# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 228
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4544 "2016-08-21T03:38:04Z")
In the world of high output pickups, I played with a guitarist for awhile that had replaced the bridge pickup in his Dean with a SD Invader when I was young. That’s been decades, and I haven’t personally played any guitar with a pickup that seemed more high output. They’re what they advertise themselves to be, at least. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4545 "2016-08-21T10:56:08Z")
Even when I’ve explored elsewhere, I come back to Seymours. Good sound at a good value so I can make 1 or even 2 swaps and not feel bad. I know EMG have a huge appeal to metal players, too. Given the simplicity of your rig, I will try articulating this thought; it the first time I’ve tried it: I _think_ I might compare the pickup and amp to vocal cords and diaphragm. I want the pickup to shape the sound, and the amp to provide the power. A reversed signal chain 😉 due to the mechanical vs electrical system, but you get the idea. Anyway, so to me, a lower-output pickup is so much more articulate vs a too-hot pickup. I like a “hot vintage” - my SD Jerry Douglas in my Tele is the hottest of their lower-output “vintage series” pickups. If your amp is the beast you say it is, it’s something to think about. And these types of pickups sound great with compressors - I don’t use them, but when I did I favored my lower-output pickups because they stayed more articulate even as the compressor evened everything out, if that makes sense. My unasked-for $.02. Have a great time with it. And be prepared to macgiver a few things ;). ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4546 "2016-08-21T13:13:41Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > The body is this. I like that body - it reminds me of Michael Jordan flying in for a dunk. 🙂 > [@](#): > > For finishing, I may try it myself. I was thinking of getting some diamond plate and having an engineering buddy of mine cut it for me. Go full metal on it. The only concern is the weight… Yeah, real diamond plate is heavy stuff. Even if you use the thinnest gauge, it looks like you’d be adding 4-5 lbs. to the weight of the guitar. Now you’re getting close to the weight of the heaviest Les Pauls. I guess you could look at routing some wood out of Jordan’s arm and leg, since the voids would be hidden under the diamond plate, but you obviously can’t remove too much - a couple ounces? Half a pound? They do, though, make aluminum diamond plate, at about 1/3 the weight of steel, so that might be worth looking at. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4547 "2016-08-22T03:54:21Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Even when I’ve explored elsewhere, I come back to Seymours. Good sound at a good value so I can make 1 or even 2 swaps and not feel bad. I know EMG have a huge appeal to metal players, too. > > Given the simplicity of your rig, I will try articulating this thought; it the first time I’ve tried it: I _think_ I might compare the pickup and amp to vocal cords and diaphragm. I want the pickup to shape the sound, and the amp to provide the power. A reversed signal chain 😉 due to the mechanical vs electrical system, but you get the idea. > > Anyway, so to me, a lower-output pickup is so much more articulate vs a too-hot pickup. I like a “hot vintage” - my SD Jerry Douglas in my Tele is the hottest of their lower-output “vintage series” pickups. > > If your amp is the beast you say it is, it’s something to think about. And these types of pickups sound great with compressors - I don’t use them, but when I did I favored my lower-output pickups because they stayed more articulate even as the compressor evened everything out, if that makes sense. > > My unasked-for $.02. Have a great time with it. And be prepared to macgiver a few things ;). This guitar is going to be pure shred. I also want to build a strat body guitar.That, along with my Les Paul, will be the more flexible guitars. The strat will have a double octave neck, 4 pups (2 humbuckers, 2 single coils) and wired up kinda like the Music Man Steve Morse model which gives you something like 16 pickup combinations plus the tone. I don’t like EMGs. Tried em, hated the batteries and the tone but that was a long time ago. As for the diamond plate, it would be cool but I will wait until I achive rock god status, which may be a while. I will have to check ut the SD Invaders… slee ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4548 "2016-08-22T08:43:20Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > So, if you’re wireless and you use