Over 23 years of playing the electric guitar, I’ve been searching for my ideal electric guitar tone. I’ve gone through a dozen amplifiers and even more guitars than that, but I feel I’ve settled on a sound that I am finally pleased with. Here’s the story.

Originally, I wanted to sound like a Smashing Pumpkins album. Pristine cleans and scooped, fuzz-type high gain. As I experimented with different versions on that theme, I realized how un-versatile that sound actually is. It does that one thing really well, but only that one thing. And it has serious problems, too; it’s noisy and difficult to dial in properly. Corgan and company achieved that sound with the well-documented combination of an Op-Amp Big Muff into a Marshall JCM800. They remedied the lack of versatility on the tour for Siamese Dream and then for the next album and tour, as well, by changing the setup to achieve a similar tone with Marshall’s JMP-1 preamp and boosting the signal from their guitars to drive those preamps even harder. The result was more versatile, for sure, but still complicated and cost prohibitive.

So, I went on a search for my ideal guitar tone. I figured I would need certain things, prefer others, but the bottom line would be that I wanted to own a guitar that sounded good through any amp, and an amp that sounded good with any guitar, and each versatile enough to cover multiple genres; jazz and country to classic and modern rock. Being experimental would be fun, too, though not essential.

I grew up a Fender guitar fan. Most of that came from my guitar hero, Corgan, making the Stratocaster his instrument of choice during his prime (I was most impressionable, he was at a peak of popularity), though knowing Jimi Hendrix used the same instrument reinforced the decision a great deal. Corgan played an American Vintage 1957 Stratocaster reissue likely made in 1991 or 1992. He loaded it with Lace Sensor pickups designed for high output, low noise, and tones emulating other famous pickups (Gibson PAF Lace Sensor Blue in the neck, overwound 70’s Stratocaster Lace Sensor Silver in the middle (though I’ve never seen him use that position), and a hot ceramic humbucker Lace Sensor Red in the bridge). Ideally, this makes that instrument incredibly versatile, durable, and relatively affordable, as far as professional-grade lifetime instruments go (or could be closely approximated with more affordable instruments). I tried similar instruments for a long time, but could never make them sound the way I wanted. It always came out sounding thin, was difficult to set up properly, and suffered from other small flaws.

And then I played a Gibson guitar. Growing up I never picked up or played a Gibson because I never entertained the idea that I might be able to own one. Then when I did finally play one, I found it muddy sounding, set up incorrectly, fitted with heavier strings than I was used to, and heavy and cumbersome to hold or carry.  Gibson’s lower lines of Les Paul and SG guitars started at $1,200 and went up from there. I projected unusable and undesirable qualities to the tones of those instruments to convince myself that I was, in fact, a Fender Guy all along. After all, Fender was the working man’s tool of choice. They are affordable, durable, sexy, and dependable. Right?

I was in a shop one day a couple years back and saw one of the newer more affordable Les Paul faded guitars. With its sub-$1,000 price tag, I figured I would pick it up, strum and hate it, and put it back. I was wrong. It was well set up, balanced, had a gigantic neck, and resonated like an acoustic guitar, like it was alive. What in the hell was this?

Since that day I’ve begun learning about Gibson’s history, designs, and methods. I was immediately impressed and understood why they commanded premium prices for their equipment: because they were premium instruments.

I’ve tried and used mass-produced guitars that borrow design elements from both Gibson and Fender, and they rarely live up to those two brands that dominate the industry. There’s a reason they’re as popular as they continue to be. Over the last 70-some years those two companies have developed and refined the manufacturing techniques that have influenced many other manufacturers, but none has gained the level of influence they enjoy. They are the most influential guitar manufacturers in the industry by a wide margin, and while they have many similarities, they offer substantially different products at their core.

Here are the differences between most Gibsons and most Fenders:

1. Finishing Material. The wood of most Fenders are finished with polyester (plastic). Nearly all Gibsons are finished with nitrocellulose lacquer. Lacquer is porous and continues to breathe, age, and allow the wood of an instrument to dry out over time. All but the most expensive Fenders will not do these things. A nitro finish is also more time consuming and expensive to produce. There is much debate over this in the guitar community, but I think a nitro finish is better.
2. Set neck joint. The glued-in neck that nearly all Gibson guitars come with provides for better sustain than the bolt-on neck of nearly all Fenders. It can also make Gibsons harder to customize and repair, as you can’t just screw a new neck on, and Gibson necks and headstocks have problems of their own, like breaking.
3. Wood type. In recent years, Gibson has experimented more with the woods they use, but traditionally their guitars are made of mahogany bodies with a thin maple cap, and rosewood (sometimes ebony) fretboards. These woods provide low midrange, warmth and snap. Fender guitar bodies are made of alder, ash, basswood, pine or poplar, with maple necks and maple or rosewood (and recently laurel or pau ferro) fretboards. These woods are different, but not inferior.
4. Pickups. In the 1950’s, Seth Lover had a hand in developing the double-coil humbucking pickup for electric guitar for Gibson. Many of their instruments switched over to the new design, one that has been associated with the sound of Gibson ever since. Fenders use single-coil pickups of a different design almost exclusively. There are many differences, and they have as much to do with each company’s tone as anything. Fender guitars are known for twang, spank, and cut. Gibsons are known for girth, roundness and heavy tones. High quality versions of both styles, though, are able to cover territory of the other style (see Tele on Steroids and Super Strat) The difference, to me, is that a well-designed, vintage-voiced Gibson humbucker can have the volume rolled off a little and twang more convincingly. In general, I hate Fender designed pickups. Many times the instruments are awesome, but the electronics (including the wiring harness) are inferior.
5. Bridge type. The vast majority of Gibson guitars have relied on the easy setup and stability of a fixed bridge (tune-o-matic/stop-tail or wrap-tail) that adds sustain, while most Fenders use individual saddles on a moving tremolo that can be difficult to set up properly and deaden notes sooner (though they can impart interesting harmonics atop the foundational note thatother bridge designs do not).

What this all boils down to is that I feel that a Gibson guitar is a complete thing right out of the box. Many times a Fender instrument has to be modded to be whole. It feels unfinished, like a blank canvas that one needs to dump money into to make it perfect. Now, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t improvements to be made to stock Gibsons, or that I refuse to try to make them better, but out of the factory, they are much closer. Out of the box, I feel that a Gibson guitar is ready for the stage or studio. While Fender are capable of making instruments that are, the vast majority need upgrades and mods that should not be necessary on a new instrument.

Since 2016, I’ve finally had the means to begin trying to find my sound in earnest. While Custom Shop and genuine vintage instruments will likely always be out of reach for me, I don’t feel the need to acquire such guitars. I’ve always felt that I could be happy with high quality mid-priced instruments if I did my homework. There are plenty of truly excellent instruments available in the marketplace today if one only knows what they are looking for. So, I bought a bunch of stuff. Not all at once, but over time I would find a nice piece here or there, always used, and always underpriced. Pay cash for used instruments less than 30 years old, tinker, modify, learn to solder, set up and intonate, and improve the things you can afford, make them the best they can be. Please visit the other sections in this page to view MY COLLECTION, hear my thoughts on the FENDER JAZZMASTER and STUDENT MODEL GUITARS, or read my TONE TIPS.

MY GUITAR COLLECTION

2021 Partscaster

s/n 20211030

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided that I wanted to build my first guitar. After all, I had already learned all the necessary skills needed over the previous 25 years, I was in no rush, and it wouldn’t cost very much money to build a really nice instrument. The body is one-piece, lightweight ash finished in Sherwin Williams P30B automotive primer. The neck is an AllParts TRO-W finished in Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil and Gun Stock Wax. The pickups are a set of Fender Lace Sensor Blues I found. Most of the hardware is Fender Pure Vintage, except the Mastery M4.2 bridge, which is incredible. It turned out really well, feels awesome, and I look forward to playing it for many years to come.

6 lbs 6.86 oz / 2.966 kg

1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio

s/n 92153XXX

In the early 1990’s Gibson made its affordable Les Paul Studio line with ebony fretboards, which look, sound, and feel great. Common knowledge is that the bodies are weight-relieved, but if that’s true, they did a terrible job of it because this thing is heavier than my first car. The neck is a medium 59-ish profile that feels really nice and full. The story I got was that it was owned by a guy in an L.A. punk band, and toured it for a long time, beating it to hell along the way. I had to clean and polish the nitro finish on it to even out some haze, and I gently sanded some imperfections and wear out of the frets. The stock 490R and 498T pickups weren’t bad. In fact, I liked them more than the modern interpretation of the same models, but I lucked my way into an interesting set of pickups (Custombuckers, which come stock in many custom and true historic Gibson guitars), so I gave them a try and absolutely loved them. All of the hardware has been replaced with new nickel fittings to match the covers on the new pickups. Someday I may throw a Bigsby vibrato on it, just to try. This is probably my favorite instrument. It plays and sounds great every time I pick it up.

