Electric Guitars

[Axeman52]

Not sure if there is a thread for this but as my username is "Axeman" I guess that means it is my duty to post one.

Is anyone else here as obsessed with electric guitars as I am? It's been an almost lifelong obsession that started when I was 6 or 7 years old (I can't really remember the specifics but I have a drawing that I dated "1997" so i was definitely 7 years old at the least). The intensity of my interest in guitars seems to come and go, but I always come back to them.

I have quite a big collection of guitars I have acquired over the years, because since I was 15, and I discovered I could earn myself more substantial amounts of money one way or another, just about every bit of spare money i ever had has gone towards guitars, strings, picks, fx pedals, ampifiers etc. (I prefer not to flaunt my guitar collection, but I'll happily discuss it if anyone is interested)

At the moment I'm fixated on replicas of Brian May's "red special" guitar, and seem to be developing a bit of an obsession with Queen. Brian May's guitar has a unique switching system which allows you to individually switch on/off each of the 3 burns tri sonic pickups as well as individually invert the polarity of each of them. The pickups are wired in series so when you combine pickups, you get more output and a thicker sound, but you can also have two pickups in opposite polarity so the common frequencies that both pickups have in their output are cancelled out, leaving only the different harmonics that each pickup produces. (It's really hard to explain, but that's how he gets that really amazing "squeal" sound in Bohemian Rhapsody). I'm probably going to buy a "red special" replica - they are cool little guitars. I probably won't be able to make it sound like Brian May does though..

 

[King_Oni]

I wouldn't say obsessed, but the fact that I play (well, have played, not playing that actively nowadays) myself, does make it a bit of an interest of mine. As a child I always wanted to have a guitar since I was into rock music early on, but eventually as a teen that didn't stick around that much anymore. Then later in life, in my 20's I decided to buy a somewhat decent guitar (well, decent goes a long way when talking guitars and often is a matter of preference as well)

The main reason for me to buy a guitar and get a bit more into playing was because of being in local bands and eventually got so fed up with finding suitable people I'd rather pick up the guitar myself and contribute to songwriting.

Though because of only a minor interest in this, I don't have an extensive collection of guitars, nor a wide array of amps. I usually don't even bother with maintenance myself and rather bring it to the shop. If anything, tuning is the best I do, lol.

I've been looking into buying a new guitar though, most likely a 8-string or (if my budget allows it) a 9-string. Main reason being that my current guitar is already really low-tuned, but because of that do miss out on some higher ranges. My standard tuning usually is a dropped B (B/F#/B/E/G#/C#) with a d'addario EXL 140 set (.010, .013, .017, .030, .042, .052), though I've looked into thicker strings, up to the option of going for bass strings for the heavy end. Though I doubt it will leave my fretboard in tact in the long run.

With my limited experience I do love active pick-ups over passive ones, but perhaps there are some really nice passive ones. I just know that I'm happy with my EMG81/85 set-up right now.

And as for effects; I'm not a stage guitarist, which comes down to not really needing an array of pedals. I'm good with doing effects (and recording) through my computer.

 

[Andy R]

I too have a large collection of guitars and basses, somewhere around 30. It has got to the stage now where I have a strict one in / one out policy. It's the only way to keep on top of it. I play bass professionally, my main basses being a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and a 2013 Sandberg California that was custom made to my spec
Guitar wise my favourites are a limited edition Epiphone 50th Anniversary Les Paul Custom and a replica of Joe Strummer's Tele that I customised myself to look like the original.

 

[King_Oni]

I too have a large collection of guitars and basses, somewhere around 30. It has got to the stage now where I have a strict one in / one out policy. It's the only way to keep on top of it. I play bass professionally, my main basses being a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and a 2013 Sandberg California that was custom made to my spec
Guitar wise my favourites are a limited edition Epiphone 50th Anniversary Les Paul Custom and a replica of Joe Strummer's Tele that I customised myself to look like the original.

A one in, one out policy seems fair and workable for most hobbies and interests. Though with the 1 guitar I have, I don't think it's a "one in, one out" thing yet. But it seems that only musicians and such understand this, lol. Non-musicians often go "but, why would you need 2 guitars?" too many reasons to name why one needs more than 1, lol.

