Fenders or Gibsons?

Speaking as a complete guitar non-player, but officianado of the sounds made thereby, I would have to say overall I prefer the Gibson - 335s, Les Pauls, SGs (especially the 6/12 double neck).

Just my humble opinion, you understand, but can anyone resist melting when Carlos Santana (I know, I know, not prog) belts out a solo on the ol' SG? Can anyone defy the old tear in the eye when Hackett plays Firth Of Fifth on the Les Paul?

However, would a Gilmour solo sound as perfect if played on anything other than a Stratocaster(the other side of the coin being would any Status Quo sound any better if not played on Telecasters ).

Personally, I can only think of one guitarist who switched alleigance from Gibson to Fender - Frank Zappa; late 60's through to the end of the 70's, he was never seen with anything other than the trusty SG or Les Paul - then he switches to the Strat.....curious (mind you, all his guitars were so full of electronics, that the body shape was the only original part to survive).

All the above may seem ignorant twaddle to all you plank spankers out there (personally, I feel an instrument should be the size of a small sideboard & weigh the same as Danbo, and the same goes for the amp - or 'cabinet' as us Hammond types prefer), but I thought the input of a non guitarist may add a certain je ne sais quoi - ie, give you guys something to laugh about, and point with derision.

Pray continue......

Certif1ed wrote: The best thing I ever discovered for my Westie is the Pod XT. The more I hear it, the more I like it. I do think it's good etc, etc, etc.

Yeah, the Pod XT is a great little box and can really help to even out some of the weaker sonic areas that my guitars exhibit. However, you can't beat a good amp, cranked up loud for that sweet responsive touch.

Not having played many other guitars, I can only speak for my little Westone - but the active gain switch is perfect for distorted tones - it adds exactly the right amount of punch, and always solicits a "Wow" from people when I click it in (I have to say that the "Wow" thus solicited has nothing to do with my somewhat amateur playing style...  ).

If anything, I find the guitar a little "boxy" in most tonal regions without the gain switched in - I generally have to EQ like mad to get a balanced tone, especially if I switch between pickups. But hey, it was cheap, sounds good, and suits my overly dramatic style of riffing. My solos are definitely not my trademark...

The tone boost is fairly redundant, as it seems to cut bass in order to boost treble, but the coil-split is fantastic for getting those Joe Satriani sounds. A couple of slides and a bit of "widdly bluff" and you can fool most non-guitarists into thinking you can play... I like my guitar to sound "hot".

The best thing I ever discovered for my Westie is the Pod XT. The more I hear it, the more I like it. I do think it's good etc, etc, etc.

Certif1ed wrote: They're collectors items now, I understand. Pity, I always wanted the bass version.

My bass player owns a Westone Thunder 1 bass. He doesn't use it but it's a left hander.    

I've never had enough money for either - I bought a Westone Thunder 1A many, many moons ago, and still play it - wouldn't part with it!

For me it's the ideal budget compromise - the sustain is superb, especially when you switch in the active circuitry for an extra gain boost. The coils in the twin humbuckers can be split, for an out-of phase harmonic rich sound with all 4 single coils in play. The neck is slightly wider than a Fender, but narrower than a Gibson.

Problem areas; Tuning on the octave can be hit and miss unless you do some surruptitious bending, and the G is nearly impossible to get right. I know about equal temperament, but that string defies anyone's temperament

They're collectors items now, I understand. Pity, I always wanted the bass version.

I have a Fender Katana bass, which suits my manic style just fine - I particularly like the extremely narrow neck and amazingly low action with minimal fret buzz 

It's amazing that the price very rarely has anything to do with how much you love a guitar. I have a cheapo Squire Strat that I love as the action is just right and the feel of the neck is really comfortable.

I've owned guitars five times as expensive as the Squire that haven't given me the same thrill to play.

Life is strange  

Edited by sigod

Parkers have been around for quite a while, at least ten years. The cost is the problem. The Nightfly is not too expensive, but a custom will run up to $2,600.

One thing about styles.... they always come back around, so who really cares. If the axe feels rights.... go for it.

Thanks, I'll try some (MORE) bridge adjustments...

Hey James. My strat has no sustain at the twelfth fret on the high E. How can I fix it? Is it a warp or a bridge adjustment?

Yeah, the frigger goes flat every other song and I'm always re-tuning. Yer Rocco looks like a good replacement!

The nightfly is sweet, but very strat like. The Custom sings. I almost bought one. I kept walking around and coming back to it and it was magic.... I even had the cash in pocket, but something hauled me back....  Seven years later, I'm still kicking myself in the arse, my ex ended up with the cash.... bitch!

 

What do you think of Gibson Hollow bodies?  I love that BB tone.

I play a strat. At first I found Gibsons to be a bit fat and blocky, however, as I've progressed in my slim/weak abilities, I've found Gibson's, Les Paul custom actually, to be very comfortable and responsive to bends and basic action. I've played a few detroyers too, that felt good. Now, the SG, is really made for soloing. Light weight and comfy in the palm.

I think, as players progress in abilities, certain instruments can feel more comfotable than others. The guitar that I found consistantly lets me play beyond my abilities is the Parker Fly Custom. Stuff I struggle with on my strat, flows on the fly. Weird!