# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Captain\_Mumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Captain\_Mumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Mumble)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/81 "2010-02-05T08:35:55Z")
:smack: geez louise . . . I’ve also got an '02 Ibanez RG270L Slipped my mind 'cause it’s the only one in ‘standard’ tuning- all the others are tuned to Eb (or open Gb). Used it as a stage guitar with these guys in '08 [The Quadmire | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos](http://www.myspace.com/thequadmire) and haven’t played it since -Mitch ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/82 "2010-02-05T08:47:02Z")
'05 Martin electric-acoustic cutaway Auditorium '04 MIA Standard Strat '05 Epiphone Les Paul Standard '05 Washburn 12-string '04 Epiphone Jumbo acoustic (this one lives at my dad’s house, but I probably play it more than he does in the one or two times a year I make it back there) ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/83 "2010-02-05T09:53:05Z")
How many? Um… Fender Tele mid 70s beaten up gigged a lot Fender Performer late 80s, gigged a bit, very versatile coil taps, 24 frets, locking whammy Gibson Les Paul Gold Top, P90s, of suspicious history PRS 24 fret blue book-match top, don’t know the model off the top of my head Self made Explorer, all mahogany with ebony fretboard, though neck, DiMarzio PAFs Ibanez (SF something?) 22 fret sort of superstrat, thin wide neck shredder Yamaha small body acoustic (FG 150 or something) currently on ragtime duty Also: Washburn/Status headless bass Horrible Jap LP copy converted to 12 string Non-guitars (depending who defines it) Sitar - with a lot of missing strings Banjo - currently on loan to sister I’ve lost count now. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/84 "2010-02-05T12:30:26Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > 2006 Huss and Dalton DM Hey \*\*Pork Rind \*\*- what do you think of your H&D? I have played a few; well-made guitars (for other Dopers: Huss and Dalton are a small-production guitar company, like Santa Cruz and Collings, turning out high-end acoustic guitars based on popular design standards that originated mostly with Martin and Gibson, but with their own spin on it). Does it follow a Martin D-18? If so, how does it compare? How chunky/slim is the neck? And I love the photos of the '37 Gibson I found [online](http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4911238)- what can you tell us about it (how does it sound and play, too?) and how come you are selling it? **Le Ministre** - I wish I had exposure to the makers you describe. Heard of most of 'em, but haven’t played any… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/85 "2010-02-05T14:29:17Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Are you trying to describe an “A” style bar chord? e.g. a D major chord: > > ```auto > > 5 x x x x x x <-index finger > 6 - - - - - - > 7 - - x x x - <- ring finger > > ``` > > I can play this easily on an electric guitar and have the first string sound correctly. I can see this shape being very difficult on an acoustic, but on an electric it requires practice and patience for most folks, but is quite doable. It’s not at all difficult on an acoustic. I hit the double-barre chords like that all the time on both my 6- and 12-string acoustics. In fact, for fast progressions, I will sometimes barre the basic A chord like that. ---
**Author:** ![MwNNrules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MwNNrules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MwNNrules)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/86 "2010-02-05T19:08:20Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Well, it’s a stringed instrument, with a defined body and neck, played by plucking rather than bowing. > > How’s that? > > Note that this means, technically, a Chapman Stick is not a guitar. But a ukulele is. That works, thanks. I was going to mention how the ukulele was like a miniature guitar in my question, but I decided I my rant had gone on long enough, and I ended it before I got to that part. > [@BigShooter](#): > > **MwNNrules** - what’s with all this “defining” stuff?? Just play and have fun, man, jeez… 🙂 😃 Sorry, I’ll admit it, I like defining things in a very exact way. I’m like a philosopher, except nothing I have to say is deep or important. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/87 "2010-02-05T19:09:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > WANT! 😃 Yeah. It’s pretty cool. Fugly, but cool. 