Are you a Gibson or a Strat man?

[dooda]

Gary recommended this as a new thread. I originally posted this in the Stormgirl area but as it grew, realized that it would sit better on it's own. I rant a little poetic here so if you haven't played both Gibson and Strat, the following won't be very interesting.

Although I'm a Gibson man myself

Maybe a new thread idea ??

My two favourite guitar models would have to be the Gibson SG and the Fender Jaguar.

Love 'em both.

I must say the SG always called me, but I never quite made that plunge. I halfway tempted myself to get the Epiphone version, but I felt cheap and slutty and convinced myself that I would eventually buy the real Gibson. It just rocks like no other, and it is beyond me why anyone would want to play a strat over the SG as it does all and more than a strat can anyhow.

Funny, I just can't stand the strat. It feels like every time I stare at it hard it will go out of tune. The strings feel like they're embedded into the wood and every time I want to make music I have to reach down and in to get at it-like I'm flushing a mouse out from under the sink. The body is so thin and light I want to nail a bunch of them together and use them as a bedframe, not wail away on it...

Now a nice Les Paul on the other hand. Every time I swing at the strings, they seem to leap back out at me and want more, defying me to punish it to the point of detuning-but it doesn't happen. The strings sit off of the guitar inviting me to tickle them endlessly. The body likes to bounce off of my pelvis like it has a mind of it's own, it's all I can do to reel it in. Every time I play a strat I feel like I'm playing some child's toy compared to the Gibson type full bodied and hollow bodied electrics. A strat wants to be engineered, and even then getting a full bodied warmth just doesn't seem to feel right. Les Paul drips from the amp like honey, and baths me in it's warmth; just when life seems to reach it's most cruel, she takes me in her arms and hushes my soul, that the morrow will bring new opportunities, and a loving otherworldly place awaits.

[dooda]

I've got to love the fender bass though. A friend had a 69 precision (I think) and man I loved to play it. A thicker aggressive(r) sound is simply impossible to get. I own a crappy Yamaha, which holds it's own but when that 69 Precision comes around I send it to the corner and tell it to never come out until Precision goes home. Fender makes a terrific Bass.

[Nnnnsic]

My brother would say Gretsch.

I would say a double bass.

[Greg B]

I have never owned a really good guitar, but I am lucky to have a friend who has is a serious guitarist, has a great collection and has loaned them to me.

I loved the Les Paul Gibson, but it was hard to control. The strat was great, and the telecaster had a special charm.

But my favourite has always been the Rickenbacker, something like the 325 which I think has been reissued as a 350. John always played one in the early years.

[rokkstar]

I still have my Gibson SG which is truly a wonderful axe. Warm and toney when you need it, but crank it up and rocks with the best of them.

Never really been into Fender full stop. The jaguar is nice, thats got a nice feel and sound, but the tele and the strat never really did it for me.

My current rock stick is an Ibanez which is out of this world. THe neck on this baby is faster than superman. Absolutely sublime.

Guitar of my dreams? Easy peasy. Gold top 69 Les Paul. No questions.
You know what, with all these people playing the rock axe we should seriously consider getting together and jamming.

[stormygirl]

Aaaahh now, who said guitarists had to be male, hey??

I actually began playing the bass years ago, and have a Gibson (copy!), and couldn't really tell you too much about it! I now sing!

The band I am in, the guys all have Fenders!

[gstark]

You know what, with all these people playing the rock axe we should seriously consider getting together and jamming.

Empire Hotel at Annandale, 4:00pm today. SBS jam.

Guess who's running the show?

[gstark]

I've got to love the fender bass though. A friend had a 69 precision (I think) and man I loved to play it. A thicker aggressive(r) sound is simply impossible to get. I own a crappy Yamaha, which holds it's own but when that 69 Precision comes around I send it to the corner and tell it to never come out until Precision goes home. Fender makes a terrific Bass.

Mine is a 77, fretless, and P.

I run Ernie Ball Series IV strings, which are flats, and extra light. I find that anything heavy pulls the neck out, but these just let me run a very light action.

I also prefer them once they're a month or so old; the tone warms up a little and it gives me a nice, rounded sounded, which to me is how the bass should sound, not all twangy and poppy. If I want that sort of sound, I'll just pick up a guitar.

I also find that if I play at the base of the fingerboard, I can induce a slightly more woody tone as well, so that it almost sounds closer to what my upright sounds like.

[jdear]

If i were buying a bass it would be a warwick.
the Dolphin Pro 1 5 string to be precise http://www.warwickbass.com/basses/_dolphin_s5.html

The again if i had a spare $4500USD id be probably buying some fast glass and DSLR action!

JD

[Thommo]

My brother would say Gretsch.

I would say a double bass.

then i would say a living end/ rockabilly fan... go the white falcon

[Nnnnsic]

then i would say a living end/ rockabilly fan... go the white falcon

You would be right on both counts.

My brother plays a Gretsch White Falcon, and on the off-chance I'm not singing, I'll play an upright bass.

[Thommo]

looks at epi les paul.... cries..

i soo want a white fal.
if not then an anniversary

[marcus]

Ahhh, now this is a subject I can really relate to!

I'll start by saying NOTHING BEATS A GIBSON LES PAUL. The Les Paul has and always will be my guitar of choice. The weight, the feel, the playability, THE SOUND is like no other guitar.

I currently own 7 guitars. My beaten up old '72 Les Paul (Cherry Sunburst) is my favourite by a mile. I also own a '72 Strat, I bought it because sometimes you just need that fender sound. I chose a '72 because it was the same vintage as the Les Paul and they made a nice pair in my quiver.

When I say "need that Fender sound" I'll give you an example......Say you wanted to play "Under the Bridge" by the Chili Peppers, your NEVER gonna get that sound out of your Gibson. NEVER. I'm a big RHCP fan so for me owning a Fender was a must. In saying that I must also say that if I were only allowed to own one guitar it would be a Les Paul.

I'l have to continue this later tonight as I have two kids and a wife hanging over my shoulder asking me to get dinner............to be continued.

Just to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, I think the SG is one of the worst ever guitars made by Gibson. (Don't tell Angus Young!)

[marcus]

continued.........

so sorry to all the SG owners or wanna be owners, I've never liked em, never will. Some earlier posts have said that a fender feels like driftwood
(I'm using a bit of poetic license here) under their arms. I feel the same way about an SG. I have played a few SG's but the body always seems to let them down. The neck has the feel of a gibson but the body feels too flat and awkward for me. I feel much more comfortable playing a Strat than an SG and I'm a Gibson man!

My thoughts: (Not that they mean anything let alone are gospel)

The Les Paul rules as a rock guitar.

Most 3 piece ROCK bands (guitar, bass, drums) have a Les Paul (or Gibson) in the line up. A Strat can cut it ie Hendrix or Clapton but you've got to be exceptional like them to pull it off.

Nirvana did it with a jaguar, but it was overdriven raw Seattle grunge/Semi Punk.

I'll post a few pics of my quiver (when I learn how to) and will always be open to questions or objectional comments!

The only other guitar (apart from the LP) that has ever impressed me is the "BC Rich Mockingbird" circa mid-late 1970's.

My guitar teacher back then (ahh now I'm showing my age) had one and it was awsome. It could do almost anything. Switches were perfectly positioned and gave you total tonal control. You could switch from LP to Strat in an instant. Beautifully crafted and a truley superb instrument. He too was a LP man but loved this guitar. If anyone knows the whereabouts of one of these PLEASE let me know!

[gstark]

If i were buying a bass it would be a warwick.

Warwicks are nice, but have you ever played a Modulus?

The graphite neck is oh so nice ...