From the guitars you mention, I have no clue what those are. Well, I have a visual on the design probably, but as for playability of what makes them special, I have no idea that said, guitars and playing comfort is a big thing for me (and I'm amazed how some people pretend they can play on any guitar). I try out a fair few guitars in any store if I might want to look for a new one. I do know that in general BC rich guitars don't work for me. Even if they have the more extreme designs and I might like them visually, they feel way, way too unplayable to me. So I'll stick to my ESP/LTD for now, heh. Slightly less outrageous but way more comfy to play.

Here's a horror story for any guitar player that will make you cringe; a friend of mine once had a guitar. Low tuned and all. At one point he decided he wanted a new tuning (think he went from B up to standard E), so instead of looking into it a bit levelheaded, he figured "If I just adjust the tension on the strings, it should work" So he started turning the tuners at the head and eventually his entire bridge tore out of the guitar rather than strings eventually snapping. I found it hilarious when I heard about it, but it was kinda sad to hear about it (especially since it was his favorite guitar; which might make you think, if he has more guitars, he should know better)

 

[Andy R]

Here's an example of what I can do. This is me with Joe Strummer's original Tele;

 

[Andy R]

And this is my own

customised copy;

 

[Axeman52]

Here's a horror story for any guitar player that will make you cringe; a friend of mine once had a guitar. Low tuned and all. At one point he decided he wanted a new tuning (think he went from B up to standard E), so instead of looking into it a bit levelheaded, he figured "If I just adjust the tension on the strings, it should work" So he started turning the tuners at the head and eventually his entire bridge tore out of the guitar rather than strings eventually snapping. I found it hilarious when I heard about it, but it was kinda sad to hear about it (especially since it was his favorite guitar; which might make you think, if he has more guitars, he should know better)

that sounds painful. an easy mistake to make if you don't know any better though. I'm guessing it had a stratocaster style bridge? I can easily visualize how that might happen with a strat bridge, but not so much with many other types of bridges. most other bridges wouldn't get forced upwards by excessive string tension.

I too have a large collection of guitars and basses, somewhere around 30. It has got to the stage now where I have a strict one in / one out policy. It's the only way to keep on top of it. I play bass professionally, my main basses being a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and a 2013 Sandberg California that was custom made to my spec
Guitar wise my favourites are a limited edition Epiphone 50th Anniversary Les Paul Custom and a replica of Joe Strummer's Tele that I customised myself to look like the original.

I also have a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001, in "fireglow". My dad bought it using money he got for his 18th birthday, used it a lot in the 1980s in heavy rock bands, but at some point he stopped playing bass in heavy rock bands and started singing in blues bands instead, so it got stored away. I found it when I was 14, and he said "oh i haven't played that in years, you might as well have it!"

I only have one other bass, as it's more of a secondary instrument for me - I bought a cheap squier P-bass as a backup about 18 months ago, it's actually surprisingly well made and doesn't sound bad either. I think the only other bass I'd consider owning is a Hofner Violin bass like Paul McCartney's - only because the neck dimensions closer resemble the typical dimensions of a guitar neck rather than a bass neck, which kind of feels more comfortable and familiar to me.

 

[Joel I]

I love my SG copy, it looks so mean and it is nice and light & sounds wonderfully warm.

 

[Axeman52]

^That's one of those Greg Bennet guitars made by Samick, isn't it?

Samick deserve a lot more respect than they get from guitar playing 'communities' - they have made guitars for just about every "big name" guitar company at some point or another. Same goes for Cort and Peerless. Without those 3 manufacturers it would be very hard to find a decent guitar for an affordable price.

I recently borrowed a 1960s Teisco guitar (branded "Audition" and sold exclusively at woolworths!) from my band's sound engineer - he bought it for £35 in a pawn shop - It was the kind of guitar people were stuck with if they couldn't afford a fender/gretsch/rickenbacker/gibson etc. back then. It was horrendous - The bridge was fixed in place with no adjustment for intonation, and the intonation was BAD. You could raise and lower the bridge using little thumbwheels, and you really needed to raise it very high because the frets weren't level (this may have been due to its age, to be fair). The bridge posts stuck uncomfortably out of the top of the guitar and kept jabbing me in the wrist while I was playing it. It wouldn't stay in tune, it had no sustain, the pickups seemed like they had potential to sound decent in a guitar that would actually allow the strings to vibrate properly, but that was simply too much to ask of this horrible guitar. It just sounded like trash, naturally, and no amount of upgrades to the electronics could've saved it.