🙂 The pickup is really remarkable. I understand that Ry Cooder used to transplant the pickups from those lap steels into his regular players. > [@](#): > > Okay - here goes - I have 8 currently: > > - Tele Special - homebrew [build](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=531055) (link to thread chain where I chronicle the building) > - Telecaster homebrew build - looks like a '52 Reissue, but plays much better 😉 > - Baby Taylor (currently used more by my kids…) > - 2007 Gibson J-45 acoustic > - 1946 Gibson LG-2 - small-bodied acoustic - the sweetest, simplest tone > - 1980’s Japanese Les Paul replica by Burny (still threatening to sell soon) > - 1973 Gibson Les Paul Custom - '54 Black Beauty Reissue, aka “[Gracie](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n86/WordMan567/AAGracieandGracie-2006-07.jpg)” (link to pic of guitar + namesake) - my soulmate guitar and the one that opened my eyes to how a truly great guitar is different - nothing like a 70’s LP; this is just like a 1954 Les Paul Custom > - 1957 Gibson Les Paul Special, in TV Yellow > > I have been trying to get some photos taken, but my Mr. Photographer friend and I have not been able to connect up…and I always have a few moving parts I am trying to swap out or upgrade, so this list has a shelf life of yesterday… How much are you looking to get for the Burny? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/88 "2010-02-05T19:11:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > No Kidding? My super-strat knockoff is an Electra Phoenix. I’ve actually liked it a great deal, but these days it’s not a guitar I play daily or even often. Yeah. Matsumoku was one of the REALLY good Japanese factories back then. They really made their knockoffs right. Full-thickness tops, high-quality backs and necks. Good pickups. The works. Let me know if you want to offload that Phoenix. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/89 "2010-02-05T19:31:48Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Yeah. It’s pretty cool. Fugly, but cool. 🙂 The pickup is really remarkable. I understand that Ry Cooder used to transplant the pickups from those lap steels into his regular players. > > How much are you looking to get for the Burny? Yep - and now you can get handmade versions - the [Coodercaster pickup](http://www.300guitars.com/2009/09/new-lollar-supro-style-steel-guitar-pickup/)(link to description…) …as for the Burny, I appreciate your inquiry; here’s a [pic](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n86/WordMan567/flame1.jpg). It was made at the Fuji Gen Gakki factory, to my knowledge - it’s a good one. Please email me using the address in my profile; I am not sure it is okay to discuss $$ on the SDMB… ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/90 "2010-02-05T20:16:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Dude, wow, you’ve got eclectic hobbies. Thanks for the clarification! I’m trying to picture someone delivering that line: "Hark! The Seagull of Snow! (Dunn Dun Dunnnn!) 🙂 I don’t know if it makes it better or worse, but that sort of thing _is_ my day job… I remember some pretty long nights in Montréal just learning the show. > [@](#): > > How do the pickups map to the stereo channels? I’m imagining a very elaborate set of switches which send one of the four pickups to “left”, and one of the other pickups to “right”, right? It’s much easier than that - the 3 single coils have a five position switch (neck, neck & middle, middle, middle & bridge, bridge) a volume and a tone control and come out one ‘side’, the Fishman Power Bridge has just a volume and comes out the other ‘side’. One 1/4 inch stereo male jack on one end, two 1/4 inch mono male jacks on the other end. A ‘send and receive’ cable for an effects loop does the trick nicely. It’s just fun because a Tele is a pretty versatile axe to begin with - with the right amount of fiddling, you can get the piezo to sound almost like a steel-string acoustic with a piezo in it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/91 "2010-02-05T21:28:24Z")
Oh, there’s no question. A ukulele is a subcategory of the guitar family. Now, technically, my definition sort of encompasses lutes, but a lute _has_ to have a bowl-shaped body. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/92 "2010-02-05T22:52:32Z")
Like Ovation acoustic guitars. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/93 "2010-02-06T01:14:22Z")
Yep. I’ve been wondering if they count as lutes. Speaking of which, what’s the difference between electric guitar types? Okay. So the Stratocaster has a tremolo in the body and a tremolo bar, and its traditional shape and, generally, three pickups, the middle at a slant. What defines the other brands? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/94 "2010-02-06T02:05:01Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Yep. I’ve been wondering if they count as lutes. > > Speaking of which, what’s the difference between electric guitar types? Okay. So the Stratocaster has a tremolo in the body and a tremolo bar, and its traditional shape and, generally, three pickups, the middle at a slant. What defines the other brands? E-Sabbath - two things: 1. Just in case there is a need to be clear, there is a bit of a whoosh to \*\*Ogre’s \*\*post - in some circles, including mine 😉 and apparently **Ogre’s** , Ovations are slammed for being not all that great. They provide an even tone that is less prone to feedback and are therefore good for performance settings - but if you don’t need one for a big arena, why bother? 2. What you are asking for, in your question about electric guitar types, is something that I refer to as “What are the major electric guitar “food groups”?” It is a twisty road with lots of YMMV, but if you want to go there, I may have time in the office next week… ---
