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A Bass Player's Guitar

#41
It's kinda funny, the very things I like about Fender basses make them really unattractive to me in a guitar. The contoured body makes Strats feel kinda 'slippery' to me. Teles are really harsh to my ears, and really are not very versatile. The thin necks feel insubstantial and claustrophobic in my giant hands. Meanwhile, everything I dislike about Gibson basses are exactly what I want in a guitar. Warm, chunky-sounding humbuckers; thick, round necks; slab bodies are all pluses in my book.
 
#45
MUSHROOMSeAcOw said:
Teles are really harsh to my ears, and really are not very versatile. The thin necks feel insubstantial and claustrophobic in my giant hands. Meanwhile, everything I dislike about Gibson basses are exactly what I want in a guitar. Warm, chunky-sounding humbuckers; thick, round necks; slab bodies are all pluses in my book.
Click to expand...

I disagree entirely. :D '50s Telecasters have thick clubby necks, and if you switch between the neck and bridge pickups and hear no tonal variation then you need your hearing tested. You can almost cop a jazz tone out of the neck pickup of a tele.

As for Gibsons I think their guitars are horrifically over rated. The Les Paul is a joke of a guitar. They took an existing jazz guitar, made it smaller and filled it with cement. They are horribly unbalanced and to me they sound indistinct, muddy and honky. Even Gibson admitted as much, when they revamped it into the SG. The SG is horribly unbalanced in the other direction and you can pull on the neck and you instantly change the pitch of your guitar by several semitones.

I think the PAF Humbucker in general is overrated. In a band setting you have to crank everything to get those things to cut through with all their excess midsy baggage.

All IMHO, as I also don't like Fender basses a whole bunch. :D
 
#46
My taste in guitars is much like my taste in basses. I am a shameless Fender/Squier addict. I dislike Gibson/Epi's painted necks and abominable prices. I like maple fretboards. I don't care much for anything with a tremolo, or for any guitar shape with more spikes than Johnny Rotten's mohawk. I am strictly rhythm; I don't want to make it cry or sing. And if I do, I will use basic bends and vibrato with my fret hand.

That said, my taste in guitars is also a little unconventional. I like the Telecaster body shape, but I like the dual humbucker or dual P-90 setup of Gibsons. So, I really like these for the price...

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Tele-Custom-Electric-Guitar?sku=515113

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/...I-Electric-Guitar-with-P90-Pickups?sku=519584
 
#47
If it wasn't for budget issues I'd go for a Gretsch, but Epi's usually cover my needs. I currently own a G-400 (since '96) and a Wildkat semi-hollow with Bigsby trem and P90s, which I really enjoy. Planning on adding a Bigsby trem to the G-400 too.

Right now I'm GASing for a Tele or a Jazzmaster. Those are the only Fender 6 strings I really like. But since the bass is my main instrument the GAS is not that strong. Anyways, I'll probably end up buying a MIDI controller for recording purposes first...
 
#50
I have a Fender Lead lll and a Charvel something or other for whenever I get the urge to play one! Admittedly, that ugre is not very often.
The Charvel I bought on a whim and it really is a nice guitar, neck through and as I understand it, some what rare.
The Lead lll I bought from a guy who was desparate to pay his rent, so I got it for pretty cheap, I think around $400.00.
The charvel cops the 80's rock sound with ease, the Lead can really fit into just about anthing as it has dual humbuckers, both of which can be spit in almost any configuration.
The guitar player in my band LOVES the Lead!
Fishheadjoe
 
#52
When I want to basically noodle on a guitar (I have an acoustic-electric) I want one with the widest spaced string as I can get but still get a rock tone when needed. Format-wise, I would like classical guitar string spacing in an electric steel stringed style guitar - does anyone make such an instrument without charging a lot of money for it?
 
#56
Meddle said:
I disagree entirely. :D '50s Telecasters have thick clubby necks, and if you switch between the neck and bridge pickups and hear no tonal variation then you need your hearing tested. You can almost cop a jazz tone out of the neck pickup of a tele.

As for Gibsons I think their guitars are horrifically over rated. The Les Paul is a joke of a guitar. They took an existing jazz guitar, made it smaller and filled it with cement. They are horribly unbalanced and to me they sound indistinct, muddy and honky. Even Gibson admitted as much, when they revamped it into the SG. The SG is horribly unbalanced in the other direction and you can pull on the neck and you instantly change the pitch of your guitar by several semitones.

I think the PAF Humbucker in general is overrated. In a band setting you have to crank everything to get those things to cut through with all their excess midsy baggage.
Click to expand...

I don't have much experience with Teles, but many guitarists seem to think they're the most versatile of all. I saw a similar thread on a guitar forum, and was surprised how many cited the Tele as the one guitar to have for a wide range of genres. When you consider country on one hand, and Tom Morello's work with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave on the other, not to mention early Zeppelin, you have to give the Tele props for versatility.

Gibsons are frustrating, so I understand the "overrated" perspective. Good ones are outstanding, but their quality control is spotty, and most great ones are expensive for what they are. I might have one otherwise. I've tested some recent USA Gibsons that were absolute junk, but some are outstanding, and even some recent Epiphones have felt excellent. It's all over the map, more so than Fender IMO.

Also, as with everything, pickups make a huge difference. The lesser Gibsons' pickups often aren't that great, especially for playing clean, where Fenders generally rule. This leads to the "muddy" tone you mentioned. But with the higher end pickups, like Burstbuckers, they are phenomenal and sound good clearn.

Interestingly, time after time, I've found that good Gibsons and Fender tube amps are a magical combination. Whether it's my bandmate's Les Paul Studio through a Pro Reverb, my buddy's LP Standard through a Hot Rod Deville, Erika Wennerstom's (Heartless Bastards) LP through her Deluxe Reverb, an SG through a Supersonic, or an ES-335 through a Twin Reverb, the combination always works. You get the Gibson chunk, with some Fender "air" and "sparkle" courtesy of the amp. Vintage tone, with balls. My band just recorded a track last night with the LP Std. through the Pro Reverb, with some trem, and it sounded fantastic.
 
#57
I went with a MIJ Jazzmaster. Always loved the looks and it was designed to sport flatwounds (think Tom Verlaine - he uses something like .13s on his!)

100_0277.jpg
 
#58
Boy and here I was thinking I was the only one that wanted to also learn to play guitar, I was even afraid to ask on here until I did a search and found this. I just ordered A Fender Strat American standard and will be learning blues and maybe some funk stuff but I feel better that atleast I am not alone in wanting to learn guitar as well, although bass is my first love and main love. But I am looking forward to learning some guitar stuff and may even take some lessons down the line.
 
#59
I have played quite a few guitars, from vintage Fenders and Gibsons to el cheapos and current big name guitars.
My favorite guitar of all time is our guitar player's (not sure of the year, 1990s?) G&L strat loaded with EMGs.
The neck fits my fretting hand perfectly, sounds like the ultimate strat, wild variety of tones, active or passive.

Just a really beautiful sounding and playing guitar. Looks like a typical black strat with white pearloid guard, nothing obviously attention seeking.
It's the only guitar that he's kept with him and played regularly for many years now. Plenty of others have been bought and sold, or traded.
 

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