This Tele has backbone
- Thread starter RVA
- Start date
alot of tone for 1 pup tele style geetar---guess if you can play ya dont need gimicks??
I guess I need to order one of them tele neck thing......and a few other gimicks
If you can play to ANY degree - in any band setting - half of your accumulated gear don't mean nothin....you will NEVER hear it in the mix...
OP
RVA
Ambassador
Any there you have it. If you want to sound good, practice. Gear is essentially a separate hobby. Your time is better spend learning how to set up your guitar so it does not buzz and it sustains adequate for your needs.
Sustain is another area that is way overdone. Ask yourself how many times you make a note ring for more than 2 seconds. Maybe if you are in a Gary Moore tribute band, but otherwise, I do not hear it that often. Just change notes. IMO, prolonged sustain is boring to many listeners.
As I deal with beginning guitar students so often, I hate to see them succumb to the 'gear chasing' that is so rampant in our hobby. I feel like the constant gear acquisition 'fever' makes them a financial prisoner and distracts them from becoming a better musician. I'm schooling myself everyday to get better...
OP
RVA
Ambassador
It makes more sense if you are planning on recording rather than playing live.
I can certainly see some wisdom there, but it can get out of control so easy. Since we are all adults, to each their own, but I try to help new guitarists avoid the "gear Trap."
For example, I record through my Blackstar ID-Core 100 watt 2x10" Solid State Combo Amp. It's probably the BEST in-studio amp I have ever used. Quiet, line out, spatial delay, etc. However, when you crank it for a live session, it gets thin. In that case, the horribly noisy Marshall VS265 2X12 (British Made 65 Watts) is simply a better, fatter sounding amp that gets thicker and heavier as you scream it. So, while the Blackstar is great in the studio - and gave good tone on our demos - it's not a live amp that allows me to compete with both a drummer and a bassist running two full-size Peavey double-cab bass amps.
Having said that, I have discovered that my pursuit of nuances and tone were a real distraction to my playing and my overall development as a musician. I spent about 2 years, bogged down in finding all these nuances that vanish once you hit the stage, not to mention the $$$$ spent that could have gone better places....
So, my approach to recording now is just play and complete the projects. The sound will work itself out....
For some forms of music...classic rock, country, many forms of metal, et cetera long sustain may not be important. On other occasions, it can be rather critical. If playing a smooth, legato part sustain may be rather important. I've played songs where I needed to sustain for two full measures at the end of a passage. I've made my guitar selection for a particular song based solely on the amount of sustain I needed for a particular passage. In such cases, I need to know my guitar isn't going to die out. Sometimes, finger vibrato can only keep the guitar ringing for so long. Incidentally, in those situations where I do need strong sustain, my Les Paul Custom nearly always is my choice.
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
EXACTLY..............Having said that, I have discovered that my pursuit of nuances and tone were a real distraction to my playing and my overall development as a musician. I spent about 2 years, bogged down in finding all these nuances that vanish once you hit the stage, not to mention the $$$$ spent that could have gone better places....
GRIP IT AND RIP IT!!!! the Ramones didnt care about subtle tones----- Lemmy want to punch you in the gut not lul you to sleep----
RAWK!!!!!!!
The "doodad" in post one gets a hearty THUMBS DOWN from the Ferengi (for purchase)
NOW it gets a BIG THUMBS UP as a way to fleece the FLOCK for PROFITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree to some extent. If playing aggressive forms of music or music where the rest of the band is mostly playing with you, I agree. But, sometimes you don't have a "mix" to hide in. I may play where I'm pretty much exposed and the only instrument playing alongside a vocalist. In such cases, I'm really, REALLY aware of everything...too bright, too thin, too loud, too soft, too bassy, too thick...too whatever. In these situations, the crowd may not be able to describe nuances like "rounded sound" or "twangy", but my responsibility as an instrumentalist is to ensure my sound creates no unpleasurable reactions.
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Like you, I'm very much aware of my tone. I start off every song, so I have nowhere to hide. My tone is huge, ballsy...with a lot of bottom end...and I'm EQ-ing even more bottom end for solos. I am considering switching to my DSL40C just for leads.
I've played on a worship team where I had to be very aware of my tonal signature, but I never gave it any more than a passing concern. I certainly didn't fret over it.
I have since rejected all other forms of music for what I love - Heavy Rock-N-Roll. Even here, I still record my leads and EQ them for maximum sonic assault....heavy bottom, scooped mid and a searing upper edge.
This is my basic rhythm EQ and i'm running this into a pair of Jackson 4x12's:
Recently, I was offered a 6-day a week Casino gig in Palm Springs as a guitarist with a resident multi-genre cover band.
(2) 1 hour shows per night
(3) 1 hour shows Friday/Saturday
$950.00/Week + Comps
Not bad money, but some of the material is really light for my tastes, so I respectfully declined.
I mean, you wouldn't see Lemmy playing in a church any more than you would see me in Dwight Yoakham's band.
I remain friendly and professional and I do still fill in with less lively groups, but it's not really my thing.
I seek total musical freedom...
And, that's fine. No quibbling with what you like. It is what you like. I certainly would not try to make you like something you truly didn't care for.
