A Tale of Three Guitars:

Which Sounds Better Overall

  • Gibson SG 2016 (490T Pickups)

    Votes: 5 50.0%

  • Schecter 2005 (EMG 81)

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Squire 1987 (GFS Double Slug)

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • Total voters
    10
eSGEe said:
-Id like it better if you send me the SG. ;)
Click to expand...
Incorrigible.
naughty.gif
 
BUT I cant VOTE because I like them all for different reasons during different scenarios......of course the best way to get my vote would be to send me the SG.......................
 
Of course, but I couldn't spot a difference either on the Iphone or on the PC.

Maybe 'cause you're soloing. Chord based rhythm is mpre easily distonguishable with poor speakers
 
Sérgio said:
Can't judge anything by internet uploaded vids. Fact.
Click to expand...

That is true because in the end your hearing the quality of the speakers on your computer. I do happen to have my computer set up nicely with a Scarlett 2i2 and Presonus high end monitors. Robert is also correct that you can at least get a feel for the sound and you can tell the differences in each guitar...
 
I like John Kay. John helped me when I was 12 years old and I played a Kay guitar. John watched our show and after told me his first guitar was a Kay.
What John trained me on guitar priceless. Sorry I can't take the Marshall DSL no offense. The guitar amp that does flip my switch is the Axis Sound 50 Lead
the door stop amp at Olympic Studios London.

Axis.jpg
 
67plexi said:
I like John Kay. John helped me when I was 12 years old and I played a Kay guitar. John watched our show and after told me his first guitar was a Kay.
What John trained me on guitar priceless. Sorry I can't take the Marshall DSL no offense. The guitar amp that does flip my switch is the Axis Sound 50 Lead
the door stop amp at Olympic Studios London.

View attachment 1883
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that.....All I have are Marshalls....but I started on a Sears Silvertone 1450 with a 4 watt tube amp....so I can relate...I got read of my Super Lead in favor of more back-friendly stuff...
 
I did NOT vote, because I didn't think that any of the three instruments emerged as a clearly superior tone.
I liked them all... call me a guitar slut, I don't mind.
I listened carefully, and my computer plays through an old Boze radio, which actually has always sounded pretty good.
In the first series, I agreed with Don that they all sounded like the pedals, so their individual tones were not as
obvious.

Here's my response to the clean series: Each of these three has its own distinctive voice. I liked them all, for different reasons.
You've got a Fender with a hum bucker: a classic tone, and very useful... And you play it like an old friend.
You've got a Schecter with active p'ups: also a classic shredder that sounded excellent clean.
And then you've got an SG special: an even more classic tone than the other two, which has proven itself over more decades.
Each of those tones is distinct and useful for different songs, or different bands.

Hard to beat. I disagreed with the way you EQ'd the SG, but all of that is so subjective. Even so, putting an SG up against
those other excellent guitars without the tones of the forward pickup seemed like a setup... like sending David against Goliath
with one arm tied behind his back. The 490T certainly has the aggressive bite that Bid mentioned, and I always liked to run mine
with the tone control rolled back to about 3, and the volume control at 11. But I normally play mine in the middle position with
just enough of the front pickup mixed in to round out the sound a bit. They give you two pickups for a good reason.

I was surprised at how much I liked the Schecter. But I'm not familiar with those, or with those pickups played clean... I associate
those with Zack Wilde and his wild man ways.

Which proves something I've said a lot: Give a good guitar player any guitar, and he'll sound like himself on it.
Which of the three you pick for your instrumental project is an interesting question. Since I've always been a 'gimme both' kind of
guy, I'd suggest that you use them all... putting each of them to use where its unique tone would be mose valuable.
That's my vote.
 
Col Mustard said:
I did NOT vote, because I didn't think that any of the three instruments emerged as a clearly superior tone.
I liked them all... call me a guitar slut, I don't mind.
I listened carefully, and my computer plays through an old Boze radio, which actually has always sounded pretty good.
In the first series, I agreed with Don that they all sounded like the pedals, so their individual tones were not as
obvious.

Here's my response to the clean series: Each of these three has its own distinctive voice. I liked them all, for different reasons.
You've got a Fender with a hum bucker: a classic tone, and very useful... And you play it like an old friend.
You've got a Schecter with active p'ups: also a classic shredder that sounded excellent clean.
And then you've got an SG special: an even more classic tone than the other two, which has proven itself over more decades.
Each of those tones is distinct and useful for different songs, or different bands.