9 lbs 6.8 oz / 4.724 kg

2015 Fender Road Worn 60’s Jazzmaster

s/n MX15613XXX

I swapped the original pickguard for a gold anodized I found, sanded the back of the neck down, and the bridge has been upgraded to a Staytrem unit. I ripped out the entire harness and replaced all of the electronics. The pickups are 1993 Gibson Memphis Historic Spec (with the same wiring as the 2016 LP 50’s Tribute T Goldtop). There is much more to say about the Fender Jazzmaster, so I wrote about it HERE. These guitars are simply meant to be capable of more tonal variation than most players will ever need, and that versatility makes them confusing to new players who either grow frustrated and give up on them, or simply produce poor tones for lack of knowing any better. This is likely one of the few Fender instruments that I’ll keep. Interesting to note that this model has a slab rosewood fingerboard, a rarity for this model.

8 lbs 8 oz / 3.854 kg

2016 Gibson Les Paul 50’s Tribute T

s/n 160126XXX

When I bought this the harness and bridge pickup had been changed already (with a Gibson 57 Plus in place of the stock 498T), but I didn’t care for the 57, so I replaced it with the original 498T, which I also didn’t like, so I dropped in a set of rare Memphis Historic Spec (MHS) pickups (which come stock on Memphis Custom Shop hollow and semi-hollow guitars and cannot be purchased after-market) that I’d picked up second hand. Interestingly, the previous owner changed the tone pots to 250k with 60’s-style wiring and .047 capacitors, all of which seem to play nicely with the MHS pickups, which are bright, unpotted and low output. The finish on this is a thin, faded/satin dark-back goldtop.

8 lbs 5.5 oz / 3.787 kg

manufacturer link

2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded T

s/n 160126XXX

When I bought this the harness and bridge pickup had been changed already (with a Gibson 57 Plus in place of the stock 498T), but I didn’t care for the 57, so I replaced it with the original 498T, which I also didn’t like, so I dropped in a set of rare Memphis Historic Spec (MHS) pickups (which come stock on Memphis Custom Shop hollow and semi-hollow guitars and cannot be purchased after-market) that I’d picked up second hand. Interestingly, the previous owner changed the tone pots to 250k with 60’s-style wiring and .047 capacitors, all of which seem to play nicely with the MHS pickups, which are bright, unpotted and low output. The finish on this is a thin, faded/satin dark-back goldtop.

8 lbs 5.5 oz / 3.787 kg

manufacturer link

2016 Gibson Les Paul CM T

s/n 160116XXX

This stripped down Les Paul came to me stock, in great condition, and the only things I didn’t care for was the new 61T pickup and the maple neck. Since there’s no way to change the maple neck (which has a wonderfully-hand-filling 59 profile), I swapped the lone pickup for a 490T, which worked out great. I also replaced the stock bridge and posts with a MojoAxe unit, which is really great. It’s an outstanding bare-bones rock and roll instrument, and that simplicity is why I will keep this instrument. The body on this model is thinner than most Les Pauls (though not quite as thin as an SG), but has no weight relief and retains the carved maple cap atop the mahogany body. I expect that if I beat the hell out of this thing for a couple decades, it’s going to wind up aging really nicely.

6 lbs 10.7 oz / 3.027 kg

manufacturer link

2003 Gibson SG Faded

s/n 03023XXX

This guitar is 100% stock. Gibson continues to annually change the neck profile and pickups on these affordable ‘faded’ instruments that might be the best-bang-for-the-buck in the industry. Fortunately, 2003 had the magic combination of a large 50’s profile neck with an ebony fretboard, which is awesome. The 490 pickups are balanced, and the guitar is well broken in.

7 lbs 7 oz / 3.37 kg

1991 Gibson Les Paul Studio

s/n 93161XXX

I found this used, two owners, but it looks like it’s spent the last 28 years in its case. It is identical in specs to the 1993 model listed above. I replaced the stock 490R and 498T pickups with a set of aftermarket Gibson Custombuckers, but other than that, this will stay stock, and it will stay in its case.

9 lbs 6 oz / 4.246 kg

1971 Yamaha FG-180

s/n Made In Japan 1223XXX

I picked this up from an older gentleman in my neighborhood who had not taken it out of the case since before I was born. It has a couple dings in the finish of the top, but outside of that, is nearly brand new, and after a deep cleaning, it’s in great shape. It is a red label, made in Japan before production was moved to Taiwan. This is the model that Elliott Smith made famous. The neck is straight and, after sanding down the saddle, it plays wonderfully.