My point is, some of us like that, and more. Metal and hard rock consume maybe 20% of what I listen to. When playing live, I really do like the classic rock/metal tunes. I get a blast out of playing them. I recently had a young girl tell me she thought I was the best guitar player she had ever seen! Musta been the double hammer-ons and Floyd Rose dive bombs! Ahh...the youth can be so impressionable.
But...I find a great deal of fulfillment in intricacy and nuance, as well. Just the right amount of delay...a little chorus, but not too much...saturated distortion, but not too loud...you get the idea. This is one reason I find the "technique vs. emotion" discussion to be a rather pointless and vapid undertaking. They are not mutually exclusive ideas. Sometimes, that subtle, technically perfect nuance carries more meaning and emotion than any amount of grimacing behind a guitar neck.
So, I don't chase every gadget that comes along, but I do take an interest in something that will give my guitar just a little more something when I'm exposed.
True. Some things are lost in the mix. But, if you are all that's in the mix, you gotta make sure you're not producing any sounds that need to be lost!
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Hmmmm....only time I have ever been "all there was in the mix" was when playing an instrumental, which isn't that often. Even a solo has (usually) another guitarist/bassist/drummer in the mix....or, when listen to an isolated track, the noted exception.
I play with absolute fury and power. Pure aggression. It's the only thing that appeals to me. It drives me. It consumes me. I even find AC/DC too tame for my liking these days. If I couldn't play this style of music, I would probably stop playing altogether...
I listen to nothing but metal and very hard rock, so, I suppose I am an isolated case????
Isolated?
I don't know.
I listen to mostly music from the Baroque and Classical eras.
You like what you like. But, you gotta be at peace with yourself, brother
True, true...I do dig some of Blackmore's stuff in Nightwish every now and again, very fluid and intricate, but I tend to lose interest rather quickly...
Funny, once I have played a really aggressive set, I walk away with the most peaceful and euphoric feeling...almost loaded to an extent...and it lasts quite a long time. My mind, which is usually racing, slows down to an almost "matrix" type pace...something unusual for me...
GIG MORE--- think less
I love getting paid to experiment...Thinking is tough for me. I'm like a musical Rain Man...
That's a great compliment to be certain. Those things really hit home...make all the work seem worthwhile!!!!
Not long ago, I was asked to play on a studio project. After listening to the producer tell me what he wanted, I said, "You know, there's far better guitarists in L.A. than me." He replied, "Maybe, but what this project needs is someone who is 100% committed to the task, someone who shows up on time ready to work, gets along with everyone and pulls everybody together. You are known for that. That's why we are here.."
that was huge for me...
Col Mustard
Ambassador of Perseverance
+1 on this... And the Beatles could have said the same thing long ago.
They did say it...
I actually own a Telecaster, and Robert does NOT, so I'm qualified to consider this thread.
But I actually love the sound of my Telecaster and am skeptical of anything that purports to
change it. At the same time, I did hear a really interesting change, the Tele in the video
became much more listenable IMHO. So I'm not against the concept. Telecaster owners
might long for the darker tones of an SG, or a Les Paul. But why not get an SG instead of
this gizmo? Keep your Tele the way gawd and Leo designed it, and go to the devil with
a Gibson SG.
I've already done this, you might know... having gone to the devil with an SG first, and then romancing
Perdition with this Les Paul wired "Telecaster Deluxe"... Mine sustains for a long time with a
pair of Fender's "Wide Range" Humbuckers, so I don't think I need to mod my guitar.
Mine's the best of course, but I'm always interested in others take on this Tone Quest we are
all embarked upon. So thanks for posting. I was fascinated by the difference, and played it
over and over. I thought the modded Telecaster had a much more rounded tone, less of
the "Ice Pick" to the ear. IMHO a Telecaster does NOT have to sound like the one in the video...
... so if you own a good one you don't need this mod.
One place I can imagine using this $60 mod would be on a Squier Telecaster that you
picked up for small money, and that you want to turn into a Real Player. The perfect mod
platform IMHO. I've done it with a Squier Precision Bass that I'm using right now...
But my Squier P-bass does NOT have the string-thru-body setup, so I'm happy with the
tones I get through its "high mass" Gotoh bridge (one of the "tone quest" fads of the past).
I've modded my ex-Squier P-bass with the Gotoh bridge, a Golden Age P-bass pickup from
StewMac, a high quality wiring harness from the same outfit, D'Addario round wound strings,
a Fender nut and black Schaller tuners. This one takes her place alongside instruments costing
thousands, and doesn't give up a thing.
Maybe she doesn't need any more mods.
But I'm always listening, so thanks for posting.
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Hmmmm... I would venture to say i have probably played enough of them (for hire) over the years to qualify, Colonel... On this recording - made in 1979 - The guitar you hear was one of the house Telecasters at Buck Owen's Studio In
Bakersfield:
Satin Dress by Nita Jo Haze
Like everything else, these things are subjective at best and everyone will hear something different. A large factor - with respect to these subtle modifications - has a lot to do with what your goals are. If you are playing in a live band, at stage volume, you likely won't hear the subtlety of these nuances. If you are playing as the gentleman in the video is, chances are you may hear some difference.
There isn't any right or wrong answer really, and no one has to list their professional credentials just to be able to contribute to this thread, IMHO anyways...
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