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Post subject: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 5:12 pm
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I have two guitars that I am trying to decide which to get as my back up. The specs are pretty comparable. What I would like to know is there a way/method for me to compare the sounds of each guitar. what I am doing now is playing one guitar unplugging it and plug in in the other guitar with all the guitar and amp settings the same. the issue is that each guitar sounds great when played but I can't compare to how the other sounded cuz I'm not advanced enough to notice tiny nuances and the most recent guitar sounds are in my head. Are there certain chords, notes etc that I can play that can help with this? Hope this makes sense!


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 11:34 pm
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Funny you've had no answers... But ok, let's start.

Recording the sound is an option - in this smartphone era, it's possible even if you compare guitars in a store.
Play only guitars that are set up - seems obvious, but often isn't. Test open chords, barres, play every fret on every string - that's the basic test phase.
Then play songs/scales/riffs that are most familiar to you, in the music genre you're going to use the guitar in, preferably with an amp (&other gear) similar to what you will be using.
And: don't just listen - one guitar may just feel better in your hands than the other. Or, you just prefer the color :wink:


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 11:39 pm
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Thanks! Very helpful!


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 6:18 pm
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Choose the one that brings more music out of you. I find each of my guitars inspires me to play something slightly different. You may discover something similar happens with you. Play each guitar for extended periods and pay attention and see if you can figure out which one makes you feel more musical. Generally speaking, that one should be your number one. If you don't notice any difference then just pick the one you think looks better. After time your ear will develop and you can revisit your decision.

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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 7:45 pm
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Good advice!


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:08 am
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godfather_77 wrote:
I have two guitars that I am trying to decide which to get as my back up. The specs are pretty comparable. What I would like to know is there a way/method for me to compare the sounds of each guitar. what I am doing now is playing one guitar unplugging it and plug in in the other guitar with all the guitar and amp settings the same. the issue is that each guitar sounds great when played but I can't compare to how the other sounded cuz I'm not advanced enough to notice tiny nuances and the most recent guitar sounds are in my head. Are there certain chords, notes etc that I can play that can help with this? Hope this makes sense!



To be totally honest here, if you can't really tell the difference between the sound of these two instruments, my advice would be to focus on feel exclusively. When it comes to Strats, the simple fact of the matter is that it's very easy to change the sound...new pickups here, new trem block there and with the wave of a wand (or soldering wand) the sound of your instrument is magically transformed. 8)

Feel on the other hand, is another thing entirely...

Back when my wife got me Ol' Blue, a '96 MIM Standard, essentially I could have gotten any guitar I wanted (well...within reason...I think the budget at the time was around $1000). The day we went shopping, I did in fact try MANY Strats (and several others...I still have a strong affection for old Kramers for example). After hours of shopping and going from store to store, we finally landed at (the now defunct) Cleveland Music, where I narrowed it down to 2 Strats. The other was a 50's reissue of some kind, it had a LOVELY tobacco burst and a truly heavenly sound. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly awkward for me to play...it had this chunky baseball bat for a neck, it seemed excessively heavy to me and all around, just wasn't a pleasant experience to play. Then there was this humble little '96 MIM Standard...brand new, all stock, but just a VERY flat sound (much like all the American Strats I played that day). She was also in that Lake Placid blue and at the time, I really had my heart set on a sunburst of some kind. The feel however...wow...at the risk of sounding rather cliche, she really was like sitting down with a very good old friend right from the first time I played her! I -knew- I could change the sound easy enough, but the feel is something you have to live with...either it's there or it isn't...and that's the guitar I came home with. She's been thru some rather extensive mods over the years and today she sounds EXACTLY the way I want her to...and even that Lake Placid blue finally grew on me (the black face cosmetics helped tremendously, LOL) and to this day, among the 8 other Strats I currently own and the 25 guitars I own total, she's still my #1.

So again, I'd suggest focusing on "feel". Do make sure to take setup into account...while this is true of most electrics, it goes double for Strats! Very simply, even a low end Squier can play very well with a proper setup, however a $4000 Custom Shop instrument will ALWAYS play like crap with a poor setup.....and for better or worse, most guitar shops these days don't pay too much attention to the setup of instruments in the sub-$1000 range. The simple fact of the matter is that all other things being equal, I would NEVER reject a guitar simply based on a poor setup...there's a lot of great instruments out there that get over-looked simply because no one ever took the time to tweak them out correctly. It's -really- worth learning and knowing the difference between a bad setup and a bad instrument.

Second to that, as BMW suggested, I would also suggest you consider which instrument simply inspires you more. While I try to be as pragmatic as possible when it comes to musical instruments, even I have to admit that there is something about guitars that borders on the ethereal. Of my 9 Strats, I do have some that "fit me" better than others...or at least fit certain moods. Of my 9 Strats (currently), each has it's own character, it's own voice and most of them tend to have some very specific uses. Again Ol' Blue is my #1...she's a great "all-rounder" and I have a '95 Standard that's nearly identical, give or take pickups at this point, that serves the same purpose (although the '95 is rigged as a MIDI controller). Then of course I have "The Ratt", a humble '93 MIM "Squier Series" (Fender black label) that's just a fun little guitar with a REALLY vintage tone...she's gotten a fair amount of use on stage and she's one of two guitars that goes to the park or out on camping trips with me (the other is a humble Ovation/Applause acoustic). Then of course there's "The Bi_ch"...a '99 Standard Fat Strat. I've dressed her in "gold and pearls" and she's a bit fussier than my other Strats (hence the name), but she's got a much heavier attitude and works well for the ZZ Top and the old Deep Purple stuff. "Blackie", an '87 MIJ, is of course for those days when I sink into a really deep Clapton mood...nothing like playing "Wonderful Tonight" on a vintage black Strat to a full dance floor. You get the idea.

