Choosing ONE electric guitar for the studio

**Timo** · 09-30-2013, 11:01 AM

a tele with a humbucker in the neck- it's hard to beat.

**orri** · 09-30-2013, 11:02 AM

But do you really need the single coil option?
Isn't it versatile enough, to have the default two humbuckers and three way switch?

If you get a ibanez, washburn, epiphone or other bang for the buck 335 type guitar and replace the pickups, I think you would have a versatile range of sounds that can be used in a great variety of music styles. (and I don't even think it is necessarily urgent to replace the pickups)

To change the pickups you can use the wire that is already used to connect to the old pickups, cut it and solder the new pickups to it.
If you want to add/replace a pickup switch, I think you most likely need to take all the electronics out through the F-holes, rewire it, and then put it all back again through the F-holes (or you can pay someone to it). It is a bit complex.
(but I am not that experienced in this field, I am just guessing)

**newsense** · 09-30-2013, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by steves3972

i really think this ibanez is the best option.
the as153-ays.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_as153_ays.htm

Semi hollow with ebony fretboard, has humbuckers and the neck pickup has coil tap.

I really want one of these too, reviews that I have read all seem to be great.

I have one - all the reviews are correct. It is a great guitar and great value compared to a Gibson. One problem, supplies in Europe have been very limited e.g. Thomann will not have any in stock until mid-November.

**henryrobinett** · 09-30-2013, 11:25 AM

I can't. I have a studio with all the things I need. My main guitar is a 355, much like the 335. But There are times I need my strat or a tele or my acoustic or nylon. Can't do it. No way.

**ooglybong** · 09-30-2013, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by steves3972

an ES-335 type guitar with coil tap so you can get single coil sounds too. That'd be the most versatile.

Check out the semi-hollow Comins GCS-1 (rosewood 'board, flame maple top) -or- GCS-1ES (ebony 'board, spruce top). Both already have coil-split on board as stock. Great guitars. I have the 1ES model and a '65 ES-335 for comparison (certainly like that, too), but I do prefer the Comins.

http://www.cominsguitars.com/comins-craft-series/gcs-1#

**cosmic gumbo** · 10-01-2013, 01:19 AM

Anyone know much about these Epiphone ES-335 PRO models? It's not a Dot....look at the neck...no dots, it's got block inlays. Vintage tuning pegs, Gibson spec'd Alnico II humbuckers with coil split. $449 street price. I've got an Ibanez AS73 that plays like a dream, but needs an alnico pickup upgrade to sound sweet. Maybe this Epi would be an economical trade up solution?

This might be a veratile budget studio guitar...or a piece of junk....

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Arc...S-335-PRO.aspx

**Sean65** · 10-01-2013, 05:18 AM

I guess the idea is to cover as many bases(pun intended) as possible so something like a Godin with synth access might be a good forward thinking step to take. You could probably coax more tones from something like that than most other options.

**Chimera1to1** · 10-01-2013, 06:03 AM

Very similar to a 335. I have an Epi Lucille which I have replaced the neck bucker with an upgrade and coil split. It would be the first one out the door if I could only keep one though.

**Chimera1to1** · 10-01-2013, 06:10 AM

I think they key to the question is what would you have in a studio not as a gigging guitar.
Most good studios have access to a good rack gate/compressor/limiter. Its easier to make an overly thin tone sound fat than clear up a muddy humbucker. On that basis single coils and longer scale length are more flexible

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by Chimera1to1

I think they key to the question is what would you have in a studio not as a gigging guitar.
Most good studios have access to a good rack gate/compressor/limiter. Its easier to make an overly thin tone sound fat than clear up a muddy humbucker. On that basis single coils and longer scale length are more flexible

I wouldn't say it is a good studio. It will be an apple computer with digital effects. But this is an interesting point.

I gotta make a move on this soon. I'm still confused about the whole coil tap thing. I understand that it is different from splitting and supposedly better. I think that Epiphone pro is the only one that supposedly comes with coil tap built in.

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 07:05 AM

I think this is the one to beat. I would prefer it in black. What does NA mean?

http://www.thomann.de/de/epiphone_es_335_pro_na.htm

**orri** · 10-01-2013, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by jster

What does NA mean?

http://www.thomann.de/de/epiphone_es_335_pro_na.htm

Natural finish/colour.

