Guitar choice and playing style

[mr. beaumont]

From the 175 thread, an idea I had...

Does your guitar choice influence your playing style...or vice versa? Or are you someone who sounds like you on whatever you play?

Me...I played a tele for years...drifted away, came back within the last year or so...and I think it definitely influences how I play...I also think that what I hear in my head is probably "tele based," if that makes sense...a little more sustain...some "twang"...

It's chicken or egg for me, I guess.

[pamosmusic]

I've never been one to really switch guitars around much but I just got a Tele tricked out and have been playing it a lot. I don't think in general the instrument I play influences things too much for me except things that are physically easier because of the setup. 11s are easy to bend so more bending than I would do otherwise... Little things like thay

[Max405]

B,
I've been playing my Heritage Johnny Smith alot since I got it. Needless to say, all I've been playing on it is Johnny Smith stuff..
When I play my L7c, I play all my other stuff, Stardust, All Things You Are, Another Rainy Day.. You know the other standards.
Last night I played my ES165 and my Strat. With the 165 in hand, I immediately pulled out my looper and improvised over some Benson backing tracks.. Then on my Strat, I immediately remembered how to play Scatterbrain, and Van Halen stuff again.

No doubt the Guitar influences my playing, totally.

And by the way, that tiny little 1/2" scale length difference between the HJS and the L7c made a HUGE difference playing the Johnny Smith stretch stuff.

Joe D.

[mangotango]

Mr. B, whereas I hear and understand what you say, my experience is somewhat different, certainly as far as Jazz Guitars go. My first one was an Eko Frankenarchtop, built in a factory that was selling off cheap Italian guitar parts. Much as I liked the idea of it, I couldn't bond with it, and traded it in. The guy who bought it eventually sold me my Epi JP, and that's where I was at for ages. When I convinced myself that I'd improved enough to warrant something a little more upmarket (since I've told this story on here several times before, do feel free to speed-read to the end of this segment if you've seen it previously), I went to look at a couple of Guild laminates with set pickups that a guy was selling - a Savoy X-150 and a Manhattan X-175 (I think those are the right numbers). That was what I needed, that was the style that I thought I wanted. He was also selling this D'Angelico (Vestax) which was the opposite of the Guilds - longer scale, pressed spruce top, floating pup.......I made the mistake of taking him up on his invite to try them all out of interest, and worse, I tried the D'A first, and that was it for me - the sound was bigger, fuller, more resonant, the neck perfect for me. It was nothing like I thought I wanted, not least because it was £350 more expensive that the Savoy...but the sound was everything I needed. The Guilds couldn't help but pale by comparison.

Recently, I went on a 4-day Jazz school and part of this was that they put you into bands to perform on the evening of the final day. The band of which I was part was due to perform My Little Suede Shoes, (a Parker tune), All Blues (Miles) and Grover Washington Jr's Winelight. A broad spectrum of sounds needed, you might think. And it was decided that the guitarists for each of the band should all use only one amp, to reduce change-over time - a Mesa Boogie 1x12" combo, and a pedalboard that looked like Mission Control!! So how did my supposed one trick pony, more acoustic sounding guitar cope with the gig? Answer - I covered all the bases, changing only the tone control, and using the wah from the pedalboard when getting my Jimmy Nolen on, for Winelight

BUT

I still sounded like me, no matter what I did with it. That guitar's my baby. It told me that I didn't want no other guitar when I first picked it up, that it would treat me right and never let me down if I let it be my one and only. Since then, I've had a play on a vintage 175 and a Benedetto Fratello when playing in the quartet - and given them back straight afterwards. I took the JP20 to the gig one time when playing in a pub frequented by the East End criminal fraternity...but that's it. What's right is right and when you know it...

[Klatu]

Nice thread idea.

My guitars are all over the place in terms of specs, and I usually end up playing the same sort of material on each one. I suppose that means that I need to widen my stylistic horizons!

[kris]

I've sold all my arch-tops.
I experiment with Tele,Ibanez as-200 and nylons Framework.
I try to play all on my Tele...:-)

[rio]

It can certainly go either way. It's a tough question when we have multiple axes and can switch on a whim. If I were to only play my tele exclusively then it would affect the way I play - utilizing the sustain, the higher fret access among other things I can't do as easily on my Eastman. It would probably make my comping less punchy and I don't know how much I would like four on the floor; I imagine my comping and chord choices would be quite different if I were to have to only play my tele.

But with multiple guitars, I feel that we are more often letting our playing style affect which guitar we choose to play. Different tools for different jobs. Although I have lately just been doing everything on archtop since it feels better to focus on just one guitar for me.

