wanting a different sound than my solid body...help

B

burndog

New member
Hi, this is my first post. I am not professional and I only have a Cube 20 amp, played at a pretty low volume to be considerate to the rest of the family (unless they are all out;))

Presently I have a USA G&L S-500 which I am very happy with, but now I would like something completely different and was thinking of hollowbody or a semi-hollowbody. I assume that they would give quite a difference in sound.

I try my best to play a variety of music from old 60s stuff to blues (can't do the jazz thing...much beyond my ability level)

I usually play clean with a bit of reverb, as the dirty channels on my cube 20 don't really impress me much

Would a hollow body or a semi-hollow give me a big difference in sound. The S-500 that I have presently has the original ceramic single-coils, which according to reviews are very versatile. Will humbuckers make a big difference?

I understand that there are so many variables, but I am looking for something that is much different from the sounds I can get now. basically something more mellow or woody sounding.

What basic guitar design should I be searching for?
 
Imho, there are only just a very few types of guitars in the world, and everything else is just a derivative thereof.
You basically have a Strat. Anything with humbuckers will be a drastic difference.
And about the Cube: Think about ditching it and start looking into a low wattage tube amp. I would think almost any low watt tube amp would be more expressive than a Cube (that said, I have never actually played a Cube)

You, my friend, have embarked upon the Great Journey in the Quest for Tone!! :D
 
Hey burndog, welcome to the board! Nice to see another Albertan. That makes at least four of us.

I'd try out a few different things. I think humbuckers would be worth a try. Take your amp into a store and try them out.

I'd recomend trying out a Godin. I just got one and I'm in love with it. You can get them with dual humbuckers and a single coil with a 5 position switch. As well as a piezo pickup. So lots of options on the sound.
 
guido #2 said:
Imho, there are only just a very few types of guitars in the world, and everything else is just a derivative thereof.
You basically have a Strat. Anything with humbuckers will be a drastic difference.
And about the Cube: Think about ditching it and start looking into a low wattage tube amp. I would think almost any low watt tube amp would be more expressive than a Cube (that said, I have never actually played a Cube)

You, my friend, have embarked upon the Great Journey in the Quest for Tone!! :D
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Oh, I know I would love a better amp, but the money just isn't there. The cube actually is not a bad little amp for the money, the clean channel is pretty good for a practise amp.

The quest for tone...I'm sure it is fun, but can also get expensive, or so my wife keeps telling me.
 
TetraFish said:
Hey burndog, welcome to the board! Nice to see another Albertan. That makes at least four of us.

I'd try out a few different things. I think humbuckers would be worth a try. Take your amp into a store and try them out.

I'd recomend trying out a Godin. I just got one and I'm in love with it. You can get them with dual humbuckers and a single coil with a 5 position switch. As well as a piezo pickup. So lots of options on the sound.
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so we are a rare breed, us albertans.

The Godin, I'm sure is awesome, but I am only looking at entry level stuff. I was kind of thinking along the lines of Dots or artcores. I have even considered looking for an older MIJ 335 clone and maybe swapping hardware and pickups. I hear the older japanese entry level guitars were pretty good buildwise, but very poor in hardware and electronics. I just missed an old Raven 335 copy on craigslist. Would loved to have had it.

Having said that, I wonder if the new entry level artcores etc, would be simply that much better.

Of course, the more I read the more confused I become. The older MIJ entry level guitars were mostly hollowbodies, would a hollowbody be that much different sounding than a semi?
 
You gotta watch the MIJ guitars. Some are built with ever so slightly different sized hardware, so you can't, say, swap a MIJ bridge for a Gibson.

Another thing that would be a huge difference for you is to make sure that your next guitar is a set-neck. Some 335 copies are not.

The Artcore series seems to be a pretty nice guitar for the money. If you buy one, just budget in some money to get it set up (pretty much ANY new guitar).

What's your budget?
 
Hello Burndog, Welcome to the board.

Congrats on the S-500. That is a terrific axe.

It seems to me that a new amp or a different axe both start at about the same amount of cash. Sure, humbuckers will give you a different sound but only you can say if it's what you're looking for. The right amp will do the same thing. My two cents say you take your guitar and amp to a music store and try each approach.

Remember that there are many flavors of amplifier just as there are many flavors of humbucker guitars or hollowbodies for that matter. Don't let anyone tell you that they are all alike. It's definitely worth your time to try out whatever you can. Let your ears and your fingers make the choice.
 
guido #2 said:
You gotta watch the MIJ guitars. Some are built with ever so slightly different sized hardware, so you can't, say, swap a MIJ bridge for a Gibson.

Another thing that would be a huge difference for you is to make sure that your next guitar is a set-neck. Some 335 copies are not.

The Artcore series seems to be a pretty nice guitar for the money. If you buy one, just budget in some money to get it set up (pretty much ANY new guitar).

