Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

[NegativeEase]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

If you ask me, the real "Fender sound" is the Fender amps that so often got paired with Fender guitars back in the day, not the guitars themselves.

Well. this is pretty true -I'd argue that huge part of the " Fender Amp sound" is the Fender Single coil pickup interaction and sparkle with the full range scoop of the classic Fender Amp.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

I've got many amps that can be adjusted to sound similar to a Fender amp, but very few guitars (other then Strat copies) can duplicate that Strat sound. A Les Paul played through a Fender amp will NEVER sound like a Strat. But a Strat played through just about any amp will still sound like a Strat. And with the right amp settings (and possibly stomps) a Strat can also sound similar to a LP.

NO. Not even close.

You are misinterpreting my post. The classic "Fender sound" comes from using a Fender guitar and amp (preferably dialled to 6) in tandem. That is not to say you can't get a good tone from each on their own, but the iconic Strat/Tele tones come from using both.

The Gibson rock and roll tone has become more ambiguous. Just about any humbucker paired with a Marshall-y amp will fit somebody's definition of the Gibson sound. For me it's medium hot A5 humbuckers through a JCM800, for others it may be an A2 PAF pushing a Bluesbreaker to the edge of breakup.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

One thing is that covers bands will likely play long sets, so get something ergonomically balanced and light, or you will have some issues later. I can make any guitar work for a particular song, but halfway through set 4, I will wish I picked the lightest guitar.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

All signs point towards a PRS Custom. Wire that bad boy with a Jazz-59/Custom set and coil splits and you're good to go.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Sort of related, it's long proven that only a gear ratio of 12:1 is necessary to dial an instrument in to the proper accuracy IF the player has properly developed their ear and tunes up (not down) to lock the gear mesh into place. These crazy high ratios some companies tout are just something to market -there was a company in the 00s that had like a 30:1 gear ratio using 2 worm drives I believe instead of a planetary or something like that.

The real measure of a Machine Head is manufacturing quality for how the gears interact and remain in place -and thats ALL machining and parts matching quality. It's why high end shops like Sperzell doesn't make gearing high than 12:1 -because shoot out after shoot has proven that larger gears are easier to manufacture perfectly and hold tune better and can be dial accurately.

So if a company use gear ratio to tout their machine heads as better than other companies -don't assume it's a good thing without further research on the quality of the tuner. And this is not to say higher ratio tuners can't be great or easier for some to dial in, just that it's not required for the top quality choice of machine heads.

 

[Charvel1975]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

So many things here; First if you have that gear and are in a 70's/80's cover band and can play all those tunes, why can't you pick a guitar?!?!?!? I'm a little confused at what you need help for here???

And, what does the OTHER guitar player have/do? Are you all rhythm, or do you play leads also?

Example: In my band (80's hair tribute) we both play leads. Just depends on who is "feeling" that solo and the nature of the beast. Since I Play LP types (dean Cadillacs, or V's) I usually do Sweet Child, Whitesnake (Sykes played a Les Paul) etc. The other guy plays Ibanez mostly, so anything stray or whammy he usually does. Between the two of us, we cover whatever is needed.

But for all around flexibility, I'd be getting an HSH Ibanez to play whatever. A humbucker loaded, Floyded Strat can play any of that. An SG or a Les Paul, not so much. But again...since there is another guitar player, what does he do? If you play rhythm only, no need for a whammy. If he is a Strat guy, I'll say SG or PRS on principle.

Sorry I was just trying to get some input and guidance it;s just hard to decide what I want to get for a next electric guitar as there is so many choices out there! To answer some of your qestions, yes me and the other guitarist both do rhythm and leads. My other guitarist also usually does anything requiring whammy but I'm not 100% opposed to doing anything requiring whammy. He also uses newer Ibanez Premium JEM's (I'm pretty sure he has all of them in the Premium JEM series! He loves them!) through Line 6 Relay G55 (Live) then into the newest version of the Marshall DSL100 head through a Bugera slant 4x12 with a mix of Celestions Vintage 30's and G12K100's through a Line 6 POD HD500 for just effects.

 

[Charvel1975]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

All signs point towards a PRS Custom. Wire that bad boy with a Jazz-59/Custom set and coil splits and you're good to go.

