Members p4vl Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've noticed that the market for superstrats made of traditional woods with fixed bridges are becoming more popular (Ibanez RGA, Jackson SLS, etc.). Comfort and stronger tone (at least on paper...) is always a good thing. Hot Pickups may not be as essential to high gain as they were in the 70's and 80's, but I've never heard a PAF or single coil with even a colossal amount of distortion over it that was as tight as any Ceramic overwound bridge pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluefoot Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Play what works for you. If it's a shredder, then it's shredder end of story. I have seen this very poster playing amazingly tasty bluesy things on a pointy guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cap'n'Budda Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've noticed that the market for superstrats made of traditional woods with fixed bridges are becoming more popular (Ibanez RGA, Jackson SLS, etc.). Comfort and stronger tone (at least on paper...) is always a good thing. Hot Pickups may not be as essential to high gain as they were in the 70's and 80's, but I've never heard a PAF or single coil with even a colossal amount of distortion over it that was as tight as any Ceramic overwound bridge pickup. I don't think of the goal of distortion as being "tight". I still go back to the VH1 distortion sound as the benchmark for modern high gain, and that was a medium output alnico pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Could you relocate that vol. pot please.It's in the {censored}ing way! It's that close so that you can do volume swells easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cada7 Posted June 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Wow! Yes the original poster is weighing in after a day of work, and the replies have been educational and insightful. Cap'n'Budda probably responded the best to the spirit of my query: I guess I better spill a little more of my experience... First of all, I have owned and played for nearly a year now a Showmaster Quilt Babinga Top with Pearly Gates in Bridge, Rev. Wound 59 in the bridge, 5-way strat type switching, 24 frets, rosewood f/b, 2-point floating trem., locking tuners. I have immensely enjoyed this guitar and chose it for it's playability and tone (originally tried the HH in a GC through the true AC30 and that is what sold me). I was looking for something playable for my smaller hands, and that was versatile to cover the leads I was asked to play across many varieties. In the performance setting where I play I go direct to the house from a Tonelab LE (which I edit extensively), with sometimes a few odd 'modifiers' in the signal chain, just depends. I have found that the tone is very acceptable for performance and greatly improves on my old very nicely set up MIM Squire with Lace Sensors (Gold, Gold, Blue in neck), which was fine for recording at home but just couldn't translate live. The Showmaster stays in tune pretty well too, even with a lot of bending. As to tone matching, a little example I can give is I was asked to do a lead improv for the Smashmouth version of "Believer" and thought I'd go the rockabilly route, borrowed an Artcore (which certainly looked the part), but I actually preferred the Showmaster and wound up using it anyway... So, indeed I was trying to understand a little bit of the definition and stigma regarding these types of guitars. Personally I also think the guitar is just plain beautiful with the natural wood finish and I typically never go for the darker browns. Oh, and I need those extra high notes too. I have to get that E every now and then. But... my next guitar to augment will be a Tele, I am certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kherman Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Many of these shred guitars are too one-dimensional, which is why I'd rather go for something like this: You don't have to be a shredder to realize what a great guitar this is. Oh, no! Yngtchie's been spending too much time over at the Petrucci forum.Did you trade all your gear for an Axe-FX yet?J/K !! The Suhrs are beautiful guitars.But, they don't make a neck-thru.Which is what I prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dimibetan Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 This......shredder or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members p4vl Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 I don't think of the goal of distortion as being "tight". I still go back to the VH1 distortion sound as the benchmark for modern high gain, and that was a medium output alnico pickup. Certainly high gain solos benefit from lower output pickups, but my point of reference is centered on high gain rhythm of old thrash. I might be wrong, but I've never heard a PAF that could cut the mustard for that kind of precision under heavy gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members livndablues Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Guitar=good. Any guitar. Go play. EG :thu:What he said!Find your guitar and play!Now let's talk about that shirt your wearing, UGH! (just kidding) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Edward Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Too many people hear with their eyes. I've played just as many "lifeless" '50s designed guitars as the more modern designs. Saying you can't play clean with a pointy guitar, or that a Floyd Rose eliminates sustain is just stupid. (Of course, that follows the trend of uneducated myths too often perpetuated on this forum.) And if you find a guitar that you seriously think can "only play one