[Boston Joe]

I've got an archtop, a semi-hollow, a strat and a tele. That pretty well covers me. I view guitars like paint brushes. What I'm painting determines which guitar I'd use. If I were doing a gig of nothing but swing standards, I'd go with either the archtop or the semi-hollow. For more modern stuff, I'd probably stick with the semi hollow. For rock and fusion, the semi-hollow will cover some sounds, and the strat and tele would cover other sounds.

Do the different guitars affect how I play? Probably a little, but not so much that I've noticed. I try to make sure that they're all set up and strung pretty much identically to minimize the feel differences between them. What DOES influence the way I play is volume level and effects. If I've got overdrive going, I'l play much more rock like (lots of bet strings, sustained notes, etc). Some chorus tends to make me leave more space when I comp because I love hearing those shimmering chords. (Chorus with the Tele is heavenly).

[Jim Soloway]

The scale length may influence the tuning but other than that, It doesn't seem to matter much what I play, I always seem to play the same and if the guitar doesn't fit what or how I play it just gets sold.

[boatheelmusic]

After trying many at length, I've settled on my ES175 and Baja tele.....can't think of selling either.

[ingeneri]

Sadly, I always sound like me. This was made apparent to me when I played a gypsy guitar once, and it was very clear I've never studied any gypsy technique or spent any serious time listening to the stuff. I sounded like my poor old hard bop self on an acoustic. In the end listening and transcribing will always trump gear, you have to hear the music in your head first.

That said, the thinner neck on my NYL2 does tend to bring out my "notier" side since the slurs and ties I normally employ are less comfortable. On the other hand, I tend to be more comfortable playing chord solos. I'd joke that it brings out my inner Barney Kessel, but that would be giving me way too much credit even in jest.

I also notice whenever I pick a strat up that it seems to bring out the tastelell overruse of Spinal Tap level Blooze bends. I of course blame the guitar's satanic rock influence entirely.

[mad dog]

I'm a newbie at jazz, so how guitar choice affects that type of playing is as minimal at this point as my jazz skills are.

With all other guitar stuff, instrument choice definitely affects how I play. Not a linear process ... more that a particular instrument "suggests" options not available or less prominent on other guitars. A solid body with a bigsby leads me often into surfier sounding things. A full hollow body offers at least some feedback, which changes how I play at medium and higher volumes. I might play more notes on a guitar which sustains less. That kind of thing.

Just pickup difference alone influences me a fair amount. Especially when I pick up a classic type, single coil tele.

But none of these variations override my general approach or sound. They just open up different possibilities a bit.
MD

[Bluedawg]

Two of my favorite guitar rules:

Neil Young Axiom: There's a song in every guitar.

Steve Howe Corollary: There's a guitar for every song.

I think the Neil Young rule is an actual quote. Not so sure about the Steve Howe saying.

Different guitars do influence what I play .... strats seem to ask for one style, LPs another, the same for Teles

And different archtops can do the same in their own way

[pingu]

I think what you play next is affected directly by what you just played , and what that came out like .....

So the music that comes out , is a result of that conversation you are having with your Guitar ....

Now I play a Jazz Box with fat strings , I can hang on much simpler sounds and even one note
and dig that sound , so thats a kind of freedom for me .....

A freedom from having to fill musical space for no reason
(I used to play much noodlier/busier on my previous 335 with 10's which I don't dig so much)

[mr. beaumont]

Cool responses so far. I can see where everyone's coming from.

If this makes sense, to ammend my original statement, I'd say that I sound the most like myself on a solidbody electric...even though I really play every guitar I own generally the same way.

And oddly, I play a tele and a flattop acoustic rather similarly...they have a lot in common, to me.

[MarkRhodes]

I've had three guitars in my life that were around both for a long time and throughout significant periods of my developmet:

an Ovation Deluxe Balladeer, a Yamaha Strat (circa 1978), and the Artcore you may glimpse in my icon pic.

I miss the cutaway of the Yamaha and the ring of the Ovation but I think if I had them (or their like) again, I would play them pretty much the way I play my Ibanez now. (Well, if I had effects and or a brash amp, I'd probably give some slinky strings a work out because it's been years since I did that, but when I settled down to playing, I'd play like I play on an archtop with flatwounds.) I think I pretty much play the way I play, whatever instrument is in my hand.

[MarkRhodes]

Two of my favorite guitar rules:

Neil Young Axiom: There's a song in every guitar.