I don't know if I can afford a Core line Custom but maybe a S2 Custom 22 and wire it with the pickups you mentioned does sound good!!

 

[Charvel1975]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

So many things here; First if you have that gear and are in a 70's/80's cover band and can play all those tunes, why can't you pick a guitar?!?!?!? I'm a little confused at what you need help for here???

And, what does the OTHER guitar player have/do? Are you all rhythm, or do you play leads also?

Example: In my band (80's hair tribute) we both play leads. Just depends on who is "feeling" that solo and the nature of the beast. Since I Play LP types (dean Cadillacs, or V's) I usually do Sweet Child, Whitesnake (Sykes played a Les Paul) etc. The other guy plays Ibanez mostly, so anything stray or whammy he usually does. Between the two of us, we cover whatever is needed.

But for all around flexibility, I'd be getting an HSH Ibanez to play whatever. A humbucker loaded, Floyded Strat can play any of that. An SG or a Les Paul, not so much. But again...since there is another guitar player, what does he do? If you play rhythm only, no need for a whammy. If he is a Strat guy, I'll say SG or PRS on principle.

Me and the other guitarist both do rhythm and leads. My other guitarist also usually does anything requiring whammy but I'm not 100% opposed to doing anything requiring whammy. He also uses newer Ibanez Premium Steve Vai JEM's (I'm pretty sure he has all of them in the Premium JEM series! He loves them!) through Line 6 Relay G55 (Live) then into the newest version of the Marshall DSL100 head through a Bugera slant 4x12 with a mix of Celestions Vintage 30's and G12K100's through a Line 6 POD HD500 for just effects.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Welcome back!

If the other guy is getting his Steve Vai on with the JEM, I'd definitely be going for something more "classic" and darker. Maybe a an ESP/LTD EC1000? Can get those with and without Floyd. I prefer to live my life without whammy bars. More hassle than worth to me - but that's me. As mentioned earlier, a cool switching PRS perhaps. Or just a classic Les Paul. Something to really "balls up" the sound. I'd be looking for that low-mid grind area maybe.

Think Gillis/Watson...

 

[Ascension]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

All signs point towards a PRS Custom. Wire that bad boy with a Jazz-59/Custom set and coil splits and you're good to go.

That or a Carvin Kiesel and own both. The Hybrid Jazz is a good combo but I prefer the Sentient in the neck. Fatter smoother bigger Humbucking tone and a MUCH better split tone. Together split the Hybrid/Sentient is simply fantastic!!
This is a Hybrid / Sentinet both Split running my Carvin DC 400 through my old Carvin X50 B and this guitar also has some MONSTER full hum-bucking tones!!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Here is my old 93 Carvin DC 127 in solid KOA through my little Boogie Subway Rocket combo running an Alt 8 bridge and Sentinet neck. I'm really running through the tones that guitar is capable of in this clip from both pickups split to full humbucking crunch at times. I never leave the amps crunch channel and am running nothing but amp gain here using touch the splits and guitar volume ONLY to clean up and open up the tones. Frankly there is not much I can't cover with this guitar set up like this tone wise.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Want a super versatile killer with a Trem that is an absolute steal deal? If so check ths one out. Flame top DC 127 Carvin and if it had Stainless frets I would have already bought it. New build on this guitar from Kiesel would come in above $1800. Still tempted big time to buy this guitars myself!! Has had poor photos and just got some decent photos up 2 days ago this guitar should be selling in the 800 to 1000 range really with these options and in this condition.
https://reverb.com/item/30974527-carvin-dc-127-2003-red

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

All signs point towards a PRS Custom. Wire that bad boy with a Jazz-59/Custom set and coil splits and you're good to go.

I just sold all except one of my guitars. What did I keep? PRS Custom 24 SE, stock minus upgraded tuners and strap locks.

