whitefang Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 When I was in high school, the way one dressed seemed to denote the personality of the dresser. If you wore a certain type of clothing, you were a certain type of person. You could be a greaser at heart, but if you preferred dressing in "frat" clothes, the greasers wouldn't accept you. No matter what. Somehow, it seems to be the same with guitars. In some areas. People STILL beleive that "jazz" guitars have to be big, fat bodied axes or semi-hollow. Rockabilly pickers gravitate towards Telecasters or Gretsch. Headbangers and other shredders head for those designs usually found in the B.C. Rich lineup. And so it goes... But, has any of them stopped, before shelling out the dough for their instruments, to ask themselves, "Is this guitar neccessary?" I remember in the '60's, many guys in spite of the Beatles and the Stones opting for more conventionally designed guitars(with the exception of Brian Jones), went all over the place to get one of those cheesy looking Vox "teardrop" guitars. Because a lot of British invaders played them. Probably for the free ax as endorsement payment, but nonetheless. Chances are, Carl Perkins would have sounded just as good playing a Strat. As a matter of fact, I once saw him on a cable special playing one, and sounded none the different for it! It leaves me wondering about the current crop of guitars on the market. About how many are pushing the design for a demographic at the cost of quality. That some kid who gets caught up in the seeming revival of KISS will notice how "cool" the guitar looks with no thought of whether or not that guitar suits HIS needs. For example, I always leaned towards the Les Paul over the Strat, NOT because I think it's the better guitar. But rather, my HAND feels more comfortable on the neck. So, THAT left out any allusions to becoming the next "Jimi". I'm pretty sure that most(if not all) members of this forum bought the guitar(s) they own after careful consideration of comfort, fit, construction and price. Some have probably headed for one certain guitar, and wound up buying something completely different after this research. But, look at some of the other players you might know, and at THEIR guitars. And what it is they play on them. Can any of you feel you can ask THEM, "Is this guitar neccessary?" Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamsa2000 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 The honest truth is I was drunk at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Uh, what was the question again dude???? Huh, I forgot... Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelance Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I have always played rather standard guitars. I have an SG (my Rock & Roll axe). A Strat (my Blues axe). A Tele (my Country axe) and a Epiphone DOT - I can't afford a real 335 - (my jazz axe). I also own an accoustic. The only other guitar I own (which could fall into the catagory of "Is this guitar neccessary") is a Yamaha Ty Tabor (which while capable of a wide range of sounds is really another Rock & Roll guitar). However, I fell in love with the way it felt, the way it played and the way it looked - in fact it's the only guitar I've bought "just because" rather than buying a guitar to fill a specific need. However, since I have not actually "mastered" any of these guitars (to pull every subtle nuance of sound out of them) I sometimes ask myself if more than one guitar is "neccessary?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Guitars are like crayons. Who'd want a box of crayons full of only blue crayons? Nahhh...you need different colors. Tone colors, in the case of the guitar. Well, one guitar might suffice...one amp, too...as a matter of fact a lot of famous players have played mainly one axe. Everyone falls into the "I play this guitar because my hero has one" type thing. That's not necessarily bad. But the ones who seem successful are those who make a unique statement. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamsa2000 Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 BB King once said the most important thing was to have a nice suit. I could'nt afford a decent suit , but at least my two Yamahas (SG and SA) are colour co-ordinated!I bought an Ibanez Artist once because I wanted to sound like John Schofield.I did'nt, and I hated the guitar. I really did go through a drunken, cashed up guitar buying orgy a few years back,I was going through a bad time emotionally, and I admit that at the time I had more money than sense. My friend used to play in a Santana cover band and had the exact same model of Yamaha SG that Santana used, and it was the nicest guitar I'd ever played, so I bought one,but the slightly cheaper model. Then I spotted a Yamaha SA 2000 in a hock shop and that is still my favourite guitar. Better than the Gibson SG that I bought round about the same time, and never used. BTW - I no longer drink and am broke, sold the Gibson but still have my Yammies!Other guitars are a Maton electro-accoustic and Yamaha(surprise) APX nylon string. All these guitars have a similar neck width - even the nylon string, so there's no problem switching from one to another.. Could'nt play the Gibson - neck was too thin.Wish I'd kept the pickups though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O'Shite Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 I think that someone who finds what guitar works for them, whether it's a Strat or not, stands far more chance of "becoming the next Jimi" than someone who buys a lefty '69 Strat, flips it over and strings it "right" and plays through a Fuzzface and Marshall to emulate Hendrix. I think that a "jazz guitar" is any guitar that someone plays jazz on. Same with all the