some pedals, do you put the receiver on the pedal board right before your first pedal and run a cable from the last pedal to the amplifier input? > > Yeah, I’m a Luddite and prefer cables. > [@minor7flat5](#): > > Yes, that’s exactly how you do it. > > I use one every week at church since I need to be able to walk around between songs. > The transmitter is on my strap, and the receiver is a regular pedal that sits next to my amp. If I used other pedals they would be between the receiver and the amp. > > I use [this Shure pedal](http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GLXD16G). > > It’s expensive, but I want it to always work perfectly without any pops, hum, dropouts, or dead batteries. > > The tuner is nice because I stomp on the pedal between songs to mute my instrument, and I check my tuning. > > ETA: I still carry spare cables though, just in case! That looks like a great system! It never occurred to me it’d have a tuner also. Does anyone ever have yet another wireless kit to go from the output of the last pedal to the amplifier input? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4549 "2016-08-22T14:45:27Z")
There are manufacturers of [diamond plate look](http://pickguards.com/#materials) pick guards and you could go that way. That will be a kickass guitar **Sleestak**! My son runs SD Invaders in his Jackson V and they sound really good for the metal stuff he does. You might want to look at these guys as well. My son has a set of [Bare Knuckle Humbuckers](https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_127_218) in his 7 string. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4550 "2016-08-22T18:59:24Z")
sleestack, like I said up-thread, I put in a pair of SD Sentient/Pegasus pickups in my Vigier. I am very happy with both the heavy (lead/rhythm) and split coil clean tones. There is also the SD Nazgul that is meant to pair with the Sentient as well. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4551 "2016-08-22T20:10:40Z")
Have you seen Matt Sweeney’s YouTube series Guitar Moves? He interviews a lot of guitarists and plays with them. Sometimes they teach him licks from their hit songs. The series works because Sweeney has a strong background in indie rock as a guitarist and producer. He gets interviews the average guy could never get. James Williamson from the Stooges teaches him Search and Destroy. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OvB-wDt7mA) Great series other interviews are Josh Homme Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal . Dan Auerbach Black Keyes Billy Gibbons and Kid Rock Keith Richards even teaches Matt some licks. It’s so cool seeing Keith demonstrate open G tunning. He takes off the E sixth string and detunes the A to G. The 1st string detunes to D. Seeing Keith demonstrate that on camera is amazing. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceWWMfhAvD4) Matt never upstages any of these guys. Even though he’s a very experienced musician himself. > **[Matt Sweeney](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Sweeney)** > > Matt Sweeney (born July 2, 1969) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist of Skunk, Chavez, and supergroup Zwan. > Sweeney was born in New Jersey. His father was John D. Sweeney, a professor of Medieval English at Seton Hall University who was also an avid musician. His mother, Katharine Sweeney Hayden, is a federal judge. Sweeney's parents divorced after 20 years of marriage. He has an older brother, Gregory Sweeney, who is a musician who works on the TV show Kitche... ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4552 "2016-08-23T12:54:19Z")
Yes, watched most of those. That interviewer is like Belker on Hill St. Blues. They are fun, but kinda neither/nor, i.e., not quite geeky enough for seasoned guitarists, but a bit more geeky vs a Rolling Stone interview. There’s a guy on the UMGF Vintage Corner who loaned the guitars for the Keef interview. Brought them to Electric Ladyland. He said watching Keith set up his '37(?) Martin shade-top to 5-String Open G tuning was hilarious. As for me, my update is that it turns out I still want you to stay off my lawn when it comes to stompboxes, apparently ;). I’ve been playing more electric lately, bringing a lot of the fingerstyle benefits\* to my crunchy electric playing. Fun and immersive. There’s been some references here about effects pedals - compression for metal, different delays. I got to thinking that I should revisit my no-pedals-but-a-dirtbox phobia. Maybe I am in a different place, given how I am playing. Nope. No change. Checked out my compressor and analog delay - both industry standards; its