Members NewGuyonGuitar Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 I'm in my 40's, and have listed to rock music most of my life. I never had any interest in knowing what kind of guitar any given musician was using. It was just off my radar. I saw that they were in different shapes, but only paid any attention if they looked cool. The flying V, for example or the double necked guitar's.... Only recently, did I realize I try to spend intellectual energy on knowing what a Strat looks like, vs a Gibson. From what I understand, certain musicians prefer certain types of guitars because of the distinct sounds it makes. At this point, I couldn't tell a Gibson from a Strat from any other electric guitar based on it's sound characteristics alone. Does this come with time? One day, I imagine, I'll want to upgrade from my novice beginner guitar to something else. I can imagine walking into a guitar store and having a sales person come over and ask, "what are you interested in" and I'd say "I have no clue". They'll snicker and I'll walk quietly out the store. I know I love the sound of the guitar Alex Lifeson plays in La Villa Strangiato, I know I love the sound of the guitar Jimmy Page uses in "No Quarter", I know I love the sound of Santana's guitar on "Samba Pa Ti" Do I start keeping a list? Writing down that Alex used a Gibson 4912p for La Villa, and Santana used a Stratocaster 4900 and Jimmy used a Gibson 7823.....but then pedal effects and or overdubbing complicate what sounds any given guitar can create, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 You could maybe research single coil vs humbucker; probably the biggest difference between Fender and Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stevo 42 Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 I think it does come more easily the more you pay attention to such things. One thing to consider is to not just match up particular songs to particular guitars but to listen for the types of sounds in the songs. There is definite vocabulary that guitarists use to describe the sounds and once you begin to master that vocabulary (shifting as it sometimes is) you will be able to describe and differentiate between guitars. The language is often one of comparison. A humbucker equipped guitar is often said to be "thicker" than a single coil axe. A guitar with more high-register or treble sounds could be called "cutting," "bright," or if too high, "ice pick." Deeper tones are often called dark. Hollows and semi-hollows are often said to impart a "woody" tone. High-output or active pickups might make a guitar sound "hot." A guitar that lacks definition could be called "muddy." These are just a few examples. Amps and effect pedals obviously have an effect on all this as well, but particular guitars are known for particular tones. There are some good books out there that describe the typicals tones for certain guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JonR Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 Do I start keeping a list? Writing down that Alex used a Gibson 4912p for La Villa, and Santana used a Stratocaster 4900 and Jimmy used a Gibson 7823.....but then pedal effects and or overdubbing complicate what sounds any given guitar can create, right?Well yes. This is the problem with sounds on classic recordings. Sometimes nobody (even the original player) is sure what they used way back then. Check out this thread discussing Santana's gear on Samba Pa Ti:http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-711902.htmlNo consensus there. Gibson SG seems probable (definitely not Strat!) - but with humbuckers or P90s? Fender Twin amp, or Leslie speaker?My guess from your list is that you are going to prefer a Gibson, probably a Les Paul or SG. So they would be the first type to try. And continue to take notes of sounds you like, especially if you can see live video! (at least you'll identify the guitar then, if you can't aways tell what effects are being used.) Of course, live sounds are often very different from studio sounds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members polishpaul Posted March 20, 2012 Members Share Posted March 20, 2012 Good thread. I was once happy just to make a noise , but I'm becoming more fussy on this. I want to sound like....dunno really, but it has to....bite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mosiddiqi Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 I've had periods of being a "Strat guy" or a "Les paul" guy or whatever. Nowadays, for what I do, I find that a good Strat, a good Les Paul and a good "superstrat" (Suhr) do everything I want to hear. To my ears they sound like this: Les Paul - FAT! heavy, notes seem to "push" more.Strat - Super articulate, clear, pure, thin (in a good way)SuperStrat - A bit of both the above, brighter than the Les Paul, fatter than the Strat..and a whammy bar that stays in tune whatever I do to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonPhillips Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Great post JonR It's horses for courses really. I play a Les Paul when gigging with the tribute band, as it fills the sound a lot more than a Strat would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Strats are designed so well. they are light, comfortable body shape. Not great for chording to me as the necks are narrow. Les Pauls sound great but are heavy. Teles are good and