|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 6:15:54 GMT -5
or this one?  That's the one. Only it's the natural finish. Looks a hell of a lot cooler than black on black. |
|
|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 6:17:21 GMT -5
When you come over next I will let you play the 1965 SG Special with P-90's and the ES-335 semi-hollow body with humbuckers. We will run them through the amp with various settings, go through the sustain peddle and add some tremolo for rock-a-billy and you will get a few ideas of your own There were always Gibson guys and Fender guys. Bolt on necks version set in necks. I have never been a Fender fan, although I have played a strat in the dark when no one could see me. I doubt I would ever own a Fender, though. Just my own bias. Fender amps are a different matter, of course. Come over. I have guitars for you to try out. LJ OK. We're coming to Bloomington and Chicago in October. Or maybe you weren't talking to me........... |
|
|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 6:29:19 GMT -5
I'm probably more in agreement with Marty than Peter in terms of the importance of the guitar or amp - though I think Peter is only SLIGHTLY overstating the case. I'm not really trying to make that case. I just think that for someone with no clue what an electric is about, it's easier to start with the original thing that makes an electric- the amplifier- than to just dive into generalities about Fender and Gibson guys. After all, Leo Fender and Les Paul didn't introduce thier icons into vacuums. There were established markets and evolutions that they happened to nail with their innovations. I've given the general background trying to be real careful to avoid cheerleading for any one set up. And then I've given my preference. Hopefully others give thiers. And in the end I hope we've got something more than just the comments that say electrics are all the same, uninteresting, toneless, heavy planks with strings that juveniles use to annoy the neighbors that you tend to get from acoustic guys with no real world exposure to the genre. |
|
|
|
Post by mnhermit on May 24, 2012 9:06:47 GMT -5
Thank you Millring for asking the question and Thank you Peter (and others) for the seminar. I've been playing my electric much more lately, and looking at ES-335 clones at the local music store. Almost picked up a Godin 5th Ave from Craigslist, but still unwilling to spend the money  This gave me much to think about. Possibly I should be looking at amps first |
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,813 
|
Post by Dub on May 24, 2012 10:05:45 GMT -5
Try a good (tube) amp, Dub. I have what I think is a good tube amp. It's an Ampeg Supereverb R-15-R made only in 1963 so it's collectable and worth two or three times what I paid for it. It's hard to find pics on the Net but it has a 15" speaker and is actually larger than my Yamaha amp.  My other guitar amp is a Yamaha G50 112 II. It's solid state but built to sound like a Fender Twin Reverb. The 100 Watt version was Pat Metheny's amp in the 80s and, I've read, is still Mike Stern's amp of choice. So I think I may be OK in the amp department.  |
|
|
|
Post by brucemacneill on May 24, 2012 10:16:03 GMT -5
Since we're on amps, I have had, for a long time, a 50watt Johnson Amplification JT50 modeling amp that emulates several different amps and has lots of knobs and buttons I don't have a clue about. It works pretty well with my archtops but when I got the Martin flat top is sounded bad plugged in and someone recommended I get an "Acoustic" amp. I got a 40 watt Behringer which works fine with the Martin and with my archtops and even my classical which just has a stick-on mic attached. So, what's the difference between an "Electric" amp and an "Acoustic" amp?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2012 10:30:16 GMT -5
In a nutshell, Bruce, an amp for electric guitars is purpose built to offer a wide range of tones for the guitar, and even distortion for the sound. Same for the guitar - it's why the electric guitar has pick-up selectors and tone knobs and junk.
Think of an amp for an acoustic guitar as really clean channel amplification for an acoustic. You don't really want to fart around with the guitar's natural tone, but want to amplify the sound.
|
|
|
|
Post by dickt on May 24, 2012 10:32:28 GMT -5
Electric guitar amps (whether tube or solid state) are heavy on mid-range frequencies. Acoustic amps are like keyboard and bass amps and are balanced across all frequencies.
|
|
|
|
Post by billhammond on May 24, 2012 10:42:05 GMT -5
Seems to me that Marty has always said that acoustic amps are designed more like stereo gear, to amplify a very hot signal and keep everything balanced, whereas electric guitar amps deal with a much "cooler" signal and require lots of wattage to get everything up and running and loud.
