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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:20 am
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CRGuitarMan wrote:
And new guitar "upgraders" are even worse. If you think you have to "upgrade" the pickups (or the bridge... or the nut... or the electronics...) the minute you get it home - why on earth did you buy it in the first place??


Some people have a very steep learning curve. Happens with beginners ... they buy a guitar and quite soon realize what they should have bought instead. Then the modding starts.

Cheers

David

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:01 am
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Amerigo wrote:
CRGuitarMan wrote:
And new guitar "upgraders" are even worse. If you think you have to "upgrade" the pickups (or the bridge... or the nut... or the electronics...) the minute you get it home - why on earth did you buy it in the first place??


Some people have a very steep learning curve. Happens with beginners ... they buy a guitar and quite soon realize what they should have bought instead. Then the modding starts.

Cheers

David



Actually, they know little about a guitar and little about equipment. There was no 'magic' gutar to buy. They don't know scales, various chord voicings, strumming techniques, etc. They don't know how to set the equalizers on their amp, what pedal to use , etc. Often even changing a pick will make as much difference in sound as new pups.

They often can't play worth a darn...'the action is too high'...'the intonation is off'...'I need a different brand of strings'.... 'the neck radius is wrong'.

I will start to pay attention to what someone advises of pickups, etc. or mods to a guitar after they have played 2 hours a day for 5 years and have a clue what they are talking about.


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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:15 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
It's mostly hype,the internet has produced millions of experts in any given subject,and it's the best thing that's ever happened to sellers of aftermarket guitar parts for example......it's easy to be an expert behind a keyboard.


+1

I've met hundreds of these "poindexters"......weisenheimers who've got every issue of Guitar Player and Tigerbeat Magazine going all the way back to 1964 and who play a hundred different guitars each Saturday afternoon at their local GC so they can legitimize their self-aggrandizing claims of "gravitas" when it comes to expertise regarding guitars and amps.

To those of us who've been "in the trenches" for decades, they provide loads of comic relief as they hurl their mighty pronouncements upon the hoi polloi from their ivory towers but not much in the way of practical perspective or objective analysis. It's tragic that so many are so easily duped by these Walter Mitty wannabees who peddle hype at the expense of the truth.

JMO

Arjay

Wow, that is so true about the guys referred to here as poindexters! I have seen several of them regularly in my local edition of "the evil empire" (GC) playing their solo concerts, as i'm forced to return to the dark side with some regularity due to a lack of other music stores who have what i need in stock. The best performance i've seen to date, was a young man demonstrating his talent in the pro sound department on a keyboard a couple of weeks ago while i was scoring my second mackie sub. He was really gettin' into it man, and it was actually quite humorous, as he would be playing the keys soft and slow, and then would suddenly start poundin' away while bringing forth a sudden outburst of very loud vocals. As i was paying up at the counter, i mentioned to the guys that he really seemed to be involved in what he was doing, and they all smiled and one guy mentioned that he'd been at it for over six hours! And he was still going strong as i passed him to leave!

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:28 pm
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Most "upgrades" are tonal nonsense (changing the nut material on a guitar for an easy example). Changing out stock pickups to get a different or more personalized sound is legitimate, though "upgrade" is a subjective term in this instance.

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:45 pm
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mthorn00 wrote:
Most "upgrades" are tonal nonsense (changing the nut material on a guitar for an easy example). Changing out stock pickups to get a different or more personalized sound is legitimate, though "upgrade" is a subjective term in this instance.


I dissent on this one, a plastic nut changed to brass or bone has very different tonal qualities.
Evident on an electric but much more so on a fine acoustic when also the saddle is changed.

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 2:08 am
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I guess we all talk about our gear and what goes into them, what we prefer and what we want.. the last thing we all seem to talk about is actually playing them :roll: I bet we could all learn off one another right? :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 3:46 am
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Yea, We could. Played the Tempest at The House of Blues main concert stage tonight. Seriously can't put my finger on it, but I can't put it down. In the past, I've gone through Fender, Ibanez, and a whole lot in between. But my Schecter just has a mojo that I can't explain. No mods needed.

Fox 5 news was in attendance, I invited them myself. Played my best and was happy with my performance. It was a great night. I wouldn't trade or modify this guitar for anything. I'll be looking at getting another one in the future.

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:09 am
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Shredd6 wrote:
Yea, We could. Played the Tempest at The House of Blues main concert stage tonight. Seriously can't put my finger on it, but I can't put it down. In the past, I've gone through Fender, Ibanez, and a whole lot in between. But my Schecter just has a mojo that I can't explain. No mods needed.

