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  #16  
Old 01-06-2018, 06:47 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by marty bradbury View Post
Thanks all. Question about a "pedal" . does this change the tone/sound? So much to learn
You need a very good amp, a good guitar, and a pedal or two, depending upon what music you're playing. A nice overdrive (OD) pedal is great to push the amp a little harder and get a little more gain and tighten things up a little. It won't make a bad amp sound good though so get the amp first.

Do you know whether you prefer a 24.75 scale length (Les Paul) or a 25.5 (Fender Strat/Tele)? Although a 25.5 acoustic scale length doesn't bother me, on an electric I prefer 24.75.
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  #17  
Old 01-06-2018, 07:58 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by marty bradbury View Post
...basically looking for an all around good electric guitar...I only keep one acoustic around the house and would only want one versatile electric.
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Originally Posted by marty bradbury View Post
...I guess my cost would be $700 to $1200...I do notice how the strings are way on the light side...I know I would also like to be able to play finger style also. I flat pick also...I have thought of semi hollow body as well as solid body...
Responses up to now have - as expected - dealt with getting the Santana sound; since I'm pretty much the same kind of player, I'll add my tuppence worth here and focus on the versatility aspect of your posts...
  • Unless you've got coil-tap capability - which in your given price range doesn't always produce the most favorable sonic results (somewhat thin and lifeless IME) - I think you'll find full-size humbuckers a bit too thick/heavy for the country-style excursions you allude to above; a good compromise might be something with P-90's - dial them back for cleaner tones, or run them all-out for classic-rock wail (FYI Carlos used a P-90 SG Special for the first couple years - check out the "Soul Sacrifice" footage from Woodstock) - or Firebird-style mini-buckers (many A-list guitar heroes have used them at one time or another). Since you also mentioned semi-hollows, you might want to check out one of the Korean-made Gretsch Electromatics; I've got one of these:

    http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/b...ckups-rosa-red

    - and it's become my go-to electric. While you won't get the same hit to the first gain stage of your amp as a P-90/mini-bucker, there are ways to compensate if you've got a tube amp (more about which later), and if you're a one-guitar man you're not going to find a more versatile semi on the market (PSA: they've been discontinued, and Gretsch is selling off the black and green versions at a couple hundred off original street price - if you're interested you might want to look into one of the former, and soon). QC is far above anything in its class - first guitar I bought in 55 years of playing that needed no setup whatsoever - and while "That Great Gretsch Sound" isn't everyone's cuppa tea, if you're mainly an acoustic player it just might be a good fit...

  • News Bulletin: you don't need to use an extra-light/unwound-G string set - and if you've got one of the "classic" electrics (Gibson LP/SG/335/jazzbox, Fender Strat/Tele/Jaguar/Jazzmaster, Guild/Gretsch hollows and semis) IME you'll find a wealth of woodiness and natural tone that you've been missing, when you step up to the string gauges that came standard on these instruments back in the day. Until very recently (and only as an accommodation to age) I never used anything lighter than 12's (usually flatwound) on any of my electrics - 13's on my jazzboxes - and since you're used to acoustic, with a good pro setup you shouldn't have any problem making the adjustment. Fringe benefit: anyone who picks up my guitars (except for the hard-core jazzcats - and those guys know how to handle a guitar with the respect it deserves) quickly puts it back down - saves me a lot of unnecessary damage ("Like, how do you play that thing - too heavy, man...")...

  • I'll second the other Steve's recommendation of a Bugera V22 - I've had mine since early 2010, you're not going to find a tube combo with the same combination of power, tone, features, and construction (these guys use machine screws throughout - compare that with most of the big names) for anywhere near the price, and if you search this subforum you'll find a bunch of other happy owners; good news is that it also powers down to bedroom levels, clean as you want or dirty as you need - so unless you really want the little-brother V5 (I did), you'll have one amp that'll credibly take you from home practice to a 600-700 seat house with no problem...

  • FWIW I own an original Abraxas-era Big Muff, so I'll vouch for its intrinsic qualities; that said, if you go with the V22 there's a better way to get your Carlos on IME. One of the secrets of the "Boogie sound" is the SP-AX7 preamp tubes, an uber-high gain variation on the ubiquitous 12AX7 wrapped in a sleeve to dampen microphonics; a pair of these in V2 and V3 (the OD channel and driver stage) will provide you with additional OD gain range as well as goosing the power tubes harder, allowing you to dial in a combination of pre/power-stage distortion, while still keeping your clean channel clean (the Mesa driver tube gives a punchier, more dynamic tone that's good for cutting through a mix without extra volume - I alternate with a Preferred Series 12AX7 in my own V22, depending on the gig). As I said I'm more an all-around player, so your needs/tonal preferences may be different - suffice it to say that neither the Big Muff, nor the dual-channel Digitech I had been using since the late-80's, has seen the light of day since I bought my Bugera...
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  #18  
Old 01-06-2018, 08:03 PM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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A less expensive Stratocaster (MIM/Squire) or Epiphone Les Paul and a solid state amp like the Fender Mustang perhaps which would allow you to dial into the sort of Carlos Santana sounds you want, or close enough as your entry into playing electric guitar. (A solid state amp like the Mustang would allow you to experiment, have lots of fun and dial in your preferred sounds and/or effects at a fraction of the cost of a tube amp and any number of pedals).

