These guys always sounded to me a bit too posh.... it could be also because of their accent . But I very rarely disagree with them and I trust them more than JHS or other channels .
After many years, here’s how I audition a guitar: 1-do I like the neck? 2- do I like the balance and sustain acoustically? 3- does it stay in tune and intonate correctly? 4- can I live with the weight? If it passes the above, then I plug it in 5-are the pickups DYNAMIC (responds to picking articulation, volume swells/roll offs etc) 6-are the pickups quiet (within reason) 7- how is the fret work (you can always fix this assuming it passes step 3) 8- how does the guitar look? 9- how much does it cost? 10- do this instrument fill a void in my musical life/guitar collection? It’s that simple. Every serious player should build at least 1 guitar (preferably from scratch)- this teaches you to avoid the hype/marketing and trust your hands, ears and eyes.
The elephant in the room is the tone of the fifties fender or gibson are printed on the old classics not prs. And most guitar players are drawn toghe tone. That's a huge bar for prs to jump...
Nice episode, But Suhr and PRS make way better built and sounding guitars, There is no magic powers in vintage instruments 🎸 by the way 70s instruments are some of the worst instruments, and Ret you were not annoying! 😂
My first rig was $150. Got a Crate practice amp and a decent Ibanez Les Paul copy. I was 16. It was 1986. Second major rig was a Squire Strat, a BOSS GT6 into a PA. Later I got a Mesa 20:20 to power the Boss into a beat up Laney 4x12 and give it some tube warmth it much benefitted by. These days are different. Older. Making more money. Bills paid off. -Tone King Royalist Mk 3 combo (just arrived) (and 3 Friedmans in the wings) -Bill Nash Strat -Eventide H9s It's about a $7000 rig (not counting the Friedmans and other cabs or guitars). Those early cheaper rigs inspire those later expensive rigs. One piece of advice I'll pass on: The electric guitar is an instrument that includes not just the guitar, but your amp, your speakers are also a huge part of the SOUND of the instrument. It is NOT wise to spend all your $ on a guitar and skimp on the amp and speakers. The amp and speakers are about 80% or more of the sound of the instrument. Changing out the guitar (and pups) is a small piece of the puzzle. If choosing between a $3000 amp and a $3000 guitar, I'm going with the amp every time. I've learned a lot about that and now I buy cheap guitars ($500) with good bones and replace the pups and electronics (Shout out to Lollar pick ups!! My go to) and a decent set up and I like those guitars much better in the end. The Bill Nash strat is my exception, but it comes already stocked with Lollars, so there was that. And the relic job they do is gorgeous to me, I just love it. But my other equal favorite is my Vintage brand (look them up from the UK by way of Indonesia and designed by the brilliant Wilkinson old school tech) Les Paul copy with a real maple cap, (originally bought the Lemon Drop Peter Green model). I replaced the pups (I'll admit the stock pups were entirely usable and very good, but Lollars are just that much better) and replaced them with Lollar Imperials Low winds and had my guitar tech set up the guitar to have a switch to put the pups out of phase when I want some Gary Moore. Also he put on seymour duncan pickup stots that have little switches to turn on either humbucker, single coil (you can choose which side) on either pick up. Works awesome. That guitar has awesome bones, cost me a total of about $1000 all-in and I'd put it up against ANY Les Paul out there and it will hold its own against the best and beat out most. And it weighs 10 lbs. Like the real deal. A boutique tube amp is the sine-qua-non.
Tbh, as soon as you personalize and modify an instrument, it becomes your own signature model if no one has one like it. It’s just not done by the manufacturer for the mass market.
I have a doctorate in something non-music and I am respectfully envious of Dr. Molly Miller, wishing I'd thought to follow my passion in music into higher education. What an amazing life when earning a living in Plan B (academic job) aligns with Plan A (playing music)! So, I encourage my young cousins, nieces, etc. to follow their dream and develop a Plan B that keeps them in their Plan A passion.
Until you get into high end guitars which PRS American made ARE, until you are into high end, they are all going to be relatively the same because Asian assembly line guitar builders don't use any discretion, they just look for the most economical solution. So at my level pickups, PICK, and strings are the chief contributors to the quality of sound a guitar will have. After that of course the amp and pedals. I think they are being intellectually honest from their point of view. The rest of us cant expect to spend $1500 and find a guitar whose tone wood makes any difference. When you move into the topic of Acoustic guitars, Tone woods are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL at every level. Speaking as a life long classical guitarist who used to own an Acoustic Guitar shop, wood quality makes all the difference.
I’m sorry, but in a mix, you cannot hear a difference, that would be a lie. The only difference is if you’re playing unplugged and listening to the resonance of the wood itself, I know that by being a bassist and having big strings vibrate the wood and having basses of all different quality from $100-1,300. My most resonant bass is my “cheap” $300 6 string. But once you’re listening to the actual electronics, the wood composition is completely irrelevant. Vibrational “tones” of wood aren’t transferred thorough electrical currents and signals. And to completely dismantle any tone wood arguments, there are guitars made of glass, plastic, carbon fiber, and you cant hear a difference in a mix or recording. To be clear, I’m speaking in general terms here not directly to anyone lol
Having played piano by reading and not having popular guitar music available to read, I soaked up from many sources or styles that appealed to me. When I was put in a position of having to coordinate several, volunteer acoustic guitar players I had to learn some theory to help do that and communicate that to them. I have since compiled a 13 page "short essentials" theory set of coordinated understandings (one set reinforces understanding of a couple of others). I now sort out or inform what I hear with what relationships I understand. It's the relationships that drive me.
I ride my bike nearly every day (in 90 degree plus weather between 4 & 5pm (March through September is warm here). Sweating is part of life! Oh, and, by the way, that's my easy exercise. The older I get the more I need to burn off the vittles. Something to adapt to?!
When asking to jam with someone as a newer player, I think it’s extremely important for the more advanced person NOT to just teach them a new song. Both parties get frustrated and it can be discouraging. Just play a simple blues or even just a two chord vamp. If the more experienced person can solo then great. If not, just have fun with the groove. Everyone will have a lot more fun.
nobody deserves a sig guitar. Buy your own damn guitar. What makes them so special? They can play better than most? Then the gtr companies can charge the regular guy a small fortune. No Thanks, keep that crap
I love PRS guitars but Paul has some retarded marketing sayings, like tonewood, like how the tuning pegs change your tone (what is this guy even saying?!)
Much respect for the art work and skill involved in aging some of these guitars but I’ll take my Les Paul custom shop model shinny and brand new, thank you!
In the subject of tone , do you happen to know what the Rolling Stones used on the Guitar solo for Hot Stuff????I enjoyed this episode thanks 🙏🏼 for all you do.
My $1000 rig: Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster-$375 used Fender Blues Jr IV used- $450 used- (spring reverb and versatile amp) Mojohand Dream Mender-$100 used (I bought this listing, takes care of delay and modulation) Either a used bd-2 at $60 or a used warm audio odd at $60
His whole demeanor about music came from his supportive and nurturing father/family. At a young age he was embraced, and it shows what a beautiful thing that can do to a talented player. As a parent, I’m filling some cups when my kids start soloing!
Gibson tried to agree with Neil Young in 2005 to do a sig, of course he said no, so the rumour goes they did a secret release ... Would love to see one of those