Fox 5 news was in attendance, I invited them myself. Played my best and was happy with my performance. It was a great night. I wouldn't trade or modify this guitar for anything. I'll be looking at getting another one in the future.


Congrats! Nice when you get "that feeling".

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:00 am
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Tuesday 26.

Hee-hee! I've just been on a little stroll around the Forum and now I'm reviving this thread because of the number of posts I've been finding in the last 20 minutes that use the word "upgrade" to describe a modification.

'Fraid I've a feeling the message of this thread has completely failed to get through... :lol:

Oh well: I'm just popping downstairs to upgrade my cup of coffee.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:26 am
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I was in a grocery store yesterday,

(I know I know, what does THIS have to do with upgrades?) and entered the cereal isle. I was amazed to find an entire isle of JUST cereal! That's right! There must have been 60 feet by about 7 feet tall of just cereal. I couldn't begin to count the number of brands. SO MANY CHOICES to the point of actually making it HARDER to make a choice! Crazy huh?

Now I will admit to being a bit of a minimalist but the number of choices and combinations of choices for pickups, strings, woods, guitars, amps, speakers, tubes etc. is kind of overwhelming!

It still comes down to the player more than anything else. When I play my Strat well, it sounds amazing! When I play it poorly (it happens), it sounds like it. :(

Peace (no choice), :D
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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:34 am
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gridlok wrote:
I was in a grocery store yesterday,

(I know I know, what does THIS have to do with upgrades?) and entered the cereal isle. I was amazed to find an entire isle of JUST cereal! That's right! There must have been 60 feet by about 7 feet tall of just cereal. I couldn't begin to count the number of brands. SO MANY CHOICES to the point of actually making it HARDER to make a choice! Crazy huh?


Indeed......as bewildering as the choice of available Strat pickups.

:lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:10 am
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gridlok wrote:
I was in a grocery store yesterday,

(I know I know, what does THIS have to do with upgrades?) and entered the cereal isle. I was amazed to find an entire isle of JUST cereal! That's right! There must have been 60 feet by about 7 feet tall of just cereal. I couldn't begin to count the number of brands. SO MANY CHOICES to the point of actually making it HARDER to make a choice! Crazy huh?

)


I still eat Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Rice Crispies.

Which of these would you fell right buying?

Car for sale: 2010 Toyota Corolla...serviced regularly... $10,000

Car for sale.: 2010 Toyota Corolla...took the engine out. Switched out some parts (because I know better than Toyota how to build a car)...$10,000.


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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:11 am
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Aerodynomite wrote:
I still eat Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Rice Crispies.

Which of these would you fell right buying?

Car for sale: 2010 Toyota Corolla...serviced regularly... $10,000

Car for sale.: 2010 Toyota Corolla...took the engine out. Switched out some parts (because I know better than Toyota how to build a car)...$10,000.


LMFAO!!!

:lol:

Arjay (who loved Post Toasties)

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:29 am
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Aerodynomite wrote:
They often can't play worth a darn...'the action is too high'...'the intonation is off'...'I need a different brand of strings'.... 'the neck radius is wrong'.

I once went to an informal jam session with some guys, and one of them blamed his poor playing on his guitar and amp--several times he said, "Yeah, if I had a high-dollar Strat like yours, I could kill that song..." "I never had a nice tube amp like that," and "Aww, you got all them pedals, you ain't really playing..."

I finally got sick of his belly-aching and handed him my axe (after making sure he wasn't wearing a belt buckle)--still hooked up through the pedalboard, amp and all. I took his guitar (a decent Epi G400 SG-style guitar) and tweaked a knob or two on his amp (an older solid state Fender, not bad but not great) and said, "Kick it off, rock star!"

For some reason, he still sounded the same, and he couldn't figure out why his rig sounded better all of the sudden. :?

I'm not the greatest player in the world, and I do believe it's easier to play some guitars better than other guitars, but if you can't play, you could have Eric Clapton's rig and still sound like crap.

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Post subject: Re: Let's Talk Semantics
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:31 am
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Screamin' Armadillo wrote:
Aerodynomite wrote:
They often can't play worth a darn...'the action is too high'...'the intonation is off'...'I need a different brand of strings'.... 'the neck radius is wrong'.

I once went to an informal jam session with some guys, and one of them blamed his poor playing on his guitar and amp--several times he said, "Yeah, if I had a high-dollar Strat like yours, I could kill that song..." "I never had a nice tube amp like that," and "Aww, you got all them pedals, you ain't really playing..."


It's a slip-shod carpenter who continuously blames his tools for the miserable work he produces.

Arjay

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