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What's more important...looks or tone?


Tedster

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Speakin' of oak, Neil, Brian May's famous red "fireplace special" home-made guitar features a solid oak body. He and his dad built that together, using a centuries old fireplace mantlepiece. I think that the neck is mahogany, with an ebony fretboard.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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I don't care anything about looks, it's all tone and feel for me. I've made a bunch of my own electrics (I buy necks) and go by the 4' rule; if it looks okay from four feet away, it's cool for stage. My paint jobs aren't great, but they're nitro lacquer so guitars I made even ten years ago are getting better tone.

 

As far as oak goes, Peavey made some oak guitars back in the 80's I think. They sounded awful to my ear. Oak's good for making magic staffs and such, but pretty dismal for guitar tone IMO.

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Overall, I think the comfort is the most important thing, which wasn't one of the options. Looks can be altered and tone can be tweaked. If you feel uncomfortable playing the guitar though, none of it matters.

You've got the best guitar

You've got the best amp

Now get the best pick!

http://www.tuskbuffer.net

TuskBuffer Mammoth Ivory Guitar Picks

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Thanks for the oak info. What kind of tonal properties does it posess? Is it bright? Dark? Good sustain?

 

I ask because my mom has a huge old oak tree in the back yard (I used to climb it as a kid), and sooner or later this tree is gonna have to go. I've always said that when it comes down, I want to make a guitar out of it (specifically the body - I never thought about the neck being oak).

It would certainly be a nice sentimental piece, but if it's gonna sound like crap, then I don't really want to invest any $$ in it.

 

I hadn't realized Brian May's axe was oak. That certainly had an interesting tone. Although, that guitar is pretty unique in a lot of ways as I recall...

May all your thoughts be random!

- Neil

www.McFaddenArts.com

www.MikesGarageRocks.com

 

 

 

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Just my opinion, but I think there's been way too much emphasis put on looks and it's been done mostly by the manufacturers. The entire idea of "outrageous top = great guitar" is simply the manufacturers' way of covering up a lack of real innovation. It's both easier and requires less geniune risk to build a guitar that looks like an fine piece of furniture that a guitar that truly represents new ideas on how to improve the instrument musically.
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Originally posted by Jim Soloway:

It's both easier and requires less geniune risk to build a guitar that looks like an fine piece of furniture that a guitar that truly represents new ideas on how to improve the instrument musically.

This I agree with. Every time people look at my guitar and bass collection, they'd always talk about how cool the instruments looked. The really amazing thing about every one of them is that I've never altered them to "sound better" (what's the point if I feel that they're fine in the first place?), and that I've spent no more than $600 for any one of the pieces.
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Well I wouldn't be caught dead playing a pink guitar, but having said that, looks ain't all that important. I tend to lean toward sunbursts, black, and blue for some reason. I do have an old SG thats red, faded naturally. One of the things that made me chuckle and think POSER, were the guitars Fender offered as brand new, made to look all beat up. To me thats silly, but to each his or her own. Its gotta sound good, play good, and feel right, and beyond that, if it looks cool......bonus. Looks as the #1 thing is like all hat and no cattle.
Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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Subtle tonal nuances?

 

Whutz dat?

 

Gimme more humbuckers! And strange shapes!

 

More power!

 

PPPPPPPPaul

[url=http://www.TiredIronBand.com

 

Fender Strat

Hamer Sunburst

Guild D-25

DeArmond Jetstar (Spel!)

Washburn HB-15C

Peavey C-30

 

blah blah ho hum etc etc

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The most importanat things in buying a new (or used) guitar, in order:

 

1. Price. It all boils down to this, actually. One can only get what he can afford, and one can not get what he can't afford. The price for the instrument must be fair.

 

2. Tuning. It must stay in tune. It doesn't matter how great it looks/sounds, it must keep proper tune or it's worthless.

 

3. Playability, meaning action, set-up, etc. A guitar must be able to maintain a certain persona on playability. If the guitarist has to fight with it to play it, he might as well get rid of it.