rest; these birds only grow wings when we set them in flight. Sitting there, they're no more transcendant of being only a symbol than a record jacket or television ad. Tuck Andress plays jazz, on an early '50s Gibson L-5, but with active electronics added to an originally acoustic model and a short and very "hi-fi" signal chain going direct to hard-disc, in order to do what he does, not to follow the "right" prescription and model of iconic "jazz tone" set up by others who mostly were doing what they did, as opposed to creating a rulebook to be followed. Jimi... Hell, he did what he did with an axe designed for post-war honky-tonk! I own two Les Pauls, and a lot, including the mystique and hero-imagery attendant to that axe, went into my initial desire to have and play one. But it was years before I found these two that particularly did it for me, and only one other LP that I played prior to that really rang my bells, and that was a real "one that got away" sob story! My point being, I didn't just buy a Les Paul the first time I could, I weeded through some to pick out the individual ones that sounded (first unplugged) and "felt" right to me. The ones that didn't? Someone else would doubtless think that I passed over the best ones, and chose the lesser! -K Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Actually I want several of almost every kind of guitar. I'm a guitar addict. Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O'Shite Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 gtrmac- Oh, me, too! But, would you just buy one of a given model "off the rack" (or to be shipped to you) or choose one "good one" that particularly suited you from several examples, perhaps even taking a few years to do so? -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Originally posted by CaevanO'Shite: gtrmac- Oh, me, too! But, would you just buy one of a given model "off the rack" (or to be shipped to you) or choose one "good one" that particularly suited you from several examples, perhaps even taking a few years to do so? -kWhen I got my 12-string, I spent a lot of time "researching", went to a number of different guitar shops, and played about 50 different axes before I found the one I wanted (actually, it was the 3rd guitar I played in the process, but I kept comming back to it). On the other hand, I bought my strat because I picked it up while I was getting a new volume pedal, and I just couldn't put it down. When the guitar speaks to you, you know it. There's just no way to do that "blind". May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted May 18, 2003 Share Posted May 18, 2003 Sometimes you THINK a certain guitar player is always playing a certain guitar, only to find out that they actually enjoy and use a much wider selection... For example, Jimmmy Page is linked with Les Paul Standards, even with his mods. But many know that on the first Led Zeppelin album and other recordings he extensively used his Fender Telecaster. Another guy linked with a certain make of guitar is Roy Buchannon, (one of the "masters of the Telecaster")... and of course he did use his Tele a lot, but there are albums that show him playing a Les Paul Custom, and when I saw him live he played a nice Strat. Of course few guitarists are so linked to a certain guitar as Jimi Hendrix to Strats. But like the others I've mentioned here, he played a variety of guitars. Many people have seen the concert footage with him playing a Gibson Flying V, and then there's THIS picture... http://www.mericor.com/jimi_LP.jpg Nuff said huh! I'm another of the "multi-guitar" players, and I can't imagine limiting myself to just one. It's WAY too much fun and inspirational to play a variety... they each have their own vibe, sound, and playability. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by guitplayer: Sometimes you THINK a certain guitar player is always playing a certain guitar, only to find out that they actually enjoy and use a much wider selection... guitplayerAnd don't forget Joe Perry (a personal fav) with LP's. He's even got his own signature model Les Paul, but live (and in the studio too) you'll see him with strats, BC Rich's, even a few different hollow/semi-hollow body guitars... May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted May 19, 2003 Author Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by freelance: I have always played rather standard guitars. I have an SG (my Rock & Roll axe). A Strat (my Blues axe). A Tele (my Country axe) and a Epiphone DOT - I can't afford a real 335 - (my jazz axe). I also own an accoustic.This is just my POINT, freelance. All those guitars could be interchangeable. But, let's take one example... You call your Tele your "Country" axe. Why? I hope it's not because Brad Paisley picks on one, is it? When I was a kid, in the late '50's-early '60's, country players used a wide variety of guitars. Acoustically, it was a tie between Martin and Gibson. Electrically, they used Gibson Byrdlands, Gretsch, Gibson ES-137's, and both Fender Strats AND Teles. To name a few. To designate a certain model of guitar with a certain "style" of music doesn't wash with me, when evidence clearly shows that most any model would fill the bill. I beleive most people buy the full-bodied archtop electrics for jazz because Herb Ellis had one named after him. So, what if Ellis joined Oscar Peterson in the studio carrying a Stratocaster? Would Hendrix have become famous for turning rock music on it's ear playing a "jazz" guitar? And, as I've mentioned before, Ted Nugent became famous, at least here in the Detroit area, for playing those kick-ass solos with The Amboy Dukes on one of the aforementioned Gibson Byrdlands. And even though it WAS an old blues tune, the style played was DEFINATELY rock'roll when Alvin Lee tore up Woodstock with "I'm Going Home" on a 335! Yes, I'll admit that back in those rock'n'roll days, the body style did play into the choice of the guitarist. Some liked solid bodies, others preferred semi-hollow, or whatever. But, NONE rejected a style out of hand because it was considered a "jazz" or "country" guitar. Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Lyons Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 I tend to play mostly Ibanez instruments live because they fit my hand like a glove, but in the studio, you'll find me with Rickenbacker, Music Man and vintage Fender basses, the occasional BC Rich with dual P pickups...as far as guitars, I levitate toward the Les Paul for the neck, but will be found with Ibanez, Teles, and the occasional ESP. \m/ Timothy Lyons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Unfortunately, your gear and your look can often make or break your ability to get jobs in certain genres. Try getting a country gig with an original design Steinberger guitar or bass. It's not impossible, but I've seen people turned down for a lot less. I agree with Ted, in theory. But if I wanted a country gig, you can bet I'd find a tele, maybe a strat to bring to the audition. Certainly not my Kramer Voyager. (Not quite as "heavy metal" as BC Rich, but... not far off. ) It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O'Shite Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Neil- remember this last post of yours; I'm gonna show you a guitar someday that'll crack you up, but it must remain shrouded in mystery 'till then! Seriously, remember your comments there... -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip_dup1 Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 tell me about it, my main electric for a long time was a Charvel model 6-people started reaching for earplugs before I even plugged it in. I feel good about my main electric now, because it`s unknown to most people outside of Japan, and the sound is really deep and rich. I didn`t know ANYBODY who played one before I bought it-it was purely on what felt right. Same with my acoustics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by CaevanO'Shite: Neil- remember this last post of yours; I'm gonna show you a guitar someday that'll crack you up, but it must remain shrouded in mystery 'till then! Seriously, remember your comments there... -kUh... should I be frightened? I hope someday is soon. Can you feel it? The tension's just killing me! What's with the mystery? Do you not have pics available of this unknown instrument, or are you playing hard to share? It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 I bought my Strat because I wanted to get Kurt Cobain's sound, which I did, but I also got a lot more in the process. It seems to me that a Strat can be used in a multitude of musical genres: Country, Blues, Jazz, Rock, and Metal. My Strat is currently my Blues/Rock/Metal guitar (mainly because I can't play country or jazz!) I've also got a Mexican Tele that I just love! The bridge pickup on those things just rock! I think that the Tele can perform in every genre of music that the Strat can. A lot of your early rock-a-billy guys played Les Pauls or 335's, as well as Teles and Gretsches. Bill Haley's backup guitarist played a LP, Chuck Berry played 335's and LP's, Buddy Holly played a Strat, etc. They all got similar tones, and they all rocked! I use my Epiphone Del Rey (two hi-output, rail-type humbuckers, w/ coil taps, mahogany body, maple cap, 25.5" scale neck, etc.) for rock-a-billy with my Magnatone MP-1 (with the volumes knob on the guitar wide open, and using the full 'bucker, no coil tap). It really nails the Bill Haley/Chuck Berry sound, even though it's a "Metal axe". BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wow Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Guitars are like crack to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by NMcGuitar: Originally posted by guitplayer: Sometimes you THINK a certain guitar player is always playing a certain guitar, only to find out that they actually enjoy and use a much wider selection... guitplayerAnd don't forget Joe Perry (a personal fav) with LP's. He's even got his own signature model Les Paul, but live (and in the studio too) you'll see him with strats, BC Rich's, even a few different hollow/semi-hollow body guitars...Anyone notice that on the "Jaded" video, the Aerosmith guys were using Beatle guitars? At least a Gretsch Tennesseean and a Hofner Beatle bass. I didn't catch what Whitford was using. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Whitefang has a point to a degree... I do think that some folks choose a certain guitar, 'cause it looks right. That's too bad though, because it's too superficial. I guess I;m one of those types who likes a guitar because it sounds good. Not that I don't take appearances to heart; I wouldn't want something that looked like a Daliesque experiment, unless I was hired to play for some avant-garde troupe. If anyone's going to start a decent collection, though, get some standard stuff first that'll take you most anywhere. Thankfully, there isn't anything too flashy in my own collection (yet). I wouldn't want to be stuck with something that makes me look like a dork heh. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylver Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 I was the opposite for me actually. I bought my Strat because it was a good deal. I was into mostly heavy music at the time, but the Strat gradually corrupted me until I became obsessed with the blues. It's the guitar. IT'S THE GUITAR! I'M POSSESED BY MY STRAT! Ok, so it's not really like that. I just love my Strat, and it happens to be pretty versitle for someone in my position. Not that I wouldn't like an ES-135/7, a PRS, a Rick, and Ibanez S series, an Sg, etc, etc, etc. I really don't know what to put here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O'Shite Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 This has become a schizzo thread! I think that different axes for a variety of distinctive tones is cool, I just think it's good to color outside the lines from time to time, too! And, to choose a specific guitar that particularly suits you, whether you have to search and compare or it lands in your lap, instead of just going for any cookie-cutter example of a given model or style. Albert King, Lonnie Mack, Ed Bickert, Ted Nugent, Michael Hill, Pat Martino, Monte Montgomery, Johnny Winter... all of these great players, and others, have used guitars that weren't exactly the accepted, traditional image-accessories associated with their "styles". Kinda made their own stlyes, and sometimes broke new ground! Fantasticsound- Neil- no reason to be frightened, I had an idea recently that your post almost seems to address "between-the-lines". As I was looking through an issue of guitar player, I "overshot" the article I was flipping pages towards, resulting in an almost "animated" blend of the images of two different guitars (like you used to do as a kid with a tablet and cartoon-doodles) flashing before my eyes. Let's just say that one was "vintage", and the other was... not. Laughing out loud I had a quasi- epiphany and vowed to one day build this guitar! It can easily be done with very little modifications to currently available aftermarket parts from a variety of sources, and I've never seen or heard of anything exactly like my Frankensteinian dream-axe. It will be a great sounding and playing axe, reminiscent of an, make that two, old friends! I swear I'll build it and you will be amongst the first of folks-online to see it; I might even try to sell a few, if there's any interest (no, I won't spam out here on the forum) and, when you see it, you'll understand completely. It'll be a real guitarist's inside-joke; anyone outside the loop will just see another guitar, but a lotta laughs would be heard in any guitar shop where you broke out this guit-to-be! Forgive my "secretiveness", I don't want to be beat to this punchline; it'll be worth the wait, I promise! -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by Sylver: It's the guitar. IT'S THE GUITAR! I'M POSSESED BY MY STRAT! So now I'm picturing Linda Blair playing a strat, and the headstock is spinning around.... I gotta stop visualizing... May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Well, all of us that have played in cover bands can attest to the fact that our one guitar (and spare for string breaks) have got us through just fine. And yeah, your amp settings and especially fingers make more difference than any guitar could. I'll just have to say that the strat is the most comfortable guitar to me what with's it's tummy route and forearm route. Get used to it and a tele or Paul just bite my forearm like crazy -not to mention cut into my ribs. My main guitar has all the features I want and to get them all in one place I had to make it (save the neck and hardware). It's strat shaped, humbuck at bridge, single coil at neck, acoustic bridge with thinline pu for acoustic sounds, semi hollow body for cooler sound and light weight, cherry body and solid rosewood neck for better sustain than any Paul I've ever played. I'd play any style on this guitar over a genre guitar that I'd have to get used to. -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O'Shite Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Hey, DC, is that built from Warmoth parts, from "scratch", or what? Got any pics? Sound-links or anything? Sounds like a cool axe! -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougsthang Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 We all have known these guys...the ones who got into music for the chicks only (think Poison)..The guitar had to match the outfit and the hair.... I tend to stick with the classic's, a Les Paul, A couple of Strat's, A Tele, and a hollow body...not for style of music but for proven quailty and flexabilty. Any guitar with sharp points on it is not screaming versatility.... Some guitars are just meant to be played and also define the sound of the player. I really don't think BB could get that hollow bell tone from a Strat...his tone is Lucille... overheard street personality on Venice Beach "Man, that Bullshit is Bulllshhittt...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMcGuitar Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by dougsthang': We all have known these guys...the ones who got into music for the chicks only ...I didn't get into it "for the chicks", but in high school I certainly considered that to be one of the perks! May all your thoughts be random! - Neil www.McFaddenArts.com www.MikesGarageRocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougsthang Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Originally posted by NMcGuitar: Originally posted by dougsthang': We all have known these guys...the ones who got into music for the chicks only ...I didn't get into it "for the chicks", but in high school I certainly considered that to be one of the perks! absolute benny of being a musician...no complaints here. It just depends on your motivation to start the journey of learning an instrument..I guess I had a problem because when I was a young player (junior high, mid '70's) I'd stare at the Hamer catalog like it was naked ladies...Nothing sexier than a deep flametop..I need help. overheard street personality on Venice Beach "Man, that Bullshit is Bulllshhittt...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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