Quote:
Originally Posted by jlipoth
I am trying a cheap Epiphone AJ220s (round shoulder style guitar), and have started experimenting with parts to enhance/customize the tone. My goal is to help the guitar get a certain type of "Gibson" sound I've heard on higher end round shoulder guitars. A compressed attack and lots of sustain....almost electric like, but not thin in any manner. I put D'Addario 12 guage nickel electrics (with a wound G) on it against the advice of the guy at my local guitar store. I can't believe how much better the guitar sounds! I don't think I'd do this on my rosewood martin, but a heavier gauge nickel string can really sound nice on the right guitar. Next up: I'm going to replace the saddle and bridge pins. Any recommendations? I've got a bone saddle and will be getting a tusq one too. For bridge pins I will try bone, ebony, rosewood, brass, and plastic (but better quality ones than the playskool junk they put on it)
|
My experience with laminated guitars (back and sides) is that they pretty much maintain their basic voice no matter what exchanges one makes. The most notable sound change will come from strings as you've noted. A bone saddle may add some tone shading. As for pins, I've found very little variation to the baseline voice on lower-end models, and therefore stick with less expensive bone or ebony (as I do even on my higher-end boxes).
I have a 40-year old Sigma (solid spruce top, laminated b&s) that I've been trying to morph into a D-18. Haven't succeeded yet, and that includes scalloping braces, adding tone bars, and enlarging the sound hole in addition to various strings and saddles and pins. Sounds better (mainly do to internal surgery), but it's still got its baseline Sigma voice.
Have fun experimenting, I would ditch anything plastic, but be prepared to hear basically the same voice coming out when through...but also be happy if you hear a new, substantially better one! Let us know.