My thoughts.

Last edited by Steel and wood; 01-06-2018 at 08:09 PM.
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  #19  
Old 01-07-2018, 07:49 PM
marty bradbury marty bradbury is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
Responses up to now have - as expected - dealt with getting the Santana sound; since I'm pretty much the same kind of player, I'll add my tuppence worth here and focus on the versatility aspect of your posts...
  • Unless you've got coil-tap capability - which in your given price range doesn't always produce the most favorable sonic results (somewhat thin and lifeless IME) - I think you'll find full-size humbuckers a bit too thick/heavy for the country-style excursions you allude to above; a good compromise might be something with P-90's - dial them back for cleaner tones, or run them all-out for classic-rock wail (FYI Carlos used a P-90 SG Special for the first couple years - check out the "Soul Sacrifice" footage from Woodstock) - or Firebird-style mini-buckers (many A-list guitar heroes have used them at one time or another). Since you also mentioned semi-hollows, you might want to check out one of the Korean-made Gretsch Electromatics; I've got one of these:

    http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/b...ckups-rosa-red

    - and it's become my go-to electric. While you won't get the same hit to the first gain stage of your amp as a P-90/mini-bucker, there are ways to compensate if you've got a tube amp (more about which later), and if you're a one-guitar man you're not going to find a more versatile semi on the market (PSA: they've been discontinued, and Gretsch is selling off the black and green versions at a couple hundred off original street price - if you're interested you might want to look into one of the former, and soon). QC is far above anything in its class - first guitar I bought in 55 years of playing that needed no setup whatsoever - and while "That Great Gretsch Sound" isn't everyone's cuppa tea, if you're mainly an acoustic player it just might be a good fit...

  • News Bulletin: you don't need to use an extra-light/unwound-G string set - and if you've got one of the "classic" electrics (Gibson LP/SG/335/jazzbox, Fender Strat/Tele/Jaguar/Jazzmaster, Guild/Gretsch hollows and semis) IME you'll find a wealth of woodiness and natural tone that you've been missing, when you step up to the string gauges that came standard on these instruments back in the day. Until very recently (and only as an accommodation to age) I never used anything lighter than 12's (usually flatwound) on any of my electrics - 13's on my jazzboxes - and since you're used to acoustic, with a good pro setup you shouldn't have any problem making the adjustment. Fringe benefit: anyone who picks up my guitars (except for the hard-core jazzcats - and those guys know how to handle a guitar with the respect it deserves) quickly puts it back down - saves me a lot of unnecessary damage ("Like, how do you play that thing - too heavy, man...")...

  • I'll second the other Steve's recommendation of a Bugera V22 - I've had mine since early 2010, you're not going to find a tube combo with the same combination of power, tone, features, and construction (these guys use machine screws throughout - compare that with most of the big names) for anywhere near the price, and if you search this subforum you'll find a bunch of other happy owners; good news is that it also powers down to bedroom levels, clean as you want or dirty as you need - so unless you really want the little-brother V5 (I did), you'll have one amp that'll credibly take you from home practice to a 600-700 seat house with no problem...

  • FWIW I own an original Abraxas-era Big Muff, so I'll vouch for its intrinsic qualities; that said, if you go with the V22 there's a better way to get your Carlos on IME. One of the secrets of the "Boogie sound" is the SP-AX7 preamp tubes, an uber-high gain variation on the ubiquitous 12AX7 wrapped in a sleeve to dampen microphonics; a pair of these in V2 and V3 (the OD channel and driver stage) will provide you with additional OD gain range as well as goosing the power tubes harder, allowing you to dial in a combination of pre/power-stage distortion, while still keeping your clean channel clean (the Mesa driver tube gives a punchier, more dynamic tone that's good for cutting through a mix without extra volume - I alternate with a Preferred Series 12AX7 in my own V22, depending on the gig). As I said I'm more an all-around player, so your needs/tonal preferences may be different - suffice it to say that neither the Big Muff, nor the dual-channel Digitech I had been using since the late-80's, has seen the light of day since I bought my Bugera...
Steve, thanks so much for your input as well as the rest. That Gretsch looks really nice. Amps? What an array of choices.
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