not the brand, or the next brand ;). I am just giving up too much. I once joked to a friend after one too many beers on a jam night that moving from a pick to fingerstyle is like “taking the condom off.” (Yeah, I’m a tacky bastard; sorry.) But the basic point holds: your fingers have multiple, direct contacts with the strings (I don’t use fingerpicks, a thumbpick or my nails) - you can do more. When I pop one string to go big or brush another string softly, I want those dynamics. All of which is a long-winded way of saying that a compressor is like putting the condom back on - ugh; sorry again. But the “evening out” of sound levels and touch dynamics takes control away from my right hand. If I am down stroking through a bunch of thick chords, other shimmering my way through REM or Rubber Soul, maybe. And delay - it noises me up! Whether it’s super-tight slapback or lengthier stuff, I just can’t pivot and move the same way; I increase the risk of harmonic clashy-ness. I’m not Edge-boy: the dude’s so precise, he knits a sweater with the way he stitches his delay lines together. I have no complaints. I just found it curious. I am a lot more likely to walk past some drool-inducing guitar, amp or box and think “wow, that’s cool; but not for me” and then try to dig a bit more out of my simple rig. So it goes. \*Fingerstyle benefits: some songs are simply more fun to play with your fingers. Even some Big Dumb Rock songs. But more importantly, playing a lot of stuff where you have your thumb banging out a low note or groove while your fingers do other stuff just locks your rhythm sense in that much better. It’s kind of like riding a Fixie bicycle - the groove must keeping moving, just like a set of pedals directly linked to pedals, so you must be part of that and not fight it. Don’t fight the groove, man ;). A deep thought for the day. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4553 "2016-09-13T22:58:47Z")
Jimi Hendrix no band? No amplifier. No problem!!! Hendrix by himself playing an acoustic. I like the way he stops and asks to start over. Then plays it even more awesome. 😃 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u_TO9Ovjq7w/maxresdefault.jpg "Jimi Hendrix 12 String Blues") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_TO9Ovjq7w) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4554 "2016-09-13T23:26:08Z")
Anyone recognize that 12 string guitar? No name just that cloverleaf. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4555 "2016-09-14T04:42:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone recognize that 12 string guitar? No name just that cloverleaf. Zemaitis. [Here](http://www.zemaitisclub.com/hendrix-zemaitis-japan-magazine.htm) it is. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4556 "2016-09-14T10:27:21Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Zemaitis. > > [Here](http://www.zemaitisclub.com/hendrix-zemaitis-japan-magazine.htm) it is. Nice. When I have a minute, I would be curious to learn more. Tony Zemaitis was London-based, so musta gotten it there. Sounds wonderful. Cool to see him play without a pick. And to play with that big honkin’ ring - oy. Lots of folks do it just fine; I can’t stand jewelry when I play. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4557 "2016-09-14T14:33:19Z")
[quote=“aceplace57, post:4553, topic:527172”] Jimi Hendrix no band? No amplifier. No problem!!! Hendrix by himself playing an acoustic. I like the way he stops and asks to start over. Then plays it even more awesome. 😃 [/QUOTE] Thanks for that **ace** , makes me want to start doing more picking on my 12 strings. I’ve been looking at Micheal Kelly guitars online (this [one](https://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/cc50-7-string) particularly) and they look amazing for the price. Has anyone had an opportunity to try one out? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4558 "2016-09-15T12:27:48Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Zemaitis. > > [Here](http://www.zemaitisclub.com/hendrix-zemaitis-japan-magazine.htm) it is. I haven’t heard of that brand before. Sounds really good. Thanks Shakester ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4559 "2016-09-15T23:12:41Z")