Hard to beat. I disagreed with the way you EQ'd the SG, but all of that is so subjective. Even so, putting an SG up against
those other excellent guitars without the tones of the forward pickup seemed like a setup... like sending David against Goliath
with one arm tied behind his back. The 490T certainly has the aggressive bite that Bid mentioned, and I always liked to run mine
with the tone control rolled back to about 3, and the volume control at 11. But I normally play mine in the middle position with
just enough of the front pickup mixed in to round out the sound a bit. They give you two pickups for a good reason.

I was surprised at how much I liked the Schecter. But I'm not familiar with those, or with those pickups played clean... I associate
those with Zack Wilde and his wild man ways.

Which proves something I've said a lot: Give a good guitar player any guitar, and he'll sound like himself on it.
Which of the three you pick for your instrumental project is an interesting question. Since I've always been a 'gimme both' kind of
guy, I'd suggest that you use them all... putting each of them to use where its unique tone would be mose valuable.
That's my vote.
Click to expand...

well, the EQ was set the same for all three, so there wasn't any real "tailoring" going on, but true, they all have a subtle, yet distinct difference....
 
Col Mustard said:
I did NOT vote, because I didn't think that any of the three instruments emerged as a clearly superior tone.
I liked them all... call me a guitar slut, I don't mind.
I listened carefully, and my computer plays through an old Boze radio, which actually has always sounded pretty good.
In the first series, I agreed with Don that they all sounded like the pedals, so their individual tones were not as
obvious.

Here's my response to the clean series: Each of these three has its own distinctive voice. I liked them all, for different reasons.
You've got a Fender with a hum bucker: a classic tone, and very useful... And you play it like an old friend.
You've got a Schecter with active p'ups: also a classic shredder that sounded excellent clean.
And then you've got an SG special: an even more classic tone than the other two, which has proven itself over more decades.
Each of those tones is distinct and useful for different songs, or different bands.

Hard to beat. I disagreed with the way you EQ'd the SG, but all of that is so subjective. Even so, putting an SG up against
those other excellent guitars without the tones of the forward pickup seemed like a setup... like sending David against Goliath
with one arm tied behind his back. The 490T certainly has the aggressive bite that Bid mentioned, and I always liked to run mine
with the tone control rolled back to about 3, and the volume control at 11. But I normally play mine in the middle position with
just enough of the front pickup mixed in to round out the sound a bit. They give you two pickups for a good reason.

I was surprised at how much I liked the Schecter. But I'm not familiar with those, or with those pickups played clean... I associate
those with Zack Wilde and his wild man ways.

Which proves something I've said a lot: Give a good guitar player any guitar, and he'll sound like himself on it.
Which of the three you pick for your instrumental project is an interesting question. Since I've always been a 'gimme both' kind of
guy, I'd suggest that you use them all... putting each of them to use where its unique tone would be mose valuable.
That's my vote.
Click to expand...

Colonel,

You may like this better...bridge 490T with the tone rolled back about halfway, all other amp settings are the same....


There really is so much going on...the Gibson has some good points, except that with the feedback issue, it can only be used at low volumes. It does OK in the studio, sop to speak, but live shows??? No way.

I just picked up a pair of 2017 Gibson 490T/490R's (Nickel Covered) that are said to be reversed polarity and double wax potted for feedback control. They also have the Gibson Quick Connect harness attached so they can be dropped in, Since the proposed sale of the SG hasn't generated any interest yet, so I decided to at least put these Quick Connect pickups in it.

The Fender.....wow...I just ordered up a brown tortoise H-H pickguard and I have a set of genuine Gibson 57 Classics (Nickel Covers) to go in it. I built a 50's style wire harness with a single volume, single tone and 3 way switch. However, I haven't decided on which capacitor to use just yet on the dual humbucker setup.

The Schechter really needs nothing. It was perfectly intonated right out of the box. I've always used it as my "session guitar because I could always depend on it.

My hope is twofold - that the new Gibson pickups will settle the problem in the SG and make it better for whomever eventually buys it and that the Fender will take on a fuller, more richer tone with the Gibson 57 Classics installed...

Cheers!!!
 
Last edited:
I thought the SG sounded the best - particularly in the last clip with the tone rolled back.

Why? It sounds more harmonically rich and detailed than the other two. Thing is, part of that may be the unpotted pickups. They undoubtedly sound different than potted ones and that may be one of the reasons. I personally prefer unpotted pickups, and if they start to get microphonic or squeal at volume its usually easy to dial out with the vol knob unless I have some ridiculous amount of gain dialed in on the amp.

Nice playing BTW. Really like your phrasing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top