macken_nz

Asking the big questions today.. forget tone and lace sensor pickup swaps.. it's all about that silky shine of that beloved instrument most of us fumble to even play. Oh no i'm hating again.. such intolerance. Next time I will talk about middle pickup strat pups i swear

That's interesting and no I haven't bothered to investigate tusq.. So many options in materials can make one dizzy but it's good to hear you like the changes with your cheaper instrument.

I disagree. I believe the most important factors are the bridge termination points and type of saddles and the type of body wood that is used for the bridge transfer resonance. I can hear the difference clearly with all my guitars unplugged and the only difference to them is the bridges and body woods. The nut material similarly makes a difference yet unlike the bridge it obviously only terminates the open strings therefore has a marked lesser effect on the tone. For example my tele custom and deluxe sound dramatically different acoustically and the only factor of difference between them is that one has an ashtray bridge and steel barrel saddles and the other has a standard 6 saddle bent steel design. This acoustic sound quality is just mostly amplified by the pickup and although subtle changes in pups and caps and pots can alter things the inherent tone remains the same to my ear which is the acoustic resonance coming through. I can't determine how much of a factor the ashtray bridge makes and what part is the saddles to be fair but from memory the slab steel tele's don't sound as twangy to my ear. I'd love to get to the bottom of things and have the money(and nerdiness) to do these tone comparisons for myself at home and really establish what is going on tonally with these material factors. maybe one day when I am a bigshot with megabucks Anyhow, I wasn't suggesting i'd be going ahead with any changes as I love the tone of the steel saddles and remember the youtube comparison video featuring a substantial difference in tone that a bright cap change, although pronounced, will not acheive a similar sound. Nice little dig at the end there.. I obviously offended you at some frivolous comments made to your mate Grant and you intend to use your authority to come down hard on dissent in the ranks. I even got a 'Disarm' personal email from you which was something special to my heart. Look at me mum?! I'm making troubling comments to bedroom guitarists! i'm flying mum i'm flying! seems there's a fragile bunch here that are very precious about some silly and fun taunts.. I thought you were made of sterner stuff megatron. I'm 100% sure I will get banned for this outspoken rant because people in power have only one option in their little brains.. control and dominate. Good times here though.. Some of you guys are truly insightful and not temperamental to the point of childishness. Do it daddy mack.. end it.. finish me because I named your boy grant as a child.. such critical abuse that you obviously take personally given your final statement. Gooooo Intolerance! 72 custom I still love you.. goodbye everyone!

That's interesting to hear you consider the brass brighter. I thought the steel may have been the brighter material. I remember the youtube test video comparison and not expecting much difference but was surprised to hear quite a substantial difference in the material. When you consider that the saddles are the point where all the string vibration transfers through it can be a very important part in the tone. The nut is the other point but obviously it only transfers the vibration from the open strings and not the fretted ones. I used to think graphite was the way to go due to it's durability but I've heard how the tone's high frequencies are significantly cut with this material. I agree brass looks nice though. Along with speaker choice, the bridge saddles can have a big impact on tone yet the average guitarist(grant harding) will mostly consider pickup or amp changes above the former.. which is a bit short sighted in my aggressive and hate filled opinion Thanks for your input man.. I really like your view points.

Yeah if it works it works.. Part of my brain is curious at the difference though. Any thoughts on the tone difference of the two materials?

So tell me.. What difference do you notice between the two teles?.. Are they the same body and neck woods?..

I bought a mexican fender tele custom(wow that's a mouthful) and it sounds about the most tele like thing i've heard before. It's the 1st one i've owned without the 6 saddles. I think the ashtray bridge makes it sound different too. You can hear it unplugged which is a pretty good test I reckon. I compare it to my deluxe with the 6 saddle bridge and it really has a classic twang to it compared to the deluxe with the same maple fingerboard and alder body. I tried a few G&L's out 1st and then lastly the custom and remember thinking that the tele had more of a classic twang to it. Alot of people prefer the brass saddles but I can't see myself bothering to change as it sounds perfect to me. From memory a youtube video comparison emphasized the steel ones being the most bitey.. I think the brass were a bit more muted but I may be wrong. Thoughties?.. Grant can go eat some crayons though as he blocked me for annoying him. Not child like at all. I will pray for him

I'd say poopy day at work and you harbour some severe resentments about people having opinions. I wouldn't say i am insulting.. well maybe to grant but I found him to miss the point on the topic I was getting at and i'd argue he was the instigator in being abrasive. And please don't call me childish for saying he started it. It's simply a valid point to make. I never said my opinion was high and mighty, I try to be insightful about art and the guitar. The blackmore is god was an obvious tongue in cheek commentary on claptons overwhelming popularity compared to ritchie. We all have different tastes and I just tried to celebrate mine. I have a huge number of heroes in the field and the language of poop was used to provoke and stimulate responses in an otherwise sterile environment about gear and little else. You obviously have been so greatly offended by these assertations which is pretty childish and sad. Have you thought about working on your personality? Maybe post a tune of your own and we could strike up a real conversation? phillip philington - YouTube

wow thank you so much for the compliment.. I've recorded that one several times but that's my favourite of the bunch.. Just an old cassette four track recording from 2014 but seems to hav e something the more polished ones don't.

Thanks for your articulate and informative response here Davie "the most appropriate notes to taste" that sums up alot of what I think I was trying to go for. Well Said champ. But that Grant Harding guy..

Thank you. Nice tunes. I wish more people would post instead of asking what new pickups to purchase etc..

I was stating a fact. You can't just call that childish and claim a victory. Are their no adults here with brains apart from that one dude?.. Here's two valid points. 1) You are defending another persons comments that you aren't directly involved in. "Let it go" 2) You cherry picked one line from my argument to make a point and refuse any further discussion. "pretty childish" You are defeated. And where's your post of your music?.. cough up before you groan on.

Not a child at all

You miss the point.. Please refrain from replying. Your feeble attempt at dialogue just irritates. I feel for your ex girlfriend. But sure here you go champ.. phillip philington - YouTube Your turn..

There's a distinction between a guitarist & an artist. It's usually defined by a substantial audience but not always. It's no coincidence these virtuoso players simply don't have the fan base or critical praise of a true artist and they mostly go ignored by the general public and tend to only be appreciated by other players. There seems to be some confusion about what an artist actually is and what constitutes "ability" in terms of artistic output. Sadly as a guitarist myself I find the majority of players simply miss the point of an instrument as a voice for the soul and tend to focus on technique or gear acquisition over a real personal statement. The forums here are a prime example of this and the fragile emotions which rattle around when an attempt is made to make a valid point on some wider ranging topics than wide range humbucker choices. If guitarists wish to really move forward and the instrument to flourish again then a more open mind on this subject is demanded to make that happen. Personally I think this instrument is dead.. dead like the jazz instruments of nearly a century ago. Things come and go and we all need to embrace that and look to the future where the song is paramount and virtuosity is redundant. Guthrie Govan can go heave a weasel. How are those crayon drawing working out Grant?.. Oh that's a good one mate!! You're really improving! hardly any outside the border! FUggin guitarists