Nowadays even really cheap guitars are generally solidly built and capable of sounding great with a few upgrades to the electronics.

 

[Joel I]

^That's one of those Greg Bennet guitars made by Samick, isn't it?

Samick deserve a lot more respect than they get from guitar playing 'communities' - they have made guitars for just about every "big name" guitar company at some point or another. Same goes for Cort and Peerless. Without those 3 manufacturers it would be very hard to find a decent guitar for an affordable price.

I recently borrowed a 1960s Teisco guitar (branded "Audition" and sold exclusively at woolworths!) from my band's sound engineer - he bought it for £35 in a pawn shop - It was the kind of guitar people were stuck with if they couldn't afford a fender/gretsch/rickenbacker/gibson etc. back then. It was horrendous - The bridge was fixed in place with no adjustment for intonation, and the intonation was BAD. You could raise and lower the bridge using little thumbwheels, and you really needed to raise it very high because the frets weren't level (this may have been due to its age, to be fair). The bridge posts stuck uncomfortably out of the top of the guitar and kept jabbing me in the wrist while I was playing it. It wouldn't stay in tune, it had no sustain, the pickups seemed like they had potential to sound decent in a guitar that would actually allow the strings to vibrate properly, but that was simply too much to ask of this horrible guitar. It just sounded like trash, naturally, and no amount of upgrades to the electronics could've saved it.

Nowadays even really cheap guitars are generally solidly built and capable of sounding great with a few upgrades to the electronics.

Yes it is a Greg Bennet and I know nothing about it other then it is based on the Gibson SG. I would love to get a proper Gibson & a few other models but I down have the money.

 

[Axeman52]

Yes it is a Greg Bennet and I know nothing about it other then it is based on the Gibson SG. I would love to get a proper Gibson & a few other models but I down have the money.

SGs are quite possibly my favourite of the "classic" guitar designs. I've always found them really comfortable to play.

the first guitar that I bought for myself (which I still have) was an epiphone SG. It's changed a lot since then, as I replaced the bridge, nut and pickups (I have tonerider rebel 90 single coil pickups in it), and installed a hipshot b-bender, which allows me to bend the B-string up to a C# note by pushing on a detachable lever with my hip (compared to the traditional b-bender which consists of a huge spring loaded mechanism that goes all the way between the position where you attach the ball-end of the B string, and the upper strap button - impossible to install on an SG, very destructive to install on any other guitar!).

The b-bender Is a cool toy, but I haven't really done anything useful with it, because i'm not much good at using it, other than when emulating Bernie Leadon's guitar solo on the Eagles' Peaceful Easy Feeling, If I practice a bit more I should eventually figure out how to use it more productively.

Usually my guitars stay as they were when I bought them, but in this case, I had couple of other SGs that did the same job a little better, so I thought I'd make some drastic changes that would make my first 'proper' guitar do something none of the others can.

 

[Tarragon]

Aha! Good timing for me - I've just been looking up about my tele, as I suspect the intonation is out. After watching the YouTube videos on how to fix it, I'm in two minds whether to do it myself or take it to a guitar tech. Any thoughts?

 

[Joel I]

SGs are quite possibly my favourite of the "classic" guitar designs. I've always found them really comfortable to play.

the first guitar that I bought for myself (which I still have) was an epiphone SG. It's changed a lot since then, as I replaced the bridge, nut and pickups (I have tonerider rebel 90 single coil pickups in it), and installed a hipshot b-bender, which allows me to bend the B-string up to a C# note by pushing on a detachable lever with my hip (compared to the traditional b-bender which consists of a huge spring loaded mechanism that goes all the way between the position where you attach the ball-end of the B string, and the upper strap button - impossible to install on an SG, very destructive to install on any other guitar!).

The b-bender Is a cool toy, but I haven't really done anything useful with it, because i'm not much good at using it, other than when emulating Bernie Leadon's guitar solo on the Eagles' Peaceful Easy Feeling, If I practice a bit more I should eventually figure out how to use it more productively.

Usually my guitars stay as they were when I bought them, but in this case, I had couple of other SGs that did the same job a little better, so I thought I'd make some drastic changes that would make my first 'proper' guitar do something none of the others can.

