hear about how wonderful and just as good cheap gear is. There is a price range in between Gibson/PRS and cheapie with all kinds of stage ready pro gear. Get yourself a piggy bank and save till you can afford better quality.

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Did you play the guitar before yo bought it? Did it sound bad then? If you don't know much about fixing guitars ect then buy a book. The pickup selector switch is broken than the pots probably should be switched out also. Don't spend a lot of money on a guitar thats probably notworth it. These problems are why I always advise someone to buy what you really want. Because buying multiple cheap kind of what you want ends up costing more than if you justed bought the REAL thing in the 1st place.

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I can't answer your question. But I'd like to know what happened when you tried to adjust the height of the pickups to reduce the output? It sounds to me that the output is too hot. Since you mentioned "ordinarily I'd change the pickups" etc. etc. I presume you've done the other adjustments. So what happened?


Exact post I was going to make.:thu:

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Wait, so you are saying that strings are dead after 35 days? It sounds like the guy changed the strings and barely played it after that.

 

 

oxidation, not wear. it happens. especially as the seasons change.

 

to the OP - change the strings. its a cheap solution that will eliminate that variable. don't forget to polish the frets with NEVR-Dull and then oil the fretboard with Woodwind Bore Oil. make sure the neck isn't bowed and that the pots aren't crackly.

 

once you've eliminated all of that, come back and we'll talk about swapping out the pots and switches.

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>> get it pro serviced, including setup, strings, pup heights, nut & saddle care. find a 50-something yr old guy w/his own shop, not the tech at GC. this whole "non-mechanic fixing cars by others' advices, who've never even seen the car," well, its bound for failure as far as your guitar is concerned. it'll help the economy though, so not all would be lost.

report back afterwards, detailing how it sounds, and plays, a lot better.

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What is with you, man?
I changed the strings maybe a little over a month ago. It came with old strings on it and sounded fine. I don't think 35-day-old strings are what is making the guitar sound like it's broken.


Also I'm not selling this when I know it can be a good guitar, and I'm especially not selling my Fender that I like a lot and this just to fund buying another guitar I don't even want. I don't want a new guitar; I like the guitars I have. What I want to know is what you think this is due to. It's not water-logged or anything stupid like that. While it's true you often get what you pay for, some of your attitudes are startlingly smug and presumptuous. The reviews for this guitar on THIS SITE say it is a great clone, better than most Epiphones, and it's received the endorsement of people who actually know what they are talking about. I like how you assume that because it is some weird brand it is worthless. Xaviere makes great guitars for under $200. Stop acting as if the fact that it is "budget" or whatever means it's garbage when it's common knowledge that a large amount of the price for major brand guitars are markup and paying for the name. The bridge pickup works fine and it's better than any Dot I've heard and sounds as good as a Sheraton. It's a good guitar, there's just something funny going on with it.

I LOL'd. Reminds me of when Dark Helmet takes Lonestar's ring and goes, "What's WITH YOU, man?"

 

OK, here's the thing: some guitars are going to sound like {censored}, no matter what you do to them.

 

I have a MIM Fender Strat, which was my main guitar for a year. I actually put a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, which is a very bright and powerful pickup. I recently got a USA Fender, and with the stock pickups, the USA just sounds more alive. No matter what I do, the MIM sounds flat, dull, and lifeless. Yes, it does. It's dark and lifeless. I didn't want to believe it, but it's the truth.

 

The MIM is made of something like 6 pieces of alder. The USA is 2 pieces of alder.

 

Honestly, guitars have a baseline sound which can be modified only so much. Is that the problem w/your guitar? IDK. But it's possible. And with your perfectly reasonable budget, you just might have to live with it. It's not just the lower-cost guitars. I had a Gibson Les Paul which was painfully bright, no matter what I did. So I had to sell it.

 

To end my rant, I went to a recital at Julliard last week. It was duos of violinists and pianists. The first violinist had a very bright tone with lots of presence. The second violinist had a dark and warm tone. Yes, wood makes a difference. :thu:

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I LOL'd. Reminds me of when Dark Helmet takes Lonestar's ring and goes, "What's WITH YOU, man?"


OK, here's the thing: some guitars are going to sound like {censored}, no matter what you do to them.


I have a MIM Fender Strat, which was my main guitar for a year. I actually put a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, which is a very bright and powerful pickup. I recently got a USA Fender, and with the stock pickups, the USA just sounds more alive. No matter what I do, the MIM sounds flat, dull, and lifeless. Yes, it does. It's dark and lifeless. I didn't want to believe it, but it's the truth.


The MIM is made of something like 6 pieces of alder. The USA is 2 pieces of alder.


Honestly, guitars have a baseline sound which can be modified only so much. Is that the problem w/your guitar? IDK. But it's possible. And with your perfectly reasonable budget, you just might have to live with it. It's not just the lower-cost guitars. I had a Gibson Les Paul which was painfully bright, no matter what I did. So I had to sell it.


