Chapman truth about guitars vid.

I don't think feel is quite as subjective as he opines. Specs are important insofar as they reinforce the feel -- for example, a guitar with a slim heel joint that gives you easy access to upper frets is going to affect, in a positive way, how you solo up high, and thus the feel of the instrument. But overall yeah, good video. Relationship to the neck is one of the most important things.
 
I just keep thinking he has a guitar brand and he is trying to promote his brand

When is a guitar worth more han the car you drive?

When it "feels" right
they all sound good with good players
with good amps
Good pickups

What makes that peice of wood more desirable than any other piece of wood?

Neck:
profile
radius
Scale

How it hangs on a strap:
Neck dive?
does it havei an upper horn tha pulls the nuts back closr to the body?

There are so manythings that make up the perfect guitar

I probably should watch the video before commenting
 
ehdwuld said:
I just keep thinking he has a guitar brand and he is trying to promote his brand

When is a guitar worth more han the car you drive?

When it "feels" right
they all sound good with good players
with good amps
Good pickups

What makes that peice of wood more desirable than any other piece of wood?

Neck:
profile
radius
Scale

How it hangs on a strap:
Neck dive?
does it havei an upper horn tha pulls the nuts back closr to the body?

There are so manythings that make up the perfect guitar

I probably should watch the video before commenting
Click to expand...

You should watch it. :D He addresses the point about him owning a company. The stuff he's talking about flies in the face of him wanting to sell people expensive guitars.

I agree with you about neck dive and neck profile and all that.

But I also feel that if you spend more than $1500 on a guitar, it's vastly diminishing returns. After 1.5k, you're spending on brand name or luxury appointments.

I have a $400 Schecter that plays like a dream with a neck that brings me joy every time I pick up the guitar.
 
Yeah, I felt that he was ignoring a lot of what are probably the most important specs of a guitar... likely because it takes a little more knowledge to get into the specifics of neck shape etc. which not everyone does... nevertheless when taken as a whole it's probably the most important part of how a guitar feels.

Eg. In my case at any rate it took a long time dealing with guitar specs to know the finer details of what neck specifications I like, and even then descriptions of neck profiles (C,D,U,V etc) still seem subjective and difficult to pin down.
 
Also, when you only had one guitar, it was your favorite.... As you play more and more different things start to stand out as desirable or less desirable.
After you've played a few hundred you really start to understand what you really like and want in a guitar.

On top of that..... All of those things can change. Especially as we learn more and more (hopefully)

I used to hate Les Paul's (ergonomically), but now I own one that I can't live without.

I used to lust after Jackson thin necks.... And now I prefer something a little more Gibson 60's.....

And yet I have always loved explorers, since day 1 and to this very day.

Point being, on top of all the things.... We can still change what it is that we like.
 
playas said:
Yeah, I felt that he was ignoring a lot of what are probably the most important specs of a guitar... likely because it takes a little more knowledge to get into the specifics of neck shape etc. which not everyone does... nevertheless when taken as a whole it's probably the most important part of how a guitar feels.

Eg. In my case at any rate it took a long time dealing with guitar specs to know the finer details of what neck specifications I like, and even then descriptions of neck profiles (C,D,U,V etc) still seem subjective and difficult to pin down.
Click to expand...

Agreed. . Also I didn't know I loved a V neck until I actually owned one... Then I knew.
 
playas said:
Yeah, I felt that he was ignoring a lot of what are probably the most important specs of a guitar... likely because it takes a little more knowledge to get into the specifics of neck shape etc. which not everyone does... nevertheless when taken as a whole it's probably the most important part of how a guitar feels.

Eg. In my case at any rate it took a long time dealing with guitar specs to know the finer details of what neck specifications I like, and even then descriptions of neck profiles (C,D,U,V etc) still seem subjective and difficult to pin down.
Click to expand...

I think there are specs that matter a lot, and specs that matter but perhaps not as much as some might think. I come back to the neck every time. You can mess around with other aspects of a guitar (pickups / pup height, tuners, nut, string gauge) fairly easily, but if the neck doesn't feel right in your hand, there's not much you can do.

For me, the keys are neck feel, pickup type (hum vs. single vs. P90 vs. HSS, not specific pickups, though they have to be passive -- I have no time for actives), bridge type (I prefer fixed bridges), and ergonomics (which includes the neck but also things like forearm and belly scoops and access to upper frets).
 
He is right that a well setup budget guitar will play better than a badly setup expensive instrument. However, a well setup budget instrument will never reach the tone an playability of a well setup great guitar. His comment is akin to saying a brand-new Prius would be more enjoyable to drive than a Ferrari with flat tires and no brakes.
 
When i started playing

Everyone just played what pickups came with it

As I played other ones , I thought oh this is nice

And oh that is comfortable

Liked the thinner wizard necks

Was convinced that heavier guitars sounded better

But as I get older I find my tastes have changed

Rolling the fretboard makes the "feel" dramatically different

Scale length has a huge effect on feel

And all setups are subjective

I like low action
My buddy likes it just a bit taller

Low mystery frets on Jerry's 335 was incredible
 
Securb said:
He is right that a well setup budget guitar will play better than a badly setup expensive instrument. However, a well setup budget instrument will never reach the tone an playability of a well setup great guitar. His comment is akin to saying a brand-new Prius would be more enjoyable to drive than a Ferrari with flat tires and no brakes.
Click to expand...

I don't know that the car analogy holds. A car with flat tires and no brakes is undrivable. A guitar without a good setup can still be played, but the experience will be a lot less enjoyable.

As for tone, it depends on what you mean by "great guitar." Budget guitar indicates a price range. What's the price tag on a great guitar? Tone is also very dependent on amp, pedals, etc. Will that great guitar sound better than a budget guitar all other things being equal? Probably, but does it sound better enough to justify being X times more expensive than the budget guitar? That is highly debateable.

An awful lot of great music has been made by musicians playing low-budget instruments.
 
weepingminotaur said:
I don't know that the car analogy holds. A car with flat tires and no brakes is undrivable. A guitar without a good setup can still be played, but the experience will be a lot less enjoyable.
Click to expand...

You got the analogy backward. He said a cheap guitar with a good setup is better than an expensive guitar with a bad setup. A great guitar with a bad setup is unplayable, just like a Ferrari with flat tires is undrivable.
 
Securb said:
You got the analogy backward. He said a cheap guitar with a good setup is better than an expensive guitar with a bad setup. A great guitar with a bad setup is unplayable, just like a Ferrari with flat tires is undrivable.
Click to expand...

Any car with flat tires is undriveable, but you can still play a great guitar with a bad setup. Again, it's a bad analogy.
 
weepingminotaur said:
Any car with flat tires is undriveable, but you can still play a great guitar with a bad setup. Again, it's a bad analogy.
Click to expand...

If a guitar had a bad setup, intonation is off, bad action, pickup height is off, a badly bowed neck, or the neck has notes fretting out, It is playable but I am not going to play it long. Just as I can drive the Ferrari on the rims, but not for long.
 
i think he does have a lot of good points, but he doesnt get into the nitty gitty too much. feel is huge, but so is tone, and you can only manipulate either of them so much. and im sure as hell not buying a new rig to accommodate a new guitar, granted i have a lot of toys already.
 
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