 

4. Sound/Tone. The guitar must deliver in this area to satisfy the music.

 

5. Durability. It needs to be durable enough to hold up to playing requirements.

 

6. Appearance. This is important to some, not so much to others, but never as important as the other 5.

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The most importanat things in buying a new (or used) guitar, in order:

 

1. Price. It all boils down to this, actually. One can only get what he can afford, and one can not get what he can't afford. The price for the instrument must be fair.

 

2. Tuning. It must stay in tune. It doesn't matter how great it looks/sounds, it must keep proper tune or it's worthless.

 

3. Playability, meaning action, set-up, etc. A guitar must be able to maintain a certain persona on playability. If the guitarist has to fight with it to play it, he might as well get rid of it.

 

4. Sound/Tone. The guitar must deliver in this area to satisfy the music.

 

5. Durability. It needs to be durable enough to hold up to playing requirements.

 

6. Appearance. This is important to some, not so much to others, but never as important as the other 5.

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Good points, Skare, and BTW, welcome to the forum.

 

You are correct, a more proper poll would be to rate how one buys guitars based on the criteria you mention. Obviously, price doesn't rate #1 for all...some people will buy for other criteria no matter how much a guitar costs, or, for that matter, no matter how "overpriced" they feel it may be. And, for some, having an original '58 Korina Gibson Explorer is the most important thing, no matter how badly it played. Just for the status symbol of being able to afford something like that.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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I'll always go for tone over looks.

 

Sometimes, though they dovetail, and ain't that a wonderful situation?

 

As for Fender Relics, which some of you seem so certain against buying...well, I don't tend to think in such absolutes. I don't think anyone could have ridiculed the idea of the Relics more than myself in the beginning, but there I was at Lark Street Music in NJ two years ago, playing some vintage Strats, and I grabbed a Sonic Blue beater, plugged it in, and fell in love with the feel and tone. It wasn't for about a half an hour, when I started to flip it around to give it the once-over when I saw the Custom Shop logo. Sure, I knew at that moment that it had purposely been beat up at the factory, that it didn't have a true history of various players pouring their hearts and souls into it, but I bought it anyway. Why? Because it sounded fantastic, played so well, and had just the barest whisper of finish on it, let me grasp some bare wood in just the right places, yet it didn't need a fret job like many of the real oldies, and I could still make my rent and credit card payments!

 

Why is it that nobody seems to complain about brand-new jeans with a broken-in look and feel, "distressed" furniture or pre-broken in leather boots, but a nice Fender that comes to the buyer ready for him/her to invest his heart and sould in it gets so readily trashed?

 

I would never begin to pretend that it's a vintage Strat nor would I try to fool anyone else; it's just a smokin' guitar that feels like home.

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He's got a Sonic Blue Strat...

 

Now you've gotta get some fluorescent orange, red and green paint, some green sparkly fingernail polish...and paint it in "psychedelic Hindu" like George Harrison did... :D

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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1) Tone

2) Playability (is that really a word?)

3) Price

4) Looks

5) Resale (if you don't like it you don't lose much)

 

That being said / listed, if it does not have the tone, it's NG; if I can't play it, it's NG; I have to be able to afford it.

 

If I "look" at my 1972 Martin D-18; it has great tone, it's barely playable, it was the most expensive one I looked at (by $50 in 1972 dollars = $300? now), it looks like any other 6-string spruce top acoustic, it has great (increased) resale value. I also considered the Gibson Humingbird model. It sounded slightly "harsher". I figured I could always make the Martin sound harsher with lighter gage strings, but never make the Humingbird sound more mellow.

 

To make a long story short, finally, it has to sound great. It has to be playable. And, I must be able to afford it. AND I have to not HATE the looks. It's cool to LOVE the looks though. I'd probably rather have a vintage (80's?) BC Rich Mockingbird in natural woods than a Les Paul, but I'd have to wait longer (to get the money). I guess if I can't afford it, I'll wait.