Again, I do try to be pragmatic, however for myself at least, often there is something about a certain guitar that just calls me from across the room. My Seagull S6 was like that...I was going to get an Ovation that day, but this sweet Gull just caught my attention from across the room and it turned out that she played and sounded just as lovely as she looked (although I did finally get the Ovation a few years later...I now have 3 of them). If I could only have -1- acoustic, regardless of price, I'd take my Seagull over a Martin, Taylor or Gibson ANY day.


So my advice is simply to start with feel and let your hands and heart decide...then go make some music with whichever guitar you bring home :-).


Just my own opinions as always.


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:53 am
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I might be a little late to the party here but ...

Maybe it's hard to choose because they all sound great. What would you do if you went to an all-you-can-eat buffet and everything you tried was delicious? Relax, pull up a plate and enjoy! You can always go back for seconds. :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 3:17 pm
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Yeah I think comfort with the instrument is huge. second I think the overall sound in a basic no reverb amp, good pickups should result in a crappy amp sound better which can equate to better guitar. Also the strings have a lot to do with tone have at least 10's on it in my opinion. Cause a good amp will only make it sound even better. That's why I usually choose a crappy amp to try guitars on in the stores.


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 12:30 pm
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scottymac wrote:
I think the overall sound in a basic no reverb amp, good pickups should result in a crappy amp sound better which can equate to better guitar.

I actually find quite the opposite is true. A good amp will make a lesser guitar and pups sound better. IMO, there is no rightful place for a crappy amp except in the hands of a beginner on an extremely limited budget. I realize I am in the minority on that point. Most folks feel the opposite is true. I can tell by the number of pics I see across the internet of guitars costing several thousands of dollars paired with a cheap $400 amp.

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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 2:11 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
scottymac wrote:
I think the overall sound in a basic no reverb amp, good pickups should result in a crappy amp sound better which can equate to better guitar.

I actually find quite the opposite is true. A good amp will make a lesser guitar and pups sound better. IMO, there is no rightful place for a crappy amp except in the hands of a beginner on an extremely limited budget. I realize I am in the minority on that point. Most folks feel the opposite is true. I can tell by the number of pics I see across the internet of guitars costing several thousands of dollars paired with a cheap $400 amp.


+100
Yeah I'm in your camp on this I have a cheep guitar ($250 new) and a better guitar ($1200 new) I have a couple of cheaper amps and a 1969 SFSR, My $1200 guitar sounds kinda bad with the cheep amps and my $250 guitar sound pretty darn good in the SFSR so I agree with this statement that a cheep amp will make a great guitar sound not so good, and a quality amp will make a cheep guitar sound good.
Now a great Player will make either combination sound better than me even if I had the best guitar and the best amp :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
mud


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 4:44 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
scottymac wrote:
I think the overall sound in a basic no reverb amp, good pickups should result in a crappy amp sound better which can equate to better guitar.

I actually find quite the opposite is true. A good amp will make a lesser guitar and pups sound better. IMO, there is no rightful place for a crappy amp except in the hands of a beginner on an extremely limited budget. I realize I am in the minority on that point. Most folks feel the opposite is true. I can tell by the number of pics I see across the internet of guitars costing several thousands of dollars paired with a cheap $400 amp.



I'm kind of surprised that you consider yourself a minority on this one as I always accepted this as a basic truth. While I will say that what constitutes a "good amp" can be a bit subjective, yea - a cheap guitar usually sounds pretty decent thru a GOOD amp, but even a $4000 Custom Shop instrument is going to sound like a toy thru a cheapy First Act amp.


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:48 pm
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lomitus wrote:
I'm kind of surprised that you consider yourself a minority on this one as I always accepted this as a basic truth. While I will say that what constitutes a "good amp" can be a bit subjective, yea - a cheap guitar usually sounds pretty decent thru a GOOD amp, but even a $4000 Custom Shop instrument is going to sound like a toy thru a cheapy First Act amp.


Word!

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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 1:40 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
A good amp will make a lesser guitar and pups sound better.
I absolutely agree.

But (there's always a but...), if a player tests a guitar with the high end amp in the store, there may be a downfall when he/she/it comes home to that "crappy amp". That's why
jmattis wrote:
Then play (...) preferably with an amp (&other gear) similar to what you will be using.


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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2015 12:47 pm
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jmattis wrote:
.... if a player tests a guitar with the high end amp in the store, there may be a downfall when he/she/it comes home to that "crappy amp". That's why
jmattis wrote:
Then play (...) preferably with an amp (&other gear) similar to what you will be using.

OR ... put off buying the new guitar until you get rid of the cheap amp at home, invest in a good amp and make all your guitars, present and future, sound good. In my view, if you have money for a new guitar and you already have a guitar or guitars then you have money to upgrade the amp. This is especially true now that clones of the great old amps are so readily available and for a whole lot less than actual vintage amps or modern high end amps.
:idea:

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Post subject: Re: comparing guitar tones?
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 1:41 am
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I don't disagree, that would be perfect in a perfect world.

Still, if someone asks should I get guitar A or B, it might be tough to answer no, get a DRRI... :wink:


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