jingo,black magic woman,soul sacrfise...all contain
carlos santana's trademark gibson sg sound.

his sound on woodstock beside
jimi hendrix was a league of its own.
like eric clapton without gibson,
santana without gibson sg is no vintage santana.

his sound after his gibson affair was never the same.
it become too much processed.
anyone agree???

I would agree with that

and I find the Paul Reed Smith to be a soulless instrument

I like the PRS. Tone, as you know, is largely due to other factors, not just the guitar.

I've played now for over 20 years so I completely understand what you're saying.

The problem I have with PRS guitars is a little too much perfection - they've over-crafted the funk out of the thing! Sounds crazy but I think a lot of boutique-type guitars have that problem.

...


I thought the PRS was kool, but that is a good point, come to think of it. Two of My favorite guitarists, Santana and Jazz guitarist Kazumi Watanabe both had very distinct sounds; different styles. But I noticed that since they both started playing The Paul Reed Smith, they kinda sound alike, at least in tone...that definitely wasn't the case before...




...
[Edited 1/19/07 12:55pm]

Whoa there.

U R all forgetting about the double cutaway Yamaha he played before the PRS days.

He ripped on that one.

I do agree that PRS guitars do "lack soul" somewhat, as U say though.

this may be a little off topic and if it is I apologize, but my hubby has developed a new interest in learning to play the elec guitar, and from what I am reading, some of you favor one guitar over another. Does that mean that one is better than the other, and if so, which in your opinion is the best?..thanks

hisfan4ever said:

It really depends on the tone your hubby wants to produce or emulate. If he finds himself beginning to like one person's tone in particular, he should learn more about the guitar that person uses. And, to ask plenty of questions at music stores.

If he goes to a music store and asks about reproducing, say, Stevie Ray Vaughn's sound, be prepared to spend a lot of money... No, really, his best bet is to listen and ask folks.

He can start here. A lot of guitarists on this board know a lot about emulating certain artist's tones.

thebanishedone said:

Of course, I prefer Prince's "Purple Rain"-"SOTT" tone. Sure, it was over-processed, too. But it was distinct. His tone since then is trash to me.

ThreadBare anyone agree???[/quote]

Of course, I prefer Prince's "Purple Rain"-"SOTT" tone. Sure, it was over-processed, too. But it was distinct. His tone since then is trash to me.[/quote]
..yes, this is along the lines of what he's "into". thanks for your input!

hisfan4ever said:

No problem. I think his first step should be to get a good, lightweight guitar with a similar pickup (single coil, humbucker) configuration (and similar woods) as the "cloud" guitar, as well as a good, solid-state amplifier. And, to invest in a good signal processor and Boss effects pedals.


did any of that make sense?
[Edited 1/19/07 18:32pm]

ThreadBare said:

Makes perfect sense, however I have NO clue, what single coil means ( sorry- you're dealing with a blond here !), but I am willing to read and learn. I DO know what the cloud guitar looks like, I do understand the amp and process and effects pedal..I apologize for my lack of knowledge, but a person must start somewhere learning !!

hisfan4ever said:

Single coil = the "skinny" pick-ups.
Humbucker = the fatter, almost square pickups.


Though, Prince used EMGs, during that "purple"/SOTT era. Which were active (so it wasn't your normal single-coil).

ThreadBare said:

Doesn't he still use those EMGs? His Strat has the same single/humbucker setup as the cloud.

for a total newbie I wouldn't worry too much about pickups (single coil or humbuckers)

In fact I would concentrate on NOT buying too much stuff and just keeping it simple. Too much gear (at first) actually distracts from learning how to play the damn thing! Seriously.

For guitars I'd recommend a cheap but quality instrument like a Mexican-made Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster, or an Epiphone Les Paul. I have an Epi LP and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

For amps I'd say the new little solid states are reliable and affordable, but you should definitely get one with DSP (digital sound processing), because they make an otherwise lame-sounding solid state amp sound like a great tube amp! The "reverb" setting is really what you're after. I've never played one myself but Line 6 has amps like this. They're good with DSP/amp modeling stuff so I'd trust them.

abigail05 said:

I too have an Epi LP and it is GR8T.

I agree with what you say above. Get a good, cheap(ish) guitar and a slightly better amp (a lot of the quality and tone of the sound is in the amp), a decent but not too expensive fx processor and you're away.

I'll bet Carlos Santana didn't start out playing a Gibbo SG, probably some crappy cheap horror his dad bought him.

Learn to do the basics, listen to loads of different guitarists (and other musicians too), practice regularly, play with others and in time you'll find your sound.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions, they have been extremely helpful !

oh yeah, if your husband is really dead set on getting Prince sounds he should pick up a purple Boss Flanger. Prince has gotten quite a bit of mileage out of his, I assure you!

hisfan4ever said:

There are two main types of electric guitars--Fender & Gibson--and the difference in their sound is their pickups (Fender is single coil, Gibson is humbucker). There are lots of others, but these are like Democrats & Republicans. Which one you like better is a matter of taste. Gibson has a fuller sound, Fender has a cleaner sound.

PRS is of the Gibson school. I wouldn't worry about a PRS being soulless--that's a pretty subtle (if valid) issue. A bigger difference IMO would be when Clapton switced from Gibson to Fender--it changed his sound completely.

Which kind you husband would like pretty much depends on what music he wants to play. Also the feel enters into it, since electrics are shaped so differently. Personally I like the Gibson sound, but I prefer the Fender feel. So I'm up shit creek

The amp is also a huge part of your sound too.
[Edited 1/20/07 16:15pm]

NDRU said:

Wow, this helps even more. thanks for your input..decisions, decisions..lol

hisfan4ever said:

I'm glad it was helpful! It's a little black & white as an explanation, but it's fairly accurate.

But someone else said to look at the artists you like and I totally agree. If you like Guns N Roses--they play Gibson. If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn & post 60's Clapton, they play Fender. Prince, of course, is more complicated

NDRU said:

Prince =Complication = story of my life..lol