Lunch Report - Tuesday, March 29th; Possible Bonus Round

Hey everybody,

Mike had mentioned he was flying today and things might end up a bit difficult, so I mentioned I'd pinch hit for him if he could not make it to the Internet today. He might still be coming, so this could just be a "bonus" lunch report. Hopefully you guys are not too sick of me from last week. Anyway, just in case (and if Mike posts, please respond to his, I'm really not trying to steal his thunder).

Lunch: I'm hosting a book club at work in ~15 minutes so I'll be having one of the frosted lemon cupcakes I brought for it. They're leftover from a baby shower my wife threw on Sunday and still pretty fresh. Our soup selection today in the cafeteria was not so hot (Pea Soup? I think I will pass), so that might be all I eat until dinner.

G&L Topic: What is the most distinct variable between the G&L models? IS there one thing that makes the most difference between them (i.e. construction, shape, pickups, bridges [hard tail vs. trem vs. _____], woods, etc.)? If I had to specify, I'd have to say between an ASAT and the Legacy. However I'd also be keen to know if all of the ASATs sound fairly similar while all the double-cut models (Legacy, Comanche, F-100, and Invader models) tend to fall in the same line, or if there is some other variable you find more/most important factor in defining tone between models.

Non-G&L Topic: What is the most over-hyped thing guitarists or musicians put way too much thought or concern into? I almost have to say sustain. Sustain gets talked about a lot, but unless a guitar was dead I do not notice it. Of course, I also don't hold notes for days either. Regardless, I think it gets a bit overplayed. However "mojo" is one of those things that I don't totally get either. It seems like this totally variable term that seems to mean nothing to me except the user thinks said guitar/equip is really cool in some sort of way. It is one of those words that can mean either nothing or anything except it is tossed around as an empty superlative. Nothing wrong with the word so much with how I see it used sometimes. Maybe that just means I'm getting old and no longer get it?

Anyway, my cupcake is calling!

-Cheers

Cupcakes? I want what your having! Thanks for the cover. It's been a long day already traveling.

MOJO -- "my guitar is better because it has that 'mojo'"
Vintage --"my guitar is better because it is 'vintage'"
Amazing -- "you should buy THIS guitar from me because it's 'AMAZING'"

i'm getting old too...

Seeing as you can order different necks and such on G&Ls the only thing I really see differing from model to model is the pickups.

Tone, there is no right or perfect tone, they all fit situations. People get far too obsessed.

MOJO -- "my guitar is better because it has that 'mojo'"
Vintage --"my guitar is better because it is 'vintage'"
Amazing -- "you should buy THIS guitar from me because it's 'AMAZING'"

You forgot "plays like butter"*, smooth**, and "tone for days."

i'm getting old too...

Ditto.

Seeing as you can order different necks and such on G&Ls the only thing I really see differing from model to model is the pickups.

True. Do you think the different body styles (ASAT/T-styles, S-styles of Legacy/Comanche/Invader/F-100/S-500)*** all sound more-or-less similar aside from the pickup options?

Tone, there is no right or perfect tone, they all fit situations. People get far too obsessed.

Interesting point. I really cannot disagree with that except that I know there are certain tones I prefer at the moment the majority of the time.

-Cheers

* Preferably spelled/prounounced "buddah."

** Preferably spelled/pronounced "smoove."

*** Not sure where the G-200 or SC-2 fit in there.

last month i bought a stick of butter...ran a cable from it into my amp and played it...
the pick kept getting stuck, sustain was non-existent, and volume so low i just couldn't hear it...

since most gigs are at night...a guitar with 'tone for days' would be pretty limited in use...

i admit to using "smooth"...lol

last month i bought a stick of butter...ran a cable from it into my amp and played it...
the pick kept getting stuck, sustain was non-existent, and volume so low i just couldn't hear it...

since most gigs are at night...a guitar with 'tone for days' would be pretty limited in use...

i admit to using "smooth"...lol

G&L Topic: What is the most distinct variable between the G&L models?

Hard to answer. The whole package? Construction is superb, pickups are awesome, case is high quality, finishes are beautiful and flawless, setup is great right out of the box, etc. There are other brands that provide similar quality but not necessarily at the same price point.

[Non-G&L Topic: What is the most over-hyped thing guitarists or musicians put way too much thought or concern into?