kind of music", maybe you'd better keep looking. I'd also suggest practicing a bit more. :poke: Absolutely. Much as pointy "metal" guitars aren't my bag, I do love to see them being used out of context.... I'd get a real kick out of seeing one of those Dean MLs being used for smokin Delta blues, or rockabilly..... As has been said many times over here, most guitarists (and I certainly am included here, often) are simply ridiculously conservative in their tastes. Make that most electric guitarists: I see much more openness to new ideas and change among acoustic players, same with bass players..... wonder why we specifically six string electric players tend to be the stick in the muds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TornadoOfSouls Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Because the amount of untalented hacks vs talented guitarists is overwhelming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredtilurded Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 It's that close so that you can do volume swells easily.No {censored}.....................really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Floyds seem to suck tone. Shredder guitars always sound thin and cheap..which I guess doesn't matter as much when you are playing 500 notes a second. But i've yet to hear one sound as good as say the rockabilly twang of a Gretsch or the spank of a telecaster or the cool jazz tones of an archtop with a neck pickup. Maybe someone can post clips of a super-strat sounding like that and convince me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Artslinger Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Ever since I poked myself in the eye on a shredder body I have been scared of those guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members p4vl Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 No {censored}.....................really? Wow, you sure told him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cap'n'Budda Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Floyds seem to suck tone. This is a myth. Out of the box floyds do sound kind of bright, mostly due to the steel block on the trem. But that can be changed simply by changing the size and material of the block (a trivial mod). Otherwise they sound just like any other steel plate trem. I do think they sound better flush mounted or with a trem stopper installed, but that could be said of any trem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cats-o-caster Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 You can play a shredder using a classic, but you cannot play a classic using a shredder...Not true. In fact you can play much more things on a shred than on a classic one (tone included).Shredder guitars just look bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twofoolsaminute Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Nothing wrong with shredder guitars. I'd never get one intentionally, but if it's all I had...I'd jam that mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredtilurded Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Wow, you sure told him. I kind of thought he was being a dick as most guitarists know about the volume swell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 After I replaced the sustain black on my OFR, it became a tone monster. It didn't sound bad before, but now it sounds great.Thank you floydupgrades.com:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GodBlessTexas Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 play what you want. {censored} the haters./thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Loudness Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Nothing. It's all a matter of personal taste. Personally I can't stand locking trems, so it's rare you'd see me playing a guitar with one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Myths debunked! Floyds do not suck tone. Cheap ones, probably, but cheap hardware on any guitar, floyded or not, is a tone sucker! Locking tremolos are no real hassle! I can change strings on my floyd and have it tuned to pitch in the first half of a simpsons episode, which I'd put to about 10-15 minutes. Sure, I'd bet you could change a TOM guitar quicker, but is 15 minutes all that long? Shredder guitars don't have to be pointy. My MIM Strat can shred very nicely with its retrofitted floyd and low setup. Thin necks don't necessarily mean faster playing. Ibanez necks tire me too much. I prefer jacksons, they are a little thicker, but not "les paul" thick. Just because a Les Paul is heavier it doesn't mean it has "more tone". It's just more of a bastard on your back. The player matters more than the guitar. I used to play in a straight up blues bar band with an EMG loaded BC Rich warlock. I did get a few jibes mainly from people more concerned about image than what the band was doing. I'm sure I'm not the best blues player on the planet, but it seemed the crowd for the most part liked what I did. I doubt anything would have changed if I had used a Les Paul, except I probably would have gotten bored quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 you can play whatever you want on any guitar you want... those that insist you cant are just projecting their inadequacies with the instrument onto you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ESchmidt Posted June 23, 2009 Members Share Posted June 23, 2009 Play it, love it, enjoy it...For me, I don't like thin necks, and have no need for a Floyd, so most shredder guitars are not going to be something I dig - but I have no issues with anyone else playing them. This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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