But first let me tell you a few things about her... --she was born in Corona California in 1983 (I like 'em young) --she is blonde and has a great body --she's got a sweet voice --I had to pay money to get her (hey I'm a scumbag, what can I tell ya!) --the best thing of all: she only does exactly what I tell her to do!* *now that's something you can't put a price tag on! Here she is fellas.... RMT's Sweet Thang
I can't make it out...what guitar is it? Is it a Fender something or other? I don't like the color but its the action and sound that counts. That...and if the sweet little lady can stay in tune.
1983 Fender American Standard Telecaster. I've got one exactly like it in black, and now I have a matched set (a blonde and a brunette)
RMT - are you a blues player using a Tele? Among others, Roy Buchanan sounded great on a Tele, but I could never get a good sound with my technique and equipment. Maybe that's why I became a keyboard player!
Thats a sweet Tele RMT!! I love the tone.... Fender makes the best stuff period. I play a '95 J Bass through a '74 Bassman 10. Not very loud, but the TONE is what its all about!!
Yup. I use Telecasters through my Fender VibroVerb reissue (2 10" vintage Jensen speakers) or my 1971 Fender Twin (2 12" 100 watt Celestions). The only pedals I use are a Boss NS2 Noise Supressor (gets rid of the 60 cycle hum) and a Boss Blues Driver.
This thread brings up an interesting point about the history of guitars. It seems like with the advancement of technology...especially in the field of music....that guitars would keep getting better. But, it seems to me that the reverse is true. People would rather have the older guitars and, in fact, alot of famous guitar players have their vintage Gibson and Fender guitars from the 60s and 70s. The newer guitars don't seem to me to be better. They may look better with their fancy shapes and paint jobs but do they give better sustain, tone, and action? I'm not exactly sure how much of the sound the guitar is responsible for anyway. I mean...the amp and effects can make any guitar sound good or bad depending on how you mix and match, etc. . Obviously, the pick-up combinations and whether their active or passive pick-ups will affect the sound. But, nowadays with all the fancy smancy amp simulators and multi-effect processors....getting a good sound and lots of various sounds really isn't much of a problem. I thumb through these product catalogs like from Musician's Friend and when I get to the Fender/Gibson section...it's all about classic re-makes with outrageous price tags. Yet, I can go buy the lastest model Jackson or ESP or Ibanez or whatever and get it for much cheaper. So, obviously the newer guitars are lacking something the older guitars have. The older guitars or classic re-makes don't tend to have tremolo systems and, if they do, they don't have the lock-down mechanisms to prevent them from going out of tune which can be a problem even for big rock stars(cause they constantly re-tune if they use the tremolo). The subject of buying a guitar is very difficult for myself to comprehend. Right now, my equipment list looks like this: Guitar: Jackson Dinky XL (from early 90s...cost $795 at the time) - Plays well enough, dark blue, locking tremolo, passive pick-ups(3 total), mother of pearl in-lays on the fretboard...blah blah blah Amp: Gallien-Krueger 250 ML - twin 50 watt 10" speakers; solid state amp; good amp in my opinion; can drive a cabinet Effects/Amp simulator - Digitech GNX2 floor pedal....simulate many amps...warp multiple amp models together...combine many effects...expression pedal; quality product which makes my whole set-up sound better with endless variety of sounds I would like to buy another guitar possibly but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Is an older re-make fender strat or gibson es-335 in the cards? Why would that be a better choice than a newer generation guitar? Better action? Better tone? Are the re-makes worse than the originals....how are they different? Really, when I look at a guitar, it's all about action and the tremolo. The pick-up combination I'm sure is important in what kind of sound your going to get....if your playing clean with no processing of the sound into a tube or vintage amp. But, with all the fancy signal processing, the sound is adjustable in the combined gear with amp/cabinet and signal processing being very important in that mix. Rather than toil with the idea of buying a new/old guitar, maybe I'm better off upgrading my acoustic. I could use a new nylon string guitar or acoustic/electric. Anyone have any experience in picking one out? I'm sure Martins are good. It would be easy to assume the most expensive are the better guitars. Drop a couple grand...and you got yourself a sweet lady. Obviously, playing the guitar before you buy it should factor in your decision but that's not always possible unless your buying in-store and not on the web or through catalog. I bought my Jackson through a catalog and never played it before but I am happy with it over the years. Picking out or finding the right guitar can drive one nuts. Just curious how other guitar players see the world in this regard. I'm just curious what would factor into other guitar player's decision-making in the procurement process? Surf
Surf...with me it's all about tone and the type of music I play. I play the blues and it seems that the tele/vibroverb combination gets the tone that I'm looking for. Feel is another thing that drives it for me...I have unusually small hands for a guitar player, and the Telecaster is small enough for me to handle plus it gets the tone. I think the best ways to discover what guitars you like are to first look at the players or music that you like the most and see what those people are using. Then go to a music store and check it out to see if you like it. You might, but then again you might find something else on the wall that you never thought of, pick it up, play it, and love it. In fact, that's how I bought my only non-Telecaster electric guitar. Started shopping and found a guitar that I enjoyed that wasn't a Telecaster. It's a 1954 Gretsch Electromatic.
