Why am I not satisfied with my guitars?

[Fritzjazz]

If you had to describe an ideal guitar for you, what would it be? Not name brand, but how would it sound (most importantly) - would it sound like a famous guitarist or something that no one has heard, dark or bright and acoustic vs. Electric etc, scale length, frets, body size and type etc. If it is really the guitars you have as the problem and not just a rampant case of GAS, it might help to make a very specific list of desirable qualities (with the sound as number one) and go from there.

It would be balanced thru out the fret board, equal volume from lowest to highest notes. It would play like a piano. It would have equal volume between chords and single string melodic stuff. It would respond to a very light touch (some of my guitars only respond when played hard, light touch produces thin sound). It would be "warm" sounding with bell like character. It would lack an over abundance of overtones (harmonics) so that does get messy with harmonics kike a flat top. Not too much sustain unless I wanted to coax it out with vibrato. Comfortable to play sitting or standing. Reliable and consistant.

That would be the ideal guitar. But as others have said I may already have it and just haven't spent the time to get to know it.

Fritzjazz

[kambor]

Well, you have a tough one there. To me (and I may well be wrong), if you are sure you need an archtop, you are probably looking for an x-braced guitar, acoustic or with floating electronics, and probably would have to make your own set of strings (most people do not realize this. I myself am going to get a custom .014 - .050 to even out the feeling, volume and tone across the strings).

I would recommend a wooden tailpiece, less harmonics and resonance there.

As for laminate versus solid top, I would seriously recommend to check individual guitars. Not long ago I tried two Peerless guitars. One was laminated and the other solid. Everybody who played and listened both guitars (A/Bing them) liked the "ply" better, both plugged and unplugged. So, a good lamination can sound better than a bad solid top.

Another consideration is if you want an acoustic sound, and electric sound, or going to mix both sounds.

If you're going electric, check computer recordings of your guitars against a backing track. Sometimes, what we hear as a non impressive guitar alone in a room can sound great with a band. Plus, the acoustic sound it might have can interfere with the electric sound we ear, making a false impression.

If you're going acoustic, it's harder to get that homogeneity across the neck and strings (maybe impossible?). The only thing I can say is that when you play a nice acoustic instrument, it's a totally different sensation, and maybe you'll have to make a concession if you bond with an instrument.

I think that, at the end, the most important thing for a player (read: non-collectionist) is to have the fewer guitars the better, and different between them.

If I had the money to get any guitar I want, I would have a primarily acoustic archtop with a floating pickup just in case, an electric archtop (maybe dangelico ex-ss, or the ibanez pm-120), an allround electric guitar for other gigs and an electrified acoustic (I played a friend's Yamaha that sounded awesome).

But the most important is your relationship with your instrument. I know a Sadowsky kills my Ibanez af75, but I wouldn't trade it if it weren't a matter of life or death, and even then it would be hard for me. And it's a 400 bucks guitar...

Psychoacoustics are a curious thing...

[oldskoolchop]

Is it really that you find them lacking, or just that you like acquiring new guitars? (a.k.a. "GAS"). I like to joke about GAS, but I honestly have a bit of a problem. I can't stop buying new guitars. Its not that I don't like the ones that I have, I just always want another.

I have probably bought and sold well over a hundred and really need to find a way to stop!

I also like buying new instruments because i find my voice and form and style of expressing myself changes over time, at some instances one certain guitar can express my mood better than others but in the next week my mood and voice has changed and that at times requires a different guitar and the the next week i might be back to the first or off in another direction. for this I have taken a few guitars and outfitted each with separate pickups and pedals that i will only use with that guitar to achieve different moods. guitars are expensive hobbies but sure are fun

[Patrick2]

Two points to mention:

Solid spruce top guitars need constant playing in order to maintain it's acoustic properties. If you leave a spruce topped guitar untouched for months, you'll need to spend some good hours playing it to get the top responding again.

Also, you need time to develop your amplified sound. Playing an acoustic instrument is not the same as playing an electric one. You have to learn to "play the amp" so to speak.

kambor; where did you hear that spruce top guitars left unplayed for months will need to open up again? I've never heard that before and I'm not sure it's accurate... but, I'm anxious to hear more. Thanks!

