I'd venture to say that it's not always something you really hear, but something you feel. An instrument that inspires you more because it feels or reacts in a special way leads you to play differently, and for me that the sound difference. This is strictly me putting words in Les' mouth.
You're not putting words in my mouth at all. Because the reaction of the instrument to the picking and fretting hands is a big part of it, especially how hard or soft the string is plucked. But I'll say also that the inherent frequency response and resonant "filter" that's in the instrument will also have an effect.
Les, you're right...we do strive for a similar guitar sound. After hearing that clip, I'd be pinching myself because that sounds just amazing. I'm wondering how the DG30 sounds cranked with the Hammer. :rock: Great clip, btw.
Yeah, I kinda figured we had similar tastes. I started pinching myself when I got the guitar! But that's only because I'm kinda into self-inflicted pain (not really).
I will do a clip with the DG30, but I can give you a preview of how it sounds: where the HXDA is an amp with a lot of built-in saturation and "give," so when you hit the front end harder with the guitar it blooms into a sweet distortion, the DG has a bigger and harder dynamic range, and when it's pushed, it stays clean longer and gets LOUD. This might be because I use it in the higher gain position with the switch on the back, but it sounds so good that way that I'm kind of addicted to that setting!
When I'm recording with it, I have to be careful not to literally shake the room apart. So what I generally do with it is use a pedal so that I don't have to go deaf. And it responds really, really well to pedals! I'll probably cut the DG30 track with the Fulltone Secret Freq. For whatever reason, that pedal mates up well to the DG, and sounds darned good with the Hammer at reasonable recording volumes. The only other way I could cut tracks with the DG would be to crank it and use something like a Silent Sister, at least in my home studio. Or I'd have to book a "real" studio somewhere.
Then again, I haven't tried the DG with the HOTG in the normal setting, so maybe it will be a great match that way. Hmmm. I will try that tomorrow.