Switch guitars for rhythm vs lead?

[alex1fly]

Who here switches guitars for rhythm and guitars for lead? Anyone prefer to do everything on any guitar? Does the gain level, style, or situation affect your answer? If you're a switcher, do you think that pickups can change a guitar's role or is that role just inherent to the instrument?

I am finding that my Tele, SG, and Broadcaster are chunky and clear and immediate and so lend themselves well to rhythm playing. Whereas my Strat and PRS SE Custom have softer attacks and a more "vocal" and round-sounding single note, so I get more nuance out of them for leading playing. In contrast, the Tele/SG/Broadcaster sound a little harsher for leads, and the Strat/SE Custom don't have the same chunk that I like for rhythm playing. Each guitar has had at least 1 pickup swap but the swaps didn't seem to change what the guitar was better suited for.

Curious to hear any thoughts or musings on this.

 

[formula73]

Recording, sure. Live? Not practical.

 

[Mincer]

Live, I hate switching guitars. I only do it if one fails in some way. In the studio, I play what inspires me for the particular part.

 

[GuitarStv]

Recording, sure. Live? Not practical.

Yep, pretty much this.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I always liked the Dimebag Darrell approach where the rhythm and lead tones were basically the same, maybe switching to the neck pickup.

 

[jeremy]

Recording, sure. Live? Not practical.

this

 

[Synapsys]

Recording, sure. Live? Not practical.

Spot on.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

To reiterate ...I've got a solo boost switch on one head, and a lead channel switch on another head. Pedals for flavors. I would never change a guitar to solo in any live or rehearsal space. Only swap them for tuning change or broken something.

I nearly always change guitars for solo work while recording, so it sounds more different than the rhythm track.

 

[Mincer]

^Those are two completely different guitars!

 

[Mincer]

You need that for the screamin' solos!

 

[Aceman]

And look at the bridge - obviously the one with the modern saddles and bar is for solos.

 

[GuitarStv]

Exactly! And its red, so you know its built for playing fast.

It's very important that you only play leads on a red guitar. But that's beginner info, probably why it hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I'll change guitars during a live set. I used to do it quite a lot, several times in a set - sometimes just for show.
Other times though, the character of a certain model really lends itself to the sound of a particular song.

Quite aside from that, I've always found that various instruments can inspire my playing in different ways.
Even playing fusion improv, sometimes another guitar brings out melodies from a different place.

If gigging just one, I'll generally go with a PRS for the great trem and broad tone palette. Or a superStrat.
Either way it's a hybrid, something that offers a range of voicings rather than one of the pure classic characters.

In the studio I've played the same guitar for leads and rhythm parts more often than not, I guess.
But there have been plenty of times I've used a different one, or a different amp.

I do a pretty wide variety of genres, and of course some guitars can be especially well-suited to a particular idiom.
Nothing chimes quite like a Strat or twangs quite like a Tele. And hot ceramic humbuckers excel for tight palm mutes.

Sure, it's not impossible to make a Les Paul twang, or to get big chunk from a Tele.
And yes, there's adventure & inspiration to be had finding new sounds in a guitar you already know.

But if I have a specific direction in mind, why not choose a guitar whose natural character already leans that way?

 

[solspirit]

Exactly! And its red, so you know its built for playing fast.

That's what I was thinking. . . You cant play leads on a blue guitar

 

[Ascension]

Live no I also rarely change channels on my amp. I normally will use touch and the guitar volume to clean up or open up my tone live so use a pickup that will clean up well with the guitar volume. If I go to a solo I just roll up the guitar volume and or hit the pickup selector.
Now in the studio yes will use a different guitar for solo tracks some times but never live.

 

[Securb]

Oh, wait! Ive got it!

.

 

[GuitarStv]

Securb is Morpheus?

 

[alex1fly]

Lol, I guess I was curious more about the studio setting and what makes one guitar sound better for leads or one better for rhythm. I'm kind of discovering that my fast-attack guitars excel at rhythm (Tele, Broadcaster, SG) and the spongier guitars are better for leads (HSS Strat, SE Custom). Maybe more nuance can come out of the spongier guitars, and the fast-attack ones are more consistent in their response. Play to their strengths. Dunno, just exploring things.

 

[Mincer]

Honestly, it is preference outside the studio which guides what you use in the studio. Then, it is just capturing that sound while in the studio.

 

[GuitarDoc]

The pickups make more difference than the guitar for your sound. The feel and playability is mainly what is inherent in the guitar. That being said, I'm surprised that you would say that your Strat has a softer attack than your SG.