Guitars sound

[shawnpfan2010]

Alright guys, I have a question about electric guitars. All guitars are tuned the same, I assume, so is it the brand of the guitar that changes how it sounds, or is it the amp that the guitar runs through that can make them sound different? Just curious

[prem]

It is a function of many things - the guitar body itself, the pickups on the guitar, the electronics in the guitar itself...and that's just for the basic, clean signal.

Then you have the effects - pedals, effects units, etc. etc. can change the sound significantly...they can add distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, flange, wah, etc.

Then there's the amp itself...which can further shape the sound...it may be a more sophisticated amp, with a lot of the aforementioned effects built into it, or a more basic amp with volume control and simple eq settings.

In short, there can be a very large variety of sounds that can be achieved by the combination of different guitars + effects + amps.

Oh, and not all guitars are tuned the same...there are many alternate tunings out there that various bands, especially more modern ones, employ...this can make it frustrating to duplicate the guitar work of another band if you don't know the tuning that they employ...sometimes even different tunings for different songs.

---Prem

[separateunion]

Drop D tuning is the most popular non-standard tuning used in rock music.

[gman]

If you see an SCC show, you'll notice that a guy runs on stage to give him a new guitar after every song. I always thought he was just a perfectionist and wanted to always have a freshly tuned guitart. However, I watched a video of his guitar tech who explained that Steven uses something like 6 different tunings. The tech is swapping guitars during the show depending on the tuning for a particular song.
A capo can make difference as well. If you capo way up on the neck, you obviously eliminate any notes below the capo. The tone will be higher.

GMan

[brent]

No, all guitars are NOT tuned the same.
There are many tuning options.
Many players make up their own.
Modern players drop tune.
Nashville players tune up an octave on acoustics.

Guitars are not the same. This is a looooong subject. So I will leave it at that. There is a good reason why a $100 guitar will never have the tone of a $500 or $5,000 guitar. How the guitar is made, the tolerances the materials, the glues, etc, etc all makes a difference.

Strings make a huge difference. How they are made, the materials used, etc, etc.

Amps.....there are so many differences with amps....this is a huge, long topic....topologies, components, speakers, loading, etc, etc, etc.....

The player makes the biggest difference of all. It is all in the fingers. You can take two identical guitars and amps and they will never sound the same with two different players, because the players bring out different things. This is why we never let a rookie demo his guitar and amp at the shop. We have a stud player demo so that the noob can REALLY understand what they are getting.

[prem]

I also saw a similar deal at a Jars of Clay concert...new guitar for almost every song (this was when they were still primarily an acoustic rock outfit with electric guitar and keyboard thrown in for good measure) ...but I already knew that they used alternate guitar tunings, so it made sense.

---Prem

[cvs2kids]

Just for kicks,

Bob Hartman has samples of 6 guitars through 3 amps, so you can see what the subtlties of those 3 apms on the same guitar or the same amp on 6 guitars.

http://houseofbob.com/closet.html

[gman]

Cool. The gretsch through the egnator souned quite nice. I'd love some live Midnight Oil about now.

[shawnpfan2010]

Alright, I get the guitar/amp thing, what about the pedals on the floor, what do they do? If you use those pedals can a guy still be wireless, or is there really such a thing as a wireless guitar? I only ask because Bob pretty much stays in one spot, but I remember Ronnie running around on stage with his bass.

[cvs2kids]

Alright, I get the guitar/amp thing, what about the pedals on the floor, what do they do? If you use those pedals can a guy still be wireless, or is there really such a thing as a wireless guitar? I only ask because Bob pretty much stays in one spot, but I remember Ronnie running around on stage with his bass.

The pedals enhance the overall sound. The can add reverb, crunch for harder sounds, etc, etc.. I'm about 90% sure you can go wireless.

I remember years ago it wasn't unusal to see a guy with a dozen pedals. Today, I think they can get by with half of that.

This is a good Brent question.

[prem]

Yes, there are wireless guitar transmitters...they take the clean sound from the guitar and then send it via FM transmission (either analog or digital) to the receiver, which is then plugged into the same jack the guitar cord would normally go into.

Usually between the guitar and amp, electrically, you have the floor effects pedals, which the musician can switch on or off to add effects to the guitar sound. There are also single-unit effects processors that have all the effects built into single patches that are triggered by depressing a foot switch. Some of these, like various models by DigiTech or Boss, actually sit on the floor. Others can be rackmounted with a foot switch to switch effects patches. These processors often also have midi ports, so a midi sequencer could record a user's footpedal actions for replay later during a song.

Some amps have all the effects built into them, and then a footswitch is used to turn various effects on or off (some higher end units also have midi control available for this).

---Prem

[brent]

Yep, wireless has been around since the 70s on a wide scale. It hasn't sounded natural until the last 10 years or so. Wireless changes the sound almost all of the time. Digital sounds more natural but has reception/distance issues.

[brent]

BTW, pedals, rack mounted digital and analog processors, etc may or may not enhance the sound. Some of the best players I have heard hardly use them at all. Some of the best, hard-hitting, rock does not actually have that much distortion. AC/DC comes to mind here. Sometimes genres and styles dictate a guitar + amp combo, processors, etc.

Sometimes players do not write songs with a specific lick in mind, but find inspiration in a sound or effect. Nothing wrong with that. This is how the Edge writes all of his stuff. Some players hide behind sounds, effects, loops, etc to compensate for a lack of depth or skill. There are as many approaches to guitar as there are players. There are no hard rules, but there are some very tried and true methods and procedures.

[shawnpfan2010]

So what takes more skill to play an acoustic guitar or electric guitar??

[brent]

Brilliant question. It depends on the person. Most generally, acoustic is harder to play at first. For one thing, beginner guitars are generally lower end. They are not easy to play. Then there is the action of the strings, the thicker strings themselves, etc. Acoustic is very revealing of your skill. The electric masks some things. You can be someone sloppy on electric and be considered a good player. But the acoustic tells all. Learning on acoustic is arguably better IMO because it helps with muscle strength and form. If the student gets the technique on acoustic, he will be a better player over all. We see kids getting a bit bored. They need some affirmation that what they are playing resembles what they like to hear. So electric with amps, pedals, etc is good for them. Otherwise they get discouraged and quit.

Fundamentals aside, the electric + electronics has more sonic possibilities. There are guys like Satriani who taught Steve Vai how to play, but cannot play how Vai plays. There are guys that use no picks like Jeff Beck. Nobody can get what that guy gets out of a Strat. Van Halen is another guy that is unique. Yes, people can hammer-on and do lots of pull-offs and such, but several A-list guitar heroes cannot do it on Eddie's set-up. They cannot control it. There is too much gain for them. The guitar is an extension of the player. It is a very personal and specialized thing.