| Author |
Topic: Color of guitar |
Steven Finley
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 14 May 2016 6:14 pm |
|
It is the general consensus that a black guitar sounds better than any other color; ok, if I accept that,
can anyone explain "better", as in how? And yes, I do own a black guitar.
I am also considering getting a custom lacquer in Gretch Orange thinking that if color plays a part in tone
then I could get a brighter sound. Has anyone experimented with that? |
|
|
 |
Paul Stauskas
From:
DFW, TX
|
Posted 14 May 2016 6:39 pm
|
|
_________________
My site |
|
|
|
Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
|
Posted 14 May 2016 7:23 pm
|
|
| I've always loved "Gretsch orange" guitars . I think a nicely flame-maple lacquered steel guitar cabinet would be a sight to behold........I say go for it. |
|
|
|
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
|
|
|
|
John Booth
From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 5:23 am
|
|
One of the best sounding guitars I've heard was a stripped-down to bare wood maverick. Might have been the player tho.
_________________
Jb in Ohio
..................................
GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
.................................. |
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 5:42 am
|
|
I like puce.  |
|
|
|
Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
|
Posted 15 May 2016 6:06 am
|
|
If I take this as a serious question, I come down to a low grade of synaesthesia, in that we feel happier with our tone when we're happy with what we SEE and/or feel as we play.
I'm actually on board with this: my Zum is black laminate on top and rear, rosewood laminate in front.
Just like I am convinced that we play better and think we sound better behind a push-pull: there's something pleasingly organic about the notchy almost-alive feel.
If it trips your trigger to play a Gretch-orange steel, go for it.
I think it might be fun to play one with 50s diner boomerang laminate
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 15 May 2016 6:31 am
|
|
Again, in the interest of treating this seriously for a moment, and only recounting what I've read and not commenting on how much credence I'm willing to assign this, I recall that there was some specific black mica of a different gauge (and maybe a different composition) than other micas that were in use.
This, possibly combined with properly selected adhesive (I recall John Fabian insisting that much research went into the subject of glue), supposedly paired with a steel's body for an optimal acoustical result.
With all the factors involved in a steel guitar' timbre, I'm not in a position to assess plausibility except to say that I doubt it would be a make or break factor but conceivably could make for a timbral difference between two otherwise similar/identical guitars.
It is my understanding that this is the root of the black guitars sound better thing. |
|
|
|
David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
|
Posted 15 May 2016 6:39 am
|
|
| From my experience; lacquer guitars actually produce a more mellow tone than their mica counterparts, especially when fitted with wood necks. |
|
|
|
Jerry Berger
From:
Nampa, Idaho USA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 8:38 am
|
|
| David Nugent wrote: |
| From my experience; lacquer guitars actually produce a more mellow tone than their mica counterparts, especially when fitted with wood necks. |
I just bought this Mullen and it has the best of both worlds. It is mica with a lacquer finish. 
Last edited by Jerry Berger on 16 May 2016 9:11 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 9:43 am
|
|
| David Nugent wrote: |
| From my experience; lacquer guitars actually produce a more mellow tone than their mica counterparts, especially when fitted with wood necks. |
I can attest to this. Between 1981 and 2005, I owned 2 MSA classics; the green lacquer one shown in my avatar, and an older, white mica one. As David said, the green one sounded mellower and richer, while the white one was brighter and had more bite and twang.
The 2 Millies, one of which is by coincidence also white, sound identical.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
|
|
|
Ronald Sikes
From:
Corsicana, Tx
|
Posted 15 May 2016 9:54 am
|
|
Steven, Here's one Jeff brought to Dallas last year. Absolutely gorgeous, more beautiful in person.
_________________
Show Pro #26 & #83,BJS bars,Stereo Steel,Tommy Huff cabs loaded with JBL D130's, Wampler pedals,NV112,NV400, Steelers Choice Seats |
|
|
|
chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
|
Posted 15 May 2016 11:10 am
|
|
| my last word on this subject is that it is a ridiculous question and the answer is no! |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
|
Posted 15 May 2016 3:20 pm
|
|
A builder of steel guitars told me that red and rosewood mica sound better than black. The black mica is softer and more bendable, the red and rosewood mica is very different in strength.
_________________
----------------------------------
JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 15 May 2016 4:50 pm
|
|
| Lane Gray wrote: |
| If I take this as a serious question, I come down to a low grade of synaesthesia, in that we feel happier with our tone when we're happy with what we SEE... |
If that's the case, then Ronnie Milsap, Stevie Wonder, and Jose Feliciano are really screwed. 
