How many of you changed your playing when you pick up different guitars?

I began playing Ibanez guitars from day one. Was always a fan of the Satriani/Vai style of playing. Then, a quick switch even to Les Pauls was possible, when Slash came along. Humbuckers were seemingly easy to play and articulate. It was easier to get a nice tone from a HB than a single coil, and I sort of always ignored single coils. For some reason, i steered away from Strats. Never knew what to do with them, and always thought they sounded weak and puny; sometimes bordering on the wimpy side of tones.. My idols then were people like Satch, Slash, Petrucci, Gary Moore... Mostly HB players. My playing techniques were very much focused on making the guitar sound as cohesive as possible, whether plicking one note, or playing chords. Everything needed to be tight and compact. After a while, I realised my playing was rather stiff, and though fluid, it wasn't really alive. Just going through the notes. I sort of fell into a tur for a while, and retired my guitars for a couple of years, only touching them on rare occasions.

Then, almost 16 years later after SRV's death (2 years from that retirement point), I sort of picked up a strat just for the fun of it. Simply because I was in Japan, looking for something to buy, and since I was there, and had CHOICE of Japan Strats, I grabbed a 68. To be honest, I tried playing the thing, and I realised that I'm still playing like I used to on all those guitars, and somehow didn't find the experience exciting or satisfying.

Yet something was different. This guitar sort of challenged me. I couldn't play it as easily as I did my other guitars, and had to fight with it tooth and nail to get a decent tone. I had no clue what it was that was different, just that I sounded BAD on a strat. My pure chance, I started getting heavily into the blues, and went on a vintage music kick. Stones, Clapton, SRV, Hendrix, Deep Purple, Knopfler etc etc. I suddently realised that while I had been playing for quite sometime before this, I couldn't really play what I was hearing on those records. Especially what I heard on SRV's stuff. I went on to try learning some SRV songs, and realised, my picking technique, fretting technique and even strumming techniques needed to change.

The sad thing is, the strat made me realise how limited a player I was, and how narrow-minded I used to be. I realised that I could not play a strat decently, no matter how technically proficient I thought I was.

Once I managed to identify what those things were and how to do them, I began realising what I tone machine a strat could be with JUST the neck single coil. I began to hone my skills even further using a single coil and shaping my attack and phrasing. My legatos took on slightly different forms, and I realised that I just had to play a strat different from anything else with a humbucker. I learnt to rake, scrape, chug and slide like I never had to do before.

This led to a flurry of sessions strictly with a strat in the last 2 years, forcing myself to play cleaner than before, and since a strat is so unforgiving, I had to pay closer attention to what I played. When you have less gain to hide behind, you have to make your notes count. I had to begin crafting my improvised melodies even more carefully than I did when I was playing with humbuckers.

Then I eventually got into Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top. Boy, that really screwed my head. The way they made those humbuckers snap and bite like single coils was mind boggling. Again I had to relook at my playing style, and I realised I had to change again what I was playing on an LP. I was now (ironically, thanks to the strats) able to play cleaner and differently on any guitar. The strats changed the way I played for the better, and forced me to be less reliant on gear, and more reliant on my hands and ears.

Now, I'm thankfully able to play all sorts of things. From Gary Moore to SRV to Satriani to Petrucci to Nightwish to Muse. It's sort of moulded my playing style into something that my friends have said it sort of defines me. All because I went to try to learn something different because of an irritating design with single coils. That sort of got me out of a rut that I was stuck in for more than 10 years. I now see the value in all sorts of guitar types, from Gretschs to Jaguars to Teles to ES335s etc etc. And the best part is that I'm now able to sound decent on all of them. (I think)

Anyone else have this sort of epiphany in their playing because of a different type of gear?

i too was a humbucker guy and felt single coils were whimpy little useless pickups that had no place on my guitars. then i heard a song with a biting telecaster solo and the sound stucj in my head. it wouldn't go away. so i bought a tele and have totally dug the single coil scene ever since. most humbuckers sound loose and flabby to me by comparison now. variety is such a cool thing.

I had the same deal - only with amps. I played Marshalls, Boogies and all the others and then discovered the Blackface sound.

(Oh BTW, vintage Clapton was played on a Les Paul - I'm just sayin'.)

Vintage Clapton was played on an SG too. I have a hard time with humbucker guitar's, especially though a clean amp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thegeezer

Vintage Clapton was played on an SG too. I have a hard time with humbucker guitar's, especially though a clean amp.

---

But not all SG's are SG's, some are Les Pauls! Depends on the year.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

(Oh BTW, vintage Clapton was played on a Les Paul - I'm just sayin'.)

---

Depends on the vintage. :D

Here's a really rare exception.

YES YES!!! I know Clapton played humbuckers... But that's oddly not an era I'm attracted to. I liked his solo career much more. Heh...

My tele makes me play different.