I love the look and feel of SG's they are light and fun to play. I have never modified a guitar to a lot of that is over my head. I have only had the one electric and an acoustic as well as a few other instruments. I would love to get more but can afford it and need to buy other stuff more (eg. food).

 

[Axeman52]

Aha! Good timing for me - I've just been looking up about my tele, as I suspect the intonation is out. After watching the YouTube videos on how to fix it, I'm in two minds whether to do it myself or take it to a guitar tech. Any thoughts?

Intonation is quite a simple thing to do as long as you have an electronic tuner of some description. You can't really mess anything up, and it's quite easy to set the intonation to a kind of "template" by vision alone if you observe the pattern of the saddles that you'll notice on just about every guitar:

Notice how the first 3 saddles go up in small steps, and then the next 3 start from almost the same place (only a little higher) and repeat the same pattern - If you set it to that pattern and then just make small adjustments according to the pitch at the 12th fret octave, you can't really go wrong. If the 12th fret octave sounds higher pitched than the natural harmonic at the 12th fret, tighten the screw a little to move the saddle down (from the perspective of the picture) - if it's lower, loosen the screw to move the saddle 'up' It probably already looks something like that. Occasionally you get one or two strings in a pack that are a little problematic, intonation-wise, and have to make some big adjustments that mess up that pattern, but it's quite uncommon.

If it's a telecaster with 3 saddles, it can get a bit more difficult, simply because you have to find a compromise that works for you, the way that I do it is to just spend a lot of time making very small adjustments, re-tuning, playing the guitar for a bit, and repeating those steps until i'm happy with it. It can be quite time consuming, and if you're not comfortable with adjusting the intonation it's probably better to leave a 3-saddle bridge to someone with more experience.

It's probably worth considering whether or not you need to change the strings, too. Old, worn out strings will cause intonation problems, usually making the octave at the 12th fret noticeably flat compared to the 12th fret natural harmonic. If you've never adjusted the intonation before (and never noticed any problems with it before), and you're still using the same gauge of strings that came with the guitar, bad intonation is usually a sign that you need new strings. Intonation doesn't normally 'degenerate' any other way unless something is loose enough to vibrate out of place, and you'd probably be hearing something buzzing if that was the case.

I hope that helps

 

[Tarragon]

It does indeed I have a telecaster which means its a bit more tricky, so I'm still in two minds whether to get someone to do it for me! I am holding back though, and will put new strings on and see what its like with that first. We've had a spell of really hot weather which might not have helped either(!)

I've just been playing a fretless bass tonight, and its now on my Xmas list!!

 

[Andy R]

If you're in the South of England I'll be happy to do it for you. After all it's part of what I do for a living

 

[Tarragon]

If you're in the South of England I'll be happy to do it for you. After all it's part of what I do for a living

That's kind of you, but unfortunately I'm up in Lancashire!

I am in dire need of a good guitarist though - I've got to record a full blown rock tune with all the bells and whistles (or, rather, power slides and riffs!). My guitar skills are not up to this, but I will be trying to put a guide track (basic!) down tomorrow

I think it will need more than intonation tweaking to save me!!

 

[Tarragon]

Just done a day of sketching, and got a basic rock track down!! It doesn't sound tooooooo bad, and considering I had no clue what to do each step of the way, it does hint at being "rocky"!!

 

[Axeman52]

Earlier this week I set up my Laney VC30 amp with a treble booster in my bedroom next to my basic recording rig - I have been meaning to try and mic it up to record it, because if I do it right it should sound excellent. This is the closest I can get, with the gear I have, to emulating Brian May's rig A friend of mine who runs a guitar shop is trying to track down a Brian May Red Special replica for me so I don't have to travel far to get one, which is helpful too. I have pretty much decided that I'm going to buy one

 

[Andy R]

Earlier this week I set up my Laney VC30 amp with a treble booster in my bedroom next to my basic recording rig - I have been meaning to try and mic it up to record it, because if I do it right it should sound excellent. This is the closest I can get, with the gear I have, to emulating Brian May's rig A friend of mine who runs a guitar shop is trying to track down a Brian May Red Special replica for me so I don't have to travel far to get one, which is helpful too. I have pretty much decided that I'm going to buy one

A neat trick is to use 2 mics. Put one directly in front of the speaker and one about 2m away. The second will capture the ambient sound of the room and you should get a nice rounded sound