ALL ARE CREATED EQUAL!?!?

[Mailman1971]

Ok....
few threads out here recently. Lot of poking and jabbing. But lets ask this question.

Are all guitar models created EQUAL?
I have owned tons and tons of guitars thru the years. Close to 400 electrics. All makes.... models... you name it. I owned it probably.
Buy a 1982 Kramer Pacer. sounds great!!
Few months later.....
Buy a 1982 Kramer Pacer. sounds like crap.

Serial numbers showed they were from the same time era. Same woods..... Same electronics.... But one sounded dull.

Had this happen with Charvels. ESP.... Jacksons..... etc.

Some guitars are just BETTER am I right or nuts?
I think its safe to say that if you get that ONE that feels and plays kick ass.
Do not let it go thinking "Oh I will just buy another one later"
Been burned by this thinking more then once.
Thoughts?

 

[Steinmetzify]

True story.

I've been luckier putting together partscasters than buying multiple models of the same guitar. It's weird. I'll grab something used and it kicks ass. Have some $, see another one in a store and think "I'll grab another for a different tuning" and try the store model out and it fuckin blows goats.

 

[Mailman1971]

I think Gibson Les Pauls get a bad rap on this the most from what I see guys post.
It would be nice to think you could just snag one and let it rip. But inconsistency happens a lot. Maybe it was a Friday and half the workers were drunk at work trying to get the weekend rolling!

Oh wait..... That was General Motors.

 

[Racerxrated]

You are correct. It is kinda crazy, I would understand at different price points but a cheapo can sound as good as some custom shops. Most consistent to me are the vintage Charvels USAs and Jacksons. They all seem to be toneful and lively, and feel great. Hamer USAs are all really good too from my experience. Some production USA Charvels from 08-09 were better than others, and one particular Hamer Diablo had an amazing vintage JB wound by MJ, pulled that pup out thinking the pup was special. Nope, sounded just like any other JB-which I like-in a different guitar. It was the guitar that was magical. Of course I sold it.

 

[Mailman1971]

This ESP Kamikazie I got now just sounds INCREDIBLE! This is my 5th one I owned. It just feels SUPER HEAVY and plays amazing.
I had 3 different pickups in it. And it still punched thru like a champ no matter what I had in it.
This is "My lesson finally learned" guitar. hahaha!
Everything else is a bench warmer compared to this.

 

[rottingcorpse]

EMG81!! The great equalizer. All my guitars pretty much sound the same. But they are all spec'd out the same,just with different tops and finishes.

As long as its not a junky build,I can make most guitars play well enough for my gorilla mitts.

But I would agree with Danno. 20 Led Paul's come down the assembly line. 5 are great,10 are good,5 are meh....but out of that 20 will always be one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. But slap an EMG81 in them all and they will all sound pretty much the same.

 

[Anonymous]

Some production USA Charvels from 08-09 were better than others,

IMO, the 2007 Custom Shop Charvels are the ones to buy, especially the Music Zoo 21 fretters...

Steve

 

[Rock Bodom]

It's all about finding that magic feeling neck, nice resonance/singing tone...some models may be more consistent than others, but some individual guitars are truly cherries. It's a simple truth, and one that I think was more widely appreciated back in the pre-Internet purchasing days.

Some production USA Charvels from 08-09 were better than others

Perfect example...I bought 2 of these during that time (like within a month or 2 of each other), the green and the yellow (otherwise identical). The green has a killer neck, nice resonance and has sounded great with the couple pairs of pickups I've tried in it. The yellow's neck just doesn't have quite the same feel. And the tone isn't there, I've tried all the same pickups that work in the green, definitely not as full sounding. Not a dog by any means, but a pedestrian player for sure.

 

[Racerxrated]

It's all about finding that magic feeling neck, nice resonance/singing tone...some models may be more consistent than others, but some individual guitars are truly cherries. It's a simple truth, and one that I think was more widely appreciated back in the pre-Internet purchasing days.