It's tuned to Open G. :hi:

There are a lot of factors that make me play different, the guitar used is one of them.

Too many factoids for me----scale,fret size,neck size,string gauge (which is usually determined by the first three).A real important one is the TONE.
I'm trying to get myself where I play consistent on all guitars,but a tele tone seems to make me play a little differently than an LP.

I should mention, all these different guitars have in some way molded my playing into something of a hybrid. I now employ a technique of combinations drawn from the different textures of each guitar's nuances, and it's become one technique, which I use on all guitars now. Just thought that the original post would make an interesting topic for discussion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by refin

I'm trying to get myself where I play consistent on all guitars,but a tele tone seems to make me play a little differently than an LP.

---

From all the clips i've heard you play so far, I must say you've done it. There's a very distinct character in your playing that's got to do with dynamics and phrasing even though you're playing different guitars. I could tell if it's you from the first 5 notes of your playing.
:party:

I would say I approach my 335 differently than I do my Strat for sure. They play differently, and sound opposite ends of the spectrum.

CT.

Yep. I have different guitars precisely because they sound and play differently. They inspire me to do different things.

If I sounded the same on any guitar I picked up, why would I have more than one instrument?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by demioblue

From all the clips i've heard you play so far, I must say you've done it. There's a very distinct character in your playing that's got to do with dynamics and phrasing even though you're playing different guitars. I could tell if it's you from the first 5 notes of your playing.
:party:

---

Why,thank you demioblue for the kind words.
I've always attributed knowing it was me by the fact that
I play the same lick over and over!:laughing:

I've been gigging on weekends doing rockabilly/country/roots rock with the odd classic thrown in now and then.The guitar I've been using the past two weekends has been an Esquire.It is a rewarding and challenging guitar to make it fit all the styles.

I use to think I played and sounded differant when I played my Tele, Les Paul, DC59 Danelectro and Strats but....

Been recording myself alot lately at gigs and band practice with my Zoom H4 and I pretty much sound the same other than my Strats have a wanger and my other guitars don't. Wierd how I EQ them all up about the same.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by refin

Why,thank you demioblue for the kind words.
I've always attributed knowing it was me by the fact that
I play the same lick over and over!:laughing:

I've been gigging on weekends doing rockabilly/country/roots rock with the odd classic thrown in now and then.The guitar I've been using the past two weekends has been an Esquire.It is a rewarding and challenging guitar to make it fit all the styles.

---

Ahh... the Esquire... i'm dying to get one... That will REALLY test how good or bad a player i've become.:biglaugh: Do you find the single pickup limiting? or liberating?

There are very few players who are immediately identifiable within the first 5 notes. I'm sadly not one of them. hahahaha...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kap'n

If I sounded the same on any guitar I picked up, why would I have more than one instrument?

---

C'mon! There's ALWAYS a reason to own more than one instrument!:applaudit

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by demioblue

Ahh... the Esquire... i'm dying to get one... That will REALLY test how good or bad a player i've become.:biglaugh: Do you find the single pickup limiting? or liberating?

There are very few players who are immediately identifiable within the first 5 notes. I'm sadly not one of them. hahahaha...

---

The way mine is wired makes the guitar a little more versatile.Instead of the "amp under a mattress" tone in the front position,i used a cap wired to a trim pot; I rolled off the desired treble,superglued the pot,taped it off,and left it.I also put a push/pull tone pot in it that chooses two different caps in the middle position,.022 and .0047.The latter is for that cocked wah sound.I haven't used that one in awhile,basically just postion 2 and position 3 (no cap at all.
Here is a sloppily played sample of all the tones I get---

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=4309597

I'm in a similar boat except that I've always meshed well with Strat's. I used to hate them but just seemed to get on with them so well that they grew on me. Now that I'm playing a strat all the time, I can't play a Gibson scaled guitar worth a damn, I just feel lost.

Sorry I have not taken the time to read all of the answers...
But Absolutely.
I have a small wall from the recent LP Standard copy to shredders (Jackson/Charvel/Kramer) to one of my favorites, a Hamer Phantom. No to mention my porch guitar, a Mini Bich which is more LP than anything else...all differently!
Still have room for a tele-I'm thinking a Baja, but I don't know for sure yet.
Special place in my heart for the 335 style guitars, but that is still a few years off. Been there, I know.

Bottom line-different feel, different playing altogether, and all satisfying in their own way.

4-sho, what Kap'n said.