 

Dave

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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Alguit, i guess i should have not said i wouldn't buy a relic. if i tried one and was blown away by the tone and feel then yeah i guess i would want it. but the price in canadian might dictate otherwise. i like used guitars for the broken in feel and value. there are lots of gems you can get cheap because of changing trends. my yamaha pacifica 721 for instance is ash bodied( according to the shop manual) has 2 humbuckers and a single coil like an ibanez, the single coil is a stacked humbucker. the bridge is a yamaha floyd and the neck joint is buried deep in the body by means of an aluminum mounting plate.this gives you access to all the frets without hitting the body! the neck is super thin and flat and has been slightly sanded on the back by the previous owner. there are some dents and what not, but it is a great guitar and only cost me $110.00 on ebay. it is basically a strat that has been crossed with an ibanez. what is funny is that my bud who has an american strat deluxe asked me to have first chance to buy it if i sell it. i never said it was for sale. but he keeps reminding me. it has a very balanced tone and the sustain is great. the neck pickup is ammazing. i would however prefer a seymour duncan 59 in the bridge. :D
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Hi Guitarzan,

 

That Yamaha neck-coupling setup is a great idea that other companies would do well to emulate.

 

It's cool that you found such a guitar that speaks to you. I let go of one once: it was a 70's Ibanez Iceman, with the "Flying Fingers" pickup covers. An amazing rock guitar, but it was just too phallic looking for geeky lil' old me! Everytime I stumble across this cassette of me jamming on it from years back, I want to cry for letting it go.

 

The one that I should have snapped up and didn't was an Electra version of a 335. At the time, I was a brand name snob, but I used it at a recording session and recently heard the recording for the first time in about 15 years. The tone was just golden, and I of course wanted once again to cry. The owner was going to sell it to me for $150.00, and when I called him about it recently, he wouldn't even consider selling it.

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T'ster, I really like to buy cheap guitars and messing around with them, for several reasons, to wit:

 

Money - can't afford 57 gold tops or PRS's

 

Fun - hey I enjoy painting, swapping parts, pups, even necks sometimes - these things aren't museum pieces so it's OK

 

Performing - changing gits onstage adds a visual aspect to a gig, sometimes I'll use 4 or 5 different ones

 

Encouragement - I give 'em away - have made some fine youthful guitar playing friends.

 

Doesn't every body use multi effects capable of producing a vast range of tones? Can you set up your own instruments to give the playability you seek? Do you truly need that mint original classic to lie under the bed with the others?

 

More points!

 

PPPPPPPaul

[url=http://www.TiredIronBand.com

 

Fender Strat

Hamer Sunburst

Guild D-25

DeArmond Jetstar (Spel!)

Washburn HB-15C

Peavey C-30

 

blah blah ho hum etc etc

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I'm with ya, PPaul. My buddy Doug (drummer) bought this really cool cheesy hollowbody, a 335 style thing with a bolt on neck, and this really contrasty bright black-red-yellow sunburst. A really cool thing. I've been bugging to buy it off him to fix up. I doubt he paid 25 bucks for it, but it's fixupable, and it's got a really cool vibe.
"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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  • 1 month later...

I think the whole premise of this post is immaterial.

 

I bought a Dean Avalanche 7 string sight unseen, on-line. Didn't like the neck so I broke out the orbital sander and the 60 grit.

 

Didn't like the pickups, so I replaced them with Seymour Duncans.

 

Didn't like the lack of sustain due to the Floyd Rose so I glued the neck to the body.

 

Now I have an instrument that plays like a dream, sounds like the god of thunder, has sustain for days, stays in tune better than ever, and still looks like brand new (for the most part).

 

Lets recap...

 

New Dean Avalanche 7 string electric guitar: $150

Two new Seymour Duncan pickups: $150

Small bottle of Gorrilla Glue: $8

Having an instrument that plays and feels like a million bucks: Priceless!

 

God of 7

Asking why I need 7 strings is the wrong question. Instead, ask yourself why you don't.
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