Whats a twangy guitar for a texas blues grunge style

Mongoo

New member
Hi, I've been looking to buy a new guitar. The two I've looked at and feel the best about so far are a semi body rickenbacker and a hallow body gretch. I also like fender strats, mainly for the bottom pickup.

I like the distain and trebile and clarity of my epiphone accustic. I want to bring that to electric forum and not via an electric accustic. Twang might be one way to discribe what I like. Deadish sounding strings also. Alot of times I play intricit things with distortion it just sounds too mangeled. I guess I want the clarity of my accustic (for all the hard to notic stuff) but have it "hot" and "crunchy" like the fender bottom pick up.

Can you reccomend anything I should look at?

Thanks

Mongoo
 
Well, for all the hard to notic stuff, I think the rickenbacker or the gretch would be good choices.

You should try the fender telcaster. It is also well known for trebile/clarity and distain like deadish strings, but it never sounds too mangeled.

That would be my reccomendations.


A
www.aaroncheney.com
 
Go with a Tele for twang.

I'm trying to hear the sound you're looking for in my head and it's seems you are describing more of a bright but muted by the tone control jazz sound than a twang sound.

It seems like you are looking for an electric guitar that still conveys the message of an acoustic.

I recomend an old hollowbody with two single poles. Something like a Gibson ES-125. It's nothing fancy, just basicaly an archtop acuostic with P-90 single pole pickups.

they made them in several models: no cutaway one pickup neck position, no cutaway two pickups neck and bridge, deep body single cutaway one pickup neck, Thinbody single cutaway two pickups neck and bridge. It all depends on the year. They are also some re-issue guitars like this.

If you want a new guitar, check out Gretsch Sparkle Jet, Duo Jet and White Penguin re-issues. All of these are the same solidbody with DeArmond single Pole pickups. They differ in finish and hardware. The White penguin is the deluxe version.

And if you want to go totally different and way kool, check out some cheapo Tiesco guitars from the 60's or other imports from the same time with lipstick tube type pickups.

I think for the most part you may want to keep away from humbuckers.




Some basic rules to use while searching.


Play everything in the shop---you never know what sound will hit you.

Pickups sound like thier shape. Single poles thin clear
humbukers fat and hot.

Bridge pickups sound brighter than neck pick ups

And you can't wong with vintage when it comes to the kool factor.
 
Go with a Tele for twang.

I'm trying to hear the sound you're looking for in my head and it's seems you are describing more of a bright but muted by the tone control jazz sound than a twang sound.

It seems like you are looking for an electric guitar that still conveys the message of an acoustic.

I recomend an old hollowbody with two single poles. Something like a Gibson ES-125. It's nothing fancy, just basicaly an archtop acuostic with P-90 single pole pickups.

they made them in several models: no cutaway one pickup neck position, no cutaway two pickups neck and bridge, deep body single cutaway one pickup neck, Thinbody single cutaway two pickups neck and bridge. It all depends on the year. They are also some re-issue guitars like this.

If you want a new guitar, check out Gretsch Sparkle Jet, Duo Jet and White Penguin re-issues. All of these are the same solidbody with DeArmond single Pole pickups. They differ in finish and hardware. The White penguin is the deluxe version.

And if you want to go totally different and way kool, check out some cheapo Tiesco guitars from the 60's or other imports from the same time with lipstick tube type pickups.

I think for the most part you may want to keep away from humbuckers.




Some basic rules to use while searching.


Play everything in the shop---you never know what sound will hit you.

Pickups sound like thier shape. Single poles thin clear
humbukers fat and hot.

Bridge pickups sound brighter than neck pick ups

And you can't wong with vintage when it comes to the kool factor.
 
I favor archtops for that kind of sound. (From your description, I think of Clarence Gatemouth Brown with some rough edges. On the Long Way Home CD insert, he is holding a Washburn archtop, I think.) I looked for a couple of years at old archtops, and ended up getting a new one. I had worked my way past the $400 guitars and past the $1000 guitars. Considering that I was getting into some serious dollars, and I really did not (do not) have a lot of experience with old archtops, and I was worried that whatever was in my price range had been passed over by collectors, for reasons I could only guess about. So I went new. I've played both the Ric and the Gretsch in the store, and I can see where it would be tough for you to pick. But that's the kind of problem to have--which one of two fine instruments.
 
To add to what was said above, if you are considering a hollow or semihollow body guitar but don't want to limit yourself to non-humbuckers only, I have 'buckers with push/pull pot coil taps, allowing me to switch to single coil for Rolling Stones-style country twang. This setup allows for tremendous versatility. Certain humbuckers are specifically designed to accomodate (i.e., sound good with) coil taps.
 
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