‘My strat is too bright,’ said a forumite. But compared to what? Dave Burrluck offers some basic advice about listening before you mod
Let’s be honest. In today’s online world the first thing most of us do when faced with a gear problem is get in touch with the online community. ‘Help needed,’ we type. ‘My guitar is too loud, quiet, heavy, light, won’t stay in tune, etc.’ And then there follow plenty of words of wisdom and advice peppered with the usual negative put-downs. Burn it!
Recently, a thread caught my eye: ‘My Strat Is Too Bright.’ There were all the usual ‘fixes’ – strings, tuners, nut, pickups, tone capacitors, pot values, saddles, bridge block, body and neck replacement, the amp, pick… But nowhere did I spot the obvious first question, which is: ‘Compared to what?’ As one fellow poster rightly observed, Strats are bright, especially in their original specification, but one player’s too bright might well be another player’s perfect or – it can happen – too dark. It’s all about context and comparison.
Testing guitars, or even listening to them, isn’t a simple plug in, play for a couple of minutes, form an opinion, then post it. Well, not here it isn’t. Let’s say we’re testing a new Strat. We can all plug in, play it and pass comment, but we’re listening in isolation. Now say that you pull out a Strat that you know, have played for some time, gigged, recorded and even modded – then you have a comparison. You know your guitar and have probably had feedback from other guitar players who might have played it and certainly heard it with you at the helm.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2019 de Guitarist.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2019 de Guitarist.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
QUICK CHANGE
As Gibson finally adds some Quick Connect pickups to its Pickup Shop line-up, Dave Burrluck revisits this simple no-solder method to mod your Modern guitar
Return Of The Rack
A revered rackmount digital delay makes a welcome comeback in pedal form.
Pure Filth
This all-analogue preamp pedal based on Blues Saraceno's amp is a flexible powerhouse with a variety of roles.
Reptile Royalty
From Queen to King - there's another Electro-Harmonix royal vying for the crown of octave distortion
Tradition Revisited
Line 6 refreshes its Helix-based modelling amp range by doubling the number of available amp voicings - and more
Ramble On
Furch's travel guitar folds down so you can transport it in its own custom backpack and, the company claims, it returns to pitch when you reassemble it. Innovation or gimmick?
Redrawing The 'Bird
A fascinating reimagining of one of Gibson's more out-there designs, the Gravitas sticks with vintage vibe and mojo. Oh, and that sound...
1965 Fender Jazz Bass
\"They made them later on, but it's not something I've ever seen this early.
Boss Cube Street II
Regular readers will know that the last time I took the Boss Cube Street II out, I was in rehearsal for a debut gig in London.
STILL CRAZY
One of the most creative yet reliably great-sounding effects makers out there, Crazy Tube Circuits grew out of a fetish for old valve amps. We meet founder Christos Ntaifotis to find out more