Originally Posted by epiphone webpage

... And now, for the first time, the Ltd. Ed. ES-335 PRO features coil-tapping on both pickups via a push/pull control on the pickups' volume controls.

exactly what you were looking for

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 07:26 AM

Soon the preacher is going to be saying "I now pronounce you man and guitar" unless somebody has an objection!

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 07:38 AM

It's sold out. Have to wait a month. WTF?

**orri** · 10-01-2013, 08:45 AM

They make/made it in black too, and you might possibly be able to find one.

**ooglybong** · 10-01-2013, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by jster

...I'm still confused about the whole coil tap thing. I understand that it is different from splitting and supposedly better. I think that Epiphone pro is the only one that supposedly comes with coil tap built in.

As far as I've ever known, the two terms are synonymous.

EDIT: As follows further down-thread here, the two terms are not synonymous at all.

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by ooglybong

As far as I've ever known, the two terms are synonymous.

I read that they aren't. Coil tapping uses the inner coil. Splitting just uses half. I don't know squat about pick ups, but they say they are often mistakenly taken to be synonymous.

**rpguitar** · 10-01-2013, 02:48 PM

They are not synonymous. Splitting a double coil pickup means using only one of the coils at a time (either of them). Tapping means taking the output of both coils at an earlier point in the winding, rather than at the very end.

Put another way, a split humbucker is a single coil. A tapped humbucker is still a humbucker.

**jster** · 10-01-2013, 02:55 PM

Which one sounds more Fender?

**Gramps** · 10-01-2013, 03:09 PM

Just because he charges 24EUR for string change doesn't mean he'll overcharge for switching pickups. When I did repair work I had a "bench fee" for just working on an instrument. I wasn't going to spend 20 minutes changeing someone's strings for $5 when I could do a fret mill in the same amount of time and earn $45.

I agree with him.

Originally Posted by jster

I just don't have a good shop around. There is one guy nearby. I asked him how much to change strings. He said strings+25 EUR. I said, "Life is pretty good for you isn't it." And he said, "If you are lazy, you have to pay." Lol. So not exactly somebody I am going to have switch pick ups. He'd probably charge 200EUR for that. And I can't do it myself. So I would like the vendor to customize it before sending it to me. As for price, I just mean in the less than 1k range rather than the more than 1k range.

**ooglybong** · 10-01-2013, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by rpguitar

They are not synonymous. Splitting a double coil pickup means using only one of the coils at a time (either of them). Tapping means taking the output of both coils at an earlier point in the winding, rather than at the very end. Put another way, a split humbucker is a single coil. A tapped humbucker is still a humbucker.

Oops. Sorry to be murking up the waters, guys! I'm certainly no electronic genius, that's for sure. All I've ever known is that a lot of players (even some techs) seem to call them by either term in casual conversation.

In the end, though, isn't the tonal result pretty much going to be pretty much the same (IOW, sounding like a single-coil)?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 10-01-2013, 03:26 PM

You can tap a single coil pickup, too. Clear as mud?

**rpguitar** · 10-01-2013, 04:39 PM

Daddy is right, because - again - a tap involves taking the output at a point in the winding earlier than the end. I referenced HBs because that's what was being discussed.

Four conductor HB pups allow for splitting; there's a ground and a hot output for each coil. A tapped pup usually has 3 conductors, ground plus 2 hot outputs.

The Gibson ES-347 wiring involves tapped humbuckers.

**rpguitar** · 10-01-2013, 04:47 PM

About sounding "Fender:"

It should be obvious that the Fender Tele or Strat sound is achieved with several key construction elements. Humbucker wiring variations won't get you there on their own. Not even all that close in my opinion.

**LtKojak** · 10-02-2013, 01:55 AM

The best all-around guitar to have in a studio is a strat w/EMG SA p'ups.

I own ten guitars but that's the one that'll most likely finish on record.

That's statistics for 35+ years as a pro and finishing over a hundred recording projects.

I can even get the most convincing hollow-body Jazz tone with it. And you don't need to take my word for it, just listen to Chris Standring records, he'll gets it as well!

HTH,