I always reach for the modded fat maple neck Tele first, but had to have a rosewood Strat for a more 'generic' sound as well. Wish I had a semi-holly body and/or a Thinline as well, but what I need most next is a killer acoustic - maybe with nine strings.

i think my touch changes a little, but it's not something i think about anymore. back in the day yeah, but usually not that much. i've always had several guitars, even when i started. in school band i always was the pickup player, tenor sax, bari sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, quads in marching band, whatever was needed. i think i'm just one of those guys. i can pick up any guitar and make it work, probably from starting on some real dogs of guitars. i just developed a technique that allows me to do so. it doesn't need to be set up all that well, i have friends that are on the flip side where they can only play what is super comfy. give me a JEM and a marshall and you'll still get chuck.

now granted, i have certain guitars/amps/pedals that i really like, i'm not saying i don't fine tune things. but at the end of the day it really doesn't matter to me. i'm gonna rock it out!

I wish I was good enough for a guitar to affect my playing, but it doesn't... I play the same tired crap no matter what I pick up. That's probably why I finally stopped shopping for guitars, and just have one of each kind I need... an electric guitar shaped like a Stratocaster, a Fender bass, and a pretty good acoustic.

There's enough sonic overlap that I can do pretty similar things on my Strat and my Tele. At the same time, the differences, mainly in the pickups and the presence or lack of a vibrato, allow me to widen the scope.
Differents sounds, yes, and there's a certain change in how I react to that.
My Casino is significantly different in construction and feel, but even that doesn't, I don't think, change the way, or what I play very much.

The only thing I clearly play differently is my 12-string.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by silent j.

I wish I was good enough for a guitar to affect my playing, but it doesn't... I play the same tired crap no matter what I pick up. That's probably why I finally stopped shopping for guitars, and just have one of each kind I need... an electric guitar shaped like a Stratocaster, a Fender bass, and a pretty good acoustic.

---

Well, they react differently. You can play much more aggressively with a strat or tele and it comes out in the playing. Try to have that kind of touch on a Les Paul, and it gets ugly quickly.

I always play more aggressively when I pick up a rubab.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kap'n

You can play much more aggressively with a strat or tele and it comes out in the playing. Try to have that kind of touch on a Les Paul, and it gets ugly quickly.

---

Umm... that's not a view I usually hear bandied about. But maybe I just don't get what you're saying?

Maybe you're just refering to single-coil clarity and articulation creating a different kind of ruckus than humbucker grind? Surely you don't mean humbuckers can't translate "touch", even an aggressive one...
:punk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clayville

Umm... that's not a view I usually hear bandied about. But maybe I just don't get what you're saying?

Maybe you're just refering to single-coil clarity and articulation creating a different kind of ruckus than humbucker grind? Surely you don't mean humbuckers can't translate "touch", even an aggressive one...
:punk

---

No. I'm not saying that. However, a strat or a tele rewards you much more for grabbing and snapping the strings. Get that aggressive with a LP, and it just doesn't sound good. Most folks also tend to have lower action on their Gibsons which makes it even more sloppy sounding - probably because the instrument encourages a lighter touch. All things being equal, there's less tension on the shorter scale, too.

To answer the original question. Yes. And no.

It all depends on the music. I'm going to pick a guitar and amp depending on what is required for sonic space I want to take up in the mix. Then, the technique will change depending on the music as well. For example, if I am playing a surf gig I will be using a Strat, and generally closed hand picking. I'll have the amp set clean and drippy. For a country song I'm going to open my picking hand fingers and use them to hybrid. I'll use a single coil sound and be utilizing compression more, so the technique will change. Blues, I like humbuckers and short-scale guitars to fill it out. I'll be using fewer scales and open harptones.

But, it's not the guitar that's driving the difference, it's the music, and my ears telling me where to be in the mix.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kap'n

Well, they react differently. You can play much more aggressively with a strat or tele and it comes out in the playing. Try to have that kind of touch on a Les Paul, and it gets ugly quickly.

---

That's pretty much my answer in a nutshell. My right hand technique definitely changes more than anything. I play a lot more aggresively on Strats/Teles, less so on my Gibsons.

I also play different songs on different guitars. Since I've got most of them out and ready to play, I'll be playing one song, it'll remind me of another...I'll start playing that one, realize it's not feeling right, and switch to another guitar.

I get what OSA is saying...I think that's pretty much the truth for most of us. I was answering the question from more of a "practicing in the bedroom" perspective. In that evironment, you're just playing whatever song/riff you want, and you could see the guitar you have in your hands as affecting your technique.

In a group situation, where everyone is playing a particular song and a particular sound is called for, you consciously draw from your repetoire of technique and arsenal of instruments to get the sound you want. So it's kind of both, a vice-versa thing.

I have always thought humbuckers, distortion and effects (while enjoyable) hide a multitude of sins in playing style.

Strats and Tele's force you to bring on your "A" game.

If I really want to break a song down and work on my style, intonation and attack though, I will reach for my HD-28. A very physical instrument that will leave nothing to hide. Metallica even sounds good on it.

What you have described though is a very healthy, humble, respectful attitude towards your playing skills. That will take you farther than any one type of instrument. :applaudit

The sort of things that work on a LP/335 do not work on an archtop; I very consciously switch technique and vocabulary when picking one up.