Tony Zemaitis was an individual luthier, I think - maybe had shop support - who built electrics and acoustics in London in the 60’s and 70’s. Ronnie Wood is know for playing a Zemaitis “metal front” guitar - which had an engraved disc on the front that looks cool but was supposedly to shield feedback. Zemaitis flat tops often had heart-shaped soundholes. Original Z guitars are hugely collectible. And another make, Teye, started making high end inlaid guitars that clearly had Zemaitis DNA and were making a killing. So the Zemaitis family licensed the name to a Japanese manufacturer. > **[Zemaitis Guitars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zemaitis_Guitars)** > > Zemaitis Guitar is a guitar brand owned by Japanese Kanda Shokai Corporation, which manufactures the instruments in Tokyo. Kanda Shokai is also owner of Greco, another guitar brand. > Zemaitis's guitars are based on designs by British luthier Tony Zemaitis, who died in 2002. In the United States, Zemaitis is distributed by the "Zemaitis Guitar Company" based out of Paso Robles, California. Current products by Zemaitis include electric and acoustic guitars. > Zemaitis is globally known for its uniqu... > **[TEYE Guitars | Made In Nashville, TN | Custom Luxury Guitars](https://www.teyeguitars.com/)** > > Custom Electric Guitars | Exceptionally Handcrafted in Nashville Tennessee | Everything On A TEYE, Is Beautiful. | TEYE Guitars are Artist Designed and Developed, Bespoke Luxury Instruments. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4560 "2016-09-16T02:03:47Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > I’ve been looking at Micheal Kelly guitars online (this [one](https://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/cc50-7-string) particularly) and they look amazing for the price. Has anyone had an opportunity to try one out? I have [this one](https://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/mod-shop-55-1). I’d always wanted a Tele with humbuckers, so that one with the Fralins was attractive to me, and at $700 nearly an impulse buy. Reaction: build quality is very good, fit and finish and all the rest. It feels very much like a Korean guitar, but in a good way. I kind of hate the headstock feel and look in person: set back from the nut a ways, taller than a tele headstock (forget about using a close matching tele case), multiple string trees. Otherwise the finish is solid, the binding and top look great, the neck feels good. The Fralins sound really awesome, very vintage with lots of transparency, and even the coil splitting is (for once) actually useful. Downside is the setup as shipped was non-existent. Strings way up high above the neck, neck relief not set at all, intonation invokes laughter even from non-musicians. Figure on getting it professionally set up or doing quite a lot of fiddling yourself (I did the latter, it took me a couple of weeks to dial it in well with a lot of time and testing), it def won’t be very playable out of the box. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4561 "2016-09-16T14:43:13Z")
Good to know, thanks **squeegee**. Set-up won’t be an issue as I do them fairly regularly for acoustics and electrics. I think I know what I’m going to ask for for Christmas… ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4562 "2016-09-18T00:04:13Z")
So I haven’t been playing much guitar. Twin boys + work + noise = lack of guitar. I got a modeler a little while ago. It is ok for somethings and works for practice but recording heavy tones, not so much. So I bought an attenuator box. It sits on the effects loop and acts as a soak/volume. Basically you crank the amp up to whatever floats your boat tone wise and control the volume with the box in the effects loop. I was a bit hesitant but it was 20 bucks so I thought what the hell. I am pleasantly surprised. I set it up, turned down the volume on the box and cranked up the amp. I set the volume using the box and I’m sounded pretty damned good. Not as good as the amp on about 4 or 5, the amps sweet spot, but it is damned close. The bass response isn’t as good, not enough speaker throw at the low level I suspect, but it works good enough to record. My wife was downstairs and could hear it but it was low enough that it didn’t bother her. I will post what I recorded in a bit. It is a thing I have had sitting in my head forever. The playing isn’t all the good, a bit loose but the heavy tone makes me want to break things which is what a good heavy tone ought to do. Slee ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/4563 "2016-09-18T03:38:04Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > So I bought an attenuator box. It sits on the effects loop and acts as a soak/volume. Basically you crank the amp up to whatever floats your boat tone wise and control the volume with the box in the effects loop. > > I was a bit hesitant but it was 20 bucks so I thought what the hell. > > Slee Linky to what you’re using please? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=227) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=229)