I've been playing for 46 years and most of the time I've liked the same feel in a guitar. As I, and I'm sure many others, become geezers, our arthritis and aches change the guitars we use. In the last year I've gone to prefer Maple fretboards for their speed and decreased friction. I've limited myself to 9.5"-10" radius, since that is an easier radius to play for me. I've also gone from vintage frets to preferring MJ frets and actually prefer the even slightly larger frets on my PRS Johnny Hiland. It's just easier to fret the notes and do bends. The weight of a guitar has become a critical consideration rather than an inconvienience. Change is good ... I guess ...
As I get older my preferences have changed ...
- Thread starter wilerty
- Start date
aleclee
Major General GAS
Re: As I get older my preferences have changed ...
Though I've played about 20 fewer years than you have, I can relate on the changing preference thing but for me the changes have been more about tone than anything else. I've always favored humbuckers and went over 20 years where all my guitars were double cutaway instruments. I haven't owned many particularly heavy guitars but I'm becoming increasingly aware of the weight of my amps and cabs. That's the main reason why I avoid combos in general and 2x12 combos in particular.
When it comes to tone, my ideal has gone from the super-compressed, aggressive version of high gain to a more touch-sensitive and dynamic feel. If I want to squish the heck out of my dynamics, I'd rather fire up a compressor than get it from the amp. At least that way I can control the amount of compression instead of letting my amp dictate it to me.
Though I've played about 20 fewer years than you have, I can relate on the changing preference thing but for me the changes have been more about tone than anything else. I've always favored humbuckers and went over 20 years where all my guitars were double cutaway instruments. I haven't owned many particularly heavy guitars but I'm becoming increasingly aware of the weight of my amps and cabs. That's the main reason why I avoid combos in general and 2x12 combos in particular.
When it comes to tone, my ideal has gone from the super-compressed, aggressive version of high gain to a more touch-sensitive and dynamic feel. If I want to squish the heck out of my dynamics, I'd rather fire up a compressor than get it from the amp. At least that way I can control the amount of compression instead of letting my amp dictate it to me.
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