'Tone'. To me it seems one of these words that is incredibly in vogue but does mean very little to me. I know what sounds good to my ears, but is that great 'tone'? Maybe not for somebody else. Although someone like Eric Johnson is someone always associated with great 'tone', isn't it how the guys plays and how he hears things that makes him great? Most of us would sound like a weak facsimile even if we would have the exact same rig as him. Similarly, effects pedals that are 'tone-sucking' and hence 'true by-pass' is necessary. They didn't have true by-pass in the sicties and seventies and aren't those the sounds we still try to emulate today? Words like that all sound like marketing terms which we buy into and give way too much relevance to.

- Jos

... since most gigs are at night...a guitar with 'tone for days' would be pretty limited in use...

Very good Jaxx


I was immune from hype until I discovered internet forums. I fell victim to a few things, such as Glendale bridge and saddles and an Aqua Puss, but now know never to take hype as gospel. When I comment on or recommend gear I keep it as honest as I can and will only recommend something if it doesn't suck at all.



The belief that vintage is better is a load of BS, IMO. I've played some nice vintage guitars that are worth more than pretty much everything I own put together, but they're no better than their modern day equivalent.


The most BS'ed hyped up thing is nitro finishes and it's close relatives relic'd finishes and aged hardware. $1000 extra for that! Pull the other one!

I would love to know if there is anything to Nitro finishes. Something tells me it lets wood resonate better but I have neither expertise of knowledge to prove that.
I did get a Kirn tele and that guitar sings and that finish is like no modern Nitro I have ever seen too. So who knows what "Nitro" really means anymore.

The most BS'ed hyped up thing is nitro finishes and it's close relatives relic'd finishes and aged hardware. $1000 extra for that! Pull the other one!

Yeah, that too! Play your new or second hand guitar like a banshee if you want to have it look like a relic, dang it!

- Jos

Lunch- Carnitas from a hole in the wall Taqueria I know about with a horchata. Muy Sabroso! Taco Bell and Chipotle eat your corporate fast food heart out.

G&L question- I really don't have that much of opinion except, forget about relic and satin finishes IMO-that's just a way to use less lacquer and fooling people into thinking they are getting something special. MARKETING!!!
I can wear out a guitar on my own. If Leo had polly instead of nitro in the 50's he would have been using it instead.

Chet

Lunch - Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

G&L Topic - Having only played a couple of Legacies, I'd have to say the board, neck radius, frets and the setup: All of these affect playability. If the neck feels comfortable, then a setup makes or breaks the guitar for me.

Non G&L Topic - The name on the headstock. Many players will pooh pooh guitars unless they are made by the best known brands. However, this means lower prices and better deals on other "lesser" makes, especially on a certain make with which we all obsess here.

Non G&L Topic - The name on the headstock. Many players will pooh pooh guitars unless they are made by the best known brands. However, this means lower prices and better deals on other "lesser" makes, especially on a certain make with which we all obsess here.

They try stuff like that until they play my guitars . Awesome construction paired with often ridiculously good setups sell almost anything.

Regarding the name on the headstock, I have a bit of an opposite reaction to most. I think I have gotten particularly sour due to the marketing and pricing of Henry J. over at the Big G. That and guitar snobbery in general. I literally look for smaller builders/companies because I generally feel like I'm more likely to get a better product for the money, feel better about supporting a smaller business, and really think the major guitar manufacturers tend to be full of it. Not that they can't make good guitars, they can. They do not make them exclusively. I also hate the "it has to be a __________ or it's crap" mentality.

As it relates to G&L, I especially do not get it. The mentality that Fender is King and that G&L is "not a real Fender" when the very company founder whose name IS the company actually started a new company wherein he modified and updated (arguably perfected, especially if you want to get the Fender traditionalists in a bit of a tizzy) the old designs. Regardless, that people somehow consider Fender the "real" anything and G&L is considered something somehow less borders on idiocy, naivety, or self-delusion.

Anyway, to me, as long as it's a good instrument and I did not pay more just because of what it says on the headstock, I am fine. I DO tend to prefer non-big-name guitars OVER the more recognizable brands though.

-Cheers

I got my previously-owned 2005 Legacy for a ridiculously low price. When I asked what was wrong with it, I was told, "It doesn't say Fender on the headstock." This wasn't meant as a slam on G&L but as an admission that the guitar wouldn't sell because of brand snobbery. As a consequence, I got a perfectly set up mint-condition handcrafted Legacy for roughly the price of a Mexican Standard Strat.

One of my other guitars, a beat-up Yamaha Pacifica 112, which I picked up for $65 dollars, NAILS Roy Buchanan's '52 Tele tone, despite being an HSS strat clone, and it's got a beautifully playable neck to boot.

@Sirmyghin: Agreed. A ridiculously good setup makes a world of difference. So many guitars end up case queens because they were not properly set up upon purchase.