|
|
|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 10:57:29 GMT -5
Since we're on amps, I have had, for a long time, a 50watt Johnson Amplification JT50 modeling amp that emulates several different amps and has lots of knobs and buttons I don't have a clue about. It works pretty well with my archtops but when I got the Martin flat top is sounded bad plugged in and someone recommended I get an "Acoustic" amp. I got a 40 watt Behringer which works fine with the Martin and with my archtops and even my classical which just has a stick-on mic attached. So, what's the difference between an "Electric" amp and an "Acoustic" amp? It's funny you should mention that. I've had times when playing in multiple group settings that another player has plugged his acoustic into my electric amps, last night with the Valvetrain and previously with the Boogie, and they sound great. Tends to be smaller body Taylors that can make that happen. My Gibson J185 sounds like hell through either. What my wife and I have discovered recently is the Vox AGA70 acoustic guitar amp. It comes with 2 channels and one of them has a tube preamp. The tube preamp is advertised for vocals (theoretically warms them up) but my wife hates tube preamps on her voice so that channel for both of us is dedicated to the Gibsons and they sound great. You might want to check that baby out. The price is good and they're useful feature laden. I bet that L7 would sound killer through that tube channel and the Martin would sound great in the other. |
|
|
|
Post by Doug on May 24, 2012 11:10:17 GMT -5
I don't have much experience with guitar amps but I've noticed in the few I've had and ones others have had that the clean on guitar amps isn't very clean. I would guess on some of the high end ones it's cleaner but the ones that I've messed with aren't very clean, that is even the case with the Taxi 15 that I use as a busking PA, it's ok but not good.
|
|
|
|
Post by epaul on May 24, 2012 11:50:17 GMT -5
Yes, the guitar matters. And it has been covered. And, yes, the amp matters. And that has been covered. But something's missing that hasn't been covered. The cable! Guitars and amps are fine and dandy, but without a cable they ain't doing much other than just sitting there.
Electric guitar enthusiasts know that the getting the right cable matters. I know. I was on one of their forums once and there was a big long thread on cables.
So, how do you get the right cable for an electric rig? To begin with, you have to make sure you get a cable that is designed specifically for an electric guitar. Electric guitar cables have a cloth-like tweed jacket material (as opposed to acoustic guitar cables which have a black rubber-like material for the jacket). Once you find the tweed cords, you simply select one that is right color for the tone you prefer. Red tweeds are for a hot tone. Blue tweeds are for blues and jazz. Brown tweeds are for country. And green tweeds are for light pop and new age kind of stuff. If you play a variety of musical styles, look for a tweed that has lots of different colors in it.
There is more that can be said about cables, but nothing that really matters much. If you get a tweed cable in the right color, you are good to go.
|
|
|
|
Post by brucemacneill on May 24, 2012 11:59:00 GMT -5
Well, I'm generally playing "Clean" with maybe a little reverb or tremolo on the archtops and the Johnson has a "Clean" setting but still sounded like shit with the Martin. I was thinking that maybe the "Acoustic" amp assumed a preamp in the guitar, which the Martin has, whereas the "Electric" amp assumed just the raw pickup input which the archtops and classical would be. I thought maybe the preamp in the Martin was over-driving the Johnson creating distortion. The Behringer has 2 channels, one for voice and has equalizers and effects, reverb etc., on each channel. I do have to turn the volume up on the Behringer when using the archtops and more with the classical, then remember to turn it back down for the Martin. I use the volume control on the guitars to adjust for the room size but the classical doesn't have any controls so I have to use the control on the amp. I have the equalizer set in a inverted V for the Martin and raise the bass side for the archtops and classical.
|
|
|
|
Post by dradtke on May 24, 2012 11:59:28 GMT -5
And grey tweed with leather patches on the elbow are for campus work.
|
|
|
|
Post by brucemacneill on May 24, 2012 12:07:28 GMT -5
And grey tweed with leather patches on the elbow are for campus work. So, Russell probably has one of those then? |
|
|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 12:15:20 GMT -5
But something's missing that hasn't been covered. The cable! Guitars and amps are fine and dandy, but without a cable they ain't doing much other than just sitting there. Dang it, knew I forgot something. Now I'll have to go over my 8-channel TRS-TRS snake that enables the quasi-balanced connections in the effect unit to function. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2012 12:27:39 GMT -5
"Electric guitar cables have a cloth-like tweed jacket material (as opposed to acoustic guitar cables which have a black rubber-like material for the jacket)."
That's not really true. Sure, some companies make woven jackets for their cables, but there are plenty of fine cables out there for electric guitars with rubber jackets.
|
|
|
|
Post by omaha on May 24, 2012 13:04:20 GMT -5
Best thing about tweed cables, which I have used for years, is that no one else I play with uses them. Makes it much easier to know who's is who's.
Plus with the right (tweed) cable, you get those delicious toasted wheat underpinnings in your tone.
|
|
|
|
Post by aquaduct on May 24, 2012 13:06:57 GMT -5
Plus with the right (tweed) cable, you get those delicious toasted wheat underpinnings in your tone. Real electric guitar players prefer a hoppier effervesance. Just sayin'.... |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 24, 2012 13:11:21 GMT -5
I look for the cables that evoke chocolate and squirrell ass.
|
|
This gave me much to think about. Possibly I should be looking at amps first 