I can see how you can arrive at the guitar/amp combo you have. If I had to draw on what your saying, then it would make sense and is probably the best way to approach buying a guitar. That being....try out the guitar on an amp which doesn't color the tone....which there are many amps out there that don't...like Line6 and others made specifically for that purpose. Basically, try to get a feel for how the guitar plays for you and the action. Also, ascertain the tone of the guitar alone. Obviously, if you have a specific amp you play with at home and you can hook up to...to play the guitar through...that will help immensely in your decision. I guess what I'm saying is once you start adding color with all the various signal processing and the color the amp adds to the tone...then the tone of the guitar doesn't seem to me as such a huge factor...unless I want to ditch all the fancy high-tech gadgetry and go back to a simple guitar-amp combo...like a fender tele with a fender twin reverb amp or whatever. Obviously, I want a guitar that can stay in tune as well. I have had previous guitars which would not stay in tune.
Surf, you are absolutely right in that the more effects you add to the loop, the less important the original tone becomes since you are adding so much to it. That's why the best method to me has always been, before you begin to shop, ask yourself: "What music do I want to play?" Once you figure out the music you want to play, and the bands that play it, you can then figure out who the guitarist is and see what guitar they use and what their setup is. Then you can go into the music shop and road test it. I know the feeling on tuning as well. If a particular guitar of yours is having trouble staying in tune, you may want to take it in for a new setup or intonation. You also may want to look at replacing the machine heads/tuners or changing the brand or gauge of strings you are using. I use Dean Markley medium gauge electrics on Telecasters (.011-.052) and they are heavy enough so that they stay in tune pretty well.
Thats a sweet lil thang you got thare RMT What blues players are your inspiration? Albert Collins (The Iceman)? BB King? SRV?
Good advice, Rocketman Tex. I have a locking tremolo on my Jackson which works nicely in keeping the guitar in tune and allowing fine tuning. But, I typically use the .009 high E set of strings and they do tend to go out of tune sometimes. I don't like replacing strings cause you tend to have to work and stretch new strings alot before they will stay in tune. Maybe I will try a heavier gauge like you say and see how that works out. As far as my music, I'm a rocker into classic rock, some alternative, and any newer rock that inspires me. Blues has always inspired me but the good stuff like SRV and the like are easier heard than played . The slower blues I can work with but since I'm not a reader of music....I pick up music by ear alot. I inspire myself by being able to hear a tune and reproduce on the guitar. Not to mention rocking out to CDs or whatever is a great stress reliever. I also get into these heavy zones when I play guitar where I end up getting into a euphoric state where my neck looses up and my head hangs with my eyes closed and I just get in a groove and play...it may be improvising a song or learning a scale and running away with it. But, I will sit there playing for like an hour and then snap out of it and look up...like I just came back from Heaven or something. It is so cool for me to be able to zone in and out like that....and feel one with the music. The best part of playing guitar is getting in the zone and feeling like I'm on cloud nine when I play. Per my other question...any difference between the re-makes and the original guitars? Or are they essentially the same but made at (obviously) different times. Surf
Very cool, Surf. The remakes are supposed to be "to-the-letter" replicas of the originals, specs and all. So I guess the answer to your question should be they are the same but made at different times. However, I do believe it varies from model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer. The best way to research is to get on the web and do a search so you can compare specifications. it's funny that you mentioned what you did about SRV. As I posted on other threads on this BBS, the first time I saw SRV was at the Rome Inn in Austin in 1979. Between 1979 and 1985, I saw him approximately 30 times. I always enjoyed seeing him, but SRV was more intimidating to me than inspiring. After an SRV show during college from 79-83, I would always hit the books rather than hit the guitar. Then I saw the original Fab T-Birds with Jimmie Vaughan on guitar. THAT guy inspired me to play, because when I saw him play, I would say to myself "I can do that". When I would see SRV, I would say to myself "how the hell can that guy do that? I'll never be able to play like that".
