When a "lesser" guitar is liked better than. . .

[Guitarplayer_PR]

. . . a "superior" guitar.

Tonight I was at church playing my GS Mini, plugged through an LR Baggs Para DI and straight to the PA. I was the only musician on stage, BTW. After the service, a friend of mine, a non-musician, told me he liked the tone of my Mini better than my bigger guitars. He particularly mentioned (in his own words) liking the focus and direct tone (which I'm assuming he was talking about the natural compression and the warm midrange.)


How many of you have been told that a "lesser" guitar sounds better than a supposedly better or more recognizable guitar?

[pickitPaul]

I am really liking my Recording King Century 33 "Dirty Thirties" satin finish black 000. MOP (not real mop) finger board. Sounds great for blues / rag finger picking. Has 1 11/16" nut and neck is on the thinner side - not too thin, but just right.

They come in satin black, blue, and sunburst. Also the red, white & blue Buck Owens Americana model which is the same guitar minus the MOP fret board.

Solid top and "whitewood" back & sides. Vibrates just as nice as more $$ guitars, yes sir indeed.

“Lesser” can definitely be better, but once you amplify it, I really question how much of the tone is the guitar and how much is the pickup, pre-amp, and PA.

[L20A]

When you start comparing the sound of guitars with pickups, everything changes.
I love my Martin D-35 acoustically but it isn't my go to stage guitar.
You can use smaller guitars when using a pickup and get great results. This also goes for expensive compared to cheaper guitars.
No need for an expensive stage guitar unless you are using a mix only and no pickups.
It's all good.

[Nick84]

pickups change everything. My Big Baby is my go to guitar for playing live it sounds phenomenal through the session Di with the JJB. I would put it up against any other guitar plugged in.

However unplug it and it doesn’t hold a candle to the majority of guitars out there.

[YamahaGuy]

My Yamaha FGX730SC (A.R.T. equipped) sounds better than the AC3R (SRT equipped) I had. Plugged in.

I just picked up a used A1M and I've gotta say, I think it sounds better than the AC3R did too.

Right now I'm "down-graded" to solid topped laminate b/s guitars for my Yamahas and I am very pleased with the tone from them all.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

From another perspective, it also reflects that tastes vary. Small guitars (and "smaller" tone) have been on the rise for quite some time. In today's music, at least at mainstream level, the "big" acoustic tone isn't as present as back in the day.

[Frankieabbott]

I suppose that my 2 guitars are "lesser". And I like them.

[lowrider]

I think when the lesser guitar it complimented, it's actually the player who is being complimented. You should feel good!

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

. . . a "superior" guitar.

Tonight I was at church playing my GS Mini, plugged through an LR Baggs Para DI and straight to the PA. I was the only musician on stage, BTW. After the service, a friend of mine, a non-musician, told me he liked the tone of my Mini better than my bigger guitars. He particularly mentioned (in his own words) liking the focus and direct tone (which I'm assuming he was talking about the natural compression and the warm midrange.)


How many of you have been told that a "lesser" guitar sounds better than a supposedly better or more recognizable guitar?

Originally Posted by L20A

When you start comparing the sound of guitars with pickups, everything changes.
I love my Martin D-35 acoustically but it isn't my go to stage guitar.
You can use smaller guitars when using a pickup and get great results. This also goes for expensive compared to cheaper guitars.
No need for an expensive stage guitar unless you are using a mix only and no pickups.
It's all good.

As soon as you plug in, everything changes. That's the fact, Jack. I'm not sure how different the ES-B pickup system is to the ES-2 besides the digital tuner in the pre-amp (assuming you have an ES-B). But it's a piezo pickup, so it's going to amplify the vibrations at the bridge so the body's sound is less in play. Just like L20A, my D35 kills everything else I own acoustically, but isn't my main stage guitar. Think about the electric world where plugging in is almost a requirement. Many electrics are nothing more than a neck bolted onto a slab of wood- and sound awesome if the amp pushing the sound is decent and set well.

...But one more thought.... Is it possible that for whatever reason when you plug in the GS-Mini is EQ'd better than the "larger" guitars for the system you're plugged into? You've got a Baggs preamp. Have you tried different EQ settings during a sound check?

[muscmp]

lesser and sounds are two very subjective terms. as with everything on the agf, it is all subjective.

play music!

[Tnfiddler]

My ES2 Koa GS Mini sounds AMAZING plugged in at church, but unplugged isn’t even in the same ballpark as my full-size guitars tone-wise. The GS mini is a fantastic guitar and I’d play it onstage anywhere. I don’t consider it a lesser guitar, it’s just like a compact car, that a manufacturer makes to go along with their full-size models.

[Muddslide]

Yes, once you put anything--mic, amp, effects, EQ, etc., into a signal, the nuances of the tone of one acoustic instrument vs. another is pretty much nullified.

I have had the experience the OP brought up, but mostly with electric instruments.

I used to own a pre-CBS Fender P bass, but my early 80s MIJ Tokai P clone was every bit as good playing and sounding, and it got all the gig time since I paid $75 for it and the vintage one had more value. In fact, I traded it for an amp rig and some cash.

Electric guitars I've had this happen more often. I was mainly a Tele player and owned some nice ones.

One day I took a cheap plywood Vester brand Tele knockoff to band practice and my mates liked the sound of it better than the late 80s MIA Fender Tele.

Around 1998 or 99 I went Tele shopping with enough scratch to get a new MIA Fender Tele. I went to a GC and two local mom and pops...played a good 6 or 8 nice ones--a couple of which were gently used-- and they were darn fine Teles, but I kept coming back to a 4-5 year old Made in Mexico Tele that to me just played and sounded better to my hands and ears.

It went home with me and I saved about $1100.

[tadol]

You could just get a block of wood and strap some strings and a pickup on it, and when you plug it into a bunch of effects and an amp, it could sound pretty good and be much cheaper compared to trying to add all that to a nice acoustic guitar.

Oh wait - they call that an electric guitar -

[51 Relic]

Yes I totally agree , my Yamaha LLTA blows me away every time I play it