[kambor]

It's kind of common knowledge among classical guitar players (at least the ones that really care about their guitars) and classical string players.

I've personally seen this in a handmade classical guitar of my teacher. When it came from a repair (something to do with the bridge height), it took a whole afternoon of continuous playing to get its tone back.

It's not a very noticeable thing, and someone who didn't know that guitar wouldn't probably notice and think the guitar plays fine. But when you're used to a sound, you notice fine things. In this case, the high frequencies sounded a little harsh, not refinated and rounded like they used to.

This repair didn't took a long time, a few days at most, but its result on tone were already noticeable.

Some people call mojo and BS on this, and I would normally agree. But I've personally witnessed this phenomenon, and though I don't know exactly why is it produced, it really happens.

[Patrick2]

It's kind of common knowledge among classical guitar players (at least the ones that really care about their guitars) and classical string players.

I've personally seen this in a handmade classical guitar of my teacher. When it came from a repair (something to do with the bridge height), it took a whole afternoon of continuous playing to get its tone back.

It's not a very noticeable thing, and someone who didn't know that guitar wouldn't probably notice and think the guitar plays fine. But when you're used to a sound, you notice fine things. In this case, the high frequencies sounded a little harsh, not refinated and rounded like they used to.

This repair didn't took a long time, a few days at most, but its result on tone were already noticeable.

Some people call mojo and BS on this, and I would normally agree. But I've personally witnessed this phenomenon, and though I don't know exactly why is it produced, it really happens.

kambor . . . . that sounds highly improbable to me. But, I'm no expert on the matter. Thank you for your replay.

[ronjazz]

Yes, when I pull out one of my spruce-top flamencos that hasn't been played for a couple of months, it takes a couple of days for it to start to "speak" again. rio above had an idea, which I pursued myself: make a list of what the ideal guitar is, then go shopping. I did just that after 40 years of fighting with archtop "jazz' boxes, and I ended up with a Phillips Nouveau 16, made in the Samick factory. For me, it was the perfect jazz guitar, and remained that until I got bitten hard by the 7-string bug. Now most of my 6-strings are for sale, including the Philips, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find a 7-string that is as satisfactory. I did have one made to my specs, but it still needs lots of massaging before it's just right, I can only hope. Eventually, I hope to pare down to maybe 4 guitars, rather than the 16 or so I have.

[strumcat]

...my L-5 was stolen (which I bought used, cheap). The insurance company paid new retail price to replace the L-5. I went to the big guitar store in DC and played Gibsons whole archtop line up and left with the JS and $600 in my pocket (Ins Co had paid retail). Ten years later the L-5 shows up at the local guitar store, I walked in, saw it and came back with the paper work (receipt and police report). I walked out with the L-5, called the Ins Co to buy it from them, they said "case is closed, you keep it". So for the price that I paid for the used L-5 ($600 back then), I got The L-5 back, the Johnny Smith and $600 in my pocket...

Great story and glad it all worked out for the best. When I lived in the DC area years ago, Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center was the "big" store in town. Is that the one you were referring to?

(Sorry, apologize for the off-topic message, but I couldn't resist.)

[Fritzjazz]

Great story and glad it all worked out for the best. When I lived in the DC area years ago, Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center was the "big" store in town. Is that the one you were referring to?

(Sorry, apologize for the off-topic message, but I couldn't resist.)

Yes! it was Chuck Levin's! I must have bought a dozen guitars there over the years. They used to let you go down into the basement and just try out everything in the archtop department. Don't thing they do that anymore though. And I don't think they have so many archtops anymore.

Fritzjazz.

[strumcat]

Yes! it was Chuck Levin's! I must have bought a dozen guitars there over the years. They used to let you go down into the basement and just try out everything in the archtop department. Don't thing they do that anymore though. And I don't think they have so many archtops anymore.

Fritzjazz.

That sure brings back the memories. I started going into Chuck Levin's back in the 60's. Bought my first Gibson acoustic there and my first Telecaster. There used to be another store called, I think, "Dale" Music or something like that, that I used to go to, too. I'm glad it's still there. Those were the days!

Strumcat