simple. Superstrats are awesome but not good if you like to chord up near the nut because the locking nut gets in the way. If I had to pick just one it would either a strat or tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mosiddiqi Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 Something else..I started playing Strats because I wasn't happy with the sound of a full on humbucker (was a PRS Custom 22) in a particular band I was in. The bass player had a very distinctive low-mid heavy fuzz bass sound, and my guitar just disappeared in the band mix. I took a Strat into rehearsal just out of curiosity and....perfection. The Strat had a lot more upper mid presence..perfect for that band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonPhillips Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 In order to assist your recognition of the Les Paul and the Stratocaster, here's a couple of images for you: (Never let it be said that I miss an opportunity to gratuitously post pics of my favourite guitars ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JonR Posted March 21, 2012 Members Share Posted March 21, 2012 All right, if we posting guitar porn, here's my personal favourite: Epi Casino: P90s, thinline acoustic. (Mine's an early 60s Gibson-made original.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 The Music Man Axis is a comfortable guitar. It sounds good too. It's really a modified telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JonR Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 Of course, if you can't make your mind up.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 If you cant get er done with this, it probably aint worth doin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members girevik Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 I started out with 2-humbucker guitars because I was into Holdsworth, McLaughlin, and Metheny and all of them used guitars with humbuckers. Later, I got into Wayne Krantz, Eric Johnson, etc. and started to yearn for that sweet, bell-like single coil sound. For me, these guys and Mark Knopfler set the benchmark for playing a Strat to maximum expressive potential, with such a variety of tones and dynamic levels not possible with humbucking pickups. For example, Knopfler's solos on "Sultans Of Swing" would not sound the same on any other type of guitar. My main guitar is a Reverend Jetstream 390, which has 3 "soapbar" style pickups. The P90 is the best known of the soapbars - it's a single coil but decidedly thicker in physical dimensions and tone than a Strat single coil. I've been told the 390's pickups don't sound quite like the classic P90 pickup. They definitely do not sound like the soapbars on a Fender Jazzmaster either. I like the sound, regardless. The Reverend has a Bass Contour knob that passively controls the amount of bass in the pickups - rolled all the way back, the pickups sound a lot like Strat single coils. I tried a Les Paul once and was surprised by how easy it was to bend up a minor 3rd. I think it's a combination of shorter scale (relative to Strat-style guitars) and fixed bridge. My next guitar purchase will probably be a Tele, in the classic metallic neck single coil, black bridge single coil configuration. I'm intrigued by the new American Deluxe Teles, because of the noiseless pickups, locking tuners, and compound radius necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stevo 42 Posted March 22, 2012 Members Share Posted March 22, 2012 If you just want to hear the sounds of different guitars to see what they sound like, youtube is THE place to go. There are hundreds if not thousands of demos on there. And unlike CDs by your favorite artists, the youtube demos will frequently tell you eactly what amp or effects are being used, whether the amp is on clean or not, and which pickup(s) is are being used. And they will even go between different settings. Be forewarned, watching or listening to youtube demos can kill a lot of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jeremy_green Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 I honestly feel the strat works better for most situations. The sonic spectrum of a full band eats up the low end you add with a humbucker loaded guitar. The strat seems to sit better in the mix naturally. On its own an humbucker guitar sounds better because the sound is larger. But in most ensembles large isn't always a good thing. For me the decision of which lies in the bass player. If he is using a trebly articulate sound or playing a bass with a lot of high range like a Rickenbacker.. Then the double coils work great. But if you got a Fender P player or a keyboardist involved then the strat is the deal. If the band sounds big... You want small (single coils)If the band sounds small ... You want big (humbuckers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JesperT Posted March 23, 2012 Members Share Posted March 23, 2012 I can always distinguish the sound of a singlecoil-equipped Fender, but I can't always tell whether it's a telecaster or a stratocaster just from the sound, unless they use the middle pickup for that typical 'quack' sound. However, when I hear humbucker-equipped guitars, I can't tell "Oh, that's a Les Paul". Here's a clip with some archetypal Fender sounds: (Robert Cray and Eric Clapton) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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