I dunno...why do black guitars sound better? I guess it's just one of those unanswerable questions, like "Why is it when you dial a wrong number, it's never busy?" Or, "Why is the shore always near the water?" Or, "How do you get off a non-stop flight?"
Indeed, even the perspicacious mind boggles at all these conundrums.  |
|
|
|
chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
|
Posted 15 May 2016 5:06 pm
|
|
| and at people's gullibility. |
|
|
|
Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 5:57 pm
|
|
I tested the theory today and it's true! I covered my black Emmons (which sounds great, as a black guitar should) with some crappy walnut burl shelf paper like on a Maverick. Sure enough, it sounds like crap now, worse than a Maverick even. Very muted tone.
I suppose it might have worked better if I hadn't covered the strings and stuff with the shelf paper.
By the way, what's the best way to clean sticky shelf paper goo off a guitar? I was thinking of filling the bathtub with gasoline and dipping it in, but I don't have a big enough gas can. |
|
|
|
Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
|
Posted 15 May 2016 6:26 pm
|
|
In another long-ago thread on the same subject I chimed in with my own skepticism, and the quotes from a long interview I did with my friend Jimmy Crawford… I asked him about the color "controversy", fully expecting a lot of he-hawing, and he told me the mica used for black used a different process and was dimensionally different and more "bonding friendly", reacting differently to being pressure rolled on to rock maple. He said that of course guitars were different, but overall he thought the black mica resonated better. I felt like I knew him well enough to know when he was pulling my leg, and I took it that he was being serious.
_________________
Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
www.musicfarmstudio.com |
|
|
|
Billy Carr
From:
Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)
|
Posted 16 May 2016 5:20 am colors
|
|
| Black mica matches everything and looks good w/aluminum trim. Were the p/p's mostly black or rosewood mica? |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
|
Posted 16 May 2016 8:04 am
|
|
Random thoughts on color, probably apropos to nothin'...
Black does in fact "go" with everything classic, as in fashion. Just like in clothing and vehicles, black is a common denominator and clashes with no other colors. It's the classic tuxedo of the steel guitar.
Probably the choice of rosewood mica was a response to the fancy cabinetry Sho~Bud and others like Marlen and Miller were doing at the time. It too goes with everything, but as in all things Emmons, more restrained.
Darker, solid colors with little ornamentation are my own personal preferences. They mean business. A police officer doesn't carry a fully engraved and polished chrome SAA as his service weapon. He packs a sensible form-over-fashion pistol.
The color of guitar can make a personality statement. Reserved all the way to full "hey everybody, look at me!" A too bright or colorful guitar can be considered by some as a distraction from the act's primary focus. As an example, I brought a Sho~Bud to a rehearsal of an "Always... Patsy Cline" production, and the director asked if I could bring a different guitar for the performances. He felt the bright red Sho~Bud would distract the audience's attention from the scene. I understood his request and agreed with him. Black was more appropriate. He loved the black guitar, and we put a cloth over the shiny pedal bar.
I've seen Emmonses that were bright white mica, which I think works only in certain situations, esthetically. Those would be in high light stage conditions, like the stage of a church, or a theatrical production in which the set and costuming is light colored. But in the dark atmosphere of a honkytonk, or a stage production in which the musicians are out of the spotlight, a white guitar stands out like a marshmallow in a raisin box.
"Not that there's anything wrong with that," as Jerry Seinfeld would say. Color choice is only a consideration if the player is in certain professional situations as described.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
|
|
|
Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
|
Posted 16 May 2016 8:47 am
|
|
Color has always been a determining factor as to whether I buy or play a certain guitar or not. I guess I'm sorta plain guy and like plain things and don't like to stick out in a crowd. I don't want anything on front of my guitar except the brand name, no fishes, crosses, birds, chrome slash marks or V's or nothing. I don't want a guitar that looks like a kitchen counter top. Matte black is my favorite with glossy black next along with glossy rosewood and then maybe plain red last. I can't take these flashy guitars with the fancy mica in all sorts of colors and everything and if you can, then go for it. This of course is just my personal opinion so don't take offense if your guitar is cycledelic.
_________________
Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
|
|
|
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
|
|
|
|
Dave Meis
From:
Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
|
Posted 16 May 2016 9:19 am
|
|
| Boy Mike..that would look good with a plaid neck! |
|
|
|
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
|
|
|
|