Fender Classic Series ’50s Precision Bass Lacquer

s/n MX17955XXX

Purchased used for a really good price when I didn’t even really have the money, but I knew it was worth far more, so I jumped on it. This is an instrument so perfect that it makes me consider quitting playing six-string electric guitar and becoming a dedicated bass player. I would also argue that Fender’s Precision Bass guitar is the most influential creation of the many in Leo Fender’s long career. You could make arguments for the Telecaster, the Stratocaster, or even the Jazzmaster. You could easily nominate many of the classic amplifiers that bear his name (the Champ, Deluxe, Bassman or Twin). But for its simplicity and perfection, its singular influence on nearly every genre of music and the fact that the only instrument to come close to it in any of those regards (the Fender Jazz Bass) was also created by Leo Fender’s company, I believe the P-Bass to be Fender Musical Instrument Company’s most powerful creation. And this instrument is a stunning example of that power.

8 lbs 10.5 oz / 3.924 kg

manufacturer link

THE FENDER JAZZMASTER

While many companies and individuals can be credited with building incredible and important instruments, nobody changed music as many times or as significantly as did Leo Fender and his company. And in a career filled with world-changing creations, the Jazzmaster is among Leo Fender’s greatest accomplishments.

Some would say that the Telecaster or the Stratocaster are more perfect. Others may say that his amplifiers, specifically the early tweed amps (the 5F1 Champ, the 5E3 Deluxe, and the 5F6A Bassman) made a larger difference.

I am in a minority here. I think that the Fender creation that had the greatest impact on the largest number of artists, group and genres is actually the Precision Bass. But that does not necessarily mean that any of those are Fender’s greatest achievements.

The Fender Jazzmaster has a fascinating history. It was born from the idea that Fender needed to capture a portion of the jazz market, a market that was dominated by Gibson, at the time. It was marketed as a top-of-the-line instrument, a deluxe counterpart to the existing line.

And none of it worked. For a number of reasons, it did not sell well, it did not take off, and in 1968, 10 years after it was initially introduced, the Jazzmaster was discontinued. Even when it was resurrected in 1980, it was still seen by the market as an oddball instrument, and continues to be misunderstood and maligned by most players.

Off and on since 1990, the Jazzmaster has seen small bits of success, but has never been among Fender’s most popular instruments, but why not? The following points are just a few thoughts that I’ve had about my muse, the Fender Jazzmaster.

• It is built to do too much. The tonal variation allowed by the pickup design and the circuit are too great for what almost all players demand. The main lead tone circuit utilizes two pots (volume and tone) that come stock with 1-meg values. When people complain of a Jazzmaster sounding harsh, it’s because they don’t use those controls. Alternatively, the secondary rhythm circuit uses a 1-meg volume potentiometer, but a 50k tone pot, and only the neck pickup, which is a very specific, though not very versatile or useable tone for most players. Most players prefer to play with the circuit wide open, all controls on 10. That’s not how a Jazzmaster works. It requires tinkering and nuance, two things few of us have little patience for.
• It is complicated. Seriously, what is with all the knobs and switches? Nothing is labeled, nobody explains it to you when you purchase one, and though it is beautiful, it is not intuitive.
• Most versions of the Jazzmaster come with hardware and electronics that give the instrument a bad name. The pickups in most stock Fender Jazzmasters use Alnico V magnets, which have exaggerated high- and midrange frequencies, and the Jazzmaster bridge is so problematic that it has spawned an entire industry of products that aim to remedy the issues that it creates. (Interesting to note that in 2014 Fender designed the RSD bridge for these instruments, but it is not available aftermarket, and only comes with Custom Shop instruments.)
• My Jazzmaster (pictured below), like many, is highly customized. I have taken the foundation of this Road Worn 60’s model and personalized it into something that inspires me to create. For a full rundown on the work I’ve done to it, you can see it above in MY COLLECTION.

TONE TIPS

In recent years, I, like many guitar players, have fallen prey to something that the guitar industry has created to stay relevant in the midst of lagging sales: Gear Acquisition Syndrome, more commonly known as ‘G.A.S.’. I never wanted to be a collector of gear (especially amplifiers, which are expensive, heavy, and take up a lot of space). All I ever really wanted was a single nice piece that achieved all I needed, which is not much. I enjoy metal, psychedelic pop, classic, and hard rock, but have grown to appreciate blues and country music, as well. While there are lots of amps that have typically covered that ground, and even created some of those genres, there are none that have done it all, until recently, when digital amp-modelling technology has become popular, and in some cases, quite good.

