Accoustic tone of an electric/ test of quality

[BloodRose]

Ok, Im trying to love my Epi LP and not want a Gibby. It is very light, plays good and sounds good. BUT.. There is something about it.. I discovered it last night. Played back to back with my Explorer. The explorer has a smoother, deeper tone. When I pluck the strings (acoustic tone) the Epi has a bright "plink" type of tone, whereas the gibbie has a normal sound. Lets call this "blum".. With me?? Now, when played electrically, it sounds fine and would prob cut thru a mix, but doesnt have that throaty sound I expect from an LP. Basically, if I play the Lp for a few days, its fine, but when I compare, Im dissappointed. I immediately went to a guit shop and played a Gib LP and the tone was more akin to my explorer. "blum"
First... Could this be the fact my LP has a maple neck and not mahogany? (ACE Frehley model) Im thinking this could have some bearing.
Second.. Is there anyway to correct this?
Its a great player, built nice, sounds good recorded. It just isnt filling that LES paul tone need I have in my arsenal and I cant afford to fill it...
Thanks!

 

[Norman_T]

Re: Accoustic tone of an electric/ test of quality

Not wishing to sound bigheaded but whenever I pick up an play an electric guitar in a store/shop I always play it unplugged for at least 15-20 minutes. This way I can always hear what the tones of the wood in the guitar is like and can make a judgement on whtether it is a cr*p or good one. Only when I have finished this test do I plug it in and try out the electronics. I suspect that due to the construction of the guitar it is not going to be like a real LP and it only becomes apparent when you start to have another guitar close at hand to compare it with. From what you have said if it feels good, plays and also records well then I don''t think you need to worry too much about it. Before you start to go down the expensive route of trading this in for another guitar perhaps you may just want to have a look at upgrading your pups in them or perhaps invest in looking at your amp and trying to eq some of the tones in. Or if necessary perhaps consider a change of strings to a slightly heavier type?

 

[Bludave]

Re: Accoustic tone of an electric/ test of quality

A good Electric should have a good Acoustic sound. That tells you you have good wood. An electric guitar needs to sound good plugged in, not acoustic. Bottom line is if you plug it in and it sounds good... Cool. If not there are things you can do. Change the PUPs. The PUPS in EPI guitars are usually inferior to Gibsons, hence the price difference. You can also change some of the hardware, such as Bride, tuners, etc. to improve on the sound. The wood quality in EPI are also inferior to Gibsons, which is a large factor on why Gibsons sound better. The final thing you can do is give up trying to make an EPI a Gibson, and go buy a Gibson. It doesn't mean that an EPI will not sound good. I believe some of them to be very good guitars, but it is hard to compare a $500 guitar to $2000. guitar. It just isn't fair to the EPI. You get what you pay for!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Accoustic tone of an electric/ test of quality

I agree.

A great electric guitar should sound inspiring even when played unplugged.

One thing I look for is that the low E string should ring with real authority...especially in acoustic guitars but in electrics too. As often as not, I can hardly hear the actual fundamental of the E string on most guitars...it's usually the next octave up with just a little of the fundamental.

What I look for after that is a genuinely lively and resonant tone that just makes me feel like playing...nothing in particular, just a nice inspiring personality with a certain lively bounce to the feel and tone of the guitar.

If I can sit down to test a guitar and just end up enjoying it and lose myself in playing it and maybe even get an idea for a new song, it's probably a real good guitar.

Regarding maple necks on a Les Paul, maple changes the tone alot compared to mahogany. It's brighter and tighter and plinkier and harder sounding.

I had a real nice '77 Les Paul with a maple neck that I played for years. Cool guitar...but when I got my 2000 '59 Les Paul Historic I sold the '77 right away. It just didn't get that same deep resonanace the mahogany necked Les Paul has.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Accoustic tone of an electric/ test of quality

Thanks all! Yeah, I know it isnt, nor will it ever be a Gibson, but I was trying to search for clues. I think the maple neck changes alot. Ive got good pots, new toggle and jack in it. Pups are beefy.. Paf pro neck and Super Distortion middle and bridge, so Im not using normal epi stock... My axe is the Ace Frehley model, so it came stock with 3 Super Distortions and better tuners than stock Epis did.
I also run 10s for strings and have a decent setup.. So, must be that maple neck and possible wood choice. I was told by a Gibson rep when I questioned the light weight that the maple neck made it lighter than a mahog neck would.
hmmm Positives are that it doesnt get muddy like Ive had pauls do..