To end my rant, I went to a recital at Julliard last week. It was duos of violinists and pianists. The first violinist had a very bright tone with lots of presence. The second violinist had a dark and warm tone. Yes, wood makes a difference.
:thu:





while all that is well and good, not ever having the instrument properly set-up in the first place makes wood types/pieces, etc really not even enter the question yet, and then theres broken parts to boot.

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I would try putting on new strings first (35 days is kinda long IMO), and keep adjusting the pickup heights until you're absolutely sure that won't fix it. The heights can make a huge difference, but it may take some time to get it right.

Also, get your switch fixed if it's unusable.

 

If none of that works, get it set up, and/or try buying some new pickups, along with better electronics.

 

And you don't need to go and buy a new guitar. If you liked it at first, you can like it again. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a guitar that satisfies you

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sorry did you say the bridge sounds OK and the neckposition pickup sounds like dung, then just switch pickups temporarily and see what happens...if putting the bridge pickup into the neck position sounds good then you know its not the guitars tone thats giving you bad tone but that its either the wiring is screwy or the original neck pickup needs to be replaced...

 

PS- if your not familiar with soldering or wiring guitars then maybe disregard this post...

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yeah okay cool. this is a lot of useful advice! firstly to whoever said "well clearly you have money to blah blah blah" i don't! that's the point. i bought this guitar (btw i didn't play it before i bought it, but i heard it) and i know a guy who is good with guitar tech stuff who will fix it up for me, and i can afford to sink maybe a couple hundred bucks into fixing i up in a bit, but i can't afford outright buying a new guitar of substantially higher quality. why would you assume spending $200 on a guitar a few months ago means i have money now?

 

anyway, i will change the strings and see if that gets anything to happen. honestly it seems unlikely to me since the bridge sounds perfectly fine and the neck just sounds BROKEN, but i'll give it a go. if it's not that, then you guys are probably right and it's bad wiring and cheap parts. i'll scrounge up the money for a decent set of gfs pickups, a new nut, jack, switch, and some new pots (hopefully this will not set me back more than $100) and see what my pal can do with it. thanks for the advice.

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yeah okay cool. this is a lot of useful advice! firstly to whoever said "well clearly you have money to blah blah blah" i don't! that's the point. i bought this guitar (btw i didn't play it before i bought it, but i heard it) and i know a guy who is good with guitar tech stuff who will fix it up for me, and i can afford to sink maybe a couple hundred bucks into fixing i up in a bit, but i can't afford outright buying a new guitar of substantially higher quality. why would you assume spending $200 on a guitar a few months ago means i have money now?


anyway, i will change the strings and see if that gets anything to happen. honestly it seems unlikely to me since the bridge sounds perfectly fine and the neck just sounds BROKEN, but i'll give it a go. if it's not that, then you guys are probably right and it's bad wiring and cheap parts. i'll scrounge up the money for a decent set of gfs pickups, a new nut, jack, switch, and some new pots (hopefully this will not set me back more than $100) and see what my pal can do with it. thanks for the advice.

 

 

 

 

do not put on new strings before having it serviced, they'll be changed out anyways, and new strings wont make the diff that new strings and a setup/repair will do.

 

 

it may also be wise to have yer buddy look under the hood first, and tell you what parts are needed, then order those. interwebz diagnostics are only so infallible.

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yeah okay cool. this is a lot of useful advice! firstly to whoever said "well clearly you have money to blah blah blah" i don't! that's the point. i bought this guitar (btw i didn't play it before i bought it, but i heard it) and i know a guy who is good with guitar tech stuff who will fix it up for me, and i can afford to sink maybe a couple hundred bucks into fixing i up in a bit, but i can't afford outright buying a new guitar of substantially higher quality. why would you assume spending $200 on a guitar a few months ago means i have money now?


anyway, i will change the strings and see if that gets anything to happen. honestly it seems unlikely to me since the bridge sounds perfectly fine and the neck just sounds BROKEN, but i'll give it a go. if it's not that, then you guys are probably right and it's bad wiring and cheap parts. i'll scrounge up the money for a decent set of gfs pickups, a new nut, jack, switch, and some new pots (hopefully this will not set me back more than $100) and see what my pal can do with it. thanks for the advice.

 

 

After you get your guitar adjusted you may want to have that attitude of yours looked at 'cause it sucks

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A switch (or at the most, a neck pickup) is bad and is possibly contributing to a bad signal, that's the only problem he needs fixing.



Finally, someone hits it. The switch is bad, or dirty. Had the same thing happen to the switch in an Electromatic Gretsch. Neck pickup had barely any volume, broke up sounding like crap. Also affects the middle position because of the neck pickup contact being engaged in that position. Bridge sounded fine. Sound familiar?

Get a good switch, $10-13 for a Switchcraft depending on where you get it. Or a new replacement from GFS should work just as well :D

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Okay, I'll have him look at it and see if I really need all that stuff. I mean, the nut isn't too hot and it doesn't stay in tune too well anyway, and the pickups could be better, so I'll probably end up replacing those along with the switch even if it's just the switch that's breaking it.

 

 

After you get your guitar adjusted you may want to have that attitude of yours looked at 'cause it sucks

 

Clever!

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