The amps that I’ve most liked to listen to are some of the classics; Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe, the Vox AC30, the Marshall JTM45/Plexi, the Marshall JCM800. All four of those have things in common and things unique to them, they can all be versatile but maintain a voice of their own.

I’ve never been lucky enough to own one of those pieces, though I’ve had more affordable copies of some. This illustrates some of what GAS does to musicians, specifically guitar players. I’ve settled on a the built-in amp emulations of Apple’s GarageBand software and a Boss Katana Artist, both of which do close approximations of a number of classic amps. They’re more than I’ll ever need as an amateur hobbyist, and they check a lot of boxes, so I’m satisfied. (That, and I own a couple small tube amps that are fun to play with, too, when the rare occasion arises.)

I own just a couple of effects pedals, but that’s another industry that has exploded in popularity during my lifetime. I find effects pedals less necessary than most, but they can be fun and inspirational. I simply never wanted to rely on too many things between my hands and the speakers to create a sound that I was happy with. I always heard that, “to sound like (name a famous guitar player), you’d have to have their fingers.” The two pedals I always carry are a Fuzz Face (MXR BC-108) and a Delay (Boss DD-5). I also have a ZOOM MS-50G, which is an incredible piece of technology. One of these days, I’ll even learn how to use it.

All that being said, it’s nice to have instruments that are fun to play and inspire you to play better and more often. They can be fun to collect, restore, display, learn about and share with friends. But there are three main things that young or inexperienced guitar players ignore that have HUGE implications on one’s tone; pickup height, pick thickness, and string gauge.

Pickup height: Assuming the rest of your guitar is set up to play correctly and comfortably, the distance between the pickup and the strings can have a subtle, though important, effect on tone. Not just the output, but the EQ. Finding the right height can make a serious difference.

Pick thickness: Picks range in shape and thickness from .5mm up to 2mm. The flexibility, grip, material and corners used can determine a lot about a player’s attack. I feel like most players don’t think about their pick as important, and don’t take the time to experiment and find what best suits their style.

String gauge: This is the big one. For years now, players have been gullible enough to fall for a myth that states, “heavier strings mean more tone.” That’s a load of garbage, frankly, and it’s been pushing amateur guitarists toward unnecessarily heavy strings for decades. Standard guitar strings are a weight referred to as ‘9’s’ or ‘10’s’. I know friends that play with 12’s, 13’s and even 14’s under the impression that they have ‘more tone’. What does it even mean, ‘more tone’? What it actually means is two things; a trade of high end for low end at the source, and a diminished ability to use vibrato. If you’re Stevie Ray Vaughn, you can pull it off, but if you’re not him, and very few are, you’re likely better playing 9’s or 10’s. Hell, even Jimi Hendrix played 8-38, as did the Reverend Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, two creators of some of the greatest guitar tones ever recorded! (It is interesting to note that Rick Beato recently produced a video shootout of 4 string gauges (11, 10, 9 and 8). The results from four experienced players were fun to hear.)

Another often ignored element of guitar tone is the instrument’s on-board controls, namely and most commonly ‘volume’ and ‘tone’. The first person I ever even heard mention their importance was Joe Bonamassa in a video made for Guitarist Magazine. He recommends starting with his Gibson’s tone knobs at 5 and volume knobs at 7. Since discovering this advice, I’ve begun to find more usable tones in guitars I love, and making more unruly instruments (like the Fender Jazzmaster) more tame. Also, my tastes have begun to favor warmer tones, even though I enjoy instruments that resonate and sound brighter when unplugged. (I also consider a tremolo to be an on-board effect that can be used wonderfully by the right player.)

All that being said, I always encourage players of all ages and abilities to learn how to do basic set up, intonation, maintenance, wiring, and soldering of their instruments. A well-taken-care-of instrument is always more fun to play.

A final thought on psychoacoustics: Psychoacoustics is a field of scientific study on how the human brain takes in and processes sound. What we have heard frequently determines our taste in tone. Those we have learned from tend to dictate what we wish to achieve. This can be the killer of innovation and adventure. Break out of what you’re familiar with. There are a million wonderful sounds in every instrument, so stay open minded and always strive to improve.

SETUP AND MAINTENANCE GUIDES

BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC GUITAR