What's your budget?
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I understand about the set neck. My budget is only about $400 ( I know, it is pretty low ). I have been scouring ebay and won an auction this afternoon...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300476713674&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I know this would have been a cheapy in its day with only one volume and tone control, but it looks like a laminated neck and the body seems in decent shape. Nut width of 1.75 is what I was looking for, I know some of the older models had really narrow necks, and I do like them a bit on the wide side, even though I am a pretty small guy. I have no idea as to what type of wood it is, but most of the older MIJ units used pretty good woods, as it was cheap and plentiful then, but lousy elctronics, tuners and pups.

I know it is a bolt on neck, but set necks, especially on older models scare me in that a neck reset is not really viable. I've never done a neck reset, and it looks pretty difficult. On my budget, I can always shim a bolt on neck.

I am hoping to clean it up and set it up the best I can, and see what the playability is like, and how it feels. If I am happy with it as is, then fine. If I like the feel but not the sound, then I can always change out the pickups, tuners and electronics. ( I would certainly go for two vol/tone controls). Stewmac has some house-brand "Golden Age" pickups for cheap that get awesome reviews.
Many people replace all of the cheap components on the artcores, so I figured if I started cheaper it would be cheaper in the long run. (the as73 is $410 CAN locally. So I will have a bit more than $200 for upgrades, which I think would be close to covering the pickups, decent pots & buttons, caps, a trapeze style tailpiece & new bridge. Then I would just have to budget for decent tuners. All in all a bit more than a new as73 and it would be a bit of a frankenstein, but I think overall it could be better than a stock as73.

I hope I have made a good decision. It seemed like the cheapest way to get a hollowbody with decent components.

I guess time will tell. I have never changed electronics on a hollowbody before ( nor any guitar, for that matter ) so it will be a learning experience for sure, but I have seen videos as to how it is done, and I have patience when needed. I just have to get in some practice on soldering.
 
Milnoque said:
Hello Burndog, Welcome to the board.

Congrats on the S-500. That is a terrific axe.

It seems to me that a new amp or a different axe both start at about the same amount of cash. Sure, humbuckers will give you a different sound but only you can say if it's what you're looking for. The right amp will do the same thing. My two cents say you take your guitar and amp to a music store and try each approach.

Remember that there are many flavors of amplifier just as there are many flavors of humbucker guitars or hollowbodies for that matter. Don't let anyone tell you that they are all alike. It's definitely worth your time to try out whatever you can. Let your ears and your fingers make the choice.
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Good advice for sure. I do want to get a decent amp some day, but for now it is low on the priority list. I'm hoping the hollowbody that I described in my last post will do me for a change in tone for now.

I know the very best thing to do is to get out and play as many as possible. The right guitar always has a habit of letting you know which is best for you, in both feel and sound. I know buying sight unseen, and unplayed, as I have done is likely the worst way to buy a guitar. Surely it is the riskiest, but on my low budget I decided to take the chance. If nothing else, I will enjoy hours working on it and trying to make it the best I can for the least amount of money. And just like a kid, no matter how it turns out, I'm sure I will still love it. Worst case scenario is that it becomes a $180 piece of wall art for my TV room.


Thanks so much for all of your input everyone. I will try my best to remember to repost and let you know how it all works out.
 
Far out! That's a crazy looking axe you won there. Looking very Teisco-ish to me. Looks like it's in nice shape, too:cool:

Here's a tip; When you are working on changing components in a hollow body, always tie a bit of string to them to help you guide them back into place.
 
thanks guido #2, I'm hoping it is a good move, and you are likely right, it does look like something from the teisco line, definitely entry level.

Thanks for the tip. I came across an awesome set of videos on youtube that will be very useful. He has a number of videos and he really does explain things well. For anyone who has never worked on a hollow or semi-hollow, this link is really good.

https://www.youtube.com/user/johnplanetz#p/a/u/1/EKH2kK4P-RU

he does have a site that has many educational videos, and he really knows his stuff. I know I have learned a ton from him.
 
burndog said:
Good advice for sure. I do want to get a decent amp some day, but for now it is low on the priority list. I'm hoping the hollowbody that I described in my last post will do me for a change in tone for now.

I know the very best thing to do is to get out and play as many as possible. The right guitar always has a habit of letting you know which is best for you, in both feel and sound. I know buying sight unseen, and unplayed, as I have done is likely the worst way to buy a guitar. Surely it is the riskiest, but on my low budget I decided to take the chance. If nothing else, I will enjoy hours working on it and trying to make it the best I can for the least amount of money. And just like a kid, no matter how it turns out, I'm sure I will still love it. Worst case scenario is that it becomes a $180 piece of wall art for my TV room.


Thanks so much for all of your input everyone. I will try my best to remember to repost and let you know how it all works out.
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I'm glad you found a guitar. I hope it works out well. I love 335 style guitars. Please do report back when you get it and share your thoughts.

I hope you will try out a variety of amplifiers before you chunk out some money on mods for your new guitar. An electric guitar is the guitar AND the amp. I agree with those who say the amp is more important. You may find that the Roland is just right. People will tell you that tubes are the only way to go, but there are some good SS amps out there too. That said I'm a tube guy myself.

There are a bunch of threads on modding guitars that can be reviewed using the search function here. I would encourage you to spend some time there before you modify your new toy. Lots of great pickups to choose from to go with the Stew-Macs.