Wow, I hadn't of it in years, but I was once given a blue Japanese acoustic (--looked like an Ovation; I forget the name). It was pretty unplayable but I wrote a song on it that featured lots of doubled notes and slides because it had an "Oriental" vibe that felt appropriate. Wrote about my brothers, who lived in Japan. It's the only thing I ever wanted to play on that particular guitar.

[John A.]

I'd say guitar+set-up, rather than just guitar influences how I play. I stuck with an archtop with 12's for jazz and solidbodies with 10s for everything else for many years. About four years ago, I got a semi, strung it with 10s, and now play jazz on that (and occasionally on my strat), and switch between the semi and strat for everything else. Sold my archtop and LP, and don't miss them. It feels more natural, more "me" to be able to bend a little and have a slightly slinkier tone. It is a little easier to play fast, single line stuff with heavier strings, but that's an acceptable trade-off for the other positives. I also like being able to pick up either of my guitars, have the feel be similar, and feel like I can play any kind of music (with slightly different flavors) on either.

John

[vinnyv1k]

I am a 1 trick pony. If I play a guitar with a bridge pickup it never gets used ever. If you listen to Mark Whitfield's early stuff like 7th ave Stroll or True Blue that is my tone and I never stray from it. If I can't get that type of tone from a guitar or amp it's history. I will say in the 1990's I strayed from jazz and all I wanted to play was blues on a 335 and I played completely different in those days with .010 rounds. Still never used the rear pickup though. I still like to play the blues but now only on a big jazzbox with flats.

[jazzbow]

I have had soooo many guitars through my hands in the last 38 years, that's owning, borowing and fixing.

I switched onto Jazz in a big way with a thin line hollow bodied Tanglewood TRG 1. I loved it so much I bought another. All thanks has to be heaped on this guitar, it got my ears switched on and took me where I wanted to go musically.

Then I went all Charlie Christian pickup and never been the same since.

My Le Voi selmer guitar was a wow. Loved that sound. But my ulnar nerve problem stopped me enjoying the fat neck. Shame.

When I got my Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster it all fell into place for me. I will think of the tone and style with this guitar and dial it in, they are the most comfortable playing guitar I have ever had.
It's better than a F###er. Sorted!

I also got a Squier Tele for the Charlie Christian pickup. I knew what I wanted it to do with it; a straight ahead Jazz Tele with flatwounds. This works for me in the same way the Jazzmaster does, loads of switchery and capacitors. Another outstanding piece of kit.

So I guess the foundation of my sound is solid bodied guitars all the way; but purely for their easy adaptability into different genres of music.

[Hammertone]

B,
I've been playing my Heritage Johnny Smith alot since I got it. Needless to say, all I've been playing on it is Johnny Smith stuff.. When I play my L7c, I play all my other stuff, Stardust, All Things You Are, Another Rainy Day.. You know the other standards.
...And by the way, that tiny little 1/2" scale length difference between the HJS and the L7c made a HUGE difference playing the Johnny Smith stretch stuff. Joe D.

???
HJS scale - 25"
Bozeman-L-7C scale - 24 3/4"
'splain, Lucy.

[jamieh]

Great thread idea! I like using tele's and archtops....

I'll take my Tele any day of the week for loud straight ahead playing situations due to their clarity and articulation, but prefer archtops for small group playing and solo guitar.

[zigzag]

My playing doesn't change with each guitar, but the songs I tend to play on them do.

While I have settled on five electrics with pickups ranging from single coils, to low wind Fralin P-92s, to humbuckers of different stripes, for the past two years, I really only play two- both semi-hollows, both with TI flat wound 11s.

[Frethack]

I have a Gibson SG that I play AC/DC and Black Sabbath on and that's it. Dont ask for anything else. However, it did experience some heavy flat wounds and enjoyed a jazz period for a few years. Sounded darn good. She is semi retired now and ready for when I need to bum my kids out early in the morning.

I play everything on my Strat becuase its so easy to play. My Epi Dot gets mostly Jazz because it sounds so good. Working on an archtop to dedicate more jazz and motivate my playing.

[Engine Swap]

Started playing in 1984. Played mostly post-punk and new wave on a strat or SG. For some reason, I almost totally quit playing from 1997 to 2012.

In 2012, a coworker talked me into getting a cheap jazzbox from Rondo. I started to learn fingerstyle Jazz, and I'm finally getting pretty OK at it. Got an Eastman 371 somewhere along the way.

I recently picked up a cheap Les Paul Special clone with p90s. I can cover jazz on it (to my surprise), but it really shines when cranked. I really dig P90s, never played one before.