Some production USA Charvels from 08-09 were better than others

Perfect example...I bought 2 of these during that time (like within a month or 2 of each other), the green and the yellow (otherwise identical). The green has a killer neck, nice resonance and has sounded great with the couple pairs of pickups I've tried in it. The yellow's neck just doesn't have quite the same feel. And the tone isn't there, I've tried all the same pickups that work in the green, definitely not as full sounding. Not a dog by any means, but a pedestrian player for sure.

This is why I try to buy used from GC, I can always return it if it doesn't feel/sound right after setup/pup swaps. It's a crapshoot but at least there's a bailout at the end. Other guitars I've bought here and never had a dog...maybe I should just buy used here lol.
But I've had 6 vintage Jackson USA and 1 Charvel...all 7 were great sounding/playing, no variance like the newer versions. I've never played a crappy USA 08/09 Charvel, they just varied more. Same goes for the 10/11 MIJ models. Some great, some good. But the MIM versions are all over the board.

 

[Gsxrbusa]

Agreed my brother. Same could be said about speaker cabs too. I've had 2 cabs same make, year and speakers and they sound way different. Take the speakers out of one (even though they are the same) and put in the other with the same result. I honestly think it's the wood. It may be the same wood technically but if that wood has more moisture in it then things change. Call me crazy but I have had it happen more than once with cabs and guitars.

 

[cardinal]

They are not the same. I've swapped necks and bodies around on half a dozen Strats: some combinations just sustain and ring out better than others. I've had three LPs from the same limited run and they sounded and sustained differently. And even guitars with Plek fretwork will set up differently.

I also much prefer buying from Guitar Center because Im so picky about how a guitar will sustain. It really is a terrible thing. Other guys think I'm nuts, and they're probably right.

 

[Mailman1971]

Thank god! I know I have picky ears. But didn't think there would be that much difference. Never really mentioned this topic until now. Always thinking it was just me going deaf.

 

[Beyond Black]

Like my buddy says, "Some pieces of wood just decide that their gonna be a guitar."

 

[Gsxrbusa]

Like my buddy says, "Some pieces of wood just decide that their gonna be a guitar."

 

[live4metal]

Hey I was wondering, not that I am skeptical, cuz I too think there could be a difference made by parts, assembly and other factor such as humidity, etc..

But I want to make sure when you guys have tried these comparison, did you all have new strings, same guitar cable, same amp setting and done at the same moment?! Otherwise I think it is kinda hard to make a real impression and comparison. I haven,t got the chance to compare same guitars but I did had 3 Bogner Uberschall rev blue and I can say they all sounded different enough, even tho one has 6l6 and the two others el34. Two had the 3d feel and one didnt and the one that had the best 3d sound was very dark.

 

[MYLILSS]

you are very right ! some guitars are just better than others. they can be the exact same build of guitar done back to back and one will always be better. there is also the fact that while one person may love a certain guitar, the next person will hate it. the guitars I have I love, and some I will never part with, while some may see a day that I sell them.

having bought and sold a ton of guitars I totally agree with you, and some guitars are just better than others even if they are mirror images of each other.

 

[glip22]

Dan, Go take your meds

 

[stephen sawall]

Took me year and a half hitting every music store in three states to find a LP I like. 18 years later it is still the one I play 90% of the time.
Same with amps.... Individuals all sound different.

 

[cardinal]

And definitely true that different people look for different things in guitars, so things that drive me nuts other folks don't notice or care about, and there's other stuff I don't care about that drive some folks nuts.

 

[stratjacket]

So many factors go into a "good" sounding guitar (including the players perception). I would say it's virtually impossible to have a full line of guitars sound exactly the same.

I'm not a builder and I don't know what methods are used to determine a "good" wood from a "bad/cheap" wood for building. Like how does Ibanez decide which wood goes to Prestige vs Premium, vs Iron Label? But I would imagine there is a little bit of an art to it and probably some really great pieces fall through to the lower end price ranges.
I would imagine that similar type of variance would be true for the parts such as bridge, electronics, etc...