Have Fun
 
Excellent advice milnoque ( love your avatar by the way...I loved Shultz)

I believe your are right about the amp. I think one can think of the guitar as the turntable, and the amp as the reciever and speakers. Just as in a home stereo, the best killer reciever is useless with a junky set of speakers.

As far as modding goes, I am hoping that I will be happy with the guitar as is. A better amp is next on my list, but probably not until about a year from now.

From what I have read it seems like there are very good S/S amps out there. I'm not sure that tube amps are guaranteed to be any better, but I think when you are looking at tube amps that you are looking at pricier amps than simple practice amps. Dollar for dollar, I would imagine there are very few people who can, in a blind-folded test tell you which is tube and which is SS. Of course I have been wrong before.

Thanks again for all of the advice and help.
 
Is there really that much difference if playing clean? Not that I am ready for a new amp yet, but at about what price range can a person pickup good sounding small amp for playing at home (at decently low volume, keeping in mind that I do not gig with it), and would you have any make/model recommendations? I have never really done much research on decent amps...are we talking $400 or $1600+
 
Check out the street price on the Fender SuperChamp XD or the Vox AC4 (both tube amps). In my view shine even more when played clean. Just try it for yourself and see what you think. I would be surprised if you COULDN'T pass a blind test.
 
Milnoque said:
Check out the street price on the Fender SuperChamp XD or the Vox AC4 (both tube amps). In my view shine even more when played clean. Just try it for yourself and see what you think. I would be surprised if you COULDN'T pass a blind test.
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even I can pass the blind test...well I guess I have tons to learn...thanks heaps for your recommendations. When it comes to amps I do have limited knowledge, and I guess that sometimes limited knowledge is a dangerous thing.

I'm excited now. I won't be able to afford an amp anytime soon, but hey I want to try to quit smoking again ( failed after 11 months about a year ago...argh) This will give me incentive I'm hoping.

thanks again for your help...I do appreciate it. I actually joined this site to learn about recording equipment ( I would eventually like to get just a cheap beginner set up, just for fun...so when my mind starts going and my fingers are too arthritic to play I can strap on the headphones, crank it up and say, hey I played that...that is if my hearing doesn't go first;))

but anyways, I think I may going for an amp before the recording equipment...if I can quit smoking.

Thanks again.
 
It's a nice buy.
I'm rather keen on hollowbodies with single coils (I have a couple) BUT I have an Epi Shearaton that's quite similar to the one you've bought & it has hummers.
There's a BIG difference in tone between hummers & singles so you'll notice a diff between your strat style & the 335 style.
It doesn't look teisco to me - not weird enough & most T's have single coils. The whammy bar is very 70's MIJ though. many, many teiscos are going for very BIG money of late - they look crazy good & sound different good too.
Hey, don't be afraid of MIJ's - the market is full of them at present and at VERY high prices compared to just four years ago BUT the ones that are up are generally the ones that survived because they weren't bad & they are still good for the money now.
Do spend the money to get it set up & get some strings you're comfy with.
Oh, be careful! The spring in the whammy will drop out if you pull out too hard.
You might consider buying a cheap but good pedal to vary your sound a little - a nice OD or something.
Good luck!
 
Having owned a '68 Telestar hollowbody since... '68, I have researched those and similar guitars almost to a fair-thee-well.

Judging from the tuners and imitation Bigsby bridge setup (you can't really call it a "Bigsby copy," way too many liberties have been taken) I'd say yours could well be from the late 60's to early 70's. If it is, very likely the pickups have been changed- almost all of those, esp. the cheaper ones (as indicated by the single vol. and tone controls, as you observed) had single coils with over-sized plates around them- the plates were usually stamped steel or plastic pick guard material, and make it fairly easy to convert BACK to the original single coils. You made a good deal, probably because the pups are not original. I'd message the seller and ask if he has the original pickups and mounting plates- if he does and will either give them to you or sell them to you for under $30-40, I'd grab 'em, even if you want to stay with the humbuckers. Put back to original, the guitar could double in value.

I'd expect to need to change the tuners- those will likely have a lot of play in them. You get the guitar tuned, or close, and find there is about 10-15 degrees of rotation of the tuner head that does not move the peg any. Try to find some that have only one screw hole and will use the original tuner screw holes, and keep the originals.

If the seller does not have the original pups and plates, you can forget about ever restoring it to original- it won't be worth the cost of buying the original parts. That frees you up to mod the heck out of the poor old girl, but at least she will sing like a young'un.
 
Greetings fellow K-9 dude :D

Not sure if this has been brought up but (along with... or instead of... different pickups) what about a different speaker for your cube? Not as HUGE of a difference but may help.

I've got a couple different ones for my cab. I don't swap em that regularly but it's nice to have options.

Also...I was working on a clean guitar track last nite, didn't much like the tone from just my amp so I ran my effects pedal (Vox ToneLab SE) inline and set that up as clean. Different tone.

Even tho it still sucked :p it was different.
I coulda taken more time to find THE tone but it was starting to interfere with my kazoo symphony time.
:D
 
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