**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:** [February 6, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/95 "2010-02-06T02:22:04Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It’s not at all difficult on an acoustic. I hit the double-barre chords like that all the time on both my 6- and 12-string acoustics. In fact, for fast progressions, I will sometimes barre the basic A chord like that. I meant it was difficult for some to use that shape and have the high string sound properly. Not that the chord is all that advanced, but most beginners have a very difficult time with barre chords. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/96 "2010-02-06T02:38:48Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Yeah. Matsumoku was one of the REALLY good Japanese factories back then. They really made their knockoffs right. Full-thickness tops, high-quality backs and necks. Good pickups. The works. Let me know if you want to offload that Phoenix. 😃 Wow, you must be one of the very very few people who would even be interested in an Electra, which I figured was worth about the price of its weight firewood. Mine’s pretty cool, HSH, gold metallic body, black neck, fingerboard and headstock. It looks a lot like [this pic](http://media.photobucket.com/image/electra%20phoenix%20guitar/mmmtacos/100_1435.jpg), but HSH and three knobs (and of course body color). PM me if you’re really interested. ---
**Author:** ![MwNNrules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MwNNrules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MwNNrules)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/97 "2010-02-06T02:56:39Z")
Are any of the guitar-related magazines worth reading? I like browsing through the guitar magazines that I see at book-stores. I remember browsing through an issue of _Guitarist_, which was doing a rundown on the 100 greatest guitarists. Subjective territory, but the list was done very well: they had good articles (often an interview) on the guitarists in question, and it wasn’t numbered. It was at an advantage compared to the rather poorly done Rolling Stone list. I have one quirk with the Guitarist list though: no Duane Allman (either that or I accidentally leafed over him), who ranked second on Rolling Stone’s list. But Guitarist did have Larry Carlton (guitarist for “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan, my favorite song), as well as many other less known masters on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/98 "2010-02-06T07:04:00Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > E-Sabbath - two things: > > 1. Just in case there is a need to be clear, there is a bit of a whoosh to \*\*Ogre’s \*\*post - in some circles, including mine 😉 and apparently **Ogre’s** , Ovations are slammed for being not all that great. They provide an even tone that is less prone to feedback and are therefore good for performance settings - but if you don’t need one for a big arena, why bother? Well, if ya find one at a thrift store (oh, say, like a 1973 Custom Balladeer) for thrift store chump change, why not indeed? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/99 "2010-02-06T07:13:12Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Wow, you must be one of the very very few people who would even be interested in an Electra, which I figured was worth about the price of its weight firewood. Mine’s pretty cool, HSH, gold metallic body, black neck, fingerboard and headstock. It looks a lot like [this pic](http://media.photobucket.com/image/electra%20phoenix%20guitar/mmmtacos/100_1435.jpg), but HSH and three knobs (and of course body color). PM me if you’re really interested. Hey, man. Electras are solid guitars. I’ll stand by that, for sure. Even after they moved production to Korea, I thought the quality was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/100 "2010-02-06T07:16:15Z")
Oh, and **WordMan** , let me tell you the same thing I was forced to tell **squeegee** : I’m sorry for being a flake. That Burny is lovely. But I posted in lustful haste earlier. We’re having a baby in the coming weeks, and there’s just no way I can justify buying guitars right now. I’d love to reconsider after the financial dust settles, but I really have to be in Fiscal Conservative mode right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=6)