 

[donaldr]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Check out a PRS SE Custom 24 with 85/15S pickups. I tried one the other day and to me it's closer to a Strat than an LP because of the maple neck, the neck pickup is brighter because of the 24 fret neck and the 85/15S pickups are giving a convincing single-coil tone when splitted. The feel will be closer to your LP, but access to upper frets will be much better.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

I’ll throw in an odd one I was looking at recently: Yamaha Pacifica PAC612VIIFM. Custom 5 bridge with split, SSL-1 middle and neck, Wilkinson vibrato, alder body, maple neck, warm rosewood fretboard. Can be found for about $650-$700 US. I could handle a lot of 60’s - 80’s through an EVH/Marshall with that.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

This is the wiring he was referring to, which uses a 5 way and no push pulls. You do have to flip a magnet to keep everything in phase and humbucking.

 

[RevDoom73]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Hello all, so I'm thinking of selling my 1998 Gibson Les Paul Special that has a Dimarzio super distortion p90 in the bridge and factory Gibson p100 pickup in the neck and using the funds to go towards another electric guitar as I'm trying to get the miles off my MIK Epiphone Les Paul Custom that's in my sig and maybe going for something lighter as my Epiphone weighs a ton and takes a toll on my back! I'm trying to stay on a budget below $1,500 if possible and I've even been looking at guitars in the $400 on up range.

I've been looking around online a lot and watching Youtube videos and reviews for some time, it's very hard for me to get to a music store like Guitar Center in Fairlawn, OH for example which is the closest to me, due to my work schedule. I'm in a classic/hard rock cover band and we play 70's/80's classic rock/hard rock in standard E tuning and are a 2 guitarist band. My primary Live rig right now is EVH 5150 III 50 Watt V2 6L6 head thru my Marshall 1960A w/2 WGS Retro 30's and stock celestion g12t75's in xpattern with my pedalboard: Korg Pitchblack tuner, ZOOM MS-70CDR and ModTone Clean Boost. As we are doing more shows, the EVH rig will be for live shows and right now my other guitarist is letting me use his Blackstar HT5R 1x12 Combo running through the matching Blackstar 1x12 cab and my aforementioned pedalboard is running through the effects loop.


Anyone have any suggestions or input? Thank you

I've used tons of different guitars for playing in covers bands, but the one that I keep most consistently coming back to is this one, the Fender special ed. FMT telecaster: https://shop.fender.com/en-US/elect...tion-custom-telecaster-fmt-hh/0262000520.html

Only about 7 lbs., so it's not a shoulder-killer like my LP is after a three or four set evening. Duncan 59/Pearly Gates pickups with push/pull coil tap. Set-in neck instead of bolt-on. Carved maple top. It's just this weird hybrid baby of a Gibson-style guitar and a Tele, and I've used it for playing everything from blues and classic rock to punk and metal stuff and pop and whatever else. Definitely not to everyone's taste, I get it, but for me this guitar always winds up being my go-to guitar for covers gigs because I can do everything with it. No Floyd Rose or anything as you see, but it's never been an issue for me since I was never much of a whammy bar guy personally.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

By far the most versatile guitar would be an HH Strat with a Stag Mag in the bridge and a PAF type pup or the 59/C hybrid in the neck with Dave's "Do It All Wiring" and a p/p to split the pups for good Stratty tones:

Positions:
1) bridge bucker
2) bridge + neck outside coils
3) both buckers
4) bridge + neck inside coils
5) neck bucker

With the split on, 1), 3), and 5) would be single coils.

I have this in one of my guitars with a Jazz bridge pup in the neck and the tone possibilities are amazing, versatile, and all very useful tones...nothing waisted. It is a wiring scheme I am using as a default in nearly all of my custom guitars (because it is that good, and because customers LOVE it).

Thanks go to Mincer for turning me on to his simple but beautiful scheme.

I hate Strats, but this is true.

The right setup Strat can approximate all the classic tones, whereas a Les Paul cannot. So in order to canvas all the tones for a cover band, a Strat makes the most sense.

 

[donaldr]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

Charvel USA San Dimas Style 2 (just a bit over your budget but maybe on budget used): https://www.charvel.com/gear/shape/...usa-select-san-dimas-style-2-hh-fr/2835101768

 

[Aceman]

Re: Good Electric Guitar For Covers Band

One thing is that covers bands will likely play long sets, so get something ergonomically balanced and light, or you will have some issues later. I can make any guitar work for a particular song, but halfway through set 4, I will wish I picked the lightest guitar.

Hit the gym Dave....Cardio, w/ alternating Strength days!