Guitars that sound like others.

Jeff Metz Jr. · From: York, Pennsylvania, USA

Hello,
I am always seeing people on the forum saying that their "so and so guitar sounds like a(n)" and then compare it to an Emmons, Shobud, Zumsteel, Mullen, Etc.
I have only played a sho-bud maverick, and my Thomas Sd10.
Does anybody know what my Thomas is comparable too sound wise. And What other guitars sound a lot like others.
What guitars have a strictly distict sound? Thanks
-Jeff
_________________
Mullen G2 SD10 , Lil Izzy Buffer, Goodrich 120 volume pedal, Boss DD-7, Peterson Strobo flip, Peavey Nashville 112

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Ned McIntosh · From: New South Wales, Australia

Hi Jeff,

Tough question! So much depends on the player.

There are said to be Emmons push-pull steels that can actually warp the fabric of space-time they have so much tone, and there are certainly Emmons push-pulls that can't. There are exceptional steels of many brands, and there are some examples of famous brands which are pretty ordinary.

Ditto the old ZBs; a tone all of their own and hard to duplicate. But listing brands is a bit futile really, because the greatest single variable in the whole thing is the player and what tone he or she has in their hands, head and heart.

As steel-guitar history evolves, mighty tomes could be written about which guitars sounded like which other guitars. Steel-guitar history is the stories of both the steel-guitars themselves and the people who played them, who gave our instrument its distinctive voice and sound; the people who "signed their name" on the music with their playing.

I can't give you a list of "Steel-Guitar Equivalents" like you can get for transistors, oils, nuts and bolts etc. All I can say is in the hands of the greats, any given steel-guitar has a distinctive tone which is as much due to the player as it is to the intrinsic properties of the instrument.

I am sure others with far more technical knowledge will be able to construct a list, but that's my take on your question. As I said, it's a tough one.
_________________
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being.

Clete Ritta · From: San Antonio, Texas

Beside the brand of steel, the brand or type of pickup has a hand (pun intended) in how it sounds too. This may be one factor in why a Fender sounds different than many others. Sierra's use of aluminum in the body is also fairly unique and probably contributes to its individuality.

Clete

Quentin Hickey · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

ETS (Bud Carter)also now makes an aluminum body guitar now. Coming from a musical background of playing the fiddle for many years and electric guitar for a few, I think that every little detail dictates how oure tone is going to sound, picks, bar, volume pedal, patch cables, amp, amp mods, string, ets,etc. Playing the fiddle, I have experimaented with lots of strings and bows and resin (I could have bought a nice used steel with the money I spent on it). and to my ear, I noticed alot of differences. To a point you can get one 'make to sound like another. 'To a point' that is. Any guitar that I have seen and heard that uses a drastic difference in bidy style, changer mechanics and weight usually gives that guitar its 'trademark' sound. That is why you will never hear another push pull sound alike unless you build a push pull.

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Put a PodXT in the mix and or any other effects unit and you can get a really unique sound....

The digital signal processing dudes have blown the "sound" issue wide open.
_________________
Lawyers are done: Emmons SD-10, 3 Dekleys including a D10, NV400, and lots of effects units to cover my clams...

Jack Strayhorn · From: Winston-Salem, NC

You can train the ear to listen beyond any outside source such as; pickups, amps, effects, cables and technique and hear the instrument. Instruments do vary and some have better acoustic value than others.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

There is the "characteristic" tone of a guitar, however as pickups have evolved to "factory made" such as Bill Lawrence, George L's, etc it can blur some of the differences in the basic tone of a particular brand.

Then there is the amp, how the amp is set, effects, and finally one of the biggest things is the "touch" of the player.

Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

Thomas is an above average and good sounding PSG mine had a Tonealigner pick up
I sold it because the string spacing was different from my other one.
I now have a PP and it sounds like I am playing it...
However the PP seems to have a more balanced tone and less 4th string whine.
_________________
MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: